Chapter 40: Whoever Causes the Problem Bears the Responsibility

Although Kaiyuan Subdistrict was not far from the County Government Office, going down there to inspect work certainly could not be done by taking a public bus. Luo Yi had arranged for an Iveco van instead. When Li Xiuyuan got into the vehicle following Luo Yi, he discovered that a woman in her thirties was already waiting inside.

After Luo Yi made the introductions, Li Xiuyuan understood that this woman was Qian Hui, the deputy section chief of the Information Section.

"Today we are heading down for an inspection. Little Qian, please show him the ropes," Luo Yi instructed.

Qian Hui smiled and nodded, saying, "Certainly, Director Luo, you can rest assured. Little Li, if there is anything you don't understand during the inspection later, just ask me right away."

Hearing this, Li Xiuyuan immediately grasped the situation. For today's inspection at Kaiyuan Subdistrict, Qian Hui would be the main force, while he was merely going through the motions. Luo Yi had brought him along simply to send a signal to Qu Hui, without expecting him to actually do any heavy lifting. Besides, it was quite understandable; what would a newcomer who had been on the job for only a week know how to do?

"Thank you, Section Chief Qian. I will learn much from you," Li Xiuyuan said with a smile.

On the way there, Qian Hui also briefed Li Xiuyuan on the work for today's inspection, which primarily focused on evaluating the implementation of the rural tax and fee reform—a key area of focus for the municipal inspection team scheduled to arrive next week.

This rural tax and fee reform had begun in 2001, centering mainly on the "three cancellations, two adjustments, and one reform."

Having reached this point, Qian Hui stopped elaborating and refrained from going into further detail. This initiative had been underway for four years since its inception in 2001, but such matters were completely unfamiliar to young people like Li Xiuyuan who had never encountered them before.

Giving a detailed explanation would be a waste of effort, and Li Xiuyuan understood Qian Hui's reasoning. Yet, he actually had a fair grasp of the subject. Normally, a young man of his age whose family lived in the county seat would know nothing about agricultural tax reform.

However, in his previous life, Li Xiuyuan had spent more than a decade in the countryside and had a very clear understanding of matters concerning rural areas. Not only did he know the specific details of the rural tax and fee reform, but he also knew that the current year marked the concluding phase of this reform.

Since 2001, it had been gradually piloted and promoted in selected provinces and municipalities. By now, the reform was nearly complete. Starting next year, on January 1, 2006, the agricultural tax would be officially abolished nationwide.

This was a historical milestone. The "imperial grain and state taxes" that had lasted for 2,600 years were exiting the historical stage—an epoch-making event truly worthy of being remembered by history.

Meanwhile, back at the Kaiyuan Subdistrict Office, preparations for welcoming the inspection were in full swing. The ones busiest with this were the staff of the Subdistrict Office's Party and Government Office. At the county level, the County Party Committee Office and the County Government Office were separate entities.

However, at the subdistrict and township levels, the Party and Government Office was a combined department.

Early in the morning, Deng Jie, the director of the Party and Government Office, began leading his team to review various reports and materials prepared for the inspection. Once the organization was mostly complete, Deng Jie held a brief meeting for everyone.

"The leaders from the County Government Office will be arriving shortly. Everyone, pull yourselves together and get ready for the inspection. Today's inspection by the County Government Office is a rehearsal for next week's municipal inspection team, meant to help us find and fix any gaps.

I have already assigned all tasks—from various statistical data, policy readings, and the communication of higher-level documents to meeting minutes. Whoever is responsible for the work where a problem arises will be held accountable and must write a self-criticism report for the leaders themselves."

Deng Jie's expression was stern, and the faces of the few staff members in the Party and Government Office turned serious as well, particularly that of a fifty-year-old woman. If Li Xiuyuan were here, he would have recognized her instantly as Aunt Wang from their residential community.

Aunt Wang used to work at the community neighborhood committee, but she had recently been temporarily transferred to the subdistrict office to compile data and documents.

Working in the Party and Government Office felt rather like being an outsourced worker; her benefits and treatment in various aspects fell short of those enjoyed by the regular civil servants in the office. Facing the inspection made her feel even more insecure, especially since she had grown somewhat lax in her duties recently.

Her daughter-in-law had just given birth, so she frequently slipped back home to look after her grandson. The various data and documents had only been compiled yesterday, and she hadn't even had a chance to go through them once before facing the inspection. Statistical data, unlike other tasks, was distinct. Other responsibilities, such as policy readings or document transmissions, lacked a unified standard for how thorough the work had to be, but data was different.

Right was right, and wrong was wrong; being off by a single digit constituted a glaring mistake.

Just as Deng Jie finished making his arrangements, someone announced that the people from the Government Office had arrived. Deng Jie hurried briskly toward the entrance of the subdistrict office to greet them.

Aside from Deng Jie, the person responsible for reception on the subdistrict side was a subdistrict deputy director surnamed Zhou.

In terms of official rank, Deng Jie, as the director of the Party and Government Office of the subdistrict, was actually at the same sub-chu level as Luo Yi, making them peers. However, the status gap between the two was vast.

In terms of personal career prospects, Luo Yi's next step would be a full-chu rank; even if he could not remain as the director of the County Government Office, he could serve as a township head or head of a bureau department in the countryside or various units.

As for Deng Jie, another sub-chu official wishing to become a subdistrict director still had to cross the threshold of the deputy director position first.

Therefore, having Deng Jie receive them alone was certainly not enough. Even if the primary director did not show up, a deputy director had to be arranged to welcome and accompany them.

The two sides met at the entrance of the subdistrict office and exchanged pleasantries. Deng Jie knew Qian Hui and addressed her directly as Section Chief Qian, but he was unacquainted with Li Xiuyuan.

"Director Luo, is this the talented young newcomer from your Government Office?"

"This is Li Xiuyuan, who just started work. I brought him out to get some exercise and experience," Luo Yi introduced.

"Oh, what a blessing! To be valued by Director Luo, his future prospects are boundless. Comrade Xiuyuan, welcome," Deng Jie said with a flattering smile full of warmth. In truth, anyone stepping out from the Government Office, regardless of their specific position, commanded the respectful title of "Director" from outsiders.

However, since Luo Yi, the genuine director, was still present, addressing Li Xiuyuan as "Director Li" would be tantamount to undermining Luo Yi behind his back—something Deng Jie would certainly never do.

"Director Deng is too kind. Being able to learn from our Director Luo is my honor." As Li Xiuyuan spoke, he unobtrusively flattered Luo Yi once more. The warmth on Deng Jie's face grew even stronger; this young man certainly knew how to speak well.

Qian Hui, standing to the side, felt a hint of surprise. There was a certain linguistic art to those words; no wonder he was brought along by Director Luo.

"Director Zhou, Old Deng, let's not stand here at the entrance. Let's get straight to the point. Let's head to the conference room first and look over the materials prepared for the inspection. The municipal inspection team is arriving next week, so let's review the documents beforehand to avoid any issues when the time comes," Luo Yi suggested.