Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Arrogant Village Secretary

"Even a county official is not as powerful as the one in charge right now. Son, I understand this. If it doesn't work, I'll just cut down the trees!" Seeing Wang Jian's worried expression, Zhang Qiuju was afraid of making things difficult for her son.

Wang Jian quietly stood up and suddenly said, "We can't cut them down. The trees we planted on our land haven't obstructed anyone. Why should we cut them down? I'll call the leaders of Wushan Town and have them talk to Wang Erfang. It will be fine!"

"Don't make things worse. We can't afford to offend Wang Erfang. Now that he has money and power, he looks down on everyone. The villagers have been beaten by him several times. You should be careful with your work outside!" Wang Erfang was the secretary of Haizi Village. In his youth, he was a troublemaker and made a fortune from construction projects outside. He returned to become the village leader. In fact, he was neither the secretary nor the village chief, but a temporary leader appointed by the town. Zhang Qiuju, not understanding, thought he was the secretary.

When Wang Jian was in junior high school, he knew that Wang Erfang was a bully in the village, often associating with unsavory people and getting into fights. After high school and university, he hadn't seen him again until recently, when he heard that Wang Erfang had made a fortune in Simeng City by competing for construction projects and returned to become the village leader. After becoming the village leader, the villagers were very afraid of him. Those who dared to challenge him were beaten, and even the police didn't intervene. This is why Zhang Qiuju wanted to cut down the trees to avoid offending Wang Erfang.

Wang Jian had a natural aversion to such local bullies, but he never expected such a person to become a village official. With the status of a village official, they acted even more recklessly. Didn't the Wushan Town Party Committee and government realize this was a mistake?

Since Wang Jian had just become the township chief, he wasn't very familiar with the top leaders of the various townships. Such matters could be resolved by a simple call to the secretary or the township chief, but without their contact information and unfamiliarity, how could he even start?

After thinking for a long time, Wang Jian decided to take a long-term approach. He helped his mother finish the farm work and then went to visit his grandparents, something he always did when he returned home. His grandparents were already in their seventies, and they smiled with wrinkles when they saw their grandson.

Holding their hands, Wang Jian took out fifty yuan from his pocket and placed it in their hands. His salary was low, and he could only give so much. His grandparents had no income and were reluctant to spend the money he gave them. Wang Jian always advised them to buy what they wanted, but they never listened.

He received his salary after working for more than half a year, and now he was worried about paying others. As the township chief, paying salaries was a troublesome matter.

After chatting with his grandparents for a while, the two elderly people were very happy. They didn't know what Wang Jian did outside, but they knew he had graduated from university and was successful, making them very proud.

After talking for a while, Wang Jian returned home. As he approached the door, he saw Wang Erfang sitting in an SUV, talking to his mother.

"What's going on with your family? Everyone else has cut down their trees, why haven't you?" Wang Erfang said to Zhang Qiuju with a long face.

"Big brother, we'll go cut them right away!" Zhang Qiuju said with a smile.

"Go cut them quickly. If you don't, you'll be fined!" Wang Erfang said.

"Cut, cut, we'll cut!" Zhang Qiuju responded repeatedly.

At this moment, Wang Jian walked over. Wang Erfang saw him and knew he was a government official in Xianhe Township, but he didn't think much of Wang Jian. In Wushan Town, only the secretary and the township chief were respected; the other officials were not. Ordinary staff members even tried to curry favor with him.

Wang Erfang didn't say anything more and was about to drive away. Wang Jian stood in front of the car window and asked, "Second Uncle, why do we need to cut down the trees on our land?"

By seniority, Wang Jian was a generation younger than Wang Erfang and should call him "Second Uncle." Wang Erfang's face darkened as he replied, "Without the village's permission, you can't plant trees randomly. Next year, the village will be redistributing the land, so they must be cut down!"

"Redistribute the land? The state has a policy of thirty years of land contracting without change. How can the village dare to redistribute the land?" Wang Erfang's words shocked Wang Jian. The state clearly stipulated that no one could infringe on farmers' land contracting rights, and Wang Erfang actually dared to think about redistributing the land!

"Are you afraid? If you say you're not afraid, it won't be. I'm telling you, your family had better cooperate with the village's work, or don't blame me for being unfriendly!" Wang Erfang started the car, put on a pair of sunglasses, and said coldly.

Wang Jian's face darkened. Wang Erfang was too arrogant. Seeing her son about to get angry, Zhang Qiuju quickly said, "Big brother, don't worry, we'll cut them right away!"

Wang Erfang stepped on the gas and drove away without even looking at Zhang Qiuju.

"Jianjian, we can't afford to offend such people. If a dog bites you, can you bite the dog back? Don't be angry!" Zhang Qiuju comforted her son, seeing his angry expression.

"Mom, I'm going to the town government!" Wang Jian decided to report the situation to the Wushan Town government.

"What are you going there for? Don't meddle in other people's affairs!" Zhang Qiuju was worried that Wang Jian might cause trouble.

