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

June 20th, Ninghe County.

With the entire leadership team of Ninghe County in place, Liu Xiangdong convened a Standing Committee meeting.

"Comrades, we have two topics for today." Liu Xiangdong glanced around.

"First, the Ninghe County Administrative Service Center will be established. Second, the Petition Bureau will be relocated to the area next to the Administrative Center. Now, I would like to invite Comrade Yang Fan, the Executive Deputy County Head, to report on the plan for establishing the Ninghe County Administrative Service Center."

Yang Fan nodded to everyone from his seat, then opened the plan in front of him and began to speak.

"I won't go into too much detail, I'll just get to the point. The goal of establishing the administrative service center can be simply summarized in one sentence—to centralize all the approval windows for external business in the county into one hall."

He paused.

"Business registration, tax registration, land approval, urban planning. People no longer need to visit three or four departments to get things done; they can complete everything in this one hall."

Deputy Secretary Ma Bin picked up the plan, flipped through two pages, and looked up.

"County Chief Yang, is your idea to centralize all the approval authority of various departments into one place?"

"It's not about centralized approval authority." Yang Fan looked at him. "It's about centralized office location. The approval authority still belongs to each department, but the people don't have to run all over the county anymore."

Ma Bin leaned back in his chair and tapped his fingers twice on the table. "So, all the departments' service windows are now located in the administrative center, but the official seals are still in their own hands?"

"right."

Where are the staff at the window?

"Each department will appoint its own staff, with no change in staffing levels, salaries, or personnel relationships." Yang Fan turned a page of the plan. "The administrative center will only be responsible for two things—daily management and supervision of completion deadlines."

Ma Bin put the proposal aside. "This idea is good. In the past, when ordinary people wanted to get a certificate, they had to go to the business registration office, then the tax office, then the urban construction office, and they didn't even know which window was causing the problem. Now, everything is in one big building, and ordinary people can see at a glance which window is unfriendly or which step is causing the problem."

Yang Fan nodded. "Secretary Ma is right! The core function of the administrative center is not approval, but supervision. By putting the approval process in the open, whoever shirks responsibility, delays, or engages in bribery or extortion—the people coming to handle matters will be the first to shame them, without the need for the disciplinary committee to investigate."

Organization Minister Liu Haibo held up an enamel mug, blew away the tea leaves, but didn't drink it.

"County Chief Yang, how should the leadership team be structured for this administrative center? How many staff positions are needed for a newly added section-level unit?"

Yang Fan took out the organizational chart from the plan and placed it on the table.

"The administrative service center has one director, who is concurrently held by the deputy county head, one executive deputy director who is responsible for daily management, and two deputy directors. One is responsible for internal affairs, mainly supervising and urging various departments to handle unfinished business; the other is responsible for external affairs, mainly handling the daily operation of the center hall and coordinating the specific business of the windows."

Yang Fan paused for a moment, "Then we need four or five administrative staff for daily work, and two staff members to supervise and explain things in the lobby."

Liu Haibo flipped through the organizational chart and looked at it for a while.

"So, on our side, we only need to set up one new section chief position, two deputy section chief positions, plus no more than 10 staff member positions? The staffing pressure is indeed less."

Yang Fan smiled. "With fewer people, the Organization Department's work is easier. It saves us from submitting too many reports and getting blocked by the city."

Someone in the meeting room burst out laughing.

Liu Haibo smiled and put the proposal aside. "I agree with this proposal. The Organization Department can fully accept the addition of one full section chief, two deputy section chiefs, and several staff members."

County Magistrate Su Shunda remained silent. He leaned back in his chair, a cigarette dangling from his fingers, flipping through the last page of the plan. Once he finished, he put the plan down.

"County Chief Yang, I've read your plan twice." Su Shunda paused. "It's good, but I have a question—if you want to centralize all the service windows of various departments into one hall, will the heads of those departments be happy about it?"

Su Shunda lit a cigarette and took a puff.

