Zhang Hongshan didn't ask any further questions and hurried staggeringly toward the village.
Before long, a dense crowd came swarming over, everyone chattering away all at once.
Yet more people were still cursing Zhang Hongshan...
Qi Tongwei had never imagined that this village party secretary, Zhang Hongshan, could be in such a wretched position.
Not only were they cursing him, but some even looked as though they were about to beat him up...
Logically speaking, a village party secretary ought to command some prestige locally; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep things under control.
For Zhang Hongshan to be in this state was quite something.
What Qi Tongwei didn't know was that people used to respect Zhang Hongshan quite a bit. Ever since the brick factory incident, however, the villagers had come to believe that Zhang Hongshan had colluded with the town authorities to cause the loss of their collective property.
Consequently, Zhang Hongshan's reputation had gone sour.
The villagers watched Qi Tongwei, whispering among themselves in private.
They sized up this young mayor, wondering if he had the same motives as the previous mayor, trying to glean some clues.
Yet, having experienced yesterday's events, no one dared to stick their neck out first—after all, even bullets couldn't kill the man...
In the end, it was Qi Tongwei who broke the silence first: "If you don't mind, sit down and let's talk. I'm here today just to understand the situation, so there's no need to be anxious..."
Rural folk generally weren't fussy about such things; when there were no stools, they simply sat on the raised earthen ridges of the fields and the ground...
This suited Qi Tongwei's idea of easing the atmosphere slightly and narrowing the distance between them.
The crowd sat right down along the field ridges and the ground, staring in unison at Qi Tongwei, waiting for him to speak...
Qi Tongwei thought to himself: If he failed to look after their interests later on, would these people beat him to death?
He had come out entirely on his own, and people in this era were fiercely bold; they wouldn't care in the least whether he was an official or not.
Qi Tongwei sat down, looked at the crowd, and said, "I completely understand how you all feel. I grew up in the countryside myself. Back then, my family fought bloody battles with others over a fraction of land or a trickle of water."
I remember how that neighbor of ours once smashed my father's head open over a water dispute.
Then that neighbor sneaked over in the middle of the night to dig away our field ridge, only for our family dog to catch him, bite him, and end up having to pay compensation. What terrible luck.
Listening to this, the crowd started to laugh. Although these were trivial, petty matters, everyone felt a bit more favorably disposed toward Qi Tongwei.
Someone even shouted teasingly: Mayor Qi, if they had known you'd grow up to be an official, your family's fields wouldn't lack water...
Qi Tongwei interrupted the man and said: How could I use public office to settle personal scores? We are cadres of the people.
Though if I went back home, I might well still be farming the land—who knows, I might even dig up a lump of gold while tilling the dirt...
The crowd burst into laughter at Qi Tongwei's words, and the atmosphere instantly grew cordial...
An elderly woman remarked: That just shows the land has spiritual awareness; it knew you were a cadre!
After that, people chimed in one after another, talking about topics close to everyday life...
Someone even asked Qi Tongwei for advice on breeding a sow...
Qi Tongwei brushed it off with a vague reply.
After a while, the crowd lost their intense wariness, and no one paid any more attention to Zhang Hongshan...
At this moment, Qi Tongwei felt the time was right!
He made a turning point in his speech: "So, the fact that your factory was taken away by others in broad daylight—he completely understands that kind of feeling. It's just like having your field dug up in the middle of the night, but you can't just let loose your dog to bite people first, otherwise we'll have to pay for their medical bills..."
Though the metaphor wasn't entirely appropriate, the crowd quieted down, waiting to see how Qi Tongwei would continue!
Someone in the crowd muttered: Mayor Qi, what are we supposed to do then? Are we just going to let it go like this?
Qi Tongwei waved his hand.
Qi Tongwei: Letting it go won't do; after all, that's your own land and your own water—you certainly can't just hand it over to others on a platter, can you?
Qi Tongwei: Otherwise, even if you could forgive yourselves, tell me, would your ancestors forgive you?
"No way! When the time comes, they wouldn't even accept the joss paper we burn for our elders..." the villagers chimed in from all directions.
Mayor Qi, that factory is our family's lifeline! The men in our families have no choice but to go work away from home, and my child is only five years old!
Feeling Qi Tongwei's goodwill, the villagers began to pour out their grievances with tears...
Qi Tongwei comforted a few of them, stepped onto a small earthen mound, and shouted: Fellow villagers, your fields have been dug up, your livelihoods are gone, and you feel the government hasn't done anything for you. This is a dereliction of duty on the part of the government.
It is the People's Government that has failed to truly serve the people!
Yet today, I, Qi Tongwei, still want to tell you here: regardless of whether this land was seized by bulldozers or plowed under by harrows, we will definitely give you an explanation. The former Mayor Qiao had operational shortcomings, but the government still has your best interests at heart!
Today, I came here specifically to solve this problem for you. Within a month, the brick factory will definitely be returned to your hands.
This is a promise I, Qi Tongwei, make to you on behalf of the town government...
If I fail to do it in a month, I, Qi Tongwei, will come and hoe the fields for every single one of your households for an entire year.
Qi Tongwei thought to himself: Hoeing these fields has got to be more worthwhile than going to dig ditches at Chen Yanshi's place.
Trust the government one last time...
