Chapter 444: Changing situation

Secretary Liu Qimeng didn't fly into a rage at me, but instead smiled and asked me to go to the Chengguan Town Cement Products Factory for inspection together.

I didn't understand what medicine he was selling in his gourd, so I could only follow behind him, step by step.

After the Chengguan Town Cement Products Factory was reformed, the original old employees were basically laid off. Some of them bought out, and most of the old employees were unwilling to buy out. They said they had contributed to the factory for a lifetime, and they couldn't be sent away with tens of thousands of yuan. The factory had to be responsible for their birth, old age, sickness and death.

Secretary Liu went to inspect because the old employees blocked work, and the Cement Products Factory was already in a state of paralysis.

Among the enterprises in Chunshan County, the Cement Products Factory could be considered a star enterprise. Like the original nitrogen fertilizer factory, machinery factory, and bearing factory, they all ended their lives in the first wave of reform.

Chunshan County itself is an agricultural county, and its industrial foundation is weak. The total number of industrial workers in the county is very large, almost accounting for one-tenth of the county's population.

Without enterprises, the lives of workers would be unsustainable. These people who ate national grain were originally carefree in the system like masters, looking down on the common people like noble ladies. Only after losing their jobs did they know that life is not always bright sunshine, but also haze and storms.

A considerable part of the industrial workers in Chunshan County are "half-side households." The so-called half-side households are families whose family members are still rural households.

Originally, these people felt less confident in front of full-time employee families. After the reform, they had the upper hand, at least they didn't have to worry about their livelihood, after all, they still had a piece of land at home.

With land, there is life, and with land, the courage is thick. It was bitter for those full-time employee families, who had no jobs and no income at all. The situation of eating and sitting empty spread like a mountain collapse and tsunami, and like an infectious disease.

Without money, the heart panics, and once the heart panics, even delicacies are tasteless, and even if there are brocade quilts, they cannot sleep peacefully.

Thinking about it, the only way out is to find the factory and ask for an explanation.

But now the factory is reformed, not only is the factory someone else's, but even the land is someone else's. To make trouble again is to deliberately provoke trouble. The factory naturally wasn't afraid, organized a group of people, the two sides stood in a stalemate for a few days, and even fought, resulting in a blood case.

Once a blood case occurs, it is a big deal. The factory was guilty and didn't dare to start work, and was worried that if this continued for a long time, the factory would be gone. So they found the county committee and requested the county committee to come forward to solve it.

Secretary Liu Qimeng heard the report of the Cement Products Factory boss, and slapped the table in anger: "No law!"

I happened to return from Suxi and went to report work to him. Secretary Liu saw me and pulled me to Chengguan Town.

Secretary Liu was used to traveling light, so our group, except for the Cement Products Factory boss and his little secretary, the county committee side was Liu Qimeng, me, the county committee office director and a driver.

As soon as the car arrived at the Cement Products Factory, I saw a pile of black people surrounding the factory gate from afar. A white banner with black characters was hung at the gate, writing "Expel the unscrupulous black-hearted boss, return my life."

Someone was crying in the crowd, looking closely, I found a few people with white cloth on their heads, kneeling on the ground, holding something like a large portrait in their arms.

"Dead?" Secretary Liu asked himself.

I didn't know anything about this, so I couldn't answer his question.

The county committee office director in the front row turned his head and said: "The day before yesterday, they had a dispute, which was just pushing each other a few times, I didn't expect it to really cause a death."

"Just pushed a few times?"

"Just pushed a few times. Didn't do it," the county committee office director emphasized: "These employees, they just can't figure out one thing. The factory has been sold to others, what trouble can they find."

"Pushed a few times and pushed someone to death?" Liu Qimeng was obviously unhappy. He didn't believe the county committee office director's words at all, and turned to me: "Check it out carefully."

I nodded repeatedly.

Someone in the crowd discovered our small car, shouted, and the crowd surged over like a tide, instantly surrounding our two small cars firmly.

The county committee office director saw the situation, his face turned pale with fright, and he asked tremblingly: "Secretary Liu, let's leave first. I'm afraid something will happen in this scene."

Liu Qimeng said expressionlessly: "If you are afraid, you go first. I am here to solve the problem, if I am afraid, can I still be their secretary?"

After speaking, he opened the car door and got out, I followed closely and got out on the other side, bypassed to Liu Qimeng's side, and prepared to protect him.

"It's Secretary Liu who came." Someone in the crowd recognized Liu Qimeng and shouted as soon as they saw him.

Liu Qimeng kept his face straight and didn't say a word.

The Cement Products Factory boss walking behind us just got out of the car when a brick was thrown by someone in the crowd, hitting his almost bald head, and he bled immediately.

The Cement Products Factory boss wailed, covered his bleeding head and shouted: "Secretary Liu, someone wants to kill!"

A few young people rushed out of the crowd, surrounded the boss and beat him, scolding while beating: "Damn it, the villain sues first!"

I had to rush over, grabbed one with one hand, and roared: "All stop for me."

My voice was very loud, making my own throat ache. But I must do this, this is called preemptive strike, must suppress them in momentum.

Sure enough, after my roar, they all stopped and stood aside, still scolding.

I stuffed the Cement Products Factory boss into the car and said to his driver: "Go to the hospital and bandage it."

This move is called "Cicada shedding its shell." I didn't know if this fat, bald man could see tomorrow's sun if the situation got out of control.

The crowd became restless, and the people with white cloth on their heads fell at Liu Qimeng's feet, crying loudly: "Secretary Liu, you have to be the master for my father."

I went to look at the photo they were holding. It was a spirited old man, his eyebrows seemed to be full of hostility. I thought, for such an old man, a photo can see the state of being alive, which can be considered a miracle.

