Chapter 84

Chapter 40: Down to Lianshui

Deng Qiaoqiao let out a startled cry, "The door isn't even closed yet!"

Li Yi grinned wickedly, "Why close the door? I can't wait... whoever wants to watch can watch! I don't care anyway."

Deng Qiaoqiao screamed and scrambled out of bed, looking at Li Yi with fear. In her eyes, he was a complete madman, a pervert! She quickly tidied her dress and fled out the door without looking back.

"Ha ha, Miss Deng, not staying a bit longer? You're welcome to visit again!" Li Yi walked to the door and shouted loudly.

The door next to them opened, and a few colleagues poked their heads out to ask, "Chief Li, is your girlfriend visiting you?"

Li Yi laughed, "Nonsense, just a regular friend! My girlfriend is much prettier than her!"

Deng Qiaoqiao finally realized she had been tricked by Li Yi. He was scaring her to make her back off! She was both embarrassed and angry, too ashamed to turn back, and just ran down the stairs.

Li Yi watched her flee like a wounded lamb, a smug smile on his face. He walked to the bed, picked up the cigarettes, and put them in the cabinet. After a moment's thought, he took them out again, examined them carefully, and wore an expression of satisfaction, as expected.

The next day, under the leadership of Section Chief Shao Guoping, the Water Supervision Office's First Section boarded a minibus and headed to Lianshui County.

The county government reception office warmly welcomed the Water Supervision Office delegation. After settling them in, they provided food and entertainment but did not mention any work.

After the meal, the reception office director invited Shao Guoping and his team to a welcome dance.

Before Shao Guoping could respond, Li Yi declined their offer, saying that the long journey had been tiring and they needed to rest early for the next day's work.

Shao Guoping's face clearly showed displeasure. He said, "Chief Li, you must be tired. Rest in your room. We'll go relax a bit! We can't let the good intentions of the Lianshui officials go to waste!"

Li Yi knew Shao Guoping was angry. After all, among the group, Shao Guoping held the highest position. Li Yi's impromptu decision had threatened his authority. Even if he originally didn't want to attend the dance, he would now go to assert his authority.

The reception office director cheerfully ran off to make arrangements.

Shao Guoping patted Li Yi on the shoulder and smiled, "Brother, don't take it to heart. To investigate them, we need to get inside their circle. Even if we can't gain their trust, we at least shouldn't weaken their defenses. If we nitpick everything, they'll be on guard all the time."

Li Yi was taken aback, thinking that as a newcomer to the bureaucracy, he still had a lot to learn. He smiled and said, "Chief Shao is right."

That night passed without incident. The next morning, Shao Guoping called a brief work meeting with the team members and made work arrangements.

"I want to emphasize that we must adhere to the principle of being fact-based, meticulous, and thorough in completing the tasks assigned by our superiors. As staff of a higher-level agency, we should not act like imperial envoys, giving orders and being condescending, nor should we be 'goodists' and play the peacemaker. We need to be in place without overstepping, appropriate without being excessive."

"We should not make assumptions, exaggerate, or issue orders arbitrarily. When we find problems and shortcomings at the grassroots level, we should kindly offer suggestions, criticize less, and discuss more. Our purpose is to promote the implementation of decisions and solve problems. We are not here to nitpick or cause trouble!"

"Li Yi and Ouyang will be a team, Ma Haitao and Fan Siyu will be another. Work separately but coordinate your investigations! This is a major task, so you must investigate carefully, verify meticulously, visit more, and record more, striving to be fair and impartial in your reports."

Li Yi nodded, looking at Shao Guoping's serious and earnest expression. He thought his worries from the night before were unnecessary. Shao Guoping was an experienced old hand in supervision, and he believed he could handle it.

After some time of investigation, Li Yi's mood became unusually heavy.

Lianshui County was a mountainous area with little water. Only a few towns in the county could achieve agricultural irrigation. Most towns suffered severe droughts in the summer, with nine out of ten years being dry. The county government had long decided to build a reservoir, but several administrations had failed to accomplish it.

The previous leadership, thinking of the people's needs and urgency, worked together with the county party committee and government to secure the reservoir project. The first phase investment of 55 million yuan was used to start the construction of the reservoir, with an additional 50 million yuan planned for the irrigation channels.

This water conservancy project, which benefited the country and the people, received strong support from the entire county. With 18 towns and nearly a million people, those with money contributed money, and those with labor contributed labor. The initial construction of the reservoir was completed quickly, with the flood discharge pipes laid and the dam built several meters high. However, at this critical juncture, the Water Bureau ran out of funds, and the subsequent construction could not continue.

The 55 million yuan for the water conservancy project was allocated from the provincial water resources department to the county finance, which then transferred it to the Water Bureau's account. This, the largest special fund in Lianshui County's history, was under the control of the usually low-key Water Bureau Director Xie Limin, who suddenly stood tall and proud.

However, halfway through the project, the funds ran out, which greatly alarmed Xie Limin and the county leadership. The previous secretary and county head, due to their success in attracting projects and the end of their terms, had already been promoted or transferred.

The new secretary and county head were like ants on a hot pan, leading the heads of the Planning Bureau, Water Bureau, Agriculture Bureau, and Finance Bureau to run around the city and province, trying to secure funds to continue the reservoir project.

The best plan was to secure the additional 50 million yuan to complete the reservoir and then find ways to fund the irrigation channels.

Just as things were starting to look promising, an unknown troublemaker submitted a petition to the provincial petition office, accusing the entire county party committee and government leadership. Coincidentally, Governor Tang was inspecting the petition office that day, learned of the matter, and, in a fit of anger, ordered the provincial government supervision office to investigate.

That day, Li Yi was reviewing documents in his hotel room when a knock came at the door. He got up to open it.

Outside stood a middle-aged man in his forties, with a long face, a lean body, and a ruddy complexion. At first glance, he looked like a farmer.

Li Yi was about to ask who he was when the man smiled and bowed, saying, "Chief Li, hello. I am Xie Limin, the director of the Lianshui County Water Bureau. I have come to pay my respects to Chief Li."

Li Yi was surprised, "Director Xie? How did you end up looking like this after just a few days?"