Chapter 259

Under my strategic planning, Guo Wei's Agricultural Trade Street project was launched smoothly. Despite the complaints, the town cadres still emptied their savings, and with sorrowful faces, they lazily marked their own plots on the planned map.

The geological survey completely dashed the dream of building a mineral water plant, which was no different from a heavy blow to my head.

For the thousand-plus people of Yuetang Village, their basic needs for food, drink, and shelter were no laughing matter.

The reason Qian Youyu was willing to follow me initially was because I held the status of a cadre. When a cadre makes a mistake, the government pays the bill. This point was his trump card.

I couldn't afford to pay that bill! I am just a small town mayor; even if they killed me and sold my meat, would everyone be able to have a sip of soup?

People often develop endless capabilities when in a desperate situation. I finally thought of a risky move.

I forcibly pulled the construction team from the Laoyingzui water plant project to the government construction site, demanding that Qian Youyu immediately start the construction of the Agricultural Trade Street.

Qian Youyu was still hesitating. I patted his shoulder and told him, "Old Qian, do it. I'll take responsibility if anything happens."

Qian Youyu had been driven to distraction by me. He stared at me with his murky eyes and said, "You'll take responsibility?"

"If I don't take responsibility, are you going to?"

"I'm almost being killed by you; what kind of responsibility can I take?"

"That's it, then. Since you can't take responsibility, you have to listen to me."

"Anyway, my life is in your hands now. I'll follow your script. If people die, neither of us will be able to escape."

"Don't worry!" I comforted him and took the blueprints to find Guo Wei.

For a street built uniformly by the town government, it was planned, designed, and constructed uniformly before completion. My plan was that after it was built, the people of Yuetang Village would participate in a unified lottery based on the number of households and the size of their families.

The launch of the Agricultural Trade Street signaled that the future of Suxi Town would not just be an administrative center, but also a commercial, economic, and cultural center. This was because I had included supporting facilities like the town credit union, the town cultural station, and a commercial building intended for a supermarket.

Guo Wei looked at the rendering, smiled with satisfaction, and patted my shoulder, saying, "Brother, you've worked hard."

I smiled indifferently. As the saying goes, a ten-thousand-foot building rises from the ground; an Agricultural Trade Street was just the first step in my long march.

The Suxi mineral water plant project died without a whimper. I reported this news to Liu Qimeng.

After hearing my report, County Magistrate Liu furrowed his brows deeply and let out a long sigh.

After listening to his sigh, I sincerely invited him to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the Suxi Town Agricultural Trade Street.

County Magistrate Liu didn't know what medicine I was selling in my gourd, so he looked at me without saying a word.

I whispered, "County Magistrate, I was thinking, if we can't succeed in industry, can't we succeed in commerce?"

County Magistrate Liu smiled with interest and asked, "How do you want to do it?"

I reported my plan in detail. After I finished speaking, I picked up the water cup in front of me and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good! I support you." County Magistrate Liu was clearly infected by my blueprint.

When County Magistrate Liu Qimeng arrived for the groundbreaking of the Agricultural Trade Street, he brought the leaders of the Four Great Committees and all the other bureaus and offices to work on-site. Colorful flags fluttered at the construction site, and the sound of gongs and drums filled the air. Led by Zhao Dequan, the Laoyingzui team brought out the village's set of gongs and drums, wrapped red cloth strips around their heads, and played with all their might.

I had a plan in mind for asking Zhao Dequan to join the excitement.

With so many people from Laoyingzui converting from agricultural to non-agricultural status, how to arrange for this group of people was also a matter that left me racking my brains. Yuetang Village had money, so I could build the Agricultural Trade Street for them, but the land acquisition funds for Laoyingzui were tightly gripped by Guo Wei as a life-saving fund for emergencies. In other words, Laoyingzui had no money. Without money, what could I use to build houses for them?

I just wanted Zhao Dequan to see the scene and participate in it, so that he could have some realization and think about the way out for the people of Laoyingzui.

I had promised to pay Zhao Dequan's gong and drum team. Zhao Dequan, having set his sights on the wages, spared no effort in calling over a group of people who knew how to play, and they played with high spirits and all their might.

County Magistrate Liu Qimeng was very surprised by the liveliness of the construction site. He took his people around the town government office building, stood on the open ground covered with construction materials, and gave instructions for five minutes.

County Magistrate Liu instructed that for anything involving the construction and development of Suxi Town, all county departments must give the green light, implement special handling for special cases, and prioritize processing. Financial institutions in the county, such as the Credit Union and the Agricultural Bank, should also give the green light to Suxi Town; any units or individuals participating in the investment and development of Suxi Town could be prioritized for loans.

Liu Qimeng's instructions were no less than a life-saving talisman. When the cadres of Suxi Town heard such instructions, everyone began to beam with joy. It was my idea to invite County Magistrate Liu Qimeng to break ground for the Agricultural Trade Street. While Guo Wei was still worried about whether County Magistrate Liu would have time to come, his secretary had already notified him by phone that not only would County Magistrate Liu come, but all the heads of the county's functional departments would also come. County Magistrate Liu's personal visit to the Suxi Town construction site invisibly increased the county's emphasis on Suxi Town.

First, the Director of the Agriculture Bureau proposed to build an agricultural technology promotion station in Suxi Town. Then the Animal Husbandry Bureau wanted to build one too, and upon hearing this, the Forestry Bureau, not to be outdone, took the lead in wanting to build a forestry station. County Magistrate Liu smiled and agreed to them, stating that as long as they built stations in Suxi Town, the county would also give the green light and let them pass.

