Behind the scenes

Chapter 33

It was 10:30 in the morning when we arrived at the Provincial Water Resources Department.When Li Zimin was the mayor, he had been here several times, and he knew the people and the roads well.When I went up to the fourth floor, the director was not there. I met the executive deputy director. He was also an old comrade. He was a few years older than Li Zimin. As soon as we met, he asked: "Mayor Li, I heard that you stepped down. How did you get there?" Here it comes?"

"The mayor is wrong. He has become a consultant. You are here to sue."

"Sue? Sue who?"

Li Zimin told the executive deputy director everything about the Liuhe Reservoir Administration Bureau.At the end he asked: "Tell me, should this water be released? Should the farmers' interests be considered? How did your reservoir become what it is now?"

The executive deputy director said: "The document for release of water has been released in the department in the first few days, and all reservoirs in the province are required to protect agricultural water supply and rural stability. How did Wang Pengcheng do this? I will call and ask." He said He picked up the phone and called Wang Pengcheng's office, and he said on the phone: "Director Wang, the mayor of Xianghan City, Li, is here to report that you didn't release water to the farmers. What did you do? The file was not received. Are you there?"

Wang Pengcheng's displeased voice came from the phone, "Why, did he really sue me in the hall? He is no longer the mayor of Xianghan City!"

"Whether it's the mayor or not, what he said makes sense!" said the executive deputy director.

"What's the point? How do you put it if there is no water?"

"The document in the hall has been issued, you must resolutely implement it!"

"Then I'll do some research!" Wang Pengcheng hung up the phone first.

Li Zimin looked at the executive deputy director in puzzlement, "How could he be like this to you, the executive deputy director?"

The executive deputy director smiled, "I'm getting old, am I going to retire soon? He is completely different from the first director. He has to call two or three times a day to ask for instructions on work, and he has to ask for instructions a week. When I visited the province once, his eyes were fixed on my seat."

"This is too snobbish. How can there be such a cadre?" Li Zimin asked.

"Right now, there are many such cadres. Sometimes, such people are really fast. You and I can't do it. We are outdated. However, before stepping down, we must do something good and practical for the people. Mayor Li , you go back. Although he doesn’t listen to what I say, when the director comes back, I will report to him and let him talk, and he will listen.”

Li Zimin shook hands with the executive deputy director and left the Provincial Water Resources Department.Li Zimin looked at his watch downstairs. At eleven o'clock, he said to Jin Ping, "Let's go back."

Jin Ping said: "It's almost noon, Mayor Li, let's have a meal. I'm going to visit the Agriculture Department in the afternoon, and I still have a few things to report."

Li Zimin said: "I'm not very hungry yet, so I hurried back to eat. Since you are going to the Provincial Department of Agriculture, I will go back alone, and I will contact you if there is any situation."

Li Zimin's car came out of the provincial capital, and the driver was hungry, so the speed was quite fast. After more than an hour, he rushed back to the Xianghan City Government.But cars couldn't get in in front of the government gate. More than 100 people surrounded the government gate tightly, and the gate of the government was closed tightly.Li Zimin said to himself: "Didn't the farmers all go back, why are they here again?" He got out of the car while talking.When the people around the gate saw a small car coming, they all surrounded it.Li Zimin took a look, it wasn't the group of farmers in the morning.It was already impossible for him to go out, dozens of people had already surrounded him.A man in his 50s stepped forward and said, "I recognized you on TV. You were the mayor of the past, but now you have quit. Is it okay to tell you?"

Li Zimin nodded, "Although I am not the mayor anymore, I am also a member of the government and can help you solve problems."

"That's good. We are workers from the Xianghan Machinery Factory. My name is Tian Zaisheng. A month ago, your government stepped in and sold our factory to a man named Jiang Dashan. We all know that when you sold it, you promised to pay us wages, buy insurance for retired workers, and resume production as soon as possible, but now, we haven’t received any money, and the buyer wants to sell the factory’s machines. We also have to pick up the factory building, saying that we want to engage in real estate development. We found the factory manager, but the factory manager said he didn’t care. , we come to the government, we have to ask, such a big factory, it is sold as soon as it is sold, and there are so many workers, no one cares, is this still the world of the Communist Party, you still care about our workers Life and death? We have been waiting here for a few days. If you don’t care, we will go to the province. If the province doesn’t care, we will go to Beijing. We must ask for an explanation.”

