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墨書 Inktalez
Just when Hu Ruoyun thought he would never have any connection with the Jiangbei Science and Technology News again in this lifetime, a phone call came to his dormitory that evening.
The other four roommates had all gone home, so this call must be for him. During this time, he had been chatting with Mao Na every few days, sharing trivial family matters without ever getting tired of it.
He picked up the receiver, but it wasn’t Mao Na on the other end; it was his father, Mao Weiguo. “Xiao Hu, is it convenient to talk?”
Hu Ruoyun quickly replied, “Uncle, I’m alone in the dorm. What’s the matter?”
Mao Weiguo’s tone was somewhat heavy. “Lao Gu Niu Huahua has run into some trouble over here. Can you find some time to come back?”
It turned out that since Huahua Dairy settled in Annan Lao Gu, there had been good cooperation from the top down—from Annan County to Laogu Township. Most of the ordinary workers were recruited from nearby villages like Su Village, Xin Zhuang, and Wu Ying, and they prioritized purchasing straw for silage from these villages as well. The cow dung was mostly taken away by the villagers from these areas too.
However, as the saying goes, greed knows no bounds. Over time, some people from Su Village, Xin Zhuang, and Wu Ying began to feel inflated with power. They thought that Niu Huahua should bow down and lower themselves in their own territory... Thus, they repeatedly came forward with unreasonable demands: for instance, they wanted Niu Huahua to pay a higher price for straw from these villages and a lower price for the cow dung they collected.
Initially, both the Laogu Township government and Niu Huahua chose to compromise under the principle of "development as the top priority." However, their concessions did not yield the desired results; instead, these individuals became even more aggressive, demanding that Niu Huahua's silage straw be "purchased through them" and that the cow dung be "sold through them."
This was not just about monopolizing profits; it was an attempt to control Niu Huahua's normal operations!
The general manager of Niu Huahua in Annan, Gao Hongshan, arranged a meeting with these individuals under the intervention of the Laogu Township government. However, not only were they unyielding in their stance, but their leader, Chu Da Kai, also threatened openly: “General Gao, whether it’s our raw materials coming in or products going out, they must pass through our villages... If you don’t agree to our demands and the roads become difficult later on... don’t say we didn’t warn you!”
Laogu Township’s Town Chief Feng Decai was furious. “What is this? This is nothing short of extortion!”
He immediately instructed the police station to intervene.
Niu Huahua’s raw milk delivery truck was intercepted by man-made roadblocks in Su Village. The police quickly responded to arrest those who had deliberately damaged the road. However, these individuals not only refused to cooperate but also openly resisted and assaulted the police officers, damaging Niu Huahua’s milk delivery truck in the process! During the conflict, Chu Da Kai fell while struggling and injured his face!
Although these individuals were eventually taken to the police station, their families and clans rallied together demanding their unconditional release. They even brought in a reporter named Cheng Xiuwen from Jiangbei Science and Technology News who reported that Laogu Township’s police station was “violently enforcing the law” and accused Niu Huahua of “harming the interests of local people”...
Jiangbei Science and Technology News was originally co-managed by the provincial science association and the Science and Technology Committee. After being separated from the committee, it fell under the jurisdiction of the provincial science association and essentially became a self-sustaining unit. From reporters to news departments to special topics and technology departments... all had advertising responsibilities aimed at generating revenue! However, each department had different means of generating income...
Hu Ruoyun had initially worked there pulling advertisements while reporters and news departments would pressure parties involved to “pay up” or settle privately; they could even turn a bad situation into a good one by providing “positive coverage” based on circumstances...
Cheng Xiuwen learned from villagers that Niu Huahua was doing well financially and had long harbored thoughts of “getting a cut.” Once that idea surfaced, he was bound to take a biased stance...
He did interview Laogu Township government and police station officials but found that what was faxed to the county publicity department bore little resemblance to reality: The accompanying images were provided by Chu Da Kai’s group of so-called “victims,” while statements from Township Head Feng and Police Instructor Zhang Weimin were largely omitted...
