146: Chapter 146 Li Sanqiang Makes a Meritorious Deed

The sun sets early in early winter, and the afterglow slanted across the wasteland on the southern slope of Heishui Village.

Old Man Li, his back hunched, was operating a semi-new mini rotary tiller to turn the soil.

His wife followed behind, using an iron rake to break up the large clods of soil that had been turned over.

This plot of land was full of loose stones and weeds; to truly reclaim it would require immense effort.

Just yesterday, a few idlers in the village were colluding everywhere, saying they wanted to go to the Town Government to give the new leader a piece of their mind.

Old Man Li not only didn't get involved, but also asked his granddaughter, Li Maisui, to visit the neighbors and persuade everyone not to get mixed up in this mess.

He had been an honest and simple man his whole life and, in truth, hadn't held much hope for the officials in town.

But a few days ago, the head of the Town Police Station personally drove them back to the village in a police car, and the words spoken before leaving had warmed his heart.

"Old man, the land should be turned and planted. If the sky falls, the Police Station will hold it up."

Based on that one sentence, the elderly couple felt at ease.

Deep plowing, raking, ridging, and fertilizing; they prepared to let the land rest for the winter so it would be ready for planting in the spring.

The villagers were all wary of the power of the Zhang Clan's eldest branch, and no one dared to lend them farming tools.

Only Zhang Yuanhang from the second branch, firmly resisting the pressure, pushed his own small rotary tiller to the edge of the field.

"Grandpa, take a break and have some water."

Li Maisui walked to the edge of the field carrying a water bottle.

The nineteen-year-old girl was wearing an old, washed-out cotton jacket; her figure was slight, but her eyes were extremely bright.

Everyone in the village knew that this girl was an excellent student.

In this year's college entrance examination, the admission letter from Jingjiang University, a Double First Class university, had been sent to the village branch office.

The night she received the admission letter, Li Maisui took advantage of the darkness to stuff that paper with the red seal into the stove and burn it to ashes.

As the flames curled over the paper, she didn't shed a single tear.

Poverty was a dull knife that had long since cut away her unrealistic expectations for the future.

Given their family's circumstances, how could they scrape together the thousands of yuan for tuition?

It was better to honestly help her grandparents take good care of these few acres of land.

After the New Year, she would find a job at an electronics factory; with some spare cash in hand, the two elders wouldn't have to work so hard.

The sky grew dark, and the cold wind on the dirt road began to whip against her face.

Li Maisui helped tidy up the farming tools, preparing to head home.

In the distance, a swaying shadow groped its way along the ridge of the field.

Zhang Xing.

Yesterday at the Town Government compound, this guy had wanted to lead a group to cause trouble, but he was intimidated by Zhu Wenhao and had scurried back to the village.

Holding a belly full of anger, he had chugged more than half a bottle of bulk high-proof white liquor at a kinsman's house, and now he was walking with unsteady steps, reeking of alcohol.

Looking up, Zhang Xing spotted Li Maisui standing on the field ridge.

A nineteen-year-old young woman, her figure in that growing stage; even wrapped in a thick cotton jacket, it couldn't hide her youthful vitality.

Zhang Xing's mind was muddled, and comparing her to the shrewish wife at home who nagged all day, a surge of lust rushed straight to his head.

At this time, every household was busy making fires to cook, and there wasn't a soul around the wasteland.

"Yo, Maisui, this land is turned quite neatly."

Zhang Xing hiccuped, lunged directly at Li Maisui, and reached out to grab her arm, "Come on, let's go to Uncle's house for a bowl of hot soup!"

"What are you doing!" Li Maisui screamed, struggling to dodge backward.

Seeing that things were wrong, Old Man Li was terrified and grabbed the long-handled hoe from the ground, holding it horizontally in front of his granddaughter.

"Zhang Xing, have you gone crazy from drinking swill! Don't touch my granddaughter!"

Relying on his youth and strength, Zhang Xing didn't take the withered old man seriously at all.

