Official title: Refused to stay at the university, started his career in a rural town.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, several stacks of New Year's goods were piled up in the courtyard of the township government.

Chen Ming squatted at the entrance of the gatehouse, distributing mountain delicacies gift boxes, two boxes per person, neatly arranged.

The cadres who live far away have already brought their luggage to the office, preparing to take driver Lao Liu's truck to the county to catch the bus early tomorrow morning.

Yang Fan was flipping through the first draft of the cooperative's articles of association in his office, with a steaming enamel mug beside him.

Wu Xiang pushed open the door with a solemn expression, holding a fax in his hand.

"We can't leave!"

Yang Fan raised his head.

Wu Xiang placed the fax on the table.

"This was just sent from the County Party Committee Office. All townships are required to immediately organize study sessions, convey the spirit of the directives, and investigate potential hazards."

Yang Fan picked up the fax and scanned it.

The title is "Notification Regarding the '123' Safety Accident in Jinshan County".

In order to raise funds for the road construction project, Li Dakang, the county head of Jinshan County, frequently convened mobilization meetings and put pressure on officials at all levels.

At the mobilization meeting for the second phase of the project, a village party secretary in his sixties suffered a sudden illness and died on the spot due to excessive pressure from continuous meetings.

The report was very detailed, stating that the deceased was the village party secretary of Hewan Village in Jinshan Town, surnamed Liu, who had worked in the village for more than 20 years.

The mobilization meeting lasted from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. without a break.

Secretary Liu has high blood pressure and always carries his medication with him. That day, he left in a hurry and forgot his medication at home.

Halfway through the meeting, he said he felt dizzy, and the cadre next to him told him to hang in there a little longer.

When the meeting ended, he stood up from his chair, swayed twice, and then collapsed to the ground, never to wake up again.

Yang Fan put the fax down.

The report also detailed the handling of the incident: after the accident, the main leaders of the Yantai Municipal Party Committee and Government immediately rushed to Jinshan County and ordered all leaders of the Jinshan County Party Committee and Government to suspend their duties.

The provincial authorities were furious upon hearing the news. Their initial directive was to "investigate thoroughly and deal with the matter seriously." However, after deliberation by the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, it was decided to fully respect the opinions of the Yantai Municipal Party Committee in handling the matter.

The preliminary decision was as follows: Wang Dalu, the executive deputy county head in charge of transportation, was dismissed; Chang Fangzhou, the director of the county transportation bureau, was removed from his post; Li Dakang, the county head, was given a reprimand; and Yi Xuexi, the county party secretary, was given a demerit and transferred from his original position.

Yang Fan tapped his knee with his finger.

The province initially instructed to "investigate thoroughly and deal with it seriously," but later changed it to "respect the opinion of the municipal party committee."

It is obvious that Zhao Lichun, the current member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of the Jingzhou Municipal Party Committee, made the move. Yantai is his old stronghold, and Li Dakang is Zhao Lichun's former secretary.

Despite losing a life, Li Dakang, who was constantly clamoring for road repairs and frequently holding mobilization meetings, only received a reprimand.

Logically, for such a serious matter, the county head directly responsible should at least be dismissed from his post, or even face criminal charges, and the county party secretary should at least be transferred from his leadership position.

But Zhao Lichun's move not only saved Li Dakang, but also incidentally rescued Yi Xuexi.

However, it must be said that Li Dakang is now permanently associated with the labels of "Zhao Lichun's secretary" and "benefactor".

With such a huge handle in someone's hand, how will he ever be able to completely sever ties with Zhao Lichun in the future?

In the original drama, Li Dakang quickly sided with Sha Ruijin, exonerating himself completely—wow, that's quite an ability.

Or perhaps, a backup plan?

Yang Fan picked up the enamel mug; the tea was cold and tasted bitter.

At noon, the conference room was packed with people, and a row of enamel mugs were lined up, but no one was in the mood for tea.

Wu Xiang sat at one end of the table, Yang Fan sat to his left, and the organization committee member Sun Xiaohong, the propaganda committee member Zhou Dequan, the discipline inspection committee secretary Han Zheng, the armed forces minister Liu Yi, the township party committee member and deputy township head Zhao Dayong, and others were all present.

