Chapter 160

Su Xinghui didn't argue with him over words; he turned to Lu Xiaoya and said, "Xiaoya, let's go. You all rest for a while—we'll handle this."

Lu Xiaoya said, "But they've already driven off that truck—they're still going to seize our two vehicles!"

Su Xinghui said, "Don't worry. Are you afraid they won't come back to return the cars?"

Deputy Manager Li also said to Lu Xiaoya, "Xiaoya, listen to Su Xinghui. Let's not stand here—we'll wait."

They'll come back to return the cars soon."

Deputy Manager Li was a man of the bureaucracy; he knew full well what status Lu Xiaoya's father held—if those men learned her identity, they'd likely panic and beg for mercy, releasing them and their vehicles immediately.

But Lu Zhenghong always disliked family members flaunting his name outside, and here, revealing Lu Zhenghong's identity might not even be believed—it could only make things worse—so Deputy Manager Li kept Lu Xiaoya's identity secret.

Lu Xiaoya herself, however, had little understanding of how powerful her father's position was in official circles; she only knew that even the Provincial Secretary couldn't command the police. Thus, among those present, only Deputy Manager Li was truly confident.

Hearing Su Xinghui and Deputy Manager Li, Lu Xiaoya had no choice but to believe them, and she followed Su Xinghui away from the scene.

Tao Yanbin, seeing Su Xinghui's demeanor, felt uneasy inside—but then he thought: this must be bluster. Who in Shangjun County could challenge him? He waved his hand, ordering two traffic officers to drive away both the truck and the minivan.

Su Xinghui told Xu Xiaoguang to drive Deputy Manager Li and the three drivers to the County Committee Guesthouse first, then return to pick him up, Lu Xiaoya, and Zhang Cheng.

Standing by the roadside, Su Xinghui asked the two for details of what had happened; Lu Xiaoya, furious, began recounting.

Earlier that day, as their three vehicles reached this intersection, traffic officers had stopped them. Yu Gaoshan and Deputy Manager Li assumed it was routine inspection and presented all documents. But after glancing briefly, the officers claimed the paperwork was flawed and demanded the vehicles be impounded.

Yu Gaoshan and Deputy Manager Li were seasoned travelers; they knew the unwritten rules. They offered cigarettes and offered to pay a fine to let them go. Yu Gaoshan even called Su Xinghui's pager.

But the officers insisted on impounding the vehicles. Their leader, Tao Yanbin, told them the wild chickens and bamboo rats must be confiscated, and the bamboo weavings would only be released after Xia Lan and Xia Zhu from Ye Zhugou Village personally came to the county to resolve the matter.

Hearing this, Yu Gaoshan and Deputy Manager Li realized these men were deliberately provoking them. In Shangjun County, where they were strangers, Deputy Manager Li couldn't casually invoke Lu Zhenghong's name—they could only turn to Su Xinghui.

They called Su Xinghui's pager again to report the situation. Yu Gaoshan pleaded with the officers, offering a fine to settle it—these days, fines were usually small, just a few dozen yuan; paying that much to avoid trouble was better than losing everything.

But Tao Yanbin and his men were unmoved, refusing all appeals. They ordered the truck driver to get out, intending to drive the vehicle away. The driver, hired by Yu Gaoshan, didn't know what to do and stayed seated.

The officers climbed into the truck to drag him out. When the driver hesitated to get down, they punched him.

Seeing this, Yu Gaoshan rushed forward to pull them off. Deputy Manager Li also stepped in, telling them not to assault anyone.

Tao Yanbin, his wide-brimmed hat tilted askew, sneered, "So what if I hit someone? Go ahead and report me!"

Then he shouted to the other officers, "Beat them! I'll take responsibility for whatever happens."

The officers beat them harder. Yu Gaoshan could no longer tolerate it—the driver was his hire; he had to protect him. He stepped forward and pulled the assaulting officers apart.

