Chapter 178

Just before Su Xinghui arrived, Lei Ming was going through a painful internal struggle. He didn't want to do as Jin Taihe said, but he was worried about his wife and children. He really didn't know what to do.

At this moment, hearing Su Xinghui ask about his thoughts, he was silent for a moment before saying, "Of course I don't want to release these brats, let alone return their money! But..."

Su Xinghui said, "Chief Lei, as long as you don't want to release the people and return the money in your heart, then just go ahead and do it. I believe the county leaders won't criticize you."

Lei Ming's eyes lit up. He looked at Su Xinghui and saw a confident smile on Su Xinghui's face.

Lei Ming couldn't help but recall the times when County Party Committee Secretary Ji Tao and Deputy County Magistrate Zhang Kaishan came to Meng Hu Ling for inspections. Lei Ming was present for those inspections. As the police station chief, he naturally had to be there to direct the police and maintain order. He saw with his own eyes the attitude the two had toward Su Xinghui, which was very cordial.

And Su Xinghui has only been in Meng Hu Ling for a few months; how many things has he already accomplished? If he didn't have background support, could he have done it?

If Su Xinghui could help him speak before the county leaders this time, what would he have to fear?

If he handled Luo Ming'an and his group according to the law, he would be fulfilling his duty as a policeman, and he could have a clear conscience. But if he really released Luo Ming'an and the others, he would be derelict in his duty. Not only would he feel bad about it, but if someone were to use this against him in the future, he would be in a very passive position.

Lei Ming asked, "The county leaders really won't criticize me?"

Su Xinghui smiled and shook his head.

Lei Ming made up his mind and said, "Alright, then we'll do things as they should be done. Even if he came to our county to invest, he still can't break the law!"

Su Xinghui nodded, and the two looked at each other and smiled.

Returning to the township government, Su Xinghui went to Chen Hongfu's office to tell him about the matter.

After hearing this, Chen Hongfu felt the thorniness of the matter. The affair not only involved Luo Ming'an, but the attitude of that man surnamed Duan was so arrogant that it was likely not a lie that he had a good relationship with Qian Hongye. If things went poorly, it would involve Xu Shixie, and eventually, it would involve Shan Guozhi.

Many things are linked like this, one after another. Anyway, as long as a matter involves these people with backers, it always ends up being left unsettled.

For Chen Hongfu, did Lei Ming do anything wrong in this matter? Of course not. What was wrong with cracking down on gambling? That is the very duty of the police station.

In the past, the gambling culture in Meng Hu Ling Township was famous throughout the county, especially at the end of the year. When the slack farming season arrived, the common people had nothing to do; what else would they do if not gamble?

Even they, the township cadres, would play mahjong. Of course, the stakes weren't high when they played, so it could only be considered leisure and entertainment. The police station generally wouldn't crack down on such small games.

But this behavior of opening gambling dens and gathering to gamble was too harmful. It not only harmed people but also corrupted the atmosphere of the township.

In the last two years, people from the county seat have even driven specifically to Meng Hu Ling Township to gamble because it is remote and not easily caught. This time, people even came from Hongshan County. How could this be allowed? If this continues, Meng Hu Ling will become a gambling den.

To be honest, the current situation in Meng Hu Ling Township has something to do with Jin Taihe. As the deputy township head in charge of political and legal affairs, he has been inactive during his tenure, and the phenomenon of bending the law for personal gain is very serious. Some hooligans and thugs who open gambling dens give him gifts, and they can openly gather to gamble.

After Chen Hongfu took office, he cracked down hard on the behavior of opening gambling dens and gathering to gamble, which had some effect. This phenomenon was not as rampant as before. This time, Luo Ming'an was acting against the wind. If this unhealthy trend is not stopped, it is estimated that the gambling culture in Meng Hu Ling will rise again.

From his heart, Chen Hongfu wanted to support Lei Ming, but Chen Hongfu also had to think clearly about the consequences of supporting Lei Ming. If things went wrong, he might offend the county leaders.

If it were in the past, Chen Hongfu would mostly play dumb when such matters involved county leaders. He knew that even if he wanted to resist hard, he probably couldn't. But now, he had to think carefully about this matter.

In the past, Chen Hongfu was somewhat disheartened about his official career, but now Meng Hu Ling is not what it used to be, and he has rekindled hope for his career. However, he also saw the current situation in Shangjun County. The struggle between county leaders is an undercurrent. If he wants to advance, he can no longer play dumb and go with the flow like before; that would only make him unliked by both sides.

If he really wants to advance, he must take a stand now.

Chen Hongfu was hesitant about which side to stand on and hadn't decided yet. Of course, from his heart, he felt some disdain for Shan Guozhi's group. Some of the things they did were too base. But Shan Guozhi's power was great, and he was still a bit timid if he stood on the opposite side of Shan Guozhi. However, he was a bit unwilling to follow Shan Guozhi closely; after all, he wasn't that base yet.

He had been hesitant, but now that he encountered this matter, he could no longer hesitate. He had to express his attitude regarding Lei Ming's matter; otherwise, how could the police station carry out its work?

Looking at Su Xinghui, Chen Hongfu made up his mind. He said to Su Xinghui, "Tell Lei Ming that the township supports his work."

Su Xinghui nodded. He immediately went to the police station and told him Chen Hongfu's attitude. This immediately set Lei Ming's heart at ease. He, a small station chief, couldn't withstand the county leaders, but he had the township government supporting him above, not to mention the people behind Su Xinghui.