Go back to the prosperous days and become a layman

Chapter 889 888 Everyone has their own stance
Back in the room, Tang Zhitong sat at his desk and took out a letter.

"Any tasks today?" Xiao Wang was curious when she saw her husband writing something again today, since he had just finished writing a speech yesterday.

"Sigh, regarding gambling, Liu Chengzhi's accident was somewhat related to gambling. Today, someone came to Sister Chunxue to collect gambling debts. On the way back from the factory with her, I thought that as a representative, I couldn't just stand by and watch gambling harm people, so I decided to write something to report it." Tang Zhitong selectively told the truth.

I can't mention Wan Laosi to Xiao Wang, lest he dig up more information about Lao Wan later, and then I won't be able to hide the fact that I mortgaged my house.

“Yes, write it down. You’ve done a good job as a representative. Gambling really needs to be regulated; it’s harmful to people.” Xiao Wang strongly supported her husband’s idea after hearing this.

"Alright, I'll finish writing in a bit." Ever since he discovered that Wan Laosi had colluded with Liu Chengzhi, Tang Zhitong had been thinking about this matter quite a bit, always wanting to make something of it. However, his relationship with Liu Chengzhi was not good, and he could foresee that Liu Chengzhi might not cooperate. Therefore, he only inquired with Wu Aijun and did not take any action.

Now that Liu Chengzhi is gone, neither Chu Chunxue nor the neighbors who know the inside story have any reason to side with Wan Laosi. Tang Zhitong finally had an idea, which is why he reminded Chu Chunxue to go to the police station.

Tang Zhitong believes that Wan Laosi's willingness to open a casino and set up a trap to swindle people suggests that he likely has someone supporting him, but the level of that person is unlikely to be very high. Firstly, those who hold high positions cherish their reputation, and secondly, what kind of high-ranking people could a family like the Wan family possibly associate with?
Saturday, October 6.

There were no exams scheduled for the Wired Department today. After leaving home, Tang Zhitong first dropped off Xiao Wang at the National Library, and then went to Zhengyi Road via Fuyou Street.

Although we've gone around in circles, it's still not time for work here yet.

Tang Zhitong stopped at the entrance and was stunned when he saw officers in police uniforms walking past Dongjiaomin Lane.

As a representative, reporting the problem to No. 2 Zhengyi Road is a legitimate channel, but the process is rather lengthy and the results are somewhat slow.

If we report it directly to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, it's not really their responsibility.

After much deliberation, Tang Zhitong decided to go to Dongjiaomin Lane to talk to Zhang Xinping first.

I don't expect him to do anything for me; I just want him to see if there's any opportunity for me to achieve something, as a way of doing him a favor.

After turning from Zhengyi Road, Tang Zhitong arrived at Dongjiaomin Lane. Instead of entering the Municipal Bureau, Tang Zhitong made a phone call to Zhang Xinping and waited for him to come out.

After arriving at Zhang Xinping's place, Tang Zhitong pulled him aside to a corner and recounted how Liu Chengzhi's family had been ruined by gambling.

“Gambling is a civil case, not under our criminal investigation jurisdiction. How about I introduce you to the captain over there?” Zhang Xinping was a little embarrassed. Although the two had a good relationship, it would be an overstepping of his bounds if he rashly intervened in this matter, which would easily give others a reason to criticize him.

“Brother Zhang, there’s no need for introductions. To be honest, I even suspect that they have someone backing them up. Otherwise, where would they get the audacity to drive the workers to their deaths?”

Faced with Zhang Xinping's matchmaking, Tang Zhitong waved his hand and continued sincerely, "My neighbor went to the Huashi Police Station yesterday. The people who owe gambling debts will come back in a few days to demand the house. They're just too arrogant. As a representative, I can't pretend I don't see what's happening to my neighbor. I've already written the statement, and I'll deliver it to Zhengyi Road as soon as I leave."

“I was already at the entrance of No. 2 Zhengyi Road when I thought this might be an opportunity for you, so I came over to let you know. If you think it can produce results, then get involved; if it's not within your scope of responsibility, then forget it.”

"Don't do that. If you change your mind, it will put a lot of pressure on our Municipal Bureau." Hearing Tang Zhitong say this, Zhang Xinping quickly calmed him down. After this matter passed through the hands of Zhengyi Road, the Municipal Bureau would not only have to investigate gambling, but also have to inform them of the results in the form of a written report. If they found out that someone in the team was not clean, it would be a light loss of face, and they might even be held accountable.

"There's someone high up to handle the pressure, as long as it doesn't affect your criminal investigation work." Tang Zhitong knew that reporting this matter to Zhengyi Road would not only affect the Municipal Public Security Bureau, but also bring Zhang Xinping some extra work, but he was still determined to report the gambling.

Personally, this involves my grudge against Lao Wan.

