Free Web NovelChapter 460: Chapter 460: An Unexpected Surprise
The sun was setting.
Aunt Li had collected another large bag of willow catkins.
Her back was sore and her body ached with fatigue.
But she was delighted.
Without stopping to rest, she rode her tricycle to the collection point.
It weighed in at 15 jin.
She earned 45 yuan.
Added to the 60 yuan she’d sold at noon,
her extra income for the day was 105 yuan.
Aunt Li was overjoyed.
On the way home, she did some careful calculations.
Based on previous years, the willow catkin season would last for over another month.
’If I can earn over a hundred yuan a day, I can make an extra three thousand a month.’
’This is fantastic.’
Aunt Li made a good meal that evening and went to bed early.
She needed to rest up and conserve her energy for another big day tomorrow.
However, things changed with unexpected speed.
The next day, the news that Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory was buying willow catkins spread through the entire city as if it had wings.
The news was the talk of the town, discussed on every street and in every alley.
The willow catkins, once seen as trash to be avoided at all costs, had instantly become a hot commodity.
All over the city, people donned masks and flooded the streets, armed with brooms, dustpans, and large bags. Some even pushed small carts, all eagerly collecting willow catkins.
Elderly men and women used brooms to sweep the catkins in the greenbelts into piles;
...while younger people crouched on the ground, picking up the scattered catkins by hand.
In an instant, a frenzy of willow catkin collecting swept through the city.
After breakfast, a cheerful Aunt Li headed out onto the street, only to be met with this very scene.
She froze.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on her fiery enthusiasm, extinguishing it in an instant.
’It’s over, it’s over...’
’I was hoping to make over a hundred yuan a day, but now I’ll be lucky to make even fifty...’
She wallowed in her dismay for a moment.
Then, Aunt Li snapped out of it.
’I have to get moving, or I won’t even make thirty yuan.’
...
The atmosphere was unusually tense inside a conference room at the Feng City Municipal Government building.
Mayor Lin sat ramrod straight, presiding over an important departmental meeting.
His expression was a mixture of slight pleasure and considerable worry.
"Everyone, I’ve called you all here today for a very important announcement."
Mayor Lin scanned the room, his voice grave. "Our application for the National Civilized City designation, which we submitted last year, is about to undergo a surprise inspection from the higher-ups. The inspection team arrives the day after tomorrow. This is not a routine check, but a surprise one, so our time is extremely limited."
He paused, his tone growing heavier. "Other matters are one thing, but the most visible and critical issue—the absolute top priority—is our city’s sanitation. This will directly shape the inspection team’s impression of Feng City."
Mayor Lin’s gaze fell on Director Wu. "Director Wu, you have two days. Are you confident you can get Feng City’s sanitation in order?"
Director Wu’s face was a mask of distress, fine beads of sweat already forming on his forehead.
He stood up and said helplessly, "Mayor Lin, our sanitation department is always working hard, and our routine maintenance of the city’s cleanliness is very good.
But... as you know, we’re in the middle of the season when willow catkins are running rampant. The streets, alleys, parks, and greenbelts—they’re all filled with catkins dancing in the air.
Our crews will clean an area, and in the blink of an eye, a whole new layer has fallen. It’s impossible to keep up!"
Mayor Lin’s expression darkened. "Director Wu, this initiative is the city’s number one priority. There are no excuses. If you face difficulties, you overcome them. Whatever it takes, get the city’s sanitation up to standard."
Director Wu was screaming internally but forced himself to say, "Mayor Lin, we’re severely understaffed. And... and more than half of last year’s sanitation budget still hasn’t been approved. We’re trying to make bricks without straw here..."
Mayor Lin listened, then spoke decisively. "Fine. Immediately mobilize all personnel on the public payroll—civil servants from every department, employees of public enterprises and institutions, everyone. I want them all down at the street and community level, conducting a blitz cleanup. As for the funding, reallocate a portion from other departments’ emergency funds for temporary use. Get the environmental sanitation handled first. We can sort out the rest once we’ve passed the inspection."
The other department heads at the meeting all agreed.
After the meeting, Director Wu walked out of the conference room with mixed feelings.
On one hand, he was relieved that the issue of the sanitation budget, overdue for more than half a year, was finally being addressed.
On the other hand, completely clearing out the catkins in two days was a seemingly impossible task, and the pressure was immense.
He pondered his strategy as he walked.
’Get more water trucks to spray down the poplar trees one by one. Try to keep more catkins from falling.’
’Then, I’ll need to organize the mobilized personnel efficiently, focusing on the areas with the heaviest catkin buildup.’
He got in the car. The driver started the engine and slowly drove out of the municipal government compound.
On the way, Director Wu gazed wearily out the car window.
However, the sight on the roadside made him freeze.
There were tons of people on the side of the road, busily cleaning with all sorts of tools.
’Huh? What’s going on?’
Director Wu was completely befuddled.
He blinked, thinking he had seen it wrong.
He looked again, more carefully.
This time, he discovered that those people were not doing ordinary cleaning.
They were ignoring ordinary trash on the ground, like fruit peels and paper scraps.
Their main target was actually the willow catkins piled up on the roadside and in the greenbelts!
Director Wu was completely dumbfounded.
’Which department is moving this fast?’
’The Mayor’s meeting ended less than ten minutes ago, and they’ve already assigned the task?’
’And the personnel are already on-site and working?’ fгeewebnovёl.com
’This level of efficiency is astounding!’
’When the time comes,’ he thought, ’I’ll have to give this department a huge commendation at the initiative’s review meeting. Make sure they get full credit.’
The car continued forward, and Director Wu stared out the window without blinking.
He was surprised to find that on almost all the main roads, streets, and even in the greenbelts, there were people collecting willow catkins.
Some were using brooms and dustpans to sweep the catkins into large bags.
Others, wearing gloves, were crouched on the ground, picking them up by hand.
Some agile young people had even climbed the shorter poplar trees to quickly pluck the catkin clusters that hadn’t yet fallen, shaking them gently into bags tied at their waists.
The more he saw, the more he felt something wasn’t right.
’It’s impossible for every department to have mobilized this quickly.’
’Besides, the people are such a mixed bag—elderly men and women, young people, even some who look like students.’
’This is definitely not a coordinated operation organized by the city government.’
"Stop the car!" he suddenly shouted at the driver.
The driver quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road.
Director Wu threw open the car door, rushed out, and walked up to a middle-aged man who was engrossed in collecting the catkins.
"Excuse me! Which department are you with? The city just finished its meeting. How did you all get to work so quickly?"
Director Wu asked in confusion.
