Nominal: Intercepting Zhong Xiaoai, Dominating Handong

"In October, the leadership teams of several counties and districts will be adjusted. Old Zhou, the Party Secretary of Liping County, will reach retirement age next year, so a county head needs to be appointed in advance to take over as Party Secretary after he is familiar with the situation." Pei Yihong looked at Gu Mingyuan.

"Liping County is the most impoverished mountainous county in Pingzhou, with a population of 400,000. Last year, its fiscal revenue was less than 100 million yuan, and the poverty rate was 25%. Would you like to take on the challenge?"

Gu Mingyuan answered almost without hesitation: "Yes!"

"Aren't you going to ask about the conditions? Liping is very poor, and the conditions are harsh."

"The harsher the conditions, the more it tempers a person. I come from the countryside, and I'm not afraid of hardship."

Pei Yihong smiled with satisfaction: "I knew you would choose this. But this matter hasn't been discussed in the meeting yet, so be prepared. Around October, the organization will have a talk with you."

Gu Mingyuan walked briskly as he left the airport.

A new challenge was calling, and he felt a long-lost excitement.

Halfway there, he asked the driver to change course and go to Xinhua Bookstore, where he bought a large number of books on county-level economy, poverty alleviation, and mountain development.

It was already 8 p.m. when I got home.

Zhong Xiaoai is feeding Pengpeng complementary food, and the little guy has food all over his face.

"You're back so late? Have you eaten?"

"I've eaten something." Gu Mingyuan put down his book, washed his hands, and took his son.

"Pengpeng, Daddy might have to leave Pingzhou for a while to work in the county. Will you miss Daddy?"

Zhong Xiaoai's hand trembled, and the spoon fell into the bowl: "Are you going down?"

"Secretary Pei revealed today that he might be going to Liping County."

"Liping? Isn't that the poorest county in our city?"

"It's precisely because we're poor that we need people to change things." Gu Mingyuan lifted his son high in the air, and the little guy giggled.

"Xiao Ai, do you support me?"

Zhong Xiaoai was silent for a moment, her eyes a little red: "I support you. I support whatever you do. It's just... Pengpeng is still young, and the conditions in the county are poor; the medical care and education are not as good as in the city."

"You can stay in the city. I'll be back on the weekend."

"How can that be? A family should be together." Zhong Xiaoai wiped her eyes.

"Wherever you go, Pengpeng and I will go. Even if the conditions are bad, if others can make it, so can we."

A warm feeling welled up in Gu Mingyuan's heart, and he hugged his wife: "Thank you, Xiao Ai."

"What are you thanking me for? When I married you, I said that wherever you go, I will go." Zhong Xiaoai leaned on his shoulder.

"Just promise me you won't overwork yourself and will take care of your health."

I promise you.

During the holiday, Gu Mingyuan took his wife and children back to his hometown of Lincheng.

During his trip back, he made a special visit to several impoverished villages in the county, engaging in in-depth conversations with village officials and villagers to understand the difficulties and needs of development in mountainous areas.

He also went to see his cousin who used to work at the county agricultural bureau and borrowed a lot of information about mountain agriculture, forestry, and tourism.

On October 8th, the first day back to work after the holiday, Zhou Wenming, the Organization Minister of the Municipal Party Committee, had a talk with Gu Mingyuan.

"Comrade Mingyuan, after deliberation by the Municipal Party Committee and with the approval of the Provincial Party Committee's Organization Department, we propose to appoint you as Deputy Secretary of the Liping County Party Committee and Acting County Head. What are your thoughts?"

"I will resolutely obey the organization's arrangements and am grateful for the organization's trust and training."

Are you familiar with the situation in Liping County?

"We did some research. Liping is a mountainous county. Its advantages lie in its ecology and tourism resources, while its disadvantages include inconvenient transportation, weak industry, and a shortage of talent. Last year, its fiscal revenue was 98 million yuan, and its fiscal self-sufficiency rate was less than 40%..."

Zhou Wenming was somewhat surprised: "You've done your homework quite thoroughly. So tell me, if you go, what are your plans?"

Gu Mingyuan was prepared: "I plan to proceed in three steps. The first step is to conduct in-depth research, understand the county's situation, and clarify our thinking."

