Chapter 70 Landlords Are Human Too
When I returned to the room, Juanjuan was still waiting. Beibei had a nanny, and usually when Hu Jiao came back, the child would sleep with the nanny.
I took a shower, changed into pajamas, went to bed, lay on my side, and looked at Juanjuan quietly.
"What's wrong?"
Hu Jiao sighed softly, stretched out his hand and embraced Juanjuan. The two looked at each other and looked into her beautiful eyes. "I feel like everything is unreal. My parents, my son, and you. It feels like a dream."
Li Juanjuan put her arms around his neck, pulled him closer, and hugged him tightly, "Did your father criticize you?"
Hu Jiao didn't move, quietly feeling the warmth and softness of his wife in his arms.
"Jiao, work is not going well, take a break."
Juanjuan's hand slipped into her pajamas and slid across her chest. "Beibei is two and a half years old now. Time flies so fast, so fast..."
Juanjuan's hand suddenly stopped and she raised her head. Hu Jiao's tears quietly fell. Her heart suddenly tightened and twitched. She hugged her husband tightly, took a deep breath, and dared not speak again.
Hu Jiao has been very quiet.
It was late at night, and the occasional sound of car engines could be heard in the distance. Juanjuan didn't know when she fell into a drowsy sleep, and when she woke up and reached out her hand, there was no one beside her.
While eating breakfast, Hu Jiao really wanted to tell his father that he didn't want to go into politics anymore.
He never realized that his mother's insistence on letting him pursue academic research showed how much she understood and cared for him.
Hu Jianguo put down the bowl, stood up, walked to his son's side, put one hand on his shoulder, pressed hard twice, looked at Li Aiju, and said, "I'm leaving."
A car sounded outside the door, and the door closed. The house became quiet again. Li Aiju ate very little breakfast, put down her bowl and chopsticks early, and looked at her son.
"You're almost thirty years old, but you still act like a child."
Hu Jiao looked into his mother's gentle and loving eyes, his cheeks twitching, "I'm fine."
Li Aiju smiled and said, "Reading should be the simplest thing. It is simple, fulfilling, and gives people confidence. However, you still have to persist, because you are a father now."
"Thanks, Mom. I will."
Hu Jiao went upstairs, intending to say goodbye to Juanjuan. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he saw Li Juanjuan hiding at the corner. He stopped and their eyes met. As they approached, Juanjuan hugged Hu Jiao tightly, stood on tiptoes, and spoke in a low voice that only Hu Jiao could hear, "You haven't loved me for a long time? Don't you want to?"
He picked up Juanjuan and rushed into the room...
When they returned to Sanmei, it was almost noon. Huang Shanta did not go back with him this time. He handed over the sorted documents. Hu Jiao waved his hand and said, "Let other deputy secretaries handle it. Don't disturb me for the time being."
Huang Shanta felt a tightness in his heart. When the secretary came back today, there seemed to be a cold light in his eyes, making people afraid to touch him.
Before he came, he did not go to the temporary detention center of Nanhu Public Security Bureau, and did not obey Hu Jianguo to visit Du Hongbing.
Now Sanmei County can be said to have everything ready. It is conceivable that one year from now, Sanmei will achieve leapfrog development from top to bottom.
Hu Jiao did not intend to interfere in government work. He was thinking that in the coming period of time, he must strengthen party building and pay close attention to the ideological style of party members, especially the work on clean government, and he must never relax.
When going to work in the afternoon, Hu Jiao asked Huang Shanta to notify other deputy secretaries of the county party committee to hold a meeting tomorrow morning to discuss the specific arrangements for the next step in party style and clean government construction work.
Hu Jiao stayed in the office alone. He turned away all the visitors and refused to see anyone. However, Long Youqing called and said that Du Hongbing wanted to see him and asked if he was interested.
Hu Jiao thought about it. He originally had no intention of meeting this audacious local rich man. He couldn't help but think of what his father said last night. Why not go and listen to what he says?
Long Youqing drove the car himself, without taking anyone with him, and went to Nanhu overnight.
Not to mention, if Hu Jiao hadn't been accompanied by Long Youqing, he would not have been able to see him if he came alone. Long Youqing himself was the deputy leader of the newly established special task force. This case involved too much money, and Nanhu had no intention of taking the lead, but the provincial party committee did not intervene and only issued a gag order, leaving the matter to Nanhu to investigate.
Long Youqing found a member of the special task force to accompany him and interrogated Du Hongbing in an interrogation room.
There was no need to worry about safety. Du Hongbing's men, who were in their 50s, had shackles on their hands and feet, and were sitting on chairs fixed to the concrete floor.
Unless he is a strange figure in martial arts novels.
Long Youqing specially asked someone to buy a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes, cut off the filter, handed it to Du Hongbing, and then helped him light it.
The fluorescent lights were on in the room, and Du Hongbing could see Hu Jiao clearly. This was their third meeting.
Long Youqing spoke first, "Du Hongbing, now that Secretary Hu is here, what do you want to say?"
