The first sign that something had changed wasn't a government announcement.
It wasn't another televised address.
It wasn't even the construction projects.
It was a conversation.
Two strangers met at a roadside tea stall just outside the capital.
One was a commercial bus driver who traveled the northern routes every week.
The other sold spare tractor parts in the eastern farming districts. They had never met before. Yet within minutes, they found themselves talking about the same thing.
"The road to Kashara..." the driver said, stirring sugar into his tea. "They've actually started paving it." The trader looked up.
"I thought that was another rumor."
"So did I." He shrugged. "Then I drove on it yesterday.The trader smiled to himself.
"My cousin sent pictures."He reached for his phone and scrolled until he found them.
Fresh asphalt. Heavy machinery.
Workers wearing reflective jackets.
The bus driver studied the images carefully.
"They're really doing it."
