Chapter 90

Chapter 46: Homework

Li Yi looked at Xue Xue, seeing her slender figure trembling slightly like a lotus in the bright sun, her beautiful face pale with anger but a clear flush on her cheeks.

Li Yi stepped forward and said softly, "It's just the despicable tactics of politicians. County Chief Xue, don't take it to heart. They can fool a few ignorant village women, but they can't deceive the masses. The eyes of the people are sharp. As long as you do something practical for them, they will remember you in their hearts."

Xue Xue looked at him gratefully and sighed, "I understand the logic, but I feel so wronged. I left my hometown, gave up the superior living conditions in the provincial capital, and left my husband and daughter to come to this poor and remote place to serve as county chief. I had a lot of mental struggle at the time. I know many people don't respect me and are waiting to see me fail. Even my husband advised me to give up, saying I'm not cut out for it." Her expression suddenly became very determined, "But I am a Party member. Since I accepted the Party's appointment, I should do my best to do this job and lead the people of the county out of poverty during my term."

Li Yi gave her an encouraging look, "I believe you will succeed, County Chief Xue!"

Xue Xue glanced at Xiao Han and said, "Xiao Han, you don't need to come with me to the countryside. You can go back to the city with Director Lu."

Xiao Han became nervous, thinking Xue Xue was upset with her. She immediately put on a brave face, "County Chief Xue, no, I can't let you go alone. No matter what, I will stay by your side. A minor injury won't stop me from fighting! I'm much better now, I don't even need to go to the health center."

Xue Xue said, "No, if you get disfigured, how could I bear it? Go back!" She patted Xiao Han's shoulder gently.

Li Yi nudged Ouyang Jinxuan's waist, "Ouyang, you go back with Comrade Xiao Han."

Ouyang Jinxuan gave him a puzzled look, and Li Yi whispered, "Go back immediately and report this to Director Shao. Tell them to focus on this! There will be gains."

Ouyang Jinxuan said, "Oh," and went to support Xiao Han, smiling, "Secretary Xiao Han, I'll go back with you."

Xiao Han nodded and said to Xue Xue, "Take care, County Chief!"

Fenglin Town was small, with only three or four streets. It was market day, and the town was bustling with people.

Fenglin Town was originally a township, but it was later upgraded to a town. The government compound was still the old township government compound, just with a new sign.

The compound was a two-story red brick building, one of the better structures in the area. The group arrived at the compound, and Xue Xue said, "Let's go to the meeting room. I'll give a brief report on this inspection."

Liu Fuqiang looked troubled, "County Chief Xue, the town doesn't have a meeting room."

Xue Xue asked, "Where do you usually hold meetings?"

Liu Fuqiang laughed, "It's such a small place, a shout and everyone hears."

Everyone laughed.

Fang Jiaxing said, "For town-wide meetings, we go to the auditorium."

Liu Fuqiang added, "Our auditorium was built during the commune era, it's old and cracked, not very safe."

Xue Xue frowned, finding the situation difficult, as it was her first time encountering this.

Liu Fuqiang said, "How about we hold the meeting in the courtyard? We do this when there are urgent tasks."

Xue Xue looked at the scorching sky and said, "Alright, I'll keep it short to avoid heatstroke for everyone."

Liu Fuqiang ran back to the office, and soon the courtyard echoed with the sound of a loudspeaker: "Attention! Attention! Comrades in all offices, please gather in the courtyard immediately, please gather in the courtyard to hear County Chief Xue's report!"

The sound was like a broken gong, mixed with sharp static, deafening and irritating.

Xue Xue felt her ears itch and plugged them with her fingers.

Dozens of people ran out of the offices, whispering and looking at Xue Xue in the courtyard, but not daring to look directly, for fear of being caught.

Most of the town officials were locals, mostly farmers by origin, over thirty years old. A few young ones were recent college graduates.

The group stood in the courtyard, noisy and disorganized. A few women yawned and fanned themselves with magazines, and a sharp female voice cursed the sky for being so hot on a meeting day.

The men stood loosely, chatting, going back to the office for water, and dusting themselves off, not settling down for a long time.

Xue Xue wasn't in a hurry, just standing in front, looking at the group.

Liu Fuqiang came out of the office and shouted, "Comrades, quiet down! Listen to County Chief Xue, let's give her a warm welcome!"

There were a few scattered sounds, unclear whether they were claps or stomps.

Xue Xue's face turned serious, and she said coldly, "Comrades seem to enjoy talking. How about this, today I'll call each of you up to speak, each for half an hour, and if you can't finish, you can extend to an hour. After you all speak, I'll speak. What do you think?"

