Chapter 1029

Old Comrade Fang said: "Alright, since you've decided, I'll support you. But you're a leading cadre in the county; a transfer probably won't happen that quickly. How about this: finish the paperwork around September, then you can return to Jingcheng."

Fang Jingwen flared up upon hearing this: "Waiting until September, the yellow flowers will be cold? If I really have to wait that long, I might as well keep working! No way—others can transfer a job in a week, why does it take so long for me?"

"If we followed the normal procedure, why would I be begging you? I could file a report with the Municipal Party Committee; they could resolve it in three months, and plenty of people are willing for me to leave my current post. No way—bottom line, give me one week to get this done!"

Old Comrade Fang felt utterly helpless; he knew his daughter well—she was rarely this willful, and as an old father he seldom worried about her work matters, but since she was so adamant this time, he could only compromise.

"Alright, alright, if you insist, go to the power company. Coincidentally, I heard they're sending a team to Europe to inspect hydroelectric and wind power projects—going out would broaden your horizons, and many comrades in important posts have such experience."

Old Comrade Fang was still talking, but Fang Jingwen had already lost interest; whether she gained experience or not didn't matter to her—what mattered was being able to return early and disappear from everyone's sight.

As for whether she'd go abroad or not, that was debatable; according to her thinking, she could just rent a place to live outside, anyway adding or losing one person in such a company makes no difference.

After hanging up the phone, Old Comrade Fang felt the matter was a bit sudden, so he deliberately called home:

"Our daughter just called me out of the blue, saying she wants to go to a company, claiming her current work is too tiring and she wants to relax, and even saying that at her age she ought to hurry into dating and marriage. She's also pressing me to get the paperwork done quickly—this doesn't match her personality at all."

Fang Jingwen's mother, hearing this, showed no surprise at all, merely saying in a flat tone: "Since she wants to return to a company, let her come back—then I can take care of her."

This left Old Comrade Fang bewildered: "Her coming back is supposed to be her taking care of us—how did it become you taking care of her? She's a grown woman; can she really not look after herself?"

On Su Yang's side, he once again visited the milk factory under construction, and also went to dozens of already sizable livestock farming households, asking in detail about the problems they encountered in daily breeding and the assistance they needed.

In the afternoon, in the county government conference room, he met with the initial leadership team of the milk factory, communicating and exchanging views on its production plan, sales model, and product form. This meeting was crucial for whether local enterprises could thrive, gain a foothold, and grow big and strong.

Just after the meeting ended, returning to his office without even having taken a sip of water, Shi Haoyun hurriedly knocked and entered: "Leader, something's happened in Guantan Gou Zhen! A dump truck hauling sand collided with a farm tricycle, causing a serious accident with one dead and eight injured. The County Public Security Bureau, Xian Yiyuan, and relevant units have already rushed there; Secretary Zhang has demanded that all members of the County Standing Committee go to the scene."

Su Yang heard this, his heart gave a jolt—indeed, something had happened. He had thought he could finish all his current tasks, wait for the milk factory to be completed and start production, then calmly await the cadre exchange, but in the end he couldn't wait until the final moment.

"Alright, let's rush over right away! What exactly happened? Do you know the details?"

Shi Haoyun said: "According to the current account, the truck driver had been drinking, while the farm tricycle was on its way to another township to attend someone's wedding, and they collided on the road beside the Sha He. The truck driver should now be under control, the tricycle driver died on the spot, and the others have been sent to the Xian Yiyuan."

Su Yang furrowed his brow, immediately dialed Sun Chengjun's number, and as soon as the call connected he asked: "What exactly happened? Do you have any preliminary analysis or judgment? Was it intentional or just an accident?"

Sun Chengjun said: "No final conclusion yet, but judging from the scene, it should be an accident. This driver is also a local; he usually drinks, but normally doesn't drink while driving—today, reportedly, he had a few drinks at someone else's wedding."

Su Yang said: "Immediately investigate his social connections—see who he's been in contact with these past few days! Also, the driver of the farm tricycle, and the families of all the injured need to be properly placated! And notify the media at the scene not to allow external reporting!"

Having said that, he suddenly stopped. He had often said he only took care of what he ought to worry about and otherwise kept his hands off other work, but once something truly happened, he couldn't help but start looking at the big picture again.

Sun Chengjun naturally realized this as well, saying: "With this kind of incident, the one who's probably most anxious is Secretary Zhang, right? I'll handle whatever needs investigating, and as for the soothing work, I guess Secretary Zhang's side has already had other units' colleagues take care of it."

Su Yang gave an affirmative hum and hung up the phone.

By the time he arrived, almost all members of the County Standing Committee were already present. At that moment, Zhang Jiangbo's complexion was unusually grim; the dump truck and the deformed farm tricycle still stood at the roadside, and bloodstains could even be seen on the ground. Yet even so, the illegal sand‑mining activities in the Sha He had not ceased—although the large trucks had stopped, the small carts kept shuttling back and forth.

Zhang Jiangbo glanced around and asked, "Everyone here?" Then, with a sombre look, he said: "I've repeatedly stressed not to damage the environment or cause soil erosion—look at this now! It's because sand mining caused the roadbed to sink; this originally flat road is full of potholes, and even if nothing happens today, trouble is bound to come sooner or later."

"Now it's come to this point—someone's died. What do you say we do next? This is a major matter; so far only one person has died, the others have been sent to hospital, but will we ultimately be able to save them all? If three were to die, that would be a major accident, and everyone present would share responsibility—no one could escape."

Moreover, at this moment, any misspoken word would make one the target of everyone's anger—even Qi Guohui, who loved to play the vanguard, kept his mouth shut tight.

Seeing that no one spoke, Zhang Jiangbo turned directly to Zhao Nanxing: "County Magistrate Zhao, the government‑side work is your responsibility—share your thoughts."