Me! A high-ranking official!

He was forcibly woken up by his biological clock, walked to the pool and splashed his face with cold water, and his muddled brain finally cleared up again.

Just as he finished drying himself with a towel, Li Gan walked in from outside, looking at his reddened eyes with a surprised expression: "Brother Zhao, I haven't seen you all night, what happened?"

"It's nothing, I just went back to the county to take care of some personal matters." Zhao Jianguo casually draped the towel over the washbasin stand, then changed the subject: "Where did Zhu Yan go?"

Li Gan pointed to the west end of the village: "He took people to attend a lecture. Today, the Hotan Company's training course on the cultivation of Chinese medicinal herbs officially started, and more than 30 workers from the village who signed up went to listen to the lecture."

He nodded. In a few days, his work focus would shift entirely back to the county's Culture and Tourism Bureau. The village was in dire need of rebuilding, and all business operations absolutely could not be interrupted. He needed to promote someone capable of taking on the main responsibility and overseeing the daily operations.

Looking at the entire Luo Family Village, Zhu Yan, who is in her early forties, is undoubtedly the most suitable candidate. This woman is quick-witted, capable, and most importantly, she has a strong drive to never give up. During the time I am not in the village, I can entrust the daily management to her and report any problems by phone at any time. She can completely stabilize the basic situation.

Having made up his mind, he strolled out of the village committee and followed the dirt road to the training site.

A banner was strung in the courtyard, and an agricultural lecturer sent by Hotan Company was standing at the front, holding several herbal specimens in his hand, explaining soil moisture and fertilizer ratios in a simple and easy-to-understand way. Through the open window, he could see that all thirty-odd villagers sitting below were completely focused, and many of them had notebooks and pens in their hands, taking notes carefully.

He didn't disturb them, and turned around to go to the newly built village clinic.

The room, measuring over 30 square meters, was spotless. Two brand-new hospital beds were placed against the wall, and a glass medicine cabinet filled with commonly used medications stood on one side. Village doctor Wang Zhenbo had officially started his job and was currently concentrating on giving acupuncture to an elderly man in the village who suffered from rheumatism.

Upon seeing Zhao Jianguo outside the door, Wang Zhenbo smiled and nodded in greeting. He waved for Zhao to continue and then quietly withdrew.

Before he knew it, he had walked a long way around Luo Family Village. Looking at the village road that he was gradually becoming familiar with, the newly renovated courtyard walls, and the busy figures in the fields, he suddenly felt a sense of reluctance. He had only stayed here for a little over a month, and this poor and isolated village had already been brought to life in a subtle way. The thought of leaving, even if it was only temporarily, made him feel uneasy.

He mentally reviewed and took stock of the core tasks at hand.

At 4:30 p.m., the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class. Zhu Yan, carrying a thick notebook, followed several villagers out of the courtyard, where they were having a heated discussion about the seed selection issue from the previous class.

Zhao Jianguo called out loudly.

Zhu Yan stopped upon hearing the sound, exchanged a few words with the person next to her, and then quickly ran over, a satisfied smile on her face: "Secretary, is there something you need me to arrange?"

"How's the data collection on disabled elderly people that I assigned a few days ago going?"

Zhu Yan opened her notebook and reported skillfully: "We've basically figured it out. There are a total of sixteen households in the village that meet the criteria. The vast majority of families have no objections and are willing to pay 300 yuan per month for the village to arrange for someone to come and take care of their three meals a day and basic cleaning. There is only one exception: Luo Yanzi's family can't get it done."

What's the situation with Luo Yanzi's family?

Zhu Yan sighed and closed her notebook: "Luo Yanzi's father, Luo Shulin, lost a leg many years ago and has basically lost his ability to work. A few years ago, Luo Yanzi married and moved to another province, leaving the old man alone at home. The older he gets, the more difficult it is for him to move around. Now he often doesn't know where his next meal is coming from. I originally wanted to talk to Luo Yanzi, but when I called her, I found out that Luo Yanzi had just been diagnosed with mid-stage cancer, and her husband's family was borrowing money everywhere to treat her. They simply couldn't afford the 300 yuan monthly allowance."