"Get up and talk," Secretary Liu Qimeng bent down and wanted to help the people on the ground.

"Secretary Liu, you have to be the master for the people." The people on the ground refused to get up, and the people around were clamoring.

Liu Qimeng looked around and said slowly: "Dear fellow villagers, don't worry. The party and the government will definitely give you justice."

The crowd cheered and surrounded Liu Qimeng, complaining.

It turned out that before the reform of the Cement Products Factory, it was required that everyone buy shares of 10,000 yuan. However, these employees looked bright on the surface, but it was not an easy thing to take out 10,000 yuan from their pockets. Besides, shares were not guaranteed. If it lost money, wouldn't this 10,000 yuan be meat buns hitting a dog?

Anyway, this was not one or two people's business, everyone resisted not paying, let's see what you can do.

Who expected that when the announcement date arrived, the Cement Products Factory came to the current boss, who bought the factory alone. All employees, not one wanted.

The employees were not convinced and went to complain everywhere. But after complaining, they found that no one cared. So they thought about buying shares again, but people refused, saying that the factory was reformed, and the ownership was no longer the country's. Other things were the responsibility of the local government.

The mother's family of the Cement Products Factory was Chengguan Town, so everyone swarmed to Chengguan Town. The person in charge of this was Deng Hanyu, who said in a word, take the buyout fee and leave!

If there was a buyout fee, it could soothe the mood, but who expected that when asking about the buyout fee, everyone was startled. For those who have worked for more than three years, the buyout fee is 10,000 yuan. For more than ten years, 20,000 yuan. After taking the buyout fee, all relationships with the factory are written off.

Some young people with connections were straightforward and took the buyout money and left. The remaining people who had been in the Cement Products Factory for a lifetime, holding 20,000 yuan, were old, and it was difficult to find a job, and the factory didn't re-employ, so they could only wait to die.

So these people didn't take it, and reflected every day.

Reflected and reflected, reflected until Deng Hanyu's butt was smeared with oil, and he was transferred away. When looking for someone in Chengguan Town again, no one cared, the nose was not the nose, and the face was not the face.

Chengguan Town threw down a sentence, even if it was reflected to the sky, it was still such an ending!

Seeing that they were desperate, these people gathered together and ran to the Cement Products Factory to block work. The reason was that the factory was the country's, and these workers were the masters of the factory.

As soon as they blocked work here, the other side didn't do it! Seeing that cement products were needed everywhere now, opening such a factory was equivalent to opening a money printing machine. The two sides didn't agree in three sentences, and they did it.

Once they did it, most of the people here were old and frail, how could they withstand the pushing of young people? Sitting on the ground with a butt, the back of the head fell on the cement steps, and they broke their breath

The person had died, yet the Cement Products Factory wouldn't even pay for the funeral expenses. These people were so furious that they put up banners and sealed off the factory entrance.

After hearing these details, neither Liu Qimeng nor I said a word.

We both understood that to handle this matter well, the one who tied the bell must be the one to untie it; Deng Hanyu had to step in.

The problem was that Deng Hanyu had already been transferred and was now a city-managed cadre; we in Chunshan County had no authority to demand anything of him.

Thinking back to how Deng Hanyu had originally pulled Qian Youyu into the Cement Products Factory, it turned out this old Deng had planned this long ago.

The people surrounding us refused to disperse, all waiting with bated breath for us to speak.

Secretary Liu Qimeng pondered for a long while before saying, "Let the deceased be laid to rest first. As for other matters, we need everyone to sit down and talk it over slowly."

When the others heard this, they saw it as another delaying tactic and immediately started clamoring, asking if Secretary Liu was in cahoots with them. How could he handle things this way? Even if they were to be laid to rest, they needed money to get things done.

Hearing them say this, Liu Qimeng looked at me with a livid face.

I smiled and said, "Everyone, don't be impatient. The funeral expenses will definitely be paid. How about this: the county will advance the money first, and once the matter is settled, we can talk again."

The crowd asked, "How much will you give?"

I counted on my fingers and said, "This money is being advanced by the county, so you are borrowing it. Whether it's a lot or a little isn't the issue. There must be a result. When the conclusion is reached, it's not yet certain who will bear this cost. So my view is, take fifty thousand yuan first to hold the funeral in Chunshan County; that amount is enough."

I looked at Liu Qimeng, who was watching me; after hearing me finish, he nodded in satisfaction to show his agreement.

Just as these people were about to disperse, a burst of police sirens was heard in the distance, followed by several cars speeding toward us. The one leading was none other than the County Public Security Bureau Director.

He jumped out of the car, ran to Liu Qimeng's side in three or two steps, and struck a protective pose. Turning his head, he shouted to the group of armed police who had gotten out of the cars behind him, "Arrest them all!"

The crowd was in an uproar, and some people began to flee.

Before I could even open my mouth to stop them, these police officers had already charged into the crowd like wolves and tigers, raising their batons and beating them fiercely.

The crowd scattered and fled, with men and women screaming for help.

In an instant, the dark, dense crowd had vanished without a trace. Several people lay on the ground, their hands cuffed, gasping for air like dead fish.

The sudden turn of events caught Liu Qimeng and me off guard. Liu Qimeng's face turned deathly pale, and he stared fixedly at the County Public Security Bureau Director, shouting, "Who told you to come?"

The Bureau Director grinned obsequiously and said, "The Office Director reported the alarm, saying that you, Secretary Liu, were being besieged."

Liu Qimeng and I turned our heads in unison to look for the County Party Committee Office Director, only to find him standing in the distance, smiling coldly.