Qi Tongwei: Sign-in relationship started during student days

Chapter 1037 The Crisis of Tabloids (3)

The courtyard of the Old Town Subdistrict Office is like a pot of boiling oil, sparking everywhere.

Hundreds of people were crammed onto the concrete floor, elbow to elbow, their faces taut and pale.

The first few elderly people with gray hair were clutching crumpled newspapers; the ink-printed headlines were so sharp they hurt the eyes.

Industrial chaos and direct discharge of wastewater have turned the old city river into a "toxic river."

Among the crowd, some held up white banners that read "Give me back my Qingshui River," while others clutched dead fish they had pulled from the river. The stench of fish mixed with anger echoed and buzzed in the air.

Director Qian from the neighborhood committee stood on the second floor, shouting himself hoarse through a megaphone to explain the situation, but all he got in return was curses and the loud banging of the door being smashed downstairs.

If it weren't for a few local police officers blocking the gate and doing their best to dissuade them, the leaders of the neighborhood committee would have been hanged by the enraged people.

Just as Director Qian was at a loss, a clerk rushed into his office and reported, "Director Qian, the district committee just called and said that Secretary Ma of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission and Elder Tian are on their way. They told us to keep the people calm and wait for Secretary Ma and Elder Tian to arrive."

Director Qian's mood immediately brightened. "Old Tian! That's great! With him involved, things will be much simpler."

Thinking that the district leaders would come, he wanted to show off his bravery and leave a good impression on them, so he picked up the loudspeaker and stood on the windowsill again, appearing in the sight of the people.

Before he could even speak, several shoehorns were thrown at him, and Director Qian could only dodge and close the doors and windows again.

Seeing Director Qian's comical performance, the crowd downstairs burst into laughter.

Just then, several Santanas stopped behind the crowd.

An elderly man with a dark complexion was helped down by Ma Youliang, a member of the Political and Legal Affairs Committee of Xitie District.

"Mr. Tian, ​​thank you for your trouble," Ma Youliang said respectfully.

He couldn't help but be disrespectful.

On his way there, he received several phone calls from leaders, including Mayor Qi Tongwei.

He was given clear instructions: the safety of the elderly is paramount, and he must pay attention to protecting the safety of the elderly, or he would be fired.

"Don't worry." Tian Shouxin nodded to Secretary Ma, then slowly but firmly walked towards the crowd, leaning on his cane.

Someone in the crowd with sharp eyes immediately shouted, "Secretary Tian is here!"

This sentence was like a huge bomb, pausing the original noise and commotion.

It wasn't that Tian Shouxin possessed any magical powers, but rather that everyone in the major industrial city of Xitie knew him.

At eighteen, he joined the Red Star Army with a gun; at nineteen, he joined the Party amidst the gunfire of the Northern Campaign. For the next few decades, from village Party secretary to street and community leader, he did nothing but "dedicate his heart to the people," never uttering a single empty word or doing a single frivolous thing.

In short, all the men in this land respect him.

Tian Shouxin didn't rush to squeeze into the crowd. Instead, he stood on a stone block on the side of the steps and tapped his bamboo cane lightly on the ground. The sound was neither loud nor clear, but like a loudspeaker hanging in the streets and alleys, steadily reaching everyone's ears: "Fellow villagers... today, I've come here with this cane not to cover up anyone's shame, but to listen to what you have to say."

I have heard about what happened and I know how the villagers feel.

I used to swim, catch shrimp, and drink water in this river when I was a child.

Now it's dirty, smelly, and the fish are dead. My heart aches more than any of yours.

"But will smashing doors, hurling insults, and hanging Director Qian make the river clear?" He raised his cane, pointing to the street office's gate. "The door is smashed, the people are driven away, but the problem remains. What we need is a solution, not just venting!"

He walked slowly to the center of the crowd, reached out and took the banner that read "Give Me Back the Clear Water River," unfolded it, looked at it, and nodded: "These words are well written. They are an encouragement to our Party and government."

He waved the banner and said, "How about this? Everyone go home first, and I'll solve the problem. I'll take everyone's demands to the district committee, and if the district committee can't solve it, I'll go to the municipal party committee and government..."

Before Tian Shouxin could finish speaking, someone interrupted, their words filled with distrust of the municipal government.

"Secretary Tian, ​​these are all companies introduced by our city's mayor. Would it be possible for you to approach them?"

"Yes, Secretary Tian, ​​if you're going, let's go together. You're getting on in years, what if something happens to you..."

...

Tian Shouxin waved his hand: "I trust the municipal government, and I trust our Red Star Party even more. This is not something I just shouted out; it's something I've said all my life by following the Party."

Although I never spoke a word to that young mayor or even met him, I watched the news and read the newspapers every day, observing his speeches, his actions, and how he took care of things in Beishan.

I can tell he's a good mayor, a good cadre, and a good official who truly cares about the well-being of the people!

Pointing the tip of his cane at a middle-aged man in the crowd, his tone suddenly turned somber: "Zhu Zi! Tell me, a few years ago when you were unemployed and on the verge of starvation, who pulled you out of the mire and gave your family welfare payments?"

Who persuaded you to attend the training course and assigned you a job?

Zhu Zi, whose name was called, shuddered, his face flushing bright red as if someone had ripped open his most painful wound, causing him to instinctively lower his head.

Before he could respond, Tian Shouxin turned his cane again and pointed at another young man in overalls: "Xiaobing! Tell me! You got into our Beishan Automobile Factory, earning more than a thousand yuan a month, with rice, flour, and oil every year during holidays. Did these good days come from the wind or fall from the sky?"

The soldier felt a little uneasy under the watchful gaze, scratched his head, and forced an awkward smile.

With his cane, Tian Shouxin pointed at the other people in the crowd. For each person he pointed at, he asked, "Who told you to…?" Each question was like throwing a stone into the crowd, creating silent ripples.

Those whose names were called either lowered their heads in silence, had tears in their eyes, or clenched their fists.

No one dared to refute this, because they all knew perfectly well that their success today was due to the government's assistance.

This debt of gratitude, after many twists and turns, ultimately led back to that young mayor. The cane he touched didn't just point to a few names, but also to the earth-shattering changes that had taken place in Beishan over the past year and a half.

All of this only came about after that young mayor arrived a year and a half ago.

"Fellow villagers, we should be grateful, trust the government, and trust our mayor. Let's give them some time."

The pollution problem will be solved in a day, I can guarantee that with my Party spirit.

If the government can't do it, then throw this old man into that river too…

Seeing that the crowd had been calmed down, Ma Youliang took the opportunity to convey the emergency measures and guarantees formulated by the municipal government.

Finally, thanks to the efforts of the two, the potential for a mass incident was temporarily quelled.

……