Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
That evening, Hu Ruoyun lay in bed, combining the spirit of the documents from the Town with what he had seen and heard during his investigation. He wrote his very first non-literary article, titled "Cadres Fierce as Tigers, How Hard Life Is for the People." After several revisions, he carefully copied the more than four thousand words onto grid paper and meticulously placed it into an envelope. The next morning, he rushed to the Post Office in town.
At the Post Office, on duty was Mao Jie's sister. When she saw Hu Ruoyun enter, her eyes lit up with enthusiasm as she greeted him, "Xiao Hu! What brings you here this time?"
During this period, Hu Ruoyun and Mao Jie had often played basketball together and had grown closer. He knew her sister's name was Mao Na and quickly replied, "Sister Mona, I'm here to send a letter." As he spoke, he handed over the sealed envelope. Mao Na seemed pleased with Hu Ruoyun's address and took the letter, weighing it in her hand. "This might be overweight; let me weigh it for you."
As she placed the envelope on the scale, she casually asked, "What did you put in here? It's quite heavy—one eight-cent stamp isn't enough; you'll need four of them."
Then she looked at the recipient's name on the envelope: "Jiangbei Daily Editorial Department? Are you submitting something again?"
Hu Ruoyun nodded.
Mao Na expressed her admiration again: "If only our Mao Jie had your talent!"
After a three-day break, the students returned to school. Mao Jie heard from her sister that Hu Ruoyun had submitted another piece and took the opportunity while they were playing basketball to ask him what it was about this time.
Hu Ruoyun remembered that his father was a leader in the town and hesitated to tell the truth. He responded vaguely, "It's just more random writing like before."
Mao Jie didn't press further and casually remarked, "You should write about what's happening in Gaoqiao Town. Look at how they're forcing businesses along the street to renovate according to their demands—it's just a waste of resources!"
Hu Ruoyun was taken aback. "How do you know about that?"
Mao Jie didn't hide anything: "My dad is the deputy town head. He's been busy coordinating this issue lately and comes home sighing about how things shouldn't be done this way."
Hu Ruoyun thought to himself that Deputy Town Head Mao seemed reasonable.
In the days that followed, Hu Ruoyun lived in torment: Would his article be published? Could it help Third Aunt? If no one cared about such matters, how unfortunate it would be for ordinary people!
He recalled Teacher Wang's situation of being punished for speaking out and felt uneasy: "If my piece gets published, will I face retaliation like Teacher Wang?"
Then he remembered he had Vice Governor Wang Hongbin as a 'backer,' which eased his mind slightly.
Days passed by. He heard from Si Bao that Chung Mao's Comprehensive Governance Office Commercial Street Renovation Task Force was becoming increasingly unreasonable. Recently, they had been forcing some tenants to vacate their shops as a means to coerce property owners into demolishing buildings and rebuilding according to their specifications!
Hu Ruoyun felt more anxious by the day.
One afternoon, half a month later, while Hu Ruoyun was in class, he was suddenly called out by his homeroom teacher. Behind her stood two men wearing large-brimmed hats (a term used in rural areas at that time for police officers). Amidst the surprised gazes of his teacher and classmates, Hu Ruoyun left his seat and followed his teacher to a small reception room that was only used for important guests.
He didn't notice that his teacher looked at him with a hint of concern in her eyes.
In the reception room were Principal Zheng Zhi and four men dressed in suits carrying briefcases.
Principal Zheng Zhi looked at one of the men who stood up and somewhat humbly gestured for Hu Ruoyun to take a seat. "Come on, Xiao Hu, please sit here." He left Teacher Wang standing aside while the other three men appeared reserved but cautious.
Once Hu Ruoyun and Teacher Wang were seated, the man whom Principal Zheng referred to as Secretary Cheng introduced himself: "I am the office secretary of our Township; my surname is Cheng. Just call me Xiao Cheng."
The homeroom teacher chuckled in disbelief, "You are quite a bit older than him." He then pointed to the short man beside him, "This is our town's Vice Mayor Fang."
Hu Ruoyun suddenly realized that this "Vice Mayor Fang" was the bespectacled man he had seen at the "Building Materials Supply Liaison Point." Vice Mayor Fang seemed to recognize Hu Ruoyun as well, his expression unfriendly as he shot him a fierce glare.
Secretary Cheng then bowed slightly to indicate two portly men, saying, "This is our county's Vice Minister Qin, who oversees publicity, and that gentleman is Deputy Director Li from the County Office." Finally, he pointed to two police officers: "These are Director Hu and Officer Zhang from our Township Police Station."
Wang Hongjian felt a wave of anxiety wash over him, and Principal Zheng's expression grew even more serious.
Once Secretary Cheng finished the introductions, Vice Minister Qin gestured, and Deputy Director Li pulled out a thick stack of paper from his bag and handed it to Hu Ruoyun. "Take a look and see if this is what you wrote."
Hu Ruoyun took it and saw that it was a thick stack of A4 printing paper from the town's only typing and copying shop—paper he couldn't afford to use himself. Just as he was about to deny it, he caught sight of the content on the pages and froze.
Clearly, it was the piece he had written not long ago, with the top line reading "Cadres Are Fierce as Tigers, Farmers Suffer Greatly," unmistakably his own handwriting. The difference was that the text was printed rather than handwritten.
At the top of the page were two lines written in a strong hand: "Please arrange for Comrade Xiangjun to investigate. If the situation is true, I suggest immediate correction of erroneous actions and serious consequences for those responsible!" Below was a signature that Hu Ruoyun recognized well: Wang Hongbin.
Hu Ruoyun nodded slightly.
Vice Minister Qin and Deputy Director Li exchanged glances, seemingly unable to believe Hu Ruoyun's unhesitating acknowledgment, caught off guard by his response.
Vice Minister Qin cast a disdainful glance at the speechless Deputy Director Li before clearing his throat. "Hu... Xiao Hu, do you realize how much trouble and negative impact your article has caused for the county... for work in Gaoqiao Town? How could you send this content to the newspaper without permission? Can you bear this responsibility?"
After saying this, Vice Minister Qin's gaze turned sharp.
Hu Ruoyun felt a weight in his chest; after a moment of thought, instead of answering directly, he countered with a question for Vice Minister Qin: "Which part is untrue?"
Vice Minister Qin seemed choked as if someone had grabbed him by the throat.
Deputy Director Li inadvertently showed a hint of schadenfreude.
Vice Mayor Fang appeared furious; suddenly standing up with an angry flush on his face, he shouted in a blustering tone, "You... don't think we won't dare to arrest you!"
Hu Ruoyun sneered at him dismissively. "Sure, let me hear what charge you plan to use against me."
Vice Mayor Fang opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words, his face reddening as he gestured toward Director Hu and Officer Zhang to take action.
Comment 0 Comment Count