136: Chapter 136 Village Tyrant Zhang Xing

Zhu Wenhao walked up close, "Elder."

"According to the 'Regulations on Petitions,' if you have any grievances, you can go to the Town Government Petitions Office to report them, or submit materials to the relevant departments in the county. Blocking cars on the provincial road is not only dangerous but also won't solve the problem."

After speaking, he turned slightly to the side, making a move to leave, and the old woman became anxious when she saw this.

Using both hands and feet, she quickly crawled out from under the Passat and grabbed Zhu Wenhao.

"Young man, you can't leave!"

The old woman tilted her head up, "I want to find the newly arrived Secretary Zhu to plead my grievances! Secretary Zhu is sitting in the car, right?"

She sized up Zhu Wenhao; his jacket was simple, and his face was young.

In the inherent perception of the grassroots common people, someone so young could never be the third-in-command of a township. At most, this was just a regular clerk traveling with the car.

Zhu Wenhao did not clarify his identity; instead, he wanted to use this misunderstanding to ferret out the mastermind behind the setup.

"That's right, Secretary Zhu is in the car." Zhu Wenhao's tone softened slightly, "We are heading to the Town Government to take up our posts today."

After saying that, he turned around and waved at Deputy Minister Li Ming.

Deputy Minister Li Ming did not understand the situation, but seeing Zhu Wenhao make the gesture, he had to nod in cooperation.

This interaction, in the old woman's eyes, became ironclad proof.

She let out a long sigh of relief, "Young man, you are the liaison officer who came to take up the post with Secretary Zhu, right? I understand these rules; big officials don't see commoners, so you just need to pass my words on for me."

"Elder, the words can be passed on."

Zhu Wenhao squatted down, "But you have to give me the bottom line first. How many people are in your family? What do you usually do for a living? And what is the full story of this grievance?"

Seeing that this young clerk was willing to listen, the old woman began to chatter away like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.

Zhu Wenhao listened very steadily, occasionally tossing out a few pieces of jargon about farming seasons, soil moisture, and crop rotation.

After a few sentences, the wariness in the old woman's eyes completely dissipated.

"Young man, you are a good person who understands farming. When you have time, come to our Heishui Village, and I will stew some vegetables grown by myself for you, the kind without pesticides."

"I will definitely go."

Zhu Wenhao cut to the chase, "Ma'am, you keep crying out for justice; what exactly is going on?"

The old woman's eyes turned red.

"Our family's few acres of land were already small to begin with. Later, a large chunk was forcibly occupied by the village bully, Zhang Xing."

"Why didn't you report it to the Village Committee?"

"We reported it! How could we not have reported it?" The old woman beat her chest, "But Zhang Xing is a member of our village's clan. Those sitting in the Village Committee are all relatives of the Zhang family. They are all in the same boat; who cares about the life or death of us old folks!"

"Clannish law overriding national law; this is a chronic disease at the grassroots level."

Zhu Wenhao continued to ask: "Elder, who told you to come to this provincial road to block cars today?"

The old woman lowered her voice: "It was our little granddaughter."

"My son died in the line of duty years ago, and his wife ran off not long after. The higher-ups issued a pension, and we old folks thought about using this money to buy two more acres of wasteland at the edge of the village to save up some dowry for our little granddaughter. The first few years of reclaiming the wasteland were bitter; there were more stones than soil. Later, after the land was cultivated and there was a harvest, Zhang Xing became jealous."

The old woman gritted her teeth, "He came to our door, insisting that the wasteland originally belonged to his family, claiming that our sales contract was invalid, and dragged and pulled until he took the land back."

"For this matter, we went to the town and county to petition several times, but we were intercepted on the way back by personnel from the Petitions Office and the Village Committee."

"This time, someone secretly told our little granddaughter that a newly appointed Deputy Secretary, Zhu Wenhao, would be passing by this road today, and that he was a big official sent down from the province. They told us to wait at this intersection. We old folks waited in this cold wind for a full half an hour."

After she finished speaking, the thousands of thoughts in Zhu Wenhao's mind instantly connected into a web.

"Those who are good at planning plan for the trend; those who are not good at planning plan for the pieces." Zhu Wenhao secretly praised the craftiness of the person who set up the trap in his heart.

If the grievances of these two old people were true, as a local official, he would definitely handle it to the end.

But the timing was wrong.

He had just arrived today, and his footing was not yet stable.

If he were to intervene in this long-standing dispute on the spot, bypassing the Town Party Committee and the regular grassroots petition procedures without distinguishing right from wrong, it would be openly breaking the rules.

It wasn't that the rules couldn't be broken, but only when he held the power of thunder and stood in an invincible position would he have the qualification to flip the table.

To intervene now would only give others leverage, becoming grounds for accusations of overstepping his authority.

But what if he didn't?

In the bushes by the roadside and on the high slope in the distance, there were certainly hidden lenses.

Once he put on airs of an official and pushed the old people away, ignoring them, that video would spread across the internet.

The title was already drafted: "Newly Arrived Deputy Secretary Coldly Treats Martyr's Family Blocking the Road to Plead for Justice on First Day of Office."

Legal, but not sensible.

Once this report came out, his official hat, which he hadn't yet worn firmly, would be covered in a layer of indelible dust. It might even attract accountability from higher levels.

To intervene is to break the rules; to ignore is to lose the hearts of the people.

