Chapter 64

“Dad,” Zhao Tiancheng hurriedly called out from the crowd when he saw Zhou Jingguo, even excitedly running toward him.

Zhou Jingguo looked Zhao Tiancheng up and down.

He was startled. After receiving the message from Liu Hechang, he thought something had happened to his son as well. After all, Zhao Tiancheng liked to hang around with Wu Weimin, and most of the trouble caused by the two of them was equally shared.

“Dad, I’m fine.”

Zhao Tiancheng looked at the way Zhou Jingguo was eyeing him and immediately became agitated, his body trembling with emotion.

Although he was already in his twenties, their father-son relationship was good, and in front of Zhou Jingguo, he still felt like he had not grown up.

Zhou Jingguo was a man of great composure. After seeing that Zhao Tiancheng was really fine, he shifted his gaze to the people in the canteen. So many people had gathered, and from a glance, there was a sea of heads, creating quite a spectacle.

“What is this? Why is everyone gathered here causing such a ruckus?”

Zhou Jingguo immediately threw a blanket accusation at everyone.

“Dad, we’re all waiting for the county police officers. We’re all witnesses to Wu Weimin’s death. We’re all witnesses, and we need to wait to give our statements to the police,” Zhao Tiancheng quickly explained when he noticed Zhou Jingguo reprimanding people without knowing the situation. He glanced at Qin Qingman cautiously before speaking up.

Zhou Jingguo: … What’s wrong with his son? Why is he stopping me from speaking?

“Even if you’re witnesses, there are too many of you. Look at this crowd; it’s too much. A few key witnesses should stay to talk to the police, and the rest of you should disperse.” Zhou Jingguo, being a man in power, knew that too many people could lead to gossip. He didn’t want anyone to take the opportunity to say something unnecessary.

Some of the workers and the Educated Youths in the crowd looked toward Qin Qingman after hearing Zhou Jingguo’s words.

The Wan Mingxi family, along with those who were timid or whose lives were going smoothly, decided to leave.

Zhou Jingguo was the director of the commune’s Revolutionary Committee, which not only governed Hongqi Town but also two other towns, including the Hongqi farm. While Zhou Jingguo’s position was of the same level as Kaoshan Village’s Zheng Anguo, the special nature of his position gave him more influence.

After all, in this era, everyone feared being labeled with a bad name.

Qin Qingman looked at Zhou Jingguo, a deep thought flickering in her eyes.

Since entering this era, she had been aware of the existence of such a special position as the head of the Revolutionary Committee, but facing it in person, she truly felt the arrogance and domineering attitude of these people, especially Zhou Jingguo.

As soon as he opened his mouth, Qin Qingman knew that the other person was someone who treated a chicken feather as a military order.

Such people were difficult to deal with.

She decided to use Chairman Mao’s quotes to handle him. After all, he was the type to eat this kind of food, and he might even be more familiar with the quotes than she was.

If she used the law, he would definitely twist it into a political matter.

The only thing Qin Qingman could feel fortunate about was that she had a good background. The original owner’s parents had left her with a solid working-class background, otherwise, he wouldn’t even bother with her and would simply slap a big label on her.

Hadn’t she noticed that those with bad backgrounds in the crowd had all remained silent?

Even Zhou Bangguo, the deputy director of the farm, had fallen silent. This showed the image the Revolutionary Committee had in the people’s hearts; no one dared to provoke them, nor could they afford to.

While Qin Qingman was pondering how to handle the situation, Zhou Jingguo’s gaze shifted to her face. “You are Comrade Qin Qingman?” This name Zhou Jingguo had heard from Liu Hechang, as well as from Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang.

Next year, the commune’s Women’s Director would be changed, and Qin Qingman was a candidate recommended by both Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang.

Zhou Jingguo was dissatisfied with Qin Qingman.

