Qi Tongwei: Can I be young again?

"Donglai, here's the thing. There's a bald guy in Jinshan County who's very arrogant. He beats people up and threatens them in broad daylight. Go and check his identity."

"By the way, don't alert them yet. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me."

Zhao Donglai gave an OK sign. "Brother Qi, don't worry, I'll definitely handle this matter clearly for you."

With Wang Hua and Zhao Donglai by his side, Qi Tongwei had the advantage of having both his left and right arms, making it much easier for him to get things done.

After leaving his phone number with Wu Laosan, he didn't linger and turned back to the county government.

Next, I need to have a heart-to-heart talk with Li Dakang.

At this moment, Li Dakang was still troubled by the matter of moving the grave tomorrow. He practiced crying for a long time in the office, but he still couldn't shed a tear.

"Woooooooo..."

I tried several methods but none of them worked. I even pinched my thigh until it was swollen, but I still couldn't shed a tear.

Helpless, I could only keep using eye drops.

As a result, my eyes swelled up.

It turned bright red.

Try again.

"Woooooooo..."

Uh... that's enough this time. I've used up all the eye drops, and with a little crying, the tears just started flowing.

Easy to use.

"Secretary Dakang, why are you crying!"

The sudden sound startled Li Dakang.

He quickly wiped away his tears, his face cold, and said unhappily, "Qi Tongwei, why didn't you knock before coming in?"

"Knock on the door?" Qi Tongwei laughed. "If I knocked on the door, how would I witness Secretary Dakang's acting skills? To be honest, your crying scene just now... was so realistic, absolutely amazing!"

"What crying scene? Don't talk nonsense!"

"Stop lying!" Qi Tongwei sneered. "If I'm not mistaken, you're planning to put on a show in front of Secretary Zhao Lichun tomorrow, and act like a grandson crying at the grave of the deceased Old Master Zhao. It's alright... it's not a sin for a man to cry."

"Qi Tongwei, you're slandering me!" Li Dakang said urgently, his face flushed. "As the top leader of the county committee, I would never resort to crying at someone's grave to curry favor with Secretary Zhao."

"Oh, you're putting on an act now. Tell me, why were you crying just now?"

"Did I cry?" Li Dakang jumped up and down. "When did I cry? Qi Tongwei, why are you slandering me?"

"Look at you, you're in a hurry again."

Am I in a hurry?

"Get impatient!" Qi Tongwei grabbed Li Dakang's shoulder. "Don't yell at me! You still owe me two thousand yuan! If you keep yelling, you'd better pay me back!"

Li Dakang rolled his eyes and fell silent.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Qi Tongwei didn't press the issue further. Instead, he changed the subject and asked, "Secretary Dakang, may I ask, is Runtaihua Paper Mill one of your achievements?"

“Nonsense, it’s not mine, it’s yours.” Li Dakang said with pride when he mentioned Runtaihua Paper Mill. “You know, this paper mill moved from Luzhou to our Jinshan County because of me. In just six months, it solved the employment problem for more than 500 people and pays tens of millions of yuan in taxes every year. Isn’t that amazing!”

“Impressive, impressive, but I heard that the pollution problem at Runtaihua Paper Mill hasn’t been resolved properly.”

"Who said that?" Li Dakang asked nervously. "Was it that old bastard Fang Jue?"

“Secretary Dakang, don’t think too badly of your comrade. Besides, Fang Jue is the county head, not some old fogey.”

"So that means you admit it?" Li Dakang was unhappy. "County Chief Qi, to be honest, I did hear about the sewage issue, but there are always trade-offs. Jinshan County is so poor, the most urgent thing is to develop the economy, not to worry about where that little bit of wastewater went! Besides, didn't the villagers get running water? The money was paid by Runtaihua Company, we should be grateful!"

Chapter Sixty-Five: Li Dakang's Throat Lock

It's clear from Li Dakang's words that he's aware of the pollution problem and knows that Fang Jue and the villagers are dissatisfied with it. Even so, he still believes he's not wrong. In his view, there are always trade-offs; as long as the economy improves, environmental issues can be disregarded.

Qi Tongwei disagreed.

“Secretary Dakang, the economy is important, but the environment is equally important. This Runtaihua Paper Mill has only been here for a short time, and the entire Jinniu River has already been polluted. If this continues, the Jinniu River will disappear.”

“Gone! Hmph.” Li Dakang snorted coldly. “Gone is just a river, but remember this: if the paper mill is gone, more than 500 people in Jinshan County will lose their jobs, and the annual tax revenue will be reduced by tens of millions. Weigh the pros and cons yourself.”

"Secretary Dakang, your awareness is lacking. The Party has clearly stipulated that all development must not come at the cost of environmental destruction. What? Do you want to go against the Party?"

"Don't try to pressure me with the ZY (government) government. Jinshan County is far from the central government's reach, and the ZY can't control me! Besides, I'm only doing this for the good of the people of Jinshan County. How does that make me a dissenter? Tongwei, I know Jinshan County is your hometown and you have feelings for Jinniu River, but we have to look forward!"

"You're not looking forward, you're looking at your political achievements! You'll stop at nothing to achieve them!"

"Qi Tongwei, don't slander me!"

