Chapter 176: Clearing the Air

Guan Peishan named and criticized Zhu Shizhen at the conference, immediately causing a stir in the venue.

From Guan Peishan's speech, one could recount Zhu Shizhen's many problems in conduct. During his tenure as Chairman of the Suxi Township People's Congress, Zhu Shizhen failed to strictly fulfill the selection qualifications for grassroots people's congress representatives; the composition of the township representatives was entirely decided by Zhu Shizhen alone, committing a strictly bureaucratic style. During his time as Acting Township Head, he failed to properly fulfill the duties of a township head, causing casualties during a road construction project, which constitutes serious dereliction of duty. After serving as Director of the Martyrs' Cemetery Management Office, he could not exercise subjective initiative and engaged in soliciting bribes. Based on the above circumstances, it was decided to place Zhu Shizhen under "disciplinary detention."

As soon as Guan Peishan finished speaking, two cadres from the County Commission for Discipline Inspection walked to Zhu Shizhen's side and took him away from the venue.

The cadre conference, having reached this point, was basically over. The promise Guan Peishan made on the first day of the conference to ferret out a group of cadres was realized, and Zhu Shizhen became the sole sacrificial lamb of this meeting.

The cadres all breathed a sigh of relief; watching Zhu Shizhen being led away from the venue, everyone felt a sense of release.

The two-day cadre conduct rectification conference finally ended with the "disciplinary detention" of Zhu Shizhen, which was both within expectations and reasonable. In the twenty-four townships of the county, there were forty-eight Party Secretaries and Township Heads, and more than sixty heads of directly affiliated bureaus and offices; touching any one of them could potentially trigger an earthquake. Before the announcement, the cadres were all worried that the sword hanging over their heads would fall and strike them. Having been cadres for so many years, not one of them had a clean backside; if you don't investigate, they are all incorruptible officials, but once you investigate, they are all corrupt officials.

Even someone like me felt a bit uneasy; after all, the township enterprises of Suxi Township were still a muddled account.

Last night, all the cadres had not slept well. Mao Ping had gambled on the fourth floor all night. When I got up and went out this morning, I happened to run into him coming down from upstairs, yawning. Seeing me, he smiled wearily.

"Didn't sleep all night?" I greeted him, preparing to pass him to go downstairs.

Mao Ping shook his head, patted his pocket, and said, "I spent the whole night robbing the rich to help the poor."

"Any harvest?"

Mao Ping smiled mysteriously, leaned in, and said, "Ten thousand yuan or so, enough for the township nursing home's living expenses for a month. I was just worrying about it; there are dozens of mouths in the nursing home, what was I going to feed them with? Now it's fine, I can sleep soundly this month."

"You're paying out of your own pocket?"

"They are all old people about to enter the yellow earth; even if the township squeezes out every drop of oil, there's no way to keep it going. Can't let them starve to death, right? If I don't care, who will?"

I was moved for a moment and looked at Mao Ping affectionately: "A good cadre."

Mao Ping smiled bitterly and said, "If it were you, you would also rack your brains."

Mao Ping hurried back to his room to wash up. I went down to the first-floor restaurant for breakfast and found that the restaurant was already full of people, all with their heads down, dealing with the steamed buns and fried dough sticks in front of them.

I was holding a plate to pick up some buns when there was a sudden commotion, followed by the sight of Guan Peishan and Liu Qimeng entering, followed by a group of cadres. The cadres sitting in the restaurant all stood up, smiling as they greeted Secretary Guan and the others.

After breakfast, the meeting continued, and the dramatic scene of Zhu Shizhen being placed under "disciplinary detention" occurred.

The chaotic venue quieted down at the sound of Secretary Guan tapping the table.

The Director of the County Party Committee Office, who was presiding over the meeting, announced the adjournment and informed all participating cadres that the County Party Committee had prepared souvenirs for this meeting, which everyone could take away from the hotel after the meeting.

Guo Wei and I returned to the hotel one after the other. Opening the door, I saw two bags placed on the TV cabinet, each with our names written on them. Opening them, I saw a very exquisitely crafted teacup, with "Chunshan County Party Committee Cadre Conduct Rectification Conference" embossed on the cup, and a line of small print underneath, embossed with "Gift from Guangdong Great Investment Company." Next to it was an envelope marked "Meal Allowance." I pulled it out and took a look; it was exactly five hundred yuan. Along with the money was a business card, belonging to the chairman of the Great Company, who was also the boss who ran the sauna in the hotel, Zheng Long, a Guangdong investment boss who was among the first to build commercial housing in the county.

"They even give out meal allowances for attending a meeting?" Guo Wei frowned: "Is this money issued by the county, or by this Boss Zheng?"

