Iron Bull Legend

Tie Niu trotted around and listened to the citizens' discussions, then returned to the snack bar. Today, the store did not put the small tables and chairs outside. Fortunately, not many people came to eat breakfast at this time, and everyone was happily rolling around in the snow.

"Boss, old rules," Tie Niu shouted to the boss before he even sat down.

"Okay, we'll deliver it right away. Mayor Tie, the snow this year is the heaviest we've ever seen. How does it compare to your north?" The boss answered while busying himself with his hands and feet.

"In our hometown, this is just the first snowfall. Once the sky clears up, you can't see anything. If the snow in our north lasts for several days and nights like last night, you can't even go out, because if your house is not buried, it will be a blessing for your ancestors. Some small sheds have been collapsed."

"That's so scary. If you can't leave the house, what will you eat and drink? Will you starve to death?"

"In the north, we have winter supplies. Even if we don't leave our homes for ten days or half a month, we won't starve to death. There are sauerkraut, pickles, potatoes, radishes, and cabbage in the big jars. There is also rice and flour in the rice jars. Do you think we can starve to death? When winter comes, no one goes out. We just start to hibernate and drink some wine. It feels so comfortable." Tie Niu said with infinite emotion and returned to the small mountain village in the northeast.

"You miss home, don't you? Didn't you stay at home long enough this time?"

"Alas, I only spent one day at home during the Chinese New Year, and then I went abroad. To be honest, I really missed home. I missed the chicken stewed with mushrooms, white meat and blood sausage, and the pig-killing dishes. I also missed a big pot of Gaoliang rice and beans. I would rather be a mayor than a mayor. You don't know that my grandfather would heat up a can of pure sorghum wine in a small tin kettle every morning. I would take a sip and smell the intoxicating Gaoliang wine. It was intoxicating."

"Really? We don't have that kind of restaurant here. If we do this, then the business must be very good. I heard a customer who came to eat here talk about sticky rats from the Northeast, dipped in sugar. He said it was really overbearing. Mayor Tie, is what he said true?"

"Of course. Eat some sticky rats, burn some chili peppers, crush them and put them in the sauerkraut soup. Eat a bite of the rat, drink a big gulp of the sauerkraut soup, and you'll start sweating. Even gods can't get rid of that taste."

"Mayor Tie, I really envy you northerners. You do nothing in the winter but stay at home, drink some wine, eat some sticky mice, drink some sauerkraut soup, and the chicken stewed with mushrooms you mentioned. That taste and feeling are really like a god's life. No wonder you said you wouldn't even be an official. If it were me, I wouldn't do it either."

"Haha...hahaha" all the diners laughed together, and Tie Niu also quickened his eating speed, eating everything in his path like whirlwind. He swallowed two or three shrimp dumplings and crab roe buns in one bite, causing the diners next to him to open their mouths wide and forget to eat.

"Mayor Tie is so busy with work that he always eats so fast. Haven't you heard? But I heard that for the development of our Yangcheng, Mayor Tie spent the New Year at home and went abroad to look for money and projects. These days he is preparing to receive foreign businessmen. Mayor Tie, you have worked hard," the boss said and bowed deeply to express his gratitude.

"Look at what you said. Isn't this also my hometown? If my hometown is doing well and everyone lives a comfortable and happy life, then I will have fulfilled my wish. These are the happy lives that our Party has brought to everyone and guided us to live. This is not just my credit."

"Boss, give me a serving of shrimp dumplings. It's really cold today. The weather changes so quickly, just like the Public Security Bureau in Yangcheng." A middle-aged man in his forties with a beard strode in. His eyes were gleaming and he looked around at the table next to Tie Niu.

"Okay, I'll be there right away. What's going on with the Municipal Bureau? You seem to know everything?" The boss brought the shrimp dumplings and inquired for information with a smile. Every day he got to know a lot of things happening in Yangcheng, as if this place was an underground transportation station.

"You don't know, but last night Yangcheng arrested many police officers. Do you think the situation has changed? We don't know what happened. There was an internal conflict within the Public Security Bureau, and people from the same police department arrested their own people. Do you think the situation has changed?"

"What... Our own people are arresting our own people. Is this going to lead to a war? This is really weird. How could this happen? It's not right." The shop owner muttered to himself as he put down the shrimp dumplings, with a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"How would I know? I paid attention to it all night, and my stomach growled with hunger. I just wanted to know more news, but later, there was no news at all. It was like I was blocked."

