Me! A high-ranking official!

Just as I was about to go to the back street to see those few well-preserved courtyard houses, my phone started vibrating like a death knell in my pocket.

He took it out and saw, "Director Zhang".

He pressed the answer button, but before he could even say "feed," Zhang Baocheng's voice, though low and still filled with panic, came through: "Jianguo, forget what you're doing, get to the county committee compound immediately! Hurry!"

"Director Zhang..."

"Beep beep beep..."

The phone call ended again. He stood at the foot of the earthen wall, gave a bitter laugh. This wasn't a phone call; it was a distress signal. He knew without a doubt that when Zhang Baocheng took the proposal to Zhou Qingyan's office that afternoon, he was bombarded with questions and left completely defeated.

He didn't dare to delay, so he hopped on the old electric scooter, twisted the throttle to the floor, and headed towards the county government compound, braving the hot wind.

Ten minutes later, he walked down the red carpet corridor and arrived at the door of the county party secretary's office.

The corridor was quiet, with only the faint sound of the central air conditioning ventilating. Zhang Baocheng stood against the wall like a wilted eggplant, a few strands of his once meticulously combed slicked-back hair had come loose, his tie was crooked, and his forehead was covered in sweat. He was anxiously rubbing the wall with the tip of his leather shoes.

When Zhang Bao looked up and saw Zhao Jianguo walking quickly towards him, he felt as if he had seen his own father. He waved his hand and pulled him to the corner of the stairs.

"Director Zhang, what happened?" Zhao Jianguo asked in a low voice, seeing his exhausted appearance.

Zhang Baocheng wiped the sweat from his face, his voice trembling: "This is bad... Just now, Secretary Zhou was looking through the plan you wrote and asked me what the overall budget for this project would be and how long it would take to be put into use. I figured since it's a key cultural tourism project for the county, it can't be too meager, so... I said it would cost about 30 million and would take about six months to complete..."

Upon hearing this, his head buzzed, and he almost couldn't help but swear.

Has Zhang Baocheng lost his mind after being hit by a fishing float in the Houhe Reservoir?!

He suppressed his helplessness and said, "Director Zhang! I wrote it in the plan: the budget is capped at five million! The cycle is two months! Why did Secretary Zhou choose this project? Isn't it because it makes use of waste, requires little investment, and yields quick results? We can turn things around this summer, right? The land and buildings are already there; it's just a matter of repairing and subsidizing the exterior."

It's obvious that Zhang Baocheng not only didn't read the plan carefully, but he also took the "30 million" figure that the directors were joking about during the meeting last night seriously and just casually made up a ridiculous figure for the leaders!

"I...I didn't sleep well last night, and my mind went blank, so I just blurted it out!" Zhang Baocheng said sheepishly, then grabbed Zhao Jianguo's arm urgently. "The Party Secretary's face turned dark the moment he heard it, and since the Deputy County Head had just gone in to report on his work, I made an excuse to come out for some fresh air. Jianguo, this was your idea, and you wrote the plan, so you'll have to cover for me when you go in later!"

Zhao Jianguo glanced at the tightly closed door of the secretary's office; the heavy solid wood door blocked out any sounds from inside.

Deputy County Head Lian, whose full name is Lian Wei, is the executive deputy county head in charge of culture and tourism. If Zhou Qingyan is already furious, and Deputy County Head Lian adds fuel to the fire, the Xiaozhai Village project will probably be stillborn today.

"Click".

The doorknob suddenly turned, and his heart jumped into his throat. He tucked the crumpled map of Xiaozhai Village under his arm and took a deep breath.

A safety net? I'm afraid going in would just be a nightmare.

With a "click," the heavy solid wood door was pulled open.

Lian Wei stood behind the door, holding a thermos in his hand. He glanced expressionlessly at the two people outside the door, then slightly raised his chin and said, "Come in." After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the sofa in front of the guest room.

Zhang Baocheng quickly cleared his throat, straightened his clothes, and carefully slid inside.

He sighed inwardly. According to the rules of the system, as a mid-level section chief in the bureau, he was several levels below the county party secretary. He usually didn't even have the right to sit down in front of the secretary. But today, Zhang Baocheng was such a useless piece of trash that he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go in as a scapegoat.

As soon as he entered the room, a blast of cold air hit him, raising goosebumps on his arms.

Zhang Baocheng stood properly in front of the desk, his hands close to his trouser seams. He stood half a body length behind him, his eyes quickly scanning the room from the corner of his eye.

Zhou Qingyan sat behind a large desk, holding a black pen in his hand. His face was so gloomy it looked like it could be squeezed out of water. His eyes were full of dissatisfaction as he looked at Zhang Baocheng. Lian Wei, as the deputy county head and propaganda minister, was leaning back on the sofa, looking down at the proposal he had worked on all night. His face was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Zhao Jianguo, right?" Zhou Qingyan suddenly spoke, her voice carrying a powerful, penetrating quality: "You tell me, what substantive work have you actually done on this project? Is it just stuck in the theoretical stage described on those few pages, or have you already done your due diligence? If you're really going to do it, what's the expected investment? How are you controlling the risks? If the lead generation fails in the first three months, how will you recoup that cost?"

These questions, once posed, were like knives; this is the insight of a top leader, directly bypassing all the empty sentimentality and getting straight to the core risks of implementation and the funding gap.

He secretly rejoiced, thankful that he had gone to Xiaozhai Village under the scorching sun half an hour earlier! He had learned some basic information and data, otherwise he would be completely lost now!

He didn't dare look Zhou Qingyan in the eye, lowered his head slightly, and focused his gaze on the edge of the desk. He answered in a steady voice, "Secretary Zhou, regarding this issue, under Director Zhang's personal instructions and requirements, we didn't just stay on paper. Just now, Director Zhang arranged for me to conduct a surprise investigation in Xiaozhai Village."

Upon hearing the words "Director Zhang's arrangement," Zhang Baocheng's tense back relaxed almost imperceptibly, and he secretly glanced at him with gratitude.

He continued his report: "Currently, there are 23 elderly people left behind in the village. There are 47 idle and semi-abandoned courtyards that can be directly used. The framework is still intact and can be used with a little repair. There are also 103 households that are more severely damaged, but are generally intact and relatively easy to repair. As for the budget, the 30 million that Director Zhang just reported to you is the long-term plan for our county's cultural tourism over the next three years. However, for Xiaozhai Village, which is a pilot project, Director Zhang's opinion is to strictly control costs and keep the budget within 5 million. It must be effective within two months, with the focus on water supply and drainage renovation and fire hazard investigation. Even if the initial traffic diversion does not meet the standards, this 5 million can be considered as a way to improve the infrastructure of Xiaozhai Village. The benefits will stay with us and will not become a bad project."