His dissatisfaction wasn’t because he disliked Qin Qingman personally, but because he had already had someone in mind for the position of Women’s Director and had hoped to see his chosen candidate take the role when the time came. However, Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang had acted swiftly, so quickly, in fact, that before Zhou Jingguo had a chance to recommend his chosen person, Qin Qingman’s name had already landed on the commune secretary’s desk.

By qualifications alone, the young Qin Qingman was at a disadvantage in the election.

But Qin Qingman had not only married a good man, she had also saved people at the county train station and even caught human traffickers, convincing the victims to cherish their lives. These achievements had brought her a lot of attention from the county government departments, and of course, the commune knew about them as well.

As a result, Qin Qingman’s chances of winning the position of Women’s Director had increased significantly.

Zhou Jingguo had originally planned to find a way to stop Qin Qingman from running, but before he could come up with a strategy, Qin Qingman had caught a fake police officer at Hongqi Farm.

Catching a fake police officer and seizing weapons—this was a big case. Such an accomplishment would surely earn Qin Qingman significant credit, and if she received more recognition, her position as Women’s Director in the commune would indeed be secure.

At this crucial moment, Zhou Jingguo couldn’t resort to any methods that would be too overtly underhanded. So, in his haste, he had come personally to meet Qin Qingman.

Of course, Zhou Jingguo was a man of great composure. He wouldn’t come straight away to make things difficult for Qin Qingman or exert any pressure. The necessary face-saving measures still had to be observed.

During their first meeting, he wouldn’t act overly enthusiastic nor too cold, treating her just like he would anyone else.

Zhou Jingguo thought he had concealed his hostility toward Qin Qingman very well. He also slightly underestimated her due to her age, believing that Qin Qingman had only been fortunate to experience a streak of good luck. When speaking to her, his tone and demeanor seemed perfectly neutral.

But Qin Qingman was no ordinary person.

In her past life, she had fought her way up from the bottom to the top of the social pyramid. She immediately noticed the subtle shift in Zhou Jingguo’s gaze, and from that, she could tell there was something off.

Zhou Jingguo harbored hostility toward her.

Although Qin Qingman didn’t know exactly why this stranger, Zhou Jingguo, had it in for her, she had a good guess. So, she responded appropriately to his words, “Comrade, hello, I am Qin Qingman, from Kaoshan Village.”

In those days, it was common to introduce oneself by mentioning one’s hometown, so Qin Qingman followed the local custom.

“Comrade Qin Qingman, hello, I’m Zhou Jingguo, the director of the commune’s Revolutionary Committee.” Zhou Jingguo was polite to Qin Qingman.

But this exchange left many people present shocked.

At least the Wan family, who had been planning to leave, stayed behind.

Something was off. They couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhou Jingguo, the director of the commune’s Revolutionary Committee, was treating Qin Qingman unusually politely. This was not normal; Zhou Jingguo would never treat an ordinary person this way. Was there something special about Qin Qingman that they didn’t know?

What should they do?

Wan Mingxi anxiously looked at his son, Wan Liang.

Wan Liang was deep in thought, conflicted. He knew very well that they couldn’t afford to offend Zhou Jingguo, the head of the Revolutionary Committee, and he was afraid of the power the man held. But if Zhou Jingguo was showing such respect to Qin Qingman, perhaps it meant that she had some sort of influence.

He was eager to find a powerful backer. While getting close to Liu Hechang might not be easy, if Qin Qingman’s “backer” was strong enough, he wouldn’t mind attaching himself to her.

After all, they were cousins.

Wan Liang’s face was full of inner turmoil, but in the end, he decided to stay in the crowd. Since no one else had left, he didn’t feel the need to be the first to leave. He would stay and observe the situation; perhaps there would be unexpected benefits.

The Wan family stayed in the crowd, and those who had initially planned to leave also hesitated and remained. Their thoughts mirrored Wan Liang’s—they had noticed Zhou Jingguo’s unusual politeness toward Qin Qingman.

While those with less sharp insight could only see the courtesy Zhou Jingguo was showing Qin Qingman, only Qin Qingman herself could feel the underlying hostility in his gaze.

