Chapter 695

At the end of May, after the inspiring "zero-fee" education initiative was launched, the grassland people spread the news and celebrated nationwide; the province's talk had only two topics: from now on, children's schooling no longer requires payment, and they look forward to Secretary Lu being quickly "confirmed"!

Moreover, Lu Fan's bold anti-corruption efforts on the grasslands, together with the ongoing "earth-shaking" medical reform, have raised his prestige there to an unattainable height.

You should know, the deeper the anti-corruption drive and the more the masses support it, and since livelihood projects concern thousands of families, anyone who can achieve even a little will be praised by the masses as a good official.

Lu Fan pursued both anti-corruption and livelihood work with both hands, showing extraordinary boldness and decisive ability, creating a clean and upright political ecosystem that let ordinary people truly enjoy the benefits of reform and development. Such down-to-earth effort yields results that are simply too good!

Walking the streets and alleys, even small merchants and vendors are discussing, "Secretary Lu is truly awesome!"

"Yes, my wife just had an operation that cost over fifty thousand, while I only paid over two thousand; the policy is really good!"

"Children's schooling no longer costs money; in the past, they would soon have been collecting exam fees, but Secretary Lu's order means schools dare not even collect printing fees. If this had happened before, would you have dared to imagine it?"

"I've heard Secretary Lu neither corrupt nor accepts gifts; those who give gifts are scolded by him. The tides turn, and now that we've come to the grasslands, we've finally met a good leader!"

……

In a top-tier hospital, the longtime head of internal medicine clearly felt the hospital's changes; on the faces of patients and their families, which used to be lined with worry, more and more sincere smiles appeared. The once-tense doctor-patient relationship has greatly improved, replaced by mutual understanding, trust, and respect, because everyone's medical expenses have genuinely been lowered through treatment and hospitalization—this is the hospital he has long hoped for.

Since the implementation of the "two-invoice system", the profit chain has been cut off, and the money patients spend on medicine has been "waist-cut" slashed in half, giving the broad masses real benefits. While everyone praises Secretary Lu's wisdom, they also compliment the hospital; this sense of gain is something medical staff have never experienced before, making people feel greatly relieved.

As time passed, the medical staff were also "appointed", earning a little less is fine; at least now they can work without anxiety, after all some money is not safe to take—haven't you seen over a thousand hospital leaders arrested? Taking a steady salary is also good; at least it's an iron rice bowl, but touching the legal red line still carries risk.

May 30, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Youth League Committee Zhou Yulin came to the Provincial Party Committee and invited Lu Fan to participate in the Children's Day celebration organized by the Provincial Youth League Committee.

Upon seeing this beautiful Deputy Secretary again, Lu Fan still felt a sense of astonishment and readily accepted the invitation from the Provincial Youth League Committee.

June 1, nearly a thousand youths and children from all over the grasslands participated in the themed Young Pioneers day activity titled "Provincial Youth and Children's Celebration of "June 1" Together with "Red Scarf Meets the Grasslands"" organized by the Provincial Youth League Committee and the Young Pioneers Work Committee.

Provincial Party Committee Deputy Secretary Lu Fan, Organization Department Head Shang Youyang, Provincial Party Committee Secretary Wu Xiaohua, Deputy Provincial Governor Zhang Rongqiu, and other leaders participated in the activity.

During the event, Lu Fan emphasized that protecting every child and letting them grow healthy and safe is an important responsibility of all levels and types of schools and kindergartens. All-level party committees and governments must further prioritize youth and children's work, earnestly implement the Party's education policy, fully implement the education-first strategy, further improve school conditions, raise educational standards, and genuinely safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of youths and children.

In the afternoon, the Provincial Party Committee Office received notice from the superior organization department that Bureau Chief Bai Chengzhi would lead a team to the grasslands for an organizational inspection.

Secretary Wu Xiaohua attached great importance, immediately reported to Lu Fan, and promptly began preparations for the inspection.

The Organization Department's visit for inspection at this time speaks for itself; it is highly likely that Secretary Lu is about to be confirmed.

After the news spread, provincial leaders heatedly discussed it, with the vast majority welcoming the outcome, since Lu Fan took office he has genuinely done many things, the grasslands' political ecosystem is visibly improving, and confirming him is both deserved and widely expected.

But Gu Yunhao, Yun Junjie, Yang Jiale, Yun Shuo and others did not see it that way; they gathered together, worried.

Yun Shuo, face full of grief and indignation, said, "If he takes office, will we still have our good days? No, we must do something; we cannot sit and wait for destruction!"

Gu Yunhao sighed and said, "It's the prevailing trend; even if some mishap occurs, it's neither here nor there. As long as the superiors have decided to use him, whatever we do will be futile! If we backfire, the punishment will fall on us, and it might not change anything—perhaps it would even bring disaster upon ourselves."

