142: Chapter 142 The Aftermath of the Du Village Incident

The people of Du Village had been suppressed for too long; their spirit of subservience had been squeezed out of them by that damned Du Laosan, to the point that when Sun Ning said he wanted to keep the coffin factory, turn it into a village collective enterprise, and distribute dividends at the end of the year, not a single person objected.

Sun Ning suggested that if anyone had other ideas, they could feel free to bring them up.

The scene was deathly silent!

Seeing this, Sun Ning truly wanted to execute Du Laosan and his gang on the spot.

It was evident just how much Du Laosan had bullied them on a daily basis.

Coupled with the fact that the Police Station was controlled by Chief Wu and the current deputy director, they couldn't even reach the gates of the Township Government.

Sun Ning could imagine their helplessness, where their cries to heaven went unanswered and their pleas to the earth went unheeded.

Helpless, Sun Ning canceled the general meeting and changed it to a small meeting with the new village committee members.

It was called a meeting, but it was actually a briefing.

The few elected village officials were at a loss when faced with their impending responsibilities!

"Comrades, you were elected by the villagers, and you carry the hopes of the entire village on your shoulders."

"Perhaps you don't know how to proceed with your work."

"It's very simple: think what the people think, and worry about what the people worry about."

"Of course, rural work is a very complex project, and we cannot blindly tolerate unreasonable demands."

"Therefore, your first task is to manage people."

"No matter what cause you undertake, as long as you manage the people well, that cause is already half successful!"

"And managing people is the hardest thing, especially when you have to manage hundreds of them."

"In the coming days, I will stay in the village for two or three days to first help you sort out the coffin factory."

"This is a cash cow that can also provide some extra income for your villagers."

Must a coffin factory only produce coffins?

In Sun Ning's opinion, Du Laosan and his gang had it too easy making such illicit money.

Since they were already doing it, why not provide a one-stop service?

Consider making paper effigies, consider spirit money, consider a suona band...

Vast China is a land of etiquette, and Heyang is one of the main cradles of civilization.

Funeral culture is deeply embedded in everyone's heart.

Not only that, but some people could go out and buy trees, then sell them to the coffin factory!

You might say that private trading of trees is illegal.

Sun Ning could certainly tell them loudly that this is indeed illegal.

And then what?

There would be no "then"!

In the village next to Sun Ning's hometown, the entire village is in the business of trading trees.

Their village's level of prosperity is significantly higher than that of the surrounding villages.

Therefore, they should start vigorously developing Du Village around the coffin factory, which was an almost monopolistic industry.

For the next three days, Sun Ning stayed in Du Village.

First, he interviewed a factory manager for the coffin factory in Du Village.

Then, he began training, and also started organizing development ideas for Du Village, breaking them down into pieces and explaining them to Du Hua and the others.

Of course, Sun Ning did not forget to comfort the villagers.

At noon and in the evening, Sun Ning could be seen at the Du Village information center.

"Du Hua, I know you came from the military. I hope that in your future work, you can keep your original intention and lead Du Village toward a moderately prosperous life."

"Party Secretary, you have supported our Du Village so much. If I, Du Hua, still can't make something of it, I won't have the face to face you. If you come back to Du Village a year from now, I guarantee that Du Village will have changed completely."

"Haha, I like your boldness. Then I'll come back next year. If Du Village isn't as completely changed as you say, I'll hold you accountable!"

"Guarantee to complete the mission!"

The three-day trip to Du Village ended.

Sun Ning felt a great sense of achievement; another village was gradually improving under his influence.

He continued to move forward for his political philosophy of "hiding wealth among the people."

Meanwhile, the investigation work in the county was still ongoing.

Sun Ning didn't ask about it, nor was he in any hurry.

This kind of case was naturally slow work that required careful attention. Only when Du Laosan was handed over to the Procuratorate for prosecution would the matter be considered settled.

In the car, Sun Ning was dozing off.

The Du Village affair had drained his mental energy.

Now that it was over, he could finally catch his breath.

However, the phone wouldn't let him have his way. As soon as Sun Ning answered, an excited voice came from the other end.

"Sun Ning, you've really made it big."

"Sun Ning, you've reached the ears of the higher-ups."

"Not only were you on CCTV, but the big shot who proposed the service-oriented government personally wrote instructions."

"'This young comrade, Sun Ning, is truly capable. Not only is his economic theory excellent, but he is also excellent in practical work.'"

"It seems this leader had already praised you before when he was with Elder Shang."

"Little brother, are you satisfied now, you careerist? Your sister is in Zhongzhou City; I've come to celebrate with you."

She had been talking about serious matters, but suddenly became unserious again.

The last sentence caught Sun Ning off guard, and he hung up the phone directly.

"Brother Zhao, stop the car, let me drive."

Sun Ning grabbed the steering wheel and sped toward Mishui Township.

After dropping off the driver and Xiao Zhou, Sun Ning didn't stop; he slammed on the gas and headed toward Zhongzhou City.

He was truly excited!

That was personal praise from that person in the government.

Sun Ning felt he had to find someone to share his joy with.

In a residential building in Zhongzhou City, Sun Ning grabbed and hugged Zhao Xue, who was waiting for him.

"Sister really understands me!"

Talking was one thing, but his feet didn't stop moving, and he was heading toward the bedroom.

"Stop messing around, hold on, the 7 o'clock news is about to come on."

Sun Ning stopped his steps and sat on the sofa, but his hands didn't stop.

Zhao Xue's Land Cruiser-like figure was truly something Sun Ning couldn't keep his hands off of.

"Who told you that?"

"Who else could it be? My old man, of course!"

"He knows about me?"

"Look at you saying that. His precious daughter runs to Heyang all day long; how could he not know!"

Hearing Zhao Xue say this, Sun Ning's hands, which had been misbehaving, froze.

"Look at your spineless appearance. The old man doesn't know; he only knows we are close."

"I already told the old man long ago that I won't marry or enter into any political marriage in this life, and they wouldn't dare force me."

"Besides, after the old man finds out, maybe they will even thank you!"

"They have always thought that Rou Rou and I were... that..."

"Haha, if I want children later, I'll just go abroad to have one, then bring it home to scare him."

The more Zhao Xue thought about it, the more feasible she thought it was, and the corners of her mouth curled up unconsciously.

Sun Ning looked at Zhao Xue's expression and felt helpless.

What else could he do? He could only let her have her way.

Perhaps President Zhao Donglai had already realized something, but just hadn't had the time to deal with him yet.

Was Sun Ning afraid? He was actually a little scared.

But the deed was done, and even if he was afraid, it was of no use.

Sun Ning still couldn't help asking: "What else did your father say?"

"He said you have strong ability, said you have a boundless future, and said my brother is a piece of trash compared to you."

Great, he had offended his brother-in-law before even meeting him.

Sun Ning gave a bitter laugh.

Seeing that the 7 o'clock news had started, he watched it quietly.

At 7:18 PM, the news about Mishui Township appeared.

The duration was certainly not as long as Heyang TV's, but it did feature shots of two Government Service Halls and an interview with a common citizen.

And in the news report, the name of the then Township Head of Mishui Township, Sun Ning, appeared twice.

Sun Ning looked at Zhao Xue in astonishment.

"Surprised? Unexpected, right? This is a gift from your sister!"