Afternoon.
1:30 p.m.
County Government, Jiang Fangfang's office.
After they had spoken frankly and cleared the air, Dong Xuebin relaxed. Once they had finished discussing personal matters, they moved on to work.
Jiang Fangfang looked at him. "The Finance Bureau has been quite chaotic while you were away."
Dong Xuebin gave a grunt. "I heard. They're all here to apply for funding, right?"
Jiang Fangfang nodded coolly. "Yes. Secretary Meng and I have been dealing with the same thing, wave after wave of people. Now that you're back, you won't have much peace either. Prepare yourself."
Dong Xuebin asked, "What do you think we should do with the money?"
Jiang Fangfang told him, "Secretary Meng and I intend to discuss it at tomorrow's Standing Committee meeting, then decide which areas this money should be allocated to. It'll be an important meeting, which is why I had my secretary call you back. But although the direction of the funds hasn't been decided yet, one thing is certain: ordinary improvement grants won't be approved. Building dormitories, renovating classrooms, purchasing equipment—much of that simply isn't necessary. The money has to be spent where it counts. Secretary Meng and I discussed it privately, and that was roughly our shared view. You should keep it in mind too. We can't loosen this restriction. Once we set a precedent, the rest will be difficult to handle. After all, our finances are limited."
Dong Xuebin smiled. "I understand."
"With you keeping watch, I'm at ease." Jiang Fangfang put down her documents and stood, picking up the thermos to pour him a cup of water. "One sum of money has exposed a lot of problems."
Dong Xuebin wholeheartedly agreed. He accepted the cup and thanked her.
The officials in their county really were rather shortsighted. Usually, they never