Chapter 764 - 734: Negative News
Qiao Yuanjiang did not speak, believing in his heart that his brother must hate their father.
Elder Qiao, after a moment, said, "He’s always hated me."
"Dad, so many years have passed, you don’t have to always keep it on your mind."
"He left so many years ago, and I don’t even know if he’s dead or alive. How can I, as a father, not keep it on my mind?"
Qiao Yuanjiang said, "Dad, some things cannot be forced."
Elder Qiao pursed his lips, "I’m tired!"
Qiao Yuanjiang quickly got up to say goodbye.
Elder Qiao’s heart was torn by several complex emotions, including the sadness over his grandson’s accident and complete disappointment with his eldest son, Qiao Yuanjiang. He had long seen that Qiao Yuanjiang was not competent and lacked political wisdom. But after working in the system for so many years, even if he couldn’t handle big matters, he should at least be able to see the stakes clearly. Yet this time, Elder Qiao was utterly disappointed.
Qiao Yuanjiang’s political wisdom was even inferior to Mei Ru Xue. Some things truly cannot be forced. He shouldn’t have been in politics in the first place, but now it is what it is. Just being able to stay the course peacefully is already his fortune.
Elder Qiao thought of the mysterious woman in the car with Qiao Rulong. The woman’s identity was not important. The Ye Family must already know about it, otherwise, there would not have been such a delayed reaction after the accident.
Now, he could only pray for his grandson’s safety. As for everything else, we’ll talk about it later. When the soldiers come, block them with generals; when the water comes, cover it with earth. Life must go on.
Elder Qiao did not sleep all night. The next morning, he got up early and went alone to the courtyard outside the small building, where he saw Wang Sixuan already awake and warming up.
Wang Sixuan saw Elder Qiao come out, smiled at him, and said, "Uncle Qiao, up so early? I’m planning to go for a run."
Elder Qiao nodded, knowing he had a morning jogging habit.
Wang Sixuan had just contacted his sister, and Qiao Rulong was doing well. He relayed this information to Elder Qiao.
Elder Qiao said, "Accompany me for a walk."
The two of them went out for a stroll in the garden of the second guesthouse. Regarding Qiao Rulong’s entry into Hua Tou, Wang Sixuan had been somewhat lax, which had displeased Elder Qiao. Not long after, Qiao Rulong took responsibility for discipline inspection within Hua Tou, and recently he smoothly became a vice president of Hua Tou. Wang Sixuan felt very uneasy, realizing he might not stay in the position of President of Hua Tou much longer.
Elder Qiao said, "Sixuan, in the future, you need to take good care of Rulong."
Wang Sixuan nodded vigorously. It seemed this accident had altered Elder Qiao’s plan: "He’s my nephew; I’ve been training him as a successor."
Elder Qiao was filled with a bitter taste inside: What qualification do you have to train him? Yet in this current state, how well Rulong could recover was still uncertain.
At this moment, a person approached them from the front, "Elder Qiao, President Wang, good morning!"
Wang Sixuan recognized Secretary Zhou from Dongzhou and, considering the current timing, immediately understood that this was by no means a coincidence.
Elder Qiao said, "Xiaozhou, right?"
Secretary Zhou said, "It’s me, Elder Qiao, you still remember me."
Elder Qiao nodded and glanced at Wang Sixuan, who immediately understood: "You two talk, I’ll go for a run."
Secretary Zhou naturally replaced Wang Sixuan’s position and respectfully said, "Elder Qiao, up so early?"
Elder Qiao sighed and said, "Couldn’t sleep, Rulong’s situation has caused you trouble."
"Elder Qiao, I am very regretful about what happened this time. I have already ordered the relevant departments to conduct a thorough investigation into the accident, and we will investigate it to the end, sparing no culprit."
Elder Qiao said, "No need for special treatment, just follow standard procedures to investigate. Whoever is responsible should bear the responsibility. Although Rulong is the injured party, he should still take responsibility where it is due."
Secretary Zhou nodded repeatedly, sighing inwardly. This is perspective, yet he also knew that he could never truly fathom Elder Qiao’s real thoughts.
Elder Qiao looked up at the still illuminated light show of Jianjie Square not far away and said softly, "Everywhere in Dongzhou is under construction."
Secretary Zhou said, "Dongzhou’s urban construction has somewhat lagged behind its city positioning. In the past two years, we’ve been striving to catch up. The first and second phases of the subway construction are successfully underway, but during the construction, some traffic problems are inevitable..." He suddenly realized that Elder Qiao had a deeper implication.
Elder Qiao said, "If there is a problem, it must be resolved promptly. If it cannot be dealt with at the first opportunity, small problems will accumulate into big problems."
Secretary Zhou was already breaking out in a cold sweat: "Elder Qiao is right."
Elder Qiao smiled and said, "I’ve retired, there’s no need to be nervous around me, I only offer suggestions, don’t take it to heart if I’m wrong." He squinted his eyes and looked ahead: "Back in the day, my father fought battles here, I have a special feeling for Dongzhou."
Secretary Zhou did not dare to interrupt, listening respectfully.
Elder Qiao said, "I sent my granddaughter to Dongzhou because I wanted her to visit the place where her ancestors fought. My original intention was to pass on the revolutionary tradition."
