Chapter 45

Dry police work, first you have to pass the "human relations test."

An old comrade who has been working for decades, lowering his posture so much, Han Bo didn't know if he was naturally like this, but it made him feel very awkward. He quickly said, "Director Wu, the meeting room is empty, let's go there to talk."

"Alright, let's go to the meeting room."

"Lei Jianwei, wait outside!" Han Bo wasn't so polite to the person who was about to be dealt with, his tone was heavy, which startled Lei Jianwei.

Old Wu closed the meeting room door, furtively took out an envelope from his chest, and while stuffing it into Han Bo's bag, he said in a pleading tone, "Special Envoy Han, electronic game halls aren't just in our Liangzhuang, they're in Dinghu, Hongqi, Yongyang... all the surrounding towns, and even in the county, which are bigger and have more game machines. Give me some face, be lenient, be lenient."

"Director Wu, wait, what is this?"

"Just a small token, a small token, a little gesture from Mr. Lei. He's ignorant, and you had to come personally, he knows he was wrong. Do you have time at noon? If not, in the evening. At Fufu Restaurant, he will apologize to you properly and wants to be your friend."

Being a police officer is just a profession, and there are both good and bad police officers in the police force.

The social climate is poor, and the phenomena of taking, demanding, and extorting are common. Some are bold enough to privately pocket fines and not issue receipts.

Han Bo isn't short of money, and even if he were, he wouldn't do such things. Since he chose this profession, he was determined to be a good police officer. How could he accept this "small token"?

"Director Wu, don't do this, it's not right. Please return this to him. Regarding the game hall, we will handle it according to the rules. The bureau has already made a decision: a fine of 3000 yuan, and an order to rectify. No more operating game machines involving drugs or pornography, and other game machines must not be open to minors on non-holidays. If there is no improvement, detention and a fine of 5000 yuan will be imposed, and if it continues, labor re-education will be enforced."

Afraid that he wouldn't take it seriously, Han Bo took out the "Red Book" of public security officers—The Public Security Administration Punishment Regulations of the People's Republic of China—from his bag and flipped to Article 32, "Look, the following behaviors are strictly prohibited: gambling or providing conditions for gambling, punishable by detention of up to 15 days, with a fine of up to 3000 yuan, or labor re-education, or criminal responsibility if it constitutes a crime."

"Special Envoy Han, please help, be lenient, treat it as a favor from me, Old Wu."

"Director Wu, you are an old comrade, and we are colleagues. I can help with other things, but not this. I really can't. I am a Party member and a people's police officer, I must enforce the law impartially. If I turn a blind eye, it would be dereliction of duty and a violation of the law."

"Special Envoy Han, I know you are fair and incorruptible, but running a game hall isn't the same as running a casino. There are countless game halls nationwide, and not just in our Liangzhuang. Other places have no issues, but we do. Isn't this like allowing the officials to set fires but not allowing the common people to light lamps?"

"I can't control other places, I only control Liangzhuang."

A fine of 3000 is too much!

Not only a fine, but also not allowing many game machines and not allowing students to enter. The game hall relies on earning money from students. Not allowing students to enter is no different from forcing it to close.

Other stations have power or money, but the cultural station is the cleanest of the clean. It relies on the game hall and the billiard room for rent. Besides, Mr. Lei is a good person, he even gave several hundred yuan for his eldest son's wedding.

Picking on the soft ones, I have the lowest status in the township and am the easiest to bully. He is deliberately using me to set an example, deliberately making me look bad!

The more Wu Daqing thought, the more he felt aggrieved. He couldn't hold back any longer and started pulling Han Bo's arm, shouting, "Special Envoy Han, I've already said to make Mr. Lei rectify, what more do you want? Such a small matter, you're making a big deal out of it. Are you picking on me, Wu Daqing? We see each other every day, do you do things like this..."

"Director Wu, I'm not deliberately making things difficult for you."

"You are making things difficult for me. Fines, detention, and labor re-education, fine, first fine and detain the game hall owners in the county, then come to Mr. Lei."

"Director Wu, don't get excited, listen to me."

"Alright, explain why it's okay in the county and in Dinghu, but not in our Liangzhuang. You must be fair, if you're not, you're making things difficult for me..."

After being lowly for decades, his second son's relationship just broke off. Old Wu either doesn't explode or explodes in a terrifying way. His face turned red, veins bulged, he rolled up his sleeves, grabbed Han Bo's arm, and his voice grew louder. The cadres from the Party and government office, the economic management station, the civil affairs office, the industrial office, and the finance office, who had just started work, all gathered outside the meeting room to watch, making Han Bo very uncomfortable.

