“Everyone saw you made the first move. You were blatantly harassing a woman. Let me tell you,” the Bald Head police officer in uniform tapped the desk with his index finger, “seven or eight years ago, this offense was punishable by execution.”
“It’s a miscarriage of justice!” Luo Yaozu wiped away his tears, but looking at the Old lady standing beside him with her arms crossed and a snakeskin bag on her back, and then at Ming Yuezhao crying in Chen Donglai’s arms, he knew he couldn't deny it, “He kicked my tooth out, ah!”
“You share some responsibility too.” The Bald Head police officer pointed at Chen Donglai, “You were too impulsive; now you’ve injured the person.”
“In my opinion,” the Bald Head police officer picked up his pen and scribbled a few lines on the paper, “sign a letter of understanding, and neither side presses charges. How about that?”
“That won’t do, Officer!” Luo Yaozu rushed forward to hug the officer’s thigh, “My tooth was knocked out, look.” He then opened his bloody mouth wide, revealing that a section of an upper front tooth was indeed broken off.
“Then there’s nothing more to discuss. Disorderly conduct alone is at least one or two years. This front tooth of yours only counts as a minor injury at most; the young man will only face a few months of administrative detention.” The Bald Head police officer sighed.
Luo Yaozu’s expression changed drastically. After a long pause, he finally squeezed out two words from between his teeth, “Settlement.” With that, he slumped onto the ground dejectedly.
If this were in Yong'an territory, he would have already made Chen Donglai suffer the consequences! With the Luo Family’s influence in Yong'an, dealing with a young man would have been as easy as lifting a hand.
But they were on a boat. Public security cases on passenger ships on the Xi River generally fall under the jurisdiction of the Xi River Shipping Public Security Bureau. That was a formidable Deputy Department Level unit, with its headquarters located in Jianhu City, Lingxiao Province.
Let alone the County Leaders of Yong'an, even the Secretary of the Shiliang Prefectural Committee might not get them to comply.
“What about you two?” The Bald Head police officer turned to look at Chen Donglai and Ming Yuezhao.
“Settlement, we agree to a settlement too.” Ming Yuezhao quickly said. She was genuinely afraid Chen Donglai would act impulsively, “Donglai, detention goes on your record!”
Chen Donglai nodded. In his previous life, he had dealt with Luo Yaozu even more severely, even breaking one of his ribs. This was not entirely an impulsive act.
Before taking action, he had already calculated that no matter how powerful Luo Yaozu was in Yong'an County, he absolutely could not pull strings under the nose of the Xi River Shipping Public Security Bureau.
Furthermore, under the prevailing atmosphere of the Strike Hard Campaign in the 1980s, Luo Yaozu’s act of harassing a woman could very likely lead to a conviction for disorderly conduct. Even if he injured Luo Yaozu to the extent of minor injury, Luo Yaozu would never dare to confront him head-on at the risk of imprisonment.
……
Yong'an County, South Gate Pier.
The bustling Yong'an City filled Chen Donglai with emotion. In his previous life, this small county seat by the Xi River was destined to be submerged due to the construction of the Wuyang Dam. When the county seat was flooded, Chen Donglai had already gone to work in the Capital City and naturally missed the chance to bid farewell to his hometown where he had lived since childhood.
“Stay at my place for one night; I’ll book tickets for the boat tomorrow morning.” Chen Donglai said to Ming Yuezhao. He was worried Luo Yaozu might harm Ming Yuezhao, and staying in Yong'an County Town would certainly pose a risk.
“Don’t worry about me.” Ming Yuezhao smiled. She had recovered from her previous anxiety and bewilderment. Although Chen Donglai’s ferocious display today was completely different from his usual gentle and refined demeanor, it deeply moved her. At the same time, there was a trace of imperceptible joy in her heart; Chen Donglai was willing to fight fiercely for her, which was also a symbol of her charm.
