Reborn as a Noble’s Son
Chapter 1183 - Chapter 1183 Chapter 1139 Shocking Scene

Chapter 1183: Chapter 1139: Shocking Scene Chapter 1183: Chapter 1139: Shocking Scene Of course, Wei Haoyang wasn’t a three-year-old child who could be fobbed off with a few words. The art of promising pie in the sky was all too common within the system. There were plenty of grand promises that seemed to have great prospects, but in reality, were difficult to fulfill.

At this moment, Wei Haoyang was also considering the feasibility of the Oil City project. Had it been earlier, there might have been some difficulties in terms of funding and connections. However, now, with the higher-ups intent on developing the Western Region, it wasn’t impossible. In fact, the possibility was quite significant.

Shian City had a profound heritage and foundation. Currently, it was already home to a number of petrochemical enterprises. From oil refining to other chemical industries, there were many enterprises related to oil extraction. This was where Shian City’s advantage lay. If significant funds could be invested with targeted effort, a large number of private and privately-owned companies would definitely be willing to cooperate with Shian Oil. Unlike the three state-owned oil companies earlier, Shian Oil wasn’t as inaccessible.

Next, Wei Haoyang naturally demonstrated his loyalty. Such matters were routine for any leading official.

After the two men took their leave, Xia Gang also stepped out and said with a smile, “Leaders, the Secretary said everyone should go back and rest. Tomorrow’s visit to Qinglin County doesn’t need everyone to accompany us. We shouldn’t let the inspection interfere with the work of Shian City.”

His words were polite, and the meaning was clear. The other officials weren’t expected to meet with the Secretary again. Naturally, this made the leaders of the Shian City Municipal Committee envious of Wei Haoyang and Lin Shaobai.

According to Nie Zhenbang’s instructions, the following day’s visit to Qinglin County was attended only by Wei Haoyang and Lin Shaobai as accompanying officials, along with the security personnel dispatched by the Shian Municipal Public Security Bureau. Since Nie Zhenbang had given the order, Shian City strictly followed it.

The vehicle was switched to a Shian City Golden Dragon business van, with Wei Haoyang and Lin Shaobai accompanying. As the journey progressed and they delved further, Nie Zhenbang’s brow never relaxed.

Above the Loess Plateau, rows of deep ravines could be seen, with yellow sand filling the sky. The barren mountains and valleys emitted an unusual desolate atmosphere.

The original mountains had disappeared, replaced by flat mountaintops with ravines spread across them. Patches of green vegetation were pitifully scarce. This was nature’s feedback. These ravines across the mountain ridges were like wounds on the earth, shocking to the sight.

Along familiar roads and similar landscapes, when the convoy arrived at that familiar place, Nie Zhenbang suddenly said, “Driver, please stop for a moment.”

Hearing this, the convoy slowly pulled over, causing some tension to appear on the faces of Wei Haoyang and Lin Shaobai.

The biggest fear during an official inspection was encountering such unexpected situations. With Secretary Nie suddenly asking to stop, both were worried.

“Secretary, what’s the matter?” Next to him, the provincial committee’s Secretary-General, Liu Xiaomin, spoke up to ask.

This, in turn, made Wei Haoyang and Lin Shaobai somewhat grateful. At this moment, it was most appropriate for Liu Xiaomin to ask. Liu Xiaomin certainly knew how to handle people well.

As an accompanying leader to Secretary Nie, whether or not Liu Xiaomin asked this question was his prerogative, and no one could find fault with it. But Liu Xiaomin’s inquiry was helpful to the two Shian City officials.

Looking at the dirt road beside the county road, Nie Zhenbang vividly remembered the hunched figure shuffling along, returning step by step across the ridge directly opposite. His own car had also driven down from this spot, eventually stopping deep between the valleys.

“Grandpa, I’ll come back to see you again,” he seemed to hear echoing in his ears even now.

Immediately after, he stood up, and the driver, being sharp, opened the car door. Following Nie Zhenbang’s exit from the vehicle, the personnel behind also got out. Reporters from the provincial station and provincial newspaper positioned their cameras.

Looking into the distance, Nie Zhenbang slowly said, “Comrade Haoyang, seeing these ravines everywhere and the desolation, I feel quite moved and heartbroken. This is Mother Earth’s silent resistance, her cry of desolation. The environment of the Western Region has deteriorated to this extent. In time, ten years, or twenty years, I fear the entire Western Region will become a desert.”

His words were somewhat alarmist, but not impossible. With the push of development and further loss of soil and water, what followed would be environmental degradation and soil desertification. Water scarcity, drought, and desertification were all entirely possible outcomes.

