When the villagers heard the Village Head's words, they looked at each other and suddenly started a commotion.
"Choose a representative? What do you mean? Are you trying to shoot the bird that sticks out? "
"It might be a bribe. If the representative is bribed, we won't have anything to say."
"That won't do. We won't choose a representative. If you have anything to say, just say it. Stop playing tricks!"
"That's right. Do you think that we're so gullible? Stop dreaming!"
Su Tao laughed when he heard it and looked at Li Rui as if he was watching a joke.
Long Baoyu whispered to Li Rui, "What a bunch of unruly villagers. We're here to help them solve their problems, but they're still thinking about this."
However, Li Rui wasn't bothered by it. It was reasonable for the villagers to think that way. After all, they were the ones who encountered this man-made disaster, and it was understandable that they were thinking about their own interests. He walked down the stairs and stood before the man who said that he wanted to bribe them. He smiled and asked, "You said that I want to bribe your representatives. Why should I bribe them?"
The man wasn't afraid of him and snorted, "If you bribe the representatives, they'll listen to you. Then we won't have anything to say."
Li Rui smiled. "The representatives must be someone that you trust and can represent your interests. Since you're worried that they'll be bribed by me, why don't you choose a few representatives who won't be bribed by me? You haven't even chosen, yet you're saying that they'll be bribed by me. Are you doubting me or your fellow villagers? "
The man was stumped by Su Tao's question. He didn't have the guts to doubt him, but it wasn't appropriate for him to doubt his fellow villagers. He was tongue-tied and didn't know what to say.
Li Rui looked around and said loudly, "Mayor Su and I are here to help everyone solve their problems. We're here with sincerity, and every word that we've said counts. We're definitely not lying to you. Please trust us and cooperate with us to solve this problem as soon as possible. Don't be suspicious and think about this." Speaking up to this point, he looked at the man and said, "Since you are worried that the representatives will be bribed by me, then fine, I will discuss with the representatives in front of you and let you watch, okay?"
The man stammered. He didn't want to agree, but he didn't dare to say no. He looked around at the neighbors, hoping that someone would stand up for him, but he found that no one seemed to have any objections.
The village director said, "Since everyone has no objections, let's quickly choose a representative. The families of the victims will send a representative, the families of the injured will send a representative, and the families of those whose homes have collapsed will send a representative … Er Qiang, you are one too. Aren't you afraid that others will be bribed? You can be the representative then."
The man who was worried that the representative would be bribed was called Er Qiang. When he heard the village director's words, he smiled shyly, but he also nodded to show that he accepted it.
Soon, the villagers selected six representatives and stood in front of Li Rui. Li Rui asked the village director to lead the other villagers to retreat to the front half of the courtyard and clear the back half. Then, he would negotiate with the six representatives. In this way, although none of the villagers in the courtyard were persuaded to return, they were much more orderly. It also prevented sudden uncontrollable group actions.
Li Rui's eyes swept across the faces of the six representatives one by one. He said sincerely, "Since everyone is here to complain, then I will listen to your thoughts and demands first. Tell me one by one. Don't be in a hurry. After you are done, I will give you an answer one by one."
The representative of the deceased's family, a woman in her thirties, was the first to cry and say, "County Magistrate Li, the foundation of our house in the north collapsed and the whole house fell into a hole in the ground. My husband was sleeping when he was smashed to death. He died unjustly. It was all because of that Zhang Jingui. If he didn't open fire, our house wouldn't have collapsed and my husband wouldn't have died. My husband died because of him. You must arrest him and make him pay for my husband's life, our house, and all the losses."
Li Rui asked, "Zhang Jingui, is he the coal mine owner who caused the accident?"
The woman nodded and said, "Yes, that's him. He has already run away. Hurry up and let the police arrest him. Otherwise, we won't be able to catch him. That bastard should be cut into pieces …"
Li Rui sighed and said, "Sister, please restrain your grief first. I will listen to their demands and give you an answer later. Don't worry, the culprit will definitely be arrested and your family's losses will definitely be compensated. Moreover, at this stage, your family's difficulties will be solved immediately. "
The woman only cared about seeking justice for her unfortunate husband. Since last night, she had been gathering with her family at the village government office. She had inadvertently neglected the problem of having a difficult home. After hearing Li Rui's reminder, she came back to her senses and felt warm in her heart. She felt that although this Deputy County Magistrate Li was young, he was very honest and considerate. He was a good official who would make decisions for the people. Her resentment in her heart was immediately reduced by half.
