Chapter 5

The next day, the news of Lin Chang's fatal traffic accident spread throughout Mashixiang.

When Ye Ziran entered the township government office, the people he encountered all asked him for details. Ye Ziran briefly recounted the events: Lin Chang went to Changqing Village on Sunday to work on family planning, had some drinks at a relative's house in the evening, and unfortunately met with a traffic accident on his way back. Everyone sighed in unison, lamenting the unpredictability of fate and the fragility of life, feeling sad for Deputy Township Head Lin.

Ye Ziran also looked solemn. Last night, he had seen He Chunying, a widow with an orphan, weeping bitterly, and recalling the times he had worked with Lin Chang, his mood became somewhat low.

Arriving at the second-floor party and government office, as usual, Ma Yanli had already arrived, cleaned his desk, and placed the day's newspaper on it.

"Has Old He not arrived yet?" Ye Ziran asked.

"Not yet." Ma Yanli was the party and government office staff member who had the best relationship with Ye Ziran. When Ye Ziran was first assigned to work in Mashixiang, he was not yet familiar with the office affairs, and Ma Yanli had helped him wholeheartedly, building a certain friendship through their work. She was two years older than Ye Ziran and had been married for four years but had no children.

"Xiao Ma, Secretary Qin has instructed that the party and government office will be responsible for handling Lin Chang's funeral arrangements. Your task for the next few days is to take good care of Lin Chang's wife, He Chunying. In her grief, we must ensure nothing happens to her," Ye Ziran said.

"Understood, leader." Ma Yanli had a habit of puffing out her chest when she said "understood." She was a mature woman with a sexy figure, and this gesture often left men dazzled.

"Mr. Cao!" Ye Ziran cursed silently. Such a beautiful woman, but because she had no children, her relationship with her husband had deteriorated. In the suburbs, the traditional concept of having children was very strong.

"Good morning, Director Ye." He Guitian, who had been busy until the early hours of the morning, greeted Ye Ziran as he entered the room.

"Old He, you need to take more responsibility for handling Lin Chang's funeral. You should communicate more with the family and keep us informed of any developments." Ye Ziran saw that He Guitian's mental state was very poor, knowing that he had borne a lot of pressure due to the accident involving Township Head Li. He must have been severely reprimanded by Li Chang last night, but such matters were the most sensitive in the political arena. He Guitian's future was already ruined, and Li Chang would likely remain at the level of a full-section chief for the rest of his career. "I have to go to a meeting. The township party committee has a second-level cadre meeting today."

The Mashixiang government had two four-story office buildings, the south building for party and government leaders, and the north building for the auditorium, canteen, and logistics departments. The township party secretary, deputy secretary, committee members, township head, deputy township head, party and government office, family planning office, and finance office were all located in the south building.

In the meeting room on the fourth floor of the south building, Ye Ziran attended the Mashixiang second-level cadre meeting.

Party Secretary Qin Daming chaired the meeting: "Comrades, I have a sad announcement to make. As you may already know, Lin Chang was killed in a traffic accident around 5 PM yesterday. According to preliminary investigations, Lin Chang drove alone to Changqing Village in the afternoon to handle family planning matters. In the evening, he attended a wedding at a relative's house, got drunk, and drove back to Mashixiang. On the way, he was involved in a head-on collision with a truck from Changrong Company and died on the scene. According to the county traffic police, Lin Chang was driving under the influence and violated traffic rules, making him fully responsible for the accident." After saying this, Qin Daming glanced at all the second-level cadres, his tone becoming increasingly stern: "After Lin Chang's accident, Comrade Ye Ziran, the director of the party and government office, rushed to the county central hospital to assist me in handling the matter. However, some of our comrades, upon learning of the accident, did not come to handle the situation or verify the facts but instead went to report to County Party Secretary Tang, saying that I, Qin Daming, had been in a car accident and died. I want to ask, what was the purpose? Were you hoping I would die soon so you could take my place?"

The meeting room fell silent. Ye Ziran, who knew the details, was not particularly surprised, but the others were shocked and exchanged glances. Many also looked at Township Head Li, as the target of Qin Secretary's criticism was clear. Zhang Liren, sitting next to Ye Ziran, looked at him for advice, and Ye Ziran shook his head slightly, signaling him not to speak.

After a moment of silence, Township Head Li Jun spoke: "I agree with the first part of what Secretary Qin said. I did not have a clear understanding of the situation and made a mistake. However, I cannot accept the second part of the criticism. I went to report to Secretary Tang as instructed by County Head Yin. How can you say I had ulterior motives?"

Secretary Qin glanced at Township Head Li disdainfully and said, "You rushed to report to County Head Yin and then to Secretary Tang. Do I need to spell out your intentions? Don't insult the intelligence of all the second-level cadres in Mashixiang. The intentions of the Sima family are known to all."

