Lu Chengwen said:
"Right now, if we release the houses, the residents of the shantytown will think that these are houses they deserve and should have received long ago! Whether you let them move in or not, they won't be grateful."
"They will grumble, saying the project has been delayed for years, and that they have endured so much hardship and loss. If the facilities are incomplete and the living environnt is subpar, even ordering takeout will be a hassle..."
"Then they will curse! The complaints could be as harsh as you can imagine. Complaining is not even the worst part; they might surround you and hold banners accusing you of being heartless wolves."
Secretary Wu tapped the table. "President Lu, speak practically! This is the city governnt office; mind your words."
Mayor Zhao interrupted, "Let him speak."
"But!" Lu Chengwen emphasized, "If the situation is one where many people compete for limited resources, then even without seasoning, the at will taste good."
"What do you an?" soone asked.
"We conduct an internal screening, selecting a portion of those in urgent need or eting the criteria for first-phase occupancy, narrowing it down to a few thousand people! Let them fill out forms, informing them that this is part of a selection process. This changes their mindset!"
Lu Chengwen smiled and said, "Before, they thought, 'This house should be mine; it should have been built for a long ti ago.' Now, they'll think, 'Thank heavens, as long as I get the house first, I can endure anything.'"
Secretary Wu said, "But... this won't work, will it? Won't those who don't get a house still cause trouble?"
Lu Chengwen said, "We make the information transparent!"
"Transparent!?"
"Yes!" Lu Chengwen said, "Clearly inform them of the advantages and disadvantages of being in the first group to move in."
"The advantages! The first batch can start renovations and move in early. At least they won't have to pay rent anymore, and their children's school registration can be updated quickly, avoiding issues that could affect their education. You can list the specific benefits and make them public."
"Also tell them the disadvantages! Make it clear that being in the first group ans being a step ahead, but they will have to endure incomplete facilities, less appealing surroundings, poor transport routes, and difficulties in ordering takeout..."
Mayor Zhao nodded, "What do you all think?"
"I... I want to ask President Lu, does this an there won't be any more problems? I'm genuinely afraid of being pressured by the residents of the shantytown."
Lu Chengwen said, "If we act based on our current statistics, giving priority to those who should have it, no one will be satisfied. Why? Because, as I said, they think it's what they deserve!"
"But! If we do it my way, they will feel they have the power to choose! Choose to get a house now or wait for better conditions. This changes their psychology; getting or not getting a house becos their choice."
Lu Chengwen pointed to soone, "For example, if I assign soone a car, they might complain about the model, saying it's low-end, underpowered, and not impressive."
"But if I let them choose between a cheaper car they can own after a few years or a high-end car that reverts to company ownership after they leave or change jobs, it's different."
"If they choose the luxury car, they'll be happy and feel proud."
"If they choose the cheaper car, they'll still be pleased because they have a car!"
"It's that simple!"
"Great!" Secretary Wu was excited. "This could work, not only solving the issue of the first batch moving in but also reassuring those still waiting, as they'll see the transparency and their choice. It's like hitting multiple birds with one stone!"
Soone hesitated, "But we can't allocate resources that evenly. Not everyone will be satisfied; there will still be troublemakers."
Lu Chengwen said, "Are you foolish? Out of 50,000 people, if 25,000 willingly request to move in, will they cause trouble?"
"No," the person shook their head.
"If over 20,000 choose to wait for the second or third phase, will they cause trouble?"
"No."
"And the few left—are they even worth ntioning?"
"How can you say that?"
Lu Chengwen said, "What I an is, they're just the troublemakers! There aren't many, and it's not my job to deal with them. If they co for anyone, it's you."
Lu Chengwen smirked, "Don't you have a departnt specifically for maintaining stability? Go talk to those troublemakers, console them. Bring so rice, flour, eggs, and cooking oil to their hos. Do I really need to teach you this?"
The person was speechless for a while.
You're good at calculations, leaving only the real troublemakers, and you're not responsible. So, what am I supposed to do?
Mayor Zhao chuckled:
"I think President Lu's suggestion is excellent! Very constructive! Our work should focus on distinguishing major from minor conflicts. Uh... later, there might be a few, very few, residents who don't understand, so those responsible for stabilization will have to bear so grievances for the greater good."
Mayor Zhao was growing more fond of Lu Chengwen.
His words were crude but made sense.
You can't make everyone happy—it's impossible!
Not even Zhuge Liang could do it.
There will always be troublemakers. In fact, with Lu Chengwen's design, the burden on the stability maintenance team would be significantly reduced.
If thousands of people protest, good luck opening your front door!
This is part of the reality you must accept, like cri, disease, and war...
They will never disappear.
All humanity can do is use its greatest wisdom and efforts to maintain peace, suppress cri rates, and improve public health as much as possible.
That's all people can achieve."
But Lu Chengwen, this kid, really speaks in such an unpleasant way.
He's clearly doing a good thing, solving major problems, and offering constructive suggestions, but he says it in a way that makes people want to explode with anger, wishing they could give him a good beating.
Mayor Zhao made the decision, and it was settled.