“Comrade Zhou Jingguo, hello, I’ve heard our team’s secretary, Zheng Anguo, mention you. He said you are very capable, fair and just, and a good leader.”

Qin Qingman confidently extended her hand to shake Zhou Jingguo’s hand.

The first part of her sentence was truthful, but the latter part was a flattery, trying to put Zhou Jingguo on a pedestal.

Since the last time, when Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang intended to use the position of Women’s Director to ensure that Kaoshan Village wouldn’t have any scandals, they had come to see Qin Qingman as a colleague they would work with. Concerned that she might misunderstand the commune’s situation or make the wrong judgment, they had both briefed her on the situation within the commune.

The commune’s secretary was a fair and just person, politically firm, and with a good family background.

If it weren’t for the secretary’s presence, Hongqi Town would not be as peaceful as it was now.

While the credit for this peace lay not only with Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang’s efforts but also with the integrity of the commune’s secretary, Zhou Jingguo, the director of the Revolutionary Committee, was deeply dissatisfied. Most communes were bustling with revolutionary struggles, yet theirs was quiet, focused on hard work. This was something Zhou Jingguo could not tolerate.

Zhou Jingguo did not dare to challenge the commune’s secretary, so he would target those doing the practical work, like Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang.

Among the nine positions under the commune, aside from the powerless accountant, cashier, and storekeeper, Zhou Jingguo and Zheng Anguo each controlled half of the remaining six positions.

The upcoming election for the Women’s Director was a key point of contention between the two sides.

Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang were determined to pass the Women’s Director position on to someone with similar ideals, while Zhou Jingguo was equally determined to seize it. From the moment they decided to nominate Qin Qingman, Zheng Anguo and Qian Xiangyang had made things clear to her.

Thus, when Qin Qingman sensed Zhou Jingguo’s hostility toward her, she immediately understood what was at stake.

By shaking Zhou Jingguo’s hand, she was also testing him.

As expected, when Zhou Jingguo heard Zheng Anguo’s name, he tightened his grip on her hand, making it clear that the two sides were indeed at odds.

Zhou Jingguo smiled at Qin Qingman, adopting the demeanor of a “good leader.” “Comrade Qin, you flatter me. I’m just doing my job, serving the people.”

Qin Qingman smiled faintly.

At this point, it was time to shift the conversation. Qin Qingman politely asked, “Comrade Zhou, the incident at the entrance of Hongqi Farm was unexpected. Since I was involved, I couldn’t stand by, so I took the liberty of making some suggestions. Everyone has been quite cooperative. As you can see, those present are all witnesses to the event—some witnessed the whole thing, while others arrived partway through.”

She glanced at the confused crowd and continued, “The police investigation requires a complete chain of evidence. Since we are all witnesses, all of our testimonies need to be collected. If anyone leaves, it will only add more work for the police comrades, won’t it?”

Qin Qingman’s words were flawless, leaving no room for Zhou Jingguo to counter.

The other party had first praised him for being a fair and just leader. At this moment, if they were to disperse the crowd, who were all witnesses, and if anyone with ulterior motives claimed that he was covering for someone or if the evidence turned out to be problematic, he would really have no way to explain himself.

Zhou Jingguo had thought this through, and seeing that Qin Qingman respected him, he could only use an official tone and say, “Comrade Qin, you’ve thought it through well. I was misled by Comrade Liu Hechang just now. I mistakenly thought that with so many people gathered here to criticize the Party organization, I had spoken too harshly. It’s all Comrade Liu Hechang’s fault; he spoke out of turn without getting the facts straight.”

Liu Hechang, who was taking the blame, thought to himself, “…I never said that. I only mentioned that with so many people gathered, if the Public Security Comrade showed up, and if anyone caused trouble…”

But Liu Hechang couldn’t explain himself.