Wei Haoyang had no idea why Nie Zhenbang would suddenly feel this way, standing by his side with half a body’s distance between them. He nodded slightly and said, “Secretary, the central government as well as the province, and on top of that the city, have already stepped up their protection and management of the environment. The city has also successively introduced policies like closing mountains to foster forests, converting farmland back to forest, and turning pasture back to forest. I believe this situation will gradually improve.”

“Secretary Haoyang, what place is that down there? I want to take a look,” Nie Zhenbang said, pointing casually at the dirt road below.

This represents a kind of uncertainty and randomness in the process of leadership inspection. Of course, on the other hand, Nie Zhenbang’s decision to act like this was somewhat against the rules. Even leaders cannot just do whatever they wish, especially when it comes to inspections. Actions like these can make things difficult for those below. After all, during a leader’s inspection, it’s not only the itinerary that needs considering but also the security issues. If something were to go wrong, wouldn’t that be looking for trouble?

However, at this moment, since Nie Zhenbang was using environmental protection as the premise, he had a basically passable reason.

Hearing Nie Zhenbang’s question, Wei Haoyang didn’t hesitate at all, directly answering, “Secretary Nie, down there is Yushugou Village in Laowangzhuang Township of Qinglin County. This area is also one of the poorest regions in our city, suffering from yearly droughts, with the agricultural crops barely enough for basic subsistence.”

Nie Zhenbang was somewhat surprised by Wei Haoyang’s answer. He had neglected even the name of the place. Under those circumstances, he had simply given a thousand yuan to the old man. As for the name here, Nie Zhenbang had no clue.

It was unexpected that Wei Haoyang could effortlessly provide such a detailed response to such a trivial place. For Nie Zhenbang, who had also come up through the ranks from county and city level and as a municipal party secretary overseeing several counties and districts, it indicated that Wei Haoyang was truly a man of action, familiar with every town and village below his jurisdiction.

After pondering for a moment, Nie Zhenbang nodded and said, “Comrade Haoyang, the work in Shian City is indeed meticulous.”

As he spoke, Nie Zhenbang had already stepped down from the road shoulder and walked towards the dirt path ahead. Passing this thousand-meter dirt road again and turning over that ridge, the poverty-stricken village once again appeared before Nie Zhenbang.

In the village, the sight of such a large group of people arriving also drew attention. Observing all this, Nie Zhenbang felt a pang of sorrow.

The accompanying leaders and staff members were also somewhat shocked.

“Comrades, none of you have seen such a poor and backward place before, right? Old cave dwellings, mud and adobe brick houses. What are your feelings about it? Does it not feel like we’ve traveled through time and space, back to the 1960s?” said Nie Zhenbang, turning his head to talk.

In the distance, a group of people were coming over with loads on their shoulders and in their hands or carrying water jars, walking from afar.

Nie Zhenbang then said to Wei Haoyang who was beside him, “Comrade Haoyang, I’m heartened that you were able to immediately state the specific name of this place and its situation. This shows that your work is indeed meticulous and in place.”

“Everyone can see what a shocking scene this is. Every day, the drinking water needs to be fetched from several miles away, or even tens of miles along mountain roads. At this moment, looking at the vast expanse of loess, what are your feelings and thoughts? Does such a life still seem socialist? Our work still has a long way to go.”

Saying this, Nie Zhenbang turned to Wei Haoyang and Liu Xiaomin and said, “Secretary-General, you must take note of this. The Provincial Poverty Alleviation Office, the Provincial Women and Children’s Fund, and other units and departments must come up with a plan. We need to survey the entire province and see how many similar issues exist. The provincial government will coordinate with various localities and departments to invest funds to solve the difficulties in living and production water for the people.”

Wei Haoyang also spoke up, “Secretary, here in Shian City, the city has already had substantial contact with the National Women and Children’s Fund. Our materials have also been reported up, and we hope to secure funding and support for the ‘Mother’s Water Cellar’ project.”

Nie Zhenbang was aware of this project, a public welfare initiative launched and advocated by the national women’s federation. However, it was not limited to Longxi; it was a nationwide public welfare campaign. Thus, even with substantial funds, it would still be like a drop in the bucket.

Yet, Wei Haoyang’s pragmatic attitude was still commendable, and Nie Zhenbang nodded in agreement, “That’s one approach, but we still need to quicken our pace. We can’t just rely on higher levels of government. The city also needs to increase fiscal support to effectively address the difficulties in people’s lives.”

In that place, Nie Zhenbang didn’t stay for long, not even entering the village. After a brief glance, he got back into the car. After all, time was limited. A slight delay in visiting Qinglin County was acceptable, but if the delay was too long, that wouldn’t be good. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, I welcome you to come to Qidian (NovelFire.net) to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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