Gansu Province, in China, where Ms. Yang, a resident of Gonghe Town, Zhengning County, has been supplying vegetables to the town’s government canteen for many years. However, instead of making a profit, she has been owed nearly 90,000 yuan for the vegetables supplied. The town government cited tight finances and many outstanding debts as the reason for the delay in payment.
According to a report by the “Hua Shang Bao” newspaper on December 31, Ms. Yang has been running a vegetable store in Gonghe Town and has been providing food and vegetables to the town’s staff kitchen since around 2016.
At the beginning, the town government did not immediately pay for the vegetables received, but rather settled the accounts after some time. This practice continued for several years. However, starting from 2019, there were delays in payments from the town government, leading to a growing amount of outstanding debt.
Ms. Yang mentioned that the town government claimed they were waiting to collect meal fees from town cadres and staff, as well as waiting for funds to be resolved at higher levels before making payments. Despite promises made by the responsible person at the staff canteen about settling the debt, the amount owed kept increasing over the years. By the time the government staff canteen was contracted out in 2024, the total outstanding debt had reached 109,238 yuan.
During this period, the person in charge of the staff canteen wrote nine IOUs, with the earliest dated December 25, 2019, and the most recent one on January 31, 2024.
After multiple requests from Ms. Yang, the town government made two payments in July 2024 and February 2025, each of 10,000 yuan. However, nearly 90,000 yuan remains unpaid. She mentioned, “Those payments were settled under the previous town mayor’s tenure. After the change in leadership, despite my numerous attempts, I have not received a single penny.”
When negotiating with the new town mayor, Ms. Yang was told that while the town government acknowledged the debt, they explained that the town’s finances were tight, and there was currently no solution. The mayor previously mentioned having a sum of a few thousand yuan available for payment, but that promise was not fulfilled. When asked for a timeline for payment, the mayor expressed inability to provide one.
Recently, Ms. Yang contacted the mayor again, who reiterated that there was no solution due to the town’s financial constraints and numerous outstanding debts. He did not provide a clear answer when questioned about when Ms. Yang’s situation could be resolved.
The media tried to reach the person responsible for the staff canteen under the surname Peng, but was unsuccessful. He acknowledged the situation described by Ms. Yang and explained that the funds for the vegetables were supposed to come partly from staff contributions and other costs incurred at the canteen, but the allocated funds were not sufficient. Journalists attempted to contact the current town mayor but were unsuccessful.
The incident has sparked public discussion, with many netizens expressing outrage, suggesting that the town government should be blacklisted for lack of credibility and be listed as debtors. Some questioned if this situation could be considered “freeloading” and wondered how the tables would turn if roles were reversed. Many criticized the town government’s behavior, labeling it as dishonest and unreasonable.