Chapter Seventy-Nine: Unexpected Event

  The car hadn't gone far when two Beijing Jeeps came driving up from the opposite direction, seemingly having also spotted the vehicle ahead, and hastily stopped before reversing back one after another.

  The countryside is not like the city, the roads are all muddy and narrow, it's already very good if a small car can pass through, this is the main road. There are also some roads that are not much wider than the ridges between fields, on such roads, you can't even drive a car, let alone two people walking side by side, they have to walk one after another.

  If you encounter an oncoming vehicle on such a road, only the side closer to the fork in the road will slowly back up to the fork and wait for the vehicle in front to pass before continuing. Even in Xichang Road, which is the best-maintained township in Lizhou, the countryside has only slightly widened the main roads and paved them with cement to avoid the embarrassment of dusty days and muddy rainy days. The vast majority of roads are not wide enough for two vehicles to pass side by side.

  However, even after the millennium, there were few cars running in rural areas. Rich families bought motorcycles for transportation, let alone now. There are not many cars in cities, and it is rare to see them in rural areas. So the probability of such a situation occurring is extremely small.

  The car in front backed up and went away, so Xiaowang didn't stop the car either, but continued to drive forward. However, due to the presence of cars ahead, the speed slowed down.

  "Damn it, their noses are really sharp, they've found this place." Liu Jianjun cursed in his heart.

  He sat in the back row and also saw the cars in front, those two cars were very familiar to him, they were the cars of the township government, he had ridden them many times before.

  According to national regulations, the leaders at the township level do not have dedicated vehicles. However, even if there are fewer cars, the government still has allocated vehicles. Some better townships, such as those closer to Xichang City like Xi Township and Xiaomiao Township, use Santana, while some more remote townships, such as Taihe Township, use Beijing Jeep. Most of the cars are for public use, in principle whoever has business uses them, but in reality, it is usually the top leaders who use them, and lower-level personnel dare not compete with their leaders to use the vehicles.

  Liu Jianjun came alone without telling anyone, not wanting to share this rare opportunity with everyone, especially his old rival Village Head Feng Yuhua. Unexpectedly, they still found out through some means and arrived.

  But since he's here, Liu Jianjun didn't say much either. After all, he had already taken the lead, and later on, let them see him with Mayor Leng together, they would definitely be shocked. This way, they wouldn't be able to figure out his relationship with Mayor Leng, which was convenient for him to carry out his work. Thinking of this, he felt a sense of pride in his heart, as if he could already imagine the surprised and astonished expressions on his colleagues' faces later on.

  However, he immediately turned around and respectfully said to Leng Yunying: "Mayor Leng, the car in front is from the county government. I'm sure they heard the news of your arrival and rushed over. But this absolutely wasn't leaked by me. As soon as I received Du's call, I rushed over. No one was told." He quickly clarified himself, violating the leader's intentions and making unauthorized decisions was a taboo, he didn't want to be suspected by Leng Yunying for no reason in this matter.

  Leng Yun furrowed his brow and said to him, "Later you get off the bus and tell them, I won't see them again. I'm here on private business, don't affect the normal work of the countryside."

  Liu Jianjun was naturally delighted that Mayor Leng didn't see them, otherwise how could he show off his importance? However, although he was overjoyed in his heart, on the surface he still pretended to be sincere and said: "Mayor Leng, it's rare for you to come to our Taihe Township, so you must have a meal before leaving. Although we don't have anything good here, the wild chicken caught in the mountains is quite characteristic..."

  Leng Yun waved his hand and said, "No, I want to take Xiaowei back home early. This delicious wild chicken will have to wait until the road is repaired, then I'll come celebrate with you guys again."

  Leng Yunying looked very determined, and Liu Jianjun didn't dare say more. He just said resolutely: "Mayor Leng, don't worry, even if I have to sell all my belongings, I will definitely get the road built. When it's done, I'll come invite you to preside over the opening ceremony, and at that time, Mayor Leng, you must honor me with your presence."

  Leng Yunying smiled and nodded in approval, but after thinking for a moment, she added another sentence: "Repairing the road is a good thing, but don't repair the road just for the sake of repairing it. Allocate funds according to actual circumstances. If it's too bad, it's better not to repair it; if it's too good, it's a waste of money. Also, pay attention to quality, don't spend money on building tofu dregs projects that will go bad in two or three years. And also pay attention to the coordination and compensation issues with farmers, we need to get their support without harming their interests. We are repairing the road for the benefit of the countryside, not to encroach upon their interests."

  These words shouldn't have been said by Leng Yun, but he was really worried that Liu Jianjun would exaggerate his own words and neglect other problems for the sake of road construction. The starting point was good, but if there was a slight mistake, it could lead to good intentions turning into bad results. Such things were common in the country, and the policies made by the top leaders were definitely for the benefit of the people, but local governments often distorted them for their own interests, resulting in negative consequences. Therefore, he decided to remind Liu Jianjun once again.

