Chapter 1004

In the early morning of Jinxī County, the thin mist had not yet dispersed.

The construction site of the ecological agriculture park was already a scene of bustling activity.

Large machinery rumbled as it leveled the land, workers were busy erecting irrigation pipes, and on the distant slope, several excavators were clearing rubble in preparation for planting fruit saplings.

Nine o'clock in the morning.

Three black sedans slowly drove into the park and stopped in front of the temporarily erected office area.

The car doors opened, Lin Dongfan stepped out first, followed by Ye Jiaying, president of Mortal Group, secretary Xiao Chen, and driver Lao Ba.

He wore a dark jacket, his sports shoes were speckled with mud, yet it did nothing to diminish his composed aura.

"Mayor Lin, President Ye, you've worked hard on the way!"

County Party Secretary Liu Zhenbang had already brought the relevant department heads to wait here, and he stepped forward quickly to shake hands with the two.

Liu Zhenbang was about the same age as Lin Dongfan, both in their early forties, his hair neatly combed, his eyes bright, exuding a pragmatic, can-do spirit.

This was also why Lin Dongfan intended to promote him.

The ecological agriculture park project in Jinxī County was not only a livelihood project, but also a way for Lin Dongfan to pave the road for Liu Zhenbang's political achievements.

"Secretary Liu, no need to be polite," Lin Dongfan said, waving his hand with a smile as his gaze swept over the construction scene of the park: "How is the project progressing? Have you encountered any obstacles?"

Overall, it's going very smoothly!

Liu Zhenbang handed over a progress report, his tone excited: "Infrastructure construction is already 70% complete; the first batch of fruit saplings can be delivered the day after tomorrow. Land transfer work is basically wrapped up; of the eight villages in the county involved in land transfer, 95% of households have signed agreements, with only a few households still in negotiation."

Ye Jiaying took another report.

Scanning the details of the land transfer, she said: "Secretary Liu, have the compensation payments been fully disbursed to the households? How is the implementation of our previously agreed 'priority employment' policy?"

All have been implemented!

Liu Zhenbang quickly replied: "The compensation payments were transferred via bank last week and distribution is complete; each village has published the list of recipients. The positions for priority employment have been tallied, with 230 villagers registered so far. Once the park is completed, we will first arrange for them to undergo skills training, ensuring everyone has work and income."

Lin Dongfan nodded, quite satisfied with this result.

He took the list of unsigned households handed to him by Liu Zhenbang, flipped it open, and saw that only five households were listed, with names, addresses, and reasons for not signing clearly marked.

When he saw the three characters 'Sun Bingliang'.

Lin Dongfan's finger jerked to a halt, his eyes instantly becoming complex.

Sun Bingliang?

That name was like a key, unlocking memories he had sealed away for years.

During high school, his family was poor; the Lin Xu Chang couple, who had taken in his father and later raised him to adulthood, had both passed away, leaving them so destitute they could barely afford food.

It was Sun Bingliang, sitting behind him, who each week shared half of the pickled vegetables he brought from home with him.

In winter, he also slipped a hand warmer into his pocket.

Even when he couldn't scrape together his miscellaneous school fees, Sun Bingliang would furtively press a few wrinkled bills into his hand—pocket money he had saved by scrimping and saving.

In his memory, Sun Bingliang was a sunny, smiling youth who played basketball well, was righteous, always wore a washed-out school uniform, yet radiated vigorous vitality.

The key was that he was especially enthusiastic in political theory class.

How could he appear on the list of unsigned households?

"Secretary Liu," Lin Dongfan said, pointing at the name on the list, his tone hinting at a barely perceptible urgency: "Which village is Sun Bingliang from? Why hasn't he signed the agreement?"

Liu Zhenbang stared for a moment, then quickly flipped to the remarks: "Oh, Sun Bingliang is from Sun Family Village. His situation is rather special; he's a disabled person with an amputated right leg. His father worries that he will have no support in the future, and without land he will have no fallback, so he wants more compensation. We've visited several times to talk, but the old man hasn't budged."

