Chapter 7: Assault Twisted into a Confession?
****
Pinghu Town's morning market was lively.
There were stalls selling fried dough sticks and fried sugar cakes; stalls serving noodles and boiling wontons; stalls pan-frying potstickers and baking flatbreads...
The prices were only a third of those in the city, the flavors were robust, and the atmosphere was rich with the smoke and fire of everyday life.
Tang Ye bought five potstickers and ordered a bowl of wontons from the lady boss.
He sprinkled it with chili powder, added a few drops of aged vinegar, and ate until he was sweating all over.
During a lull in her work, the lady boss bantered and joked with a table of married women by complaining about her husband.
"Aiya, you're looking quite well recently. Life must be treating you good."
"Don't even mention it. My husband is like the guy who comes to read the water meter—he only checks it once a month."
"Once a month? That's not bad. My husband is like a newspaper delivery boy. He sees the mailbox, shoves it in, and he's done."
The middle-aged woman who spoke had a loud voice, causing people at other tables to look over.
"Then you're still pretty well off. My husband is like a milkman. He just leaves it at the door every day and leaves."
The few tables in the shop erupted in roaring laughter.
Infected by the vibrant, down-to-earth atmosphere, Tang Ye couldn't help but chuckle as well.
At that moment, his phone rang.
Tang Ye answered it.
"Secretary Xu, hello."
"Come by my office after you get to work. I need to talk to you about something."
"Alright, I'll be there in half an hour!"
Tang Ye guessed it was related to last night's incident with Xu Jie.
In the secretary's office, boxed sets of the Four Books and Five Classics were neatly arranged in the bookcase.
Xu Yiping took the initiative to make Tang Ye a cup of tea.
"There was a bit of a misunderstanding last night."
Tang Ye ignored the conciliatory look Xu Yiping cast his way.
For an official, concealing one's emotions was a basic skill.
Even if one's stomach was full of straw, one had to put on a profound and inscrutable face.
He took the teacup and placed it on the coffee table...
"Secretary, I was planning to report this matter to you as soon as I got to work. Xu Jie is a star entrepreneur in our town, he's been named an advanced individual for several consecutive years, and now he's suspected of assaulting a woman... If this kind of thing gets out, it will have an extremely negative impact on our town's business environment!"
Tang Ye adopted a preemptive strategy, tying the severity of the matter directly to the government's image.
Xu Yiping slowly took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag.
"I know Xu Jie very well. He's not a bad person at heart. He and his wife don't have a good relationship and have been in the process of divorcing. His way of pursuing Gu Wenqin was ill-considered! He should have divorced first, and then confessed his feelings to her."
Rape can be twisted into a confession?
Tang Ye was extremely disgusted with Xu Jie, but clashing head-on with Xu Yiping right after arriving in Pinghu Town would not be conducive to his work later on, so he couldn't make the scene too ugly.
Besides, from another perspective, he could use Xu Jie as a detonator to set off a bomb later...
"Secretary Xu, I understand what you mean. We don't have to pursue Xu Jie's matter too deeply, but he must apologize to Gu Wenqin.
"In addition, I suggest we place him in administrative detention for a few days. Otherwise, the cost of his mistake is too low. He won't reflect deeply on it, and it will be difficult to command public respect."
Xu Yiping chose to endure for the sake of peace, partly because he had inquired about Tang Ye's background.
Tang Ye had been promoted to the deputy-section level after only one year of work, had saved the former Deputy Municipal Party Secretary Hong Ruilin, and had the opportunity to become the Municipal Party Secretary's secretary, yet he chose a temporary assignment...
"We'll do as you say!"
Xu Yiping stubbed out his half-smoked cigarette in the ashtray.
His nephew's wings had grown strong in recent years.
Sometimes he was disobedient; it was time for a small punishment as a warning!
At the Town Party Group meeting, the members of the leadership team studied and discussed the economic reform proposals put forward by Tang Ye.
The most important of these was making the "transformation and upgrading of the garment industry" the top priority.
Xu Yiping's attitude was puzzling: "Fully support Tang Ye!"
Tang Ye knew very well that Xu Yiping was proactively releasing goodwill.
This was thanks to the fact that he hadn't endlessly entangled himself in Xu Jie's matter, but had stopped at the right point.
Xu Yiping didn't want to sour his relationship with Tang Ye for the time being—Tang Ye didn't seem like a pushover.
It was the same everywhere.
If you acted too weak, you would only be bullied at will.
But if you showed a certain degree of resilience, others would respect you for it.
After the meeting, Xu Yiping called Xia Haiqiao over.
"Tang Ye sent Xu Jie to the station last night."
"Huh?" Xia Haiqiao was surprised. "I could tell that kid wasn't a pushover. He's stirring up trouble as soon as he arrives?"
Xu Yiping said with a straight face, "He's just a greenhorn, has no sense of propriety."
Xia Haiqiao's eyes darted around.
"Isn't he trying to get Qinge to transform? If Qinge not only fails to improve but also faces bankruptcy, then he'll be in an impossible position!"
***
At the police station, Xu Jie hadn't slept all night.
By dawn, no one had come to bail him out, and he couldn't help but feel panicked.
However, he wasn't too worried; he had done even more outrageous things before.
There was a sound at the door.
Wan Ming strode in.
Xu Jie was overjoyed, his eyes full of expectation.
"Can I leave now?"
Wan Ming shook his head at Xu Jie with a bitter smile.
"I wish I could let you leave right now, but I just received a call from Secretary Xu. You have to stay for a few more days, and you have to pay a fine!"
Xu Jie's heart skipped a beat.
"The money doesn't matter! How many days?"
Wan Ming narrowed his eyes, smacked his lips, and sighed.
"Seven days! Visitation is allowed. You should call your family and have them send over some daily necessities!"
