Ning Shu and Youfu’s mother thought the same way.

Not only them, but also the villagers who saw the police this morning and knew that the brigade leader had returned, all had similar thoughts.

On the way, villagers started discussing, “The brigade leader is calling us to gather. It’s probably related to the Zhuang family’s situation.”

“Who wouldn’t think so? The police went to the Jiang family today, so it might also be related to the Jiang family’s situation.”

“If the Zhuang family is dead, could it be Jiang Xiaoyue who killed them? After all, they eloped together.”

“This Zhuang Daming is really heartless. He just ran away without considering what his parents, wife, and son would do.”

“What did he expect his parents to do? They just tricked the brigade leader into giving him a letter of recommendation to support his elopement, right?” A woman said angrily.

“Indeed, in my opinion, Zhuang Daming is heartless, and Xiaopang’s grandparents are also heartless. The ones who are truly pitiful are Xiaopang’s Mother and Little fatty Xiaopang.”

With a father like that, Xiaopang will have to carry that reputation for his whole life.

“Shh… lower your voices, Xiaopang’s mother is here.”

Someone whispered, and everyone turned to see Xiaopang’s mother indeed approaching.

Her face looked awful, her eyes were as dark as a panda’s, and she was even very pale.

No one’s face would look good in such a situation.

Someone asked with concern, “Xiaopang’s mother, are you okay?”

“Xiaopang’s mother, you have to stay strong. Xiaopang will rely on you from now on.”

“Yeah, Xiaopang’s mother, you have to try to think positively. Life still has to go on.”

Of course, some were genuinely concerned, while others were not: “Xiaopang’s mother, did Daming really elope with Jiang Xiaoyue? Has Jiang Xiaoyue been found?”

“Xiaopang’s mother, I heard Xiaopang’s grandparents were also taken away. Will they come back?”

“Xiaopang’s mothet, actually, it might be better if Daming is dead. With a father like him who’s a philanderer, Xiaopang would suffer even if he’s alive.”

Xiaopang’s mother wasn’t foolish.

She could tell whether those people’s words were good or bad.

She didn’t respond and just walked in silence.

Seeing this, those who wanted to gossip felt embarrassed to ask further.

And those who genuinely cared about her understood her distress and didn’t mind.

People from the whole village gradually gathered in front of the village committee courtyard, coming much faster than even during last year’s meat and grain distribution.

Indeed, no one can resist the allure of gossip.

When most people had arrived, the brigade leader came out from the office inside.

The brigade leader was about the same age as Lin’s father, even a few years older.

Lin’s father was 53 this year, and the brigade leader was 56.

The brigade leader, who already looked weathered, seemed even older now after coming back from X City.

He hadn’t eaten or slept well due to rushing back and forth, and his heavy heart also took a toll on his health.

“Today, I’ve gathered you all here, and I believe you already know why. Yes, it’s about Zhuang Daming,” the brigade leader got straight to the point, too tired to beat around the bush. “Firstly, on New Year’s Eve, Xiaopang’s mother and I followed the police to X City. It’s confirmed that the deceased is indeed Zhuang Daming. Since it wasn’t convenient to transport his body back to our brigade, he was cremated at the crematorium in X City.

Secondly, Xiaopang’s grandparents had previously mentioned that Zhuang Daming had eloped with Jiang Xiaoyue. While we couldn’t confirm it before, this time, the police confirmed it from the records at the hotel. Zhuang Daming and Jiang Xiaoyue were in X City, using the recommendation letter provided by Xiaopang’s grandmother to pretend to be a married couple and stay in the same room. So, they did elope indeed.

Thirdly, Zhuang Daming is dead, but Jiang Xiaoyue is still missing. The police say she might come back. Therefore, the villagers of Qinglin Bay Brigade should pay attention. If you see Jiang Xiaoyue in our brigade, directly apprehend her and take her to the police station. There will be a reward from the police station.”

“Fourthly, regarding Zhuang Daming’s matter, Xiaopang’s grandparents obtained the recommendation letter from me by deceit, which is illegal. So, they were arrested by the police and sent for labor reform. The police said they were sentenced to twenty years.”

“Fifthly, this is the last point I want to make. If there’s any philandering happening in the village again, I will directly take them to the police station. No matter who it is, I won’t give you face. I also hope you learn your lesson and don’t have any crooked ideas like Xiaopang’s grandparents did. Otherwise, the gun barrels will be waiting for you. That’s all I have to say. Everyone can go back now.”

The brigade leader struggled to speak these words.

He was already too tired to say much. Besides being tired, he was also angry.

Zhuang Daming’s incident occurred during his tenure as brigade leader.

Originally, because of his good performance in handling the issues with the river embankment, he thought his position as brigade leader was secure.

But now, with this incident happening, he didn’t know if he could continue as the brigade leader.

It’s infuriating.

The villagers’ mistake, he, as the brigade leader, had to bear the consequences.

No, he couldn’t accept losing his position as brigade leader because of this.

Thinking of this, the brigade leader decided to go find Lin Guodong, the nephew who had some connections in the government.

With this in mind, he couldn’t even think about resting anymore.

He had to go to Lin Guodong immediately.

After the meeting dispersed, Ning Shu didn’t leave right away. Instead, she stood there listening to everyone discussing gossip.

Before she could listen for long, the brigade leader approached.

People thought the brigade leader came to scold them for gossiping about Zhuang Daming’s matter, so they quickly scattered. Ning Shu also intended to leave but was stopped.

“Guodong’s wife…”

Ning Shu was in a dilemma.

She didn’t want to stay, but she also didn’t want to hear the brigade leader’s reprimand.

“Guodong’s wife, is Guodong at home? I need to talk to him about something.” The brigade leader, unaware of Ning Shu’s thoughts, stepped forward and asked.