"Who cares who issued it," I said. "Every cadre in the county has a share, it should be fine."

"If it's issued by the county, it's fine, but if it's issued by this Boss Zheng, I'm afraid it's not easy to take."

"You're not taking it?"

"I didn't say I wasn't taking it."

"Then what are you thinking about? Take it!"

"Take it then, if the sky falls, there are still tall people to hold it up." Guo Wei put the money into his pocket and examined the teacup, saying, "It's a magnetized cup, too."

Just as we were talking, the door was pushed open. Mao Ping poked his head in at the doorway. Seeing me, his face piled up with smiles, and he said, "Township Head Chen, preparing to head back?"

"Where else can I go if I don't head back?" I replied, neither warm nor cold.

"Township Head Deng is inviting everyone to eat seafood, didn't he invite you?" He looked surprised.

Mao Ping was a person with no guile and no filter, speaking straightforwardly and adorably.

"Township Head Chen, do you have a grudge against Township Head Deng?" He looked at me with a grin: "We played cards all night, and he talked about you for half the night."

"What did he say about me?" I deliberately pretended to be nonchalant.

"Didn't say much." Mao Ping stopped himself and said: "Just trivial matters."

"Really?" I stared into his eyes: "Township Head Mao doesn't dare to tell the truth!"

"Really didn't say anything." Mao Ping got anxious: "Their Chengguan Township is rich and powerful, and they speak with a big tone. We poor townships have no choice. When people are under low eaves, bowing one's head a little is nothing."

"Township Head Mao has something to ask of him, right?" Guo Wei interjected.

Mao Ping smiled bitterly and said: "They have many resources and broad information. I just wanted to find some projects from him. Secretary Guo, you know that compared to your Suxi Township, our Maoshi Township, besides having a traffic advantage in the past, now that your roads are open, Maoshi Township has no advantage at all. Equally remote, equally poor. Now you still have the county and city covering you, we are just a cub without a mother; if we don't think of a way ourselves, we can only wait for death."

"Found a project?" Guo Wei asked with a smile.

"A little bit of hope. That's right, I just discussed it with our Secretary; Township Head Deng is inviting us to eat seafood tonight, we'll pick up the tab." Mao Ping stood up excitedly: "I'm going to find Township Head Deng. Let's keep in touch in the future; we're all brothers, remember each other if there's anything good."

I stopped him and said: "Give me a hint, what project?"

Mao Ping smiled inscrutably, pushed my hand away, and said: "Nothing much, our Maoshi Township has no ore in the mountains and no specialties in the soil. But the mountains are high, and high mountains have good water."

My heart skipped a beat, and I almost shouted out.

Deng Hanyu, you bastard, you are truly insidious! I cursed in my heart, kicked the side of the bed, leaving a footprint on the snow-white bed sheet, pulled the door open, and walked out without looking back.

Guo Wei followed behind me and shouted: "Chen Feng, what's wrong with you?"

I replied to him unpleasantly: "Wait for death."

Guo Wei was stunned for a moment, followed me downstairs, found our car, and sat in it.

Both of us remained silent, sitting quietly for a long time, watching the cadres from various townships coming out of the building one after another, greeting each other, getting into their respective cars, and parting ways.

"Is Deng Hanyu using the money-boss's project to do a favor?" Guo Wei asked me cautiously.

"How would I know!" I pulled out a cigarette, lit it, my heart churning, almost on the verge of tears.

"This person is very vicious." Guo Wei tapped the steering wheel lightly, his eyes looking blankly outside.

"Don't you know what kind of person he is? Didn't you work under him for social education before?" I said, throwing the cigarette butt out of the car window.

"At the time, I just felt he was very enthusiastic."

"He is always enthusiastic." I said, smiling lightly: "Secretary Guo, since you didn't want to run a mineral water plant anyway, just let Township Head Mao and the others run it."

"I didn't say I wasn't running it, just that it had to be paused."

"By the time we want to run it, I'm afraid the day lily will have wilted." I sighed and said: "Drive."

"Just go back like this?"

"What else can we do if we don't go back?"

"Let's go find Qishan; he is a leader in the County Committee, let's see what his opinion is."

"No need. Qishan is busy with land requisition and demolition; he's almost become a robot, don't bother him."

Guo Wei started the jeep and comforted me, saying: "We have the parasol trees, we don't need to worry about not having golden phoenixes."

I gave a faint smile and said: "There are many parasol trees, but how many golden phoenixes are there?"

After this conversation, we seemed to have forgotten about Huang Weiwei, and the misunderstandings and suspicions between us seemed to have flown to the nine heavens.

This was a sign of clearing up past grievances; when our common interests were infringed upon by outsiders, we involuntarily gathered together, each contributing our greatest strength, just because we were once comrades-in-arms!