"Are you hallucinating? What kind of unit is our Municipal Bureau? However, the disciplinary department is the most strict department in Yangcheng. How could something like this happen?" A diner opened his mouth wide and dropped a crab roe bun.

"Come on, those bastards are just cannibals. After the Urban Management Bureau left, here comes the Public Security Bureau. Sigh, it's really hard for us ordinary people to live. Every day we either make money or collect taxes. When will it be clear what money is collected by the state and what money is unreasonable and random charges?" The shop owner complained while busying himself.

Yes, if the fees were clearly stated, including what is normal national tax and what is reasonable local charges, and it was all written down clearly, the people would not have so many complaints.

Tie Niu thought about what taxes and fees a small shop pays in a month, how to pay them, to whom to pay them, where the taxes go, and what they are used for. He wanted to fulfill the boss's wish, but he didn't know what the consequences would be if he did so.

After all, in this society, a lot of money is hidden. Even where is some money spent by the government? Even those who handle it don't know where it is spent. If I touch the interest groups that should not be touched, it will bring trouble to Jiao Yuankui's government.

It would be great if I could give myself a few more years to develop Guangzhou and set an example and serve as a model for this weak country. However, time is really limited now, and I am too busy to do anything else, so I can only return to Beijing to implement it.

"Never mind. It's much better now than before. It's definitely not like the group of bandits in the Urban Management Bureau before. Even if you want to put tables, chairs and benches outside, you have to pay a fee. However, it has become more humane after the management of the Municipal Bureau. We ordinary people also consider ourselves to abide by social ethics. We can just clean up after breakfast and put it back as long as it doesn't affect the city appearance." The shop owner said with emotion, which was in stark contrast to her attitude just now.

"I have to say that our current mayor is really efficient. There are no more gangsters robbing on the streets now. The streets are much cleaner and sanitary. There are also professional markets for vendors, which makes life much more convenient for us citizens." The bearded middle-aged man said with a smile.

"Haha, isn't that our Iron Mayor? Fortunately, you didn't say bad things about our Iron Mayor, otherwise you would have offended a big shot." The shop owner laughed and teased the bearded middle-aged man.

"Ah... ? You are the iron mayor of Yangcheng. I see you in person. I had only seen your photo in newspapers before. I didn't expect you to be younger than in the photo, like our kid who is still in high school. No... I don't mean that, I..." The bearded middle-aged man looked embarrassed and stood up quickly.

"It's okay, uncle, please sit down and eat. I'm just an ordinary person, about the same age as your child. I'll do what I can and do something good for the citizens." Tie Niu quickly put his hands down.

"Okay, really okay. Our mayor is so considerate. I didn't say anything bad about you just now, did I? What I said about the Municipal Bureau was nonsense. I really didn't spread rumors." The middle-aged man looked at Tie Niu, wiping his hands on his clothes nervously, extremely nervous.

"No, what you said is true, not a rumor. By the way, we will return the collected protection fees within a few days. On behalf of the municipal government, I apologize to you all. This is a management mistake on our part and we must accept everyone's supervision. The Municipal Bureau will also have a large number of inactive police officers coming directly to investigate." Tie Niu had to tell the truth because the matter was announced today in the form of a notice.

"Mayor Tie, you are really a good official. That day, I just said it casually. To be honest, we can afford to pay the money. Even if the Public Security Bureau collects it, it will indeed guarantee our safety. But, but..." The shop owner couldn't continue.

"Are you feeling uncomfortable? I feel uncomfortable too. The city bureau did not follow the rules in handling this matter. We have dealt with what should be dealt with. We cannot make some mistakes. That is not what we should do as public servants. Please understand. I will also apologize to all citizens in the media."

"No, I really can't do that. Those are just small matters. How can we ask Mayor Tie to apologize? Wouldn't that make us small vendors who rely on Yangcheng to make a fortune feel uneasy?"

"What you said is wrong. If you do something wrong, you should correct it as soon as you know it. You can't keep silent about it. Even a manager like me has to face up to the needs of the people. We serve the people, not leeches sucking blood from them."

"Mayor Tie, you said it well. It is a blessing for the citizens of Yangcheng to have an official like you. On behalf of the citizens of Yangcheng, I would like to thank Mayor Tie. You are great and a good official." The middle-aged bearded man sang praises loudly.

"Uncle, please don't flatter me. If I do something wrong someday and fall down, it will be very painful. You can't praise a capable young man like me like this. You must not make me proud, hehe," Tie Niu laughed.