Xu Jie gritted his teeth and slammed the table in anger.
"Are you kidding me?"
Wan Ming frowned, threw a stack of letter paper on the table, and his tone turned cold.
"According to the instructions above, you also have to write a letter of apology to the victim!"
With that, Wan Ming left with his hands behind his back.
After he went out, he didn't close the door tightly.
Xu Jie sat helplessly in his seat, so frustrated that he started pulling at his own hair.
Wan Ming saw this scene through the crack in the door and felt a great sense of satisfaction.
Xu Jie's detention quickly became the talk of the town, a popular topic of gossip.
"What? Erliuzi got locked up? Why?"
"What else? It's that messy business in his pants! He tried to rape Gu Wenqin in the birch forest and was caught by the new vice town chief!"
"Gu Wenqin is a good woman, and she's got a strong character! If it were anyone else, Erliuzi would have succeeded long ago."
"What's the background of this Town Chief Tang, that he dares to touch Erliuzi?"
"Who cares what his background is! The result is incredibly satisfying!"
***
Jindu Restaurant in Pinghu Town was famous for its river delicacies, especially the dish of pufferfish stewed with young grass, which was exceptional.
To thank Tang Ye, Gu Wenqin booked a private room at Jindu Restaurant.
When she went to the police station to get the apology letter, she tried to invite Wan Ming.
Wan Ming readily agreed and gladly accepted the invitation.
Tang Ye pushed open the door of the private room.
Gu Wenqin rose gracefully.
She was wearing a light yellow slip dress, high-heeled sandals, and a lace shawl.
Her eyebrows were curved like the moon, her eyelashes like curtains, and her gaze was clear and bright, as deep and limpid as a lake under the autumn night sky.
It was a very age-reducing look; at first glance, one might have mistaken her for a university student.
Tang Ye sat down and cupped his hands in apology.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Wan Ming said with a smile, "Town Chief Tang is a busy man, it's understandable."
Tang Ye picked up a small, seven-qian wine cup and took the initiative.
"I'll punish myself with three cups!"
After three cups of wine went down, his stomach churned like boiling water, fiery and hot.
Wan Ming smiled meaningfully.
"I didn't expect Town Chief Tang to be so forthright. Your gentle and refined appearance is quite deceptive."
Gu Wenqin quickly placed two slices of marinated beef on Tang Ye's plate and said with concern, "Drinking on an empty stomach makes it easy to get drunk. Eat something first."
Wan Ming said with a smile, "Yes, take a few bites first, otherwise my victory wouldn't be honorable."
To get along with people like Wan Ming, one had to take a sincere, heart-to-heart approach.
"When I was working at the Bureau for Retired Cadres, an old retired police chief told me that when you eat with police comrades, you must treat them like brothers. You can't be shy about drinking. Although I haven't trained my tolerance for alcohol, today I'll risk my life to accompany a gentleman. I'll toast you!"
Wan Ming laughed heartily, clinked glasses with Tang Ye, and drained his cup in one go!
"Excellent! I wonder what this old chief's name is?"
Tang Ye put down his wine cup and smiled mysteriously.
"If I say it, you'll definitely know him—the Di Renjie of Hanzhou."
Wan Ming slapped his thigh heavily, his eyes lighting up.
"Chief Gu is my old leader! I was in the city bureau's criminal investigation team for a few years, and later I was transferred to Pinghu Town, and Chief Gu also retired. His drinking capacity is as famous as his ability to solve cases!"
Tang Ye raised his cup, flattering Chief Wan.
"A strong general has no weak soldiers under him. Chief Wan must also be a great drinker."
Gu Wenqin also raised her wine cup.
Tang Ye took the cup from her hand.
"You're injured, so you shouldn't drink."
Wan Ming thought to himself that Town Chief Tang was also a man of many passions, even playing the part of a tender protector of beauty.
He rolled up his sleeves and slapped the table.
"Boss Gu, don't get involved. Today, Town Chief Tang and I must determine a winner!"
Tang Ye said with a smile, "Later, I'll have to trouble you to make sure Old Wan gets home safely."
Wan Ming laughed heartily and said to Gu Wenqin, "You don't need to worry about me. You just take care of Town Chief Tang!"
As cups and glasses clinked back and forth, Wan Ming, without realizing it, started telling Tang Ye about his past.
"Town Chief Tang, in you, I see my former self. A toast to your sense of justice."
"I was just a blind cat that stumbled upon a dead mouse," Tang Ye said humbly.
Wan Ming's expression suddenly darkened, and he sighed.
"Like you, I was also exiled here. I used to be in charge of anti-gang operations at the city bureau. I discovered that the chief of a neighborhood police station was actually keeping four lackeys. One was in charge of running a casino, one was in charge of a theft ring, one was in charge of organizing prostitution, and one was in charge of bars and nightclubs. They gave him a cut every day, and he took the largest share. I collected evidence, reported him by name, and sent that scumbag to prison, but then I was assigned to Pinghu Town."
"We are both fallen souls in this world!"
Tang Ye nodded as he listened, his admiration growing for this man who seemed slick on the surface but was upright at his core.
"With your abilities, you're being wasted in Pinghu Town. Your future prospects are limitless."
"Haha, when drinking with a true friend, a thousand cups are too few; when words don't align, half a sentence is too much. Come, the pace of our drinking has slowed. I'll toast you!"
An hour later, Tang Ye was slightly tipsy.
Wan Ming was being carried away by two of his colleagues...
"Be careful!"
Gu Wenqin saw Tang Ye stumbling and quickly supported him with her shoulder.
"It's raining. The ground is really slippery."
Tang Ye stabilized himself and looked at Gu Wenqin with embarrassment.
He had almost made a fool of himself too!
****
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