"Yes, we must seek an explanation." Dozens of workers shouted together.

Li Zimin said: "Everyone, calm down. I know about the sale of the company. The agreement also has arrangements for workers and retirees. The government will not ignore the workers. The people's government is for the people. This is the government's responsibility!"

"Hmph, it's just nice to say that the factory building is going to be smashed over there. You don't care. If you want to ignore it, we will take care of it. We just lie down in the workshop and watch how they do it. If you want to smash it, first smash us to death." " Tian Zaisheng looked at Li Zimin and said angrily.

"How about this, let me understand the situation before we talk about it, are you optimistic?" Li Zimin asked.

"What is there to understand? The situation is here. Could it be that our workers still lie?" Tian Zai said.

"It's not that you are lying, it's because I don't understand the situation. I really didn't get involved in the whole sale of this company. It was decided by other leaders. But now that the problem has arisen, I can't ignore it, so I need to find out. As for you, it’s not good to stand around the gate of the government, which will affect the traffic as well as the work and image of the government, so why don’t you go back first, and I’ll tell you when I understand the situation.” Li Zimin said.

"We won't go back." The workers answered in unison.

"Then... how about this, you all sit in the government conference room, okay?"

"Okay, that's great." The workers nodded in agreement.

Li Zimin asked the guard to open the gate, let the workers into the yard, went upstairs and told the staff on duty in the secretary's office, and let the workers go to the meeting room. He asked the secretary in the secretary's office to call immediately and asked the buyer of the machinery factory, Dashan Company Jiang Dashan, the chairman and general manager of the company, will come to the government immediately to discuss urgent matters.After arranging everything, he looked at his watch, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon.He was already very hungry, but how could he have the time and thought to eat? Sitting in the office and just drinking a glass of water, Jiang Dashan came in with a purse in his arms. "Consultant Li, are you looking for me?"

"Well, sit down." When Li Zimin was the mayor, although he didn't deal with him directly, he also knew something about him from many aspects. This young person is very popular in Xianghan Yes, the energy is great. "I came to you because the workers from the machinery factory petitioned. You bought the company, but the wages of the workers have not been paid. I heard that you still want to take over the factory. The workers have great opinions. What do you think should be done?" Li Ziminping Said quietly.

"Consultant Li, you can't blame me for this. When you bought this company, your government mobilized you three times. Secretary-General Ma approached, and Mayor Liu called. He insisted on letting me buy it, saying that he wanted me to do it for you. The reform took the lead, and for the sake of the government, I had no choice but to buy this enterprise. With so many debts and so many workers, plus retired workers, how could I have such a big economic strength all of a sudden? Pay wages, buy Endowment insurance, you have to give me some time. These workers, the Communist Party has fed them. When they heard that I was asked to buy a business, they just didn’t want to. I have already bought a business. I don’t care about their business whether they buy a house or not. It's mine, why are they going to visit? What kind of complaint? Someone raped them." Jiang Dashan was full of reason, and his face was also full of displeasure.

"You are wrong. The workers demand wages and pension insurance. The demands are reasonable. Since you can buy this enterprise, you should meet the demands of the workers."

"If the workers have any demands, they can contact your government. I am a private entrepreneur and have nothing to do with me. I just need to run the business well and pay taxes according to the regulations." Jiang Dashan said.

"The government sold your company with conditions. Isn't there a clause in the agreement for worker arrangement? Then why didn't you implement it?" Li Zimin asked seriously.

"My current economic conditions do not allow it, so I can't implement it." Jiang Dashan replied coldly.

"Since your economic conditions do not allow it, you should not buy this company."

"That's what your government asked you to buy."

"The government wants you to buy it, but you don't have the conditions, so you don't have to buy it! No one is forcing you with a gun. Besides, if you can't meet the requirements of the agreement now, you can ask to return it to the company."

