Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 933 - 889 Stirring of the Mind
Chapter 933: Chapter 889: Stirring of the Mind
Chapter 933 -889: Stirring of the Mind
This statement deeply shocked Nie Zhenbang. The farmers, separated from their land, really faced a significant problem regarding their future.
In the past, Nie Zhenbang remembered having seen similar reports, only back then, from his high-ranking position, he hadn’t paid much attention to them. Now, hearing Old Man Ma mention it, Nie Zhenbang fell into deep thought.
Huang Dayong’s brow furrowed. In his view, these were just excuses to demand a higher price. Huang Dayong firmly believed in the saying “Poor regions breed crafty people.” Although Ganzhou City was the provincial capital, Ganzhou itself was located in Xibei, a land that, in ancient times, was rife with horse bandits. Using underhanded tactics to demand additional compensation wasn’t surprising to him.
To Huang Dayong, this wasn’t particularly noteworthy. What he was concerned about now was the issue with the office building. Back in June of this year, the Municipal Party Committee had convened a special meeting. They negotiated and passed several decisions to strengthen the working environment for grassroots organizations. The most notable decision was the allocation of 200,000 yuan from the municipal finance directly to each administrative village and community committee, to build or renovate their office premises. Yet, how was it that Majia Manor was left out? This was happening right under Huang Dayong’s nose, and he couldn’t help but be concerned.
Looking at Old Man Ma, Huang Dayong asked, “Uncle Ma, you just mentioned that the financial allocation hasn’t been distributed. What’s going on? Is only Majia Manor facing this situation, or is it the same for others in Linfeng Town?”
Out of anxiety, Huang Dayong’s tone became urgent and a little agitated. Old Man Ma looked at him indifferently, thinking this high-ranking official wasn’t particularly competent. At present, who had the time to worry about these matters when everyone was concerned about the compensation for the relocation?
Nevertheless, Old Man Ma answered, “It’s the same for everyone. Linfeng Town has a total of twelve villages. Apart from Dalin Corner Village and Zhaojiaji Village, which have been relocated and had office buildings constructed, no other village has built new office premises. Additionally, my daughter married into Zhaojiaji Village, and I’ve heard that their office building was constructed with collective compensation funds.”
Old Man Ma, though just an ordinary party member at the grassroots level and a branch secretary, was very experienced in certain matters. Throughout the conversation, he never specifically said that the Linfeng Town Government hadn’t allocated the funds, but he made his point quite clear without saying so. If none of the villages had constructed the buildings, then the funds must be held up at a higher level; if the funds had been distributed, no village would dare to hold onto them without taking action.
Seeing Huang Dayong about to lose his temper, Nie Zhenbang timely interjected, “Uncle Ma, we came specifically to understand the situation and to negotiate with the residents of Majia Manor. Could you explain why everyone thinks the compensation for the land requisition and demolition is too low and is unwilling to relocate? Look, if we don’t understand the situation, how can we solve the problem?”
Nie Zhenbang’s words made Huang Dayong pause, and then he realized what Director Nie was subtly hinting at: they were here for a purpose. The villagers of Majia Manor were all waiting outside for a clear result. At a time like this, if they were to deal with other matters and the crowd became agitated, no one would be able to contain the situation.
Thinking this, Huang Dayong also became enlightened, and his expression returned to the matter at hand. Old Man Ma observed this change and became even more convinced that his earlier guess was correct—this young man held an authority even greater than the Municipal Party Secretary.
As Old Man Ma felt he now had a trump card, in his view, this kind of matter, concerning the nation’s major policies, could only be handled by top leaders.
After a pause, Old Man Ma continued, “Leaders, it’s not really about the money. When it comes to land requisition and demolition here, we will receive a considerable sum for the collective land and mountain areas, in addition to compensation for our own houses. The state has also uniformly arranged for resettlement areas and new housing construction, which is not a problem. However, our concern isn’t about these; it’s about our future livelihood and way of life. For generations, we’ve been farmers, only knowing how to work the land. Suddenly, without land, we simply don’t know what to do.”
Here, Old Man Ma paused, gauging that the two leaders had had enough time to digest his words before continuing, “Previously, some people in Linfeng Town were the first to relocate and received hundreds of thousands in demolition compensation. Suddenly, they became city dwellers; some bought cars, gambled, sought out women. These things have happened a lot, leading to the outcome where in the end, they had neither land nor money, and their families were destroyed. You see, people should not have money. Once they have it, they cannot resist the temptations of the flashy world and forget their roots.”
Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang was deeply shocked. It was the first time he had heard of such a situation. But indeed, it was an issue that couldn’t be overlooked.
With the rapid development of national economic construction, the state’s ongoing advancement of the urbanization process encompassed the expansion of cities across all the provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities within the country. In all of China, a large number of peasants had abandoned their hoes, left the fields, and overnight, suddenly became rich, turning into new urbanites.
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However, what followed was not wealth but disaster. For those with families, where the wife could manage the household well, things were still manageable. Generally, there was no waste; the money was saved and used to build houses. But there were still quite a few, whether single, young, those whose wives couldn’t control them, or couples that both indulged in pleasure-seeking.
Suddenly possessing a large sum of money and having nothing to do, they sought to enjoy the lifestyles of the rich, the urban dwellers, buying cars, gambling, playing cards. Such phenomena were not uncommon. Consequently, some went bankrupt, not only spending all their demolition compensation but even selling their resettlement land foundations, piling up huge debts; these cases existed.
Nie Zhenbang reflected somberly with a heavy heart and suppressed emotions, forcing a smile as he looked at Old man Ma and asked, “Uncle Ma, how common is what you just described in the High-tech zone?”
“Common, and not just a little common. Just from what I know, in Zhaojiagi, my daughter’s husband’s younger brother, as soon as he got the demolition money, he nagged his father to divide it. One hundred and fifty thousand yuan, in his hands, vanished clean in less than two months, and on top of that, he accrued a hundred thousand in high-interest debt. Now, nobody knows where he’s run off to. He doesn’t dare to come back. I heard there are at least twenty-seven or eight households just like his in Zhaojiagi, varying only in severity,” Old man Ma said without hesitation.
This alone was enough evidence. Old man Ma truly took this matter to heart. The number gave Nie Zhenbang a pang of worry. Twenty-seven or eight households, even if Zhaojiagi Village was a large village with several hundred families, this ratio was not small. This issue, extended nationwide, was indeed a significant social problem that couldn’t be ignored.
After a pause, Nie Zhenbang spoke up with a smile, “Uncle Ma, so what specific requirements does Majia Manor have? I am the Chairman of Huaxia Group, which means, the land here at Majia Manor is what we need to requisition. Of course, I’m not acting in a personal capacity; I represent the state, Huaxia Group is a state-owned enterprise, this is for national defense and technological construction. But even if it’s for supporting national construction, we can’t let the common people suffer losses. This is what I just said, and I stand by my word. Whatever requirements Majia Manor has, please feel free to express them boldly, whether it is increasing compensation or something else. As long as it’s within our power, we won’t shirk or give you the runaround.”
Nie Zhenbang’s words were resounding, clear and decisive, and together with his profound presence, something not just any person could match; after all, Nie Zhenbang had once also been an important official. Underneath such temperament naturally came a convincing authority.
Old man Ma took a look at Nie Zhenbang and after a moment of silence, finally raised his head and said, “Mr. Nie, you are a prominent leader, and we trust you. I, Old man Ma, have a knack for judging character, and you wouldn’t deceive us farmers. Regarding the demolition payments, we have no special demands. Since it’s for national construction, a little less is not a big deal. Back in the day, when we sold pots and pans to make steel, we got through that as well. Whatever the time, as long as the country needs us, I, Old man Ma, will be the first to step up, and I’ll persuade everyone in the village, young and old, to join in. This time, we’re not asking about the compensation for the requisition. We want to ask you two leaders to think of a way for us. To enable the villagers to learn a skill. So that once we stop farming, we all have a way to make a living and avoid sitting idle. This is our only request. If you agree, we can start the demolition today.”
Hearing Old man Ma’s words, Nie Zhenbang and Huang Dayong exchanged a glance, and each could see the shock in the other’s eyes. Old man Ma’s words were simple, but it was exactly because of their simplicity that they struck a chord.
After a pause, Nie Zhenbang stood up and said, “Uncle Ma, I can promise you this right now. After we return, we will immediately contact the local technical and night schools. As long as the villagers are willing to learn, we’ll take care of coordinating and arranging everything, guaranteeing that anyone willing to learn a skill will genuinely acquire it, learning the means to make a living.”
On hearing these words, Old man Ma stood up joyfully too, his calloused hands excitedly grasping Nie Zhenbang’s hand, shaking it and saying, “Mr. Nie, thank you, thank you for addressing my concern, for addressing the concern of everyone, young and old, in Majia Manor. We’ll move right away.”
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