Tang Qiubai returned to his factory and received reports from his subordinates, saying that three people had been sneaking around the town with cameras over the past few days.
If Sisi were here, she would realize that Tang Qiubai’s factory was the same one she had asked about before, that of the gold washing man, and Tang Qiubai was the very boss the gold washing man envied for recently earning over a million.
Tang Qiubai’s office was on the third floor. After listening to the report from his subordinates, he pondered for a moment, then gave them a few instructions and quickly left the factory himself.
Tang Qiubai didn’t take Sisi and her companions too seriously. He just instructed his subordinates not to let strangers into the factory haphazardly; he did nothing else.
What’s there to do anyway?
Even if He Sisi exposed this place, what then?
Even if the government knew the situation in Guiyu Town, what then?
Besides, how could the local government not know what Guiyu Town’s situation is like? The people who come here every year to collect taxes most actively are from the government. They’re not blind; how could they not see the current state of Guiyu Town?
The key is that he’s not the only one involved in these operations; the whole town is doing it.
With so many people involved, what’s there to fear? Unless the government arrests the entire town!
But is that possible?
Tang Qiubai smirked sarcastically; He Sisi, that Princess, is really too naive. Economic interests dictate everything. With such substantial profits, who’s going to worry about a town’s environmental damage and the health of its people?
To put it bluntly, a small town is just a speck of land, with a total population of only tens of thousands. Compared to the nation’s over a billion people and nine million square kilometers, it counts for nothing!
As long as the greatest economic benefit can be created, if it’s ruined, then so be it. What’s there to be sorry about?
Tang Qiubai’s thoughts were quite cold-blooded, but there are many like him around the world, seeing other people’s lives as insignificant and being indifferent to places that are not their own homes.
In Tang Qiubai’s heart, Guiyu Town certainly wasn’t his home, and maybe even the Z Country wasn’t his home!
As long as he has money, where isn’t a home?
Guiyu Town is uninhabitable, then go to G City. If G City doesn’t work, then go to the Capital City. If the Capital City doesn’t work, then go abroad. There will always be a livable place on Earth, right?
If the Earth itself becomes uninhabitable, it’s not just his problem alone. To live together, to die together, what’s there to feel bad about?
Some people’s thoughts are always this selfish!
Leaving Guiyu Town, Sisi parked the car by the roadside, and the three of them got out to breathe deeply the fresh air, hoping to expel the foul air from their lungs.
"Finally feel alive again," Zhang Jie and Shi Lei remarked emotionally.
"Those kids are really pitiful, growing up in such an environment. They can’t help but be stifled," Sisi thought of the children playing by the garbage.
Zhang Jie also felt empathetic, as women tend to be soft-hearted when they see children.
"Those parents are too hateful, not caring at all about their children’s lives," Shi Lei said angrily.
"They don’t know it’s toxic! If they knew these were toxic, I think no parent would be so cruel, right? You can’t really blame them," Sisi said softly.
Indeed, which parents would want their children to grow up in toxic fumes? It’s all due to ignorance and lack of knowledge!
But who can you blame for this?
"That’s why our work is very meaningful. We need to raise awareness so that the workers realize what’s at stake, to make the entire nation protest against this horrible act of transferring waste from foreign countries, and to make the government realize this self-destructive behavior is only leading to its doom. We have a lot to do."
"So, comrades, we must take action!" Sisi encouraged them with a smile.
But, while the ideas are beautiful, reality is stark.
After Sisi and her companions returned to the Capital City, as usual, they carried out exhibitions and other promotions according to the normal procedure, which also stirred a great response nationwide.
Especially Shi Lei’s photograph of a mother which caused the strongest reaction.
It showed a young mother dismantling waste in a messy garbage pile, with a small baby sleeping on her back. Shi Lei’s angle was just perfect, capturing the peaceful face of the sleeping baby.
The sweet repose of the baby sharply contrasted with the dirty, chaotic surroundings.
It also left a striking impact on the soul.
Nowadays, everyone’s living conditions have greatly improved. While not as affluent as in developed countries, life isn’t bad, at least free from worries about food and clothing. Plus, with most kids being only children and some having just two, parents would spare no effort to give them the best. They wouldn’t bear to let them suffer the slightest bit of hardship.
But the child in this photograph tugged at everyone’s heartstrings.
So, there are people in Z Country still living such tough lives!
Beside the photographs, volunteers provided detailed annotations explaining the dangers of electronic waste, what consequences prolonged human contact with this waste might lead to, especially for children whose bodies haven’t fully developed yet, the damage could be lifelong.
The water, soil, and air samples brought from Guiyu Town, after being tested by professional departments, also had their data displayed at the exhibition.
Although each term on the list seemed incomprehensible, with annotations, everyone understood what these things were.
The thought that those people lived every day alongside toxins akin to arsenic made everyone shiver.
The response from the public was a success, but Sisi and her team encountered enormous resistance from the government in D City.
The government’s tactic against Sisi was delay, with the excuse being there were too many people in Guiyu Town, and resolving the matter couldn’t be done overnight; it needed to be done gradually.
Sisi didn’t believe these lies. The officials’ best skill is dragging things out, dragging this year to the next, to the next year after that, dragging year by year until the mayor’s term is over, and the next mayor will say he needs a transitional period.
In short, these officials simply don’t want to address the problems in Guiyu Town.
It makes sense when you think about it. These officials have more or less benefited from Guiyu Town; who would be willing to give up such a piece of cake?
Sisi wasn’t interested in wasting words with those officials. She knew this issue wouldn’t be resolved so easily. Past cases involved individual corporations, making them easier to handle, but this time it’s different, this time it’s an entire town.
Anything involving large numbers of people becomes exceedingly troublesome.
Sisi was prepared for a long battle. If one year wasn’t enough, then two, if two wasn’t enough, then three. Let’s see who holds out longer?
She refuses to believe there really are people who are unafraid of death in this world!
If the entire nation realizes that dismantling electronic waste is a deadly job, who would still be willing to trade their life for money?
If the inflow of that waste is banned from the source, even if some people aren’t afraid of death, without supply, they can’t do the work, even if they want to!