In name only: I will break the chess game in Handong!

At 3:40 p.m., two Coaster buses drove into the county town of Guangming. At the same time, in the Audi at the very back, Yue Chi, the deputy secretary of Beiyue Province, was soliciting Chen Luo's opinion.

"Comrade Chen Luo, you haven't eaten anything since this morning. You've been too busy traveling. This won't do. People need to eat to survive. I think we should eat something in the county town before heading to the county party committee and government."

Chen Luo chuckled upon hearing this.

"Secretary Yue, then I'll go along with your arrangements."

"No problem! Perfect timing. Guangming County is famous for its mutton soup. The goats are all raised by local farmers, and the soup is white and the meat is fragrant. Let's go have a bowl to warm ourselves up first."

"Xiao Tang, find a mutton soup restaurant to stop for a while."

Yue Chi then instructed his secretary. He took this trip very seriously and did not bring a driver, instead having his secretary act as the driver.

Secretary Tang was also quite sensible; the car maintained a steady speed and quickly broke away from the convoy of Coaster buses ahead.

Ten minutes later, the Audi slowly stopped in front of a mutton soup restaurant. Secretary Xiao Tang quickly got out of the car and went to the back seat to open the car door for Chen Luo and Yue Chi.

"Secretary Yue, Secretary Chen, this mutton soup restaurant has the best reputation in the area."

Chen Luo smiled and nodded. He didn't really care what he ate; what mattered was who he ate with.

"Okay, Xiao Tang, could you park your car for a bit before coming over? You can't park in front of someone's shop and block their view, can you?"

After giving the order, Yue Chi gestured to Chen Luo and said, "Comrade Chen Luo, let's go, let's have a bowl of water to warm ourselves up first."

"Secretary Yue, please go first!"

"Hahaha, together, together!"

The two chatted and laughed as they entered the store. As soon as they entered, the store owner looked Chen Luo and Yue Chi up and down with a strange gaze.

After we got closer, the boss spoke.

"You two aren't locals, are you?"

Chen Luo and Yue Chi paused, realizing that the boss had a good eye for people.

"Boss, we're not locals, but we heard your mutton soup is delicious, so we wanted to try it."

Yue Chi clearly didn't want to talk too much with the boss, and shut the boss down with a single sentence.

After a moment of silence, the boss nodded and then went into the kitchen to serve mutton soup to Chen Luo and Yue Chi.

"Comrade Chen Luo, as you saw when we entered the city, the situation in Guangming County is not ideal."

The main problem is that our province is facing a severe shortage of funds. Every county is applying for projects to ensure people's livelihoods. It will be quite a challenge to remove Guangming County from the list of impoverished counties!

This was the absolute truth, though it was also partly a lie. The purpose was to get Chen Luo to sympathize with Guangming County and attract more investment and industries to the county.

Chen Luo did not respond directly. He did not come to Guangming County simply to make a formality and then provide a lump sum of money and funds for assistance. Instead, he wanted to put the resources he was given into practice!

Just as the two were talking, an enforcement vehicle from the urban management bureau and a vehicle from the tax authorities parked directly in front of the store. Then, two urban management officers and two tax officials walked into the store. They glanced around and, although they saw Chen Luo and Yue Chi, they did not restrain themselves at all.

After all, although Chen Luo and Yue Chi had impressive presences, they didn't know the two of them at all.

"Where's the boss? Come out here for a second!"

Several staff members started yelling at the kitchen, and then the boss rushed out of the kitchen in a hurry. When he saw that it was the tax and urban management staff, his face turned black instantly.

"Why are you here again?"

I just paid last week, didn't I?

The boss looked helpless and angry, but he could only suppress his anger when facing a government agency.

"Last week, your store only paid the kitchen waste disposal fee. We haven't checked and processed the environmental sanitation management fee, business tax, etc. We are doing everything in accordance with the law and regulations. Boss, just pay it directly."

"Give it to me? Why don't you dare ask Old Xia's shop for money? Isn't it because the county party secretary often goes there for mutton soup?"

"They can't bully others, so they bully me. It's outrageous!"

"Shut up! What nonsense are you spouting!"

We are all acting in accordance with the law and regulations!

"According to the law and regulations? You're talking nonsense! You're just talking to yourselves, saying whatever you want."

"Hmph! I can't stand it anymore! I'm going to the county government to report you! I refuse to believe we can't deal with you! We've only had two years of peace and quiet, and you bunch of heartless bastards are truly incorrigible!"

"Sue us?"

The two urban management officers and the two tax officers exchanged a disdainful glance, then said indifferently, "I heard that Secretary Mei is about to leave Guangming County. If you want to sue, go ahead. If you go too late, Secretary Mei might be gone."

After saying that, the four of them laughed unrestrainedly, which infuriated the shop owner. At the same time, Chen Luo and Yue Chi, who had overheard the entire conversation, also frowned deeply.

Chen Luo merely lamented that the business environment in Guangming County was not very good, while Yue Chi felt that he had lost face big time. Wasn't this a slap in the face to Beiyue Province in front of Chen Luo?

My anger surged.

"Boss, bring us the mutton soup first!"

Losing face can only be salvaged; Yue Chi's words directly interrupted the standoff between the boss and the urban management and tax authorities.

But this did not make the staff give up; instead, they looked at Yue Chi with disgust.

"Old man, what are you interrupting for? Can't you see we're dealing with a problem? Go get your mutton soup somewhere else! Stop yelling!"

Chen Luo initially felt it was affecting his mood, but when he saw these people actually reprimanding their province's deputy secretary, he was amused. The key was that he couldn't laugh out loud and had to hold it in.

Yue Chi could no longer restrain himself.

He slammed his hand on the table and pointed at the group of people.

"Who gave you the right to speak to ordinary people like this! Who gave you the right to be so unscrupulous!"

"You are state public officials, is this your work ethic? Is this your party spirit? Is this how you serve the people?"

Secretary Tang, who had just parked her car and rushed into the store, heard her boss's angry shouts from a distance.

After jogging into the store, his gaze was as cold as Cui Bing's. He went straight to the group and pulled out his work ID from his pocket!

It was then presented to the group in a blatantly obvious manner.

Although the group was domineering, they were still literate.

"Director of the Third Secretariat Division of the Provincial Party Committee General Office?"

With a thud, all four of them gasped, as if they had kicked a hornet's nest.

"Disappointing! Comrade Chen Luo, I'm sorry you had to see this."

Yue Chi looked at Chen Luo, feeling somewhat embarrassed and apologetic, after all, this was truly shameful.

"It's alright, Secretary Yue. Grassroots management is often the most difficult and complex aspect. There's a saying that goes, 'When counties are well-governed, the world is at peace.' Only when county management is improved can the lives of ordinary people be better. Guangming County still needs to work hard in this regard. Of course, we also have similar situations in Handong."

These words gave Yue Chi a way to save face.

As for those four people... they've already been called out of the mutton soup restaurant by Secretary Tang, and as for how they'll be dealt with, it's unlikely to end well.