In public, gambling is extremely harmful. Last year, my classmate Lu Laosan was heavily in debt due to gambling and had to flee to another place to avoid his creditors. Zhang Yuan was also arrested last year for intercepting letters because of gambling. And this year, there's another case like Liu Chengzhi.

This is just what I've heard; what about the things I don't know?

The cockroach law aptly states that when you see one cockroach, there may actually be hundreds or thousands of cockroaches lurking in the shadows.

Before, I was just an ordinary citizen, and I could only learn from such things. But now that I have the responsibility of representing others, I have to live up to the promise I made to my mother: to be irreconcilable with gambling and drugs.

"Thank you for coming to tell me first, but this really affects me. Once you send it up, we'll all have to be reassigned. Working non-stop isn't a big deal, but I'm afraid of alerting them. How about this, you wait a bit, I'll go talk to the leaders and see how we can do something to satisfy you." Zhang Xinping said with a wry smile, pulling Tang Zhitong back to stop him from leaving.

"Brother Zhang, I came to see you because of our brotherhood, to see if there's any opportunity for you to achieve something."

If your boss finds out that I came to see you, do you think I'll still go to Zhengyi Road?
I'll go and implicate you in an unjust situation.

If I don't go, it would be considered me interfering with the work of your municipal bureau.

Do I have the qualifications? In my opinion, we should each do our own job.

Of course, if it can help you advance further, I'd be happy to follow your lead.

Tang Zhitong didn't move and said very sincerely.

"Alright, it's my fault for saying that. I appreciate your kindness." Zhang Xinping chuckled. He had just been promoted and it was unlikely that he would be able to advance to the next level in the short term, but he still needed to accumulate achievements.

"I didn't mean that. You're just considering things from the perspective of the Municipal Bureau, and there's nothing wrong with that." This was the first time Tang Zhitong had said "no" to Zhang Xinping, so naturally he didn't want to make the atmosphere awkward. He also regretted bringing up the gambling crackdown, because things hadn't gone in the direction he had hoped for.

"You go and submit your work. I'll see if I can bring it up with the leadership later, and try to get the job done before the higher-ups issue the order to crack down on gambling. I hope this won't affect you." Zhang Xinping didn't think Tang Zhitong was being nosy. As a representative, he had his responsibilities, and it was already good enough that he was thinking of helping him achieve something as well.

"It doesn't have much impact. Even if you start cracking down on gambling at the same time I submit it, it only shows that we've all discovered this cancerous disease. It's just that your unit is ahead of the curve and has taken action." Tang Zhitong shook his head. He was happy that the Municipal Bureau acted quickly. If anyone asked about it later, the information gap would be a good excuse.

"It's settled then. You go do your thing, I'll go back and see how things go." Zhang Xinping knew Tang Zhitong was right, and seeing that he had made up his mind, he stopped trying to persuade him and let him go.

"Alright! See you later." Tang Zhitong finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Zhang Xinping had come to his senses.

Although Tang Zhitong harbored resentment towards Lao Wan's actions, he didn't resort to any underhanded methods to retaliate. If he used the same methods Wan Lao Si used against Liu Chengzhi, how would he be any different from him?
Even though he knew that Wan Laosi was involved in Liu Chengzhi's gambling debts, Tang Zhitong still focused on the overall situation in Beijing and, seeing the bigger picture from a small detail, suggested to the congress that efforts in this area be strengthened.

Tang Zhitong had another consideration when he decided to leave the municipal bureau.

I asked Wu Aijun about gambling a while ago, and he gave me a very reasonable answer. But yesterday, not only did the burly man openly demand gambling debts, but the neighbors also took it for granted. All of this points to one problem: the ban on gambling is not strong enough!
Despite repeated reductions in quotas, some people are still reaching out their dirty hands to the poor.

As a model youth born under the red flag and raised in the spring breeze, who firmly believes that when the people have faith, the country has strength, and the nation has hope, Tang Zhitong felt that he had to be a spark in the fight against gambling.

Neither with Zhang Xinping nor in the materials he wrote last night did Tang Zhitong mention Wan Laosi, but he believed that as long as the police investigated thoroughly, they would naturally find the Wan family by following the clues.

If we can't find it, it means that Wanjia's involvement is not deep enough, and we can look for other opportunities later.

As Tang Zhitong stepped out of No. 2 Zhengyi Road, he felt that the red scarf on his chest was even brighter!
With an excited heart and trembling hands, Tang Zhitong decided to return to the escort office to calm down.

On the way back to the escort center, Tang Zhitong hummed "The Little Girl Picking Mushrooms" and casually took care of all the male cats within the scope of the cheat.

Accompanied by the male cat's meowing, Tang Zhitong made his way through the area with sparks and lightning, and by the time he arrived at the transport station, he had already collected a large handful of "sparrow eggs".

Unfortunately, the recipe doesn't include a way to cook it using this ingredient, so I'll just have to store it for now.

