I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

On the day of the inspection, the sun shone brightly and the sky was cloudless.

A government convoy consisting of three black Audis and one Toyota Coaster minibus was driving smoothly on the county road leading to Jiangjia Village.

The atmosphere inside the car was somewhat somber.

The county's top leader, Secretary Liu Jianye, was holding an old file about Jiangjia Village, his brows furrowed in worry.

He spoke with a hint of apology to a middle-aged man beside him who wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a refined demeanor.

"Commissioner Ma, I'm so sorry, you must have found this amusing."

"This Jiangjia Village has many historical problems and is a poverty-stricken village in our county."

"I don't know what kind of incredible luck they've had lately, but they've caused quite a stir, even alarming the provincial satellite."

"This is a surprise inspection, so the scene might be a bit... well, rather raw and unregulated."

Liu Jianye carefully chose his words and continued, "We need to be mentally prepared so that seeing any mess will affect your mood."

Ma Dong, a researcher at the Provincial Policy Research Office, who was referred to as Commissioner Ma, adjusted his glasses upon hearing this and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Secretary Liu, you flatter us. We came down here to investigate and see the real situation."

"The more pristine the environment, the more likely we are to discover and solve problems."

That's what he said, but a hint of weariness, barely perceptible, still showed in Ma Dong's eyes.

He had seen many such impoverished villages; they were nothing more than the same three things: uneven roads, old and worn-out houses, and listless people.

Just then!

"Squeak—!"

The lead car suddenly slammed on the brakes!

The driver of the Coaster following behind reacted quickly and slammed on the brakes.

The carriage shook violently, and Liu Jianye almost threw his thermos cup away.

"How do you drive?!"

Just as Liu Jianye was about to get angry, the driver pointed ahead in a stammering tone, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Secretary Liu... Secretary Liu, please... please look outside!"

Suppressing his anger, Liu Jianye looked up and gazed out the window in the direction the driver was pointing.

I only glanced at it.

He froze in his seat, his mouth slightly open, the words stuck in his throat.

Commissioner Ma also looked over curiously, and the next second, his gentle smile froze on his face.

Before them, the road ahead of the convoy was no longer the narrow dirt road described in their documents, the kind that was dusty on sunny days and muddy on rainy days.

In its place is a brand-new black asphalt road, wide enough for four lanes of traffic in both directions!

The road surface was as smooth as a mirror, with standard traffic markings clearly painted on it in white paint.

Along both sides of the road, every ten meters or so, there is a solar street light with a futuristic design.

Even more outrageous, each lamppost has a small LED electronic display screen hanging on it!

At this moment, on those screens, a line of eye-catching words is scrolling in bright red font:

A warm welcome to all leaders for visiting and guiding our work in Jiangjia Village, China!

Liu Jianye rubbed his eyes hard and patted the driver's seat.

"Xiao Wang, did you turn on the wrong navigation?"

"Take another look. Is this Jiangjia Village? Isn't this the high-tech development zone in the next city?"

The driver, Xiao Wang, sounded like he was about to cry.

"Secretary, that's right! The navigation shows that the entrance to Jiangjia Village is just ahead! This road... this road is called 'Jiang Wanshan Avenue'!"

The carriage fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone was so stunned by the scene before them, which was so surreal, that they were speechless.

Commissioner Ma pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes behind the lenses filled with deep doubt and shock.

He traveled all over the country and inspected countless "new rural demonstration sites".

But none of them are as thoroughly new and futuristic as what we see before us!

After a brief pause, the convoy had no choice but to grit its teeth and slowly drive toward the village entrance, which looked even more imposing than the county government gate.

When the convoy finally came to a stop in the large square at the village entrance, everyone who got off the vehicles was once again stunned by the sight before them.

The rustic banner that read "Welcome, Your Excellency" was hastily made overnight to pass an inspection, but it probably wasn't hung securely and was blown askew by the wind.

This, in turn, revealed the giant metal archway behind it, made of titanium alloy and full of cyberpunk style!

Above the archway are three large, elegant metal characters that read "Jiangjia Village," gleaming in the sunlight!

Village head Jiang Hude was leading a group of villagers, who lined up along the roadside, ready to welcome them.

Standing at the very front of the line was none other than Aunt Liu Cuifen.

She wore a bright red new coat today, clutching tightly the gaudy plastic bouquet that had escaped the disaster, and her wrinkles smiled like a blooming chrysanthemum.

As Liu Jianye and Commissioner Ma walked towards them, surrounded by a group of people.

Liu Cuifen was so excited that she trembled all over. Her long-prepared flattery finally had a chance to be put to use!

She opened her mouth wide, ready to shout out the line she had practiced all night.

Just then, Jiang Chen, who was standing behind her, glanced at her with a calm but warning look.

Liu Cuifen felt a jolt in her heart, and the words "Upright and just official" that were on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down her throat!

In her panic, her mind went blank, and she blurted out:

"Welcome, leader... for a medical check-up!!"

As soon as he said it, the entire room fell into a deathly silence.

Liu Cuifen also realized what was happening, and her old face instantly turned a deep purplish-red, wishing she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

She quickly corrected herself, her voice cracking.

"Pah! Pah! It's...it's an inspection! Welcome, leaders, to inspect our work!"

This awkward scene instantly turned the already somewhat restrained atmosphere into something rather comical.

Liu Jianye's lips twitched involuntarily.

He ignored Liu Cuifen's embarrassment and walked straight up to Jiang Chen.

He reached out and grasped Jiang Chen's hand tightly, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

His feet trod on the spotless cobblestone pavement of the square.

My gaze swept over the neatly arranged smart sensor-operated waste sorting bins on both sides, and the miniature sprinkler system that was working automatically.

Liu Jianye felt the 100,000 yuan cash envelope in his pocket, which he had prepared for "poverty alleviation and condolence" purposes, suddenly become scalding hot, and he even felt a little embarrassed to take it out.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang..."

Looking at Jiang Chen's young yet overly calm face, Liu Jianye hesitated for a long time before finally managing to utter a sentence.

"Your 'new rural area'..."

"Isn't this a bit too new?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen gave a humble and simple smile.

"Secretary Liu, Commissioner Ma, you flatter me."

"We were just responding to the national call and did a little bit of insignificant infrastructure construction."

"Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."