He could only accept his misfortune.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Liu Hechang repeatedly apologized, “It’s all my fault, all my fault. I was also misinformed by my subordinate, Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan didn’t relay the message properly, and I misunderstood. I’ll write a self-criticism to deeply reflect on my mistake.”

Xiao Yan, who was standing next to him, immediately turned pale, his body swaying.

When the higher-ups fought, he, a mere underling, became the scapegoat. With Liu Hechang’s words today, his career was ruined.

The more Xiao Yan thought about it, the worse he felt, his face growing even paler.

Neither Zhou Jingguo nor Liu Hechang showed any reaction to Xiao Yan’s expression. They had both been through this, and if someone didn’t want to take the blame, they had better be clever.

Qin Qingman, of course, knew that Zhou Jingguo and Liu Hechang were just making excuses, but she couldn’t change anything. She could only pretend she didn’t see Xiao Yan’s pale face.

Sometimes, the struggle was this brutal.

The crowd in the cafeteria also saw Xiao Yan’s face, and they all understood what was going on, but none of them spoke up. They had no real say in the matter, and at times like this, it was better to stay out of trouble.

When everyone realized this, they felt a sense of shared suffering.

Especially the Educated Youth and those with problematic backgrounds who had long been subjected to unfair treatment silently sat down.

With the head of the Commune Revolutionary Committee present, no one dared to speak carelessly.

Qin Qingman, sensing the gloomy atmosphere in the cafeteria, could only feel helpless. People like Zhou Jingguo would remain active as long as those above him held power. It was only when those higher-ups fell that people like Zhou Jingguo, who had committed countless wrongdoings in this particular era, would be held accountable.

But that would take a few more years.

Qin Qingman knew that she couldn’t change much; she could only try to protect the people close to her.

Hongqi Farm was not close to the county town, and Bao Shengli drove both fast and steadily. After more than half an hour, they finally saw the county town from a distance.

Looking at the beautiful county town, everyone in the car let out a sigh of relief.

Zheng Meiqin lowered her head and wiped the sweat from her mother’s forehead. Her mother seemed to be in even more pain. Anxious, she couldn’t help but urge, “Old Bao, can you drive faster? Our mother is feeling worse.”

Hearing this, Bao Shengli also grew anxious and stepped harder on the accelerator.

The tractor’s engine revved louder.

Suddenly, a dark shape appeared on the flat ground, and Bao Shengli, startled, swerved the steering wheel.

“Ah!” Aunt Guiying was thrown out by the inertia, crashing into the edge of the truck bed. The impact hit her painful waist and abdomen, and then the world fell silent.

“Mom, mom, are you okay?” Zheng Meiqin was almost scared out of her wits.

“Big Auntie Big Auntie are you alright?” The two male comrades who had come along to help stared at Aunt Guiying, who had collapsed against the truck’s railing, unsure whether to help her or not.

“Mom, mom, what happened to you, I… I didn’t mean to.”

At this moment, Bao Shengli quickly stopped the car and jumped into the truck bed.

“Old Bao, you bastard! If anything happens to our mom, I’ll kill you!” Zheng Meiqin started punching and kicking Bao Shengli in a panic, crying uncontrollably.

Bao Shengli didn’t dare to stop his wife; all he could do was silently take the beating.

“Cough, cough, stop crying. Your mother’s not dead yet; you’ll kill me with your crying first,” Aunt Guiying finally caught her breath, slowly straightening up, holding her waist. She looked at Zheng Meiqin and the others, her expression somewhat dazed.

“Burp—”

Zheng Meiqin was startled by Aunt Guiying’s words and let out a hiccup. She quickly went to support her mother, saying, “Mom—” with a long, trailing tone.

“I’m not dead yet.”

Aunt Guiying waved her hand, not allowing Zheng Meiqin to help her, instead slowly twisting her body to move.

“Mom, what’s wrong with you?” Zheng Meiqin looked at Aunt Guiying in confusion.

Something seemed off.

“No… it’s not painful anymore.” Aunt Guiying twisted her waist and body once more, and there was no pain at all.

