Chapter 2405: Restoring Power

When Su Xinghui arrived at the worker dormitory area, he felt as if he had entered a ghost town. This large area was pitch black due to the power outage, with only a few rooms showing dim, yellowish candlelight.

Su Xinghui casually walked into a home with candlelight and saw a little boy doing his homework at the dining table, illuminated entirely by two candles stuck in wine bottles.

Perhaps they usually only lit one candle, and only lit two when the child was doing homework, because candles were quite expensive.

Watching the little boy earnestly doing his homework in the dim candlelight, Su Xinghui felt an urge to cry for some reason.

The little boy saw so many people come into his home and stood up, at a loss, asking, "Uncle, who are you looking for?"

Su Xinghui said, "Little friend, we are just here to take a look."

The little boy shouted, "Mom, someone is here."

A young woman came out from the back. She clearly hadn't expected so many people in her home and was stunned, but she immediately saw Yin Deshan and called out, "Old Factory Manager."

Yin Deshan said, "Xiao Cui, this is the working group from the capital. They are here to see the situation in our dormitory area. Don't be afraid."

The young woman named Xiao Cui nodded, then said with some difficulty, "I'm cooking noodles for the child on the coal stove, and we don't have much hot water at home. What should I do?"

Su Xinghui said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry about it. We are just taking a look and will leave immediately."

Seeing the mother and son sitting there uneasily, Su Xinghui nodded to them and left.

He went to the next house. This family was also cooking on a coal stove. Su Xinghui took a look and left.

After visiting over a dozen houses, the situation was much the same. Their homes were bare, as cold as ice cellars. It was dinner time, but they were either cooking noodles or boiling some rice and stewing Chinese cabbage on a coal stove for dinner.

Su Xinghui's expression grew increasingly solemn. When he walked out of a dilapidated bungalow, he finally couldn't hold it in anymore. He turned to the group leaders following him and asked, "Let me ask you, have you been here to see this?"

The group leaders lowered their heads together. Deng Fuping said in a low voice, "I have been here, but I have no choice. There is no money in the company's account to buy coal, and the power department refuses to supply electricity. What can I do?"

Su Xinghui said, "Fine, then let me ask you, where do you company leaders live now?"

Deng Fuping pointed to a nearby building and said, "My home is there."

Su Xinghui said, "I'm not asking where your home is; I'm asking where you live now. Do you dare to say you still live in your home? If you still live there, I want you to take me to see it now, to see if anyone is actually living there!"

Deng Fuping also lowered his head.

Su Xinghui said, "Since you have been here and remain indifferent to such a scene, then I can only say you are numb and heartless!"

Su Xinghui's words were very harsh. After all, Deng Fuping was a deputy bureau-level cadre, and his age was double Su Xinghui's. But now, no one felt there was anything wrong with Su Xinghui saying this, and Deng Fuping himself didn't make a sound.

Su Xinghui turned to Yi Bingcheng and said, "Mayor Yi, I'm afraid it's too late for heating, but I hope you can coordinate with the Power Bureau to supply electricity to the Yanfang Group's dormitory area tonight. As for the electricity bills owed by the group, I will find a way; I will guarantee it. Can you do that?"

Yi Bingcheng's face turned a bit red. Did it really come to Su Xinghui having to provide a guarantee? Did Su Xinghui really have to find a way for the electricity bills owed by the Yanfang Group? He hurriedly nodded and said, "I will contact the Power Bureau right now."

In fact, as a deputy mayor in charge of industry, if Yi Bingcheng really spoke up, would the Power Bureau not give him face? But he didn't want to use his influence on such matters. What benefit would it bring him? Would it help him get promoted?

Yi Bingcheng just hoped the matter would drag on, the more serious the better, until the Yanfang Group went bankrupt, which would be beneficial for them all.

Besides, he could make one call, but it was unrealistic to expect the Power Bureau to supply electricity to the Yanfang Group long-term while they owed tens of millions in electricity bills, because the Power Bureau was not a department directly managed by the city, but a vertically managed department. If the electricity bills couldn't be collected, the leaders of the Power Bureau would also be held responsible.

Now that Su Xinghui had spoken, Yi Bingcheng had no choice but to make the call. He said to his secretary, "Contact Director Hu of the Power Bureau and tell him to supply electricity to the Yanfang Group's dormitory area."

The secretary nodded, took his phone, and went to the side to make the call. A few minutes later, he returned and said to Yi Bingcheng, "Mayor Yi, Director Hu said they will supply electricity in fifteen minutes."

The worker representatives on the scene heard this, and Yin Deshan said excitedly, "Can they really supply electricity in fifteen minutes?"

Yi Bingcheng said, "Old Factory Manager, don't worry, Director Hu wouldn't dare to fool me."

Yin Deshan said to the workers gathered around, "Go and notify everyone that electricity will be supplied in fifteen minutes."

The workers ran through the dormitory area, spreading the news. They were very excited because they hadn't had electricity for months. During these months, they couldn't use electricity, had to cook with coal stoves, hadn't watched TV for months, and had no entertainment. Every day, after eating and letting the children finish their homework, they would just wash up and go to sleep.

Could they really get electricity today?

Everyone stood in the courtyard with excited hearts, and every household turned on their light switches, hoping to see the light the moment the power came on.

Su Xinghui stood straight in the courtyard, with Yin Deshan and the worker representatives behind him, all looking toward the pitch-black dormitory area.

Fifteen minutes finally passed, but in everyone's minds, it felt like fifteen years, incredibly long.

Suddenly, the lights in the entire dormitory area came on at once. Just a second later, cheers erupted, a mountain-shaking roar of cheers throughout the area.

"Power is on!"

"Power is on!"

"Power is on!"...

Everyone had no other words; at this moment, they didn't know what words could express their excitement. They only knew to shout, "Power is on!"...

Yin Deshan and the others were also exceptionally excited. Yin Deshan's lips quivered, and after a long time, he said to Su Xinghui, "Team Leader Su, thank you!"

Making a call to the Power Bureau to supply electricity was actually a very simple matter, but for these past few months, no one had been willing to do it. Yet this Team Leader Su from the capital had accomplished it on his very first day. The dormitory area had power. ===== CHAPTER 2407 =====