Chapter 478: Chapter 471: Fundraising
Zhu Xianren had thought that the local government incident with four deaths and five injuries was severe, but he had not expected that before this there had been an even more tragic case of a whole family being wiped out, with the same person as the perpetrator.
Zeng Tiesheng left behind a simple suicide note, which read: Zeng Daniu, Wu Yun, you have caused me to have no descendants, I’m going to kill you!
The situation was very clear and straightforward, Zeng Tiesheng sought revenge because he lost his son and wife. Zeng Daniu’s family only had his ten-year-old eldest daughter surviving, while the other five were dead on the scene. That ten-year-old girl developed serious psychological trauma due to the shock, and without prompt treatment, it’s likely this little girl’s life will wither away before it even truly begins.
With Zeng Tiesheng’s death, he was rid of his troubles, but the problems he left behind were numerous, chiefly his three daughters and his elderly parents. The old were aged, the children young; all needed care, but the family’s pillar was no more. Who would provide for these five became the pressing issue.
This case of revenge and murder caused too much of a stir and could not be covered up. Tian Xinhua didn’t intend to hide it either. He wanted those above to know what had triggered this murder case and ordered Old Xu not to prevent any reporters from interviewing, regardless of where they were from, letting them go about it.
Hu Dingkun and Du Changlin thought it wasn’t a good approach. At the meeting, Hu Dingkun said: "There is a saying that family disgrace should not be publicized. Now that such a disgraceful incident has happened in Huangyuan County, Vice Secretary Tian, you’re not thinking of covering it up but are large-heartedly letting reporters investigate. These reporters are not easy to deal with; who knows how they might write!"
Tian Xinhua frowned and said, "County Chief Hu, Secretary Du, do you think such a big incident can be concealed? Moreover, even if it is temporarily concealed, can we pretend that something that has happened never occurred? Rather than trying to hide it, we should think about why these incidents happened and how we can prevent similar things from happening again."
"That’s the logical reasoning, but how can such things be prevented? We can only implement the policies from above! But executing them brings resentment from the public, ah, being an official is tough nowadays!" Luo Wenlve let out a sigh and appeared quite helpless.
"That’s how it is. Although some staff at the Family Planning Station really do go too far, there are still some who are more reasonable. They are in a bind too. Under pressure from above, if they don’t do a good job, they risk losing their jobs, so they have no choice but to be aggressive in carrying out their duties," said Zhu Xianren.
Wu Jingsong added, "In fact, the root of the problem lies in the views of the public. For thousands of years, China’s traditional belief has been that more people means more power, and only a son can carry on the family lineage. Therefore, people are desperate to have a son and are not satisfied with just one; they want to have a second, a third."
The County Committee members spoke one after another, and in the end, they all agreed that the conflict between the policies and the public’s views led to such difficulty in enforcement.
Tian Xinhua concluded, "Since we’ve identified the root cause, we should think of solutions. Since the policy can’t be changed no matter what, we can only try to change people’s views. Look at Europe and America. Why do people there not want to have children even when the government pays them to? Isn’t it because they are affluent? Therefore, what we need to do most is to lead the people to live better lives. Maybe then, we won’t even have to ask them to have children because they won’t want to."
On the issue of family planning, the members of the County Committee reached a consensus: to work together to lead the entire county towards a moderately prosperous life, looking towards Europe and America as their model.
As for the catalyst of the case—Wu Yun—she was stripped of her public office for embezzlement and bribery and was taken for investigation by the Disciplinary Committee.
Wu Yun had always thought about returning to the Disciplinary Committee, and in the end, she got her wish, only it was as a suspect, and it was probably a bitter experience!
Regarding the working methods of the Family Planning Station, the County Committee also issued a document strictly prohibiting any rough and barbaric execution methods, such as violent confiscations, beatings, and the strict prohibition of forced abortions for pregnant women over seven months.
But family planning must still be carried out, so fines were increased. Of course, the County Committee also knew that collecting these fines was very difficult, so the most important factor was the biannual inspections done by the Family Planning Station’s staff, which had to be executed strictly. Once any case of excessive births was found, it had to be stopped immediately, and no gifting or backdoor dealings were allowed.
Over here, Sisi, together with the wives of Du Changlin and Hu Dingkun, discussed and organized a small-scale fundraising event, mainly to raise money for Zeng Daniu’s daughter and Zeng Tiesheng’s children and parents.
In fact, she could handle this matter by herself, but she thought it better not to hog the limelight for such a face-giving matter. Thus, it was entirely organized by Mrs. Hu, and Sisi excused herself with her pregnancy.
Mrs. Hu, Zhang Rumeng, was also a teacher, a high school teacher in fact, which made her the most well-educated among the wives in the County Committee Building. However, ever since Sisi arrived, she stepped down to the second place.
From first row to second, Sisi did not know how Mrs. Hu felt about this demotion, but Rumeng’s demeanor was still very polite, calling her "sister-in-law" affectionately, and treating the Old Man and Granny Zhao with utmost courtesy as Aunt and Uncle.
However, Sisi knew that Mrs. Hu didn’t actually like her. Despite her genuine smile, the underlying vibe was quite distant. If not for Sisi’s extraordinary perception, she might have been fooled by Rumeng, at least Granny Zhao was very pleased with Rumeng.
Sisi had no intention of exposing Rumeng; clear waters hold no fish. There’s no fun in revealing everything. Life is like a play, and everyone is just actors in it. As long as no one harbors bad intentions, she doesn’t mind playing along.
The secretary’s wife, like Secretary Du, was also a peacemaker who never spoke harshly nor offended anyone.
Rumeng took the fundraising very seriously, busying herself with it after work every day. Sisi donated five hundred yuan and then left it at that, as she was entitled to some rest being pregnant.
Initially, she wanted to contribute more, but then she thought if she gave too much, others might feel pressured to match her donation, which was not good since everyone’s financial situation was not too comfortable. She couldn’t let others affect their own lives because of her actions.
As for those children, she could look after them in private later. Right now, her most important task was to nurture her pregnancy.
Rumeng collected a total of 1388 yuan in donations, which she and the other wives together gave to Zeng Tiesheng’s parents and Zeng Daniu’s elder brother, as Zeng Daniu’s daughter was currently being taken care of by her great-uncle.
Rumeng, having gained visibility from the fundraiser, was very pleased with herself. Her smile when greeting Sisi was much more sincere.