*Chapter 160: Aftermath (Part 1)*
Hou Weidong was seething with anger. He clashed with Captain Li, each refusing to yield an inch, until Li was left speechless and frustrated. Ignoring Director Qin’s attempts to smooth things over, Hou Weidong turned on his heel and stormed out of the office.
Captain Li had just reached the doorway of Hou Weidong’s office when he ran into Zhao Yongsheng. Zhao and Li were quite familiar with one another. Seeing Li’s flushed and irritated expression, Zhao extended a hand with a smile. "Captain Li, you’ve come to Qinglin Town without even saying hello to me."
They moved into Zhao Yongsheng’s office. Captain Li spoke up immediately. "Secretary Zhao, the divisional leader in charge of political and legal affairs has quite a temper. I was simply following standard procedure to investigate the situation. Not only did he refuse to cooperate, but he also started making wild accusations."
Director Qin, standing nearby, offered an explanation. "Township Mayor Hou and Qin Dajiang were close friends. With Qin Dajiang’s death, Hou is in a bad mood. Please don’t take his reaction personally, Captain Li."
Zhao Yongsheng asked, "You are taking charge of the Heiwa case. What exactly is going on?"
Captain Li briefly outlined the situation regarding Heiwa. "It doesn’t matter who Heiwa is. Once a case lands in my hands, I handle it seriously and ensure it becomes an ironclad case. The Qin Dajiang case is not under my jurisdiction. Mayor Hou may be angry, but there is no need to conflate the two matters."
Among the townships in Yiyang County, Qinglin Town was a hotspot for criminal incidents. Captain Li was no stranger to the area. When news broke that Heiwa had been beaten on the head and his right hand severed, Li’s first instinct was that the perpetrators were from Shangqinglin. After deploying police resources in the city, he came to Qinglin Town to investigate. He had walked around Shangqinglin but found no useful leads. Hearing that Hou Weidong was the de facto head of the Gravel Association, he came down the mountain to gather information, only to be rebuffed by Hou Weidong.
Zhao Yongsheng calmly offered a cigarette to Captain Li. "Mayor Hou graduated from the Law Department of Shazhou College; he is an insider. Director Qin knows him best. He is simply young and prone to hot-headedness. Do not take it to heart."
With major cases occurring consecutively in Shangqinglin, Director Qin had already received rumors that he would be transferred. He was more concerned with his own future than with the cases in Qinglin Town, so he merely listened as Zhao Yongsheng and Captain Li discussed the matter.
After a while, Captain Li rose to take his leave. Since Vice County Head Gao had not arrived, Zhao did not press him to stay.
As they went downstairs, Director Qin said, "Captain Li, in my private opinion, a ruffian like Heiwa deserved to be hacked. Why investigate so thoroughly? There are thousands of people in Shangqinglin. Without clues, suspicion alone will not solve the problem."
"I came this time to see the scene for myself. Intuitively, I still believe the perpetrator is from Shangqinglin." Captain Li trusted his instincts.
"Captain Li,办案 is about evidence. Even if your judgment is correct, without evidence, who are you going to arrest? When Secretary Zhao was killed, did the Criminal Investigation Brigade work this hard? When a triad boss was hacked, they treated it like a major crisis."
The remark was harsh but true. Captain Li could only force a bitter smile. "After Heiwa was hacked, two people died in the city one after another. Director Zhang is keeping a close watch on the Criminal Investigation Brigade, demanding we solve the case quickly. As for the Qin Dajiang case, that is under Captain Wang’s responsibility."
Director Qin sighed. "Heiwa lost a hand, and the head of the Criminal Investigation Brigade personally handled it. Qin Dajiang was shot dead—a crime far more serious in nature—yet it was handled by a deputy captain. Things these days are truly… inexplicable."
This touched upon the leadership of the bureau, so Captain Li was unwilling to say more.
Seeing Captain Li preparing to get into his car, Director Qin invited him again. "Captain Li, I’ll call Mayor Hou out for lunch. He is a man of temperament, so he holds a grudge over Qin Dajiang’s death. Such people are rare these days."
Captain Li sat heavily into his car. "Forget it. I have many things to do. I’ll treat you another day." As he was getting in, he casually asked, "By the way, what is the name of that one-eyed director?"
"Zeng Xiangang."
Captain Li recalled Zeng Xiangang’s demeanor for a moment, then said to Director Qin, "I’m heading back. Please keep an eye on developments in Shangqinglin, especially any rumors among the local residents."
After Captain Li left, Director Qin returned to Hou Weidong’s office. "Regarding Heiwa, you really don’t know anything? It seems Captain Li has fixed his sights on Shangqinglin."
Hou Weidong truly did not know that Zeng Xiangang had done such a thing. "To keep Shangqinglin under surveillance for Heiwa’s sake, this Captain Li either has a problem or has ulterior motives."
"Currently, most of the mid-level backbone officers in the Yiyang Public Security Bureau are graduates of the police academy. Captain Li is an outstanding graduate among them and has solved many major cases. By the way, he should be an alumnus of Hou Weiguo, a few grades senior. They might know each other."
