Chapter 179

On this day, Lei Ming did not release the people, let alone return the money. The next morning, Jin Taihe once again summoned Lei Ming to his office and asked him what was going on.

Lei Ming said, "Deputy Township Head Jin, I'm sorry, but this case involved catching them red-handed, and I wasn't the only one present at the scene. It's impossible for me to cover this up. Now the other leaders in the township know about this case. If I release the people, I cannot bear this responsibility."

The other leaders in the township? Jin Taihe knew that this case had caused a stir yesterday and was spreading everywhere in the township. Which leader could not have heard about it? This is the township, not the county, let alone the region or the province. Such things cannot be hidden from the leaders.

Yesterday, Jin Taihe wanted to exert pressure on Lei Ming while other leaders didn't know, and release the people first. Of course, he had called the county leaders beforehand. That Boss Duan who broke his leg indeed had a very good relationship with Qian Hongye. He called Xu Shixie, and Xu Shixie said that Boss Duan was preparing to invest in the county, so such a person could not be arrested and had to be released immediately.

Having received Xu Shixie's instructions, Jin Taihe then told Lei Ming to release the people. He didn't expect that Lei Ming would dare to disobey him. He couldn't help but pull a long face and said, "So, what I say doesn't count?"

Lei Ming said, "Deputy Township Head Jin, aren't you making things difficult for me? How about this: you township leaders discuss it, and then issue a document to the police station, telling us to release the people, and I will release them immediately."

Jin Taihe was furious. If this matter could be discussed with others, would he need to find Lei Ming alone? Let the township issue a document; who would be willing to bear this responsibility?

In addition, Lei Ming's tone today also made him very unhappy. Usually, when Lei Ming called him, he would call him Township Head Jin, never adding the word "Deputy" before Township Head. But today, he called him Deputy Township Head Jin. In China, deputy positions are clearly deputy positions, but they dislike others calling them that the most, especially their own subordinates.

Of course, these things are tacitly understood. Jin Taihe absolutely cannot get angry because of this; otherwise, he would become a laughingstock in official circles.

Therefore, Jin Taihe had a headache. It wasn't just this time; he had always had a headache about Lei Ming. In his eyes, Lei Ming was a bit too rigid and too difficult to communicate with. Some things were clearly small matters, but he had to talk to him for a long time before he agreed.

In Jin Taihe's eyes, wasn't this matter also a small one? Wasn't it just cracking down on gambling? Wouldn't it be fine to just release the people? But Lei Ming was just so unreasonable.

Jin Taihe tried his best to control his emotions. He knew he couldn't get angry. Lei Ming was a stubborn person; the harder you were with him, the more likely he was to not buy it.

After thinking for a while, Jin Taihe smiled and said, "Lei Ming, look, it's just young people being ignorant, playing for money together, it's not a big deal. I admit, I have a bit of selfishness, wanting you to release Ming'an. But Ming'an is such a pitiful child, he lost his father when he was young and lacks discipline. He is indeed a bit naughty, but this isn't his first offense, and we can't just kill him with one blow."

Lei Ming could tell that Jin Taihe was trying to play the soft card since the hard one didn't work. However, he didn't take the bait. Was Luo Ming'an just a bit naughty? He had already broken the law.

Seeing Lei Ming not speaking, Jin Taihe stood up and poured a glass of water for Lei Ming. For him, this was an unprecedented act. He had never poured water for his subordinates before. Although he was only a deputy township head, he held his head high.

Jin Taihe handed the water to Lei Ming and then smiled, "Lei Ming, I was just too busy before. No matter how busy I am in the future, I will definitely discipline Ming'an more and tell him not to be so naughty again. Let's just give him a chance this time. By the way, you don't need to write that self-criticism. I told the county leaders that you were right to crack down on gambling."

Lei Ming said, "Deputy Township Head Jin, Luo Ming'an's matter this time is not as simple as being naughty. He is suspected of opening a gambling den and gathering people to gamble, and the gambling stakes are huge. This is already a crime. Forgive me for being blunt, but if he continues like this, something big will happen in the future. I think letting him receive some legal education might be a good thing."

Jin Taihe pulled a long face and said, "Lei Ming, are you really refusing to give me face?"

Lei Ming shook his head firmly and said, "Deputy Township Head Jin, I'm sorry, I really can't help you with this matter. If the township issues a document to the police station, I will release the people immediately."

Jin Taihe suppressed his anger and waved his hand, and Lei Ming left his office.