A dead end where both advancing and retreating are difficult.

"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Those who play with public opinion will inevitably be devoured by it."

Zhu Wenhao stood up straight, having already made a decision in his heart.

"Ma'am, give me your granddaughter's contact information."

Zhu Wenhao took out his phone, "I will definitely report this matter to Secretary Zhu in full detail when I go back."

The old woman was half-believing and half-doubting, and recited a string of numbers.

Zhu Wenhao saved it into his contacts on the spot.

"Young man, you must not forget."

As they were speaking, three police cars sped over from the direction of Heishi Town in the distance, kicking up a trail of dust.

With a sharp brake, they stopped steadily in front of the Passat.

The car doors popped open.

Police Chief Zhao Gang and Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang, along with two official police officers and four auxiliary police officers, strode to the scene.

Police Chief Zhao Gang scanned the scene, did not greet Zhu Wenhao, and directly waved his hand to issue instructions: "Take the two elderly people into the car first, watch your attitude, and don't hurt anyone. Clear the road!"

The auxiliary police officers stepped forward quickly and hoisted up the old man who was still tugging at the driver, as well as the old woman on the ground, respectively.

"Young man!" The old woman, being carried toward the police car by the auxiliary police, did not forget to look back and shout at Zhu Wenhao, "Remember to tell Secretary Zhu!"

Zhu Wenhao nodded slightly, acknowledging the request.

After the old woman was stuffed into the police car, Zhu Wenhao turned around and whispered in Police Chief Zhao Gang's ear, "Keep an eye on these two people yourself. Take them back to the Police Station, provide them with good food and drink; I still have a use for them."

Police Chief Zhao Gang composed his expression and nodded calmly. He knew that Zhu Wenhao never did useless work; since he had given the order, there must be a follow-up plan.

Just as a lane was cleared on the road, the rear door of the Passat opened.

Deputy Minister Li Ming stepped out of the car in his leather shoes.

He had a dark face, and looking at this group of police officers who had just arrived, his anger flared up.

Police Chief Zhao Gang stepped forward quickly, stood still, and gave a standard salute.

"Deputy Minister Li Ming, I am the newly transferred Chief of the Heishi Town Police Station, Police Chief Zhao Gang. Upon receiving the order, I came specifically to handle the emergency on the road."

Deputy Minister Li Ming snorted coldly: "Director Zhao, the speed at which you respond to calls in Heishi Town is truly 'eye-opening.' The Organization Department's car has been blocked here for over half an hour; your security defense line is practically non-existent!"

Police Chief Zhao Gang replied neither humbly nor arrogantly: "Deputy Minister Li Ming's criticism is correct. Grassroots police force is weak, but we will definitely rectify this in the future. The motorcade of Secretary Qiu Dehai of the Town Party Committee will be here soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, at the turn of the road ahead, a line of black sedans and commercial vehicles drove slowly toward them, vast and mighty.

The motorcade stopped steadily by the side of the road.

The car doors opened in unison, and a dozen or so township cadres filed out.

The man walking in front was in his early fifties, of medium build, slightly overweight, with his hair combed back meticulously, and his face was full of an easygoing smile.

This was the Secretary of Heishi Town, Secretary Qiu Dehai.

Secretary Qiu Dehai took two steps in one, stretched out his hands from far away, and headed straight for Deputy Minister Li Ming.

"Deputy Minister Li Ming! Oh my, my apologies, my apologies!"

Secretary Qiu Dehai held Deputy Minister Li Ming's hand with both hands and shook it vigorously, "The town received the notice, and I immediately brought the team members to welcome you, but who would have thought we would encounter road repairs halfway, which delayed us for some time. It caused you and the newly arrived Deputy Secretary to be alarmed; this is because I, Qiu, did not do my job well!"

Secretary Qiu Dehai lowered his posture extremely low, using his words to push the responsibility for the delay onto the road repairs, while also expressing his apologies appropriately.

Deputy Minister Li Ming's expression cleared up slightly, but he still kept a straight face. "Secretary Qiu, the folkways in your Heishi Town are indeed fierce. Even a car sending a cadre to take up his post can be blocked; if it were leaders from the Municipal Party Committee or Provincial Party Committee coming down to inspect, where would the face of Qingjiang County be placed?"

"Yes, yes, yes, we will definitely investigate strictly and never tolerate it." Secretary Qiu Dehai nodded repeatedly, then let go of his hand, and his gaze turned to Zhu Wenhao, who was standing to the side.

A flash of barely perceptible scrutiny crossed his eyes, but his smile became even richer.

"This must be Comrade Zhu Wenhao sent down from the Municipal Organization Department, right?"

Secretary Qiu Dehai walked up and took the initiative to extend his hand, "Truly a man of talent, young and promising. Our Heishi Town's leadership team is just in need of such fresh blood with drive and theoretical level."

Zhu Wenhao extended his hand and shook Secretary Qiu Dehai's, releasing it as soon as they touched.

"Secretary Qiu is too kind. I have just arrived, and in the future, I will need to learn more from you and all the team members." Zhu Wenhao's tone was calm and flawless.

"We are all one family, no need for polite talk."

Secretary Qiu Dehai laughed heartily, turned around, and pointed to the group of town cadres behind him, "Come, come, come, Comrade Zhu Wenhao, let me introduce you to our foundation."