Having just processed the backlog of documents yesterday, Tang Zhitong wasn't busy today and had a rare free morning, quickly glancing through the newspapers he had accumulated over the past few days.

In the afternoon, Fang Yuan summoned the leadership team of the escort office and announced the higher-ups' request to reduce grain rations:

"Comrades, I believe you have all seen in the newspapers that there is a large-scale drought across the country, and the contradiction between food supply and demand is prominent."

The higher authorities require our leading cadres to take the lead in enduring hardship before enjoying comforts, and to take the lead in reducing their personal grain rations.

The target given above is to lose an average of two pounds, but I'll state my position first: I'll lose three pounds.

Everyone, please state your numbers. Feel free to share any thoughts you may have.

Tang Zhitong knew that this task was given by his superiors, and he also knew that Fang Yuan did not want everyone to lose too much weight. He himself lost three jin, which was equivalent to setting an upper limit for everyone. Then he would cooperate to complete the lower limit: "Director Fang, I will lose two jin."

"Okay, anything else?" Fang Yuan nodded, took notes, and waited for the others to respond.

With Fang Yuan and Tang Zhitong taking the lead, the meeting went very smoothly. Everyone reported that they had reduced their weight by no less than two jin, and most of them reduced it by two jin. Moreover, no one complained at the meeting.

Faced with this atmosphere, Fang Yuan was very satisfied: "Everyone is very considerate of the overall situation and is aware of the importance of this. If no one has any other objections, I will report the number as I just reported."

Since these were all numbers she had just reported, no one objected. However, when Tang Zhitong returned to the finance department, she was once again told to "consider the bigger picture."

"Xiao Tang, this is Ruan Yan." Accompanied by crackling static, Ruan Yan from the Logistics Department of the Post and Telecommunications Institute answered the phone.

"Hello, Director Ruan." Tang Zhitong knew that Ruan Yan was definitely concerned about the coal, but he didn't bring it up.

"I haven't seen you at the academy for the past few days. I asked around and found out you weren't here today. Did you go to see Director Yan?"

"Director Ruan, I've been busy with work these past few days and haven't had a chance to get around to it yet. I'll make a trip this afternoon." Tang Zhitong was somewhat helpless about Ruan Yan's urgency, but since he had already agreed, he still had to go through the motions.

"Okay, okay, I know you're a good comrade who puts the overall situation first. You must persuade Director Yan to agree. Whether our college's thousands of teachers and students can have a warm winter depends on you!" Ruan Yan said anxiously on the other end of the phone.

"I am also a member of the School of Posts and Telecommunications, and I will do my best." Tang Zhitong agreed readily on the surface, but felt helpless inside.

Some say: Whenever you're asked to consider the bigger picture, you're definitely not part of it; whenever you're asked to pay any price, you become that price; and whenever someone says it's for your own good, they're actually doing it for their own.

Whether this statement is right or wrong is a matter of personal opinion, and Tang Zhitong has no right to interfere, but at present, this statement is not entirely correct.

Nowadays, whenever the topic of prioritizing the overall situation comes up, it's because of a conflict between collective and individual interests. This collective encompasses a wide range, from small production teams to the national level, and is a completely different concept from being a slave to capitalists.

Take the reduction of quotas as an example. Whether in Beijing or other places, the reason why quota reduction can be promoted so quickly is largely due to the leadership of cadres.

Although there are special needs now, the coverage is small, and the special needs focus more on food safety. The number of people who can eat the special needs food is also limited. No. 34 will not be supplied in unlimited quantities.

Grassroots cadres like Tang Zhitong receive no special treatment in terms of quotas, while "soybean cadres" won't be available until next year.

Tang Zhitong believes that anyone who can give up personal interests to make way for the collective interest deserves admiration, and even if they are not praised, they should not be ridiculed.

When Tang Zhitong arrived at the Materials Bureau by bicycle and told Yan Xiongfei about Ruan Yan's request, Yan Xiongfei was both amused and exasperated: "If this were for your own use, I could give you a note and you could pick it up from the nearest coal station anytime. But Old Ruan's request is too large; I can't afford it. Isn't this just ridiculous?"

“I know this is inappropriate, but he is, after all, a leader of the college. As a student, I have to come here anyway.” Tang Zhitong was not surprised by Yan Xiongfei’s reaction.

Ruan Yan's overall goal was the Post and Telecommunications Institute, while the Materials Bureau's overall goal was the entire city of Beijing.

Compared to that, how many students does the Post and Telecommunications Institute have? It would be a miracle if the Materials Bureau could provide them. There's a shortage of supplies for everyone, but if they give more to the Post and Telecommunications Institute, what about the other eight universities? What if they follow suit?
“Never mind that, I’ll talk to him later.” Yan Xiongfei wanted to extricate Tang Zhitong from the situation, but then changed his mind: “You sit here, I’ll call him now.”

(End of this chapter)