Fang Ping nodded thoughtfully, then said earnestly, "Xiao Sun, be careful in Wangshan Village. The people there aren't easy to get along with."
"Alright, are they going to dare to hit us?" Sun Zhewen chuckled, trying to ease his anxiety.
Fang Ping, however, said seriously, "You'd better go to the Qingshan Town police station and find a couple of people to go with you. Otherwise, you never know what might happen."
"It's that chaotic there?" Sun Zhewen was a little surprised, but his heart started to become alert.
"It's not chaotic, the people there are very rough. You see when did we ever go there?" Fang Ping sighed, her eyes filled with a hint of worry.
Sun Zhewen understood. It seemed this trip wouldn't be simple. He picked up the phone and dialed his old classmate Li Qian's number. Li Qian was now the instructor at the Qingshan Town police station, he studied criminal investigation, and after returning, he passed the civil service exam to join the police system. Now he was already a deputy section chief, which meant he was relatively successful among their classmates.
After the phone connected, Li Qian's familiar, carefree voice came through, "Hey, Lao Sun, what's up?"
"Lao Li, the Chairman and I are going to Wangshan Village later. Could you send a couple of people to follow us?" Sun Zhewen went straight to the point, his tone carrying a hint of request.
Li Qian laughed heartily, "No problem. Just come to the police station and look for me when the time comes."
Sun Zhewen drove the car to the office building, and Liu Ruyue gathered her things and got out. Sun Zhewen drove directly to Qingshan Town. He drove the car to the police station. Liu Ruyue looked at him with a puzzled expression. He explained, "The people in Wangshan Village are difficult to deal with. I've asked the police station to assist us."
Liu Ruyue raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Looks like you really came prepared."
Sun Zhewen smiled and didn't say much. He walked directly toward the director's office. He didn't have time for small talk today and got straight to the point, "Where are your people?"
Li Qian made a phone call, muttering as he dialed, "They'll be here soon. You haven't contacted me in so long, and you only come when you need something."
Sun Zhewen laughed, "You're an official now, and I'm still just a nobody. How would I dare to bother you for no reason?"
Li Qian whispered, "Hey, you're unlucky too, how did you end up running into him in the civil service exam? How's it going now?"
Sun Zhewen sighed, "It's still the same old story. No money, no power, that's what describes someone like me."
Li Qian said, "You should still try to pull some strings."
Sun Zhewen smiled wryly, "Pull strings? I don't have any connections."
At that moment, two police officers walked in. Li Qian said, "Zhang Chuang, Li Yong, your task for today is to safely escort my classmate and Chairwoman Liu from the Women's Federation to Wangshan Village and back."
"Yes, sir." The two men turned and left.
Li Qian said, "Old Sun, it's been a while since we've gotten together. I'll come find you another day, and we'll have a good time."
Sun Zhewen nodded, "Alright, I'll go first."
Sun Zhewen returned to his car. The two police officers were already waiting for them at the gate. Sun Zhewen followed the police car, heading towards Wangshan Village.
Liu Ruyue said, "I didn't realize you had this kind of influence, able to mobilize the police station to help you out."
Sun Zhewen hurried to say, "How could I possibly arrange that? The instructor here is an old classmate of mine. I'll ask him to help."
Liu Ruyue smiled and said, "Being able to get someone to help is also a form of power."
Once they reached Wangshan Village, the mechanized farming road was rutted with uneven tracks from the tractors, making it impossible for the car to proceed. They had to get out and walk. The two police officers led the way, not bothering to speak to them. The women's federation representative couldn't offer much help, so there wasn't much to talk about.
As they walked, Liu Ruyue noticed that sweat was starting to bead on Sun Zhewen's forehead. She couldn't help but tease, "Xiao Sun, it seems you don't exercise much, do you?"
Sun Zhewen gave a wry smile. "It's not that I'm busy with official duties, how can I find time to exercise?"
Sun Zhewen had been to Jiang Mei's home last year, and he still remembered the location. He led the group there again. However, the scene before him shocked him. The originally tidy courtyard was now dilapidated, with peeling walls and doors and windows that were ready to collapse at any moment. In the courtyard, a woman in disheveled clothes with a large belly was holding a stick, looking dazed and muttering, "Go back, go back to the nest, it's getting dark."
The two police officers exchanged glances, one of them frowning, "This woman seems to have gone crazy."
Liu Ruyue also frowned, and softly asked, "Is this woman pregnant?"
Sun Zhewen shrugged helplessly, "It's pretty obvious."
Liu Ruyue's eyes widened. "Her husband's still in prison. How could she be pregnant?"
The two police officers exchanged glances, clearly realizing the situation was more complicated than it seemed. Liu Ruyue felt a surge of unease; the provincial Women's Federation chairwoman was definitely coming to see Jiang Mei. Seeing her like this, it looked like the people here were still bullying her.
Liu Ruyue stepped forward, cautiously calling out, "Jiang Mei?"
The woman didn't react at all, but upon seeing the two uniformed police officers behind her, she cowered behind Liu Ruyue. Liu Ruyue held her hand, whispering, "Jiang Mei, do you know what happened to you?"
Jiang Mei seemed truly out of it, saying fearfully like a child, "Police officers, don't arrest me, I listened to them, really."
Liu Ruyue's face turned grim, and she said coldly, "I'm filing a report. You two report to your superiors. I'm taking her back to the county."
At this moment, several people came out from the house and gathered at the door to watch. Seeing that they were going to take the woman away, they tried to stop them, preventing them from leaving. "Who are you? Why are you taking Jiang Mei away?"
Liu Ruyue was furious. She sneered, "Don't you know why we're bringing her? You're committing a crime! A woman here, her belly swollen by you, and now she's having mental problems. Are you even human?"
The two police officers drew their batons and barked, "Get out of the way! Are you trying to assault us?"
The crowd hesitated, but some still shouted unwillingly, "Why are you taking Jiang Mei? She's from our village!"
Just as the crowd seemed to be parting, a man with a face full of scars stepped forward, his voice booming. "What's your name, leader? Jiang Mei is from Wangshan Village, and we all take care of her. You come here and accuse us of crimes out of nowhere. We're innocent! If you don't explain yourselves today, you won't be leaving Wangshan Village."
"That's right! We haven't earned any credit, but we've certainly worked hard. Why are you framing us?" The crowd was getting agitated, their emotions rising.