Right path to power

"Oh, you mean Secretary Zai Chuan is looking for you? Then you should answer him quickly!"

Seeing Lin Xiao's somewhat nervous expression, Zhou Zizheng guessed that it was very likely a call from Huang Zaichuan, the secretary of the Fengshan County Party Committee.

He himself was somewhat bewildered by this conjecture, not knowing why his first reaction was to think of Huang Zaichuan, the county party secretary, but he just felt that the possibility was very high.

However, Lin Xiao seemed somewhat hesitant at this moment.

"If it's Secretary Huang, then answer the call quickly."

Gong Lei was also taken aback, then immediately urged Lin Xiao to answer the phone. After speaking, he fell silent, while Zhou Zizheng sat quietly and waited.

Lin Xiao glanced at the phone, then answered it: "Hello, Secretary Wang!"

Secretary Wang?

Zhou Zizheng suddenly looked at Lin Xiao, then turned to Gong Lei with a look of surprise and doubt, pointed to the ceiling, and opened his mouth to silently ask Gong Lei, who now had a serious expression:

"Is that Secretary Wang?"

"Should be?"

Gong Lei answered silently. At first, he looked puzzled, but then a look of surprise appeared on his face, followed by excitement.

Then, he silently said to Zhou Zizheng, "It's Secretary Wang from the Municipal Party Committee!"

At this moment, Zhou Zizheng visibly shuddered and immediately sat up straight. His expression became somewhat serious, but his eyes were bright as he looked at Lin Xiao, as if Lin Xiao had transformed into Wang Yuanze sitting there.

"Kobayashi, you don't need to be so reserved in private."

Wang Yuanze's tone on the other end of the phone was calm, giving off a very kind and approachable elder vibe.

"Yes, Uncle-Master."

Hearing this, Lin Xiao's tension lessened considerably, but he was still puzzled, wondering what Wang Yuanze wanted to talk to him about at this time.

The address "Uncle-Master" truly startled Zhou Zizheng and Gong Lei, and their expressions became even more excited. They knew very well that a simple title was enough to show that Lin Xiao and Wang Yuanze had an extraordinary relationship.

In fact, even without this title, or whatever the two talked about, Wang Yuanze's initiative to contact Lin Xiao as soon as he took office fully demonstrates that the two have a very close relationship.

After learning that Wang Yuanze would be the new Party Secretary of Quanzhou City, many people tried to get some information about the new Party Secretary through various channels and methods, either by asking around or by guessing, so that they could make contact with him.

So much so that some people went to Linjiang City specifically to ask around or find local city officials to learn about Wang Yuanze's work style, ideas, and preferences, all in the hope of having some fragmented memories of the new secretary.

Some people even invited Wang Yuanze to a casual meal through influential figures throughout the city, but he refused them all.

For a time, Wang Yuanze, the new Party Secretary, seemed somewhat mysterious to them.

For Zhou Zizheng himself, he was already fifty years old after his birthday this year, and he had been working in the position of director for a full seven years. From county magistrate to deputy secretary-general of the municipal party committee and then to executive deputy director of the municipal organization department, he had quite a lot of experience and qualifications. If he had a good push from behind, he would have been promoted to another level long ago. Unfortunately, he did not have any strong connections.

Therefore, even though he has been planning to take his fame to the next level, he has been hesitant to make progress, and age is an unwritten limitation.

Now that Zhang Dayong, a member of the Standing Committee of the Municipal Party Committee and Secretary-General, is about to get off the train, many people in the city are eyeing this position, and Zhou Zizheng is one of them. He also has strong ambitions. If he can gain the approval of the new Municipal Party Secretary, he can stand out from the crowd.

While everyone was racking their brains to get close to the new secretary and trying their best to gain his approval, this young man who had a close relationship with the new secretary appeared in front of him.

This made Zhou Zizheng's mood instantly become extremely excited!

