276: Chapter 276 Old Objects Under the Riverbank

Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan's hand stopped in mid-air.

Liu Zhiqiang pressed his hands down on the stack of original vouchers, showing no intention of backing down.

"Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan," Liu Zhiqiang said, his throat dry. "According to the rules set by the Town Party Committee, accessing the ledger of the tripartite supervision account requires Director Xu's signature. I do not have the authority to give it to you directly."

Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan looked at the Finance Office director before him, then glanced at the ledger on the table that had just been opened to a page.

The numbers were neatly arranged, and behind every entry of income and expenditure, there were clear signatures of the handlers and red fingerprints pressed by community representatives.

It was watertight and impenetrable.

Having worked at the County Finance Bureau for many years and investigated countless bad accounts, Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan saw the brilliance of this accounting system at a single glance.

This was not just a superficial performance for superiors; it was a tight, closed-loop system that sealed off all potential fund loopholes.

"Rules are meant to be followed," Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan said, withdrawing his hand and pushing up his glasses. "Since the town has a system, we will follow the rules. I will find Director Xu tomorrow to complete the procedures and then take a look."

After saying this, he picked up his briefcase and turned to walk out of the Finance Office.

Stepping out of the office building, the cold wind whipped against his face.

Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan sat in his car, not in a hurry to start the engine.

He fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed the number of Secretary Lu of Qingjiang County.

The call connected.

"Secretary, I have arrived at Heishi Town," Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan reported.

"Have you checked the situation?" Secretary Lu asked.

"The accounts of Heishi Town are extremely tight," Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan reported truthfully. "Trying to find errors or tamper with them is as difficult as ascending to heaven. I suggest that I simply follow the rules while I am down here and not meddle in other matters."

Secretary Lu was silent for a moment on the other end of the line before speaking.

"Staying in your lane is your duty. Do more practical work and speak less empty words." After giving his instructions, Secretary Lu hung up.

The next morning. Deputy Party Secretary's office.

Director Xu Jie placed a schedule on the desk.

"Last night, Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan went to the Finance Office to request the ledger, but Liu Zhiqiang turned him away according to the rules," Director Xu Jie said. "This morning, Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan handled the handover on time and was very cooperative. He even came to find me just now to complete the procedures that weren't finished yesterday."

Zhu Wenhao was reviewing documents with a pen, his nib not pausing.

Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan had old ties with Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan; he was a nail planted by Secretary Lu Guoliang.

But this man knew how to read the situation.

"A gentleman prevents trouble before it happens and avoids being in suspicious circumstances," Zhu Wenhao said, setting the approved documents aside. "This Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan is an old fox. He understands accounts and, even more, understands how to protect himself. Since he is willing to cooperate, let him handle the routine financial approvals. As long as he doesn't cross the red line of dual review, use him to block trouble from the outside."

Zhu Wenhao stood up and picked up another document.

"The special funds from the Provincial Department of Water Resources have been approved," Zhu Wenhao said, pointing to the document header. "The Old River Levee renovation project is to begin bidding."

The Old River Levee south of Heishi Town had been in disrepair for years.

This was not just a water conservancy project; it was crucial to the economic landscape of the future transfer of a thousand acres of wasteland south of the town.

Two days later, in the small conference room of the Town Government, the bidding evaluation meeting was held.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang sat at the head, with Zhu Wenhao and Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan on either side.

Liu Zhiqiang held the quotes from the three bidding units and read them out one by one.

"Jiangnan Water Conservancy Engineering Company, quoted at 6.5 million. Hongda Construction, quoted at 6.3 million."

Liu Zhiqiang turned to the last page.

"There is one more, Qingyuan Construction, quoted at 5.1 million."

"Qingyuan Construction's quote is over a million lower than the other two," Liu Zhiqiang said, looking at the leaders present. "If we choose Qingyuan Construction, we can save a large amount of budget for the town finance. The renovation funds for the Old River Levee are already tight; saving this money can be used to cover the follow-up costs for the South Street emergency repairs."

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang nodded.

The town was short on money, and a low-price winning bid was a good thing.

"Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan, you are in charge of finance. What is your opinion?" Town Mayor Luo Xingbang asked Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan.

Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan looked at the quote sheet.

"From the perspective of government centralized procurement principles, provided that the basic requirements of the project are met, prioritizing the lowest price is compliant. This won't cause any issues in an audit."

Zhu Wenhao sat to the side, having remained silent.

He reached out and took the bidding qualifications of Qingyuan Construction, flipping through a few pages.

"Director Xu," Zhu Wenhao said, turning his head. "Have you checked the actual controller of Qingyuan Construction?"

Director Xu Jie handed over a thin slip of paper from behind, placing it in front of Zhu Wenhao.

"The legal representative is a shell. The funding source and actual controller behind it, after several transfers, ultimately point to one person."