With just a few days left until his four-week internship at Jiangcheng Evening News ended, Hu Ruoyun decided to speak with Lai Wen about leaving early after his phone call with Mao Weiguo.
Although Lai Wen found this assistant particularly useful, upon hearing it was Mao Na's father calling him back home, he didn’t try to keep him: “Brother, you should head back first. You’ve helped my sister a lot during this time; we can handle your social practice report when school starts!”
Hu Ruoyun said, “Sister, let’s skip dinner for now; I need to get back as soon as possible... I just wanted to ask if you could help me with something if it's convenient?”
Lai Wen readily agreed: “Brother, just tell me! As long as it’s something I can do!”
"Can I borrow the interview recorder from our newsroom?" Hu Ruoyun asked.
Back then, unlike now with recording pens and hidden cameras everywhere, cameras and interview recorders were the most important tools for journalists.
Lai Wen hesitated for a moment. "I'll ask Director Du to help you borrow one!"
Normally, such equipment was a valuable asset in the news department, and as an outsider, Hu Ruoyun would have had no chance of borrowing it. However, Lai Wen managed to get one for him: "Brother, this thing is precious, so be careful with it! I had to pull some strings with my father-in-law to get it!"
"By the way, what do you need this for?"
Hu Ruoyun explained the situation that Mao Weiguo had told him about.
Lai Wen was also angry. "These people are just troublemakers; they don't deserve to be journalists! The reputation of this industry is ruined by these rotten apples! Just record whatever useful information you can for me, and I'll help you handle it!"
Seeing Hu Ruoyun's confusion, he added, "My brother-in-law's father is Zhou Kaishan, the director of the provincial propaganda department!"
This information was incredibly useful.
Hu Ruoyun thanked Lai Wen and hurried to the bus station, catching a long-distance bus to Annan. After more than two hours, he arrived at Annan County Long-Distance Bus Station.
To his surprise, Mao Weiguo had sent Zhang Qiang and his driver Xiao Wang to wait for him at the station. Instead of going to Mao Weiguo's home, they went directly to the County Government and into Mao Weiguo's office. Upon entering, Hu Ruoyun saw Laogu Township Town Chief Feng Decai seated there along with Vice Minister Qin from the county's propaganda department. Zhang Qiang introduced everyone to Hu Ruoyun; besides the two he already knew, there were also Gao Hongshan from Niu Huahua's side and Instructor Zhang Weimin from Laogu Township's police station.
Vice Minister Gao showed Hu Ruoyun a draft article sent by Cheng Xiuwen from Jiangbei Science and Technology News. The title was shocking: "Niu Huahua Exploits Farmers; Local Government Aids and Abets—Voices from Grassroots Farmers." The accusation was severe!
As he read through the article, he noticed that it mainly consisted of "farmers' voices," while completely omitting any mention of how the company created jobs locally or contributed funds for schools and irrigation projects in several villages.
Dealing with such people required decisive action; one must strike hard to eliminate them once and for all. Even if you chose to endure their demands and settle privately, these individuals would remain insatiable, selling their so-called "leads" to other media outlets endlessly.
At the end of the draft was a note stating "If there are no objections, it will be formatted as such!" along with Cheng Xiuwen's office phone number.
After reading everything, Hu Ruoyun shared his thoughts: "The propaganda department should not get involved in subsequent matters..."
Before he could finish his sentence, Vice Minister Qin interjected: "But they sent the draft to the propaganda department; we need to respond!"
Hu Ruoyun replied, "Please let me finish... Just say that the draft has been handed over to Laogu Township government and Niu Huahua Enterprises, instructing them to coordinate with the newspaper."
Then he turned to Gao Hongshan: "Mr. Gao, please have someone call Jiangbei Science and Technology News and inform them that we have arranged for office personnel to coordinate with them. They will definitely come."
Gao Hongshan suggested, "How about we just give them some money? I've encountered similar situations at headquarters; these people just want some cash..."
Hu Ruoyun stopped him: "Mr. Gao, what if similar media approaches us in the future? Would you handle it this way every time?"
Gao Hongshan no longer insisted, "Alright, Brother Xiao Hu, I'll go with your decision!"
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