Absolute power in officialdom

Chapter 361 The Director's Past Affair

Wu Zhiyuan raised his hand to interrupt Niu Jie: "Secretary Niu, what was the fiscal revenue of Wuhe Town last year?"

Niu Jie paused for a moment, then replied, "County Chief Wu, the town's total fiscal revenue last year was around twelve million."

"What about expenses?"

"About twenty-eight million."

Wu Zhiyuan asked, "So, the fiscal self-sufficiency rate is less than half, and the rest relies on county transfer payments and subsidies from higher levels. Is that right?"

Niu Jie nodded in agreement: "Yes, County Chief Wu, Wuhe Town has a weak foundation and it is indeed difficult to support its development on its own."

Wu Zhiyuan then asked, "The plaza project represents an investment of 23 million yuan. How much of that is for supporting facilities, and how much did the town raise on its own?"

Niu Jie replied, "This project secured funding from the provincial cultural benefit project, with the county providing a matching fund and the town contributing three million yuan."

Wu Zhiyuan asked with a stern face, "Is the only shortcoming in people's livelihood in Wuhe Town the lack of a high-standard square?"

Niu Jie argued, "County Chief Wu, people's livelihood is multifaceted, and we must also meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the masses."

Wu Zhiyuan said seriously, "As I've looked around, many streetlights on the main street of the town are broken, and the sidewalk tiles are severely damaged."

The wall surrounding the town's central primary school had a large crack, which was being propped up by several pieces of wood.

The road in front of the town's health center is full of potholes.

Furthermore, I heard that the drinking water problem in several villages in the town has not been completely solved, and some people are still carrying water to drink.

Which of these issues isn't more urgent and more related to the vital interests of the people than building a plaza that merely adds to the existing aesthetics?

Niu Jie was speechless, her face flushing red and then turning pale.

He Yeshan's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing.

Wu Zhiyuan softened his tone: "I understand the desire of those at the grassroots level to achieve outstanding results."

However, we must be clear that Qingyan County is still an impoverished county, and Wuhe Town is not wealthy either.

Good resources should be used where they are most needed. Limited financial resources should first be used to ensure basic livelihoods and address shortcomings in development.

Building a square is not impossible, but it must be done after addressing pressing livelihood issues and within the limits of available funds.

What will the public think if so much money is spent on a vanity project that is not an urgent priority?

How will higher-ups view this? Is this a genuine achievement?

Wu Zhiyuan's gaze fell on He Yeshan, and he asked, "Mayor He, tell me, what are the people of Wuhe Town most worried about right now?"

He Yeshan blurted out, "County Chief Wu, the issues that the people have raised the most are roads, water, medical care, and children's schooling."

Wu Zhiyuan pressed further: "What exactly is the problem with the road?"

"The main problem is the county road leading to the provincial capital. The roadbed is poor and the road surface is narrow, making it impossible for large vehicles to pass, and even small vehicles have difficulty driving along it."

Ordinary people all take this route to work in the provincial capital or to sell vegetables and mountain products.

There are still a few villages where the roads are dirt tracks; on sunny days you're covered in dust, and on rainy days you're covered in mud.

What about the drinking water issue?

"Several villages are located at high altitudes and lack water resources. During the dry season, they often run out of water, and the villagers have to fetch water from mountain gullies several miles away."

"Has the town considered solutions to these problems?"

"Road repairs require funding, and water conservancy projects also require funding, but the town's financial resources are limited. We submitted reports to the county, but the problem remained unresolved."

Wu Zhiyuan asked bluntly, "You didn't have money for road repairs and well drilling, but you had three million for the plaza construction project. How come you have money again?"

Niu Jie argued, "County Chief Wu, the town is considering that the cultural square is a key livelihood project promoted by the county and is also one of the performance indicators."

The province has special funds, the county has matching funds, and the town only needs to contribute three million to secure a project worth over twenty million. Such opportunities are rare…

Wu Zhiyuan asked in a deep voice: "So, is it because there is funding and performance evaluation from above that this project needs to be launched?"

Even if what ordinary people urgently need isn't a public square?

Niu Jie said in a low voice, "County Chief Wu, we also know the priorities, but we have no choice in our work at the grassroots level."

With all the performance indicators being set in our favor, failure to meet them will negatively impact year-end evaluations and cadre assessments; there's nothing we can do about it.

Wu Zhiyuan said, "I understand the pressure of the assessment, and I also understand your desire to strive for excellence and achieve results."

But political achievements are not for superiors to see, but for the people to see.

The original intention of the assessment was to force us to address the urgent needs and concerns of the people, not to make us put the cart before the horse and sacrifice genuine people's well-being in order to pass the assessment.

Wu Zhiyuan's criticism was already quite measured.

Ignoring so many pressing livelihood issues while building a square detached from the town's realities, it is ultimately a vanity project and a political achievement project.

Moreover, no one gets up early without a profit; how many shady dealings are involved in engineering contracting and construction?

Wu Zhiyuan did not press the matter further.

Some things are better left unsaid.

Next, Wu Zhiyuan went to inspect the highway leading to Jiangzhou, the provincial capital.

The road conditions are worse than the highway from Qingyan County to Wuhe Town.

The road is narrow, and two cars can pass each other, but a large truck would definitely not be able to pass.

However, this road is also not suitable for large trucks and buses.

Both buses and trucks travel on the provincial highway from the county seat to Jiangzhou.

Due to its geographical location, Wuhe Town is only 40 to 50 kilometers away from Jiangzhou City.

However, if you take the provincial highway, you'll first have to get to the county seat before going to Jiangzhou, a distance of over 100 kilometers.

Liu Feng sat next to Wu Zhiyuan and pointed out the window, saying, "County Chief Wu, this is the shortest road from Wuhe Town to the provincial capital."

