Chapter 989 - 954: Crying Out Injustice

The rain in Dongzhou caused some trouble for today’s opening ceremony. After discussion, the organizing committee temporarily set up a rain cover above the main stage, but the groundbreaking ceremony still had to take place outdoors.

The foundation-laying ceremony at the Confucius Temple construction site was jointly initiated by Dongzhou City’s top leader, Wang Jianming, and Pinghai Culture and Tourism’s head, Xing Wenhua. Initially, there were special arrangements for holding umbrellas, but Wang Jianming refused. With so many media journalists’ cameras focused on them, there was no guarantee that someone would not maliciously edit the footage.

Watching the two people holding the groundbreaking ceremony in the rain, Secretary Zhou, who had been transferred to a position in the provincial people’s congress, secretly admired them. Although Wang Jianming, his successor, was young, he considered issues thoroughly. After all, with his solid family background and strong political instincts, he was naturally more adept than most.

Though he hadn’t been away from Dongzhou for long, upon returning, he could see the changes taking place in Dongzhou. As Dongzhou’s former secretary, he realized that Dongzhou might soar in Wang Jianming’s hands. Inevitably, there was some bittersweet regret of planting trees for others to enjoy, but as long as the people of Dongzhou could obtain tangible benefits, his feelings of regret diminished considerably.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, Wang Jianming and Xing Wenhua moved to the stage. There were quite a few onlookers below, some with umbrellas, some holding umbrellas for the leaders. From the stage, looking down at the crowd, life’s diversity was particularly vivid.

Wang Jianming invited Xing Wenhua to speak first, and Xing Wenhua began his speech.

Xu Chunliang stood below without holding an umbrella for himself or others. The rain wasn’t heavy, but it greatly affected the atmosphere on-site; the enthusiasm of the crowd wasn’t high. Most present were related to the conference, though a few spectators were there. The police and security watched these onlookers with cautious eyes, worried that something unexpected could happen.

Xu Chunliang’s presence in this setting was barely felt. He could have left, but he decided to stay and provide some support.

Xing Wenhua emphasized that since Dongzhou Culture and Tourism Bureau was established, it had achieved remarkable results, with significant increases in cultural and tourism revenue. According to statistics from the previous May holiday, tourism revenue growth ranked first in the province. Although he didn’t mention it directly, everyone could hear that he was affirming the accomplishments of the previous leadership team of the Culture and Tourism Bureau.

Though Dongzhou Barbecue had been surrounded by significant turmoil, the storm gradually calmed over time. The saying "true gold fears no fire" applied; the fame of Dongzhou Barbecue remained undiminished and, after reconstruction, it appeared to be experiencing a resurgence. The current leadership wisely decided not to focus on developing a barbecue city. Learning from past experiences, Wang Jianming began advocating for a comprehensive approach to culture and tourism centered around historical and cultural heritage, leading to the implementation of the Dongzhou Historical Axis project.

The next topic was the future outlook for Dongzhou Culture and Tourism. Xing Wenhua believed that Dongzhou Culture and Tourism’s strategy was very accurate. Excavating historical relics, preserving historical artifacts, and centering tourism around history is an excellent long-term plan benefitting future generations. Protecting and promoting national culture is part of cultural prosperity.

Xing Wenhua’s speech received applause from the audience, followed by a brief speech by Wang Jianming. He condensed and simplified his remarks, primarily because he noticed the rain had increased and didn’t want everyone standing in the rain for too long.

As Wang Jianming spoke, a heartrending voice suddenly rang out from the crowd: "Injustice... I’m wronged..."

Everyone was taken aback. The police maintaining order on site immediately rushed over; it was an elderly woman with silver hair shouting about her wrongful treatment in the crowd.

An incident like this during Secretary Wang’s speech was clearly inappropriate, exposing inadequacies in the on-site security work.

The security guards on site also panicked. However, they didn’t take overly aggressive actions, softly persuading the elderly woman to leave with them, suggesting she could address any issues to the relevant departments. Publicly shouting about grievances was inappropriate, and it was a breach of societal decorum and a threat to social stability and unity.

The elderly woman, sobbing, pleaded: "Secretary Wang, please advocate for me! Jiayue Department Store is reckless with human lives, covering up the discovery of ancient tombs, destroying tombs, embezzling, and even murdering my son."

All the media reporters were drawn in, raising their cameras and phones to capture the scene.

Su Qing was among them. She hadn’t discussed the details of yesterday’s hostage situation, partly not wanting to court trouble, and partly because she wasn’t aware of the specifics. This matter had originated from Three Two Three, and leaving the initiative with them was undoubtedly the correct choice.

No one expected another wave of trouble; how could an elderly woman suddenly appear at the venue? The revelations made by this woman were secrets disclosed to her by Three Two Three. It seems this matter is not only true but incredibly complex.

The police officer in charge turned a menacing shade of green. Today’s unforeseen incident could lead to him being penalized for dereliction of duty. He signaled to his subordinates to quickly remove the old woman from the scene to prevent further chaos.