Du Hongbing took a puff of his cigarette slowly and looked at Hu Jiao. "Landlords are also human beings, Secretary Hu. I didn't kill or burn anyone, and I didn't rob or sell drugs. You don't have to make things so miserable for me, an old man. These shackles weigh at least 70 to 80 kilograms."
Du Hongbing took another puff of his cigarette. "If I wanted to escape, I would have gone abroad a few years ago. I guess Hongwei will never forgive me until he dies. Can you help me get rid of it?"
Hu Jiao looked at Long Youqing, who asked the project members to call the prison guards. After giving them some instructions, they finally removed his shackles.
Looking at the purple marks on his ankle, Hu Jiao looked at Du Hongbing. He was just an ordinary farmer who had encountered misfortunes when he was young. Although he committed a serious crime, he was not a bad man by nature. He did not bully men and women in the village and act recklessly just because he was rich and powerful. Instead, he had always been an ordinary farmer honestly, doing his duty and willingly.
If it were someone else, no matter who had so much money, would he plant it all in the fields and compare money to crops?
Hu Jiao asked someone to make him a cup of tea, "Old Du, is this the third time we've met?"
Du Hongbing nodded. "The first time was when you just came to Sanmei and went to the countryside to survey the situation. The second time was when I was transferred to the CPPCC and I reported my work to you. This is the third time. You represent the people, but I am already a criminal."
Hu Jiao sighed deeply, "It's time, it's fate. No matter what you did in the past, good or bad, I am not qualified to judge, but at least you didn't flee abroad. Instead, you left the money in the fields and left it to the people of Sanmei. I have to thank you!"
Du Hongbing's lips trembled a little, his eyelids kept blinking, and he was not smoking as smoothly as before. "I know, I know..."
"Have a drink of water and don't get excited." Long Youqing felt sorry for him. If this old man had focused on policies and led the whole village to prosperity in an upright manner, he should have achieved more than his current achievements and would not have ended up like this.
However, his experience was very strange. Because his family suffered persecution, he hated the Party and the country. Influenced by his family, he looked down on and despised some of the crazy farmers at that time.
For example, he called farmers "hoes", and he was the one who wielded the hoe, but he was deeply fascinated by the land, so he cherished the "hoe" very much.
What a complex and contradictory person!
Du Hongbing slowly calmed down. He seemed to have a lot to say to Hu Jiao. After all these years, he finally didn't have to hide or cover up anymore and could share his achievements with others.
But after so many years of silence, he didn't know how to organize his language.
Du Hongbing murmured, "Landlords are people too, landlords are people too."
He didn't know what to say, but Hu Jiao understood what he meant from this sentence. After all, Hu Jiao had specialized in the study of party history and had given special thought to the changes after liberation, as well as the phenomena of ideological conflicts and chaotic behaviors.
This point has already been concluded.
Hu Jiao also took out a cigarette, but Long Youqing stopped him and handed him a Zhonghua, "He only smokes this."
Hu Jiao smiled, took out a cigarette, pinched off the filter, and handed it to Du Hongbing. "I know you are from a landlord family, and your parents and elders were persecuted unfairly. How should I put it? It was an era of fanaticism in the whole society. It was not the misfortune of a certain person or a certain family, but the misfortune of the entire country and nation. At least, you four brothers are still alive. Being alive is not a simple and easy thing."
Du Hongbing's eyes were sincere. "You are right! I often think that it is very, very rare to survive that era. How many big landlords like our family can survive? But landlords are also people..."
Du Hongbing's tears rolled out from his wrinkled eyes. "Before the reform, I already knew about the mineral deposits in Changling. Thinking of those people who starved to death during the difficult times, I was the production team leader and I couldn't let anyone starve to death. But I didn't want them to eat too much. If a starving person suddenly eats too much, he will die of bloating. I also don't want them to wear too well or live too well. The crops in the fields are the foundation and can't be lost."
Long Youqing found what he said interesting. Although Du Hongbing's words were a bit confusing, it did not affect their understanding.
"Lao Du, why did you plant the money in the ground? That's hundreds of millions!"
Looking at Long Youqing, Du Hongbing seemed to recall the land he had tended, with satisfaction and happiness on his face. "Money is something that cannot be eaten, drunk, or worn, and it is the most harmful to people. Money is a mirror. I planted it in the land, and crops grew on the land. I can see my own duty. I was born in a landlord family. What kind of landlord am I without land? That money can buy a lot of things, even people's hearts, and even national laws. Let's not talk about this. Secretary Hu, thank you for coming to see me today. You are different from those people. I can't explain it. From the first time I saw you, I was willing to associate with you. This is fate, right? It is fate. By the way, Director Long, will I sentence you to death?"
Long Youqing felt a little sorry for him and didn't intend to lie. "I don't know, because I'm the director of the Public Security Bureau, not the president of the court. It's hard for me to judge your case. I don't think you will be sentenced to death. I'm really sorry. Lao Du, do you have any other requests?"
Du Hongbing shook his hand. "I don't have any requests. I know that the people in my family will not be implicated. They are all honest people. Oh... if I have to ask for something, I do have one. If you don't let me die, can you try to let me farm?"
Hu Jiao said, "That's not a problem. I can assure you."
