Chapter 78

Tianbei Lamb Soup Restaurant sounds grand, but in reality, it only has three branches. Despite its small size, it is always crowded with diners. It is said that someone once saw the county party secretary being driven here by his driver every few days, who would then drive away, leaving the secretary to order a bowl of lamb noodle soup alone and leave after finishing it. Although such rumors are not to be taken seriously, they are enough to show how popular the restaurant is.

In winter, the business at the lamb soup restaurant is good, with all the tables filled with people. The hot lamb soup continuously emits white steam, filling the air with a fragrant aroma.

When Cheng Jemin arrived at the lamb soup restaurant, Liu Tairan and the others were already there. Besides Deputy Township Chief Li Tonghuai, there was also a man in his thirties. This man was slightly shorter than Liu Tairan and had a somewhat rugged demeanor.

"Deputy Township Chief Cheng, please sit here." Liu Tairan saw Cheng Jemin and warmly stood up to offer him a seat.

Cheng Jemin did not refuse, sitting down while smiling at Li Tonghuai, "Deputy Township Chief Li, I was a bit late because of a sudden matter. When did you arrive?"

Li Tonghuai is one of the four deputy township chiefs in Kuanyang Township, a man in his forties who looks like he is in his fifties. His attire and demeanor did not quite fit the provincial capital, making it clear that he was from a rural area.

Cheng Jemin and Li Tonghuai had met a few times, but they only nodded and smiled at each other without any deep friendship.

"Hello, Deputy Township Chief Cheng." Li Tonghuai greeted Cheng Jemin indifferently and then introduced the man next to him, "Deputy Township Chief Cheng, this is my cousin Zhang Chu, who is currently doing contracting work in the province."

Li Tonghuai is a local official in Kuanyang Township, having returned from the military in his twenties and worked in Kuanyang Township ever since, making him one of the influential figures in the township. He was well aware of Lu Xiaoyang's attitude towards Cheng Jemin, so he did not intend to have any interaction with Cheng Jemin.

After all, Lu Xiaoyang is the party secretary of the township. Why would he offend Lu Xiaoyang for no reason? This time, he did not originally plan to invite Cheng Jemin to come to Tianyuan City, but Liu Tairan insisted, and he had no choice.

Liu Tairan, whom he had invited to help, is also the deputy chief of the police station. He would have to deal with Liu Tairan in the future, so it was better not to offend him. Therefore, when Liu Tairan insisted on inviting Cheng Jemin, he readily agreed.

Zhang Chu, not knowing Cheng Jemin's background, stood up and smiled when his cousin introduced him, "Hello, Deputy Township Chief Cheng."

Cheng Jemin greeted Zhang Chu and then focused his gaze on the table. At that moment, four dishes were placed on the table, but it seemed that the three of them had not yet started eating.

"Chief Liu, can you get Xiao Er released first?" Li Tonghuai looked at Liu Tairan, eager to ask.

Liu Tairan took a bite of the dish and said, "Deputy Township Chief Li, I have a friend at the Xierlu Police Station. I went to see him today to understand the situation, and he said it's not easy. They are charging him with intentional injury, and he might even face a prison sentence."

"Oh no, that won't do! Quickly talk to your friend. We'll apologize and pay compensation, but we must get him released!" Li Tonghuai was immediately anxious.

Liu Tairan sighed, "Deputy Township Chief Li, I've already made promises for you, but the problem is, my friend said they don't lack money, and they are dealing with a tough guy. He has no choice either!"

Li Tonghuai's lips twitched, and his face turned even more gloomy. Zhang Chu, sitting beside him, looked very uneasy and whispered, "Cousin, this is all my fault. I didn't take good care of Xiao Er!"

"What's the point of saying that now!" Li Tonghuai glanced at Zhang Chu with dissatisfaction and then said helplessly, "Chief Liu, I think we should ask your friend to arrange a meeting with the other party tomorrow. We'll treat it as a last resort!"

Liu Tairan bit his lip. He and his friend were classmates from the police academy. This society is so realistic; it's not always the case that people forget you when you leave. Sometimes, people forget you even before you leave. Moreover, his friend had already said all he could. Persisting would make it seem like he didn't trust him. However, since Li Tonghuai had come to the provincial capital with him, Liu Tairan could not refuse and nodded in agreement.

After all, Old Li is a prominent figure in the township. Although he didn't need to flatter him, he couldn't afford to offend him.

Cheng Jemin was confused by the conversation and wanted to ask what was going on, but seeing Li Tonghuai's low spirits, he decided not to.

The four of them drank, but two of them were clearly in low spirits, making the meal tasteless. After finishing a bottle of wine, each of them ordered a bowl of special noodle soup and quickly finished it. Li Tonghuai and Zhang Chu then went to a nearby hotel.

