Me! A high-ranking official!

Upon hearing that he didn't need to advance the funds, Luo Shuishan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and nodded repeatedly as if granted a pardon: "Yes, yes, Secretary is absolutely right! I was willing but unable to do so!"

"So!" Zhao Jianguo's expression turned serious. He pointed to Boss Chen beside him, his tone exuding a confident air of control: "I've already reached an agreement with Boss Chen's company! To avoid burdening our village, Boss Chen's company is willing to advance the funds interest-free to get the work done! Once the county's special funds arrive, we'll transfer them directly!"

Luo Shuishan nodded in agreement, and was about to add a few words of praise for Boss Chen's righteousness.

But suddenly, he realized something.

He suddenly raised his head, his face instantly turning ashen, his eyes wide with anger as he stared intently at Zhao Jianguo.

It felt like a hundred thousand alpacas were stampeding through my mind!

You cunning old fox, Zhao Jianguo!

You fucking had already figured out the way to advance the funds and reached an agreement with the construction company! But just now, you deliberately threw out the bait of advancing the funds in front of the whole village to test me!

You know perfectly well that a businessman like me wouldn't risk real money for a political achievement, so you forced me to publicly refuse to advance the funds! This refusal not only severely damaged my image in the villagers' eyes, making me appear selfish and stingy, but it also essentially blocked the door for me to participate in this project!

it's good now.

I told you I'd been running around doing this project, and you said you'd invited county leaders to drink heavily to resolve it.

I said I care about the village's development, but you, standing on the villagers' side, asked me to advance the funds, and I could only admit defeat and say I had no money.

Now, with just a few words, you seem to understand my difficulties, and you've even managed to secure the project all by yourself, solving even the most pressing funding issue.

This project, from beginning to end, completely absolved me, Luo Shuishan, of any responsibility! It's all been made into Zhao Jianguo's personal achievement!

Luo Shuishan was so angry that he was trembling all over. He had run back from a long way, hoping to get a drink of soup, but instead, Zhao Jianguo stripped him down to his underwear.

If I had known this would happen, I would have pretended to be dead and slept in the factory this morning!

Luo Shuishan was so angry that his face turned ashen, and the muscles on his face trembled uncontrollably. But he knew in his heart that Zhao Jianguo had already put him in such a difficult position in front of so many villagers. If he dared to say another word against it, he would truly become a rat crossing the street in Luo Family Village.

He stared intently at Zhao Jianguo, his back teeth grinding together, finally forcing a smile through his teeth as he said stiffly, "Secretary Zhao, now that you've arranged everything here, I'm relieved. There's still a batch of urgent precast slabs to be shipped from the factory, so I won't linger here any longer. I'll head back to the factory and get back to work!"

Without waiting a minute longer, Luo Shuishan turned around abruptly, not even saying goodbye to Boss Chen beside him. Filled with resentment and anger, he strode away without looking back, his back view showing a rather disheveled appearance as if he were fleeing in panic.

Watching Luo Shuishan's disheveled figure leave, Zhao Jianguo sneered inwardly.

"Trying to play these tricks on me? You're still too green." He thought to himself, then turned his gaze away and put on a gentle smile for Boss Chen beside him: "Boss Chen, please excuse the commotion. As for the streetlights, please work quickly, ensure quality and quantity, and try to finish the job in the shortest possible time. Once your inspection is passed, I can quickly apply for the special funds from the county. We will definitely not delay paying our construction team."

Boss Chen is a shrewd businessman. He saw what happened just now very clearly. This young village secretary had subdued an arrogant local bully with just a few words. His skill and shrewdness showed that he was no ordinary person.

"Secretary Zhao, don't worry!" Boss Chen immediately patted his chest and assured him, "I, Chen, value efficiency most in business. Once the measurements are taken today, we'll start work as soon as the materials arrive tomorrow! I guarantee it will be fast and high-quality, illuminating this road brightly for our Luo Family Village!"

After seeing off Boss Chen and the construction team, Zhao Jianguo turned and walked towards the village committee compound.

As soon as I reached the entrance, I saw several villagers queuing up to register at the environmental protection bank exchange point, carrying sorted cardboard boxes and plastic bottles. When they saw Zhao Jianguo coming, their attitude changed completely compared to the previous two days.

"Secretary Zhao, are you done with your work?" an older woman greeted him with a smile.

"Secretary, this garbage can really be exchanged for soy sauce!" Another old man waved the item he had just redeemed.

"Grandpas and grandmas, your cooperation is the key to improving the environment of our village. Take your time, there's no rush!" Zhao Jianguo responded with a smile, sensing the newfound closeness and respect in the villagers' eyes. This is what it means to win the hearts of the people. The common folk are the most pragmatic; they will recognize whoever brings them real benefits.

Back in his office, he pulled out a chair, lit a cigarette, and began to mentally review his recent work.

Thinking about the three things I had promised during the last live stream, my thoughts gradually became clearer.

The first item is road construction. This is also the toughest nut to crack. The 500,000 yuan of special funds were misappropriated by the county and will definitely not be recovered in the short term. Forcibly demanding it back will not only fail but also offend the higher-ups. This can only be put on hold for the time being, and we need to find another way to solve it.

The second issue is garbage. Through the construction of the "Environmental Protection Bank" over the past few days, this problem has been initially resolved. The villagers' enthusiasm has been mobilized, and Uncle Luo and Liu Zhijun have also taken charge. So far, the results are quite good, forming a virtuous cycle, and the project has been successfully implemented.

The third issue concerns the three impoverished households: Liu Zhijun, Luo Jiaxin, and Aunt Wang. Liu Zhijun's problem has been resolved; he now works as a bookkeeper at the Environmental Protection Bank and has regained his vitality. Luo Jiaxin's situation is more complicated. Although his garbage collection job provides him with a stable income to supplement his family's income, the truth behind the rape and mental breakdown of his daughter-in-law, Wang Xiujuan, needs further investigation. We must find a way to persuade this stubborn old man, Luo Jiaxin, to testify so that we can completely eradicate this cancerous tumor of Luo Ming and his son.

Then there's the issue of Aunt Wang's family. Aunt Wang broke her leg because she was walking at night without streetlights. Now the 80,000 yuan streetlight renovation project has been finalized, so the hardware problem is solved. However, Aunt Wang's two children are unfilial, and the elderly woman is paralyzed on the kang (a heated brick bed) with no one to take care of her. This problem is relatively more complicated. I must contact her two children this afternoon to see the specific situation.

"Each of these three tasks has its own progress and obstacles..." He exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze falling on the calendar on the table.