Chapter 473

The next morning at six o'clock, Lu Fan, accompanied by Dou Zhengyang, Secretary-General of the City Government, and Chang Zhichao, Director of the Education Bureau, arrived at the student cafeteria of No. 5 Middle School, where several school leaders and more than a dozen parents were already waiting.

Seeing the mayor appear, the parents gathered around, once again expressing their gratitude to Lu Fan, for the aroma of the spicy soup and meat buns had already filled the entire dining hall, and smiles of joy spread across the parents' faces.

Lu Fan said with a smile: "A bowl of hot steaming spicy soup in the morning kicks off a day full of vigor; that is the correct way for us Nanyuan residents to start each day. After drinking the spicy soup, won't the students' enthusiasm for study increase even more? This is my specific request! Being full and eating safely is what the student cafeteria must achieve; eating well and nutritiously is the significance of improving the student cafeteria. The City Government will persistently do a good job, striving to let students feel happiness in every meal."

The parents sincerely praised: "Mayor, you are truly a good leader!"

Lu Fan said: "Isn't the government just about solving the people's urgent difficulties and doing practical things for livelihood? Today, the monitoring system will be installed in place; afterwards the cafeteria will be made public and transparent, ensuring that each class has a parent who can check the cafeteria's operation in real time. Please give us time to improve; the cafeteria must be perfected step by step."

"Mayor, we are not in a hurry; you have already done enough!"

……

At 6:50, students surged toward the school cafeteria like a tide, their faces brimming with youthful vigor.

Some sharp-eyed students, upon seeing the steaming spicy soup at the window, became excited and let out cries of surprise!

Soon, discussion rose and fell in the cafeteria: "Great, I love drinking spicy soup!" a female student said happily.

"Holy crap, the school has changed? There's actually spicy soup?" another student echoed!

……

Lu Fan stood to the side, watching the lively scene before him, feeling greatly relieved and very satisfied with Dou Zhengyang's work results.

Ten minutes later, Mayor Lu Fan left the cafeteria and went to the city hospital to visit the students still under observation and treatment.

Arriving at the ward, the hospital director reported the students' treatment situation: as of now, 69 students have been discharged, 11 remain on IV drip, but none are in serious condition.

Lu Fan instructed that no expense should be spared to ensure that no student suffers any aftereffects.

Next, Lu Fan expressed sincere apologies to the parents, saying that this student food poisoning incident sounded an alarm for the city government; the government will act with utmost responsibility to ensure such incidents do not recur. He also pledged that the Municipal Party Committee and City Government will severely punish those responsible, spare no effort to guarantee student food safety, and that all medical expenses for the students and room and board costs for the parents will be borne by the government.

One parent, voice choked with tears, said: "If we lack money we can make up the difference, but do not joke about the children's health; we hope the school can strictly guarantee the hygiene and nutrition of student meals."

Lu Fan replied: "The student cafeteria of No. 5 Middle School has already been fully taken over by the city government; please rest assured, when your children return to school, the cafeteria will surely undergo fundamental changes, guaranteeing that students eat well, eat well, and eat with peace of mind."

Lu Fan's attitude was sincere, and besides, some parents already knew what had happened at the school, so no one spoke mockingly; after all, the children are in their senior year of high school and still need to attend school, where studies are important.

After working until ten in the morning, Lu Fan returned to the city government and immediately convened a special meeting. The food poisoning incident had been preliminarily resolved, but it was time to settle accounts after the autumn; without taking down a few people, we could not give the people of Nanyuan a satisfactory explanation! We cannot each time raise high and lower lightly for serious incidents, turning them into mere formalities and deceiving the public.

At the meeting, Wang Pan, Director of the Market Supervision Bureau, reported the investigation results on ingredients at No. 5 Middle School, clearly stating that monitoring revealed widespread expiration of meat products, undoubtedly the chief culprit behind the students' food poisoning, and that the catering company had serious loopholes and problems in food safety management.

Mayor Lu Fan's face darkened and his brows furrowed; he immediately issued an order to the Public Security Bureau: "This vicious incident must absolutely not become a muddled account! Immediately file a case against that enterprise, investigate further and pursue legal responsibility, and be sure to handle it strictly and severely! The investigation process and results must be promptly disclosed to society to raise public awareness." The mayor's firm and powerful voice echoed in the meeting room.

Vice Mayor and Public Security Bureau Director Tian Xian expressed their stance, saying the Public Security Bureau would immediately implement the mayor's instructions, investigate the incident to its root, enforce the law impartially, and meet the people's new expectations for fairness and justice!

Next, Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Fang Yang reported the investigation findings on Deputy Director Liu Haojie of the Education Bureau and the principal of No. 5 Middle School, saying: "Preliminary investigation shows that the principal of No. 5 Middle School did not participate in the cafeteria contracting, but he failed to fulfill his duties and his supervision and management were not in place. As for the Education Bureau's Deputy Director Liu Haojie, there were major mistakes in his work, drawing strong public reaction, and he is currently under further investigation." Some things Fang Yang could not say at the meeting.

