Chapter 209

With the Spring Festival approaching, everyone at the township government was smiling, but some people were in low spirits for various reasons.

Among them, the one with the worst mood was probably Jin Taihe.

For the past six months, Jin Taihe had been plagued by misfortune, especially after his nephew Luo Ming'an was arrested at the end of last year—his sister came to him almost daily, begging him to find a way to get Luo Ming'an out, but what could he do?

This matter had already caught the county secretary's attention; with the secretary involved, who would dare to abuse power for personal gain?

Luo Ming'an had been caught red-handed running an illegal gambling den, with solid evidence—he was certain to receive a prison sentence of less than three years; the only reason sentencing had been delayed was because the boss Duan was still recovering, but judgment was expected after the New Year.

But no matter what, Luo Ming'an would spend the New Year in detention.

Every time his sister came to him, he told her he was already working on it in the county, asking her not to panic, but how could she not panic? She was a widow with only one son, now locked up.

He dared not tell her that Luo Ming'an was likely to be sentenced—she was a woman, always saw him, the vice-township chief, as all-powerful, convinced nothing was beyond his reach; if she suddenly learned her son was going to prison, who knew what she might do?

He planned to stall gradually, then tell her the truth later, hoping she could accept reality—after all, in his view, Luo Ming'an would get at most one or two years, and he'd be young enough to walk out again after that.

But after too many stalling tactics, his sister finally refused to accept it anymore.

Today was the eighteenth day of the twelfth lunar month; Jin Taihe was sitting in his office reading the newspaper when Fu Bo knocked and entered: "Vice Chief Jin, your phone call."

Jin Taihe went to the Party and Government Office to answer it; after identifying himself, the voice on the other end said: "Vice Chief Jin, this is Lei Ming—your sister has come to our police station causing a scene."

Lei Ming's words made Jin Taihe's head swell with pressure; he hurriedly said: "What happened? Lei Ming, explain clearly."

It turned out that this morning, Jin Taihe's sister had gone to the police station, sat down right at the entrance, and started wailing that the police had taken her son, that she no longer wanted to live, and demanded they arrest her too so she could spend the New Year in prison with her son.

Amid her cries, she directly cursed Lei Ming by name, accusing him of framing her son, insisting he had never run a gambling den, claiming Lei Ming simply disliked her son, and calling it a conspiracy to persecute Jin Taihe.

Here, Lei Ming added: "Vice Chief Jin, I haven't taken any action against her yet—I hope you can persuade her to leave."

Jin Taihe, ignoring Lei Ming's slightly disrespectful tone, rushed out: "Lei Ming, keep her calm—I'm on my way right now."

Jin Taihe hung up and, despite being over fifty, sprinted all the way to the police station—sure enough, his sister sat on the ground, sobbing and wailing: "Lei Ming, you short-lived bastard, you son of a thousand deaths, if you don't release my son, I'll kill you!"

Women in Meng Hu Ling traditionally wail rhythmically during funerals; today, Jin Taihe's sister wailed with perfect rhythm, slapping her thighs as she cried, drawing a crowd that watched, pointed, and some even covered their mouths to stifle laughter.

Jin Taihe felt his face burn with shame; he rushed forward and pulled his sister up: "Come on, go home with me!"

Seeing him, she wailed even louder: "It's your fault, you useless uncle—you let your nephew get arrested! I've got no reason to live anymore—just have the police arrest me too!"

At over fifty, long used to sitting in an office, he couldn't pull her up—her weight dragged down, and he struggled to move her; he could only plead gently: "Sister, come home with your brother, stop making a scene—it won't help. I'll find a way for you."

His sister sobbed: "Find a way? What way? It's been over a month—you keep saying the same thing to brush me off, thinking I'm a fool? I won't believe you anymore—unless you get Ming'an released today!"

Jin Taihe said: "Stop making a scene—this only makes me a laughingstock, and makes Ming'an's future even harder."

His sister, now beyond caring, screamed: "Do you think you're not a laughingstock? Don't you know everyone's laughing at you? Saying you're a useless vice-township chief who can't even protect your own nephew, at the mercy of a police chief!"

Jin Taihe trembled with rage and slapped his sister across the face: "How dare you blame me? Ming'an was spoiled rotten by you—do you know how many crimes he's committed? If not for me, he'd already be in prison!"

His sister clutched her face, staring at him as if she didn't recognize him; after a few seconds, she snapped—leaping up from the ground like a madwoman, she lunged at Jin Taihe, scratching wildly at his face and body: "You hit me? You dare not touch anyone else, only pick on your own family? I'll fight you to the death!"

Jin Taihe fought back desperately, but his strength was weak, his movements sluggish—he couldn't stop his furious sister; soon, multiple bloody scratches appeared on his face and hands; he panted: "Shrew, shrew!"

The onlookers laughed openly—Jin Taihe had a terrible reputation in Meng Hu Ling; today's spectacle was too good to miss, and no one stepped in to intervene.

Then Lei Ming came out to break it up; Su Xinghui had gone to find Xue Qin and happened to witness it—he rushed over to help calm things down. Though Jin Taihe wasn't a good man, he was still vice-township chief; Su Xinghui couldn't let others mock him.

With their intervention, Jin Taihe and his sister were separated; Su Xinghui shouted to the crowd: "Everyone go home! What's so interesting here? Don't you fight at home? It's almost New Year—why aren't you tending to your own affairs, coming out to gawk?"

Su Xinghui still held high prestige in the township; hearing him, the crowd chuckled: "Little Director Su says so—we'll go back."

The crowd dispersed; Su Xinghui and Lei Ming helped the siblings into the police station's conference room. Lei Ming ordered two cups of hot water, and a female officer brushed the dust off Jin Taihe's sister's clothes.

Jin Taihe's sister only cried, silent; Jin Taihe sat there grumbling, occasionally grimacing as he touched his bloody scratches—clearly in pain—so Lei Ming had someone bring medicine to apply to his wounds.

Lei Ming sat down and addressed Jin Taihe's sister: "Sister Jin, you may not fully understand the situation—Luo Ming'an was caught red-handed running an illegal gambling den; our enforcement was entirely lawful. If you have questions, ask me directly—or ask Luo Ming'an himself—to learn the truth."

She just wiped her tears, head bowed, silent.

Lei Ming continued: "Sister, Luo Ming'an's actions severely threaten our township's security—many families have been ruined by his gambling dens. It's not just harmful—it's dangerous. If he keeps going, things will get worse. This time, he'll get under three years; if he continues, he could end up in prison for over a decade."

In truth, Jin Taihe's sister knew all this perfectly well—but she doted on her child too much, couldn't control him, and every time he got into trouble, Jin Taihe fixed it; now, Luo Ming'an was too deep in.