The Wushan Town government was near Haizi Village. Wang Jian walked for ten minutes and arrived at the government office.

Upon arriving, he realized it was the weekend, but there should be someone on duty. Wang Jian went to the Wushan Town Party and Government Office to check.

At the office door, he saw several people on duty, but they were all playing cards.

"Comrade, is Secretary Hu here?" Wang Jian asked, leaning his head in.

A leader-like person, while drawing cards, turned to look at him and asked, "What do you want with Secretary Hu?"

Wushan Town's Party Secretary was Hu Yongbiao. Wang Jian wanted to find him first to report the situation.

"I want to report some matters to him!" Wang Jian replied.

"He's not here!" The person immediately became impatient.

"Is Mayor Sun here?" Wang Jian asked again.

"I don't know!"

It seemed these people were too busy playing cards to pay attention to Wang Jian.

At this moment, Wang Jian heard a door close upstairs. Normally, the top leaders worked on the second floor. Wang Jian quickly went upstairs and saw a middle-aged man locking the door and preparing to leave.

Wang Jian had seen Hu Yongbiao before, but Hu Yongbiao wouldn't have noticed him. Now, this person looked very much like Hu Yongbiao, but he wasn't sure.

The person saw Wang Jian looking at him, locked the door, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for Secretary Hu!" Wang Jian said with a smile.

"What do you need him for?" the person asked.

"I'm Wang Jian from Xianhe Township. I need to talk to him about something!" Wang Jian introduced himself.

"Wang Jian?" The person's brain cells seemed to suddenly become active, and he stared at Wang Jian with wide eyes.

"Yes, I'm Wang Jian from Xianhe Township!" Wang Jian said calmly. He believed Hu Yongbiao must have heard of his name and didn't need to tell him he was the township chief.

"Are you the township chief of Xianhe Township? I'm Hu Yongbiao!" The person finally came to his senses. He hadn't expected Wang Jian to come to him, and without any entourage.

Wang Jian immediately stepped forward and smiled, "It's Secretary Hu, nice to meet you!"

Hu Yongbiao extended his hand, shook Wang Jian's hand, and then opened the door to welcome him in.

"Township Chief Wang, what brings you here? You didn't even notify me in advance. If you had come a little later, I would have left!" After entering, Hu Yongbiao poured a cup of water from the water dispenser for Wang Jian.

"It's a coincidence. I just returned home and encountered some issues, so I came to report them to Secretary Hu." Wang Jian took a sip of water and said.

Hu Yongbiao asked in surprise, "Is your family from here? What happened? I'll help if I can!"

"My family is from Haizi Village. I came home on the weekend and heard that the village is making the villagers cut down the trees on their land, saying they will redistribute the land next year. Isn't this against the policy? So I came to ask about it!" Wang Jian said.

Hu Yongbiao immediately leaned forward and asked, "Township Chief Wang, you said it's Wang Erfang who wants to redistribute the land?"

"Yes, I just met him, and he said it himself!" Wang Jian felt that Hu Yongbiao might not know about the situation in Haizi Village.

"This Wang Erfang is really causing trouble!" Hu Yongbiao became very angry. Since Wang Erfang took office, he had done a good job in various tasks, but this was under the condition that there was no opposition from the villagers. The villagers were very obedient, and difficult tasks were accomplished. However, Wang Erfang's idea of redistributing the land was a serious mistake. If the higher authorities found out, he would be punished!

Seeing Hu Yongbiao's angry expression, Wang Jian knew that the town government wasn't as blind as to let Wang Erfang do whatever he wanted. There was hope for a change!

"Secretary Hu, this is your internal matter, and I shouldn't interfere, but the trees on our land also need to be cut down. If we don't, we'll be fined. I don't know where the village gets the authority. I know Wang Erfang is a bully in the village, and now that he's the village leader, he acts very arrogantly. I had no choice but to seek your help, Secretary Hu!" Wang Jian looked at Hu Yongbiao and said.

Hu Yongbiao realized he had lost his composure and quickly smiled, "Township Chief Wang, I didn't know your family was from Haizi Village. We are closer now. This is a small matter. I'll call Wang Erfang and talk to him. The town government will definitely not agree to redistributing the land. This Wang Erfang really thinks the world is his, a lawless and thug-like person!"

Wang Jian silently thought, "Knowing he's a lawless and thug-like person, why did you appoint him as the village leader? I wonder what Hu Yongbiao was thinking!"

"Thank you, Secretary Hu. If you have time, please visit Xianhe Township for guidance. Secretary Zheng and I will warmly welcome you!" After thinking, Wang Jian stood up and smiled, preparing to leave.

"Hehe, what guidance? Visiting Township Chief Wang in Xianhe Township is the main thing. Don't leave at noon, let's have a drink first!" Hu Yongbiao also stood up and said.

"Thank you, Secretary Hu, but I need to go home and check on things." Wang Jian didn't want to eat in the town.

"How can that be? Come, let's go downstairs together!" Hu Yongbiao said warmly, following Wang Jian out of the room and down the stairs.

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End of the chapter.