Just moments ago, she had been in excruciating pain, but now, she felt nothing at all.

Zheng Meiqin was stunned and asked in disbelief, “It doesn’t hurt anymore?”

“That’s right, it doesn’t hurt anymore.” Aunt Guiying wiped the sweat off her forehead.

If not for the sweat on her forehead, everyone might have thought Aunt Guiying was faking the pain. But the others had seen for themselves just how much pain she had been in. They couldn’t believe someone could fake it so convincingly.

“Mom, let me feel it.”

Zheng Meiqin was still worried.

“Alright, you can check,” Aunt Guiying said, feeling a bit unreal. Just moments ago, she had wanted to slam her waist against the wall to ease the pain, but now, after crashing into the truck bed, it didn’t hurt at all.

It was fine!

Zheng Meiqin carefully checked Aunt Guiying all over and found that she was indeed fine, and everyone exchanged puzzled glances.

“Do we still need to go to the hospital?” Bao Shengli was uncertain.

“Hospital? Forget that. Let’s hurry to the county police station. Qingman and the others are waiting for us to report the case. There are still a lot of things back at the farm. We need to bring the police comrades there quickly, so no one bullies Qingman and Chuchu.”

Zheng Meiqin gave Bao Shengli a hard slap on the back and gave the order.

“Got it.”

With the command, Bao Shengli immediately started the tractor and headed toward the police station.

“Was that a weasel just now?” In the back of the truck, Zheng Meiqin whispered to Aunt Guiying.

The reason her mother had crashed into the side of the truck was because an animal had passed by. Zheng Meiqin had only caught a glimpse of it and couldn’t make it out clearly.

“Black…how could it have been a weasel?”

Aunt Guiying countered her daughter’s words. Since the pain had subsided, she had settled down into a cotton blanket and was feeling better and better.

“Whatever it was, Mom, I think it must have been a blessing for our family. If it weren’t for that, you wouldn’t be feeling better now.” Zheng Meiqin had her own thoughts on the matter.

“Mm.” Aunt Guiying hadn’t actually gotten a good look at the black animal that had passed by.

At the county police station, Zheng Xuesong received Bao Shengli and his group. Upon hearing that someone at Hongqi Farm had impersonated the police and that someone had died, the entire police station took it seriously. The director personally ordered Zheng Xuesong to handle the situation.

To show the importance they placed on the matter, they even sent the only jeep in the county police station for Zheng Xuesong to transport the suspect.

The green jeep and the tractor sped off toward Hongqi Farm.

At the farm cafeteria, as the sun climbed higher, it was already noon.

The cafeteria didn’t stop preparing food just because it was filled with people. As per schedule, the kitchen staff began working in an orderly manner.

Originally, Xu Lianhua, the head teacher of the cafeteria, should have been directing the cooking in the kitchen. However, she was a witness, so she couldn’t leave the cafeteria easily. This allowed other teachers to take over.

Despite Xu Lianhua’s absence, the kitchen wasn’t disorganized, and the food turned out well.

When it was time for lunch, the aroma of the dishes was still quite appetizing, not any worse than when Xu Lianhua cooked. The smell made Xu Lianhua’s face darken with displeasure. She was sure that the person in charge of cooking wasn’t one of her subordinates.

In other words, someone had taken her place as the head chef.

When it was time to serve the meal, the staff gradually entered the cafeteria.

They exchanged glances with the people sitting neatly at the tables.

Everyone knew what was going on, but the seats in the middle were isolated. No one interacted with those sitting at the tables. The staff served the food and left.

Once the servers had all left, everyone at the tables received their meals.

Qin Qingman didn’t take any. She had brought steamed buns, enough for herself and Chuchu to eat.

“Qingman, is it really you? I’m your aunt!” A voice, full of emotion, rang out. Qin Qingman almost dropped the buns in her hand.

Chuchu also rolled his eyes at Xu Lianhua, who had just recognized them.

So hypocritical!