Though Yu Gaoshan hadn't inherited his father's martial arts legacy, he had trained in it. He grabbed two officers by the arms and shoved them back.

Tao Yanbin then shouted that Yu Gaoshan had assaulted police officers and ordered the others to arrest him.

Afterward, Tao Yanbin ordered the other two vehicles seized too. Lu Xiaoya naturally refused and stepped forward to block them—that was the scene Su Xinghui encountered upon arriving.

As they spoke, Xu Xiaoguang's car returned. Su Xinghui and the two others got in, and Xu Xiaoguang drove toward the County Committee Guesthouse.

Xu Xiaoguang had already booked several rooms at the guesthouse. Su Xinghui, Zhang Cheng, Lu Xiaoya, and Xu Xiaoguang entered Deputy Manager Li's room and began discussing how to handle today's matter.

It was already nearly four in the afternoon. Even if resolved today, they couldn't return to Jiangcheng—they'd have to stay overnight. Thus, Lu Zhenghong absolutely had to be informed.

Of course, the full details still needed to be shared with Deputy Manager Li and Lu Xiaoya.

So Su Xinghui explained Tao Yanbin's identity, his connection to Shan Xiaolong, and Shan Xiaolong's father Shan Guozhi's position in Shangjun County.

After revealing their identities, Su Xinghui recounted his previous conflict with Shan Xiaolong's gang—this was the origin of the entire matter, and it had to be told.

Lu Xiaoya asked innocently, "But Xia Lan and Xia Zhu haven't offended them—why do they demand Xia Lan and Xia Zhu come to the county to resolve this?"

Su Xinghui smiled bitterly. Lu Xiaoya was too innocent; she still didn't understand the ugliness of the world.

He could only hint: "It's because Xia Lan and Xia Zhu are simply too beautiful."

Lu Xiaoya wasn't foolish—in fact, she was sharp. Though naive, she understood immediately. Her eyebrows shot up in fury: "You filthy scoundrel!"

Deputy Manager Li understood the corruption of officialdom well, but he was puzzled: Shan Guozhi was merely a county magistrate—could he really dominate Shangjun County? Didn't he have a Party Secretary above him?

To Deputy Manager Li's question, Su Xinghui explained: "Our county's Party Secretary was transferred from the regional office—he's new here and not a local. But County Magistrate Shan is a native, and has held leadership positions here for many years."

Hearing this, Deputy Manager Li understood fully: in Shangjun County, the magistrate was powerful, while the Party Secretary was weak. He frowned: "This matter must be resolved by the provincial level."

Su Xinghui said, "Deputy Manager Li, here's what we'll do: let Xiaoya call home first to inform them of the situation. We'll try to resolve it within the county first, to avoid excessive fallout. If we can't, then we'll escalate it to the province."

Deputy Manager Li considered it and agreed—it was a moderate issue. If every problem required Lu Zhenghong's intervention, he'd be exhausted. And Lu Zhenghong disliked drawing attention; if it could be contained within the county, that was best.

So Lu Xiaoya called home from the room. Song Qiaoli answered. Lu Xiaoya told her mother what had happened in Shangjun County, adding that it was already late—by the time it was resolved, it would be too late to return, so they'd come back tomorrow.

Lu Xiaoya then handed the phone to Deputy Manager Li, who spoke briefly to Song Qiaoli. Song Qiaoli asked how things were going; he replied that Su Xinghui was arranging a solution. She warned them to stay safe, then hung up.

Then Zhang Cheng called home. Zhang Kaishan had already returned. Upon hearing Zhang Cheng's account, he took it seriously and told them to wait at the County Committee Guesthouse—he'd arrive immediately.

The County Committee compound was not far from the guesthouse; less than ten minutes later, Zhang Kaishan arrived. After exchanging greetings with Deputy Manager Li and Lu Xiaoya in his room, he listened as Su Xinghui recounted the day's events.