"Xiao Lin, it's like this, I'm planning to visit various units to conduct research and familiarize myself with the overall situation in the city. Do you have any opinions or suggestions?" Wang Yuanze explained the reason for his call over the phone.

Lin Xiao was taken aback. She thought that even if her uncle was not familiar with Quanzhou City, he would not ask her. After all, she had only been the county magistrate's secretary for a few months. How could she know much about the situation in the whole city?

So, wouldn't this be another test? However, there were outsiders present, so he couldn't ask directly.

Immediately afterwards, another idea popped into Lin Xiao's head: looking at the entire city, he was the only person his uncle could trust, and constantly looking from a high place might cause fatigue, so trying to look from a lower place might yield different results.

Just as Lin Xiao was about to speak, Wang Yuanze's voice came from the other end again: "Xiao Lin, as always, you can speak freely, and I'll listen attentively. Don't be shy."

In fact, if the two weren't currently just "uncle and nephew" in a formal relationship, Lin Xiao would probably be criticized for making a municipal party secretary wait for him like this.

So, Lin Xiao braced himself and began to express his opinion.

"Uncle-Master, if you are going to Fengshan County, I suggest you do it in two steps: First, you can learn about the key projects in the county and the county's economic development plan;

Second, we need to conduct in-depth research at the grassroots level. As a major agricultural county, Fengshan County has a rural population that makes up the majority of its population. Without understanding the actual situation in the rural areas, we cannot grasp the true situation of the entire county, and naturally, we cannot solve the problem of weak economic development.

Lagging development will inevitably bring more problems, such as villagers' distrust of the government, which will prevent even good policies from being implemented smoothly.

Take Songmao Village as an example. The village has a total of 1,350 people. 70% of them have an average annual income of less than 3,000 yuan, while less than 10% have an average annual income of more than 5,000 yuan. A very small number of people with connections have moved to the county or city, and some have even transferred their household registration.

Although disposable income is low, almost every family grows some food to make a living. However, expenses such as children's schooling and illness can quickly plunge a family into hardship. As far as I know, Songmao Village has not had a college student for nearly 20 years.

But from my conversations with them, I could clearly sense that while they could overcome difficulties, they couldn't see a future, couldn't find a direction for development, and no one was giving them any real help or pointing them in the right direction. If this continued, it wouldn't just widen the gap between urban and rural areas, but also exacerbate the relationship between the people and the government. This would no longer be a simple economic development issue...

After Lin Xiao finished speaking, the private room fell silent. Zhou Zizheng and Gong Lei looked at Lin Xiao again at the same time. Perhaps only now did they understand why this young man was a selected graduate of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department.

Gong Lei, in particular, was overjoyed. He really hadn't expected Lin Xiao to make such a judgment in just half a day of working in the village. This was probably one of the reasons why the new secretary would "lower his status" and make an exception to ask him questions!

"Hmm, that's a good analysis, but why did you choose Matsumo Village as an example? Do you have some other idea in mind?"

"Yes, Uncle-Master!"

Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then said firmly, "Uncle-Master, I am currently stationed in Songmao Village. Through face-to-face conversations with the villagers, I have truly felt their helplessness and despair. Therefore, I hope you can go and see for yourself, so that more people can pay attention to rural areas and give farmers hope."

Wang Yuanze didn't say anything more, only replying calmly, "I understand." He then changed the subject, asking about other things, and finally asked, "Xiao Lin, are you free this weekend? If so, take me sightseeing!"

"Okay, Martial Uncle, when should I come to pick you up?"

"Around eight in the morning! I heard there's a very special breakfast in the whole city, and I want to try it out to see if it's really as good as the rumors say."

"Okay, Uncle-Master, I'll come pick you up at eight o'clock on Saturday morning."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Xiao was overjoyed. It seemed that Wang Yuanze truly recognized her abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have wanted her to take him on an "incognito visit" so soon after taking office.

That's right, Lin Xiao certainly didn't think this was just a routine gathering of uncles and nephews!