Wu Xiang read the fax aloud, his voice dropping to a low crease when he got to the part about Secretary Liu collapsing.

No one spoke in the meeting room.

Wu Xiang finished reading the fax and put it on the table.

"In the end, this matter turned a good thing into a bad thing."

He glanced around and said, "Road construction is a good thing, and raising funds for road construction is a last resort. But pushing people to their deaths is just reckless. Secretary Liu has been the village secretary for over twenty years; he's not one to cheat or shirk responsibility. He has high blood pressure, and when he forgot his medication and felt dizzy, someone told him to hold on a little longer—and that's when he died."

Zhao Dayong clenched his fists and remained silent.

"The lessons learned from Jinshan County should serve as a mirror for us."

Wu Xiang paused.

"At the start of the year, our township is simultaneously repairing three road sections. The site preparation and leveling work in Hengtong is still not finished, the cooperative's road also needs work, as well as the tea garden road. The technical aspects can be handled by the construction team, but the people involved are something the construction team can't oversee. Everyone needs to pay more attention to this!"

He looked at Yang Fan.

"Mayor Yang, say a few words."

Yang Fan put the jar down.

"Secretary Wu is right! Secretary Liu didn't die on the construction site, he died in the meeting room, he died because of those words, 'Hold on a little longer.'"

The meeting room was so quiet that you could hear the ticking of the clock on the wall.

"To put it bluntly, our Qingping Township is lucky. We have matching funds from the city and county, and investment from Hengtong. The people don't have to pay out of their own pockets, and the officials don't have to force them to pay. But we can't think that we can get away with anything just because we're lucky."

He stood up.

"Regarding the relationship between cadres and the masses, it may seem fine on a normal day, but when things get really critical, a single sentence can be fatal. How did Secretary Liu die? It wasn't that someone deliberately harmed him; it was because everyone present thought, 'Just hold on a little longer, it won't hurt'—and that's how things ended up."

Yang Fan paused for a moment.

"I propose that after the meeting today, everyone go down to the villages we are usually responsible for, bring some of our own mountain delicacies, and take a walk, see, and listen."

"Some people might ask, 'What are you listening to?'"

"Listen to what the common people are discussing and complaining about!"

Yang Fan looked at him.

"Write down the parts where you're right and correct them later. If you're wrong, patiently explain that the road was built for them, and if they don't agree, no matter how well it's built, something will still happen."

Wu Xiang lit a cigarette and took a puff.

"I completely agree with Mayor Yang's suggestion."

He stood up.

"It's almost the end of the year, and we originally wanted our comrades who live far away to go back home as soon as possible, but this incident in Jinshan County has reminded us that this is a matter of life and death, and we can't wait."

Wu Xiang glanced at his watch.

"The meeting is over soon. After you've finished your tour, if there's nothing particularly special to report, you can give your report to a colleague who's going that way to bring it back. For those who live far away, you should still go and not miss the New Year."

He paused.

Finally, I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Everyone stood up, and Zhao Dayong walked to the door and turned back.

"Secretary Wu, Mayor Yang, I'll go to Wangjiaping first."

"Go."

Wu Xiang waved his hand.

Yang Fan returned to his office and stuffed the cooperative's articles of association into a drawer.

Yang Fan stood by the window. Outside the courtyard wall, the mountains of Qingping became a silhouette in the twilight.

The lights were on in Hengtong's factory, and the tea gardens at the foot of the mountain were covered with a thin layer of frost.

A veteran Party branch secretary who had served for over twenty years died because of the phrase "just hold on a little longer".

Li Dakang received a reprimand, Yi Xuexi was transferred from his original position, and Zhao Lichun made a phone call that protected both those who should and shouldn't have been protected.

But Zhao Lichun has this weakness in Li Dakang's hands. How will he turn against him in the future? And how will this debt be settled when he does?

The officialdom is truly fraught with difficulties; one moment of carelessness can wipe out decades of hard work.