His right leg amputated?

Lin Dongfan's heart felt as if struck by a heavy hammer, his face instantly sinking: "What happened? He's not old—how did his leg become disabled?"

Seeing Lin Dongfan's strong reaction, Liu Zhenbang felt somewhat surprised.

He hurried to explain: "I'm not entirely sure of the details, but it seems to have happened five years ago. I heard he reported a county mine owner's illegal discharge of waste, and not long after, someone broke his leg. Because the injury was severe, he had to amputate it. That mine owner had a strong background, so the case ultimately came to nothing."

Five years ago?

Reported illegal discharge?

Had his leg broken?

Lin Dongfan's fist clenched unconsciously, his knuckles whitening. He never imagined that the sunny boy who had helped him in every way back then would suffer such a misfortune.

A deep sense of guilt and anger surged within him.

He felt guilty that, as mayor holding power, he had not learned of his old classmate's plight sooner, nor could he uphold justice for him.

He was angry that the mine owner could be so arrogant and domineering, injuring and disabling someone yet escape punishment, surely backed by a protective umbrella!

"Mayor Lin, you… know Sun Bingliang?"

Liu Zhenbang asked cautiously, sensing that Lin Dongfan's emotions were unsettled at the moment.

Lin Dongfan took a deep breath, suppressed the turmoil inside, and nodded: "He's my high school classmate; back then he looked after me."

Saying this, Lin Dongfan closed the list, his tone firm: "Secretary Liu, take me to Sun Family Village; I want to see him in person."

Well…

Liu Zhenbang hesitated a little: "Mayor Lin, your schedule for today is packed—you have to inspect the park this morning and hold a symposium this afternoon…"

The schedule can be adjusted.

Lin Dongfan cut off Liu Zhenbang's words and continued: "The people's affairs are the most important. Sun Bingliang's situation is special; I must go see him."

Ye Jiaying also spoke up: "Secretary Liu, just do as Mayor Lin says. We can postpone the symposium to the afternoon; let's first go to Sun Family Village to have a look. This will also let us directly understand the villagers' concerns, so we can handle the follow‑up work more meticulously."

All right, I'll make the arrangements.

Liu Zhenbang no longer hesitated; he immediately had his secretary contact the village head of Sun Family Village and had a vehicle prepared.

Secretary Xiao Chen, standing beside him, whispered a reminder: "Mayor Lin, should we notify the local police station to come along? Just in case…"

"No need," Lin Dongfan said, waving his hand: "Today we're going to visit struggling households and learn the situation, not to mount an accusation. Keep a low profile; don't cause trouble for the villagers."

Lao Ba stepped forward: "I'll go with you, too, so there's someone to look out for you."

Lin Dongfan nodded, saying no more.

Ten minutes later.

The convoy drove toward Sun Family Village.

Inside the car.

Lin Dongfan leaned against the seat and closed his eyes.

In his mind, images from high school kept surfacing: Sun Bingliang running on the basketball court, the smile as he poured pickles into his lunch box, the lowered voice when he secretly slipped him money…

Thinking also of what Liu Zhenbang said—'amputation,' 'mine owner,' 'left unresolved'—his gaze grew colder.

No matter who the mine owner is, no matter how hard his backing, this time he will get to the bottom of it and give Sun Bingliang justice!

At the same time.

On the small road of Sun Family Village, an ambulance was blaring its siren, speeding toward the county town.

On the stretcher in the back seat lay Sun Bingliang and his father.

Both their faces and bodies were covered in wounds. Sun Bingliang's prosthetic limb was battered out of shape, and his father's forehead was wrapped in thick gauze. Blood had soaked through the gauze, and their faces were as pale as paper.

"Bingliang, hold on…you'll be fine once we get to the hospital…"

His father spoke weakly, tears sliding down the corners of his eyes.

Sun Bingliang's eyes were tightly shut, blood traces at the corner of his mouth, his consciousness already somewhat blurred, but his hand remained clenched into a fist, a single thought in his mind—Chen Cheng, I'm not done with you!