Director Xu Jie's voice was not loud, but it could be heard clearly in the conference room.

"Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's distant cousin."

In the conference room, the sound of flipping documents stopped.

Town Mayor Luo Xingbang's hand holding the water cup stopped in mid-air.

Town Mayor Liu Wenxuan lowered his eyes, staring at the notebook in front of him.

Zhu Wenhao pushed the slip of paper to the center of the conference table.

"Behind a low price, there must be a cost," Zhu Wenhao said. "How was the price difference of over a million saved? Did they tamper with the cement grade, or cut corners on the thickness of the steel bars?"

He looked at Liu Zhiqiang.

"Great Yu's flood control relied on dredging, but more importantly, on strengthening the foundation. Water conservancy projects concern the lives of tens of thousands of people in Heishi Town. When the embankment collapses, the 1.2 million you saved won't even be enough to buy coffins."

Liu Zhiqiang lowered his head and said nothing more.

"But, Qingyuan Construction's qualifications appear complete on the surface. If we scrap the bid directly..." Town Mayor Luo Xingbang was full of concerns.

"Don't look at the price; look at the plan," Zhu Wenhao issued the order. "Large-scale water conservancy projects cannot be evaluated behind closed doors."

He looked at Director Xu Jie.

"Go and invite the technical expert group from the Provincial Department of Water Resources. Invite them to the site for verification. The technical plans of the three units will be submitted to the provincial experts for comprehensive evaluation. Whoever's plan has safety hazards will be directly eliminated."

Handing over the refereeing power, using the professional technology of the Provincial Department of Water Resources to shut the mouths of the county officials.

Qingjiang County Party Committee, Deputy Party Secretary's office.

When Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan received the news, he swept the teacup off the table, spilling tea all over the floor.

He had originally planned to use his cousin's company to win the Old River Levee project at a low price. Firstly, he could make some money; secondly, he could plant the construction team in Heishi Town, so that in the future, if Zhu Wenhao wanted to engage in development in the south of the town, he would have to be constrained by him everywhere.

"Going directly to provincial experts!" Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan gritted his teeth. "He is trying to block my path!"

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan picked up the phone and dialed County Mayor Gu Mingchuan directly.

"County Mayor Gu Mingchuan," Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan said without pleasantries. "For the Old River Levee bidding in Heishi Town, instead of using the low-priced company, they insist on inviting provincial experts. This is flaunting wealth with the country's money, and delaying the project progress. Can the County Government take responsibility for this?"

County Mayor Gu Mingchuan listened on the other end of the line.

He knew the details of Qingyuan Construction; Zhu Wenhao had already tipped him off.

"Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan," County Mayor Gu Mingchuan did not back down. "Water conservancy projects are a century-long plan. Having provincial experts come down to oversee is being responsible for the project. The progress will not be delayed, and if problems arise, with the provincial experts' endorsement, I, as County Mayor, can take this responsibility."

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan was choked speechless and hung up the phone directly.

A week later.

The expert group from the Provincial Department of Water Resources arrived in Heishi Town.

They conducted on-site inspections and reviewed the blueprints.

The demonstration meeting only lasted two hours.

The head of the expert group threw Qingyuan Construction's plan directly onto the table.

"This construction plan has major technical defects. The flood resistance grade is seriously below standard, and the anti-seepage design is completely cutting corners. If construction is carried out according to these blueprints, the embankment will definitely collapse once the flood season arrives."

Once the conclusion was reached, Qingyuan Construction was completely out of the running.

Their low-price advantage became a joke under the verdict that it would "definitely collapse."

In the end, the well-qualified Jiangnan Water Conservancy Engineering Company won the bid.

The Old River Levee renovation project officially began.

Excavators roared by the river south of the town. Years of silt were dug out shovel by shovel, and the stench of decay permeated the air.

Zhu Wenhao stood on the bank, wearing a hard hat, watching the construction progress. Town Mayor Luo Xingbang and Police Chief Zhao Gang stood to the side.

An excavator's bucket dug deep into the river embankment.

With a muffled "clang."

The bucket hit a hard object.

The operator stopped the machinery and poked his head out to look.

Several construction workers jumped into the mud pit, using shovels to scrape away the black silt.

"We dug up something!" a worker shouted.

The mud fell away, revealing a square iron box.

The surface of the iron box was severely rusted, and the corners were even somewhat deformed. The outer layer was wrapped in a layer of old oilcloth, which, although half-rotten, kept the iron box inside relatively intact.

The worker carried the iron box up and placed it on the grass by the bank.

Police Chief Zhao Gang walked forward and used his baton to pry away the remaining oilcloth.

A rusted-shut brass lock hung on the iron box.

Police Chief Zhao Gang took the hammer from the worker's hand and smashed it down on the brass lock.

The latch broke.