Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 202: The Rich Man of Gemu Township (First update, request for monthly tickets)_i

Translator: 549690339

Nie Zhenbang was quite pleased with Yao Lianghua’s attitude. For the residents of Gemu Township, the entire relocation and migration would be a rare blessing; compared to scratching a living in poor mountainous areas. After relocation, the government would certainly consider thoroughly issues regarding their houses, lands retained for personal use, as well as jobs and the future. Before, perhaps none of the older residents of Gemu Township had ever visited the county town before. But after the migration, the time needed to travel from the resettlement site to the county town would only be a few minutes.

However, the migration posed a severe test for the whole party and government team of Gemu Township and for the individuals working in various departments of the township.

Gemu Township is small; in terms of population base, it is even smaller than a big village in Shengli Township. The whole township has only a little over two thousand people. This is because of Gemu Township’s remote geographical location. If it were to be merged into other villages or towns, the entire Gemu Township would turn into a disorganized and fragmented state. This was why the decision had been made to establish the township in the first place.

However, the situation would be difficult to predict when it comes to the topic of relocation. Despite having few cadres, the township does have formal and ranked government officials. For instance, Yao Lianghua is an official of the formal division-level. The issue of how to arrange them in the future, whether to demote or relocate, remains. Now is the time to test whether the officials of Gemu Township truly consider issues from the perspective of ordinary people. It is a critical moment to test the nature of individuals’ hearts.

Fortunately, Nie Zhenbang was fully satisfied with the attitude and choices of Yao Lianghua and others. They did not care about personal gains, losses, glory, or disgrace. The number of party cadres with this attitude is much less than before.

Subsequently, Nie Zhenbang also stood up and said, “Comrades, it’s excellent that you have this kind of mindset. This is the practical attitude. As party members, you should have this kind of mindset that does not care about personal gains and losses or glory and disgrace. All of these are insignificant compared to the national and ethnic interests. I am very relieved. If you can all prioritize the common people, I trust that all of you are good cadres. The organization will not overlook, nor will it bury capable personnel.”

In fact, by saying this, Nie Zhenbang affirmed his stance. If you can prioritize the common people, the higher-level organization will certainly not treat you unfairly and will definitely make proper arrangements. However, if you fret over your own personal interests, how things will be arranged is uncertain.

Nie Zhenbang then proceeded to say, “Since we have already made this decision, Secretary Yao, I suggest you organize a migration leadership group in Gemu Township immediately. Old Yao, you should serve as the group’s leader and do ideological work among the township’s residents, explaining our policies to them. I believe that the common people will understand and support our decisions.”

As everyone left the township government compound, the street was buzzing with activity, and the crowd of onlookers gradually thinned out. Meanwhile, the outside environment was becoming lively.

As Yao Lianghua furrowed his brow, ready to step out, a tall, skinny middle-aged man, about 1.75 meters tall, walked in surrounded by a group of villagers.

Before Yao Lianghua could speak, villagers next to him began speaking spontaneously, “Secretary Yao, this is our town’s businessman who left the village. He heard about the earthquake and rushed back today. Lufeng said he wanted to rebuild the primary school for our township.”

“Lufeng? Zhu Lufeng who left for Yuedong in the south during the 1980s?” Yao Lianghua had heard of this name, along with some interesting stories about Zhu Lufeng.

Zhu Lufeng was quite a character in Gemu Township. In the 1980s, he was a well-known rascal in the township. Despite his potty mouth and slight promiscuity, his reputation among the villagers was pretty good. He never stole or was dishonest, and strictly adhered to not doing anything detrimental to the village.

Later, with the deepening of reform and opening up, Zhu Lufeng left to go south to Yuedong for business about four or five years ago. He hadn’t returned for several years, but many relatives and friends from Gemu Township went to join him. Upon returning, they shared quite a few interesting stories about Zhu Lufeng.

For instance, once in the South China Sea in Yuedong, a small car parked on the side of the street, probably due to illegal parking. A traffic police officer walked up to the car and knocked on it, but when he saw no one inside, he prepared to issue a fine.

At that moment, Zhu Lufeng approached with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, looking at the traffic officer with disdain, “Can’t you do anything else but issue fines?”

The traffic policeman looked at Zhu Lufeng, thinking, “I knocked on the car for a long time with no response and when I decided to write a ticket, you appear. I’m definitely fining you.”

But Zhu Lufeng continued, “Why are you issuing a fine? If you dare, tow the car.”

This statement made the police officer angry. However, the traffic police in the South China Sea were well-trained. With so many bosses in the South China Sea, a little fine would not hurt their pockets. The officer continued to fill out his paperwork.

This time, Zhu Lufeng spoke up again, very aggressively, “Go ahead, dare you tow my car away.”

