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Reborn as a Noble's Son-Chapter 841 - 797 A Night Stroll in Tianfu
Chapter 841: Chapter 797: A Night Stroll in Tianfu
Chapter 841 -797: A Night Stroll in Tianfu
In the evening, Nie Zhenbang didn’t disturb Little Wu nor sought after him; from the garage, he drove out his car and quickly left the provincial party committee’s residential area. After turning onto the main road, the car headed straight for Tianfu City’s Pedestrian Street.
Tianfu Pedestrian Street is a nationally renowned commercial street. Bashu is known for its beautiful women, but there is a saying in Bashu that eighty percent of these beauties are concentrated around Tianfu Pedestrian Street.
The resplendent neon lights highlighted the prosperity of Tianfu City. As a leader, Nie Zhenbang viewed all this from a different perspective compared to the ordinary folks.
Common people saw the vibrancy and the trendiness, while Nie Zhenbang saw and felt that in this city under his charge, the people could live and work in peace and contentment, which meant that he, as a leader, was at least passably competent.
After parking the car, the two of them entered Wangfujing Department Store intimately. An Na seemed to have a goal in mind; once inside, she took Nie Zhenbang by the hand and headed straight for the men’s clothing section.
Seeing Nie Zhenbang’s puzzled expression, An Na’s face showed a hint of embarrassment as she smiled and said, “The weather is gradually getting cooler, and I wanted to buy you some clothes. Buying by size alone isn’t always satisfactory. So, I dragged you over.”
These words stunned Nie Zhenbang; looking at An Na, he felt deeply moved and embraced her tightly, whispering, “An Na, how can I ever repay you for this kindness?”
Nie Zhenbang naturally had the physique of a model. Armani, the brand for successful men, complemented him perfectly. Soon, Nie Zhenbang had tried on several suits.
After changing back into his own clothes, Nie Zhenbang suddenly said, “An Na, you take care of this first, I need to go to the bathroom.”
After a while, when Nie Zhenbang returned, An Na came up to him, “Zhenbang, what did you eat? How come it took you so long to go to the bathroom?”
No sooner had she finished speaking, Nie Zhenbang took out a box from his pocket and opened it to reveal a five-carat heart-shaped diamond ring, which under the light, sparkled incredibly brightly.
Gazing at An Na, Nie Zhenbang said with deep affection, “Wife, let me put this on for you.”
At that moment, Nie Zhenbang’s eyes were exceedingly sincere and serious, akin to a devout believer in front of a saint, as he tenderly and carefully slipped the ring onto An Na’s finger. This romantic scene immediately drew applause from the bystanders.
At that instant, it was An Na who seemed a bit embarrassed, grabbing Nie Zhenbang’s hand and whispering softly, “Husband!”
After a round through the women’s clothing area, the couple left the department store. Sweet moments are always fleeting; before they knew it, it was already ten o’clock at night.
Looking at the still crowded pedestrian street, An Na took a deep breath, playfully patted her stomach, turned to him, and said, “Husband, I’m hungry, how about we go to a food stall?”
Almost ten years of married life, at this moment, this old couple appeared just like a pair of lovers in the throes of a passionate romance. At this moment, any notions of status or position had been cast aside. Nie Zhenbang smiled and nodded, pointing across the pedestrian street, “Let’s go over there, look at all those food stalls, it must be nice.”
They had just reached the area concentrated with late-night food stalls when a large crowd gathered ahead immediately caught the attention of Nie Zhenbang and An Na.
Pushing through the crowd to the inner circle, they saw in the middle, several city enforcement officers standing to the side, and on the ground, a woman about sixty years old sitting there, looking forlorn and helpless, with fear but no joy in her eyes.
Next to the elderly woman was an overturned snack cart, with various ingredients and seasonings scattered on the ground.
Nie Zhenbang frowned, violence in enforcement? Or what? As a leader, Nie Zhenbang always saw things from a different angle than the common people.
Just as he was about to ask what was going on, at that moment, in the middle, a man shouted angrily, “Old hag, how many times have I told you? There are strict regulations for setting up a stall here. By setting up your stall here, what do you think you’re doing? Do you understand the rules? This time, I will flip your stall over. Next time, it won’t just be flipping the stall.”
The tone was full of arrogance and wildness, with a fierce look. Everyone has a kind of hero complex; the weak are always deserving of sympathy, no matter when.
Watching this scene, Nie Zhenbang’s brows had furrowed tightly. Looking at the crowd of onlookers, Nie Zhenbang asked, “Brother, what’s going on here?”
