Me! A high-ranking official!

Seeing the persistent plea to stay on the screen, he gave a helpless bitter smile and explained with some patience, "Don't worry, everyone. During my absence, if there are any big or small issues in the village, you can directly contact Zhu Yan. I've also coordinated with the bureau to return to the village at least twice a week. I hope you can understand. After all, I'm a cadre sent down from the Culture and Tourism Bureau. The bureau is currently very busy, so I'm only going back to fill in for a while. I'll be back soon."

As the messages on the public screen continued to refresh rapidly, and the waves of pleas for him to stay almost drowned out his voice, he sighed inwardly. Knowing that explaining at this point would only make things more complicated, he decided to temporarily put the topic aside and raised his voice a few notches.

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. We'll discuss this later. First, let me outline the work plan for next week. There are still three things to do."

He raised a finger, his expression regaining its usual solemnity when discussing work: "First, the bidding process for the village road project started last week. Next week, I will continue to follow up and urge all parties to ensure that all special funds are in place to guarantee the smooth progress of the project."

"The second thing is the groundbreaking ceremony for our planting base. This ceremony has received unprecedented support from the county party committee and the county government. This Thursday, Secretary Zhou of the county party committee and Deputy County Head Qi Linshan will personally attend the groundbreaking ceremony. I have already coordinated with the town government on the relevant preparations. Secretary Wang Yongchun will also be present. Here, we would like to thank the leaders at all levels of the county and town for their strong support to Luojia Village."

After dropping this bombshell, he continued, "The third issue concerns the disposal of the mud slab factory in the south of the village after Luo Shuishan's departure. The mud slab factory has been occupying our village's collective land, but Luo Shuishan has never paid a single penny of rent to the village under the guise of a project. Now that he has run away, the mud slab factory has completely stopped operating, and the workers there have lost their livelihoods. However, considering that the mud slab factory itself was actually doing quite well and was one of the few real businesses in our village, in order to protect the workers' jobs and to revitalize the assets, I have contacted a friend in the county who is prepared to take over the continued operation of the mud slab factory entirely."

He spoke solemnly to the camera, "My friend will then communicate with Luo Shuishan's family to complete the acquisition process. Therefore, please don't rush to go out to work. Once the handover is complete, the factory will rehire you all! In addition, the new and old owners will pay the fees for the collective resources used by the clay slab factory according to regulations. This money will be a legitimate new source of income for our village's collective accounts!"

He explained the three things clearly and logically, and after completing the work deployment, he turned his attention back to the public screen.

Many people were still tirelessly spamming the comments section with words of pleas for him to stay. Watching this scene, he sighed deeply in his heart. The common people's thoughts are actually the clearest and most honest. Whoever is genuinely looking out for them and helps them fill their pockets, they will wholeheartedly support them.

He suppressed his smile, his face becoming solemn, and his voice low: "Finally, let me reiterate: I'm only temporarily returning to the bureau to help out. I hope that during these few months while I'm running back and forth, everyone will continue to support the village committee's work and cooperate well with Zhu Yan. I will also frequently return to oversee the overall situation. Here, I thank you all again for your trust!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he pushed back his chair, stood up straight, took half a step back, faced the camera, and bowed deeply, giving a very formal bow.

As he straightened up and looked at the screen again, a bolded comment flashed across his face: "Secretary, is it really necessary to leave? We've finally found a leader who truly works for the people. Can't those officials in the county find someone else to do the job?"

These words were like a fine needle, gently piercing Zhao Jianguo's heart. A wave of bitterness welled up in his throat. He knew he couldn't watch any longer; if he did, the emotions of parting would surely overwhelm him. Without replying, he decisively reached out and clicked the close button, ending the live stream.

The live stream was cut off, and the screen went completely dark.

He stared at the dark monitor, a strange pang of sadness rising in his heart. Although he had only been stationed in the village for a little over a month, this was the first time he had truly immersed himself in the work and poured all his energy into a grassroots village. He watched as one dead end after another was untied in his hands, the village gradually shed its dilapidated state, and the villagers went from being wary and indifferent to being open and honest with him. He had long since developed an inseparable sense of belonging to this land.

He let out a long sigh, pushed open the door, and walked into the courtyard. He sat down on the stone steps by the door. The night was clear, and a bright, unobstructed moon shone overhead. Such unobstructed moonlight was a rare sight in the concrete jungle of the county town. Li Gan and Li Xiuxiu, who were tidying up in the courtyard, noticed his pensive expression and wisely quieted down, returning to their rooms without disturbing him.

Not long after he sat down, a familiar figure walked in from outside the courtyard gate. He looked closely, waved, and Liu Zhijun quickly approached, stopped in front of him, his lips moved as if he had a lot to say, but in the end, he only let out a heavy sigh and sat down next to him on the steps.

Looking at Liu Zhijun's face, which was full of discomfort, he couldn't help but laugh: "What are you doing? It's not like I'm never coming back. There's urgent work in the county. I'm just filling in for a few months. I'll come back when I'm done."

Liu Zhijun shook his head, staring blankly at the ground, and suddenly blurted out: "You are a good leader, quick-witted and capable. Those big leaders above are not blind, they must all value you. If you go back this time, there is a high chance you won't be able to come back."

He paused for a moment, then chuckled, "Who gave you this kind of information?"

"I can see for myself," Liu Zhijun said in a muffled voice. "If only there were more leaders like you who are willing to work tirelessly for the people."

He stopped smiling, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't worry, I came here with a two-year assignment to be stationed in the village. My term isn't over yet, so I'll definitely stick to this post until the very end."

As the two were talking, several more people walked in. The leader was Luo Haitao, followed by two familiar villagers. As soon as Luo Haitao saw him, he said urgently, "Secretary, do you really have to leave? Everyone in our village is counting on you to handle things right now."

He stood up helplessly: "Didn't I just explain it in the live stream? It's only a few months away, I'll definitely reply."

Luo Haitao sighed heavily: "We know in our hearts that we shouldn't stop you from going back for a promotion at this time, as that would be blocking your future, but we just can't bear to let you go."

"This is getting more and more absurd, making it sound like a life-or-death situation." He waved his hand, signaling them to relax.

Before these few people could leave, more than a dozen villagers came in one after another from outside the courtyard gate. Everyone was talking at once, their words full of reluctance and attempts to persuade him to stay. He was surrounded by them, explaining and comforting them one by one. His heart was burning with both emotion and helplessness. It took him most of the day to finally persuade everyone to go home.