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

At 3 p.m., in the township party committee meeting room, the nine members of the standing committee were seated, along with Chen Ming, the deputy director of the party and government office, who was in charge of taking notes.

Seeing that everyone was ready, Zhao Dayong cleared his throat and began to speak at Yang Fan's signal.

He reported on what happened in the picking area today—from tourists running into the breeding area to Old Sun stopping them.

Then, without changing a single word, she recounted from beginning to end how Yang Fan apologized, how he bowed, and how he approved the improvements.

When Zhao Dayong mentioned that Yang Fan had said in front of everyone, "It's a problem with our township government," he paused.

The meeting room was silent for three seconds; you could hear a pin drop.

The clock on the wall ticked away.

Everyone looked incredulous upon hearing Yang Fan's methods and words, their hearts pounding with disbelief.

On the one hand, people felt that Yang Fan's actions and words were simply not what a township party secretary should do. In the context of China's thousands of years of official-centric thinking, this was simply unbelievable. How could he place his status so low? He even admitted that it was a problem of the township, especially since the township was somewhat in the right in this matter.

On the other hand, they were shocked by Yang Fan's so-called service spirit. Once such words came out, Qingping Township would definitely have to adjust its work model accordingly. This kind of groundbreaking approach was not something they could accept quickly.

Yang Fan held the enamel mug but didn't drink.

He is waiting.

Two minutes.

Give everyone enough time to finish expressing themselves.

Then he cleared his throat.

Everyone looked up.

Yang Fan put the jar down.

"Do you understand why I have this attitude today?"

No one responded.

"Don't think of yourselves as leaders of Qingping Township." He glanced around.

"Just think of yourselves as tourists. You brought your families on the weekend, took a two-hour bus ride, and wanted to come to the mountains to pick some mushrooms and walnuts. But you went to the wrong place and got into an argument with the villagers."

"At that moment, a person dressed as an official came over, and his first words were not 'This is the rule' or 'Let's all compromise,' but 'This is not your fault.' He took responsibility, resolved the problem on the spot, and even bowed to you."

He paused.

"What are you thinking? Will you come again next time? What will you tell your relatives and friends when you go back?"

Yang Fan stood up and walked to the window.

He turned around.

"For thousands of years, officials have seemed born to be high above others. Whether they are honest officials or capable ministers, what do they hold in their hearts? They hold the ambition to govern the world and the ideal of bringing peace to the country. But how many of them have truly knelt down and listened to a single heartfelt word from the common people?"

"They believe their methods are correct, and that for the sake of the bigger picture, those small sacrifices in the middle are unavoidable." Yang Fan's voice was not loud, but every word was tapped on the table.

"But I ask you—if this sacrifice were to fall on your own shoulders, would you be willing?"

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

"My father was a farmer. The village was building an irrigation canal, which would take two-tenths of our land. No one asked him if he was willing to do it—because building the canal was for the whole village, what was two-tenths of a plot of land? But those two-tenths of a plot of land was our family's food for a month."

"Later, the irrigation canal was repaired, and the whole village benefited. No one remembered that my father had lost two acres of land, and no one made up for it."

He looked at Ding Guoxing.

"Mayor Ding, you come from the Agriculture Bureau. Are these kinds of things rare?"

Ding Guoxing put the cigarette he'd twirled twice back into the pack, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he didn't speak. He thought of his father, and their vegetable plot that had been requisitioned for road construction. His father had squatted at the edge of the plot smoking all night, and the next day he'd pulled up the vegetables himself.

Yang Fan sat back down in his chair.

"I'm not saying this to criticize anyone. I'm trying to establish a certain atmosphere in Qingping Township."

His voice rose an octave.

"A climate that allows people to have a voice!"

"When ordinary people come to Qingping, they feel something is wrong, and they speak up. As long as their opinions are reasonable, we'll change it on the spot, until no one has anything to say!"

"Don't be afraid of their criticism—the fact that they're willing to criticize means they still believe we can change. When they stop criticizing, that's when we'll truly be disheartened."

Zhou Dequan picked up the enamel mug and then put it down again. He had worked in agricultural technology extension for twenty years, going to the villages every year and listening to the villagers complain—complaining about the bad roads, the high cost of fertilizer, and the lack of government officials.

He used to think that as long as he could explain it clearly, that would be enough. Today, Yang Fan said that it's not about explaining, it's about changing.

Yang Fan looked at the group of people who were all staring intently at him and continued speaking.

"Everyone here, if we want to develop, we must first change our mindset. From now on, when you're dealing with tourists and villagers—don't think of yourselves as leaders. Think of yourselves as support staff! What do support staff do?"

"We will provide whatever tourists and villagers need!"

At that moment, Zhao Dayong, the deputy township head, swallowed hard.

"If what they say makes sense, we should do it immediately, change it immediately, and keep changing it until no one has anything to say anymore. I know that thousands of years of bureaucratic hierarchy cannot be changed overnight. Thousands of years of habits cannot be changed in a day or two. But we can start with one thing—"

Yang Fan picked up the enamel mug and took a sip.

"In your work, always remember—you are here to serve, not to become an official."

"If this healthy model can take hold, it will be an invaluable treasure for our Qingping Township! And Qingping Township will be the most dazzling jewel in the crown of Handong!"

Yang Fan returned to his seat and took a sip of water to moisten his throat.

"In the future, we won't need any small tea shops or foreign or domestic investment. Just based on our service, Qingping's GDP growth will be unstoppable."

Ding Guoxing took out a cigarette and lit it. He took a drag, the smoke obscuring half his face.

Yang Fan put the jar down.

"That's all I wanted to say. I hope everyone can understand the concept of a service-oriented government as soon as possible and spread it to every staff member in Qingping Township."

He paused.

Finally, I'd like to make an arrangement.

Everyone was looking at him.

"The duty roster system for the picking area must be solidified! Standing committee members must be on duty on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, and during peak tourist seasons. On weekdays, the deputy township head and heads of various departments will take turns on duty. The Party and Government Office will issue the duty roster tomorrow; Chen Ming, you are responsible for its implementation."

Chen Ming immediately stood up and responded in agreement.

"Meeting adjourned!"

The chair legs creaked and groaned as they scraped against the floor.

Zhao Dayong walked last. He picked up the briefing from the table, folded it, and put it in his pocket. "Secretary, I'll get Lao Sun to make the six notice boards tonight."

"The characters should be large and the lines should be straight! Leave the Party and Government Office's phone number directly for complaints!"

"clear!"