The courtyard fell silent, Xue Xue's words like a magic potion, silencing everyone.

"Since no one is speaking, I'll say a few words," Xue Xue's voice was clear and crisp, "Today, I'm here to accompany the provincial government's water inspection team to conduct a survey, mainly to understand the progress of the Xishan Reservoir project... Comrades, our county has 18 townships, and Fenglin Town ranks last in economic income!" She slowly scanned the crowd, her clear eyes seeming to look at each person. Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to meet her gaze.

Xue Xue continued, "Comrades, who will develop Fenglin Town? It's you! You are the masters of Fenglin Town! Some say the iron rice bowl is given by the state, others say it's given by me, the county chief."

There was a ripple of laughter below.

"Wrong! Your iron rice bowl is given by the people! The wages and benefits you receive are the people's tax money, their hard-earned money! Ask yourselves, what have you done for them? Besides holding meetings and reading reports, what else have you done? When farmers worry about drought in the fields, what have you done? When they can't afford to eat in winter, what have you done?"

Xue Xue's questions were deafening, shaking everyone's soul.

Li Yi gazed at the beautiful county chief, her image now tall and radiant.

"I know your lives are not easy, many comrades are also poor. As the ancients said, when you are poor, you think of change; when you change, you find a way; when you find a way, you succeed! Use your minds, think for yourselves and the people you govern, what can be done to change this?"

Xue Xue's words once again stirred everyone's hearts.

They felt this female county chief was different from others, a leader who truly wanted to do something practical, a leader who cared about the people's livelihood.

"It's very hot today, I've made you suffer! I'll say a few more words. This is my first visit to Fenglin Town, and I must say, my impression is very bad, very bad indeed! But I hope that in the near future, Fenglin Town will undergo a complete transformation! The roads will be smooth, and merchants will come in; the people will be wealthy, and they won't have to go out to avoid debts during the New Year; the town government will have a meeting room, and we won't have to hold meetings in the sun."

"Ha ha ha!" The crowd burst into laughter, feeling a connection with the new county chief. After laughing, they quickly returned to silence, showing respect for Xue Xue.

"Everyone says Secretary Wu is the class teacher of the Lianshui County team, I am the deputy class teacher, and you are all students. As such, I, the deputy class teacher, will assign homework today. The topic is: I Plan for Fenglin's Happiness! Each of you should write a development plan for Fenglin Town, with your ideas and suggestions. Be specific! Don't submit perfunctory essays! This homework will be included in the annual evaluation, and those with excellent results will receive rewards! Those who slack off will be punished! That's all, thank you for coming to the meeting in the heat, dismissed!"

The officials didn't disperse, and the courtyard echoed with a loud,整齐的掌声.

Some bolder ones approached to discuss with Xue Xue.

Xue Xue talked with them for a while, checked her watch, and said to the group, "Comrades, I need to go inspect the reservoir. Your suggestions are all good. Please write them down and submit them to Town Chief Fang, who will forward them to me. I will read each one, and if any are particularly good, I will come down personally to discuss them with you and seek your advice!"

The group then dispersed.

Li Yi couldn't help but admire her. This female county chief was not only beautiful but also very capable!

A few of them sat in Liu Fuqiang's office, had some tea, and then headed to the Xishan Reservoir.

The Xishan Reservoir was built in a valley on Xishan Mountain, half in Fangjia Valley Village and half in Xishan Valley Village.

By the time they arrived at the construction site, the sun was setting.

There were no workers on the site, only an old man in charge of materials living in a makeshift tent. The tent was a triangular frame made of wood, covered with a bamboo mat used for drying rice, and layered with straw.

The old man, seeing so many leaders, was at a loss, wanting to invite them into the tent, but it was too narrow, with no place to stand.

Xue Xue said, "Never mind, we'll just look around. Are you from the Water Resources Bureau?"

Xie Limin immediately jumped in to answer, "No, the project has been contracted to a construction company. This is one of their workers."

Xue Xue casually asked, "Such a large project, how many companies are involved? Which ones?"

Xie Limin's eyes twitched, and he quickly answered, "I can't remember the specifics. It was all done through public bidding when Deputy Mayor Zhang was in charge. There are four companies in total: two from our county, one from the city, and one from the provincial capital."

Deputy Mayor Zhang was the former county party secretary, now the vice mayor of Xizhou City. Since he was the one who initiated the project, Xue Xue didn't want to comment. Besides, she didn't know much about such projects, so she just nodded and didn't pursue it further.

Xie Limin breathed a sigh of relief, his hands sweating.

Li Yi had been observing Xie Limin's actions and now smiled, thinking, "There must be something fishy with these construction companies! This can be a breakthrough for the investigation."

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