The eting ended, and Mayor Zhao pulled Lu Chengwen aside:
"Chengwen, your idea is great, but when you communicate it within the group, you need to be careful with your wording. Phrases like 'be a bit harsh on the people' or 'make them think they have a choice' should be avoided. Once that gets out, even if we're doing good things, it will turn into sothing bad."
Lu Chengwen thought for a mont, then said, "I'll just say, 'We've fully considered the actual conditions of the residents of the shantytown.'"
"Arrange it reasonably according to the priority levels within the regulations."
"And fully respect the autonomy of the residents of the shantytown."
"And also promise the residents of the shantytown, 'Everyone will have a house, everyone will have access to education, everyone will have security, and everyone will have skills training'?"
Mayor Zhao smiled: "Not bad, let's go with that. 'Everyone will have skills training,' that's enough. But why does it sound so harsh when you say it?"
Lu Chengwen laughed: "Mayor Zhao, my master taught a principle."
"What principle?"
"Everything has both good and bad, black and white."
...
Seeing Lu Chengwen swaggering out with the police officers, one of them was fuming. Mayor Zhao asked what happened, and Secretary Wu smiled and said, "Mr. Lu upset him."
The person grumbled, "I just don't understand, how on earth did soone like Lu Chengwen end up with a fortune of billions? Does he even speak like a human?"
Mayor Zhao laughed: "You just lack experience. Do you think all entrepreneurs are like us, loving the people like children, burning themselves out for the common good?"
"Lu Chengwen said so much that's useful, how co all you heard were those few harsh words? Why are both and Xiao Wu excited?"
"But, Mayor Zhao... he has no respect for the people at all!"
Mayor Zhao said, "I respect the people, you respect the people, Xiao Wu respects the people. But the people need houses, need healthcare, need education, need food... You can't just give them respect! You need people like Lu Chengwen—soone who contributes people, money, and solutions!"
The person was nearly in tears: "He's just scum!"
Secretary Wu patted him on the shoulder: "I'm starting to admire Lu Chengwen more and more."
"Ah!?"
"Explain," Mayor Zhao said with a smile.
"Mr. Lu may not be good with words and likes to say annoying things, but... he gets things done. He's like a general—full of bad habits, loves to drink, fight, sleep around, gamble... but he wins battles. And after capturing cities, he protects the people, not harming them."
Secretary Wu said: "Such a general shouldn't be criticized for a few personal flaws. We should treasure him! A general who wins every battle is the brightest star of that era."
"Hahaha!" Mayor Zhao laughed heartily. "This analogy is interesting, do you understand now?"
"A little... I get it."
Secretary Wu said: "You haven't worked long, and you're like I was when I was younger, full of idealism. But reality is harsh. To get things done, you must mobilize the entire society's power."
"Whether it's entrepreneurs, artists, soldiers, rchants, farrs, or people's representatives... we need elites from all professions and positions to contribute their unique strengths, pushing social progress, improving the people's quality of life, making this city better, and making the world better."
"Our mayor is doing this kind of work. Lu Chengwen is a chess piece. If used well, he's invaluable; if used badly, it's our own failure. Got it?"
Mayor Zhao added: "It's not about expecting them to always speak like scholars, to always be humble and polite, and to be just like us. If everyone were like us, I'd say this world wouldn't be that interesting."
...
In a temporary office, a few police officers were checking the records.
"So, you and Officer Zhang Shen'er agreed that she would infiltrate the group, pretend to be arrested, confirm your position, and then your team would carry out the capture and rescue, is that correct?"
"Exactly!"
Lu Chengwen said: "Officer Zhang Shen'er is truly an honest, brave, selfless, and long-legged officer!"
"She single-handedly charged into the bandits' camp, going in and out seven tis, took down over fifty thugs, seized two long guns and three short guns, and in the end, her horse fell into a trap, nearly costing her life..."
"Stop! Stop! Are you talking about Zhang Shen'er? That sounds like Zhao Zilong!"
"It's pretty much the sa. I don't think Zhao Zilong has longer legs than Officer Shen'er."
Officer Zhang Shen'er and the captain were in another room, watching Lu Chengwen boast, exchanging glances.
Zhang Shen'er blushed, not daring to look at her superior.
"Why didn't you notify your superior when you had the intelligence and collaborated with Lu Chengwen?" the captain asked sternly. "Do you know how dangerous this is?"
Zhang Shen'er muttered, "A few thugs... didn't think it was such a big deal!"
Inside, Lu Chengwen was still chatting:
"I stood there and yelled at them! 'Hey! Your Uncle Lu is here! Either fight, retreat, advance, or argue! If you don't fight, don't advance, don't retreat, don't argue, you're a bunch of idiots!' I yelled, and the thugs backed off! Yelled twice, and they were scared! Yelled three tis, and I flipped the roof, and later soone wrote a poem praising ..."
"Enough!" A young officer slamd the table and stood up. "Do you think I'm an idiot?!"
An old officer holding a teacup stood up: "Mr. Lu, please save your storytelling. We'll hear the rest when we go back."
________________
read more on my patreon
patreon/jodex7
Reviews
All reviews (0)