Chapter 2879: Zheng Mingyu Arrested

"He's with me." Zheng Gang handed the phone to the boss: "It's Brother Damin!"

Zheng Hai took the phone: "Damin, did you get any news?"

Damin said in a low voice: "I only found out a little—Uncle seems to have taken bribes, and it also appears to involve a criminal case."

"What?" Zheng Hai's face changed drastically: "Besides bribery, it also involves a criminal case?"

"Yes!" Damin said: "Because of confidentiality, I can't get more information."

"Thank you, Damin!" Zheng Hai said: "When I have time, I'll treat you to a meal."

"Alright, you're busy!" The other party hung up.

Zheng Suqin, Zheng Gang, and Tao Yanhua all turned to Zheng Hai and asked in unison: "How is it?"

Zheng Hai's face looked grim: "They say Dad took bribes, and also involved in other criminal cases."

"Bribes?" Zheng Suqin looked at her mother and asked: "Mom, have you ever accepted gifts from others?"

Tao Yanhua shook her head: "Besides some cigarettes, alcohol, and tea, I haven't taken anything—don't you all know that?"

"No way!" Zheng Suqin murmured: "If it was just some cigarettes, alcohol, and tea, it couldn't have caused such a big commotion."

Zheng Gong frowned tightly and said: "Could it be because of the so-called criminal case?"

"Did your father kill someone?" Tao Yanhua said, voice trembling: "That bastard—how dare he?"

"Mom, calm down." Zheng Hai said: "Criminal doesn't necessarily mean murder. Fighting, destroying property, disturbing public order—all are criminal offenses. Even dereliction of duty, bribery, and taking bribes are criminal. Don't scare yourself."

Zheng Suqin shook her head slightly: "What fighting, what property damage—how could Dad do such things? As for murder, even more impossible. But as for taking bribes, it's still uncertain."

"Impossible!" Tao Yanhua said: "Besides his salary, Dad never brought home an extra penny."

Zheng Suqin looked at her mother and asked: "Are Dad's clothes, shoes, and the bag he carries all bought by you?"

Tao Yanhua startled: "No!"

Zheng Suqin took a deep breath: "He gave all his salary to you, and you didn't buy him anything—so where did his clothes and belongings come from?"

Tao Yanhua said: "Dad said they were all bought with his bonus."

"Bonus?"

Zheng Suqin looked at her mother and suddenly felt her mother was pitiful—she had devoted her entire life to this family, and now her father might have betrayed her.

"The watch Dad wears is worth five or six thousand yuan. His briefcase is probably over a thousand." Zheng Suqin fell silent, then continued: "I used to wonder why Mom was so generous, buying Dad such an expensive watch and bag. Now I see, this money..."

Zheng Suqin didn't finish, but everyone knew where the money came from.

"If he really took bribes." Tao Yanhua's voice turned icy: "Where is all that money?"

The atmosphere in the room was heavy. No one could answer this question. Perhaps Zheng Hai and Zheng Gang had guessed in their hearts—after all, they're men—but they dared not speak, fearing to upset Tao Yanhua.

After a long silence, Zheng Hai broke the quiet: "Suqin, take the afternoon off—don't go to work, and don't leave tonight. Stay home with Mom. Tomorrow I'll have your sister-in-law take leave to stay with Mom for two days."

"No need!" Tao Yanhua's face turned pale again, speaking weakly: "You should go to work—I'm not dying yet, I don't need you."

As children, how could we let our mother stay alone? Zheng Gong said: "Just let Suqin stay with you; otherwise, even if we go to work, we won't feel at ease."

Zheng Hai continued: "I and Old Two will go back to the unit to ask around—see if anyone can talk to the municipal bureau leadership, to get more detailed information."

"Go quickly, go quickly!" Tao Yanhua waved her hands anxiously: "If you get any news, call me right away."

"Okay!" Zheng Hai and Zheng Gong turned and walked out, went downstairs, and Zheng Hai leaned against a Santana, lit a cigarette: "Old Two, Dad might not make it through this hurdle—you need to prepare yourself mentally."

Zheng Gong took the cigarette Zheng Hai handed him, his heart heavy: "Really that serious?"

Zheng Hai took a hard drag: "Dad is the director of the Reserve Department at the Materials Bureau—being taken away at home, with criminal police involved—this is definitely not a small matter."

Zheng Gong held the lighter, his hand trembling as he tried to light the cigarette, then his eyes reddened, voice choked: "Is there really nothing we can do?"

Zheng Hai gave a bitter smile, his eyes moist: No matter what Dad did, he's still the father who raised me. Being taken away for investigation, he must feel terrible inside.

"Don't say we know nothing—even if we did, what could we two do?"

Zheng Gong took a deep breath, trying to control his emotions: "Will this affect your promotion to section chief?"

"No!" Zheng Hai said firmly, but deep down he didn't believe it. His chance at promotion was entirely due to his father's influence. Now that Dad is under investigation, promotion is likely out of the question.

Zheng Gong sighed: "Do you really think Dad would do something illegal or disciplinary?"

Zheng Hai fell silent for a moment: "If there's no solid evidence, who would dare to openly take away a bureau-level leader for investigation?"

Zheng Gong also stayed silent until someone walked by, then he said: "Alright, let's go—hurry up and find someone to get news, so we at least know what's going on."

An old woman stopped, watching Zheng Gong ride away on his bicycle, then stared at the Santana passing by her, muttering: "Today isn't even Sunday—why are the Zheng family's eldest and second sons back? Did something happen?"

"Hey!" A middle-aged woman carrying a vegetable basket walked quickly over: "Aunt Yu, did you just see that?"

Aunt Yu blinked: "See what?"

The middle-aged woman looked left and right, moved closer to Aunt Yu, and whispered near her ear: "Was Zheng Mingyu taken away?"

"What?" Aunt Yu exclaimed in surprise: "Who was taken away?"

"Shh, keep it down." The middle-aged woman quickly raised a finger to shush: "Zheng Mingyu—I saw him being escorted by people, then shoved into a minivan."

Aunt Yu still didn't believe it: "Could it be his workplace people looking for him over something, so they walked together?"

"No way!" The middle-aged woman said: "Zheng Mingyu always walks with his head up—but just now he was head down, being held up, and I saw his legs were weak."

Aunt Yu mused: "The eldest and second sons of the Zheng family just came back and left—did you see that?"

"I saw it!" The middle-aged woman nodded: "I was on my way to buy vegetables, but when I saw Zheng Mingyu being taken away, I didn't go—I just stood by the roadside watching."

"Hey!" The middle-aged woman suddenly saw an old man and an old woman coming out of the unit door of another building, and shouted quickly, then hurried over: "Uncle Liu, Aunt Chen, going to buy vegetables? Wait for me—I have something to tell you."

Even before evening, the entire neighborhood and nearby residential areas knew Zheng Mingyu had been taken away. Without exception, everyone said it was definitely corruption and bribery. Some sighed, some gloated, but most treated it as after-dinner gossip.