The second representative was a relative of one of the victims, a young man in his twenties. He was both angry and sorrowful as his face turned red and he indignantly said, "County Magistrate Li, our house has also collapsed. We're lucky that no one died, but my father broke his leg from the roof beam. He's currently lying in the hospital, and the surgery fees are in the tens of thousands. How can our family have so much money …"
When Li Rui heard this, he raised his hand and interrupted the young man's words. He instructed the Secretary of the Village Party Committee and the Village Head, "Immediately contact the village hospital. The hospital will pay for all the hospitalization fees for the injured villagers in West Mine Village, and the county will pay for it later. If there's a shortage of beds or medicine in the hospital, immediately request the county hospital for assistance. " Speaking of which, he nearly forgot that Bo Yubing was already in charge of the Finance Bureau when she reorganized the County Magistrate's work. Hence, he was confident that the county wouldn't provide the funds.
"County Magistrate Li, you don't have to repeat yourself. I've already spoken to the hospital when I went to visit the injured." Su Tao stood up with an unperturbed expression.
Li Ruixin sighed inwardly. He knew that Su Tao was afraid that he would steal Su Tao's credit and steal his limelight. But at this moment, how could Su Tao still have the mood to play such tricks? Su Tao was truly speechless as he immediately asked, "What did you say back then?"
Su Tao never expected that Li Rui would argue with him over this matter, which made him angry as he sourly replied, "What else could I have said? Let the hospital pay for the treatment fees first. "
Li Rui sighed, "I knew that you didn't express it fully! Not only do you want the hospital to pay for the treatment fees, but more importantly, you have to make it clear that the county will pay for it. You can't let the families of the injured suffer a huge financial loss. Look, this little brother here is worried about his father's surgery fees. This means that the hospital didn't understand how the county handled this matter, and this also caused the villagers to panic. "
Su Tao was so angry that his nose almost crooked. He was here first, and Bo Yubing didn't give him any authority. So how could he dare to say that the county will pay for it? As someone who came later, you must have received Bo Yubing's imperial edict to say that. But it's fine for you to say that. There's no need to mock me. Oh, to show that you're capable? To show that you sympathize with the villagers? Then where am I, Su Tao, placed? "The County Magistrate didn't tell me that the county will pay for it." The boss unhappily said.
Li Ruixin replied, "Bo Yubing didn't tell me that as well. But this matter is urgent, so I can only say that." He ignored the boss and asked the little brother, "Continue."
When the little brother saw that Li Rui had settled his father's treatment fees, he felt that the burden on his shoulders had lightened. Since he was indebted to Li Rui, he couldn't make any unreasonable requests and said, "As long as my father's injuries can be treated without any disability, and my house can be repaired, I don't have any other opinions."
Li Rui patted his shoulder and said, "Your requests aren't excessive at all. They're all things that we can do, and we have to do it well. Don't worry, everything will be fine."
Following that, the remaining four representatives spoke one by one. Their requests could be summed up as follows: the injured must be treated and compensated for the loss of working time and nutrition fees; the collapsed houses and damaged walls caused by the collapse of the ground must be repaired; the geological safety of the village must be checked to make sure that it's habitable, and it must be guaranteed that there won't be any similar disasters in the future; there was also something interesting, the villagers wanted to arrest all the coal miners to prevent them from harming others.
After listening to the requests of the six representatives, Li Rui said, "Alright, I've heard everyone's thoughts and requests. Now, I'll make a summary and see if everyone is satisfied with it. If you're not satisfied, then we can talk about it. Firstly, the victims won't have died in vain, and the perpetrator will compensate the victims' relatives. If the perpetrator can't be caught, then the perpetrator's assets will be compensated according to the law to ensure that the victims' families will receive the compensation. But the compensation won't be paid immediately, and it will have to go through the corresponding procedures. So Big Sister, please be patient.
Secondly, regarding the injured, the county will provide free treatment and compensation for the loss of working time and other miscellaneous expenses. If the injured are disabled, they will be compensated in a lump sum. Thirdly, regarding the damage to the houses caused by the accident, please rest assured that the county will properly solve it, or rebuild it free of charge, or compensate with money.
Fourthly, regarding the geological inspection of the village, the county's Bureau of Land and Resources has already invited senior technicians from the provincial geological environment monitoring station. If they don't arrive this afternoon, then tomorrow morning, they will conduct a survey in the village to ensure that everyone has a safe and permanent living environment.
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