Seated on the ground, young and old, male and female alike, although they didn't know whether what Qi Tongwei said was true, were still willing to believe him.
They might not understand many grand principles, but when they saw a government willing to take responsibility and take bold action, most of them would actively cooperate!
What they feared most was lip service—people saying things they couldn't understand while doing the opposite.
Yet today, Qi Tongwei had given a specific timeframe for a solution, and they were willing to hold onto this glimmer of hope and wait a little longer.
The crowd stood up and clapped, a burst of thunderous applause echoing across the entire edge of the village!
This very scene happened to be witnessed by Li Dakang and his companions.
"What on earth are they doing?" Yi Xuexi asked.
Li Dakang and Wang Dalu had no idea what was going on either; a hundred or so people were sitting outside the village committee compound, still applauding...
Let's take a look first... This is quite interesting, said Li Dakang.
Seeing this, Qi Tongwei continued: "But we also need to make a joint effort, and today I need you to do a few things."
First of all, I have a requirement for you: believe that the government will resolve this matter through reasonable and legal means, and the government will definitely help you solve the problem.
And today I'm not just paying lip service; I came here precisely to have you prepare the documentation.
Today, I've brought you here to draft a complaint, and I've also called your accountant over so they can help you settle the accounts.
As for whether there really was a loss, you need to have your own set of books...
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd began to stir restlessly.
"Mayor Qi, the court is part of the government too! Will they accept our lawsuit?"
Commoners never suing officials was a maxim handed down over thousands of years...
In the common people's understanding, the court was made up of officials too.
When the time came, officials would undoubtedly protect one another; how could they possibly help them?
Qi Tongwei said in a ringing voice: "The government will always be the People's Government, the court is the People's Court, and policy will always take the people as the center."
Yet everyone chuckled in unison.
At this point, Qi Tongwei added: "I said that if the government fails to resolve your problem, you can go ahead and sue. But if the government solves your problem for you, then you can't sue me—after all, I still want to keep working here for a while..."
Someone remarked: Mayor Qi makes it sound as if we file a lawsuit, you won't be able to stay in office.
Qi Tongwei waved his hand...
Qi Tongwei: Give it a month. If there is still no response, you can go file a lawsuit in court, or you can go petition the higher authorities.
Behind the mayor is the county magistrate, behind the county magistrate is the Municipal Party Committee, and behind that even the Central Committee.
I believe the People's Government will certainly give you a satisfactory answer.
Although the villagers didn't quite grasp the full significance of what Qi Tongwei was saying, they could sense a genuine sincerity in this young man, Qi Tongwei.
After all, no official would ever tell people to go sue him...
Applause rang out once more...
As for why Qi Tongwei said such things:
First, it was to stabilize these people and give them a legal channel so they wouldn't resort to direct violence. Even if they were in the right, using force would lead to unnecessary trouble.
Second, it was to serve as a deterrent to certain interest groups. Only by making the matter public and blowing it wide open could the people behind the scenes be made to hesitate...
Still, by acting this way, Qi Tongwei was stepping slightly out of bounds.
Yet Qi Tongwei wasn't afraid of that at all.
If he couldn't let go and stop these groups from sucking the blood of the villagers, wouldn't he be failing the promise he once made to his teacher?
After discussing some detailed matters, Qi Tongwei adjourned the meeting...
Li Dakang and his group casually pulled aside a local villager and asked, "Old fellow, what were you all doing just now?"
"Oh! You don't know—our Mayor Qi came to stand up for us and is looking into the situation!"
After hearing some of the specifics, Li Dakang and the others were inwardly shocked.
It seemed this Qi Tongwei was truly no ordinary figure; at the very least, he had immense courage. By doing this, Qi Tongwei wasn't just putting those vested interest groups on the spot.
Wasn't he putting himself on the hot seat as well? If there were mass petitions, the entire Qingping leadership team would likely not be promoted for years to come.
Moreover, commoners suing officials was something unheard of for many years...
"Dakang, it looks like this Qi Tongwei genuinely wants to accomplish something for Qingping, even to the point of wagering his own future," Wang Dalu said.
Li Dakang said bluntly: "That's exactly what it takes to push reforms forward... If you're timid and fearful, you shouldn't bother with reform; you might as well go home and hold babies."
Yi Xuexi didn't pick up on that remark, instead saying: "If Qi Tongwei can successfully push this matter through, then Dakang, I believe Qingping's roads can still be built after all. Having a good grassroots cadre is, after all, of vital importance to local development!"
"We'll still have to see whether he can resolve the current problem first," Li Dakang said coldly...
Then let's wait and see!
Wang Dalu said: In that case, we should hurry over to the next spot to take a look...
Yi Xuexi and Li Dakang nodded as well!
The group slipped away in a flash.
Qi Tongwei had no idea that the entire upper echelons of Jinshan County's leadership had already laid eyes on him...
Qi Tongwei visited one village after another, and the further he went, the heavier his heart grew. He hadn't expected Qingping to be so utterly poor.
Logically speaking, plain and coastal regions ought to be the first areas to get rich.
Yet Qingping seemed like an abandoned place.
These rural areas only had some cottage industries, completely failing to form any sort of industry at all.
Therefore, Qi Tongwei was wondering whether he could forge a path forward through "bricks."