Hu Jiao sat still as he watched Du Hongbing leave under the guard of the prison guards. Long Youqing knocked on the table and said, "There are many things in this world. This Du Hongbing is really... a legendary figure. It's hard to imagine that a farmer could make so much money over so many years."
Hu Jiao was a little worried. "This is because our cadres' thinking is not keeping up. How many party members and cadres are there in the three townships? How many years have we been in reform and opening up? No one dares to report it! No one dares to stand up! This is a big problem and a vivid lesson! Youqing, team building will be the top priority of future work. You must always work hard and persevere. The police have the largest number of people in the political and legal system. The image, quality and style of the police directly affect the county's rule of law construction, economic construction, urban and rural construction, party style construction and other work."
Long Youqing straightened his attitude and assured in a sonorous and powerful voice, "Our bureau will definitely implement the secretary's instructions. From now on, we will formulate a long-term mechanism, do a good job in party style and clean government construction, work hard, strengthen political study, change our work style, and rebuild the image of the people's police!"
Hu Jiao nodded and looked deeply at Long Youqing, "Remember what you said today! I will go for a checkup in half a year. Let's go."
Long Youqing gritted his teeth, he knew that the opportunity had finally come. Whether he could become a die-hard member of Hu Jiao's circle, the next six months would be crucial.
It seems that we can't be lenient when it comes to disciplining the people below us!
After getting in the car, Long Youqing asked Hu Jiao for his opinion on whether they should go back to Sanmei.
Hu Jiao said, "Let's find a place to have a drink."
Long Youqing nodded, thoughts racing through his mind. Judging from Hu Jiao's expression, he didn't want to have a drink, but was just in a depressed mood.
After driving around here and there, we came to an alley. The name of the alley under the lights was very interesting, "Chun Guang Li".
Not a street, not an alley.
"Youqing, what is this place? I've been in Nanhu for several years and have never heard of it."
"Secretary Hu, you are not from Nanhu. Haha, the most authentic special snacks in Nanhu are not in the food city. The good stuff is here. Don't worry, follow me and I guarantee you will have good food and good drinks."
Seeing Long Youqing's mysterious look as if he was presenting a treasure, Hu Jiao didn't ask any more questions. He calmly took out a cigarette, threw one to him, lit it, and smoked it slowly.
After turning several corners, the car stopped in front of a house. There was a pair of small stone lions at the door, two copper buckles on the door, and two big red lanterns. The door was open, and the inside was filled with covers that imitated oil lamps.
In the small courtyard, orchestral music floated up from the speakers on the roadside. Long Youqing took the lead and Hu Jiao looked around. It was very much in the style of a Jiangnan courtyard.
When entering the main hall of the Second Courtyard , several people came out staggeringly, shouting loudly. Hu Jiao frowned, and when he saw Long Youqing move aside, he also moved aside.
But there was a man who just bumped into him from three meters away, walking sideways, and knocked Hu Jiao to stagger a few times. Wu Youqing "suddenly" rushed over, helped Hu Jiao steady, looked at the man, and before he could say anything, the man started cursing, "Fuck your mother, you blind dog..."
Long Youqing raised his foot and kicked. The other party had drunk a lot of alcohol, and was attacked by professionals, so he had no time to react and fell backwards.
The other companions saw the man being kicked to the ground and glared at Long Youqing. Hu Jiao took a quick look and saw that they were all burly young men with crew cuts. If a fight broke out, Long Youqing was afraid that he would suffer.
The man fell to the ground, curled up on his side, and began to vomit. The sound was accompanied by a foul smell.
Two people who were probably from the store came out to see us off. Seeing that things were not going well, they reacted quickly and stepped in. They faced the group and said, "Let's see Director Cao first! Captain Li, is it too late to ask?"
Even though these people had drunk a lot after Long Youqing's kick just now, they all knew what was good. Judging from their posture and spirit, they should be within the system.
Long Youqing did not make any distinction and stood steadily in front of Hu Jiao, protecting him well with one hand on his waist. He had been working on a case in the task force these days and had not yet gotten off work when he came out of Sanmei today, so his service pistol was with him.
The captain named Li looked at Long Youqing's posture and heard what the shop owner said. His expression relaxed and he and another man went to help the drunk man up. He also asked for some water and was in a hurry.
Hu Jiao pushed Long Youqing aside and looked at the man named Director Cao, tilting his head. He knew this man, Cao Jinyang, the director of the Enterprise Supervision and Management Division of the Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce.
Seeing Hu Jiao approaching, the man called Captain Li was a little unsure. Today, they had finally managed to invite this big director to move for the batch of electronic products that had been seized from his brother-in-law. Now something unexpected had happened. If Cao Jinyang blamed him, things might get difficult.
You know, the batch of electronic products that his brother-in-law has almost accounted for most of the working capital. If they are really confiscated, plus the fine, my sister's family will probably have a hard time getting back on their feet.
Cao Jinyang sat on an armchair. After a few tossings and turns, he had recovered his breath. He wiped his face with a warm towel a few times. When he saw Hu Jiao coming to him, he was about to scold him again, but he opened his mouth and couldn't say a word.
