Me! A high-ranking official!

Before he finished speaking, even more enthusiastic and prolonged applause erupted in the courtyard.

Just then, two sets of hurried footsteps sounded outside the courtyard gate.

Luo Shuishan and Luo Ming finally arrived one after the other.

Luo Ming looked like he had been seriously ill, with sunken eyes and his head hanging down. Luo Shuishan, on the other hand, had been the local tyrant in the village for many years and was a seasoned veteran who frequently dealt with people in the town. He was adept at the polite formalities of officialdom.

Before he could even catch his breath, he immediately forced a warm smile and strode over, extending both hands: "Oh! Director Guo, what an honor to have you here! I'm so sorry for not welcoming you sooner! I'm Luo Shuishan, the village chief of Luo Family Village!"

Luo Shuishan grasped Guo Nanguo's hand and shook it vigorously, turning his head with a sincere expression of gratitude: "Director Guo, we are truly grateful to our bureau for sending such a rare young talent as Secretary Zhao to support us! Look at him, Secretary Zhao has only been here for a little over ten days, yet he has already brought about earth-shattering changes to our impoverished mountain village with such efficiency! I am ashamed of myself for not being able to do as well!"

Guo Nanguo looked at Luo Shuishan's smiling face, smiled calmly, and gently shook hands: "Village Chief Luo, you're too kind. In the future, when Jianguo is here, I will inevitably need to trouble Village Chief Luo to give me more guidance."

"Of course, of course!" Luo Shuishan bowed slightly, making way for him, and made a standard gesture of invitation: "Director Guo, the sun is scorching outside. Although our village committee is dilapidated, we have prepared some tea. How about... we go to the meeting room and sit down to talk slowly?"

The group entered the somewhat simple village committee meeting room and took their seats. Xu Ling, being very perceptive, helped Liu Zhijun pour tea for everyone.

Luo Shuishan first adopted the demeanor of a village party secretary and village head, and delivered another enthusiastic, bureaucratic welcome speech to Guo Nanguo and Xu Ling.

Zhao Jianguo then briefly echoed this sentiment, expressing his gratitude for the cooperation and support from the village cadres and residents.

Guo Nanguo picked up the chipped teacup, took a sip, smiled, and gestured with his hand. He said a few polite, official words to encourage everyone, then changed the subject and looked at Zhao Jianguo, asking, "Jianguo, I heard the villagers praising you to the skies outside. Tell me, what kind of trouble have you been up to in Luojia Village these past week or two?"

Before Zhao Jianguo could speak, Luo Shuishan, knowing that he would appear petty if he didn't show some initiative, coughed and stepped forward, saying, "Director Guo, let me report this on behalf of Secretary Zhao! You don't know, although Secretary Zhao has only been here a short time, he's done a lot. The first thing he did was set up an environmental protection bank, using points to exchange for daily necessities, which cleaned up the long-neglected garbage dumps in the village. Now he's even built a composting pit for fertilizer. The second thing he did was go to the town to solicit donations and coordinate the installation of solar streetlights on the main road leading into the village and all the alleys. Today, he's brought in a qualified doctor from outside to set up the clinic that's been empty for years. Oh, and he's also arranged village appearance maintenance jobs for several impoverished households..."

Although Luo Shuishan was secretly jealous of Zhao Jianguo's prominence, he still explained each and every matter clearly on the surface.

Listening to Luo Shuishan's report, Guo Nanguo and Xu Ling exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes.

They originally thought that Zhao Jianguo was so young, and that being sent to this remote and impoverished place by Zhang Baocheng would probably just be a gofer to gain experience. They thought it would be good enough if he could hold on and not cry about wanting to go back. But who would have thought that in just one or two weeks, he not only wasn't swallowed up by the complicated rural environment, but instead accomplished so many real and hard things!

Guo Nanguo's gaze toward Zhao Jianguo changed. In addition to his previous high regard, he now showed more sincere appreciation and even amazement. This kid is not only a talented writer, but he can also handle the mess at the grassroots level. He is truly putting the best use of his talents!

Seeing that Guo Nanguo was in a good mood, Zhao Jianguo seized the opportunity and said, "Director Guo, since you're here today, I was just thinking of asking you for some help to the bureau."

"Oh? You didn't tell me about any of the things you just did. What problems are you facing now?" Guo Nanguo asked with great interest.

He said sincerely, "There are two main issues. One is the main road leading into our Luojia Village. It's in terrible condition, full of potholes. When it rains, vehicles can't get in, and goods can't get out. If we really want to develop industries and enrich the villagers, this bottleneck needs to be cleared, which involves funding for road repairs. The other issue is the permits for the village clinic. Although I'm stationed here by the Culture and Tourism Bureau, I'm completely clueless about the county health department. Nobody knows me. If we want that Dr. Yu to be able to legally practice medicine in our village, I really don't know where to start with the health qualifications and approval procedures. Director Guo, you're knowledgeable and have many connections. Could you perhaps point us in the right direction regarding these permits?"

After listening, Guo Nanguo laughed heartily and pointed at Zhao Jianguo, saying, "You little rascal, you were just waiting for me here! Okay, I'll take this request for help. Don't worry about the Health Bureau; I'm an old classmate of their Director Li. Prepare the relevant materials and bring them to me later, and I'll put in a good word for you and get the paperwork approved as quickly as possible!"

"As for the road construction funds you mentioned..." Guo Nanguo pondered for a moment, his brows furrowing slightly. As the executive deputy director of the bureau, he naturally knew the bureau's financial situation. The Bureau of Culture and Tourism had been strapped for cash for the past few years, and Zhang Baocheng was known for his tight budget; raising a large sum for road construction was no easy task. "Jianguo, you know the bureau's situation. We're not a wealthy and powerful government agency, but no matter what, you're someone our bureau sent out. You're wholeheartedly dedicated to the development of Luojia Village, and we absolutely cannot hold you back!"

Guo Nanguo gritted his teeth and said solemnly, "Okay, when I get back, I'll try to talk to Director Bao Cheng and squeeze some money out of the bureau's special funds or office expenses. No matter how difficult it is, I'll definitely find a way to raise 100,000 to 200,000 yuan for road repair support!"

Hearing Guo Nanguo give this guarantee in front of everyone, he was overjoyed, knowing that Guo Nanguo agreed because he valued him as a person. He hurriedly said, "Then on behalf of all the villagers, thank you, Director Guo! This has solved a huge problem for us!"