"The second step is to concentrate our efforts on breaking through transportation bottlenecks, building roads and bridges, and opening up the arteries of development."

"The third step is to develop distinctive industries tailored to local conditions, such as ecological agriculture, forestry-based economy, and rural tourism. At the same time, we should focus on education and healthcare to break the intergenerational transmission of poverty."

"Your thinking is clear." Zhou Wenming nodded.

"However, Comrade Mingyuan, I must remind you that the situation in Liping County is complicated."

"The leadership team is aging, the thinking is conservative, and some cadres are complacent, afraid of reform and taking responsibility."

"After you go there, you must not only promote development, but also unite your comrades. You cannot be impatient for quick results."

"I understand. I will maintain a good pace, being bold and adventurous while also being steady and methodical."

"Good. The organization believes you can do a good job." Zhou Wenming stood up and shook hands with Gu Mingyuan.

"The appointment document will be issued next week. Prepare yourself and take office before the end of the month."

Stepping out of the Organization Department building, the autumn sun shone brightly and warmly.

Gu Mingyuan sent Pei Yihong a text message: "Secretary Pei, the conversation is over. I will resolutely obey the arrangements and will certainly live up to your expectations."

Pei Yihong quickly replied: "Go for it, the municipal party committee is your strong backing. Remember, when you're in office, you should bring benefits to the people in your jurisdiction."

On October 28, Gu Mingyuan went to Liping County to take up his post.

After a three-hour drive, we entered the mountains from the plains.

The roads are getting narrower and narrower, and there are more and more curves.

Pengpeng got carsick and vomited milk, and Zhong Xiaoai didn't look well either.

Gu Mingyuan said with concern, "Why don't you go back to the city?"

"No," Zhong Xiaoai said firmly.

"Now that we're here, we have to stick with it."

At 2 p.m., the car entered Liping County.

Although it's called a county town, it actually only has one main street, with three- or four-story buildings on both sides, many of which have mottled exterior walls.

The county party committee and county government are located in a five-story building built in the 1980s, and the cement floor at the entrance has cracked.

County Party Secretary Zhou Haitao and his team members greeted them at the entrance.

Zhou Haitao, sixty years old, with gray hair and a kind face, shook Gu Mingyuan's hand and said, "Welcome, Comrade Mingyuan! We finally have a promising young man in Liping!"

"Secretary Zhou, you flatter me. I'm here to learn," Gu Mingyuan said modestly.

The meeting was simple and took place in the county party committee's conference room.

Gu Mingyuan made a brief speech: "Comrades, the organization sent me to Liping to do practical work and start a business, not to become an official."

"From today onwards, I am a resident of Liping."

"I will familiarize myself with the situation as soon as possible, learn from everyone, and work together with you to contribute to the development of Liping and the well-being of its people."

There were no grand pronouncements, but the sincerity and honesty were genuine.

The officials applauded, their eyes filled with both expectation and uncertainty.

After the meeting, Zhou Haitao took Gu Mingyuan to his dormitory.

It was a two-bedroom apartment in the county committee's residential compound, with simple but clean furniture.

"The conditions are simple, I'm sorry to have troubled you," Zhou Haitao said.

"Great, much better than my dorm in college," Gu Mingyuan said with a smile.

After settling his wife and children, Gu Mingyuan immediately threw himself into his work. Instead of sitting in his office listening to reports, he had the office prepare a map of the entire county, statistical yearbooks, and basic information on each township, and then began his field research.

For his first stop, he chose the most remote Yunwu Township.

The mountain road was rugged, and it took the jeep four hours to get there.

The township secretary was a dark-skinned, thin middle-aged man named Wang Dashan, who spoke with a heavy local accent.

"County Chief Gu, our Yunwu Township is the poorest township in Liping. The township has 12,000 people, and last year the per capita income was less than 800 yuan. All the young people have gone out to work, leaving behind only the elderly, women and children."

As Gu Mingyuan walked along the muddy country road, he saw low mud-brick houses, ragged old people, and children with barely any clothes on.

In one household, he saw that the main room was piled with sweet potatoes, which was the family's food supply for a year.

"Hey, what do you usually eat?"

"Sweet potatoes, corn, and occasionally rice." The head of the household was a man in his fifties, with hands as rough as tree bark.

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