Nominal: Who isn't a son-in-law?

A month passed in the blink of an eye, and it was January 2018.

During this period, Sima Shenhe stepped down as director, and Liu Zhenwen, the executive deputy director, temporarily took charge of the work.

At the beginning of the new year, Chu Shijun led a team, accompanied by Li Jiageng, Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee, the Director of the Bureau of Veteran Cadres, and others, to visit and extend greetings to retired veteran cadres.

In early February, a conference was held to summarize the work of the previous year and look forward to the work in the new year.

On that day, the annual work summary and annual work deployment plenary meeting of Baijiang Province was held as scheduled in the conference room of the Provincial Party Committee.

The main leaders of the Baijiang Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial Government, the Provincial Departments and Bureaus, and the subordinate cities were all present. Chu Shijun presided over the meeting.

First, we conducted a comprehensive review and summary of our work over the past year.

After completing each of the procedures, Chen Xinghe, the Organization Minister of the Provincial Party Committee, stood up and read out the appointment from the Provincial Party Committee.

"After deliberation and decision by the Provincial Party Committee, Comrade Liu Zhenwen, Executive Deputy Director of the Provincial Public Security Department, was appointed as Secretary of the Organization Department and Director of the Provincial Public Security Department."

"After deliberation and decision by the Provincial Party Committee, the following appointments have been made..."

"..."

With personnel appointments finalized and the dust settled, the meeting moved into its core phase: outlining the province's work plan for the new year.

Zhao Zhi, Zhao Dagong, Liu Tonggu, Sima Shenhe and others spoke in turn on their respective fields.

Finally, Provincial Party Secretary Chu Shijun delivered a concluding speech at the plenary session: "Comrades, last year we achieved the following: reshaping the industrial landscape, eliminating corruption within cities and prefectures, rectifying the conduct of cadres, restoring the powers and responsibilities of the political and legal system, gaining momentum for counterpart assistance at the provincial level, and improving the quality and efficiency of urban governance. Baijiang has completed the phased tasks of breaking the deadlock, reshuffling the structure, and laying the foundation."

"However, during this period, some cadres lacked the determination to work diligently, did not delve deeply into grassroots work, and lacked a holistic perspective. At the same time, some assistance work still suffered from superficiality and proceduralism. The accelerated development in some cities and prefectures of the province fostered a relaxed and arrogant mentality, and there was still a gap between the decisions made at the central level and the actual situation at the grassroots level."

"Looking ahead to the new year, I hope that the work across the province can be steady, of high quality, in-depth, and balanced."

"First, we will deepen the province-wide counterpart assistance program and shift from sitting in the office making data reports to cadres conducting on-site research."

"Comrades, our poverty alleviation work in Xinjiang has been effective over the past year, but it is not enough. In many places, we are still only investing money and launching small projects. The data looks good and the reports look impressive, but the people do not feel the benefits and do not receive much real benefit. I raised this issue many times last year. There have been improvements, but it is still not enough."

Chu Shijun's expression was serious as he scanned the area below.

"Therefore, in the new year, the province's counterpart assistance must completely change its orientation and approach, and completely abandon the style of looking at how thick the ledgers are and how good the reports are. All leading cadres must personally go to the grassroots level to see whether the rural environment has changed, whether the income of the masses has increased, and whether it is convenient to go to school and see the medical care."

"The funding approved each year includes travel expenses. Since the money has been approved and you're not paying out of your own pocket, it's just a bit of sun and rain, what's the big deal?"

"This year, all the paired cities and prefectures that provide counterpart assistance should focus on four key areas: rural revitalization in underdeveloped counties, renovation of old residential areas, drinking water safety, road upgrading, and increasing income through employment."

"It is strictly forbidden to divert poverty alleviation funds to vanity projects or superficial projects. Every year, the proportion of livelihood-related projects in poverty alleviation projects must not be less than 60%, and this proportion should be increased item by item. We want people in impoverished and backward areas to truly feel that they have help and guidance, and that they have hope for the future. We want the benefits of balanced development to truly benefit the people in their pockets and in their lives."

"Here, Tianhe, Zhencheng and other cities are among the strongest in terms of economy in Baijiang. You have also taken on many counterpart assistance areas. You should set an example. The municipal party committee and government leadership should go down to the city more often and take a look. Don't be afraid to find problems. If you find problems, fix them and report them to the leading group. If I find problems during my investigation that you haven't discovered, then I will hold you accountable."

Xu Nuojun, Li Dakang, Jiang Xueyu, Liu Yuchen and others nodded quickly, taking notes rapidly with their pens in hand.

Chu Shijun withdrew his gaze and continued:

"Second, we must promote a pragmatic and in-depth research style and resolutely eliminate the behavior of sitting in the office to look at the grassroots and looking at people's livelihood from a screen."

"Besides going down to provide counterpart assistance, we also need to observe the work we do on a daily basis. Many of our cadres spend their days in the office, looking at prepared materials, listening to selected reports, and visiting carefully planned research sites. They can see the achievements but not the hardships, and they can see the data but not the difficulties."

"I went down there, followed their instructions, ate and drank, took photos until my hands were sore from clapping, and came back with absolutely no results."

"I mentioned this last year, and there have been improvements, but in my observation, it's still not enough. Therefore, in the new year, all leading cadres must go down to the grassroots level with specific problems in mind and focus on people's livelihoods."

"Our provincial party committee took the lead, and Comrade Zhao Zhi, Comrade Daoheng, and I took the lead as well."

"The research should not only focus on the main roads, the model villages, and the demonstration households. It should also take a look at the alleys and towns, take a ride after work, and visit remote villages, old residential areas, and places where ordinary migrant workers gather."

"Open your ears and listen to their complaints, their grievances, and their problems. Focus on investigating the shortage of school places, the long queues at hospitals, property management conflicts, unstable employment for migrant workers, and inadequate support for people in difficulty. If you have two eyes, you should see; if you have two ears, you should listen. Don't use them to vent your anger."

"If you won't listen or watch, who are you leaving it to? Are you leaving it to Comrade Zhao Zhi and me to watch? If that's the case, then you can all write your resignations, and Comrade Zhao Zhi and I can just sit here."

"Raise your heads, everyone!"

'Bang bang,'

Chu Shijun tapped the table, and the sound, transmitted through the microphone, resounded throughout every corner of the conference room.

Everyone fell silent, raising their heads.

"Stop hunching over and pretending to take notes. Aren't the documents the stenographers distribute after the meeting faster and more accurate than what you've written by hand?"

The stenographer present smirked. "That's right. What's the point of writing so much? In the end, they'll still have to look at our notes."

"You must remember that research that does not solve people's livelihood problems is ineffective research, and visits that do not resolve people's difficulties are just formalistic visits. All research must result in a list of livelihood problems and a list of rectification measures, and every issue must be responded to and resolved, and the results must be made public."

"Comrade Tonggu, Comrade Xinghe,"

Chu Shijun called out two names, "Let me say this. Some people may not take it seriously. They are afraid of the Discipline Inspection Commission and the Organization Department. Well then, your Discipline Inspection Commission and Organization Department will issue a document after the meeting, which will increase the weight of these requirements in terms of how to punish problematic cadres, conduct assessments and promotions, and adjust their positions. Those who like to sit in the office and can't stand the sun will be specially sent to the grassroots level to do work. They will have to be exposed to the sun whether they want to or not."