Chapter 71: Undermining the Foundation

Before I could think of a countermeasure, Zhu Shizhen made his move.

Zhao Deliang's martyr title was approved. The county held a special meeting, at which the Director of the County Committee Office personally announced that Comrade Qin Yue Bai, a family member of Zhao Deliang, would be solved to work in the Suxi Township Enterprise Office.

Upon hearing the result, a chill rose from the soles of my feet. Yue Bai coming to work in the Enterprise Office, on the surface, was to appease her, giving her a salary, but behind the scenes, it was absolutely Zhu Shizhen's idea.

Sure enough, on the third day after the meeting, Sister-in-law Yue Bai came gracefully.

"Secretary Chen, I'm here to take over the township company." Sister-in-law Yue Bai got straight to the point. Her face was still immersed in the grief of losing her husband, cold as if covered with a layer of frost.

I greeted her to sit down and poured her a glass of water. She took it but didn't drink, staring straight at me.

I felt a bit guilty being watched by her and wanted to avoid it, but found that her gaze never left my body. I said in an almost pleading tone, "Sister-in-law Yue Bai, drink some water."

She put the cup on the chair and said, "I'm not thirsty."

I smiled guiltily and asked, "Township Head Zhu sent you, right?"

"Don't worry about who sent me; this is my job." Her tone was cold, not giving me any chance for emotional exchange.

I was angry and said, "How do you want to take over?"

A smile appeared on her face, and she said, "It's very simple, you withdraw the original people and hand over the account books to me."

"That simple?"

"It really is that simple."

I was speechless; this woman is really not simple.

I said, "Sister-in-law Yue Bai, don't let yourself be used as a gun."

"Who has that ability?" Yuebai stared at me and said, "Old Bull couldn't do anything to me when he was alive, now that he's dead, what am I afraid of? Who else can do anything to me?" Her rapid-fire questions made my back feel cold.

I explained, "Sister-in-law Yue Bai, you don't know the inside story of the company."

"I really don't know. However, I know this isn't just your business. You are still the company manager and legal representative, so you handle it."

I knew it was useless to say anything more. She now had the status of a martyr's widow and was a staff member of the township government's Enterprise Office; I couldn't afford to offend her in either capacity.

I also understood that the situation was beyond saving, but I couldn't just donate the more than 100,000 yuan I invested for nothing. I had to get it back!

The initiator of the company was Liu Quan; I should find him for an idea.

I went to Liu Quan's house. He was holding a bottle of old wine, leaning against a bitter neem tree at the door, looking at the distant mountain opposite, drinking one sip after another. He had moved out of the township government office, and in the current Suxi Township government, there was no place for him at all.

Seeing me, his dim eyes flashed, and he asked in a muffled voice, "Free?"

I told him about Yue Bai coming to take over the company and told him everything that had happened during this period.

After listening to my words, Liu Quan said, "Heaven wants to rain, a mother wants to remarry, let it be."

I was confused. Let it be? Let it be, who will be responsible for my investment?

Liu Quan said apologetically, "Xiao Chen, look at some things more openly, have a long-term vision, and see things to the bone." He made a very vivid metaphor: "Look at this bitter neem tree, the fruit it bears looks good, right? But even birds don't eat it. Why? Because it can't be eaten! Some people are just like this bitter neem fruit, good-looking, but can't be eaten."

I really didn't understand the mystery contained in these words.

"Everything has two sides," he pointed to himself and said, "Township Head Hao worked his whole life, and it was I who tricked him into going to Beijing. As a result, after an examination, he had to be hospitalized, and he couldn't afford the medical expenses. I couldn't just watch him die, right? I discussed it with Old Zhao, and we borrowed a little from the sponsorship money. Old Zhao used the money from Sun Demao's family to make up for it. Originally, I thought, no matter what, Township Head Hao died at his post; even if he wasn't named a martyr, he should at least be named as having sacrificed for public duty." He drank the last drop of wine in the bottle, threw the bottle at his feet, stepped on it, and said, "What happened? The county said he died of illness. What do you want me to tell him?"

