Chapter 1054 - 1052: Embezzlement
Song Xiaojia smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, these two are comrades from the city, just here to talk to Zheng Minghui about a few things."
Tao Cuixing breathed a sigh of relief and quickly welcomed the three into the house.
Once inside, the three of them glanced around. The furnishings inside the house seemed a bit old, indicating the standard of living was quite basic.
Tao Cuixing brought over a pot of tea, poured a cup for each of them, and then sat down nearby.
Song Xiaojia asked Tao Cuixing to call Zheng Minghui, telling him that there was something urgent at home and he needed to return quickly. Tao Cuixing, a typical honest rural woman, made the call to Zheng Minghui.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Minghui panicked and told Tao Cuixing he would take leave and come back immediately.
It would take Zheng Minghui over two hours to return, so the three started to chat casually with Tao Cuixing.
"Sister, it seems like life is not very comfortable here," Xiao Xue said as she sipped her tea, looking at Tao Cuixing.
Tao Cuixing sighed and said, "Yes, if it weren't for Minghui being able to earn some money by working outside, we wouldn't be able to get by."
Luo Guoqing asked, "How can that be? Don't you have land?"
"Sigh..." Tao Cuixing sighed again and said, "We have land, but it was rented out to a company by the township a long time ago."
"Then you should receive land lease payments," Luo Guoqing was puzzled, as normally the company leasing the land would compensate the farmers annually.
Tao Cuixing said, "Yes, but each acre only brings in a few hundred a year, it's not enough to live on."
A few hundred per acre, even with ten acres, only adds up to a few thousand, equivalent to a regular official's monthly salary. Having been with Tang Yumeng for some time, Xiao Xue and Luo Guoqing had developed a sense of justice and couldn't help but say, "This company is too greedy, this has to be reported to Secretary Tang."
Tao Cuixing, being an honest rural woman, said, "I heard it's not really the company's fault but the township and village officials who are up to no good."
"Old Luo, we need to address this," Xiao Xue said, "We can't let these rotten apples ruin the government image Secretary Tang worked hard to build."
Luo Guoqing nodded and said to Tao Cuixing, "Sister, please ask your village chief to come here and say someone wants to see him."
Tao Cuixing hesitated, but Song Xiaojia said, "Sister, just go and call him."
Only then did Tao Cuixing get up and leave.
About a quarter of an hour later, Tao Cuixing brought in a man in his thirties and said to the three, "This is our village chief."
Luo Guoqing sized up the village chief, who had a sturdy build and a broad face, looking every bit the hard worker.
"Are you the village chief?" Luo Guoqing asked, glaring at the man.
The man also scrutinized the three, noticing they were not dressed like ordinary people, which made him somewhat nervous. He said, "I am Village Chief Zheng Dayong, and you are...?"
Tao Cuixing had only called for Village Chief Zheng Dayong, without revealing Song Xiaojia's identity as a police officer.
"I am Luo Guoqing from the City Committee, this is Secretary Tang's assistant, Xiao Xue, and this is Officer Song Xiaojia from the city police department," Luo Guoqing introduced them, pointing to Helen and Song Xiaojia.
Upon hearing this, Zheng Dayong was momentarily stunned, not having heard that city officials were coming. Quickly, he plastered on a smile and said humbly, "Oh, you are the leaders from the city, please have a seat." He then took out a pack of cigarettes and respectfully offered one to Luo Guoqing.
Luo Guoqing waved his hand and said, "Village Chief Zheng, we asked you to come here to understand some issues."
Zheng Dayong laughed and said, "Leaders, this is not the place to talk, let's go to my house, my wife will cook a few dishes, and we can eat and talk."
Luo Guoqing's gaze was stern, and he coldly said to Zheng Dayong, "No need, let's talk here."
Meeting Luo Guoqing's gaze, Zheng Dayong began to feel uneasy and didn't dare to sit down, asking, "Leaders, what is it that you want to know?"
Luo Guoqing said, "I heard you leased the villagers' land to a company, is that true?"
Zheng Dayong lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "Yes, not only our village but also the neighboring village's land has been leased to Tianrui Planting Company."
"Then why is each acre of land only compensated a few hundred yuan per year for the villagers?" Luo Guoqing didn't beat around the bush with Zheng Dayong and asked him directly.
Zheng Dayong's eyes flickered and he glared at Tao Cuixing. Seeing the village chief glaring at her, Tao Cuixing quickly lowered her head, appearing very afraid of Zheng Dayong.
"This is the amount given by the planting company, they only gave this much, and we distributed it in full to the villagers." Zheng Dayong said.
