148: Chapter 148 A Sincere Welcome

There were only three people left in the room, and the steam rising from the teacups outlined a few hazy shadows in the sunlight.

The male reporter stood up calmly and politely handed over a business card, his gaze behind his glasses revealing professional focus: "Hello, Secretary Li, I am Reporter Zhang Chen from the Jiang Province Daily."

He turned slightly to introduce his female colleague beside him: "This is our newspaper's photographer, Photographer Wang Lu."

Li Dakang accepted the card with both hands, his eyes lingering for a moment on the newspaper's name and the reporter's title, before placing the card solemnly in a conspicuous spot on his desk, a perfectly measured smile appearing on his face: "Reporter Zhang, Photographer Wang, welcome to Guantian Township to guide our work."

After the three sat down again, Li Dakang picked up his teacup, took a sip, and asked in a gentle tone: "I wonder what specific content you two came here to learn about this time?"

Reporter Zhang Chen pushed up his glasses: "Secretary Li, we noticed that the 'Village-to-Village Connectivity Project' in Guantian Township officially started last week."

"As a provincial media outlet, we have a responsibility to conduct follow-up reports on such public welfare projects to ensure that the project's progress and the use of funds are open and transparent."

His voice was measured, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.

In fact, the origin of the matter could be traced back to a few days ago.

That morning, while Reporter Zhang Chen was flipping through the Xinying Daily at the newspaper office, a short news item about the Guantian Township "Village-to-Village Connectivity Project" suddenly caught his eye.

Although the report was less than three hundred words, he read it over three times.

As a veteran reporter, Reporter Zhang Chen was very clear about the current state of transportation construction in Jiang Province.

The transportation network construction in this inland province had long lagged behind; many county-level main roads were still potholed and uneven, let alone the road conditions in remote villages.

Yet Guantian Township, an obscure and remote town, was actually able to be the first in the province to launch such a major project as the "Village-to-Village Connectivity Project," which was truly baffling.

Professional sensitivity made Reporter Zhang Chen immediately realize that there might be significant news value hidden behind this.

He quickly checked relevant materials and found that Guantian Township was not included in this year's list of key provincial transportation construction projects.

This discovery made Reporter Zhang Chen even more convinced: either this was an unconventional, innovative move, or there was some hidden story behind it.

That afternoon, Reporter Zhang Chen took the detailed background information and knocked on the editor-in-chief's office door.

After an in-depth discussion, the editor-in-chief finally made the decision: "This topic is worth digging into. You and Photographer Wang Lu go to Guantian Township and make sure to investigate the ins and outs clearly."

Just like that, Reporter Zhang Chen and Photographer Wang Lu arrived in Guantian Township with their interviewing equipment and full of questions.

Hearing Reporter Zhang Chen's purpose, Li Dakang's tense nerves relaxed slightly.

He picked up his teacup and took a light sip, using the gesture to hide his inner turmoil; it seemed that no one had reported them, but rather the project itself had attracted the attention of the provincial newspaper.

"Reporter Zhang, Photographer Wang."

Li Dakang put down his teacup, a sincere smile appearing on his face: "The fact that you could come all this way to pay attention to our Guantian Township's 'Village-to-Village Connectivity Project' is both a spur to our work and a tremendous support."

"This project is indeed our township's top priority at the moment."

Li Dakang straightened his back, his tone turning serious: "From the very beginning of the project's initiation, the Township Party Committee established a work policy of 'high standards and strict requirements'."

As he spoke, he took out a beautifully bound project plan from his drawer and opened it to the pages marked with red highlights.

"Currently, the project is progressing smoothly, and all indicators have met expectations."

Li Dakang's finger traced across the project plan: "To ensure the quality of the project, we specifically established a supervision team led by the Discipline Inspection Commission, with participation from People's Congress representatives and villager representatives, to track and inspect the entire construction process."

Having said this, Li Dakang deliberately emphasized the three words "entire process," sweeping his gaze across the two reporters' faces to observe their reactions.

Reporter Zhang Chen nodded slightly, a flash of deep thought passing through his gaze behind his glasses.

As a veteran reporter who had covered countless grassroots projects, he was well aware of the potential tricks in local projects; layer-by-layer subcontracting, cutting corners, and falsifying progress—he had long been accustomed to these tactics.

Li Dakang's watertight official response, while sounding reassuring, only further fueled Reporter Zhang Chen's desire for an on-site visit.

"Secretary Li."

Reporter Zhang Chen closed his notebook, his tone sincere yet firm: "The institutional designs you mentioned are indeed very perfect, but we journalists believe that 'news comes from under our own feet.' I wonder if you could arrange for us to go to the construction site to see it for ourselves?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the camera in Photographer Wang Lu's hands: "We want to record the most authentic side of the project, and we also hope to interview a few construction workers and beneficiary villagers."

Upon hearing this, Li Dakang's smile grew even wider.

He immediately picked up the phone on his desk, and while dialing, said: "Reporter Zhang, this attitude of seeking truth and being pragmatic is very commendable. How about this, I will have the comrade in charge of the project in the township accompany you personally."

After the call connected, Li Dakang gave a few instructions into the receiver, then turned to the two reporters: "Director Zheng from our Party and Government Office will be here soon. He will accompany you the whole way to ensure you can interview everyone you want to interview."