Chapter 10
The one leading the team was a short and plump police officer, at least forty years old . On his shoulder was a badge showing his second class sergeant rank . He knocked on the window of the first truck and asked in local dialect with his tongue curled, "So many of you from the same village, where are you guys going?"
"We're going to the county town to bring 'people' back . " Tao Lielin, who sat on the passenger seat of the first truck, lowered down the window and replied in all seriousness .
"Bring people back…" The second class sergeant was stunned . He then realized that these Miaowei people were on their way to bring a dead person home . He was already feeling anxious before this, and now he felt shocked inside . "We're having our third Shanlan International Tourism Festival in town soon . I'm afraid that it will affect the festival if so many of you are going in with so many trucks . "
"If you're afraid that the vehicles might affect the festival, then why did you allow buses in?
"Officer comrade, let me tell you the truth . We're going to bring back the father of this kid right next to me . His is Zhang Daowu of the Zhang family of the Guawo Village .
"If we don't bring him back today, I'm afraid there will be more people than what you're looking at going into county town tomorrow . "
The second class sergeant was the Damu Town police station's director Song Xinghe . He came from the county town, so he had no idea how powerful the Zhang family of Guawo Village was . However, listening to Tao Lielin's tone and the unfriendly way the hundreds of Miaowei people were looking at him, he knew very well that what he was dealing with could not be stopped by a lousy officer like him . Even if he managed to stop them, the price that he would have to pay would do more harm than good .
"Alright then, please get your villagers to behave . " Song Xinghe thought about it and admitted to himself that it was just his bad luck that he encountered them today . He then got his subordinates to move their police cars aside as he smiled along .
"Of course, I'm also a cadre myself . " Tao Lielin nodded and raised up the truck window . The troop then proceeded forward .
Watching the troops leaving faraway, Song Xinghe took out his mobile phone and called the deputy director of the county administration in charge of law and order . "Director Liang, I'm Song Xinghe . There's something that I need to report to you…"
The police director reported to the deputy director of Public Security, and the deputy director of Public Security reported to the Director .
Later on, the director of Public Security who was also the political and legal secretary reported to the county secretary, who then called the county director's number . Soon, the whole story was clarified after the secretary and director personally took interest in the matter .
As the Guawo Village's troop arrived at the People's Hospital's entrance in central Qu County, the county town's deputy county secretary, Guo Guoxing, who was in charge of maintenance was waiting there together with the traffic police troop leader, Man Changsheng, Golden Path Taxi Company's director, He Dao Lin, and Qu County China Life Insurance Company's general manager, Xu Fanmao .
It was almost unimaginable for such things to happen in China's mainland county . However, in the areas where minorities gathered, especially the Miaowei land in Western Sichuan that had tough customs, it was a common scene during the past few years . This had caused some of the cadres working here to miss the olden days when there was no internet .
Knowing beforehand that there might be leaders from the county among the crowd, Tao Lielin did not show any respect as he pulled Zhang Lisheng along with him from the truck . On the contrary, Guo Guoxing took the initiative to walk toward them and asked with all concern, "Both of you must be comrade Tao Lielin and buddy Zhang Lisheng from Guawo Village, am I right?"
"I'm Tao Lielin, you are?"
"I'm the county town's deputy county secretary, Guo Guoxing . "
"Oh, you're Secretary Guo . Ahh, look at me . I've always seen you on the county town news . Y-You're much younger than you look on television . "
"Nah, I'm getting old . I've not been eating and sleeping well ever since I was assigned to take care of maintenance . I'm getting old . "
"Lielin comrade, you look like you're a reasonable person, so let's not beat around the bush . I'm also a Miaowei people, so I deeply respect the Miaowei's custom of sending the deceased off .
"But it's an exceptional period of time now because we're launching the third Shanlan International Tourism Festival soon .
"It's national policy that we should respect all minorities' traditional customs in the county, but economic development is one of our top priorities . It's closely related to the personal interest of all of our common citizens…"
"I know, Secretary Guo, I know . But it's not my say to get all of the villagers to retreat if the matter isn't solved . I-I…"
Guo Guoxing said with a smile after seeing Tao Lielin's uneasy expression, "Don't worry, Old Tao . I won't give you a hard time .
"Manager Xu, please bring the insurance company's compensation .
"Manager He, we've gotten the Golden Path Taxi Company's consolation money ready . Am I right?"
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