"Return? Do you have the final say? You are not the mayor, nor a legal person." Jiang Dashan stared at Li Zimin with challenging eyes.

"I am indeed not the mayor. But your agreement was not signed with the mayor! I am a leading member of the municipal government, and I can suggest to the government to terminate the agreement that has been signed." Li Zimin said word by word.He knew in his heart that Jiang Dashan could earn at least 1000 million if he bought this company, and he would not spit out the piece of fat that had already entered his mouth.Sure enough, upon hearing Li Zimin's words, Jiang Dashan's attitude immediately changed, "Consultant Li, since this is the case, I will think of a way to get the workers' wages paid first."

"You have to do more work as a worker. Don't rush to steal houses and intensify conflicts. Now the workers who are petitioning are in the government conference room. I will accompany you there. You should explain everything clearly to the workers. The workers agree and the factory is stable. You can move on."

"Alright then!" Jiang Dashan followed Li Zimin with a helpless expression, and went to the meeting room to meet the petitioning workers.

Negotiations between the petitioning workers and Jiang Dashan in the meeting room lasted until after seven o'clock in the evening. After all, the two sides reached a verbal agreement to pay the workers' wages first, and then discuss the demolition of the factory building.Jiang Dashan looked at the leader Tian Zai with cold eyes, bit the corner of his mouth with his teeth, and did not say another word.

After sending away the petitioning workers and Jiang Dashan, Li Zimin returned to the office and finished approving the two documents that he hadn't read all morning. He looked at his watch and it was almost nine o'clock, and then he drove home.As soon as he entered the door, he said to Hu Min: "Xiao Min, get some food, I'm so hungry."

Hu Min sat on the sofa and didn't move. She neither watched TV nor held anything in her hands. She stared blankly at the chandelier on the ceiling without saying a word.

"What's wrong with you, are you sick?" Li Zimin walked over to touch his wife's head, but Hu Min blocked him with his hand.

"What's wrong with you, why don't you speak?" Li Zimin asked anxiously.

"What are you talking about? Do you listen to what I say? I told you last night that you should go to work in the government and don't mind your own business, but did you listen? You shouldn't be in charge of the reservoir. You follow the province, even if you are I want to work, but you must not meddle in Jiang Dashan's affairs, don't you know what kind of person he is? But you insist on it, why do you offend this person?" Hu Min asked Li Zimin loudly .

"You, how did you know?" Li Zimin asked.

"How did I know? Jiang Dashan told me. He entrusted several people to find me, and asked me to tell you that please don't ask about the machinery factory. He also said that as long as you don't ask, he won't ask." Forget about you. I don’t want any benefits from others, but we can’t offend them! What Liu Rong and Ma Guanjun did, it’s too late for you to see the joke, and solve the problem for others, you, don’t you Your brain is sick!" Hu Min still said coldly, without any tenderness in his tone, as if he was criticizing a child.

Li Zimin stared blankly at Hu Min, as if he didn't know him at all. He watched for 5 minutes before he spoke. "I didn't intend to take the initiative to take care of these things, but I just saw it today. The farmers have no water, and the reservoir has no reason not to release water. Deputy county magistrate Jin Ping came to me, can I just ignore it? When I came back, The workers stopped my car. Their request was reasonable. Shouldn’t I be fair? Not to mention that I’m still a leading cadre at the municipal level, even an upright citizen should have a sense of right and wrong. Looking at the workers and peasants who have encountered such difficulties in their lives, shouldn’t I stand up and say something fair? Shouldn’t I do something for them? If things go on like this, why do we need Communist Party members? What are the leaders doing?"

"Don't talk nicely, I want to ask you, since you do such practical things for the people, why do you want to be sent down by the people? You have ended up in an officialdom, you, you make me lose my head..."

"Are you looking for the husband or the mayor? If you are looking for the mayor, he is gone." Li Zimin blushed with anger. He put on his shoes, pushed open the door, walked out of the house, and then slammed the door hard .

That night, he didn't go home and slept on the bed in the office all night.

(End of this chapter)