He grabbed the wooden handle of the hoe, yanked it hard, and raised his leg to deliver a vicious kick, hitting Old Man Li squarely in the chest.

The old man let out a muffled groan, collapsing into a pile of loose stones, unable to get up for a long time.

"You old thing, I gave you face and you didn't want it!" Zhang Xing cursed, continuing to close in on Li Maisui.

Seeing her husband beaten, the old woman shrieked and lunged forward, grabbing Zhang Xing's thigh tightly.

"Maisui, run! Run to your Uncle Zhang's small shop! Go quickly!" the old woman cried out at the top of her lungs.

Zhang Yuanhang was a retired soldier with a tough constitution, and Zhang Xing was usually at least somewhat afraid of him.

With his leg held, Zhang Xing was furious; he kicked the old woman to the ground and then strode off to chase Li Maisui.

Li Maisui bolted, the cold wind rushing into her throat, stinging like a knife.

"Help! Murder!"

On the village road, a few villagers who had come out with their rice bowls to stroll around saw the commotion and initially wanted to help, but when they saw it was the village bully Zhang Xing, they were so scared that they retreated back into their yards and bolted their gates shut.

She was only a few dozen meters away from Zhang Yuanhang's grocery store.

The dirt road was uneven; Li Maisui tripped and fell heavily into a mud pit, scraping her knee.

Zhang Xing pounced on her like a hungry tiger, grabbing her by the collar.

"Run! Go ahead and run! In this Heishui Village, I am the law! Let's see who dares to meddle in the Zhang Clan's business!"

"Stop! Let her go!"

A cold, hard voice exploded not far away.

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang.

Following Police Chief Zhao Gang's instructions, he had changed into an old leather jacket today, bought two packs of cigarettes at Zhang Yuanhang's grocery store, and chatted aimlessly for half the afternoon.

Having figured out most of Zhang Yuanhang's background and preparing to return to the Police Station to report, he hadn't gone far when he stumbled upon this evil act.

Having his fun ruined, Zhang Xing turned back to look at Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang.

A new face, wearing ragged clothes.

"Where did this stray dog come from, daring to ruin my fun? Get lost!"

Zhang Xing swung his fist, fueled by the alcohol, and smashed it forward.

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang was a veteran of grassroots police work; what kind of hoodlums hadn't he dealt with? Instead of retreating, he advanced, sidestepping the blow, and grabbed Zhang Xing's wrist, twisting it downward with force.

There was a crisp "crack."

Zhang Xing shrieked, and San Qiang kicked him in the back of the knee, causing him to kneel into the mud on the spot.

"You brat, you're tired of living..." Zhang Xing struggled to get up, but Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang slapped him on the back of the head, knocking him completely senseless.

Seeing that the situation was bad, Zhang Xing scrambled away into the depths of the village.

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang rubbed his wrists and stepped forward, intending to chase after him and make an arrest.

A mud-covered hand gripped the hem of his jacket tightly.

Li Maisui climbed up from the ground, too busy to brush off the mud and water on her body.

"Big brother, don't chase him. He is Zhang Xing, a bully in the village; you'll be at a disadvantage if you go into the village alone."

The girl was still shaken but remained extremely rational.

"Big brother, my grandparents are still at the edge of the field and must be injured. Can you accompany me back to see them?" She bit her lower lip, forcing herself not to shed tears.

This "big brother" stirred a surge of hot blood in Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang's chest.

"Let's go, get in my car, I'll take you there."

The two hurried to the entrance of the village and got into the Passat parked in a hidden spot.

The car started and drove toward the wasteland on the southern slope.

In the passenger seat, Li Maisui calmed her breathing, reached into her inner pocket, and pulled out her phone.

The girl was meticulous.

She knew very well that since Zhang Xing had suffered a loss today, he would definitely gather people from the clan to retaliate later.

This kindhearted stranger alone couldn't withstand the pressure of the entire Zhang Clan.