Yun Junjie said, "I think Yun Shuo makes a certain amount of sense; we cannot sit and wait for destruction. Everyone knows Lu Fan's attitude—there is no room for compromise, so we must absolutely not let him take office smoothly. If a large-scale petition incident occurs during the inspection, and its impact is extremely bad, it might just block his path."

Yun Shuo echoed, "Second brother is right; now it's a life-or-death situation, why should we still care about rules? Damn it, at worst we'll split up and nobody will be better off! I'll handle this; if I fail, I won't drag you down—I'll flee on my own!"

Gu Yunhao turned his gaze to Yang Jiale and asked, "Jiale, what's your stance?"

"Playing with fire and self-immolation!" Yang Jiale remained composed and asked, "Have you considered that even if we topple Lu Fan and put someone else in that position, would the situation change?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yunhao fell into deep thought. Indeed, given his political acumen, how could he fail to see the situation?

Thinking this through, Gu Yunhao decisively said, "When it's a matter of life and death, nobody should act rashly; tonight I'll go find Secretary Lu to talk, and you wait for my news." Having said that, he rose and left, leaving the three with a sigh.

Yun Shuo felt extremely unwilling and resentfully said, "If we can't reach an agreement, I will absolutely not let Lu Fan have an easy time! Elder Brother Yang, you are the Political and Legal Committee Secretary—this time you must help me!"

Yang Jiale asked, "What do you want to do? But you must not act rashly; the overall situation is paramount!"

"To hell with the overall situation! Qingcheng City is the provincial capital; if a few 'accidents' happen during the inspection, let's see how he deals with it!"

Even Yun Junjie now urged, "Third brother, you must not let anger drive you to create an irreversible situation; we can still talk with Lu Fan, at least we still have a way out!"

"Man is the butcher, I am the meat! When have we ever suffered such nonsense? I think you're all foolish; constant compromise will only make Lu Fan more ruthless! Lately I've felt awful, as if someone is watching me like a wolf; if we don't rise up and fight back, I guarantee we'll all be doomed! Only a bloody struggle can give us a slim chance of survival, second brother—you're so smart, how can you not see this?"

"Alas!" Yun Junjie sighed deeply and said, "We can't seek only short-term pleasure, for we are not loners; our roots are in the grasslands!"

……

At seven in the evening, Wu Xiaohua and Du Wenlong came to Lu Fan's office to congratulate him on his imminent promotion.

Lu Fan laughed and said, "Congratulations are premature; the eight characters haven't even got a single stroke yet!"

Wu Xiaohua smiled and said, "Don't mention that single stroke; even the final slash is already written! Given the secretary's current prestige, this is a done deal!"

Lu Fan replied with a smile, "I think you're eyeing the deputy secretary position, aren't you? This time, forget it—you've only been secretary for a few months, your seniority isn't enough. Wenlong, you too—just focus on doing your own job well."

Wu Xiaohua replied, "Secretary, I have this self-awareness; I just want to do my own job well and serve you in all your work."

Du Wenlong also said, "I also have this self-awareness; even if you made me deputy secretary, I couldn't handle it—I'll spend my life doing discipline inspection work well, not what he wants! Brother Fan, who do you plan to recommend?"

Lu Fan thought and said, "I plan to recommend Mou Yue; there is precedent for adjusting the United Front Work Department head to deputy secretary. However, the deputy secretary post is important; recommending someone is one thing, whether the superiors will use them is another—all we can do is do our part and leave the rest to fate."

Du Wenlong asked again, "With the turnover coming up, what about Gu Yunhao and Yun Junjie? Should we keep them in their current posts? If we recommend Mou Yue, Gu Yunhao will surely not give up easily—his seniority ranks first."

Suddenly, someone pushed the door open; Lu Fan looked up and saw it was actually Gu Yunhao—truly, speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao arrives!

After entering, Gu Yunhao smiled and said, "Sorry to interrupt your work talk; I came to offer my early congratulations to the secretary!"

Du Wenlong stood up and said, "No interruption—I just finished reporting a few items of work to the secretary, so our talk is done. Governor Yunhao, you two chat; I still have some work to attend to, I'll go handle it."

Gu Yunhao sighed and said, "Everyone says Secretary Du is a "model worker"; I ought to learn from you!"

Du Wenlong gave a faint smile, turned, and left the office.

Wu Xiaohua greeted them and also withdrew.

After sitting down, Gu Yunhao smiled and said, "Secretary, I sincerely offer my congratulations! Since you took office, the grasslands have undergone earth-shaking changes; all social endeavors continue to improve, and having you as secretary is the people's wish and the hope of all!"

Lu Fan laughed and replied, "It's too early to say that; the inspection team arrives tomorrow. Even if they're inspecting me, they'll have to look at the situation. Although I've done some things, I've also touched some people's interests—it's impossible for everyone to praise me; just a few days ago, some people came to petition, dissatisfied with the provincial Party Committee and provincial government's medical reform."