  Liu Jianjun wasn't a rookie in the officialdom, so he naturally understood the implication of Leng Yun's words. As for Leng Yun's kind advice, he felt even more thrilled in his heart: Is this Mayor Leng already considering me as one of his own people? Otherwise, why would he say such things to me? Thinking about it, his heart was filled with joy, and the smile on his face was radiant, making him look like he had shed twenty years off his age.

  He hastily pulled out a notebook and pen from his pocket, carefully recording what Leng Yun had just said. He spoke respectfully: "Mayor Leng's instructions will be strictly enforced by me. When Mayor Leng was building roads in Lizhou, it greatly facilitated the lives of the people and also drove economic development. The common people all praised him with thumbs up, setting a model for us. This time I will follow his example and do this thing well, not disappointing the leader's expectations."

  This remark is both flattering and a naked display of loyalty, to which Leng Yunyi just smiled and said nothing. The renovation of the road in Lizhou was one of his own achievements during his tenure, others can talk about it, but if he himself talks about it, wouldn't that be self-praise?

  The car hadn't even reached the fork in the road when five or six people got out of the Beijing Jeep and stood respectfully by the side of the road, watching as the number two car drove slowly towards them. Their minds were filled with doubts - what was Mayor Leng doing coming to this remote and impoverished area without saying a word? Was there some big event that even he didn't know about? If it hadn't been for an official who happened to see the city's number two car on his way out, rushing back to report to the township government, they would all still be in the dark.

  But now that I know, I can't pretend to be ignorant. Even if the leader didn't say anything, but one day when the news reaches the leader's ears, who knows what he'll think? Fortunately, although there are many roads in this countryside, only one road is suitable for cars to pass through. Due to the muddy road surface, the tire tracks left by the car were very clear, so they followed the tire tracks and found their way here.

  Town head Feng Yuhua stood in the front, tall and thin, wearing ordinary clothes, over 40 years old, but due to wind and sun exposure, his face had a weathered look, looking like an ordinary farmer, without any air of a town leader.

  He is a native of Taihe Township, and the Feng family is also a large local family with many direct and collateral relatives. Although the reform and opening-up have been going on for so long, the cohesion between families has weakened to some extent, but their influence cannot be underestimated. In some rural areas, the weight of the family can even surpass that of the government, and with the support of the family, he did a good job as the township head. After the previous township party committee secretary was transferred to the city, it was originally thought that this position was his own sure thing, and the family had already set up a celebration banquet in advance, but unexpectedly, Hong Gang strongly pushed Liu Jianjun up, making his calculations empty, and he was depressed... However, Hong Gang is after all the mayor, and no matter how powerful the Feng family is, it is only concentrated in Taihe Township.

  Hong Gang's downfall seems to have given him hope again. Liu Jianjun is considered Hong Gang's man, and it's said that one day the emperor, one day the minister, Mayor Leng Yun may not like Hong Gang's people holding the position of Taihe Township either. After so many years of struggling, Feng Yuhua's grasp of the trend and the timing, as well as his skill in borrowing power to fight, are all beyond doubt.

  He waited with high hopes, but there was no movement from above. Had he miscalculated? He pondered the mystery in confusion until one day when having dinner with his subordinates, a casual remark from one of them: "The people do not rise up, the officials do not investigate," suddenly made him see the light. Yes, as Cold Yun's identity, there was no entry point to suppress dissenting voices and exert influence, he couldn't just wait for opportunities to arise, he had to take proactive action, create an opportunity from below for Mayor Cold to take advantage of.

  So he started jumping up and down, hoping to get rid of Liu Jianjun. After all, this is Taihe Township, the Taihe Township of the Feng family. Mayor Leng's strong personality is well-known, but it's not that easy to get close to him either. This time, Mayor Leng came to Taihe Township, did he have any opportunities to take advantage of? Coincidentally, Liu Jianjun was not around, and he had a good reason to shake him off. Heh heh, just wait and cry later!

  Leng Yun had long lived at the bottom of society and knew the hardships of the people. His sense of justice and conscience drove him to make no compromises on major issues, and he could not accept it if evil-doers were allowed to go unpunished. However, he did not expect that his actions, which were done with good intentions, would inadvertently lead to conflicts with Hong Gang, and in the eyes of high-ranking officials, this was seen as a struggle for power and gain. This was indeed an unavoidable move, and he could not explain to everyone that he had no such thoughts, and it would only make things worse if he tried.

  The second car slowly stopped in front of him, and he immediately collected his emotions, straightened up his spirit to give Mayor Leng a good impression.

  The long-awaited car door opened, but it was not Mayor Leng who got out of the car, but rather the township party secretary Liu Jianjun, the one person he least wanted to see.

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