Chapter 569

Returning to the office, Lu Fan saw Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Zhao Lingyun actually sitting on the sofa drinking tea, and he smiled and said: "I thought I had walked into the wrong office—when did you get here? Why didn't you call?"

Zhao Lingyun laughed and replied: "I asked the office, they said you were in a meeting next door—is this about the public institution restructuring? The senior leader called me; I will fully cooperate with you on this work, you tell me how to do it and I'll do it that way!"

"Then thank you; let's join forces and break through this 'stronghold'!"

Zhao Lingyun asked: "First give me the lowdown—how intense is this reform?"

Lu Fan solemnly replied: "The overall direction is to streamline 2,700 public institutions, retain over 80,000 institutional staff positions, and cut bureau-level and division-level leadership posts by 10% and 25% respectively. All provincial, municipal, and county units with staffing of 16, 6, and 4 or fewer—those classified as 'small scattered weak' and 'shell' units—will be completely merged or abolished."

"Good grief! No wonder the senior leader repeatedly urged me to cooperate well with your work. Lu Fan, you're about to shake the heavens! If this news gets out, who knows how many people will lose sleep over it!"

Lu Fan replied: "So we'll act but not speak, to avoid unnecessary panic. For provincial departments, we'll first pick the Market Supervision Bureau as a pilot; in the cities, I'll take Nanyuan City as a pilot. Lingyun, the Provincial Discipline Inspection Committee must give strong support, put institutional reform at the top of the agenda—too many leaders are watching Huayuan Province's public institution reform. If we do it well, it could become a national pilot, and you won't lose out."

Zhao Lingyun said without hesitation: "No problem—I'll focus my main energy on the institutional reform and be your enforcer!"

"That's a bit over the top; let's discuss it together!"

Seeing that it was already after work, Lu Fan said: "Let's go out for a stroll, finish with some stewed noodles, and have a whole roasted chicken?"

"I don't mind, I'm just afraid the crowd will recognize you."

Walking out of the Provincial Party Committee compound, a middle school not far away was letting out.

As they passed by, Zhao Lingyun suddenly said to Lu Fan: "Look at that traffic officer on duty—doesn't he resemble the brigade chief who investigated the female driver in the drunk-driving accident?"

"Come to think of it, that does seem right—the traffic brigade's work style is good, even the brigade chief is personally on duty!" Those days the "accident-causing female driver" was a hot topic online; short-video platforms were full of traffic police enforcement clips, and Lu Fan had watched plenty, so he naturally had an impression of the traffic police.

Zhao Lingyun laughed and said: "I'd say there's an eighty percent chance he's being suppressed—Li Mingyang has been asking me repeatedly to plead with Lin Dian for leniency! He just hints at it, and Yingjun City still has to implement it immediately?"

Hearing that, Lu Fan couldn't help but frown, and immediately called Office Director Tan Yiqiao to get the details.

Having risen from the grassroots, Lu Fan knew exactly how hard it was to become a brigade chief; he deeply disliked anyone using power to suppress others and retaliate. Moreover, this traffic officer, after being investigated by the Discipline Inspection Committee and when facing media interviews, insisted that the "organization department head" mentioned by the female driver in the accident bore the surname Lin—he surely knew Deputy Minister Lin Dian of the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department, which also amounted to an indirect explanation for Lu Fan.

Stewed noodles, a dish that rose from the common folk's table to the state banquet stage.

Stewed noodle shops are everywhere in Huayuan; they have basically become synonymous with restaurants. Going to a stewed noodle shop, don't think they only sell stewed noodles—they also offer stir-fried dishes, staples, alcohol, and more; the name "stewed noodle shop" is just to attract attention and draw customers.

Whether a stewed noodle shop is good or not depends on careful observation—look at the mutton pot, smell the mutton; there's a lot to it. Lu Fan's approach is to go straight to the place with the most customers; a gold or silver cup means nothing compared to the folk's reputation.

The essence of stewed noodles lies in the broth: simmer high-quality tender lamb and lamb bones together for most of the night, add seven or eight kinds of medicinal herbs to the pot to render all the bone oil, and the resulting broth turns milky white like milk. Once the broth is ready, large, oil‑shiny palm‑sized "stewed noodle skins" are, under the skilled hands of a stewed‑noodle master, pulled and stretched in a dance‑like motion, becoming wide, thin, and chewy stewed noodles.

In the bitterly cold winter, a bowl of steaming stewed noodles topped with plenty of cilantro warms and whets the appetite; add a roasted chicken, and the two eat with great relish!

Just after finishing their meal, Office Director Tan Yiqiao's phone rang, and he reported: "Minister, I had someone inquire—that traffic officer is named Wang Rui; he was originally the captain of the first detachment directly under the city Public Security Bureau's Traffic Police Detachment, and has now been relieved of his post, for unknown reasons."

Lu Fan said in a low voice: "Have Wang Rui come to my office tomorrow!"

"All right, Minister, I'll see to it right away!"

After hanging up, Zhao Lingyun laughed and asked: "Are you planning to right a wrong and uphold justice?"

Lu Fan replied: "To harm someone invisibly, to decide a person's fate with a single word—what great official authority! I just can't stand it, so I'll take care of it as a matter of course."

Leaving the stewed noodle shop, the two returned to their respective units, each with plenty of work to keep them busy.

At eight in the evening, seeing the lights on in Governor Liu Linghao's office, Lu Fan dropped by to brief him in detail on his ideas for the institutional reform of Huayuan Province.