"Who the hell is slandering you?" Qi Tongwei squinted and said in a deep voice, "I know what you're thinking. To you, Jinshan County is just a part of your resume. As long as the economy improves, you don't care about anything else and just wait for your promotion! Once you're promoted, you'll just leave and leave the mess for the next secretary! The people of Jinshan County will be the ones who suffer!"

"You...you...talking nonsense!" Seemingly having been hit where it hurt, Li Dakang began to stutter.

"I'm not making this up. Isn't this your usual trick? If I remember correctly, you used this method when you built the highway in Luzhou. Once the highway was built and your achievements were recognized, you just walked away. And what happened? You left behind a huge mess and a lot of unresolved debts, which almost ruined the next leader!"

"Slander! You're slandering me again!" Li Dakang spat as he spoke, spraying Qi Tongwei's face with saliva.

"Whether it's slander or not, you and I both know the truth. I'm here to inform you that if you don't resolve the pollution problem at Runtaihua Paper Mill, I'll report it to the provincial government. If you're capable, deal with me the way you dealt with Fang Jue, and make me suffer from food poisoning too, otherwise this won't end here."

"Qi Tongwei, explain yourself clearly. When did I ever do anything to Fang Jue? And what does his food poisoning have to do with me?"

"It may not concern you, but ask Zhao Ruihu if it has anything to do with him. Also, here's a piece of advice: we officials shouldn't spend all our time thinking about political achievements, mourning at graves, or flattering others. Getting things done is better than anything else."

"Are you lecturing me?" Li Dakang roared in fury, slamming his fist on the table. "Qi Tongwei, let me tell you, Fang Jue's food poisoning has nothing to do with me, and the paper mill must stay in Jinshan County. This is my achievement, and no one can take it away."

Li Dakang's voice was already loud, and with his excitement, his ears turned red. Everyone else in the county committee office building immediately perked up their ears when they heard him.

Discussions arose.

"What's wrong with Secretary Dakang? Why is he so angry!"

"It seems like he had an argument with County Chief Qi."

"No way, is County Chief Qi really that tough? He dares to challenge Secretary Dakang!"

"Who says otherwise? Secretary Dakang is a vengeful person. You'll never have a good time arguing with him."

"I heard that Secretary Zhao Lichun will be back tomorrow to relocate the graves. Knowing how petty Secretary Dakang is, he'll definitely report me behind my back."

"County Chief Qi is still too young; impulsiveness is the devil!"

"..."

Was Qi Tongwei impulsive?

impulse!

After Li Dakang screamed, someone grabbed his neck and covered his mouth!

"The Party Secretary doesn't act like a Party Secretary at all. All he does is yell and scream all day. Can't he calm down?"

Li Dakang's face turned red, and he felt short of breath, so he could only nod repeatedly.

After Qi Tongwei let go, he jumped up again, shouting, "Qi Tongwei, you dare to hit a public official? You're finished! You're finished!"

"Hehe, I didn't hit you, I just wanted you to calm down." Qi Tongwei lit a cigarette. "If you don't calm down, I'll slap you across the face!"

Li Dakang, shut up.

That's Qi Tongwei for you; if anyone else dared to use a chokehold, he would turn on them.

"Calm down?"

"Calm down." Li Dakang nodded. "Tongwei, tell me, what do you want?"

"It's simple. Neither you nor I can decide matters concerning the paper mill. Either we report it to the provincial government and let them make the decision."

Li Dakang wanted to say no, but when he thought of Zhong Zhengqian's business card, he nodded helplessly, which was considered tacit agreement.

Finally, he added, "Tongwei, you said you'd report it to the provincial authorities, but let me remind you, even if you go to the provincial level, the paper mill won't be moved."

"you said?"

"That's what Secretary Zhao Lichun said." After calming down, Li Dakang's thinking became much clearer. "I'm not trying to pressure you with Secretary Zhao, but this paper mill is his nephew's company. Do you think reporting it to the provincial level will make any difference? Don't bother, it's a waste of time!"

"Don't lecture me!" Qi Tongwei exhaled a smoke ring. "Secretary Dakang, the rich can't be heartless, those in power can't abuse their power for personal gain, and they certainly can't bully others. Jinniu River is the mother river of the people of Jinshan County. This river should be decided by the people, not by Zhao Lichun!"

"Save those words for when you tell Secretary Zhao Lichun tomorrow!"

"I'm not going to move the grave."

"You can't not go!" Li Dakang grabbed Qi Tongwei's arm. "Tongwei, Secretary Zhao called yesterday. You have to come to the grave relocation tomorrow. He might have something to tell you."

"say what?"

"I don't know." Li Dakang said seriously, "Tongwei, you are young and energetic. If Secretary Zhao really takes a liking to you, don't provoke him. In the future, we can work together and make progress together!"

"To team up with you?"

"What? Isn't it good to team up with me?"

"Good my foot!" Qi Tongwei sneered. "Secretary Dakang, you're all old foxes. Let's not talk about ghost stories. Those who work with you are either used as stepping stones, sold out, or made to take the blame for you. Even a good comrade like Yi Xuexi has to take the fall for you! If I had continued to work with you, you would have eaten my bones clean!"

"Prejudice, it's all prejudice."

"One person's prejudice is prejudice, but everyone's prejudice is reality. Secretary Dakang, all you do is shirk responsibility and shift blame, and then you accuse others of prejudice. Can't you look for the problem within yourself?"

Li Dakang hesitated, but ultimately said nothing.