Reborn as a Noble's Son

Chapter 346: Chapter 337: Liangxi City’s Financial Difficulties_1

Next to him, Ni Kezhi leaned over and introduced him: “Mayor Nie, let me introduce you to this gentleman, a former Secretary of the Liangxi City Committee, He Dingbang.”

He Dingbang, a name that Nie Zhenbang had seen among the list of leaders throughout the years of Liangxi City. Strictly speaking, referring to He Dingbang should be put as former former Secretary of the City Committee, for this would be more accurate. This man has a somewhat legendary place in the history of Liangxi City. He rose to prominence during the Great Revolution, in the 1960s, as an ordinary cadre of Yanling County. Later, he became the director of the Yanling County Revolutionary Committee and the First Secretary of the County Committee. Heading into the 1970s, He Dingbang rapidly rose to the position of Deputy Director of the Liangxi City Revolutionary Committee and First Deputy Secretary of the City Committee. By the end of the Great Revolution, He Dingbang was already the Secretary of the Liangxi City Committee.

From the late 70s to the mid-80s, He Dingbang served two terms as City Committee Secretary. While he didn’t make any significant contributions, He Dingbang is the founder of the reform and opening-up policy in Liangxi City, with no one else comparable.

Back then, Elder Nan and his own father’s contemporaries, when just restoring order, Liangxi City, under the leadership of He Dingbang, had begun the reform of private and collective enterprises. It could be said that what Liangxi City is today cannot be separated from the foundation set by He Dingbang.

Such a man, though he had retired for almost a decade now. Still, in Liangxi City, there were many cadres who were once under the charge of or students of He Dingbang, such as Lei Dingguo, the Secretary of the City Committee’s Disciplinary Inspection Commission, had been promoted by He Dingbang himself. Also, Zhu Zhuozhen, the full-time Deputy Secretary of the City Committee, once served as He Dingbang’s secretary for a year.

Without delay, Nie Zhenbang did not dare to neglect He Dingbang. He reached out with both hands and held He Dingbang’s hand firmly, shaking it a few times to show his enthusiasm. He smiled and said, “Old Secretary, that is too generous of you. It can be said that it’s our City Committee and City Government’s shortcomings for overlooking the needs of our old comrades and leaders. Here, on behalf of the City Committee and City Government, I would like to apologize to you all.”

As soon as his words faded, He Dingbang squinted his eyes and said, “Mayor Nie, you can represent the City Government. Let’s leave the City Committee’s matters aside for now. Mayor Nie, we’ve been waiting for someone who can take charge. Our retired comrades have no special requests, just two. First, the cars promised by the City Government for our retired cadres, we hope Mayor Nie can help us resolve this. Second, the Elderly Activity Center of the Bureau for the Elderly. We hope Mayor Nie can secure this for us. We wouldn’t want to trouble Director Ni anymore now that you’re here, Mayor Nie. We’ll go directly to you.”

These words gave Nie Zhenbang a bit of a headache. These old comrades were all former leaders of the City Committee in Liangxi City. Not only did this group include the former Secretary, He Dingbang, it also included many former leading members of the Standing Committee of the City Committee.

These people, old yet savvy, would not buy into mere flattery. Given the circumstances, the only option he had was to address the issues honestly. With that, Nie Zhenbang laughed and said, “Old Secretary, as you see, I am new here. I’m not very familiar with the overall situation in Liangxi City and at the moment I do not have any specific policies to declare. How about this? We all go and sit in the conference room of the Bureau for the Elderly, and as I’m here, let’s temporarily hold a field office meeting. Whatever requests or conditions the old leaders have, please feel free to speak. Anything I can achieve, I promise not to avoid. Anything I can decide on, I will not flatter. Would that work for you?”

Nie Zhenbang’s last sentence was directed at He Dingbang. As the former man in charge, He Dingbang carried a great deal of prestige among these elders. If he could satisfy He Dingbang, it would equate to satisfying all the old gentlemen and ladies at the Bureau for the Elderly.

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, the old secretary He Dingbang paused and then nodded. “Alright. I trust Mayor Nie, who is not like Fan Changsheng, a nobody who cannot be trusted. In terms of judging people, I, He Dingbang, am not lacking.”

The building of the Bureau for the Elderly in Liangxi City was constructed in the early 1980s. Even though it has only been a decade or so, the facilities have aged and fallen behind.

In the conference room of the Bureau for the Elderly, along with a group of the Bureau’s senior leaders, Nie Zhenbang smiled and said, “Dear senior leaders and comrades, please express any difficulties or anything we need to do better. But before we start, let’s agree that ‘one eats food bite by bite, and the same applies to talks.’ We have all been in leadership positions and I believe, our predecessors, that we can maintain such order.”