The man standing beside Nie Zhenbang, about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a look of disdain on his face, whispered softly, “These scum. The stall spaces here were originally allocated by the municipal government for small vendors to operate. But these people have carved out the space and charge a sanitation fee based on the size of the area every month. Sanitation fee my ass—it all goes into their own pockets. Mrs. Feng’s family is poor; her husband died, and she has a son with intellectual disabilities. All the family’s pressure falls on her. Her snack stall doesn’t earn much, so how can she afford to pay them a sanitation fee? These people’s consciences have been eaten by dogs.”
In the midst of conversation, from among the crowd, a middle-aged man of about forty, dressed in a blue work uniform and clearly one of the nearby vendors, came forward, smiling, “Leader, dear leaders, I’ve already paid Mrs. Feng’s sanitation fee. Please, generous leaders, spare Mrs. Feng this time. It’s hard for an old woman whose son is disabled to make a living.”
The man meant well, but his words only angered the urban management officers. Are you trying to play the good Samaritan? Doesn’t this just make us look even worse?
The man who was scolding earlier glared at the middle-aged man next to him and said sternly, “Liu Lao San, not bad, you seem to be living comfortably enough to play Lei Feng. Since you’re so rich, fine. Starting from next month, your stall’s sanitation fee will increase from a hundred to a thousand yuan.”
Nie Zhenbang scanned the area. This man called Liu Lao San made cold noodles, which didn’t take up much space like the barbecue and late-night stalls did. Speaking of business area, it was at most two or three square meters. This street, close to the pedestrian street, from top to bottom, could accommodate three or four hundred such small vendors, each paying a hundred per month, amounting to thirty or forty thousand. This didn’t even include the large-area barbecue shops and food stands. In other words, the income here, conservatively estimated, was at least over fifty thousand a month.
As the man spoke, a middle-aged woman standing at the cold noodles stall came over and scolded Liu Lao San, “Only you can show off. What are you pretending to be, big tail wolf? Go back and do your business.”
While saying this, she smiled and said, “Captain Hu, look, Old Three is out of his mind, talking nonsense. You are a generous person, don’t lower yourself to his level. Next time, both of us will apologize to you, Captain Hu, specifically.”
The man referred to as Captain Hu, hearing this, finally softened his expression a bit. He nodded and said, “Liu Lao San, at least your wife has some sense. Remember this, old man, don’t overstep.”
In the midst of the conversation, another member of the urban management team came over and kicked Mrs. Feng’s handcart with full force, pushing the cart forward two meters. The violent shaking completely ruined the food on the cart.
Standing high above everyone, they looked down at Mrs. Feng, who sat silently on the ground, and said heavily, “Old hag, give me a word, will you pay the sanitation fee or not?”
At that moment, Mrs. Feng on the ground, felt utterly helpless, her eyes fixed on the food on the ground. She wanted to pick it up, but she dared not. Avoiding their gazes, a hundred yuan might be just the cost of a meal or even a tenth of a meal for most people, but for an old woman with a son who has intellectual disabilities, it might be the cost of the child’s medicine or even a month’s living expenses for the family.
After a long while, Mrs. Feng finally spoke in a low voice, “Captain Hu, I really don’t have the money. How about you give me a few days? After I make some money, I’ll give it to you.”
Watching this scene, Nie Zhenbang could no longer restrain himself. Beside him, clutching his hand tightly, he could feel Anna’s immense anger as well.
What Nie Zhenbang didn’t expect was that Anna took the lead, stepping forward, pulling out her wallet, and handing over a hundred-yuan bill, “How can you all be so shameless, bullying an old lady? This area is specially designated by Tianfu City government for small vendors, with regulations stating that no fees should be collected. Your collection of funds is already against the rules. Now, I’ve paid the sanitation fee for the old lady, a hundred yuan, right? Here, take it.”
Captain Hu sized up Anna with a sideways glance. Her attire and demeanor made Captain Hu think twice about being brazen. After a pause, he sneered at the hundred yuan in Anna’s hand, scoffing, “A hundred yuan? Hah, you think you’re giving alms? What, you want to be a living Lei Feng? I’m telling you, it’s not enough. Either you pay a thousand a month, have the guts to pay for her every month, or this old hag can get lost!”
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As soon as he finished speaking, Nie Zhenbang stepped forward. At this moment, his face was stern and his expression serious. He coldly looked at these people, the corner of his mouth curled up in a wry smile, and he said in a deep voice, “I’d like to know, under what document, under what regulations are you charging these fees?” (