The two walked a short distance along the river embankment, then hailed a ride and got into a human-powered Tricycle. The rider sweated profusely, and in a short while, they arrived at the faculty dormitory of Yong'an Middle School. Chen Donglai’s father, Chen Cheng, was a mathematics teacher at Yong'an Middle School, and this was the housing unit provided by his workplace.
Chen Donglai saw his mother, Liang Mei, standing at the door waiting for him from afar. As soon as the rider stopped the worn-out Tricycle, Liang Mei eagerly took down their luggage, “You’re finally back. I’ve cooked a table full of good food.” She looked at Ming Yuezhao in the vehicle, “You must be Xiao Zhao, right? Welcome, welcome.”
“Don’t tell our parents about what happened on the boat yet; I’ll handle it later.” Chen Donglai said quietly. Ming Yuezhao nodded, exchanged pleasantries with Liang Mei for a moment, and then followed Chen Donglai into the house.
“Dad.” Seeing his parents again, Chen Donglai was filled with emotion. His father had passed away from illness shortly after moving out of the Old County Seat of Yong'an. His mother died of depression a few years later.
……
“It’s been half a year without a salary, sigh.” Chen Cheng gloomily picked up a piece of dry-fried green beans, “I apologize for making you eat vegetarian food for now. In a couple of months when I have money, I’ll treat you to a proper meal.”
“Still not paid? Didn’t they say it would be paid this week?” Liang Mei felt a surge of anger upon hearing her husband say the salary was delayed again, “That damned Middle School, how long has it been? No matter how poor our hospital is, we haven't shorted the nurses’ pay!”
“Be civil, Xiao Zhao is here.” Chen Cheng sighed. “The Steamed Pork with Rice Flour can be brought out. We must have some substantial dishes for you. Xiao Zhao, I still don’t know what your family does for work…?”
“Mm, he works in Huichuan.” Ming Yuezhao mumbled around a piece of potato.
Chen Donglai knew that Ming Yuezhao’s father, Ming Jinggao, was currently serving as the Deputy Director of the Jiang’an Province Department of Coal Industry. That was a position carrying significant authority.
Jiang’an was a major southern coal province, and the approval rights for the mining of many Coal Mines belonged to the Department of Coal Industry. Her not explicitly stating her father’s job clearly stemmed from her concern that Chen Cheng might think their backgrounds were too disparate.
……
“I heard someone on the boat say his father is an official in Yong'an County Town,” Ming Yuezhao lay on Chen Donglai’s broad chest, her smooth arms and fair back exposed outside the quilt. She felt a renewed worry, “Will he seek revenge on you?”
“That possibility cannot be ruled out. That’s why I need you to inform your uncle once you return to Huichuan.” Chen Donglai directly stated his requirement.
In his previous life, he didn't know how powerful Luo Yaozong’s backing was. He only thought that since he was a graduate of a prestigious university, he would definitely be assigned to a core position, so he didn't seek connections to lobby on his behalf.
After the assignment results came out, he was also concerned about Ming Jinggao discovering his relationship with Ming Yuezhao, so he abandoned the idea of asking for favors.
Thinking back now, it was truly naive and ridiculous. Between saving face and one's future, which held more weight?
In this life, since he had the opportunity to remain in Yong'an County Town, he absolutely could not miss it. After thirty years in officialdom, he deeply understood the principle that ‘the closer one is to the center of power, the faster one advances.’
He had worked hard in Pingba Prefecture for over a decade, yet he could never break the Vice-Ministerial Level threshold; his Political Enemy only needed to pull some strings in the Provincial Capital, Huichuan City, to secure the position of Provincial Party Committee Organization Minister early on and block him.
Therefore, he made up his mind: if he could stay in Yong'an County Town, he would never go down to Hualang Township. As for asking Ming Jinggao to transfer him back to Huichuan City, the difficulty of such a transfer was indeed too high, and he shouldn't ask for too much.