Chapter 80

Liu Xia is just a town, but its residents are truly city dwellers.

In the narrow alleys, every household lights their stoves and fans the flames, blue smoke drifting far away. Elders stroll with their baskets, children follow behind, laughing and playing. The century-old fish soup noodle shop is filled with people having breakfast.

There are those who sharpen scissors, repair shoes, mend pots, fluff cotton, fix clocks, repair pens, paint portraits, and trim feet in the bathhouse. The barber’s pole is warm on one end, and he stands by it, giving haircuts, shaving, and cleaning ears...

Almost all the professions seen in movies are found here.

Add to that the old buildings from the Republic of China and even the Qing Dynasty on both sides of the stone-paved streets, and you can feel the deep historical heritage.

In comparison, the urban residents of Liangzhuang are merely farmers with non-agricultural household registration.

That’s why the people of Liangzhuang have always called the people of Liu Xia “town people” and coming to Liu Xia “going to town.” The old residents of Liu Xia call the people of Liangzhuang “country people” and going to Liangzhuang “going to the countryside.”

In fact, not only is Liangzhuang “the countryside,” but for the people of Liu Xia, the current county town of Xin'an was also “the countryside” in the past.

Director Ning is a native of Liu Xia, a genuine “town person.”

He drinks tea from a purple clay pot, and under the glass on his desk are several photos of him receiving awards in calligraphy competitions in Xin'an County and Anle City.

On the wall hangs a framed piece of calligraphy, with bold and flowing strokes. The signature is his name, with several red seals, square, round, and long, making it seem as if it were the work of a master calligrapher, and one might think it was very valuable.

Cultured and refined, sitting in front of him makes one feel like a bumpkin.

But this cultured and refined person speaks in a domineering manner.

“Special Envoy Han, in principle, I shouldn’t bring up these unpleasant matters just after you’ve taken office, but the Liangzhuang Public Security Patrol Team has really gone too far. They act lawlessly, doing whatever they want. Their actions are not just violations but outright illegal, with serious negative impacts. The bureau leadership is very angry, and the town leadership is furious. They asked me when Liu Xia came under the jurisdiction of Liangzhuang and when Xin'an was merged into Sige.

If you hadn’t come today, I would have gone in a few days. Not just from the station, but with the criminal investigation team. A bunch of patrol team members, they’ve gone rogue. Who gave them the authority to arrest people, and even to arrest people in another jurisdiction? They are suspected of kidnapping, extortion, and illegal detention. I don’t believe I can’t deal with them. I won’t let them disgrace their police uniforms!”

A person’s reputation is like a tree’s shadow.

The people of Liu Xia don’t know the name of the county party secretary of Sige (in fact, many people in Sige don’t know either), but they have heard of the achievements of the party secretary of Liangzhuang. Old Lu is on the other side of the river; do you dare to go there?

Blowing hot air, as if I were a naive rookie.

But the reason is on your side, and you can’t afford to offend Liu Xia.

The people of Liu Xia can avoid going to Liangzhuang, except for visiting relatives, they rarely go there. But the people of Liangzhuang can’t avoid coming to Liu Xia.

First, it’s a long-standing habit, and second, Liu Xia has convenient transportation. To go to Donghai, Jiangnan, or Jiangcheng, they all have to come here to catch a bus.

Third, Liu Xia has a strong focus on attracting investment and economic development. There are many joint ventures along the provincial road and the road to Xin'an. Many young people from Liangzhuang work here, and many do small businesses here.

The police station chief may not have a high rank, but he has considerable power. Moreover, their town leadership is also unhappy with Liangzhuang. If relations become too strained, it will be very troublesome.

For example, they could refuse to hire workers from Liangzhuang, or they could specifically check the vehicles from Liangzhuang.

If they are ruthless enough, they could even use the pretext of construction to block the Liu Xia River Bridge on this side. After all, I don’t need to go there, and it’s not a national or provincial road, so it’s legal. Let’s see how urgent you get.

If Liangzhuang wants to boost its economy, relying on Sige, which is over 40 kilometers away, won’t work. They can only leverage their proximity to Liu Xia.

At last night’s party and government work meeting, Deputy Town Mayor Jiao proposed an idea to relocate the bankrupt boiler factories to Liangzhuang.

The boilers from Xin'an have a bad reputation, and Liangzhuang and Sige don’t have them.

They can invest with debt and land, and help them get loans to revive their businesses. They have rich management experience, skilled workers, and many supporting enterprises. Being so close, if they have the intention, the prospects are very good.

Old Lu thinks it makes sense and doesn’t want to offend Liu Xia over trivial matters. He’s just too proud to come.

Just saying nice things and smiling won’t work; you need to show some sincerity.

Han Bo took out two bulging envelopes from his bag and said sincerely, “Director Ning, as the newly appointed special police envoy, I am also extremely dissatisfied with the current state of the township public security patrol team and am strictly rectifying it. For those who act lawlessly, I will dismiss them or hold them accountable. This five thousand is the fine to be refunded, and this five thousand is our apology.

It can be used as compensation for mental distress and lost wages, or to buy something for them, or to treat their family to a meal to calm them down. I’m not familiar with Liu Xia, and there are many things to handle in the township, so I can only trouble you to help. Additionally, we had a small case in Hongqi Village, where a fish pond was stolen from, with several hundred pounds of fish. The value isn’t high, but it’s a lot for the fish farmers. We have identified a few suspects, and I’ve brought their photos. Can you help us gather some clues about the stolen fish?”

A fine of five thousand, a refund of ten thousand.

The five thousand is clearly for the station, not for compensation or lost wages.

These days, no matter which unit,

Money that goes in doesn’t come out.

This young man is good, better at handling things than the cancer-stricken Li Shuncheng. He can be dealt with.

Director Ning straightforwardly thought that seeking help from the station to gather clues about the stolen fish was just a convenient excuse. He placed the money on the desk and asked with a half-smile, “Special Envoy Han, do you want to resolve the issue of the Liangzhuang patrol team running around my jurisdiction and making arrests like this?”

This matter has a bad impact, and the township wants to resolve it, as does the bureau.

The relationship between the Sige Public Security Bureau and the Xin'an Public Security Bureau, though not completely estranged, is not much better. They rarely communicate, and the traffic police teams are especially hostile, stopping vehicles from the other jurisdiction without hesitation.

The police are one big family, but that’s just talk.

The personnel and financial authority of the public security bureaus are under the local party and government, and they belong to different prefecture-level cities. With local protectionism rampant, who is part of your family?

Han Bo smiled and asked, “Director Ning, should I write a letter of self-criticism?”

“I don’t need your self-criticism. What use would it be to me? Forget it, it’s not easy for you to clean up the mess left by Li Shuncheng. First, let’s go to the town government, then to the bureau. If the leadership says it’s fine, it’s fine with me.”

You still need to write a self-criticism, but to their leadership.

So be it, even if it’s embarrassing. After all, I don’t report to your county bureau, and who will recognize me after the self-criticism.

If you don’t go, you’ll definitely be scolded.

The young man, taking the blame for others, Director Ning felt sympathetic and patted his arm. “Little Han, it’s your first visit, and the first time you’ve asked me for help. I can’t let you down. I’ll arrange for someone to help you with the stolen fish pond. Why steal from the people? It’s not easy for them to raise fish. Give me the photos of the suspects. Liu Xia is not small, but it’s not big either. As long as one of them has sold the stolen goods in my jurisdiction, I’ll find a witness to identify him by tomorrow afternoon, guaranteed.”

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