A layer of tears welled up in his eyes. A man, if he doesn't reach the point of sadness, won't cry.

My heart trembled, remembering Township Head Hao's sickly appearance and his weak smile. I also wanted to cry!

"Okay, everything is like this now. I'll just be idle, muddle along until I'm old, muddle along until I die, screw it." He forced a smile, reached out his hand, and asked me for a cigarette.

"How did the borrowing money matter get out?" I asked.

"If others want to play tricks on you, are you afraid there won't be a reason?" He asked back, "When your aunt's husband's troops came, you didn't tell me. You kid, this move was big, you almost harmed your aunt's husband, and you still don't know it?"

I was shocked. If this matter involved my aunt's husband, what face would I have to face my aunt!

He suddenly lowered his voice and said to me, "A martyr emerged from Laoyingzui, what do you think of this?"

I said, "It's the meaning of the superior leaders, I have no opinion."

"Really no opinion?"

I shook my head to indicate none.

"One white covers a hundred ugliness; a martyr covers up dereliction of duty." He sighed and muttered to himself, "There is no ready-made fruit to pick in the world; people are doing it, and heaven is watching."

I knew that the possibility of getting an idea from him no longer existed. Since being questioned by the Discipline Inspection Commission, Liu Quan's old age had been revealed rapidly. Now looking at him leaning against the tree with a hunched back, my nose felt sour.

People are most afraid of a smooth life. No one's life can be without setbacks. Even people born with a silver spoon in their mouths might lose face for a full meal in the future.

The more setbacks, the greater the courage. Courage is related to personality; the stronger the personality, the stronger the courage, but the less ability to resist setbacks.

Although Liu Quan had always lived in Suxi Township, in a place far away from the sky, what was the difference between him and a supreme emperor? Usually, he had the final say in everything. Now he has to go to the Agriculture Bureau to do an idle deputy bureau chief position. He knows very well that the County Committee is using his position as party secretary and Township Head Hao's death to offset his crime of misappropriating public funds. On the surface, he was promoted, promoted to the county to be an official, but in fact, he was hung up. The position of deputy bureau chief of the Agriculture Bureau is a declaration that his political life ends here.

He didn't offend Secretary Guan Peishan, he knew. But Secretary Guan never gave him a good look either. Every time the county held a meeting, his Suxi Township sat in the most remote position, lived in the worst room, and for many years, they didn't even give them a chance to speak publicly. But he was always the negative example. Every time Secretary Guan would take him as a typical example at the meeting, he was angry, so he didn't report the plan for electricity and road construction in Suxi Township to Guan Peishan at all.

County Magistrate Liu Qimeng was an enlightened old man with a charitable mind. He talked to Liu Quan many times, just wanting to change the face of Suxi Township. But he was a county magistrate of the government, and although he was a deputy secretary of the County Committee, he couldn't intervene in any of the County Committee's affairs. After hearing Liu Quan's report, he decided to start first, and if he achieved results, he wouldn't be afraid of Guan Peishan's ability to point at a deer and call it a horse.

Man proposes, God disposes. Guan Peishan's joint meeting blew their plan to pieces. The plan was broken, and people couldn't stay, otherwise, who could guarantee that an unexpected troublemaker wouldn't kill them halfway? So the Discipline Inspection Commission went out, and in one fell swoop, they took down both the people and the matter. The faction headed by County Magistrate Liu Qimeng was completely defeated by Guan Peishan. This led to the situation where Zhu Shizhen entered the hall and controlled the world of Suxi.

My heart became more and more nervous. It seemed that I had also been involved in this struggle. I was a lonely boat, likely to be swallowed by giant waves at any time. But until now, I was still living a quiet life, which again left me puzzled. Could it be that someone was secretly supporting me behind my back?

Thinking of this, I smiled bitterly for no reason.

Screw it, at worst, I'll go back to the Economic and Trade Bureau and continue to be my handyman! ===== CHAPTER 72 =====