At this point, the traffic police officer was furious. So, you think I wouldn’t dare to tow your car? Mainly considering if your car was towed away, it would complicate your transport options. So, if that’s the case, I will take action. Consequently, the traffic police officer immediately called for backup, and shortly after, a tow truck came, hoisted the car up and took it away.

At this time, one of the officers sauntered over to Zhu Lufeng, smiling politely, “I have towed your car. Come and face the penalty at the Second Detachment at three this afternoon.”

At that moment, Zhu Lufeng, this audacious young man, flicked his hair back and said, “I don’t give a shit. It’s not even my car.” Saying that, he hopped on his bicycle and left.

Hearing Yao Lianghua describe this moment, Nie Zhenbang also broke out in laughter. He found the scenario amusing enough to illustrate the recklessness and nonchalance of Zhu Lufeng’s younger years, and yet this man managed to carve out a foothold for himself in Yuedong out of nothing. Many have ventured into business, but not many have made it far.

At this moment, while the two were deep in conversation, Zhu Lufeng, guided by a few older men, walked up to Nie Zhenbang.

He was someone Nie Zhenbang already knew from yesterday’s rescue scene at school, the middle-aged man who took the lead. Now, Boss Zhu came along too.

“Lufeng, let me introduce you. This is Director Nie, the head of Lixian County. Yesterday, it was largely thanks to him that the school was saved. If he hadn’t shown up and led the way, Boss Zhu and the rest wouldn’t have made it.” The middle-aged man embarrassingly recalled the incident. If it wasn’t for Nie Zhenbang’s unyielding spirit and leadership, Boss Zhu and the kids would have been finished. The few people from the town government would’ve needed several hours just to clear the rubble, which would have suffocated the kids.

Boss Zhu added, “Lufeng, this time, if Director Nie hadn’t done his absolute best to save us, I probably wouldn’t be alive.”

Zhu Lufeng, hearing his cousin’s words, stepped forth to meet Nie Zhenbang, a man he’d heard of before. Although Zhu Lufeng was a hoodlum, he was honorable and principled. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have achieved what he has today. Since he has become more familiar with people from the government, after opening the Millionaire Hotel in Bazhou, his respect for Nie has only grown.

Zhu Lufeng then stepped forth, “Director Nie, as soon as I heard about the earthquake in Lixian, I rushed back. Seeing the school in ruins, I want to help my hometown. I will cover the cost of rebuilding this school. I have a favor to ask, and I hope Nie Zhenbang will grant it. I am from Gemu Township, and I want to do something for my fellow villagers.”

Nie Zhenbang was taken aback. In this era, not many among the first group of wealthy men in the country show the same level of consideration as Zhu Lufeng. There have been frequent news of overseas Chinese making donations for hometown development.

This alone gave Nie a good impression of Zhu. No matter what he did or who he was, a hoodlum or a gangster, the fact that he could consider the well-being of his hometown said volumes about his character.

If it was up to Nie’s preferences, he might have gladly accepted Zhu’s offer, but since the decision had already been made to relocate the entirety of Gemu Township, naturally he couldn’t accept the offer. So, he responded with a smile, “Boss Zhu, as representatives of the county committee and government, we appreciate your kindness. I have heard that Boss Zhu also plans to invest in a leather factory in our industrial zone. I am grateful to Boss Zhu for your support and assistance in the economic development of our hometown. However, I’m afraid I can’t grant you your wish to rebuild the school.”

Hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Zhu Lufeng grew anxious. Prior to this, the first thing that Zhu Lufeng did upon his return was to visit his cousin and inspect the town’s primary school. As a man who had spent many years working outside without much education, Zhu Lufeng knew too well the importance of education. It’s impossible for him to get a proper education now, but it only made him respect educated people even more. That’s why he came up with the idea of donating a school. But now, Nie Zhenbang had rejected his offer.

Then Zhu Lufeng moved closer, noticeably anxiously, “No, Director Nie. I have the money. I was planning to donate half a million for the school. I don’t want anything in return, just allow me to do something for the people and children of our Gemu Township.”

Hearing this, Nie Zhenbang laughed and explained, “Boss Zhu, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that we don’t accept your donation. We welcome philanthropists like you who are concerned about the development and education of our hometown. The issue isn’t about your donation, but about the problem of Gemu Township. The county government has a preliminary plan, intending to relocate Gemu Township to the area around our industrial zone. The limited population is a big constraint on the development of Lixian County. Moving Gemu Township might solve the issue and mitigate the current shortage of population.”

When the villagers surrounding them heard about the relocation of Gemu Township as a whole, they became visibly agitated.

PS: The first update is out. No more nonsense. I believe brothers and sisters can tell Old Cai’s determination and attitude from this. Just one word! Fight!