Given the presence of so many media reporters, aggression seemed inappropriate. The old woman shouted, "There are cultural relics under Jianjie Square. They’re destroying relics and committing murder for gain!"

The scene was like a boiling pot, with reporters swarming forward, afraid of missing this precious news.

Wang Jianming’s face slightly shifted. He signaled to Qin Zhengyang beside him, who immediately moved toward her, needing to quell this uproar.

However, the scene was already in chaos, and it was challenging for Qin Zhengyang to part the crowd and reach the elderly woman.

Fortunately, Xu Chunliang noticed and actively moved in, helping Qin Zhengyang split the crowd. The two squeezed beside the elderly woman, Qin Zhengyang panting: "Aunt Zhang, I’m Secretary Wang’s secretary. If you have grievances, you can talk to me."

Xu Chunliang said to the reporters snapping photos all around, "Stop taking pictures, this lady also has the right to her own image. You can report the facts, but if you start fabricating stories, making things up, and adding fuel to the fire, we people of Dongzhou will definitely hold you accountable."

Only now did the security guards come to their senses and rush to the forefront. They were all temporary workers, and at times like this, it was most suitable for them to step in. The security guards successfully separated the reporters from the elderly lady.

Xu Chunliang and Qin Zhengyang persuasively led the old lady to a temporary rest area.

Fan Lidada from the Culture and Tourism Bureau came over to check the situation. Upon seeing this scene, he quickly brought a chair for the elderly lady to sit.

Xu Chunliang went to pour a cup of water for the old lady.

Qin Zhengyang patiently inquired about what exactly had happened.

The old lady’s surname was Zhang. She had a son named Liang Zhigang, who used to be a small contractor. During the construction of Jianjie Square, he undertook part of the sand and soil works. Originally, their family life was going okay, but suddenly one night, he was run over and killed by a dump truck.

The construction site compensated their family with some money since it was an accident. The family had no choice but to accept it. Not long after her son passed away, her daughter-in-law remarried with her grandson. Her husband followed her son the next year, leaving Mrs. Zhang all alone.

Mrs. Zhang found no meaning in living and struggled through each day, but if it wasn’t for her beloved grandson, she would have long gone after her husband and son. But a few days ago, someone called her and informed her about the truth behind her son’s death.

Liang Zhigang’s death wasn’t an accident. It was because he discovered a Han Tomb during the construction and somehow got into a conflict with the construction party of the time, resulting in him being killed.

That’s when the old lady remembered her son had previously brought some antiques home, and secretly handed them over to her, telling her to keep them well and tell no one, not even his dad or wife.

Connecting the dots, Mrs. Zhang believed her son’s death was definitely not accidental and that he might have been involved in looting and disagreements over dividing the spoils, possibly leading to his murder.

The mysterious caller also told her what she should do. So she took this opportunity to attend the Cultural and Tourism Expo and, when Secretary Wang took to the stage, she loudly appealed for justice, hoping to draw the attention of the leaders and the public. Only thus, she believed, could she have a chance to seek justice for her son.

The police department acted swiftly, quickly looking into Mrs. Zhang’s details and informing her family.

Mrs. Zhang’s closest family now is her grandson, Liang Hongtao. Liang Hongtao, seventeen, is currently attending Dongzhou Third Middle School. Although it’s summer break, classes have already started.

Liang Hongtao is a tall, skinny teenager. Seeing a group of people surrounding his grandmother, he instantly got nervous and shouted, "What are you doing? Grandma, are you okay?"

Mrs. Zhang grasped her grandson’s hand, tears streaming down her face, "I’m fine, grandma’s fine."

The policeman named Liu beside her said, "Aunt Zhang, please calm down, you shouldn’t speak recklessly without evidence. Today is the opening of the Cultural and Tourism Expo, do you know how big an impact your actions have had?"

Mrs. Zhang said, "I can’t care about all that. Just because you have an opening ceremony, does it mean my son’s death should go in vain?"

"Aunt Zhang, your son passed away ten years ago. We’ve retrieved the archives and case files from back then, everything is clear; his cause of death was a car accident. Your family also signed the agreement at the time. If you felt wronged, what were you doing these past ten years?"

Mrs. Zhang said, "I only found out now; my son was killed."

Liang Hongtao exclaimed, "Grandma, are you saying my dad was murdered?"

Qin Zhengyang said, "Aunt Zhang, please share what’s happening with me. I promise to truthfully report everything to Secretary Wang. Until the matter is confirmed, it’s best not to make rash judgments. Your grandson is still in school. Let’s not hinder his education."

The policeman named Liu advised, "Exactly, you’re of age and should consider the consequences of your actions. You might not care, but your every move could affect your grandson’s future prospects. What about enlisting? How about civil service exams?"

Hearing this, Mrs. Zhang felt a bit uneasy, "I did what I did alone, how does this concern my grandson? Who told you to inform him?"

Liang Hongtao said, "I don’t care about civil service exams or anything else; nothing is more important than the truth."