293: Chapter 293 Ancestral Worship at the Ancestral Hall

The heavy snow had just stopped, and a thin layer of frost lay on the grey tiles and blue bricks.

Heishui Village, Zhang Family Ancestral Hall.

The black lacquered wooden doors were tightly shut.

Zhang Lei stood below the steps, leading a dozen or so youths in leather jackets, blocking the entrance to the Ancestral Hall completely.

These men had spent years working on construction projects away from home and had picked up a rough, street-smart attitude. They had returned to the village today under orders to stir up trouble.

Zhang Yuanhang, wearing an old military coat, led the young and able-bodied men of the Second Branch and Third Branch to guard the entrance.

The knife wound on his left shoulder had not yet healed, but he stood straight.

"Zhang Yuanhang," Zhang Lei began, "Today is New Year's Eve. It's the holiday season, and we've returned to our hometown to pay respects to our ancestors. You're blocking the entrance to the Ancestral Hall and refusing to let us in—are you trying to cut off the Zhang family's lineage?"

"The ancestral hall isn't sealed," Zhang Yuanhang said in a steady voice. "You can worship the ancestors, but the whole village will do it together. The days when the Eldest Branch dominated everything and blocked others from entering are over."

"Over?" Zhang Lei stepped forward. "The rules of Heishui Village have always been set by the Eldest Branch. Just because you're from the Second Branch and have been Village Secretary for a few days, you really think you're some kind of local emperor?"

As the standoff continued, two police cars drove down the village road.

The car doors opened, and Du Changhe, the Political and Legal Affairs Commission member of Heishi Town, walked over, stepping through the snow.

Police Chief Zhao Gang followed behind with several police officers.

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan had given instructions that the youths of the Eldest Branch would surely be hot-headed when they returned to the village on New Year's Eve. Du Changhe's task was to suppress Police Chief Zhao Gang and let the Eldest Branch cause trouble.

As long as the situation escalated, the County Party Committee's Political and Legal Affairs Commission could legitimately intervene and pin the blame on Zhu Wenhao.

Du Changhe stopped in the middle of the crowd.

"What is all this arguing about?" He adopted the demeanor of an official, his gaze sweeping over both sides. "It's the New Year, and ancestor worship is a traditional custom. Village Secretary Zhang, the people have a request. Open the door and let them go in to kowtow. Why aggravate the conflict?"

Smoothing things over, taking sides.

Zhang Yuanhang didn't move.

Behind him, Police Chief Zhao Gang kept his hand on his equipment belt, watching this newly appointed Political and Legal Affairs Commission member put on a show with a cold gaze.

A woman's voice came from the back of the crowd.

"You can open the door."

Li Maisui emerged from the crowd, clutching a thick, hard-covered ledger.

Behind her, two villagers with different surnames carried a dusty old wooden box.

The wooden box hit the ground with a dull thud.

"Village Secretary Zhang has spoken: the whole village will worship the ancestors together," Li Maisui said, opening the ledger. "But before that, the old accounts of the Red and White Council in the ancestral hall need to be settled."

She looked at Zhang Lei.

"Over the past ten years, all the incense money collected in the village and the registration fees for weddings and funerals are in this box. Today, in front of our ancestors, we are going to sort it out. Those who took the collective's money must return it before they can go in and kowtow."

Zhang Lei's expression changed abruptly.

The capital he used to start his construction business out of town was money that Village Secretary Zhang Dahai had taken from this box to give him back then.

Once this mess of accounts was opened, all the collateral branches of the Eldest Branch who had taken money would be in trouble.

"You're an outsider, how dare you meddle in Zhang family affairs!" Zhang Lei cursed, rushing up the steps and reaching out to snatch the ledger.

Zhang Yuanhang stepped out and blocked him in front of Li Maisui.

Zhang Lei collided with Zhang Yuanhang, his hand moving toward his down jacket pocket.

There was a harsh sound of metal scraping, and he pulled out a folding knife, the blade pointing straight at Zhang Yuanhang's chest.

Police Chief Zhao Gang moved.

He stepped forward and kicked Zhang Lei in the back of the knee with his right foot.

Zhang Lei winced in pain and fell to one knee in the snow.

Police Chief Zhao Gang twisted his arm behind his back, pinning the arm holding the knife tightly.

"Clang."

The folding knife fell onto the blue stone slabs.

The village road fell silent.

Du Changhe's eyelids twitched.

Several elders from the Eldest Branch rushed out from the crowd and knelt before Du Changhe.

"Secretary Du! The boy has been working away from home; he carries the knife for self-defense. He didn't mean to hurt anyone! It's the New Year, please show some mercy and let him go!" the old man cried and pleaded.

Du Changhe stood where he was.

He remembered the instructions Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan had given over the phone last night, telling him to ensure he protected this group from the Eldest Branch.

His gaze fell on the folding knife on the ground.

As long as he nodded now and defined this as a simple scuffle, Zhang Lei could be released.

But Police Chief Zhao Gang was right there, and the red light of his body-worn camera was blinking.

