Chapter 218: Dismissal

Once inside, without much small talk, they directly announced the decision regarding Zhang Dezhen: he was expelled from the Party Committee, his position as village secretary was revoked, and for the time being, captain Gao Jiefang would take over as the village Party secretary.

Outside the brigade headquarter, villagers listening in were shocked upon hearing this news.

Zhang Dezhen spoke up, “Director, my daughter did wrong, and I accept responsibility, but how can you expel me from the Party?”

Director Wang Tiejun of the commune replied, “You ask a good question. Originally, you wouldn’t have faced such severe punishment for this matter. However, as the village party secretary of Qingshan Village, you not only failed to handle the matter fairly and justly at the first instance, but also used your position to influence others and try to excuse your daughter.

As a Party member and village party secretary, you did not fulfill your duties, lacked party spirit, and failed to handle the situation with fairness and justice for the victim.

Your actions yesterday were considered abuse of power and bullying, hence this decision was made by the commune party committee.”

Zhang Dezhen fell silent, sitting there with an embarrassed look on his face, not saying a word for quite some time.

Director Wang Tiejun continued, “Let’s proceed with the handover of duties. Comrade Gao Jiefang, you will take on additional responsibilities from today onwards. We will hold a new election after the autumn harvest.”

Gao Jiefang replied, “It’s no trouble. I will ensure the work is done well until a new village party secretary is elected.”

Gao Jiefang’s attitude satisfied the cadre members from the commune, and after ensuring everything was in order, they left together.

Now, the village was in an uproar that the village secretary had been expelled. Those who had grievances with Zhang Dezhen’s family were overjoyed and immediately spread the news far and wide.

Early in the morning, Wang Chunni casually ate a bite of food and returned to the village with her elder brother. When they entered the village, she noticed that people were looking at her with various expressions—some sympathetic and some gloating about her misfortune.

Her sister-in-law hurried over as soon as she saw her return. “Sister-in-law, you’re finally back. Is Auntie okay?”

Wang Chunnii replied, “Nothing serious, just getting some rest after taking a fall due to her age.”

Zhang Degang’s wife, Zhou Xiaomei, said, “Sister-in-law, officials from the commune came earlier. They expelled your elder brother from the Party, removed him from his position as party secretary, and accused him of abusing power for personal gain.”

When they heard this, Wang Chunni’s legs went weak, almost sitting down on the ground. This was a huge accusation. Things had been somewhat stable in recent years, but how would they survive if this had happened a few years earlier?

She knew how much her husband cared about the position of party secretary. He had even been planning to work towards getting a job in the township in a few years, securing a stable income.

She couldn’t believe that now he was facing disciplinary action, expelled from the Party, branded with a tainted reputation. She anxiously asked, “Where is your elder brother?”

Zhou Xiaomei said, “He’s at the brigade headquarters, handing over his work.”

She then asked, “Has your elder brother said anything about Qiaoyan’s situation?”

Zhou Xiaomei shook her head and replied, “I haven’t seen elder brother at all. We went over yesterday evening, but it was already dark, and we didn’t find anyone. Later, we heard that Gao Jiefang was informed somehow.

When Degang and I went, they had already left Luo Qiao’s place. Afterwards, they went to the brigade headquarters for a meeting. It was too late for us to wait, so we came home first.”

Wang Chunni took a deep breath and started walking towards her home. Zhou Xiaomei followed behind and said, “Sister-in-law, are you alright?”

Her elder brother, who followed behind Wang Chunni, also looked worriedly at his younger sister. Knowing his brother-in-law was ambitious and always aimed high, he was adept at pretending in front of others, but when it came to his wife and children, there was no doubt about his sincerity.

Wang Sihai also said at the same time, “Little sister, are you alright?”

Wang Chunni sighed and said, “I’m fine. You don’t need to worry. I’ll go home and tidy up a bit, then go to the commune to check on Qiaoyan.”

She managed to finish her sentence with effort, but inside, she felt like her heart was being torn apart.

Now that she knew her husband had been dismissed because of their daughter’s actions, it meant their daughter was definitely in trouble for what she did yesterday. When she returned to her yard, as soon as she entered the house, she burst into tears. She couldn’t hold it together any longer.