When Yongnan County, an obscure county on the eighteenth line, was hit by a torrential downpour, the heavy rains had already begun in the Yangtze River basin, thousands of kilometers away.
From midnight the previous day until past ten o'clock the next morning, the rain drops, as large as beans, showed no sign of subsiding. The entire world seemed to turn into an hourglass, with endless rain bombarding it.
The terrifying intensity of the rain frightened many. In urban areas, fields, roads, riverbanks, and ravines, floods of varying scales appeared. The muddy yellow torrents, like ravenous monsters, ravaged the land.
Countless ordinary people, braving the rain, rushed out of their homes and knelt on the ground, begging the heavens to stop the rain, lest their homes be destroyed.
However, the heavens seemed too far away, entirely deaf to their pleas, as the downpour continued its relentless assault.
Jilin Province, bordering Liaoning, Heilongjiang, and Inner Mongolia, is located in the central position of Northeast Asia and is one of the most severely affected regions.
Xidu, as the provincial capital of Jilin, governs sixty cities and counties under its jurisdiction.
The torrential rain continued unabated, causing great anxiety among the relevant departments. The ringing of telephones had been incessant since the previous midnight. From the provincial committee down to various departments, almost everyone was mobilized, urgently researching various plans.
The sole subject of their research was what to do with the people living downstream if the heavy rain persisted.
This was because not long ago, there had already been a period of heavy rainfall lasting ten days. Many residents living near the Songhua River and Nen River had already suffered considerable disaster due to the rising water levels.
If the water levels of the Songhua River and Nen River were to rise again, the consequences were almost unimaginable.
The meeting, which began at seven in the morning, had been underway for more than four hours, yet no suitable solution had been reached. The书记 (secretary), in his frustration, slammed the table and loudly berated his subordinates, who were merely taking government pay.
Finally, with lunchtime approaching, the meeting was temporarily adjourned. Leaders of all ranks were dejected, their eyes downcast.
Zhou Cheng, a minor leader in the Appeals and Petitions Bureau, had been personally summoned by the书记 that morning. He was instructed to meticulously examine every letter that arrived at the bureau.
Because any negligence on the part of the Appeals and Petitions Bureau could lead to immense financial and life losses for a family or even an entire region, it was imperative to be thorough and meticulous, leaving no room for error.
After a hasty lunch, Zhou Cheng noticed that there was still more than half an hour before the afternoon session of the meeting. He quickly scurried back to his small domain, intending to slack off for a bit.
It wasn't that he wanted to be lazy, but he was truly exhausted and under immense pressure!
Upon returning to his office, Zhou Cheng collapsed into his chair, his body feeling limp.
"Director!"
At that moment, a subordinate knocked and entered, carrying a thick stack of envelopes. This was essentially the daily duty of the Appeals and Petitions Bureau.
The common people, or various organizations and individuals, would write letters to the Appeals and Petitions Bureau when they felt wronged, threatened, or when disasters occurred, requesting government intervention.
The importance of the Appeals and Petitions Bureau was self-evident!
"So many letters again!"
Zhou Cheng sighed after a mere glance, but he knew it was an extraordinary time. The sixty-odd cities and counties under their jurisdiction were experiencing countless disasters and grievances daily.
This was with the assistance of the lower-level cities and counties in shouldering some of the burden; otherwise, the provincial capital's Appeals and Petitions Bureau would likely have been overflowing with mail long ago.
"Go, call for people, let's examine the letters together!"
Although Zhou Cheng voiced his fatigue, he dared not delay in the slightest. Having been personally singled out by the书记 that morning, he knew the heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Soon, subordinates arrived. They gathered around a long office table, each responsible for a portion, quickly sorting and processing the mail.
Letters belonging to their department were opened on the spot, while those for other departments or leaders were forwarded.
Time ticked by, and the half-hour break quickly passed. Zhou Cheng stood up, preparing to resume the meeting.
"Director!"
"Come and look at this letter quickly!"
Just then, a subordinate suddenly called out to him.
"What's the fuss about? Have you no composure at all!"
The subordinate's voice was a bit loud, startling Zhou Cheng, who opened his mouth to scold him, but still walked over and picked up the letter.
Initially, Zhou Cheng's expression was calm. However, as he read further, the expression on his face grew increasingly somber, until it became as heavy as a mountain.
This scene attracted the curiosity of his surrounding subordinates.
"Where is this letter from?"
After a long pause, Zhou Cheng asked urgently.
The subordinate quickly checked the envelope and replied, "Director, there is no return address on this letter!"
Zhou Cheng froze, then frowned in silence, seemingly lost in some difficult decision.
"You all continue with your work, I'm going to the meeting!"
Several minutes later, Zhou Cheng suddenly announced, and then quickly left the office, clutching the letter tightly in his hand.
Arriving at the grand conference room, the书记 and many colleagues were already present. Zhou Cheng quickly apologized and hurried to his seat.
The meeting, which had yielded no results that morning, was to continue.
Seeing the书记 and the various leaders seated above, their expressions filled with thunderous anger, Zhou Cheng tightly gripped the thick letter in his hand.
He had read the contents of this letter no less than five times, his face contorted with extreme indecision.
As time ticked by, and the meeting still failed to achieve its desired outcome, Zhou Cheng's indecision grew more pronounced, drawing suspicion from his colleagues seated nearby.
"Anyway, this letter wasn't written by me. I can just hand it over to the书记 to read. If he likes it, it'll be my great achievement. If not, I won't lose anything!"
"What's there to lose by taking a chance?!"
Zhou Cheng encouraged himself and, gritting his teeth, stood up, drawing the surprise of his colleagues.
Some colleagues even quickly grabbed Zhou Cheng's arm, gesturing for him to sit down, warning him not to be a maverick during such a critical time!
"书记, I have a letter here that I just received regarding the disaster situation!"
Zhou Cheng ignored his colleagues' dissuasions and spoke loudly.
At the top, the书记 and leaders at the head table paused their discussion, and their gazes converged.
Simultaneously, accompanied by the eyes of everyone in the conference room, Zhou Cheng bore an indescribable pressure at that moment, nearly collapsing.
"Bring it here for me to see!"
Fortunately, at this moment, the书记's voice rang out. Zhou Cheng quickly stepped out from his seat, strode towards the leaders' table, and respectfully handed over the letter.