In fact, these requests from the bureaus and offices were not what I wanted. Suxi Town was six parts mountain, three parts water, and one part field; agricultural promotion? Promote what, exactly? With a few acres of thin fields, it would be a blessing just to fill one's stomach. Could one dream of growing a granary from one acre of land? The Animal Husbandry Bureau was even more ridiculous; they were merely eyeing the centuries-old habit of Suxi Town farmers raising pigs for the New Year. They were thinking about selling pig feed. And the Forestry Bureau? Although Suxi had many mountains, it didn't have much forest, and even less timber-quality forest. What were they thinking?

Seeing County Magistrate Liu in high spirits, the various bureaus hurriedly expressed their support for the development of Suxi Town. Only the County Tourism Bureau, whose director was a bald old man, stood on the side without saying a word.

I described the future development direction of Suxi Town on the rendering, which further stirred the enthusiasm of the cadres. Finally, I looked at the Tourism Bureau Director with a smile and asked, "Director Wei, does your Tourism Bureau have any ideas?"

Director Wei touched his bald head and said evasively, "The future development positioning of Suxi Town is quite good."

I followed up with a sentence: "It's actually quite hard to position Suxi Town right now. To position it, we still have to rely on you, Director Wei."

Director Wei looked at me in confusion and said with a sneer, "I wouldn't dare. Town Mayor Chen, don't flatter me; I can't handle it."

I didn't relax at all and said, "I'm telling the truth, Director Wei. Look, Suxi Town can be considered a remote and desolate place, but Suxi Town has a resource that no other place in Hengyue City has. Have you discovered it?"

My words aroused the interest of many cadres, who looked at me excitedly, waiting for me to talk about the resource.

I kept them in suspense and stopped talking about the resource. I said to County Magistrate Liu, "County Magistrate, once the office building is completed, I will have to invite you to cut the ribbon."

County Magistrate Liu smiled and agreed to my request. The on-site meeting was very successful. This was the first major event since he took full charge, and it was also the most concentrated gathering of the heads of all the county's bureaus and committees.

A few days ago, County Magistrate Liu received a notice from the Municipal Committee. The Deputy Minister of the Organization Department personally came to Chunshan County, talked to him for an afternoon, and announced two things. One was that Secretary Guan Peishan was removed from his posts as Chunshan County Party Committee Secretary and Standing Committee Member, and would be given another appointment, though it wasn't said where. The second thing was that County Magistrate Liu Qimeng was appointed as Chunshan County Party Committee Secretary, the original Executive Deputy County Magistrate was promoted to Acting County Magistrate, and a vacancy for a Deputy County Magistrate was to be selected from among the Chunshan County cadres.

In other words, when County Magistrate Liu came to the Suxi Town construction site, his status was already Chunshan County Party Committee Secretary. The correct title should be Secretary Liu, not County Magistrate Liu.

County Magistrate Liu's promotion to Secretary was currently still in the confidential stage, and the appointment notice from the Organization Department had not been made public. Therefore, not only did I not know, but even the heads of the bureaus and offices who followed him today did not know that the sky had changed in Chunshan County.

County Magistrate Liu—no, Secretary Liu—smiled, took my hand, looked me up and down, and said, "Xiao Chen, I feel at ease with how you do things. Young cadres should have broad thinking and be brave in exploring and practicing. You gave the vast number of cadres a lesson today; this was a very vivid lesson. From you, the cadres have learned what reform and opening up is."

I smiled modestly, but I felt very gratified inside.

Secretary Liu was about to leave. I signaled Zhao Dequan to start the gongs and drums to respectfully see the various heads off as they boarded their cars.

Secretary Liu, who had sat in his car, beckoned me to come over. I trotted over and stood by his car, waiting for his instructions.

"Xiao Chen, there is one thing I want to give you a heads-up about in advance. This time, the county is going to select a Deputy County Magistrate to be in charge of the county's economy, culture, technology, and education. Who do you think is more suitable?"

I never expected him to ask me such a question. My mind spun in a flurry, and I was momentarily speechless.

"What do you think of Town Mayor Deng of Chengguan Town?"

He looked at me with a smile, waiting for my answer.

"I think that most of the cadres in the county are excellent and capable. I believe the County Party Committee certainly has its standards and opinions. As a town mayor who has just been promoted, I have no right to speak on this matter." I didn't answer his question directly because I didn't know what his purpose was.

"Your statement is correct." Secretary Liu nodded with satisfaction and said, "Xiao Chen, you should also prepare yourself mentally."

He closed the car window and signaled to return to the city.

A long line of cars drove past me one after another, kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured my eyes.

My eyes itched, as if grit had gotten in. I raised my hand to wipe them, only to find that I had tears in my eyes. I didn't know if it was the dust that caused it or the excitement in my heart.

Guo Wei walked over and asked me suspiciously, "What did the leader say just now?"

I shook my head and said, "He didn't say much, just that we should speed up the project construction and pay attention to safety."

Guo Wei shook his head in disbelief and stared at me, asking, "Just that?"

"Just that. Really," I answered with absolute certainty.

"Then why are you so excited?"

"Am I excited?"

"If you aren't excited, why are you teary-eyed?" Guo Wei turned his head away from me and said with his back to me, "Go look in a mirror. You look like you've picked up some treasure, yet you say you aren't excited."

I was speechless and said apologetically, "What would I be excited about? The wind just blew sand into my eyes; it's itching me to death."

"Keep making things up." Guo Wei left me, walked a few steps, and then turned back to say, "Town Mayor Chen, you should still be the one to handle the Agricultural Trade Street project. Regarding the land requests from some county units, it needs to be decided by a Party Committee meeting. You must not agree to it privately, understand?"

I nodded sincerely and followed him for a few steps, seeing that Zhao Dequan had long since stopped playing the drums and was waiting eagerly for me to go over and pay them their wages.