Before Hu Jia finished speaking, the news that the rain would soon subside was like a stone dropped into a lake of heart, instantly creating ripples. In the conference room, the strings that had been tense for too long suddenly relaxed, and the excitement that had been suppressed for a long time could no longer be suppressed - some people breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted; some people held back their tears, silently washing away the fatigue and anxiety of the past few days; and some people excitedly hugged each other, conveying silent comfort and strength.
The dawn of victory was just around the corner. Finally, we made it. I couldn't bear to interrupt this moment of jubilation after surviving a disaster, so I quietly left the meeting room.
I walked to the end of the corridor and opened the window. In the distance, the mountains were looming in the mist. The rain was dripping, and the violent momentum of the previous rain had disappeared.
Before he knew it, Wei Shuang had come to his side, his voice filled with suppressed excitement: "County Magistrate Guan, we made it!"
I did not immediately respond to 놛's joy, my eyes still cast towards the hazy mountains in the distance. After a moment of silence, 놙 slowly chanted: "Walk to the end of the water, sit and watch the clouds rise."
He gave a thumbs up sincerely and praised: "County Magistrate Guan is so decisive in command, has the demeanor of a great general, and is so poetic and elegant. I really admire him from the bottom of my heart!"
I turned around, gave him a faint smile, and asked casually, "Secretary Wei, are you a cadre transferred from outside? I don't think I paid much attention to you before."
Wang nodded, with a hint of emotion in his tone: "Yes. I was originally in the provincial geological exploration team, two years ago. When the team was restructured, my organizational relationship was transferred to the county. The organization considered my professional background and arranged for me to serve as the party secretary of Tongxiang Town, which has many coal mines. Counting it all, I have been here for almost two years."
I followed up the conversation and asked, "How does it feel to work here?"
Hearing this, he sighed softly, frowned slightly, and spoke helplessly: "To be honest with you, County Magistrate Guan, it's hard to explain. The social relations here are complicated and the political ecology... can be said to be very healthy. After coming here, I often feel constrained, just like punching cotton, I can't use my strength."
I felt the same way, so I sighed and said, "This is the reality. Most of the time, what we need is this tolerance and patience of 'living in harmony with the world'. Even if the green mountains block it, it will eventually flow eastward. The torrent of the times is so mighty that it is inevitable that it will carry mud and sand. But we must believe that after the great waves wash away the sand, we will finally usher in a time of peace and tranquility."
After hearing this, Wei Shuang's eyes lit up even brighter, and his mood became obviously high: "County Magistrate Guan, I have only been in contact with you for one day, and my thoughts have changed! You are so young and hold an important position, and you still care about the safety of the people, and you care more about your own gains at critical moments... Our country has cadres like you, which gives people hope! I don't want to muddle through like before, and I have to do something practical for the people!"
I smiled and shook my head: "Old Wei, you still understand me very well. You flatter me. I know very well in my heart that I still have many shortcomings and deficiencies. I just want to have a clear conscience."
She said with a firm tone, with unquestionable sincerity: "Human nature is fundamental! Just based on this point, you have surpassed many people. Some people are selfish and self-centered, and they always think about their own gains."
At this moment, Deputy Mayor Ma ran over in a panic, his voice mixed with strong gasps: "It's great that both leaders are here! Something happened, I have to report it to you immediately!"
Wei Shuang's brows suddenly tightened, and he grabbed Lao Ma's arm and said, "What happened? Tell me quickly! You are so anxious!"
Old Ma swallowed his saliva and spoke quickly: "I just received a call from the gymnasium resettlement site! Several villagers ignored the advice and insisted on leaving! After asking carefully, I found out that they are all miners from Taixiang Coal Mine. They received a call from the foreman and ordered them to return to work immediately. They have to rush to the mine!"
"Taixiang Coal Mine?" These four words instantly brought back memories that I had forgotten for a long time and was reluctant to touch. The tragic scene of the "September 9 Coal Mine Disaster" 9 years ago appeared before my eyes in a bloody way.
My voice tightened: "This mine...was it ordered to stop production long ago after the mine disaster?"
Deputy Mayor Ma quickly explained: "It was stopped... but after two years, the original owner of the mine quit. The boss who took over was very cunning and soon resumed production."