Li Jun's face turned red with anger, but he could not retaliate since his mistake was being used against him. He said fiercely, "It was Deputy Director He Guitian of the party and government office who sent out the wrong message, leading me to misunderstand who was involved in the accident."

"What message did he send that made you misunderstand?" Secretary Qin asked coldly. He knew the content but wanted to force Li Jun to explain it in front of everyone, making the situation clear and isolating him.

Li Jun pulled out his beeper and read the message: "Lin Chang was in a car accident, Secretary Qin has left."

"Bang!" Party Committee Organization Commissioner Pan Qiusheng slammed his hand on the table, furious. "What's wrong with He Guitian? How could he send such a misleading message? And what was his intention in reporting Secretary Qin's whereabouts?"

Ye Ziran knew that He Guitian was closely aligned with Township Head Li and considered him one of Li's people. Pan Qiusheng's description of "sending a misleading message" was apt.

"He Guitian's actions were indeed inappropriate. I suggest he be disciplined," Li Jun said.

"Discipline is certainly necessary. The position of deputy director of the party and government office is not suitable for He Guitian. I suggest he be transferred to the township agricultural science station as deputy party branch secretary," Secretary Qin said, his tone still stern.

"I agree with this decision. We will decide at the township party committee meeting later," Pan Qiusheng said, clearly supporting the decision and reminding the angry Secretary Qin that the appointment of township leaders should be decided by the township party committee.

The conflict between the top two leaders of Mashixiang, both of whom had powerful backers, made everyone hesitant to get involved. Although He Guitian was Ye Ziran's subordinate, Ye Ziran knew the full details and that He Guitian had indeed made a mistake. This was not the right time to protect him.

Secretary Qin nodded and said, "Good. Now, let's discuss Lin Chang's funeral arrangements. Director Ye has already had an initial communication with Lin Chang's family. Have they made any specific requests?"

"The family has not made any political demands regarding Lin Chang's funeral. They only request that the economic compensation reflect that Lin Chang died in the line of duty," Ye Ziran said.

"Specifically?" Secretary Qin asked.

Ye Ziran thought for a moment and said, "Lin Chang's wife made two requests. First, her son is a minor, and the family has lost a significant source of income. She requests that the township government help with her son's future education and employment. Second, He Chunying's workplace is not doing well, and she requests a job with a stable position."

"Let's discuss this. I think the family's requests are reasonable. Since Lin Chang is gone, we should appropriately take care of his family to give him peace," Secretary Qin said, indicating his stance.

"His wife has a high school education, I remember she used to work at the knitting factory," Deputy Township Head Cheng Guang, who was a good friend of Lin Chang, said, familiar with his family situation.

To Ye Ziran's surprise, the township armed forces minister coldly said, "If she's not satisfied with the knitting factory, we can transfer her to the textile factory." This was an unreasonable suggestion, as both the knitting factory and the textile factory were among the worst-performing enterprises in the township. Ye Ziran thought that perhaps Lin Chang and the armed forces minister had a conflict in the past.

Fortunately, Deputy Township Head Cheng firmly defended Lin Chang's interests, saying, "After Lin Chang's passing, his family has suffered a significant blow. He Chunying's job is not secure, which will inevitably affect her son's future. I suggest transferring her to the family planning office, where they are short-staffed." Cheng spoke up for He Chunying.

The family planning office was a position with a cadre status. Ye Ziran had heard that Party Committee Member Wu Azhao had his eye on this position and wanted to place someone there. Sure enough, after Cheng's suggestion, Propaganda Commissioner Wu Azhao immediately objected: "The family planning office is an important position, crucial for the township's family planning targets. He Chunying has no experience in this area, and I oppose it."

Ye Ziran understood the meaning of "when a person is gone, the tea cools." Lin Chang would never have expected this. He thought for a moment and decided to do his best to help Lin Chang's family.

Ye Ziran raised his hand and said, "The township government service center has just been established and needs staff. I suggest placing He Chunying there. The work is suitable for her, and it is easier to secure a position."

Secretary Qin promptly supported this suggestion: "Director Ye's suggestion is good. The service center does need staff, and we can provide her with a position. Does anyone have any objections?"

Deputy Party Secretary Wang Jingyu was the first to speak: "I support Secretary Qin's suggestion. It is appropriate for He Chunying to work at the service center, and I believe she can handle the job."

With the support of the party secretary and deputy secretary, the others were happy to go along with the decision. During the discussion on the specifications of Lin Chang's memorial service and the compensation, Township Head Li did not speak. The meeting finally approved all the arrangements for Lin Chang's funeral, including the related expenses and the specifications of the memorial service. The specific matters were to be handled by the party and government office.