Secretary Zhou said, "Comrade Mei Ru Xue’s work capability is extremely outstanding, her performance is exceptionally excellent." He used two "extremely" to emphasize Mei Ru Xue’s excellence.
Elder Qiao said, "I’m not someone who favors sons over daughters, but in the system, girls still have disadvantages." His tone shifted: "Do you have a son or a daughter?"
Secretary Zhou said, "A son, he’s studying for a master’s degree in Capital City."
"Oh, have you ever thought of him going into politics?"
Secretary Zhou shook his head: "He’s not interested in politics, and frankly, he’s not cut out for it."
Elder Qiao laughed, thinking of his eldest son Qiao Yuanjiang: "If he lacks the ability in this area, it’s better not to force it, this path is not easy."
Secretary Zhou said, "I don’t fear Elder Qiao’s ridicule, I don’t expect him to achieve much, as long as he’s safe."
Elder Qiao glanced at him, and Secretary Zhou felt that although Elder Qiao was old, his gaze was still sharp and penetrating, making him not dare to meet it.
Elder Qiao said, "One cannot think like that. If everyone only thinks about the safety of their own children, who will take on the responsibility of the country? No matter in what position or industry, one must not forget the word ’responsibility.’"
Secretary Zhou nodded repeatedly.
Elder Qiao said, "If I remember correctly, you worked with Ye Changyuan before?"
"Yes!"
Elder Qiao said, "Changyuan has done an excellent job at the National Development and Reform Commission. Do you guys keep in touch often?"
Secretary Zhou sighed internally, realizing Elder Qiao saw everything clearly. He quickly replied, "I contacted him yesterday, he specifically called to inquire about Rulong’s situation." Qiao Rulong being Ye Changyuan’s son-in-law was not a secret.
When answering this question, Secretary Zhou was very cautious because when Qiao Rulong had the car accident, another woman was in the car. Qiao Yuanjiang first informed him to help cover up the incident, but last night he got word to report everything truthfully.
As a bystander, Ye Changyuan not showing up in Dongzhou yet was indicative in itself. Secretary Zhou had not fully shared the truth with Elder Qiao. After the incident, he and Ye Changyuan were in frequent contact, and before coming here today, he had even spoken with Ye Changyuan, who should arrive in Dongzhou today.
Elder Qiao said, "I heard that this time Rulong came to Dongzhou at your invitation."
Secretary Zhou nodded, his heart completely in disarray, this was no secret. He invited Qiao Rulong to inspect Dongzhou Culture and Tourism, hoping Hua Tou and Dongzhou could reach an agreement on reconstructing the Dongzhou Cultural Lineage. In a way, if not for his invitation, Qiao Rulong wouldn’t have come to Dongzhou, and perhaps avoided the car accident.
Secretary Zhou’s biggest worry was that the Qiao Family would hold him accountable. He earnestly said, "Elder Qiao, I must assume responsibility for this matter."
Elder Qiao laughed: "What responsibility are you taking? I didn’t say that to hold anyone accountable. As Rulong’s family, I just want to understand the situation better. Xiaozhou, I know what you’re thinking, but don’t have any concerns."
Even though Elder Qiao said this, Secretary Zhou still felt uneasy. Meeting Elder Qiao spontaneously prompted him to convene a team meeting that morning, where it was unanimously decided to launch a traffic rectification campaign in May, strictly inspecting various traffic violations and rectifying road traffic hazards.
Fu Guomin, learning of the forthcoming traffic rectification month, realized the flame ignited by Dongzhou Barbecue was about to be extinguished. Traffic rectification meant severe penalties for violators. He had planned to coordinate with the traffic department to relax enforcement for out-of-town vehicles, which had orally been promised by allied departments, but now it all fell through.
Qiao Rulong had come on behalf of Hua Tou Group to inspect Dongzhou Culture and Tourism, and if everything went smoothly, an agreement was possible. Now, due to Qiao Rulong’s accident, Hua Tou’s investment was likely a mere mirage.
Fu Guomin and Fan Lidada discussed this issue, both lamenting the unfortunate timing.
Meanwhile, reports of taxi fare cheating in Dongzhou were still fermenting online, and Fu Guomin was deeply feeling the truth of "water that carries a boat, can also capsize it." While he was busy putting out these negative news fires, he also contacted Dongzhou City’s Comprehensive Administrative Law Enforcement Team for Transportation.
The day after the incident, they released an official report, expressing sincere gratitude to netizens for their concern and oversight. The report stated that the transport department would severely punish any illegal operations harming passenger rights and damaging Dongzhou’s image, with no leniency.
The results of the investigation would be promptly made public.
Transport authorities issued a reminder for passengers to call the complaint hotline 12328 if encountering any taxi refusals, detours, overcharging, or not providing receipts. Verified complaints would be lawfully investigated to safeguard consumer rights.
Fu Guomin had expected that following this series of disclosure of results, the heat over fare cheating would diminish. However, things did not develop as he imagined. One negative report after another about Dongzhou burst forth—underweight goods, inflated prices—overwhelming negative news left the leaders of the cultural and tourism bureau burnt out.