"We all worked our way up from the grassroots level, managing stamping documents for so many years. Suddenly, we've taken away their window of opportunity, so ordinary people don't have to go to their offices anymore—guess what they think? Shouldn't we hold an expanded meeting of the Standing Committee, call in the leaders of the external affairs departments and support departments, talk to them, and unify their thinking?"

Liu Xiangdong stubbed out his cigarette. No one responded in the meeting room, and even the clatter of the enamel mug stopped.

"County Chief Su is right." Liu Xiangdong glanced around. "Some people think that the approval authority is theirs alone. Ordinary people have to beg him, have to be subservient to him, and have to make three or five trips just to get a stamp. Do we still have people like that in Ninghe County?"

Everyone was looking at him.

"Yes," Liu Xiangdong slammed his hand on the table. "Not only do we have them, but we have quite a few."

He picked up Yang Fan's proposal and shook it.

"So this administrative service center is not just a hall. It is a knife—cutting away those unnecessary obstacles, unnecessary delays, and unnecessary inconveniences for the people."

Liu Xiangdong put the plan aside. "I agree with County Chief Su's suggestion of an expanded meeting. Three days later, summon the heads of all departments and supporting departments involved in foreign affairs throughout the county, and have the documents read aloud in person."

He paused.

"Unifying our thinking is the first step. Those who are willing to cooperate should be fully supported in the future; those who are unwilling to cooperate should leave!"

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

Ma Bin spoke first. "I agree. The establishment of this center is the first step in Ninghe County's service-oriented government philosophy. Whether it's businesses or ordinary citizens coming to handle affairs, they no longer need to run around or have to put up with anyone's attitude—this truly establishes our county's service-oriented style for businesses and the public!"

United Front Work Department Minister Yang Zhen raised her hand. "Agreed."

Armed Forces Minister Song Jianrui raised his hand. "Agreed."

Han Ming, the secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission, took his hand off the table and raised it as well. "Agreed."

Su Shunda flicked his cigarette ash. "Agreed."

Liu Xiangdong looked around. "Unanimously approved."

He gestured to Yu Chaoyang, the director of the county party committee office. "Let's move on to the second item on the agenda."

Yu Chaoyang stood up and opened the folder in front of him.

"The proposal to relocate the Petition Bureau to the side of the Administrative Service Center."

"Our county will place the petition office next to the administrative center, so that people can directly transfer their complaints to the window for processing without having to make another trip. If the window cannot handle the matter, the petition office will coordinate on-site. The two departments will complement and supervise each other."

He closed the folder, leaving only three sentences.

Ma Bin put down the enamel mug. "This suggestion complements the previous topic, and I have no objection to it."

Hands were raised quickly in the meeting room. No one raised any objections—the relocation of the petition office was too trivial; there wasn't even a dedicated report, just three sentences.

Liu Xiangdong tapped the table with his cigarette butt. "Passed."

He stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and pressed down slightly to signal everyone to calm down.

"Comrades, these two items have been passed unanimously today. But I'm not here to hear a unanimous vote. I want to use this meeting room, with all eleven of us here, to thoroughly explain the concept of a service-oriented government. Remember every word I'm about to say."

He braced his hands on the edge of the table and scanned the area.

"How did we do it before? When ordinary people came, they would sit outside your office and wait. You were the leader, and they were coming to beg you. If this mindset doesn't change, building a hundred administrative centers won't help, and it won't matter who becomes the county party secretary. If Ninghe is to stand up, we must establish strict rules—the people can't wait, businesses can't wait, and whoever makes them wait must move. This isn't a discussion; it's an order."

No one spoke in the meeting room, and even the tea leaves in the enamel mug remained still.

Liu Xiangdong straightened up, his voice softening.

"Three days later, all department heads involved in external affairs will meet in the enlarged conference room. Any opinions should be raised on the spot; those who complain after that day will be treated as failing to cooperate with the county party committee."