Recently, residents in Yanjin, Henan, reported that due to the use of substandard cement from a local cement plant, cracks appeared in the beams and floors of newly built houses, making them uninhabitable. The local industry and commerce department has been investigating for over eight months with no results. The bureau claimed that the cement plant involved had closed and the person in charge could not be found. However, during the reporter's interview, it was discovered that the plant's production and sales were still thriving. The "vanished" boss then voluntarily appeared and forcefully stuffed cash at the reporter. Why can substandard cement be sold in the countryside? Why can't the industry and commerce bureau find the person in charge that the reporter could find?

　　Wall Can Be Crumbled to Powder by Hand

　　At the home of Li Kunmei, a villager in Xizhu Village, Senggu Township, the beam of the two-story house is supported by a steel column about 20 centimeters in diameter. "Without this support, I'm afraid the house would collapse," Li Kunmei said. Since the house was completed in June last year, she has not lived in it for a single day.

　　The reporter saw cracks in the floor and beams, with many signs of repair. Li Kunmei scraped the cement wall with her hand to show the reporter. "This hard cement block breaks apart when pulled, the wall surface can be scraped into powder with a fingernail, and both the wall and ceiling are peeling."

　　Li Kunmei explained that she had purchased 50 tons of Mengdian brand cement at over 240 yuan per ton from Cheng, a contractor in the same village. Unexpectedly, problems appeared as soon as the house was built. When she sought an explanation from Cheng, she found that the cement he sold actually came from Xinxiang Limin Cement Building Materials Factory in Mazhuang Township, not from Mengdian Group as marked on the bags.

　　Public security investigation found that Xinxiang Limin Cement Factory had a large number of cement bags printed with "Mengdian Group," "Chunjiang Group," and "Tongli Group." The case was then transferred to the Yanjin County Industry and Commerce Bureau.

　　Industry and Commerce Bureau Cannot Find Anyone

　　Xinxiang Limin Cement Factory is located in Gaozhangzhai Village, Mazhuang Township, Yanjin County. Business registration materials show that the factory was established by Zhang Guanshi and three others with an investment of 1.9 million yuan, engaged in clinker processing and cement sales, with an annual output of 300,000 tons and covering an area of 33,000 square meters. In the county bureau's case file, apart from eight inspection records from August to October last year showing the cement factory "not open," there are no records regarding cement quality or investigation progress.

　　A responsible person from the Yanjin County Industry and Commerce Bureau stated that the case had not been properly investigated for over eight months mainly because the boss of the cement factory could not be contacted. Shen Yanlong, director of the Mazhuang Township Industry and Commerce Office, said: "When we received this case, the factory was always closed. What the production environment inside is really like has not yet been fully determined." Chu Li, captain of the county bureau's economic inspection team, said: "We inspect every day, it is not producing, and we cannot find the person in charge of the cement factory."

　　Is this cement factory really out of production? Is the person in charge really that hard to find? The reporter went to Gaozhangzhai Village, Mazhuang Township, and found that the factory gate was always open, with the sound of machinery rumbling from inside and vehicles loading goods constantly. The reporter walked into the factory gate and saw large piles of production raw materials in the yard.

　　During the reporter's investigation, a man who looked like a person in charge came to question them. After the reporter identified themselves, the man turned, took out a stack of cash from the room, and stuffed it at the reporter, repeatedly urging them to leave. "Let's go, brothers. Nothing is easy. You know what I mean." The reporter learned that this man was indeed the factory owner, Zhang Guanshi.

　　Where Did All the Cement Go?

　　Zhou Shiyan, director of the Yanjin County Industry and Commerce Bureau, admitted, "We don't know if there is a quality problem with this factory because we indeed did not conduct sampling inspections or investigate." The reason for not being able to inspect was still "cannot find the person in charge."

　　When villagers came to the bureau, the bureau's approach was to mediate and have Limin Cement Factory compensate Li Kunmei 80,000 yuan, with an agreement stipulating: "In the future, no matter what problems arise, including cracks, collapse, etc., they shall have nothing to do with the dealer and manufacturer, and all responsibilities shall be borne by the individual."

　　Li Kunmei said that although she received compensation, it was a helpless choice. "At that time, I ran to the industry and commerce bureau every day for two months and neglected my work. If I hadn't signed, I wouldn't even have gotten this money, and we still have debts from building the house that we can't afford to delay. Now the house is unsafe to live in, and we can't demolish and rebuild it. It's very distressing."

　　Villagers around the factory area said that for several months, production and sales at Limin Cement Factory had never been interrupted. Where exactly did this cement go? The industry and commerce bureau has yet to reach an investigation conclusion.