Chapter 158: Sudden Upheaval (Part 1)

*Bridge’s Experience:* Yesterday afternoon, shortly after two o’clock, I was attending a meeting in the conference room on the sixth floor when the building suddenly began to shake violently. Someone shouted, “Earthquake!” and everyone rushed toward the exits. Although panic was high, the more than one hundred attendees did not descend into chaos. They evacuated in an orderly fashion through two separate exits. By the time we reached the flat ground outside, the shaking had just ceased.

The driver, who had been waiting in the courtyard, slid the car over to me. I jumped in and said, “Go to the kindergarten.” I then asked, “How is your family?” The driver replied, “They are already in a safe area.”

Under the guidance of the teachers, the kindergarten children were already holding hands, standing on the flat ground outside.

After picking up my daughter, I stopped by the office to pick up her mother, and then went to retrieve her maternal grandparents. During the earthquake, they had been taking a nap and hadn’t even had time to put on their shoes. They stood barefoot in the courtyard, still shaken and pale with fear.

When we arrived at the square, we saw a pool of blood on the road. We were told that an elderly person had been standing on the road to escape the quake and had been struck and killed instantly by an out-of-control car.

My mobile phone was not working, so I used a landline to call my parents and my older brother, who were in another location. Fortunately, they were all safe and sound.

That evening, fearing aftershocks, several thousand people sat in the square.

I wept for all those who perished. May Heaven bless China!!

………………………………………………

Hou Weidong’s mood was truly terrible. After hanging up the phone, he sat in the car, staring blankly ahead. Li Jing’s driver was quite mature and reserved; he simply drove without speaking. His driving style was not as flashy as Li Bing’s, but it was steady and efficient. Before Hou Weidong realized it, they had arrived at Shangqinglin.

When they reached the road at the entrance to Qin Dajiang’s house, Hou Weidong said, “Stop here. Thank you for your trouble. I have matters to attend to today, so I won’t keep you. I’ll treat you to a drink when I come to Shazhou another time.” The driver waved his hand dismissively and said, “Township Cadre Hou, no need for formalities. Please stay safe. Those people are very vicious.”

A crowd of villagers had gathered at the entrance to Qin Dajiang’s house, pointing and chatting with amusement. Hou Weidong pushed roughly through them. When the villagers realized it was Hou Weidong, they swallowed their curses and stepped aside.

Several police officers stood inside the cordon, their expressions serious and cold. Seeing Hou Weidong attempt to enter, one officer shouted, “Get out.” Hou Weidong ignored him and called out, “Police Station Chief Qin.” Having had two major cases occur within his jurisdiction, Chief Qin had been sweating profusely since the incident began. Seeing Hou Weidong enter, he hurried over and said to the officer beside him, “This is Township Cadre Hou, the divisional leader of Qinglin Township Government.”

Criminal investigators were the elite of the police force and did not maintain as close ties with local authorities as the police station did. Consequently, the officer was not particularly polite to local officials. He said, “Just stand here. We are still investigating the scene inside.”

Several white lines were drawn on the drying yard, enclosing a pool of blood. This must have been the spot where Qin Dajiang was killed. Chief Qin explained from the side, “When Qin Dajiang was killed, he was standing in the drying yard. His wife was working on the small slope nearby. She only heard a few gunshots. When she returned, she found Qin Dajiang lying on the ground.”

Since being assigned to Shangqinglin, Hou Weidong had spent a long time associating with Qin Dajiang. Qin Dajiang had played a significant role in Hou Weidong’s rise to Deputy Township Cadre of Shangqinglin. Looking at the outline of Qin Dajiang’s body marked by the white lines, Hou Weidong remembered his boisterous smile. His eyes grew wet, and a single tear rolled down his cheek, quickly flowing into his mouth, tasting faintly of salt.

At that moment, several more police officers entered. From their greetings, it was clear they were criminal investigators from Shazhou, belonging to the same brigade as Hou Weidong. They had come to investigate the illegal firearms.

After the scene investigation and interviews were completed, Hou Weidong, Xi Zhaoyong, and Zeng Xiangang went together to the small government courtyard in Shangqinglin.

In the past, when the Gravel Association discussed matters, it was always the four of them: Hou, Xi, Qin, and Zeng. Today, without the loud and boisterous Qin Dajiang, the atmosphere was much colder.

Zeng Xiangang wore an eye patch, and his expression was extremely gloomy.

A short while ago, Zeng Xiangang had paid a thief from Shangqinglin, who was also a distant relative from the Zeng family. While the thief was undergoing re-education through labor, Zeng Xiangang, as the Village Committee Director, had often looked after his parents. As a result, after the thief was released, he was very obedient to Zeng Xiangang’s instructions.

Zeng Xiangang had taken Zeng San to the hometown of the escaped prime suspect. Zeng San had entered the house and stolen photographs. With the photos in hand, Zeng Xiangang had waited there for several days, but to no avail. Eventually, he was discovered by the Shazhou criminal investigators, who confiscated his mobile phone and machete.

He had just returned to Shangqinglin when he learned that Qin Dajiang had been killed by a black-market gun. He immediately used a landline to call Hou Weidong.

(End of Chapter 158)

Note: The preceding text does not count toward the word count. I am not in the mood to write much today, but I will work overtime tonight to write an additional chapter. Please forgive me, friends.

Youyou Book Alliance UUTXT.COM Full Text Reading

Days in Qinglin