Class gatherings, family gatherings, and going home for the New Year were all part of Li Du's routine.
This year, there was one more. On the first day of the New Year, a leader from the county suddenly came to pay a New Year's visit. It was a director from the Urban Construction Bureau. He came with gifts and his men.
Li Du knew that a night owl would not come unless there was a reason. He must have come for money. He probably knew that Li Du was doing well in the United States, so he came to ask for money to invest.
The leader did not say anything that day, but simply came to pay a visit. A few days later, on the fifth day of the New Year, a car from the county government came. The county magistrate sent an invitation to invite Li Du to a party.
Li Du's mother was a little worried and said, "Xiao Du, it's not good for the government to invite people. Should I think of a way to refuse?"
Li Du smiled and said, "What can happen? I'll go and see. Don't worry, I've been to many places. What hasn't I been to? "
Li Du's mother rubbed her hands and said, "You haven't been to many places in the country, so you don't understand the situation here. How about this, let your father go. Your father is old, and the government won't do anything to him. "
Li Du's father was unhappy and said, "You are maliciously speculating about the government. What can the government do to us? If you have something to say, then say it. If you have done something wrong, then what can he do to us? I said you were messing around. If it wasn't for your nonsense … "
Li Du saw that the driver had been waiting outside for a long time, and said, "Forget it, Dad. I know what's going on. I'll go and deal with it."
Li Du's mother was stunned and said, "You know what's going on?"
Li Du smiled and said, "I'm not stupid. Okay, you guys wait at home. I'll be back in the afternoon."
He got into the car. It was a Buick MPV. After picking him up, the car did not go straight to the county government compound. Instead, it drove around their street and picked up five more people.
Soon, the car was filled to the brim.
Li Du touched his chin and felt that something was wrong. It did not seem to be what he had imagined. The other party did not come to pick him up for investment.
Because the other people in the car were his neighbors, he knew they were not big bosses from their clothes. However, because he had not been home since high school, he did not know these people. He just felt that they looked familiar.
The others knew him. Someone handed him a cigarette and asked, "Are you Li Laogen's son? Your name is Li Du, right? I remember you. "
Li Du did not reply. The driver said coldly, "Hey, no smoking in the car. Throw the cigarette away."
A woman in a colorful down jacket curled her lips and said, "Driver Song, didn't your boss tell you to treat us well? We don't like your tone at all. "
The driver snorted and said, "Ha, you're awesome. This is my attitude, so what? If you don't like it, you can file a complaint against me. Just say that I don't allow you to smoke in the bus and ask the secretary to punish me! "
The woman had a clever mouth. Her tongue had been tempered by the curses of her neighbors, the front streets, and the back yards. Her lips moved, and her words were like bullets from a machine gun.
"Hey, Little Song, what's with your attitude? Are you going to hit us? Are you trying to bully us, the underprivileged? Let me tell you, don't bully us just because you're a bus driver. We're not pushovers, and we can't be bullied by anyone. We have people up there. The General Secretary of the Party, the leader of the Communist Party, has personally said that he misses us … "
Little Song was not intimidated, but the neighbor next to him was. "F * ck, motherf * cker, you have something to do with the General Secretary?"
The woman said, "Of course, didn't you hear him during the New Year? At the end of the year, the people he misses the most are us … "
"Well, you're the needy people, right? The General Secretary misses the needy people the most, "Little Song interrupted her and said disdainfully.
The people in the bus reacted and immediately burst into laughter.
This made the woman very unhappy. She became a little angry and said, "Yes, what's wrong? Are you questioning the General Secretary? Little Song, let me tell you, you just don't understand. I heard that you used to be our county magistrate's secretary? Look at you, from a secretary to a driver … "
Her words obviously exposed the driver's shortcomings. The driver said angrily, "Shut your f * cking mouth. We've arrived at the government building. Get out of the car. Someone will take you upstairs."
He suddenly stepped on the brakes. Except for Li Du, the others did not have the habit of wearing seatbelts and were swayed by the inertia. The woman was the worst off. Her head hit the back of the front seat.
The driver got out of the car and opened the door. A man with a square face and big ears strode over. He was accompanied by a few men and women who looked like leaders. The woman, who was about to lose her temper, saw this scene and immediately became quiet.
Li Du recognized that the leader was the county magistrate. He remembered that this secretary's surname was Cui. When he had taken care of Soft Company, he had borrowed this secretary's hand.
Seeing them, the solemn secretary smiled warmly and shook hands with them one by one. He wished them a happy New Year and then brought them into the office.
Along the way, a cameraman kept taking pictures. A bespectacled young man said weakly, "Stop taking pictures, stop taking pictures. It's not like it's a good thing."
Li Du was confused. What was going on? Everything seemed to be different from what he had expected.
After entering the office, there was a red banner hanging on the wall. On it was written: Ping County Cui Ji Street Shanty Renovation Project Fourth Meeting.
Cui Ji was Li Du's hometown. It used to be on the outskirts of the county town. Later, the county town expanded and their village was demolished. Every family was moved into relocation buildings, and the main street of the town was renamed Cui Ji Street.
Seeing this banner, he knew what was going on. The county town wanted to continue expanding and needed to demolish their buildings. Some people did not agree and became holdouts. This was a meeting for the government to resolve the holdouts.
Li Du did not know whether to laugh or cry. He did not expect his parents to become holdouts as well.
He excused himself and then called his parents to ask what was going on.
Mother Li's words confirmed his guess. "Your dad and I don't agree to demolish our area. Our neighbors don't agree either. We're used to living here. How can we demolish it just like that?"
Li Du asked, "Is it because you're not satisfied with the conditions offered and don't want to move, or do you really want to live here and don't want to move? Also, we're the only ones who don't want to move, right? Otherwise, why would I be the only one called to the government? "
He finally understood why his parents looked like they were facing a formidable enemy when the car came to pick them up.
Mother Li said, "No, we don't want to move. However, your dad was elected by the neighbors to be the leader of the anti-demolition committee, so the government came to our house to look for him."
Li Du said helplessly, "Why didn't you tell me about such a big thing?"
Mother Li said weakly, "We were afraid you'd be angry."
Li Du was really angry. He said, "What nonsense. You don't want to move, but do you think the neighbors are the same? They want better conditions for the demolition. They're using you as a weapon. "
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