After hearing the report, Governor Liu Linghao sighed: "Old Li called me—rest assured, the provincial government will definitely give its full support to your work. Lu Fan, since ancient times reform has often been accompanied by bloodshed, and institutional reform is no exception. This is a double‑edged sword; in the balance of gains and losses, power shifts, benefits are great but risks are also great. I advise you to proceed with caution, start with the easy tasks before the hard ones, advance step by step, and try not to stir up antagonistic feelings among the cadres."

Lu Fan replied: "Thank you, Governor, for your advice and concern. I've made up my mind this time, and I've also made a promise to Secretary Hong Tao—the institutional reform of Huayuan must not only be a surface change but a complete rebirth. Please, Governor, draw up a list to avoid 'mis‑injuries'."

Unexpectedly, Governor Liu Linghao pulled a sheet of paper from his drawer and handed it to Lu Fan—he had already made his plans.

The next morning at seven, Traffic Officer Wang Rui arrived at the Provincial Party Committee Organization Department with a nervous heart; Office Director Tan Yiqiao specially gave him a few words, hinting that something good might happen.

Around 7:55, Organization Department Minister Lu Fan exited the elevator; as he neared his office door, Tan Yiqiao came out to report: "Minister, that traffic officer Wang Rui has arrived."

"Um, have him come to my office."

Having sat down at his desk, Lu Fan began handling official business when Wang Rui pushed the door open and entered.

Lu Fan looked up at him and said: "Help yourself to water; I'll approve this document first."

"Minister, you're busy!" Wang Rui said, then stood ramrod straight because the leader hadn't told him to sit down.

Ten minutes later, Wang Rui remained in the same posture, standing straight as a pine.

Lu Fan set down his pen and said: "Please sit and speak—your name is Wang Rui, right?"

Seated on the guest chair, Wang Rui replied respectfully: "Minister, I'm Wang Rui, 32 years old, graduated from the Huayuan Police Academy, and I'm currently a patrol officer."

Lu Fan nodded and said: "The Organization Department is undertaking an important task for the Provincial Party Committee; we're short‑handed and plan to temporarily transfer you in. The workload is heavy, possibly requiring daily overtime—do you have any personal difficulties?"

Since being relieved of his post, Wang Rui had felt disheartened and even contemplated quitting. Now a lifeline had been thrown his way, and its other end was the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee member and Organization Department Minister. Wang Rui had no hesitation, stood up and said: "Thank you, Minister, for this precious opportunity—I will obey orders and follow directives, embody the spirit of fearing neither hardship nor fatigue, summon the resolve that 'the harder it gets, the further I press forward,' and guarantee to do my utmost to complete every task you assign." His words were full of gratitude.

Lu Fan pressed the button, and Office Director Tan Yiqiao immediately entered.

"Yiqiao, take Wang Rui to the Materials Section and have him participate in drafting the 'Institutional Reform Plan' so he can get up to speed with the work as quickly as possible."

"All right, Minister, I'll coordinate with Yingjun City."

Lu Fan shook his head and said: "No need to coordinate, just ignore them—let Wang Rui start work directly; after two weeks we'll finish the paperwork and assign him to the office."

"All right, Minister, I'll handle it myself."

One week later, a first draft of the "Huayuan Province Provincial Public Institutions Reshaping Reform Plan" was completed; Lu Fan intended to proceed in two steps—first take the provincial departments as the pilot, then extend the reform to the cities and counties.

After repeated discussions with Secretary Tang Bing and Governor Liu Linghao, the plan was basically finalized.

On December 15, the Provincial Party Committee convened a standing committee meeting to specially study the reshaping reform of Huayuan Province's provincial public institutions, with Organization Department Minister Lu Fan delivering a special report.

The meeting announced the establishment of the Huayuan Province Public Institution Reform Leading Group, with Secretary Tang Bing and Governor Liu Linghao as co‑leaders, the Organization Department Minister as the executive deputy leader, Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Zhao Lingyun, Executive Deputy Provincial Governor Huang Chongzhou, and Provincial Party Committee Secretary General Jia Zuo as deputy leaders; the two offices, standing committee units, all provincial departments, and the principal leaders of each city serve as members.

Lu Fan reported: "The public institution reform will be carried out in two steps, beginning with the reshaping of provincial public institutions."

Our province's public institutions generally suffer from unreasonable layout and structure, inaccurate positioning, low efficiency, and being too small and scattered; the leading group will, centering on the requirements of modernization for 'affairs' and 'enterprise', advance the reshaping, structural optimization, and functional reconstruction of public institutions according to the principles of separating politics from administration, enterprises from institutions, and management from operation, so as to fully unleash the reform dividends, stimulate vitality in the public institutions, and add new impetus to the modernization of Huayuan.

This reform will prioritize optimizing functions and responsibilities, delineate public‑welfare categories, clarify government‑affairs, enterprise‑institution, and management‑operation relations, and streamline the management system and operating mechanisms; at the same time, it will focus on resolving problems of excessive small size and overlapping responsibilities.

The reform insists on serving scientific governance, high‑quality development, and the people; what ought to be cut will be decisively trimmed, what ought to be strengthened will be genuinely reinforced, and truly putting staffing resources where they count.

Lu Fan's report sounded ordinary and failed to attract much attention.

Apart from the secretary, the governor, and the discipline inspection committee secretary, nobody expected that a reform storm would sweep across the Central Plains!