Next day.
Saturday, late morning.
Dong Xuebing is not working today, but one word kept appearing in his head. Earthquake!
Dong Xuebing took a deep breath and finished his breakfast quickly. He has no time to waste. He sat on the sofa with the future e-newspaper and a notebook to write his proposal. He needs to jot down everything he needs to do and plan everything before the earthquake. Most importantly, he needs to lower Guang Ming Subdistrict’s casualties and hope to get zero death. He needs to convince Yang Zhaode, Xie Huilan, and Geng Yuehua. If he can’t convince them once, he will try again until he succeeds.
The countdown has started for the earthquake.
Dong Xuebing has no choice. He needs to lower the casualty and death to keep his job. If he fails, it will be the end of his career, and thousands of people will die because of him. He can’t afford to lose it.
There’s one month left.
It is up to him now!
After completing his proposal, Dong Xuebing decides to use whatever methods he can think of to convince others.
Dong Xuebing smiled and switched on his laptop. He connects his phone to his laptop and bombards Xie Huilan and Geng Yuehua with SMS and emails about the casualties figures of recent earthquake disasters in China and other countries. He did not send it all in one SMS or email. He sent every disaster in one SMS and an email and sent tens of such SMS and emails!
Sent!
Send completed!
Send completed!
Dong Xuebing doesn’t know how Xie Huilan and Geng Yuehua will react when they receive his SMS and emails. But he knows they will be mad.
Ring… ring… ring…. Dong Xuebing’s phone rings.
Geng Yuehua called, and she shouted the moment Dong Xuebing answered. “Dong Xuebing! What the hell are you doing!?”
Dong Xuebing nonchalantly replied. “Don’t be angry, Mayor Geng. I just want to let you know about the severity of an earthquake disaster. This is very important.”
“Nonsense!” Du… du…. Geng Yuehua hangs up.
The next moment, Dong Xuebing received an SMS from Xie Huilan.
“Do you have nothing else to do?”
Dong Xuebing replied. “You must consider my suggestion seriously. Who knows if an earthquake will happen or not? You must treat this seriously.”
Xie Huilan replied. “Haha…. I will consider about it.”
Dong Xuebing smiled and replied to Xie Huilan’s SMS. “Are you trying to brush me off?”
Xie Huilan: I can only consider it now. Please stop sending these messages to harass me. It’s not easy to have a rest day. Haha….
Dong Xuebing rolled his eyes. He knows it’s not easy to convince them, but Xie Huilan’s slight change in attitude gave him hope.
The doorbell rings.
Dong Xuebing opens the door, and a young man in courier uniform is standing outside.
“Did you call for courier services?” That man asked.
“Yes. I need to send something.” Dong Xuebing let that young man in and took out a few parcels for him. “These two are for Yan Tai County, Nan Shan District. This is for the City. I will give you the address now.” These parcels contain earthquake-related documents and videos. He had prepared them last night. The two parcels for Yan Tai County are sent to Xie Huilan’s office and her apartment. The ones for Nan Shan District are for Geng Yuehua, and the parcel to be sent to the City is for his mother.
After the courier left, Dong Xuebing called his mother, Luan Xiaoping. “Mum, are you working today?”
Luan Xiaoping replied. “I am preparing my curriculum at home. What is it?”
“Oh, I had sent some materials on an earthquake to you.”
“Earthquake? Your Uncle Yang had told me about you yesterday….”
“I can’t explain it now. Mum, I just want to ask you one question. Who is closer to you? Uncle Yang or me?”
Luan Xiaoping laughed. “Of course it’s you. You are my son.”
Dong Xuebing smiles. “Then do me a favor. You must play the video I prepared in the parcel when Uncle Yang returns. You must make him watch it and look at the materials I sent to you.”
“What are you trying to do?”
“Mum, just listen to me.”
“…… fine. I will try.”
“Thank you, Mum. I will leave this to you.”
Dong Xuebing had completed his task of convincing them today. He will bombard them every day until they are convinced, as this is for the good of Fen Zhou City’s residents and Xie Huilan and Geng Yuehua’s career advancement. As a lowly Subdistrict Office Director, he was forced to resign after the earthquake. Who knows what punishment Xie Huilan and Geng Yuehua will get? Maybe they will be terminated or demoted. So, he must not stop convincing them.
Morning, 10 am…
Dong Xuebing takes a sip of water and is prepared for his next move.
Dong Xuebing has no control over other areas. He can only remind and warn them, but he can do more in his Subdistrict. Of course, he cannot go around shouting, ‘an earthquake is coming!’ Yang Zhaode had reminded him that spreading rumors on earthquakes is a serious offense. But there’s nothing wrong with getting the Subdistrict to take precautions against natural disasters.
Dong Xuebing looked at the first page of his notebook. He had written down the number of people injured and killed by a heath wine factory’s advertising boards in Guang Ming Subdistrict. Forty-three people died because of this factory’s advertising boards. All of this factory’s advertising boards have serious defects, and four out of five advertising boards crashed down during the earthquake. The billboard Dong Xuebing saw in the e-newspaper picture is one of this factory’s advertising boards. These 43 casualties are either crashed or met in traffic accidents due to the advertising boards falling onto the roads.
Dong Xuebing will target this health wine factory’s advertising boards first!
Dong Xuebing will not let these 43 people die in his Subdistrict! He is not going to let anyone in his Subdistrict Office die!
This might sound impossible, but Dong Xuebing must try to make it happen!
