Me! A high-ranking official!

Sancha Town, as its name suggests, is located at the junction of three counties. It is a remote town that is not well taken care of by either the local authorities or the local government. The town government compound also appears somewhat dilapidated.

He went to the Party and Government Office and submitted his registration documents from the Organization Department. A junior staff member in the Party and Government Office took the documents, glanced at them, looked up at Zhao Jianguo, and a hint of contempt flashed in his eyes.

"From the Culture and Tourism Bureau?" The junior clerk pursed his lips, his tone indifferent: "Secretary Zhao, right? Please sit on the sofa for a while. The mayor and secretary have both gone to the countryside today. Our deputy director is in a meeting right now. I'll have him arrange a car for you after he finishes his meeting."

They waited and waited until after 10 a.m.

Zhao Jianguo had worked in the county government office for twelve years and knew all too well the tricks of treating people differently at the grassroots level. The Culture and Tourism Bureau was a powerless and penniless department. Now, they had sent a leader without any real power to be stationed in the village. He had neither project funds for building bridges and roads nor the authority of his superiors. It was no wonder that the town would not give him a second glance. He was not in a hurry and sat on the sofa, slowly drinking the tea he had brought with him.

Around 11 o'clock, a middle-aged man with a bag and a protruding belly came down from upstairs. The junior staff member quickly introduced him as Deputy Director Wang from the town's Party and Government Office.

"Oh dear, Secretary Zhao, I'm so sorry. There's a lot going on in town at the end of the year. I've been meeting with the leaders. Come on, come on, I'll take you to your village right away!" Deputy Director Wang said with a laugh, being polite on the surface, but his words were also perfunctory.

Sitting in the town's beat-up Santana, heading west along the bumpy cement road, the road conditions got worse and worse. Zhao Jianguo was so jolted that he almost threw up his dinner from the night before. Deputy Director Wang, holding onto the handrail, complained, "Look at this road, it's in such a terrible state."

As soon as the Santana came to a stop in the courtyard of the Luo Family Village Committee, two men came up to greet it.

The man walking in front was in his fifties, wearing a leather jacket and carrying a cigarette. He exuded the shrewdness of a nouveau riche from the countryside. He was the village chief, Luo Shuishan. Behind him was a thin man, Luo Ming, the village head.

"Oh, Director Wang! I've been waiting for you for ages!" Luo Shuishan opened the car door familiarly and shook hands with Deputy Director Wang, clearly the two were very close.

"Old Luo, this is Secretary Zhao, sent by the county. He's a top student from the Culture and Tourism Bureau. You'll have to cooperate well with Secretary Zhao in the future!" Deputy Director Wang introduced in an official tone.

"Absolutely! Secretary Zhao is so young, he's definitely got the makings! In the future, if you need anything in our village, just say the word, and I, Luo, will do whatever you ask!" Luo Shuishan said with a big smile as he shook Zhao Jianguo's hand vigorously.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Deputy Director Wang instructed, "Old Luo, Secretary Zhao will be stationed in your village from now on. Please clean up these two vacant rooms in the village committee building to use as dormitories. The village will take care of the bedding, daily necessities, and so on. I want to emphasize the town's discipline again: you must ensure the logistical support for the First Secretary..."

After exchanging pleasantries, Deputy Director Wang glanced at his watch and said in a pretentious manner, "Alright, the person has been delivered. I still have a bunch of paperwork to write in town, so I'll head back now."

"Hey! Director Wang, it's already midnight, why are you going back?" Luo Shuishan grabbed Deputy Director Wang's arm. "I just had the farmhouse restaurant at the village entrance stew a free-range chicken and get a big carp. Today is Secretary Zhao's inauguration, we have to have a welcome feast! Eat before you leave, eat before you leave!"

"Well...the town has a rule that you can't drink alcohol at noon..." Deputy Director Wang said, but his steps followed Luo Shuishan's lead towards the farmhouse.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Jianguo knew perfectly well that this meal was probably not so simple.

Upon arriving at the small private room of the farmhouse, a table was quickly filled with food and drinks. Without hesitation, Luo Shuishan opened a bottle of local strong liquor.

"Secretary Zhao, Director Wang, we're just a poor, remote village, so we don't have much to offer in terms of hospitality. For the first toast, on behalf of the more than two hundred households in Luojia Village, I would like to offer a toast to Secretary Zhao!" Luo Shuishan raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

After a few drinks, the atmosphere in the private room gradually warmed up, and the way people addressed each other changed from Secretary Zhao to Brother Jianguo.

Luo Shuishan patted his chest and earnestly assured Zhao Jianguo that he would fully support the village's work in the future. But then he suddenly changed the subject, took out a cigarette, handed it to Zhao Jianguo, and sighed, "Brother Jianguo, let me tell you something from the bottom of my heart. Our Luo Family Village is suffering!"

He pointed out the window: "You saw it when you came here. The main road leading into our village was built seven years ago when the county was doing the 'every village connected' project. Now, when big trucks drive over it, there are potholes everywhere. On sunny days, you're covered in dust, and on rainy days, you're covered in mud. Even the trucks from my mud board factory wear out several shock absorbers every month!"

Luo Shuishan frowned and complained, "Brother, since you're here, you have to take care of this! You work in the Culture and Tourism Bureau, could you ask Director Zhang to allocate some funds from the bureau, even just to help us fill these big holes?"

Zhao Jianguo paused slightly as he picked up some food with his chopsticks.

Good grief, they were waiting for me here!

Deputy Director Wang chimed in, raising his glass, "Yes, Jianguo, the town has been struggling these past few years. We don't have any notable businesses; we rely on agricultural taxes and transfer payments year-round. Even paying town officials' salaries is a struggle. The application for this road in Lao Luo's village has been submitted for over a year; the town has no money, and the county has no money either!"

Deputy Director Wang lowered his voice, his tone tinged with annoyance and helplessness: "To be honest, before the Lunar New Year, the central government approved a special fund of 500,000 yuan for rural infrastructure construction for Luojia Village. But what happened? The money had just been allocated to the county finance department, and before it even passed through the town's accounts, it was intercepted by the county and used to pay teachers' salaries and fill other holes!"

"The crucial point is!" Luo Shuishan slapped his thigh suddenly, "The money hasn't been found, but this debt is now hanging over our Luo Family Village! The province is sending an audit team to check the accounts at the end of the year. If this 500,000 yuan shortfall doesn't add up, not only will the town be in trouble, but I, the village head, and you, the newly appointed first secretary, will both be in deep trouble!"

After speaking, Luo Shuishan and Deputy Director Wang both fixed their eyes on Zhao Jianguo's face.

Zhao Jianguo put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.