The knife had been drawn, so the nature of the incident had escalated from a dispute to a public security case.

If he forcibly showed favoritism, Zhu Wenhao would submit the recording directly to the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.

At that point, he would be stripped of his police uniform.

What Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan gave were just empty promises, but Du Changhe's own life was his own.

Du Changhe turned around, avoiding the old man's gaze.

"Director Zhao," he said, emphasizing the four words heavily. "Summon him according to the law. Take him back to the Police Station. Confiscate the account box and hand it over to the Finance Office for investigation."

Police Chief Zhao Gang kicked the knife on the ground away, took out silver handcuffs, and locked them around Zhang Lei's wrists.

A black government car stopped at the village entrance.

Zhu Wenhao pushed open the car door and stepped out.

Director Xu Jie followed behind him, carrying a briefcase.

The villagers automatically cleared a path.

Du Changhe went up to meet him and gave a brief report on the handling of the situation.

Zhu Wenhao did not look at Zhang Lei, who was being escorted into the police car.

He walked toward the tightly shut Ancestral Hall doors and stopped in front of the steps.

"The ancestral hall is a place to commemorate our ancestors," Zhu Wenhao said, his voice carrying to everyone around. "Clan lineage cannot be used as a shield to bully neighbors and run rampant in the village."

He turned his head to look at Zhang Yuanhang.

"Village Secretary Zhang, open the door. Everyone in the village, regardless of branch or surname, who wishes to go in, may go and pay their respects."

"As for the account box, turn it over to the town for liquidation. Those who took public funds must pay them back. Those who crossed the red line will be handed over to the judiciary."

The elders lowered their heads, and none of the youths from the Eldest Branch spoke out in protest again.

The villagers with different surnames and the people from the Second and Third Branches followed in Zhang Yuanhang's footsteps, crossed the threshold, and entered the Ancestral Hall.

The last bit of authority of the old order in Heishui Village had crumbled.

That afternoon, at the Town Government building.

In the Deputy Secretary's office.

Du Changhe placed a public security report on Heishui Village on the desk.

Zhu Wenhao picked up his fountain pen and signed his name on the paper.

"Secretary Du," Zhu Wenhao said, pushing the report back. "Has Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's phone calls been frequent these past two days?"

Du Changhe's back broke out in a sweat.

He had ordered Zhang Lei's arrest today; he had personally broken Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's trap, and he had already become a discarded pawn in the county.

"He has called," Du Changhe answered truthfully.

Zhu Wenhao pulled open a drawer, took out a document, and pushed it to the edge of the desk.

It was the security patrol plan for the town during the Spring Festival.

"In grassroots work, the law is the backbone," Zhu Wenhao said, looking him straight in the eye. "You will lead this plan yourself. The Police Station will fully cooperate. During the New Year, you will be responsible for keeping order across the town."

Du Changhe looked at the plan.

Zhu Wenhao hadn't taken the opportunity to strip him of his power; instead, he had handed him the heavy responsibility of town-wide security.

As long as he followed the rules, the town would use him as its blade.

He reached out with both hands to accept the document.

"I will never fail the trust of the Town Party Committee," Du Changhe promised.

New Year's Eve.

In the Town Government duty room.

Firecrackers popped incessantly outside the window.

Zhu Wenhao sat at his desk, the duty log on the table already filled with signatures.

His personal phone vibrated; the caller ID showed Qinghan.

He answered.

"Are you at the bureau?" Zhu Wenhao asked.

"At the case handling site," Qinghan's voice sounded exhausted. "The peripheral investigation is progressing well, but the key accountant for the crucial accounts took leave this afternoon and has gone missing."

Zhu Wenhao watched the brilliant fireworks outside the window.

"Notify Director Li," he commanded. "Have the Municipal Public Security Bureau plainclothes officers search for them secretly. If a key witness goes missing, it means Mayor Su Changming is cutting ties. Once the person is hidden, the trail will go cold."

"I have already reported to Secretary Li, and the police are checking surveillance footage." Qinghan paused. "Is everything going smoothly on your end?"

"Very steady," Zhu Wenhao replied. "Justice is harder to come by than reunion. Focus on the case."

The call ended.

The internal phone on the desk rang immediately afterward.

Police Chief Zhao Gang's voice came through, sounding urgent.

"Secretary Zhu, the patrol team caught a group gambling at an abandoned brick kiln outside Heishui Village," Police Chief Zhao Gang reported. "We arrested over a dozen people. We seized high-interest IOUs and ledgers. It wasn't just simple gambling; it was lending money and cashing out for the New Year."

"Who is the lender?" Zhu Wenhao asked.

"Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's former subordinates. This group specifically targets villagers who have received New Year supplies and relief funds."

Zhu Wenhao gripped the receiver, his knuckles tightening.

Deputy Secretary Qin Yuanshan's overt strategy had been broken, but the underground banks were still sucking the blood of the common people.

"Interrogate them overnight," Zhu Wenhao decided. "Find out the source of the funds. During the Spring Festival, do not let the underground banks rest."

The investigation in Heishi Town was far from over.