Lu Fan immediately instructed: "The Discipline Inspection Committee must broaden its sources of clues and carry out a thorough sweep of the leads concerning the cafeteria contracting; investigate exhaustively, get to the bottom! With Zero Tolerance vigilance and strength, strictly investigate missing posts, dereliction of duty, and behind-the-scenes government-business collusion, interest transfers, corruption and bribery, etc., to completely eradicate the breeding ground for corruption in the education sector. That principal's serious nonfeasance can be investigated for other issues as well."

The corruption and chaos in school cafeterias are all caused by interests! It is the fault of supervision! The Discipline Inspection Committee shall launch a citywide special rectification campaign targeting student cafeterias, addressing the following seven aspects: 1) Through false reporting, misappropriation, or embezzlement, squeezing out, misusing, or embezzling student meal fees or cafeteria funds; 2) Forcing students to take meals or illegally charging them via the cafeteria; 3) Profiting from the cafeteria under the guise of management fees, depreciation fees, etc., thereby increasing cafeteria costs; 4) In cafeteria management, seeking benefits for others, transferring interests, or engaging in graft for personal gain; 5) Purchasing substandard or fake ingredients for the cafeteria, harming students' physical and mental health; 6) Failing to use the nutrition improvement plan meal subsidy funds as stipulated; 7) Problems arising from negligent management, dereliction of duty, and neglect of duty.

The meeting was in full swing, yet outside the situation had already exploded! Dozens of videos about Lu Fan spread wildly online, each segment attracting widespread attention and heated discussion.

These videos recorded Lu Fan at different moments in handling the student food poisoning incident: there was his impassioned, righteous stance when facing student parents; there was his resolute, unsparing attitude when dealing with corrupt elements; there was his vigorous, wholehearted effort to solve the students' meal problem, showing his people‑first sentiment; there was his relieved smile when inspecting the student cafeteria; there was his sincere concern when visiting the poisoned students… In short, these videos showed people an image of a mayor full of justice and responsibility, and netizens flooded with likes and praise.

However, the online world is inevitably a mix of good and bad, and there are certainly some ill‑intentioned people creating many discordant voices. These people think today's officials are all masters of perfunctory Taiji, adept at brushing people off! Lofty words anyone can utter, but how many can truly put them into practice? Talk is cheap; maybe this mayor is just a smooth‑talking official—where would one find so many good officials?

Despite the clamor online, the populace of Nanyuan City has been stirred, because the positive changes in No. 5 Middle School's student cafeteria have spread throughout the city; children's meal issues have always been a parents' heart‑wrenching concern, making it hard not to pay attention!

Thus, countless parents called the mayor's hotline and the municipal education bureau's dedicated line, strongly urging that the cafeteria policy of No. 5 Middle School be promoted citywide, and they also want their own children to eat well and eat their fill!

Lu Fan was concluding his speech when Secretary Cheng Haohao rushed into the meeting room, handed over the phone, and whispered: "It's a call from Secretary Hao of the Provincial Party Committee!"

Although Cheng Haohao's voice was low, many heard his words, and the hall immediately fell silent.

Lu Fan took the phone, connected, and said: "Hello, Secretary!"

"Lu Fan, you have handled the mass student food poisoning incident in Nanyuan very well; you did not shirk responsibility, dared to take charge, corrected things promptly, and with pragmatic measures and excellent conduct won public understanding and support, preventing rumors from arising and spreading. Now there is basically no negative sentiment online, and I verbally commend you. Next, Nanyuan must truly implement the promises made to the people, winning their trust!"

Lu Fan replied: "Thank you for your encouragement, Secretary; Nanyuan will certainly adopt a more resolute attitude, stronger measures, and a more pragmatic style to focus on solving the people's most pressing, direct, and realistic interests, ensuring we do not cause trouble for the Provincial Party Committee!"

After hanging up, Lu Fan smiled and said: "Comrades, the Provincial Party Committee has seen our performance over the past two days, and Secretary Guangqi has commended our work results. We must therefore approach our work with greater enthusiasm and stricter requirements to perfectly resolve this public opinion incident. Please each fulfill your duties and responsibilities, and implement well the arrangements decided in this meeting."

After the meeting adjourned, Discipline Inspection Committee Secretary Fang Yang followed Lu Fan to the office, and upon entering said: "Mayor, there were some things I could not say at the meeting just now; the principal of No. 5 Middle School disclosed some matters, and the bidding for the student cafeteria involves serious shady dealings—Deputy Director Liu Haojie of the Education Bureau may be implicated in severe corruption."

Lu Fan had anticipated this, replying: "My view is to adopt a Zero Tolerance attitude and investigate to the end! Punish strictly and severely!"

Fang Yang showed a troubled look and said: "Mayor, Liu Haojie's father-in-law is the Deputy Secretary and Deputy Director of the Municipal People's Congress Party Group, formerly a vice mayor; he called me last night to plead for Liu Haojie, and this morning he even came directly to my office."

Lu Fan pondered, then said: "Fang Yang, the Discipline Inspection and Supervision organ must uphold principles, dare to touch the hard nuts, and overcome the mindset of being an old good‑person—some things cannot be ignored by turning a blind eye! If problems arise, I can take full responsibility; as for how to handle this matter, give it serious thought."