So, he was looking for Lin Guodong. Ning Shu replied, “He’s not at home. He went to the county town to have dinner with his friends. He’ll probably be back in the afternoon. How about I have him come to you when he returns?”

The brigade leader said, “Alright,” and then left without saying much more.

Once the brigade leader left, those who had scattered earlier gathered again and resumed discussing Zhuang Daming’s matter.

Ning Shu lost interest in continuing to listen and decided to head home.

For lunch, it was just her and her son.

Ning Shu decided to take it easy and made noodle soup directly using fragrant corn flour.

It was convenient and delicious with eggs, vegetables, dried bamboo shoots, and salted pork in the soup.

After lunch, just as Ning Shu was about to take a nap, Lin Guodong returned on his bicycle.

Ning Shu was surprised, “Why are you back so soon?”

Lin Guodong replied, “I came back after eating. Mengjie and the others still have to work in the afternoon.”

Ning Shu suddenly realized. Right, she had forgotten that many workplaces had resumed after the Lantern Festival, but she wasn’t working anymore.

Lin Guodong had left after the Lantern Festival, and she had forgotten that many units had resumed work. “By the way, the brigade leader and the others came back this morning. Did you know?”

Lin Guodong was somewhat surprised, “They came back so soon? I didn’t know about it. I didn’t see them when I was out. How did things go?”

Ning Shu explained, “The brigade leader held a village-wide meeting in the morning…” and she repeated what the brigade leader had said, including the five points. “After the meeting ended, the brigade leader wanted to see you. I told him you weren’t here, and when you returned, I’d let you know to go find him.”

Originally, Lin Guodong planned to park his bicycle in the kitchen, but upon hearing Ning Shu’s explanation, he parked it in the yard instead. “I’ll go to Uncle Hongfa’s house first.”

“Okay.” Ning Shu pushed her bicycle into the kitchen by herself.

When Lin Guodong arrived at the brigade leader’s house, the brigade leader was asleep.

Upon hearing that it was Lin Guodong who had come, the brigade leader’s wife hurriedly woke him up.

The old man had told her before going to sleep that if Lin Guodong came, she should wake him up.

“Guodong, come inside and talk.” The brigade leader looked exhausted; these past few days of hard work would take a while to recover from.

Lin Guodong entered the house, “I wasn’t here in the morning. Did you need something?”

The brigade leader sighed before telling Lin Guodong about the situation in X City, “Jiang Xiaoyue still hasn’t been found. The police suspect her involvement in Zhuang Daming’s death, and I’m also worried. Although the police say the possibility of Jiang Xiaoyue returning to the village is low since she doesn’t have a recommendation letter, combined with Zhuang Daming’s death, I’m still afraid she might come back.”

“So, I held a village-wide meeting this morning and informed everyone about this matter. There’s another matter that concerns me personally,” the brigade leader said, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

After all, as an elder, he felt a bit ashamed to discuss this matter in front of a younger person.

Lin Guodong replied, “Alright, go ahead.”

The brigade leader continued, “With the recent incidents happening in the village, do you think it will affect my position as the brigade leader? Will the higher-ups remove me from my position because of this? Can you… help me by speaking up? The main issue is that I issued the recommendation letter. Zhuang Daming and Jiang Xiaoyue got into trouble outside with that recommendation letter I issued. The higher-ups will surely think I wasn’t careful in my duties.”

This was indeed a difficult situation.

If it were just a matter of moral conduct, it wouldn’t be a problem.

It would be seen as a personal integrity issue and wouldn’t affect the brigade leader’s position much.

But now that there has been a loss of life, it’s a serious matter. Plus, it involves the recommendation letter issued by the brigade leader, which could make the higher-ups doubt his competence.

However, the brigade leader belonged to the Lin family, and he had always been fair in his actions.

Regardless of whether there were any ulterior motives, at least during his tenure, he hadn’t engaged in nepotism or mistreated villagers.

In Lin Guodong’s eyes, he was a competent brigade leader.

Moreover, with the brigade leader sharing the Lin surname, having him as the brigade leader would also ensure some consideration for Lin family members, including his own parents.

Lin Guodong wasn’t entirely selfless. He barely had to think before he said, “Sure, but before that, you need to make some preparations.”

“Preparations?” The brigade leader looked puzzled. “What preparations do I need to make?”

Lin Guodong explained, “According to the regulations of our military unit, when you make a mistake, you need to write a self-criticism. You did have some faults regarding the recommendation letter, so you need to write a self-criticism and reflect on the shortcomings of issuing recommendation letters. At the same time, you should come up with ways to improve the process of writing recommendation letters in the future.”

“Secondly, since you made a mistake, there should be a punishment. Just writing a self-criticism isn’t enough. You can punish yourself by cleaning up the village or other tasks, it’s up to you to decide.”

The brigade leader’s matter was neither big nor small. But by reflecting on his actions and self-punishment, it would show his awareness to the higher-ups.

If the higher-ups didn’t intend to replace the brigade leader, then this action would please them.

If they did intend to replace him, this action would at least make them reconsider.

“Okay, I’ll do it right away as you said. What should I do after that?” the brigade leader asked.

“After that, I’ll accompany you to the commune,” Lin Guodong replied.

“Alright,” the brigade leader sighed with relief at Lin Guodong’s presence.

He had been at a loss since this incident occurred, not knowing how to handle it. Now, he finally felt a bit calmer. “You go ahead and busy yourself. I’ll write the self-criticism this afternoon and come to you later.”

Lin Guodong nodded, “Then I’ll head back first. You take your time with the self-criticism. We can go to the commune tomorrow.”

“Okay, I understand.”