"What are you shouting about?"

Secretary Lu came, his wife worked at the grain station and usually lived in the grain dormitory.

He pushed his bicycle to a cadre watching, ran up, and kicked open the meeting room door, pointing at the two and roaring, "Old Wu, let go! Xiao Han, what's going on?"

"Secretary Lu, he... he... he looks down on me, he... he bullies honest people."

The next day at work, seeing two old cadres tussling, and one of them being a well-known good person, Secretary Lu was very displeased. He turned around and shouted, "What are you looking at? Afraid of being laughed at by the masses? Disperse, disperse, go do your work!"

The secretary's words were effective, and in a moment, only three people were left, one of whom in a jacket was likely Township Chief Jiao.

"One by one, what's going on, Old Wu, you first."

"Secretary Lu, Township Chief Jiao, you know the cultural station is short of funds. We finally rented out the house and collected some rent as funds. Special Envoy Han went to check last night, making it seem like he was catching criminals, interrogating and making people sign and fingerprint, causing a commotion. Now he wants to fine, 3000 yuan, how much does a person earn in a month? Isn't this extortion?

Old Wu, indignant, clenched his fists and said, "Secretary Lu, Township Chief Jiao, no matter what, I am a Party member and a cadre. Special Envoy Han can check entertainment venues, but shouldn't he have informed us at the cultural station first? It doesn't matter if he didn't inform me, but he should have reported to the township party committee and government, right?

For example, if the Public Security Bureau goes to Sige Hotel to check, wouldn't they report to the county leaders first? If the county leaders disagree, would they dare to check? Bullying me, Wu Daqing, is fine, I've been bullied for half my life, I'm used to it. But there can't be no organization, no discipline, no respect for superiors and leaders..."

The police love to fine, not doing their real job, just fining all day, and everyone has a quota.

This is Liangzhuang, and if there are fines, it shouldn't be your turn to fine. Mentioning fines, Secretary Lu got angry.

He needed to hear both sides, not just Old Wu's side. He calmed himself down and sat down, saying, "Xiao Han, you speak."

Han Bo stood at attention and saluted, briefly reporting the incident, "Report to the two leaders, around 8 PM last night, the 110 alarm center of the Municipal Public Security Bureau received a report that the electronic game hall in our Liangzhuang township cultural station was operating to minors on non-holidays and had game machines involving drugs and pornography. The Municipal Bureau transferred it to the County Bureau, and the County Bureau transferred it to me. Following the instructions, I went on duty last night.

Upon arriving at the game hall, I found that the report was basically true. There were 27 minors, the youngest being 10 years old, and 7 game machines involving drugs and pornography. According to the parents and teachers who came to pick up the students, the game hall has seriously affected the children's studies, causing great public outrage. Many parents almost resorted to violence, and the teachers strongly recommended its closure. Given the lack of relevant laws and regulations, I made a record according to the procedures, collected evidence, and ordered the operator, Lei Jianwei, to come to the township this morning to accept handling."

"Gambling and pornography?" Secretary Lu hadn't been to the cultural station for over a year, and he was skeptical.

Township Chief Jiao's wife was a teacher at the middle school and was not unaware of these situations. She lived in the school dormitory, and before work, the principal and the head of the teaching department had talked to him. He confirmed with a bitter smile, "Secretary Lu, the game hall is indeed not up to standard, and the teachers and parents have strong opinions. It should be ordered to rectify."

In Liangzhuang, education is valued above all else, so saying there is great public outrage is not an exaggeration.

There really is such a thing, and Secretary Lu got angry, slamming the table, "Wu Daqing, you are the cultural station director, but I think you are the least cultured in the whole township! For a few dollars, involving gambling and pornography, this is misleading the youth, leading students down the path of crime, and this will bring retribution! Close it down, make the game hall owner leave. Such a harmful place, I can't control other places, but Liangzhuang cannot have it. Not now, not in the future!"

"Secretary Lu, Secretary Lu, I signed a two-year contract with him, he has a license, he is operating legally."

Han Bo held the Public Security Administration Punishment Regulations in front of the leaders and said, "Secretary Lu, gambling and pornography are strictly prohibited. As for the game hall having a license, it only shows that the legislation is lagging behind, not that it is truly legal."