Luo Guoqing sneered, "Really? Village Chief Zheng, should we call the company's representative to verify?"
Sweat broke out on Zheng Dayong's face; he took a couple of drags on his cigarette, not daring to look at Luo Guoqing, and hesitantly said, "I don't even know how much the planting company gave; it was the township that gave us this amount."
"Didn't you just say it was the planting company that gave this amount? How has it changed to the township giving it? What's really going on?" Helen said sharply, staring directly at Zheng Dayong with her wide eyes.
Zheng Dayong looked a bit flustered, sweating profusely, and wiped his face with his sleeve. He said, "I misspoke earlier, I really don't know. Whatever the township gave, I distributed to the villagers."
Luo Guoqing suddenly snapped, "Zheng Dayong, we're giving you a chance by talking to you today. You should know what the consequences will be if you don't take this opportunity."
Song Xiaojia found these words very familiar and couldn't help but smile secretly, recalling that she had said similar things to offenders before, which is why it sounded so familiar.
Zheng Dayong was immediately intimidated by Luo Guoqing's words, wiping his sweaty face with his right hand and said, "I'll speak, I'll speak. The township allocated us a thousand yuan per acre, I privately kept three hundred yuan, but dear leaders, I swear I haven't spent a single cent of this money wastefully."
Luo Guoqing suddenly stood up, slammed his right hand on the wooden cabinet beside him, and glared, "Good for you, Zheng Dayong, the city repeatedly emphasizes that officials must serve the people, yet you dare to do this."
Zheng Dayong was so frightened by this that he almost fell to the ground, feeling his legs go weak, quickly holding onto the cabinet behind him, "Dear leaders, I truly haven't touched a single cent of this money. I was planning to use this money to repair the village school."
Tao Cuixing, though keeping her head low, glanced around, relieved to see the village chief in such a state. Helen and Song Xiaojia also watched, feeling both disgusted by such scoundrels and yet somewhat amused.
"Nonsense." Luo Guoqing slammed the wooden cabinet again, "The city allocates special education funds for each township. Don't think you can fool us with this excuse."
Zheng Dayong looked bitter, almost in tears, "Dear leaders, I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, you can check the village school yourself. I've asked the township for money almost three years ago, and they still haven't given a cent."
From Zheng Dayong's expression, he seemed to be telling the truth. Luo Guoqing sat down and then said, "Zheng Dayong, sit down and explain clearly what is going on."
Zheng Dayong sat down trembling, lit another cigarette, and said, "Dear leaders, the village school uses a warehouse built in the '80s, and every time there's bad weather, the children can't go to school. I asked the township for money three years ago, but the township chief Tong Huaiyu always said there's no money. I was forced to withhold some funds to let the village children go to school first."
Cuiying raised her head at this point and said, "The village chief is telling the truth. I don't dare let my little girl attend school during windy and rainy days, fearing that old building might collapse."
Since Tao Cuixing said so, Luo Guoqing had no reason not to believe it. The matter involved the township level, and he couldn't run to the township by himself. He had to report this to Tang Yumeng first.
"Alright, let's end today's discussion here, Zheng Dayong. After you go back, immediately give the withheld money back to the villagers. Regarding school reparations, I will find a way. Don't tell anyone about today's meeting. If this leaks, you know the consequences." Luo Guoqing said.
Zheng Dayong acknowledged and left. Outside Tao Cuixing's door, he felt a chill on his back, his clothes drenched in sweat.
He was relieved he didn't take the money for himself, or else it would have been hard to escape today. But little did he know that Luo Guoqing and the others were actually here to investigate an anonymous letter, and this was purely coincidental.
After Zheng Dayong left, Xiao Xue angrily said, "These township leaders are too bold. We should immediately inform Secretary Tang and see how to handle this."
Luo Guoqing said, "I agree, but this can't be explained clearly over the phone. We should visit Secretary Tang together once we return."
Xiao Xue nodded, and the three of them chatted with Tao Cuixing for a bit until they heard rushed footsteps from outside, and in walked a man who looked about thirty.
This man had been seen by Helen and the others before, but only in photos, not in person. He was none other than Zheng Minghui, whom they were looking for.
Zheng Minghui rushed in, noticing the many people in the room, paused upon seeing his wife Tao Cuixing, and quickly said, "Cuixing, what happened at home, who are they?"
Before Tao Cuixing could speak, Song Xiaojia stood up and said, "Are you Zheng Minghui? I'm Song Xiaojia, an officer from Jiangbei City Huainan Road Police Station. We're here to ask you about some matters."