Chapter 986: Treat Illness Early

Su Yang said: "You applied in the village and in your town—did you submit any materials? Who can prove it? Moreover, you applied to the relevant county departments— which department did you apply to? Specifically, who received you? What was the initial response you got?"

"You don't need to make things difficult; just tell me, and we can call them on the spot to verify, saving us time."

Miao Wei went dumbfounded, thinking: Magistrate Su, are you really being so strict? The sand mining matter has also been tacitly approved by the county leaders; you just haven't gotten around to giving us benefits yet—do you really not give any face at all?

What you just said are nothing but high-sounding words; anyone hearing them knows there's a story behind them—who would nitpick? Especially in this kind of place, shouldn't we be giving each other face?

Besides, his words are just made up—there's no written material, and he never applied to any relevant county department. Moreover, permits for sand mining aren't something the county can issue; the county doesn't even have such a department.

He stammered, unable to speak, and could only say: "This matter goes back a while; we've lost the materials they gave us. Initially, I didn't go to the county myself—I sent a young township official."

Su Yang said: "Then have that young official come give me a reply; I'll wait here."

Yang Kang couldn't stand it any longer and said: "Either it exists or it doesn't—don't try to cover one lie with ten; such a lie can't be made clear, it only gets falser the more you try to cover it."

"Magistrate Su, since this is illegal sand mining, hand it over to the Public Security Department for handling; once we uncover the behind-the-scenes organizers, our town government will show no leniency."

Miao Wei quickly chimed in: "Yes, yes, if that's the case, let's go through legal proceedings; if it's ultimately determined to be illegal sand mining, then we'll bear the responsibility we should."

In his view, since this matter has already been exposed and can't be concealed, they're definitely unable to resolve it.

Many things were originally meant to be dealt with after the New Year, such as laying everything out with Secretary Yang, but we didn't expect that because of these two criminal cases, everything got thrown off schedule before we could speak, and people came to the scene to make arrests.

Although he's only a town mayor, he also doesn't believe the Public Security Bureau personnel came here to investigate some criminal case. The subsequent matters are beyond his control; he'll just wait for higher-ups to decide.

Yang Kang said: "Magistrate Su, it's not easy to make a trip to our town; today, no matter what, we'll all have a simple meal together—it's customary. We can't let the sand mining issue disrupt our normal work, right? Besides, you must have other things to investigate while you're here, right?"

Su Yang said: "Yes, I also want to visit some members of the Yao and Miao families to learn about the situation back then. If Department Head Yang is convenient, please have a few respected elders come over, and we can gather some facts from them."

Yang Kang said: "That works; I'll arrange people to go right away."

After Yang Kang stepped aside to make a call, Li Lingyu walked up to Su Yang and said: "Magistrate Su, do we really have to bring all these people back? If we dig deeper, this might become troublesome. These people are easy to handle, but what do we do if it involves townsfolk?"

Su Yang chuckled: "Behind this there's definitely someone pulling the strings; at the very least, someone from their town government will have to take the fall. Well, how this ends will depend on how Secretary Zhang decides."

Li Lingyu also felt that this matter could be big or small, ultimately depending on the leaders' attitude. But Su Yang's move this time truly left him puzzled about the real purpose. Since Su Yang didn't say anything, he couldn't just ask outright, because his job is to handle investment promotion and subsequent follow‑through implementation.

After returning to town, Yang Kang hosted Su Yang's group at a local restaurant—it was just a normal meal. As for inviting a few respected village elders to investigate what had happened earlier, they had long forgotten about it.

Their meal was relaxed and enjoyable, they even commented on the dishes, but Miao Wei found the food hard to swallow. He then told Su Yang: "Magistrate Su, I'm feeling a bit unwell today; I'll go to the clinic first."

Su Yang said: "Sure, sure—if you're sick, go get treated; don't delay. Minor ailments can turn serious if left untreated. Some illnesses are curable, some aren't—don't delay, because your health is the foundation of revolution."

The implied meaning was clear to everyone present without needing to be spoken.

After Miao Wei went out, he immediately ran to his car, placed a call, and recounted in detail how Su Yang had come for an inspection and how the Public Security Bureau had taken all the sand miners back for interrogation, then asked:

"What does Su Yang mean? Could he have learned something? If he knows anything, he should realize this isn't as simple as it appears on the surface."

The voice on the other end said: "Su Yang is very shrewd; his aim isn't to dig deep into the background of this matter—it's a tactical move."

"If you can clear up the incident they've framed him for on his project, make the relevant people confess and explain themselves, and completely clear his name, maybe it'll be fine. Of course, this matter will certainly need someone to step forward and take the blame."

Miao Wei asked: "Who would be suitable? I also realized someone needs to step up and take responsibility, but you know the situation here."

The voice on the other end said: "Back then many things were made clear; once something goes wrong, someone needs to step up and take the fall. I think Wang Yinxiang would do—he's already been removed from office, which basically makes him a useless person, good for nothing. Better to put him to use, let him bear this; most likely the outcome will just be his removal from public office."

"Over the years he's also received a fair share of money; even if removed from office, he'll still get his due food and drink for the rest of his life, and future dividends will still be paid to him."

"As for Yao Daya, if you get the chance, go see him—he usually acts all high and mighty; this time, if you don't get him out promptly, he might already hold a grudge."

"If he turns against you, things will get tricky. And remember, Su Yang isn't afraid to take on Geng Miao head‑on—his methods, resolve, and background far exceed your imagination."

"You folks have only yourselves to blame; everything was fine until Su Yang focused entirely on investment promotion, and with his own constant troubles he had no bandwidth for these matters, so naturally he wouldn't know."

"So why did you insist on cozying up to Zhang Jiangbo, stirring up this mess?"