Nie Zhenbang’s somewhat mocking words didn’t offend He Dingbang and the others. Accordingly, He Dingbang opened his mouth and said, “Mayor Nie, according to the national regulations, even though I’m retired, I should enjoy the treatment of having a dedicated emergency vehicle. My children should also get full medical insurance and other treatments. But, Mayor Nie, I’m not exaggerating, leaving the rest of the old guys aside, even myself, a genuine retired cadre of ministerial level who started working before the founding of the country in 1949, has to wait a few days if I want an emergency vehicle. You tell me, who needs an emergency vehicle for non-urgent matters? By the time the vehicle arrives, the urgent matter would have been resolved.”

After a pause, He Dingbang continued, “Mayor Nie, we have no other requests, I understand, old comrades are not popular. However, there are only a few Santana cars provided to us in the elderly activity center. We’re not asking for an Audi or a Mercedes. Isn’t it expected that the city can allocate a few ordinary Volkswagen cars to the activity center?”

Upon hearing He Dingbang’s words, Nie Zhenbang simply nodded his head, choosing not to respond immediately. Given his current status, his words carry weight and implication. If he voices his agreement, he must ensure that he can deliver on his promise with an over 90% success rate. Thus, he must be careful about making any commitments. His words must carry weight.

Nie Zhenbang then turned to Ni Kezhi, smiled, and asked, “Director Ni, according to the former secretary, what’s going on with the Elderly Activity Center?”

Ni Kezhi responded with a smile, “Mayor Nie, originally, the University for the Elderly was located within the Liangxi City Administrative College and the Liangxi City Municipal Party School. However, with the rapid economic development and progress of Liangxi in recent years, the Party School’s space became tight. So the University for the Elderly (also the Elderly Activity Center) was moved out from the school. The city committee and the city government then intended to allocate a piece of vacant land to construct an elderly activity center. Yet, the plan has been delayed for two years as funds have not been secured. Now, if the elderly cadres want to hold a gathering or a choir concert, they need to find a venue in advance. So, this has been a concerning issue for them.”

Hearing Ni Kezhi’s words, Nie Zhenbang started to contemplate. According to the activity center’s elderly personnel, less than ten people are entitled to car access in urgent situations. Presuming every two people share a car, at most five cars would suffice. Based on the market misconduct demonstrated by Audi and Mercedes Benz, Volkswagen has not been as arrogant or domineering here in Huaxia as it was in its previous incarnation. The most popular Santana 2000’s market retail price is around 100 thousand yuan, making the total price for five cars 500 thousand yuan. Additionally, the infrastructure of the elderly activity center would not exceed 400 thousand yuan. All combined, the total expense does not exceed one million yuan.

In recent days, Nie Zhenbang has been studying the economic data of Liangxi City. The total fiscal revenue for the previous year alone reached a staggering four billion yuan. Fan Changsheng, not wanting to spend money in this respect, makes Nie Zhenbang wonder if Fan had had a fallout with a certain leader in the past.

After some contemplation, Nie Zhenbang decided to lend a hand. These elderly cadres, having massive networks, should not be overlooked. An investment of less than one million yuan could potentially win over popular support. Furthermore, the successful completion of the elderly activity center could lay the groundwork for further ventures in Liangxi City.

He promptly said, “Elder Secretary, Yang comrades, your needs will certainly be addressed by me. The Party and the people will never forget your contributions. You have made significant contributions to the development of Liangxi City. Even though you’ve all since retired, the city committee and the city government’s concern for you should remain consistent. At present, we have fallen below expectations. Here, I promise all of you that cars will be allocated to you as soon as possible. As for the elderly activity center, I hope Director Ni could provide a detailed planning proposal. In this way, we could have a clearer understanding of your needs.”

Nie Zhenbang then dialed the phone number of Liu Qingquan, the deputy director of the city’s finance bureau. As the call began, he recounted the situation to Liu, and bluntly said, “Qingquan, this is an urgent need of our retired cadres. I think the city’s finances should support such an initiative.”

Hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Liu Qingquan felt somewhat helpless. He looked at his credentials, sighed, and said, “Mayor Nie, I’m afraid this is out of my hands. Whether it’s the finance bureau or the city committee, our main task is managing the city’s income and expenditures. I’ve discussed this issue with my superiors at the bureau. The message is the same – the city’s finances are in a tight spot, there are expenditures everywhere, the elderly cadres will have to make do.”

Upon hearing Liu Qingquan’s words, Nie Zhenbang was astonished. How could a city like Liangxi that generates billions in revenue every year face financial difficulties? This excuse was obviously far-fetched.”

PS: Just got up, getting ready to go to the hospital, getting admitted today. Updates will be posted once I’m settled. (.)

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