booktalesy Chapter 55: You're not scared, you're dying!
Chapter 55: You're not scared, you're dying!
Jianping's mother's expression was equally complex at that moment.
Although she hadn't read many books in her life, and even her own name was written crookedly,
But she's not stupid; she can at least tell the difference in the height of the eyebrows and eyes.
Who is Ji Zonghou? He's the county magistrate!
In her eyes, the county magistrate was like a powerful official in ancient times, wielding immense power and capable of shaking the entire county with a mere stomp of his foot.
Such important figures are usually only seen on television. Let alone speaking to them, even just seeing them from afar is considered an immense privilege.
However, Ji Zonghou, whom she looked up to and felt her heart pound, actually asked where Su Nan's home was.
In an instant, Jianping's mother realized that everything Shen Wenjing had said on the phone was true; she hadn't lied or made things up, and no one had held a knife to her neck.
Previously, the arrogance that arose from his son's impending promotion to official position and entry into the military...
At that moment, it was like a balloon that had been punctured; with a bang, it vanished without a trace.
she understands,
In the future, the most powerful family in this village won't be Shen Yuqi's family.
It wouldn't be her house either.
Instead, it was the Su family, which was once the most inconspicuous and the most talked-about.
Saying
the other side,
Ji Zonghou stood in the Shen family's courtyard, his gaze fixed on Shen Tianfu, watching his anxious, fearful, and sweat-drenched appearance.
Ji Zonghou's eyes narrowed slightly, a knowing glint in them.
He has been navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom for so many years.
They had long since developed a discerning eye; with just one glance,
He knew that Shen Tianfu and the Su family must have some kind of grudge, and it wasn't just an ordinary grudge.
Thinking of this,
Ji Zonghou's last remaining politeness vanished.
He instantly exuded the dignified aura unique to county magistrates.
He glanced at Shen Tianfu indifferently, his gaze icy and piercing, like a knife scraping against Shen Tianfu, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.
Do you know how to get to Su Nan's house?
Ji Zonghou turned his head, looked Wen Xiulian up and down with a scrutinizing look in his eyes, and asked.
He had seen Wen Xiulian's name in the documents and knew that her family owned a cement factory.
The cement plant was small in scale, and its equipment was outdated. It paid only so-so taxes each year, and was only considered a third-rate enterprise in the county, not even ranking among the top.
"County Chief Ji, I know."
Upon hearing the question, Wen Xiulian's body trembled at first, then she instantly forced a fawning smile onto her face, swallowed hard, and nodded.
"Okay, lead the way."
Ji Zonghou grunted through his nose and said in a flat tone.
"Okay, okay!"
Wen Xiulian obediently led the way.
After the group left,
Shen Tianfu's face was frighteningly white, like a limp creature, with no bones supporting him as he collapsed to the ground.
As for Yu Mei, she wasn't much better off.
She was even muttering in her sleep, repeating words of regret.
However, by this time, no one was really listening to what she was saying anymore.
"Knock knock knock!"
"Knock knock knock!"
A slow, heavy sound came from the ground as a cane struck the ground.
Shen Guoli, leaning on his jujube wood cane, pushed open the small gate to the backyard and walked out step by step.
He had already seen and heard everything that happened in the courtyard from inside the hall.
When he saw Ji Zonghou come to the Shen family in person, and heard Ji Zonghou ask where the Su family was,
He was shocked, surprised, and even astonished.
His mouth remained open for a long time.
Who is Su Nan?
That was the little boy he watched grow up.
When I was a child, I often ran around the village. I was thin and small.
But he never expected that,
That little guy who was once the least favored by so many people,
They're so determined!
And it has such great energy.
It's enough to make a county magistrate, in the middle of the night, personally come to this poor mountain village to visit him.
This enormous impact
It took Shen Guoli a long time to accept this fact.
"dad!"
"dad!"
When Shen Tianfu heard the sound of the cane, it was like seeing a ray of light in the darkness, or like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline.
He suddenly scrambled to his feet and tumbled to Shen Guoli's side, grabbing Shen Guoli's legs tightly.
With a loud "Wah!", Shen Tianfu burst into tears.
He cried his heart out, as if his liver and intestines were breaking, like a child who had suffered a great injustice.
Tears and snot mixed together and streamed down his face.
He cried and banged his head against Shen Guoli's leg, repeatedly muttering, "Dad, I was wrong, I was wrong, I was really wrong!"
He kept repeating it over and over, his voice filled with despair and fear.
