Right path to power

After going downstairs, He Saihua said first, "Xiao Lin, after we arrive at Songmao Village, I'll take you to meet their village secretary first, just in case anyone tries anything funny again."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Hua."

"Don't be so polite with me, but I still want to remind you again that Ding Shangkun and his gang bullied you so much, so you have to be careful in everything you do. The people at the grassroots level are indeed simple and honest, but the more that's the case, the more careful you have to be, after all, this place is far from the reach of the emperor."

After hearing He Saihua's words, Lin Xiao was stunned. The woman he knew before had never shown this side of herself.

"Thank you, Sister Hua, I'll be careful."

"That's good!"

As they chatted, the two of them each pushed a bicycle out of the yard and headed towards Songmao Village.

This scene was witnessed by Wu Di, who was watching them from the second-floor corridor. He gritted his teeth and muttered to himself, "You surnamed Lin, I'm not finished with you!" His tone was full of envy, jealousy, and hatred.

About twenty minutes later, Lin Xiao and He Saihua arrived at Songmao Village Committee. Lin Xiao, who had been riding all the way, looked a little out of breath, while He Saihua, perhaps because she rode often, didn't seem to have much of a reaction.

After parking the bicycles, He Saihua took out a handkerchief and said to Lin Xiao, "Xiao Lin, wipe yourself. You look so tired. There's a lot of physical activity to do at the grassroots level. You'll need some time to adjust."

"I'm fine, I'll get used to it after riding it a few more times." As she spoke, Lin Xiao raised her hand to wipe her face with her sleeve.

The next second, he was startled by a voice saying "Don't move!" It was He Saihua who made the sound. Not only that, she also reached out and used a handkerchief to wipe Lin Xiao's cheek.

At that moment, a delicate fragrance entered his nostrils and then permeated his entire body. His heart pounded. The plump young woman in her early twenties in front of him was simply irresistible!

"All done!"

He Saihua smiled charmingly, put away her handkerchief, and acted as if nothing had happened. As she walked into the building, she called out, "Old Liu, Old Liu, are you there?"

"Yes, yes, yes, is this Director He? Please come into the office, there's a fan inside."

A man with white hair, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and shorts, was standing at the door of the room, with a smile on his face and his right hand making a "please" gesture.

He Saihua didn't rush in, but instead introduced them first, "Old Liu, this is Lin Xiao, the village cadre dispatched by the township. He was just seconded back from the county government. He's a top student from Fengdu University, and his abilities are quite high. You'd better support his work in the future. If I find out you're bullying him, don't blame me for coming to scold you every day."

"Haha, Director He, look at what you're saying, I'm not bullying anyone. But then again, if Director He could keep mentioning it every day, no one would be unwilling, I..."

When Liu Jianguo, the village chief of Songmao Village, saw that He Saihua's eyebrows had already furrowed, he quickly interrupted himself and took the initiative to shake hands with Lin Xiao, creating a scene of clear "survival".

He then said in a friendly tone, "Welcome, Cadre Lin, to Songmao to guide our work. I heard that you used to be the secretary of County Chief Gao in the county, so you must have seen a lot of the world."

As you probably know, Songmao is an impoverished village, ranking at the very bottom of Nangang Township. Everyone toils in the fields, their crops barely worth anything, and they earn very little throughout the year. If you could teach us some good ways to get rich, we'd give you our lives.

"Old Liu, what nonsense are you spouting? Xiao Lin isn't a god, nor does he have any magic powers. How can he make everyone rich just like that?" He Saihua said, frowning.

"If you can't lead us out of poverty and into prosperity, then what's the point of stationing yourselves in the village? I heard that County Chief Gao used to say he wanted to vigorously develop the rural economy, and I thought there was hope. Who knew County Chief Gao would have such bad luck and die in a car accident? County Chief Gao was a man of action, and since Cadre Lin is his secretary, he must have some skills. So please help us think of a way. We don't need to get rich immediately, but at least let everyone see hope. We would be extremely grateful!"

Lin Xiao could tell that Liu Jianguo genuinely wanted to find a way out for the village, so he said, "Secretary Liu, the township has assigned me to be stationed in Songmao, and I will definitely do my best to do something useful. However, before that, I would like to understand the specific situation of our village, talk to the villagers, and then discuss development."

Liu Jianguo nodded and replied, "That's no problem. I'll tell you about the situation in the village. Later, you can decide whether I want to take you to talk to everyone, or I can have the production team leaders come to the village committee for a meeting tonight so you can talk to them."

At this moment, He Saihua said again, "Old Liu, we're from the county, and we've come all this way. You won't even give us a sip of water, and all you do is make demands. Isn't that a bit...?"

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry. I was so excited to see Director He that I forgot all about it. Please have a seat, I'll make you some tea right away."

While brewing tea, Liu Jianguo began to introduce the situation of Songmao Village.

A short while later, the village's women's director arrived, and He Saihua went with her to help mediate a conflict between a couple.

It took about half an hour for Liu Jianguo to give a general account of the situation in the village. It wouldn't have taken that long, but he saw that Lin Xiao was listening very attentively and taking notes in her notebook. He felt that Lin Xiao might really have something to do, so he explained it in more detail and his attitude became better.

"Judging from Lin's demeanor, he doesn't seem to be here for show!"

Hearing this, Lin Xiao was taken aback, then smiled wryly and said, "Secretary Liu, to be honest, coming to the village was not my original intention, but since the organization has made this arrangement, of course I have to take it seriously."

Understanding the actual situation in the village and knowing exactly where the villagers' poverty lies is essential. Even if I can't do anything now, I can better help them escape poverty and achieve prosperity when I have the opportunity in the future.

"That Zhang Biao said you were demoted from a township leader to Songmao, and he wanted me to give you a hard time. I spit on him. He came to the village, and everyone ate a lot of the local chickens and ducks, but he didn't do anything."

Lin, let me be frank with you. The villagers are terrified of poverty. Generations have endured this poverty day after day.

If you really want to do something for the village, everyone will be willing to follow you and listen to your arrangements. We will then go to the township secretary and township head to recommend you for commendation.

Lin Xiao waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Secretary Liu, it's too early to ask for credit, and there's no need for that. This is my job responsibility. I will do my best to do something practical for the village, but as the old saying goes, 'No investigation, no right to speak.' Right now, my priority is to understand the situation in the village first, and then I can continue with other things."

"Yes, yes, I'll call the person over here for you."

Liu Jianguo felt that although Lin Xiao was young, he was not as frivolous as other young cadres, but rather gave people a sense of pragmatism, so he stopped underestimating him.

Before long, the village secretary's office was packed with people. At Lin Xiao's suggestion, everyone moved to the meeting room.

However, from the moment they saw Lin Xiao, everyone started talking about him.

"Cadre Lin is a college student, no wonder he's so handsome."

"Are you dating anyone? Auntie will introduce you to someone!"

"I heard you used to be the county magistrate's secretary. The county magistrate is such a high-ranking official, you must have had to serve meals and wash dishes, right?"

"We're counting on you from now on!"

"By the way, do you go to banquets with the county magistrate every day? Is it like in the movies?"

Clearly, the villagers' focus was entirely on Lin Xiao, which was putting the cart before the horse.

"Fellow villagers, please listen to me."

Lin Xiao spoke loudly, and the conference room immediately fell silent.