Fifteen kilometers further ahead is the boundary of Jiangzhou City.

Once you enter Jiangzhou territory, the roads are all paved.

Jiangzhou is the provincial capital and has a developed economy, but Qingyan County and even Longcheng City are economically underdeveloped areas.

Jiangzhou has the money to build roads, but Qingyan County does not.

After driving for a while, a bend appeared ahead.

The roadbed on the outside of the curve had collapsed, leaving only half of the road surface. A farm vehicle was coming from the opposite direction, so Wu Zhiyuan's car had to stop and wait for the other vehicle to pass before he could drive on.

After the farm vehicle passed, Wu Zhiyuan signaled the driver to stop.

He got out of the car, walked to the landslide site, and looked down.

Below is a ravine more than ten meters deep, with a stream running through the bottom.

If that farm vehicle had moved a little further to the side, or been going a little faster, it might have overturned.

He Yeshan followed and said, "A bread truck overturned here last year, killing two and injuring three."

The car continued moving forward.

Villages began to appear on both sides of the road, but most of the houses were old tile-roofed houses, with only a few two-story buildings that looked like they had been built many years ago.

Next, Wu Zhiyuan went to Lizhuang Village, where Hu Tianlong had once served as a temporary official.

His idea was to find someone closely related to Hu Tianlong, such as the widow, to awaken Hu Tianlong's feelings for the place where he used to work, rather than resentment.

In many matters in China, the role of the head of an organization is crucial.

For example, when it comes to transportation projects and funding, it doesn't matter who gets them, and it's not difficult for the top leader to decide which county to favor.

Lizhuang Village is very remote, and the roads are still in good condition, but they are full of potholes and uneven.

With the introduction of town and village officials, Wu Zhiyuan met Lao Li, the village party secretary from back then.

Old Li is over seventy years old this year, but he is in good spirits and has a strong body.

When talking about Hu Tianlong, Old Li had a deep memory of him and recounted the story in detail.

More than 20 years ago, Hu Tianlong was assigned to our Lizhuang Village from the provincial government.

At that time, he was in his twenties, tall and handsome, eloquent, and had a good manner. He was very respectful to us.

At that time, he was neither married nor in a relationship.

Although he was a college student from the city, he was very approachable.

That year, there was a great flood, and he took the lead in jumping into the river to plug the breach, almost getting swept away.

We learned from the news that he is now a high-ranking official in the province.

Although so many years have passed, their faces are still the same.

The affair between Hu Tianlong and the widow Liu Yue'e caused quite a stir in the city back then. Here's what happened.

Liu Yue'e was introduced by my cousin and married into our village from Qingshan County.

The girl was only eighteen or nineteen years old at the time, and she was beautiful and charming.

Her husband was seven or eight years older than her and not very good-looking.

The main reason Liu Yue'e was willing to marry far away was because her husband was a miner.

Back then, coal mines were state-owned, and although miners were government employees, they received high wages.

However, just a few months after their marriage, a gas explosion occurred in the mine, and her husband died.

At that time, Liu Yue'e had no children and was not pregnant.

Her in-laws didn't want her to leave because their youngest son wasn't married yet, and they wanted Liu Yue'e to marry into their family.

But Liu Yue'e refused. Her brother-in-law was short and fat, and also lazy and gluttonous.

Hu Tianlong often helped Liu Yue'e with chores, and over time they became a couple.

This matter cannot be entirely blamed on Hu Tianlong.

Who among the hot-blooded young people hasn't been impulsive at times?

Besides, his relationship with Liu Yue'e was consensual; he didn't force her.

I don't know when they got together.

One night, Liu Yue'e's father-in-law had diarrhea and went to the toilet.

He discovered that kind of sound coming from Liu Yue'e's room.

Anyone who's been there knows what that sound is like.

He peeked through the crack in the window and saw that it was Hu Tianlong sleeping with his daughter-in-law.

Is this okay?

He locked the door from the outside, called his family over, and shouted: "Caught in the act! A cadre from the province is sleeping with my daughter-in-law!"

This alarmed the entire village. At that time, the social customs were conservative, and such a thing was a huge scandal.

When everyone arrived at Liu Yue'e's house, the door was already open.

Hu Tianlong was beaten by Liu Yue'e's brother-in-law and her parents-in-law.

Liu Yue'e cried her heart out, saying that she hadn't committed adultery because she was just a widow and had the right to be with the person she loved.

Afterwards, Liu Yue'e's parents-in-law went to the village and town to file a complaint.

Hu Tianlong's temporary post was originally scheduled for two years, but he returned to the province after only one year.

She didn't receive any punishment at the time because Liu Yue'e insisted that she did it voluntarily, and Hu Tianlong was neither married nor in a relationship at the time.

It can be said that Liu Yue'e was still sentimental and protected Hu Tianlong.

It's not a heinous crime for a single provincial cadre sent to the countryside to have an affair with a widow.

A few months later, Liu Yue'e left again and returned to her parents' home.

She left in the summer, and many people noticed that she was pregnant.

Later, I learned from my cousin, who had introduced Liu Yue'e to Lizhuang Village, that Liu Yue'e had remarried in her hometown town.

Liu Yue'e brought a daughter with her when she got married.

That daughter was the daughter of Hu Tianlong and Liu Yue'e.

It is said that after Hu Tianlong left Lizhuang Village, Liu Yue'e contacted him again, saying that she was pregnant.

Hu Tianlong probably didn't want children or to marry Liu Yue'e, so he gave Liu Yue'e a sum of money to have an abortion.

Liu Yue'e couldn't bear to part with her child, so she didn't have an abortion, and the child was born.

Hu Tianlong probably doesn't know that he has an illegitimate daughter.