"It's not that bad yet, it's not that hopeless, we've just lost some things."
Looking at the weeping Shen Tianfu, Shen Guoli sighed deeply, his voice filled with helplessness and sorrow.
He knew his son all too well.
He was a true aspirant to officialdom; his biggest dream since childhood was to become an official, and a high-ranking one at that.
He was willing to use any means necessary and sacrifice everything to become an official.
He served as a village committee member for so many years, but he didn't learn any other skills. However, he did learn a lot of flattery and sycophancy.
He valued his official position more than anything else, even more than his life.
But now, Shen Guoli is just as clear about Ye Menqing in his heart.
Tomorrow, and after tomorrow
It's estimated that Ji Zonghou will definitely take action to deal with Shen Tianfu.
Regardless of whether Ji Zonghou was doing it to show Southern Jiangsu.
Or perhaps it's to forge a good relationship with southern Jiangsu; for a small village committee, this is just a trivial matter.
In this world, how many people have a completely clean record? Especially those officials at the grassroots level, they all have some problems to some extent.
Previously, no one was willing to go to great lengths to investigate a small village committee, feeling it wasn't worth it.
But it's different now.
Judging from the level of importance Ji Zonghou placed on southern Jiangsu just now, whether it was to forge goodwill or to get on board with southern Jiangsu.
Ji Zonghou would certainly be happy to personally order a thorough investigation into Shen Tianfu's conduct.
Once Shen Tianfu's problems are investigated, he will definitely lose his official position.
As for the worst-case scenario, it could very well mean several years in prison.
But precisely because of this, losing his official position would be even more painful for him than killing Shen Tianfu.
"Dad, save me, save me!"
Upon hearing Shen Guoli's words, Shen Tianfu cried even harder.
He shook Shen Guoli's legs violently, howling at the top of his lungs, "Dad, Ji Zonghou will definitely take action! Regardless of whether it will be effective for him, he will definitely make it clear to Su Nan!"
"Dad, you can't just abandon me!" Shen Tianfu said.
"What a terrible thing!" Shen Guoli reached out and gently stroked Shen Tianfu's head.
Before he knew it, time had passed quickly, and Shen Tianfu's hair had turned quite gray, feeling rough like dry grass.
"How can I save you? I'm just a retired village chief. What ability do I have to save you? Who is Ji Zonghou? In his eyes, I'm not even worth an ant. How could I possibly have any influence over you, let alone save you?"
Shen Guoli's voice was filled with helplessness.
"Dad, no, you can save Tianfu!"
Just then, Yu Mei, who had been standing to the side muttering to herself, suddenly stood up straight.
A glint of light flashed in her eyes, as if she had suddenly thought of a way to save her life.
Her face flushed red with excitement, and her tone became unusually firm.
"Yes, yes, Dad, you can definitely save me!"
Perhaps his mind cleared up again, or perhaps Shen Tianfu came to his senses, he suddenly raised his head, his eyes brimming with longing as he looked at Shen Guoli.
"Su Yuanqiao dislikes me, but he doesn't dislike you. You and his father are old comrades-in-arms, you have a life-and-death friendship. You can ask Su Yuanqiao for help. Just ask him to talk to Su Nan and ask Su Nan to put in a good word with Ji Zonghou."
"As long as Su Nan is willing to speak up, Ji Zonghou definitely won't make things difficult for me anymore!"
"What are you talking about?"
Shen Guoli was furious when he heard this.
He suddenly raised his finger and pointed at Shen Tianfu, trembling with anger.
The veins on his neck bulged out like loaches, making him look particularly frightening.
"Are you asking me to do this so that I'll lose all face?"
Shen Guoli's voice became hoarse with anger.
"By breaking off the engagement, our Shen family has already severed the last shred of any remaining affection between me and the Su family!"
Shen Guoli became increasingly agitated as he spoke, his chest heaving violently: "Back then, he was the one who saved my life, and I was determined to add another member to the Su family."
"But what was the result?"
"As a result, when you and Yumei saw that the Su family was poor and that Su Nan was useless, you not only broke off the engagement, but also spread rumors about the Su family everywhere, saying that they were like toads trying to eat swan meat and trying to climb the social ladder."
"From the moment you uttered those words, you've already ruined the bond between me and the Su family!"
"Now that you know the Su family has prospered, and even Ji Zonghou personally visited you, you shamelessly hatch another plan to remarry and solidify your marriage!"
"You two are absolutely shameless!"