After Li Tonghuai left, Liu Tairan said to Cheng Jemin, "Brother Jemin, we didn't drink enough just now. How about we continue?"

Cheng Jemin nodded and joked, "Since we're in Tianyuan City, it's my territory. You have to listen to me!"

As they talked, they arrived at a Northeastern Chinese restaurant. They ordered pork and vermicelli stew and stir-fried spinach with clams, and the two of them started drinking. Liu Tairan, who had just been promoted to deputy chief, was in a good mood and drank without hesitation. In no time, they had finished half a bottle of wine.

Cheng Jemin casually asked, "Is Deputy Township Chief Li facing some trouble?"

"Indeed, his son Xiao Er has been taken to the police station. He hit someone with a bottle, and the other party is not letting it go, demanding a three to five-year sentence." Liu Tairan put down his glass and sighed, "Damn, it's always easier at home than on the road! Li Tonghuai is all-powerful in the township, but in the provincial capital, he's like a mute cannon."

Cheng Jemin, who had some understanding of Li Tonghuai, asked curiously, "His son got into a fight?"

"Li Tonghuai's son has never been a good kid. He caused trouble in school and dropped out early, then followed his cousin to do renovation work. It's almost the end of the year, and the work is almost finished, so he went to the boss to ask for his wages. The boss kept delaying, and this kid, with his short temper, threw a bottle at the boss's head in a fit of anger!"

Liu Tairan raised his glass to Cheng Jemin, "In this world, the weak are preyed upon by the strong. There's no choice but to accept it. You see, the boss was clearly at fault first, but he ended up being the victim! They say it's a minor injury, and they are preparing to file a lawsuit for intentional injury."

"What kind of background does this construction boss have?"

Liu Tairan drank the wine in one gulp and thought for a moment, "It's said that he is a relative of a deputy district chief. My friend told me not to get involved. I'll go with Li Tonghuai tomorrow, but that's the limit of what I can do!"

Cheng Jemin nodded and, having made up his mind, raised his glass to Liu Tairan, "Come, let's have another drink."

While Cheng Jemin and Liu Tairan were drinking, in a nearby hotel, Zhang Chu was confessing to Li Tonghuai. However, Li Tonghuai had a cold expression and did not say a word. Zhang Chu, being cautious, refilled Li Tonghuai's teacup and said, "Brother, during dinner, I heard Chief Liu say that Deputy Township Chief Cheng seems to be a dispatched official from the province."

"Right, he's from the provincial water conservancy department," Li Tonghuai said indifferently, sipping his tea.

Seeing that Li Tonghuai had responded, Zhang Chu's confidence grew, "We are in Tianyuan City, and we don't know anyone here. Since Deputy Township Chief Cheng works in the province, we can use him as a breakthrough. If we find the right person, we can turn a big issue into a small one and a small issue into nothing."

Li Tonghuai glanced at Zhang Chu and sighed, "Zhang Chu, your idea is good, showing that you haven't wasted your time in the provincial capital. But don't count on Cheng Jemin!"

"Why? Did you and he...?" Zhang Chu, being a smart person, immediately sensed his cousin's disdain.

"He just came to the township, so he doesn't have time to have a grudge against me. Even if he does, for Xiao Er, I would have to put my pride aside and ask him to help. The problem is, he's just a nobody, and he's more likely to be useless than to be of any help!"

"You know, when officials from the province come to the township, they are treated like gods. But Secretary Lu is very clear about his stance towards Cheng Jemin, not even bothering to go through the motions!"

As a person from Kuanyang Township, Zhang Chu had a deep respect for Township Party Secretary Lu Xiaoyang. He had once had a drink with Lu Xiaoyang and knew that Lu Xiaoyang was usually very friendly and good at dealing with people. Why would he be so cold towards Cheng Jemin?

"What's the situation here?"

"What situation? Before Cheng Jemin came to the township, the relevant leaders had already given instructions. Although they were not explicit, the meaning was that Cheng Jemin had offended a high-ranking official and was not going to be allowed to return to Tianyuan City. You see, such a person, who is struggling to save himself, would be of no help in Xiao Er's case."

Zhang Chu nodded continuously. Lu Xiaoyang was a big figure in the township, and those who could command Lu Xiaoyang were even more awe-inspiring. If Cheng Jemin had been ordered not to return to the provincial capital before he even arrived in the township, he must have offended someone very powerful.

If Cheng Jemin had someone backing him, who would dare to do such a thing so openly? Thinking of Cheng Jemin's handsome face, Zhang Chu sighed, "It's a pity. I think Deputy Township Chief Cheng is a good person!"

"He is good, but it's not just a matter of you thinking he is good." Li Tonghuai rubbed his head and continued, "Let's not talk about Cheng. Let's focus on what to do tomorrow."

Zhang Chu nodded but still said with regret, "Oh, I thought Cheng Jemin could help, but it turns out he's no use either!"

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