A vague guess began to form in my mind, and I asked, "Who is the current owner of the mine?"
As the deputy mayor of Tongxiang Town in charge of industry, Lao Ma knew all this very well: "On the surface it is Yu Zhiming. But as far as I know," he deliberately lowered his voice, "the real boss behind the scenes is probably the one behind Tongshun Coal Mine - Zheng Tong."
I gasped. Zheng Tong! The man behind the scenes was indeed 놛. But Yu Zhiming standing on the stage... was totally beyond my expectations!
Wei Shuang keenly grasped the key point and immediately asked: "Is Zhang Qiming responsible for supervising the suspension of all coal mines? How come Taixiang didn't stop it?"
Old Ma slapped his thigh fiercely and said angrily, "The problem lies with Zhang Qiming! Those miners said that the foreman said it was Mayor Zhang who agreed to resume work! They shouted at the top of their lungs, 'The town leaders have agreed, and the rain is about to stop, why are you letting us go?!'"
Wei Shuang's eyes suddenly turned to me, with shock and strong suspicion intertwined in his eyes, as if silently asking: Why did it have to be you? How could such a person be entrusted with such an important task? Could it be that even you...
My heart felt like it was stung by a poisonous bee, and the sharp pain spread. At this moment, there was no way to defend myself - Wei Shuang and others went to fight the flood and rescue people, and they were really helpless. I was really forced to let Zhang Qiming take over this position. But in the end, I was... wrong! I actually knew that my body had been rotten to the bone and was beyond repair!
Wei Shuang's voice was filled with suppressed anger, and he spoke word by word: "Taixiang Coal Mine! How long has the rectification order for the tailings dam been in place? Have you ever moved a shovel of soil? I've been worried day and night about the dam bursting, but you guys..." He punched the window frame and roared, "How dare you think about resuming work?! Absurd! Stupid! Despicable! Shameless!!"
Lao Ma immediately asked: "County Magistrate Guan, Secretary Wei, let me go! We must stop them from resuming work immediately!"
Wei Shuang sighed, his tone filled with helplessness and heaviness: "Old Ma, I'll go. Zhang Qiming is... you can handle him."
I decisively stopped the quarrel between the two: "You have all been through a day and a night, go back and rest immediately." I turned my eyes to Wei Shuang and said in a doubtful tone, "I will handle this matter personally. For now, I can't suppress it." Then I gave an order: "Well, Secretary Wei, you immediately coordinate with the police station and send two police officers to the scene first. If the situation is under control, authorize them to take compulsory measures. I will be there soon."
Wei Shuang was about to speak to dissuade him, but I cut him off with a look. As the instigator of Zhang Qiming's appointment, it was my responsibility to clean up the mess myself.
Wei Shuang and Lao Ma exchanged a worried look. Seeing my firm attitude, they had to obey. But they both said at the same time, earnestly, "County Magistrate Guan, please be careful!"
My heart warmed and I nodded solemnly.
I knew very well that Zhang Qiming dared to give the Taixiang Coal Mine the green light at this time, and there was a deeper calculation behind it: he knew that I had a close relationship with Lin Xun, and he also knew that Yu Zhiming was Lin Xun's brother. If he nodded and allowed the coal mine to resume work, if everything went well, it would be a personal favor; if something went wrong, he would put all the responsibility on me - slandering me for arranging the supervision of the coal mine to make things easier for this coal mine. By then, I would have no way to defend myself, and even if I was not involved, I could still argue that I was "guessing the intentions of my superiors" to exonerate myself.
Even more so, 놛땣 was considering Lin Xun's identity as the CEO of a listed company, and thought that the county would be lenient with him for the sake of the impact.
In short, Zhang Qiming is playing with human nature and calculating people's hearts all the time. Therefore, I must be there in person to completely crush his wishful thinking.
While Wei Shuang was contacting the police station, I asked Lao Ma, "Have you contacted Zhang Qiming? What did you say? Could it be that Taixiang Coal Mine is using your name?"
Lao Ma sighed: "I called, but the phone is turned off. This is a common trick used by the enemy. We have suffered from it for a long time."
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