He frowned slightly, and after a moment's thought, he made a decision: "Our village is implementing centralized elderly care, and we must not leave out the most disadvantaged people. Since Luo Yanzi's family has special circumstances, then the three hundred yuan fee will be waived."

He looked at Zhu Yan and said firmly, "I will personally advance this money first. Once our environmental protection bank truly generates collective benefits, we will include Luo Shulin's care expenses in the special expenditures for special groups of the environmental protection bank."

Zhu Yan's eyes lit up, and she nodded emphatically: "Okay, leave this to me. I'll make sure everything is arranged properly."

"There's one more thing," Zhao Jianguo said, looking at her. "The bureau recently issued a new task, and for the next period of time, my work focus will be shifted back to the county."

Seeing Zhu Yan's momentary astonishment, he continued, "But the various industries in Luo Family Village are just starting out. Without a leader, things will not work. I have thought about it repeatedly. During my time back in the county, you will be in charge of all the affairs in the village. I will leave Li Gan behind to assist you and let him handle the errands and coordination."

Zhu Yan was completely stunned. After she came to her senses, her face changed drastically, and she said urgently, "Secretary, you're transferring? This is absolutely unacceptable! Luo Family Village has finally started to come alive under your leadership. Everyone's enthusiasm has just been ignited by you. If you leave, morale will collapse, and our village will be completely finished!"

Seeing that her eyes were red with anxiety, Zhao Jianguo couldn't help but smile: "Who said I was being transferred? It's just that there are two key projects in the bureau that I need to oversee personally. It will take at least one or two months, and at most three or four months. Once the projects in the county are sorted out, I will naturally come back."

Zhu Yan breathed a long sigh of relief and rubbed her hands together somewhat embarrassedly: "I was so scared. I thought you had abandoned us. Secretary, I have lived in Luojia Village for more than forty years and I have never seen the villagers so united as they are now. Before, everyone was just loafing around and waiting to die. Now, every day when I open my eyes, I feel like there is hope for the future. I really wish you were a native of Luojia Village."

"Even if my household registration isn't in Luojia Village, it doesn't stop me from offering advice and suggestions to our village," he chuckled.

Zhu Yan couldn't help but laugh along, but still asked to confirm with some unease, "Really only for a few months? While you're gone, I'll definitely keep a close eye on the work in the fields and the accounts at the environmental bank, but when it comes to important matters, I still need you, as my pillar of support, to make the decisions."

"Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I finish my work in the county," Zhao Jianguo said definitively.

After explaining these work arrangements, Zhao Jianguo specifically added, "The official transfer order from the county hasn't come down yet. Just keep this in mind and keep it a secret for now."

Zhu Yan nodded repeatedly in agreement, but as she turned to walk back, her heart began to race uncontrollably.

After Luo Shuishan was arrested, Zhao Jianguo, the village cadre stationed in the village, was appointed to take over as the village secretary in a time of crisis. However, he would have to leave sooner or later once his term was up. Now, he was entrusting the village's responsibilities to her in advance, which was clearly a deliberate attempt to cultivate her. As long as she worked steadily with Zhao Jianguo for the next two years and established her prestige, the position of village secretary would naturally fall to her once he left. At that time, Zhu Yan would be the first female village secretary in Luo Family Village. Thinking of this, Zhu Yan couldn't help but feel even more grateful to Zhao Jianguo!

When Zhao Jianguo returned to the village committee compound, it was lunchtime. The people who had been chatting and sitting at the village committee had all gone home to cook. The aroma of food wafted through the courtyard. Li Gan was wearing an apron and busy at the stove, while Liu Zhijun was helping out by cleaning up.