24: Chapter 24 Unable to Defend

Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan also hurriedly chimed in, "That's right, Mayor Qin. Our poverty alleviation work in Bishi Town has always been open and transparent. The villagers are all beneficiaries, so how could there possibly be any issues?"

Qin Ruoxi smiled slightly and said, "Very well. Since you are so confident, let's go to the village and take a look."

She turned to Secretary Qi Zhengming and said, "Secretary Qi, you should come along too and see for yourself how the poverty alleviation work in Bishi Town is actually being done."

Secretary Qi Zhengming nodded, his expression grave, "Mayor Qin, that is exactly what I intended. If there are indeed problems, I will never tolerate them!"

Xiao Bei stood to the side, casting a cold glance at Secretary Wu Jingheng and Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan, and whispered to Qin Ruoxi, "Mayor Qin, these two are clearly acting guilty. Let's see how they try to talk their way out of this once we reach the village."

Qin Ruoxi nodded slightly, her tone indifferent, "Facts speak louder than words. Once we arrive at the village, everything will come to light."

The group drove to Qingshan Village, an impoverished village under the jurisdiction of Bishi Town.

As soon as the car drove into the village entrance, Qin Ruoxi's brows furrowed.

The village roads were bumpy dirt tracks, causing the car to jolt violently. The old houses on both sides of the road were dilapidated, their walls covered in cracks and the tiles on the roofs missing in places.

At the village entrance, a few children were playing barefoot in the mud, their clothes tattered and their faces covered in dust.

Seeing the car pull in, the children curiously gathered around, their eyes filled with a mix of timidity and curiosity.

Qin Ruoxi stepped out of the car, and seeing the scene before her, felt a pang of heartache.

She turned to Secretary Wu Jingheng and Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan and said, "Is this what you call good poverty alleviation work? The villagers are living in conditions like this?"

Secretary Wu Jingheng's face paled, and he stammered, "Mayor Qin, this... this is just an isolated case. Our town's poverty alleviation work has been ongoing; perhaps there are some areas we haven't been able to attend to yet..."

Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan also hurriedly explained, "That's right, Mayor Qin. Qingshan Village is the most remote village in our town, and the infrastructure is indeed a bit poor, but we are already planning renovations. It's just that the funds haven't arrived yet..."

Qin Ruoxi coldly interrupted them, "Funds haven't arrived? Then where did the poverty alleviation money go? Didn't you say the poverty alleviation work was open and transparent? How come even the most basic road and housing problems haven't been solved?"

Secretary Wu Jingheng and Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan were momentarily speechless, cold sweat beading on their foreheads.

Just then, a few elderly people and villagers from the village heard the commotion and gathered around.

An old man with gray hair walked up tremblingly, looked at Qin Ruoxi, and asked, "May I ask if you are the leaders from the city?"

Qin Ruoxi hurried forward to steady the old man and said in a gentle tone, "Sir, we are here to understand the situation. Please rest assured, if you have any difficulties, feel free to speak up, and we will definitely help you solve them."

The old man sighed, his voice choking with emotion, "Leaders, our village has suffered so much over these years! They talk about poverty alleviation, but we haven't seen a single penny! The roads in the village are still the dirt tracks from decades ago; they become muddy and impassable as soon as it rains. The houses are also in terrible condition—leaking wind in winter and rain in summer. Life is so hard!"

Qin Ruoxi felt a pang of heartache as she listened, then turned to look coldly at Secretary Wu Jingheng and Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan, "Didn't you say that the poverty alleviation funds had all been implemented? How is it that the villagers haven't seen a single penny?"

Secretary Wu Jingheng's face turned ghastly pale, and he stammered, "This... this might be because the villagers aren't aware of the situation. The poverty alleviation funds are distributed through the Village Committee; perhaps some villagers didn't collect them in time..."

Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan also hurriedly chimed in, "That's right, Mayor Qin. Perhaps the Village Committee's work wasn't carried out properly. We will definitely investigate thoroughly when we return!"

Qin Ruoxi sneered, a trace of sarcasm in her tone, "The Village Committee didn't carry out their work? Then what are you town leaders for? Don't you have any idea where the poverty alleviation funds actually went?"

Just then, a middle-aged woman pushed her way forward, her face full of anger, and said, "Leaders, don't listen to their nonsense! The poverty alleviation funds for our village were all embezzled by them! Last year, the village said they were going to repair the roads and asked every household to pay money. We paid, but the roads were never repaired! Later, we found out that all that money had been embezzled by the town officials!"

Qin Ruoxi frowned deeply and asked in a serious tone, "Ma'am, is everything you said true? Do you have any evidence?"

"Yes... I'll go get it for you to see."

The middle-aged woman returned to her house, brought out a cloth bundle, and pulled out a crumpled receipt, handing it to Qin Ruoxi, "Leader, look, this is the receipt for our payment! Many families in the village have one, but even though the money was paid, nothing was done!"

Qin Ruoxi took the receipt and examined it carefully; her face instantly turned livid.

She turned to Secretary Qi Zhengming and said, "Secretary Qi, take a look. This is the poverty alleviation work in Bishi Town! The villagers paid the money, yet not even the most basic roads were repaired!"

Secretary Qi Zhengming took the receipt, his expression terrifyingly grim.

He looked coldly at Secretary Wu Jingheng and Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan, his tone filled with suppressed anger, "Secretary Wu Jingheng, Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan, what else do you have to say? Is this what you call good poverty alleviation work?"

Secretary Wu Jingheng and Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan's legs went weak, and they almost collapsed to the ground. Secretary Wu Jingheng's voice trembled, "Secretary Qi, Mayor Qin, we... we really didn't know! It must have been the people below us doing this behind our backs..."

Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan also hurriedly defended himself, "That's right, Mayor Qin, we really were unaware! It must have been the people in the Village Committee who embezzled it; we will definitely investigate thoroughly when we return!"

Qin Ruoxi looked at them coldly, clearly disappointed to the extreme, "Secretary Wu, Town Mayor Zheng, at this point, you still want to shirk responsibility? The villagers paid the money, yet the roads weren't repaired. As town leaders, do you really have no responsibility at all?"

Secretary Qi Zhengming snorted coldly and waved his hand to the Discipline Inspection Commission officers, "Take Secretary Wu Jingheng and Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan away and open an investigation immediately! Also, take the heads of the Village Committee into custody as well and thoroughly investigate their illegal activities!"

Several Discipline Inspection Commission officers immediately stepped forward and hauled Secretary Wu Jingheng up.

Town Mayor Zheng Siyuan also collapsed to the ground, his face full of despair, "It's over... it's all over..."

Qin Ruoxi watched the two being taken away, then turned to the villagers and said, "Fellow villagers, please rest assured, we will thoroughly investigate this matter to the end and will never let anyone who has violated the law escape the sanctions of the law! We will also solve your difficulties as soon as possible and will never let you suffer again."

Hearing these words, the villagers excitedly gathered around.

The old man with gray hair tremblingly took hold of Qin Ruoxi's hand, tears streaming down his face, "Leader, you are truly our savior! We have waited for so many years, and finally, we have been blessed with a good official like you!"