When Li Xiuyuan arrived at the riverbank with his men, all the engineering equipment had already been brought in. Three dredging boats were already on the riverbank, two wetland excavators were on the riverbank, and three small excavators were also placed to the side, with red cloths hanging on them.
Three dump trucks, eight tricycles, sludge solidification equipment...
There are already quite a few people by the riverbank. Although it's drizzling a bit today, the weather is warmer than before, and you can clearly feel the temperature rising during the day.
A platform was set up on the side, with a banner hanging on it that read "Breaking Ceremony of Meilin Village New Rural Demonstration Village".
"Li Zhen".
"Wasn't the groundbreaking ceremony only announced yesterday? Where did these banners come from?" Li Xiuyuan asked Shi Yufei, the clerk who had been by his side.
Upon hearing this, Shi Yufei chuckled awkwardly and said, "Li Zhen, this was from the warehouse last year, that..."
Li Xiuyuan understood. So it was a banner for the dredging project. They were using it again this year, even though the project hadn't been done at all. Li Xiuyuan glanced at Shi Yufei and thought, "Aren't you ashamed at all? You still have the nerve to hang it up."
“Li Zhen, do you think we should put up a canopy on the stage? It’s raining…”
"No need. Let's remove the stage too. The groundbreaking ceremony is just a formality. It's raining today, so there's no need for all that trouble. Just leave the sound equipment; we can announce the groundbreaking ceremony later," Li Xiuyuan said.
Upon hearing this, Shi Yufei nodded and instructed people to move tables and chairs. As time went on, more and more people gathered at the scene. Meilin Village has a permanent population of over a thousand. Today is just a groundbreaking ceremony, so it's impossible for everyone to come. However, there are over a hundred villagers participating in the labor alone, plus some onlookers, bringing the total to three to five hundred people.
The scene was packed with people, and a light drizzle was falling, making the atmosphere somewhat subdued.
Around nine o'clock, Zhou Jianzhong came to Li Xiuyuan's side: "Mayor Li, all the people involved in the groundbreaking ceremony have arrived."
"Okay, it's about time. Give me the microphone." Li Xiuyuan stood on the riverbank, surrounded by a row of members from the town's guidance office wearing black raincoats. In the misty rain, below were a sea of villagers, some cleaning, some wearing raincoats, all waiting.
Li Xiuyuan took the microphone from Zhou Jianzhong, cleared his throat, and slowly began to speak: "I am Li Xiuyuan. I met you all at the village meeting a couple of days ago. As you can see from today's scene, this groundbreaking ceremony is very simple and hasty. It's so hasty that the red banner hanging here was taken from the warehouse last year when Tian Zhijun and his brother presided over it."
Although Li Xiuyuan's voice wasn't loud, it was clearly heard by everyone through the microphone.
Several village officials, including Zhou Jianzhong, looked at each other, their faces flushed.
"But what I want to tell everyone is that although this ceremony is simple, our determination is not simple. This morning, some people advised me that it was raining today, so we should postpone the groundbreaking ceremony, etc., but I refused without thinking about it."
"Because time waits for no one. I can afford to wait, but Meilin Village cannot, and the New Rural Demonstration Village project cannot afford to wait..."
"Today is March 13th, which is also the end of the coldest period of winter. There is an old saying that goes, 'It's not the rain after the end of the coldest period that's scary, but the sunny day after the end of the coldest period.' Why? Because rain is a gift from heaven that nourishes the earth. I think it's a good omen that it's raining today. It means that our new agricultural demonstration village project in Meilin Village will also be able to overcome the cold winter and setbacks."
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