She scrolled through her contacts and stopped on a number without a name, only a string of digits.

This was the number that had contacted her two days ago, claiming to be an aide to Secretary Zhu.

The call connected after only two rings.

"Hello."

That steady, cold voice came through the receiver.

Li Maisui's tense nerves snapped at this moment, and tears streamed from her eyes.

"Big brother, I am Li Maisui. Zhang Xing from the village just beat my grandparents and tried to bully me, but luckily a kind person beat him off. We are going to the field to pick them up now."

Inside the office of the Deputy Secretary of the Town Government.

Listening to the girl's tearful narrative over the phone, Zhu Wenhao tapped his fountain pen on the desk.

"Is the person helping you named Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang?" Zhu Wenhao went straight to the point.

Calculating the time, San Qiang was likely in the village right now, probing Zhang Yuanhang.

Li Maisui was slightly stunned. She covered the receiver and turned to look at the man driving.

"Big brother, is your name Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang?"

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang nodded.

"Yes, his name is Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang."

"Hand the phone to him."

Li Maisui handed over the phone: "That aide to Secretary Zhu wants you to answer the phone."

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang became alert. Since when did Secretary Zhu Yuntong have an aide?

He took the phone and held it to his ear.

"San Qiang."

As that low, authoritative voice entered his ear, Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang's body jolted, and he subconsciously sat up straight.

"Secretary, it's me."

"Pick up those two elders, take the girl, and drive straight back to town. Place them in the Town Guest House. Additionally, notify Police Chief Zhao Gang that the Police Station must immediately formally register a case to investigate Zhang Xing for picking quarrels and provoking trouble, and attempted coercion."

The order was issued, crisp and decisive.

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang hesitated for half a second.

"Secretary, we originally planned to first divide Zhang Yuanhang and lay the groundwork in secret. If we use Zhang Xing as a target to open a case now, won't it alert the enemy and disrupt the entire plan?"

"There is no constant state in war, just as there is no constant shape in water. Rigidly adhering to a plan is the view of a scholar."

"When faced with matters of great right and wrong, human life is greater than heaven. If, for the sake of so-called planning, we allow a vicious criminal to return and retaliate, leading to a tragedy, what is the point of being an official?"

As the ancient saying goes: Those who are good at fighting seek victory through momentum, not by blaming their people.

His sixty years of experience in the court of the ming dynasty had long told him that the collapse of local governance often begins with the indulgence of such grassroots bullies.

"This matter is not a hindrance, but rather an opportunity to break the deadlock. If the Zhang Clan dares to obstruct the investigation, it will just force them out from underwater into the open. Execute the order."

"Understood!"

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang returned the phone to Li Maisui and slammed his foot on the accelerator.

"Little sister, don't worry. If the sky falls tonight, there is someone here to hold it up for you."

The Passat came to a stop at the edge of the wasteland.

Old Man Li was slumped on the ground, clutching his chest, while the old woman was wiping away tears nearby.

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang hurried forward and helped the two elders into the back seat.

"Old man, old woman, are your bones injured?"

"It's nothing major, I just can't catch my breath." The old man gritted his teeth. "Young man, thank you for your trouble."

"First, we will go to the town hospital to examine the injuries, and then to the Town Guest House."

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang shifted into reverse, turned the steering wheel all the way, turned the car around, and drove toward the entrance of the village along the dirt road they had come from.

Night had completely fallen, and there wasn't a single street lamp on the village road of Heishui Village.

Just as the Passat was about to drive past the large locust tree at the entrance of the village.

On the dirt road ahead, three agricultural tricycles were parked haphazardly, completely blocking the way.

Blinding headlights turned on.

More than a dozen sturdy men carrying shovels and pickaxes emerged from the shadows, surrounding the Passat.

The person leading them was none other than Zhang Xing.

He held a cigarette in his hand, staring coldly at Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang in the driver's seat.

Deputy Police Chief Li Sanqiang slammed on the brakes and instinctively locked all the car doors.