Having said this, Director Qin opened his briefcase, a warm smile on his face. "Mayor Hou, bureau personnel have been coming down frequently recently. The station has spent a lot on hospitality. The station’s funds are limited, as you know best. Could you find a way to help me reimburse these expenses?"
Hou Weidong took the stack of invoices and glanced through them. There were at least four or five hundred yuan worth. He remained silent, examining them one by one, before finally asking, "Why are there so many?"
Director Qin lamented, "Prices have risen so high. A single bottle of wine costs one or two hundred yuan. To handle the Qin Dajiang case properly, I had to exceed the hospitality standards. If we treat them well, those gentlemen will handle the case more seriously."
Hou Weidong had heard some rumors about Director Qin but chose not to expose them. "Director Qin, divide these receipts into two parts. I will have Director Su reimburse a portion through the Social Affairs Office, and the Gravel Association will cover the rest."
Director Qin selected one thousand seven hundred yuan worth of living expense invoices and placed them on the desk.
After receiving the phone call, Director Su sat down for a few sips of tea before slowly ascending the stairs. As soon as he sat down, Hou Weidong handed him the stack of receipts in a tone that allowed no refusal. "The police station has had heavy reception duties recently. Here are over a thousand yuan in receipts. Please process them."
Director Su’s eyes widened. He looked troubled. "The Social Affairs Office will certainly support the police station’s affairs. However, we have paid too much in lost-work subsidies this month. Could we reduce the amount, or wait until next month to reimburse?"
Since the funeral reform, the income of the Social Affairs Office had increased rapidly. Hou Weidong had been involved from the start and knew this clearly. "The funeral reform has achieved initial success, and the police station’s contribution is indispensable. Just grit your teeth and reimburse this amount. If there are any issues later, Director Qin will naturally make arrangements."
With the matter laid out in the open, Director Su had no choice but to comply. Otherwise, he would offend both Mayor Hou and Director Qin. He forced a smile. "Since it is a matter for the police station, it should be easy to handle. I’ll have Public Security Officer Xia come over to pick up the money."
Director Qin said, "There is no need for such complexity. I will go to your office with you."
Su Yajun realized immediately that these were likely personal receipts for Director Qin. Thinking about reimbursing personal expenses, he actually felt more relieved. After all, doing a favor meant the favor was owed, and he might need the police station’s help someday.
Not long after Director Qin and Su Yajun left, Yang Feng walked over. "Mayor Hou, Vice County Head Gao will be arriving shortly to hear the report on funeral reform in the small conference room."
Hou Weidong took out his mobile phone to check the time. It was nearly eleven. "Was Vice County Head Gao notified at the last minute? Why am I only hearing about this now?"
Yang Feng said, "I am not clear on the details either."
Hou Weidong took a pack of Lingxi beef jerky from his drawer. "I brought this back from Shazhou. It is reportedly their latest product."
Yang Feng thanked him and went downstairs happily.
Zhao Yongsheng, holding a teacup, arrived at Hou Weidong’s door. "Mayor Hou, please come to the small conference room."
The two sat down in the small conference room. Zhao Yongsheng proactively offered a cigarette. "Captain Li looked for you just now?"
When Zhao Yongsheng had greeted Captain Li, Hou Weidong had guessed that Zhao would ask about it. He told the truth. "Captain Li suspected Shangqinglin was behind Heiwa’s severed hand but had no evidence. I pushed back against him a bit."
Zhao Yongsheng spoke earnestly. "Captain Li is the head of the Criminal Investigation Brigade and a renowned case-solving expert in the county. He came to Qinglin Town today to understand the situation. As the divisional leader in charge of political and legal affairs in Qinglin Town, you must cooperate fully with the work. You cannot let emotions dictate your actions."
Logically, Zhao Yongsheng was entirely correct. However, emotionally, Hou Weidong still felt a sense of indignation.
Just then, Su Ming walked over with a notebook. Zhao Yongsheng changed the subject. "Vice County Head Gao called me at nine this morning. The main purpose is to research the funeral reform work. Let us align our reports first. Mayor Hou, you go first."
Zhao Yongsheng had the summary written by Director Su, but he felt the material was too thin, so he asked Hou Weidong to add a few points.
Hou Weidong was very familiar with funeral work. Without hesitation, he outlined the current status of Qinglin Town’s funeral work, the main work experiences, and the existing problems, listing six points. Zhao Yongsheng noted several points in his notebook, thinking to himself, Hou Weidong is truly efficient in his work. Su Yajun spent over two hours, yet his output is inferior to the few points Hou Weidong casually mentioned. People with real capability are indeed different.
When Zhao Yongsheng stepped out to use the restroom, Su Ming said, "Today, while Vice County Head Gao is in Qinglin Town, we should also report on the nursing home project. As far as I know, Vice County Head Gao strongly approves of the new nursing home plan."
Hou Weidong thought, You do not want to offend Zhao Yongsheng, so you push me to the front line, using me as a shield. That is hardly loyal. However, Hou Weidong genuinely supported the idea of building a new nursing home.
Vice County Head Gao was originally a cadre in the Shazhou Municipal Party Committee Office. He had just turned forty. At this age, becoming a vice county head meant he was neither too old nor too young, and thus quite steady. When Zhao Yongsheng introduced Hou Weidong, Gao deliberately took a look at him.