The winter sun broke through the clouds, casting its warm rays onto the dirt road of the Hongqi Production Brigade, but it couldn't dispel the oppressive atmosphere in the Zhao family's courtyard. The day after Zhao's father was taken away by the police, a work team sent by the commune moved into the Zhao family's home. The seal on the gate, which read "No entry or exit during investigation," trembled slightly in the cold wind, like a cold dividing line that completely separated this once-glorious brigade secretary's home from the outside world.
The villagers gathered in twos and threes under the old locust tree near the Zhao family's house, their voices rising and falling in discussion. Grandma Wang clutched her wages from the workshop, her tone full of satisfaction: "Back then, Zhao's father, relying on being the Party Secretary, took two extra mu of good land from the village and withheld our relief grain. Now, he's finally gotten his comeuppance!" Uncle Li, standing nearby, nodded and lowered his voice, saying, "Do you remember last year's flood season? The village's river embankment needed reinforcement, and Zhao's father misappropriated the special funds allocated by the higher authorities, almost causing us to be flooded. If it weren't for Comrade Wanqiu leading everyone in the rescue efforts, our houses would have been gone long ago!"
Lin Wanqiu stood on the outskirts of the crowd, listening to the villagers' discussions, but felt little joy, only a sense of calm as if the dust had settled. She turned to look at the Zhao family's house not far away, and saw Zhao Jianjun squatting at the gate, his hair disheveled, his face covered in stubble, his once arrogant demeanor completely gone. Since his father was arrested, Zhao Jianjun was like a different person, no longer swaggering around, but simply squatting at the gate every day, staring blankly into the distance.
Shen Tingzhou walked to Lin Wanqiu's side, followed her gaze, and said softly, "Zhao's father's case has entered the investigation stage. The special task force found a large amount of embezzled funds and letters linking him to foreign forces in his home. The evidence is conclusive, and he definitely can't escape this time." Lin Wanqiu nodded, her tone tinged with emotion, "I really didn't expect him to be so well hidden. If we had discovered it earlier, so many people wouldn't have suffered because of him."
Just then, the commune secretary hurried over, holding a document in his hand, his face serious: "Comrade Wanqiu, Comrade Shen, come here for a moment, I have something important to tell you." Lin Wanqiu and Shen Tingzhou followed the commune secretary to the village office. The secretary placed the document on the table, sighed, and said, "These are the preliminary investigation results just sent by the special investigation team. Zhao's father not only colluded with foreign forces to traffic in arms, but also, during his tenure as the brigade secretary, abused his position to embezzle and accept bribes, misappropriate public funds, and even protected several petty thieves among his relatives. His crimes are numerous!"
Shen Tingzhou picked up the document and carefully read its contents, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper: "I never imagined he had done so many bad things, he's truly heinous!" Lin Wanqiu looked at the list of crimes on the document, her heart filled with anger: "These past years, the villagers have already had a hard time, and he's still so greedy, he's simply unfit to be the brigade secretary!"
The commune secretary said seriously, "The most important thing now is to stabilize the village order, re-elect a new brigade secretary, and lead the villagers to live a good life. In addition, although Zhao Jianjun did not directly participate in Zhao's father's criminal activities, he previously relied on Zhao's father's power to run rampant in the village and bully the villagers. He also needs to be criticized and educated so that he can realize his mistakes."
That afternoon, the commune convened a village meeting to announce Zhao's father's crimes and the preliminary investigation results. Upon hearing of Zhao's father's various misdeeds, the villagers were outraged and demanded that he be severely punished and that justice be served for the village. At the end of the meeting, the commune secretary announced that a new brigade secretary election would be held in a week, hoping everyone would actively participate and elect a good secretary who truly works for the villagers.
After the village meeting, Zhao Jianjun was taken to the village office for criticism and education. The commune secretary and several village cadres sat opposite him and patiently reasoned with him: "Zhao Jianjun, your father made a mistake and has been punished by law. You can't continue to be stubborn. The villagers have all seen the bad things you did in the village before. As long as you sincerely repent and take the initiative to apologize to the villagers, they will forgive you."
Zhao Jianjun lowered his head, his hands clenched into fists, tears streaming down his face. "I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have bullied people by taking advantage of my father's power, I shouldn't have coveted Comrade Wanqiu's workshop, and I shouldn't have helped my father cover up his crimes. I really regret it now, but it's too late..."
Seeing his remorseful expression, the commune secretary softened his tone: "It's good that you know you were wrong. It's not too late to repent. You're still young, and you have a long road ahead of you. As long as you sincerely do things for the villagers, you can still regain everyone's trust."
Over the next few days, following the commune secretary's advice, Zhao Jianjun went door-to-door apologizing to the villagers. He first went to Lin Wanqiu's house, bowing his head and saying, "Comrade Wanqiu, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I shouldn't have laid a hand on you and even tried to take your workshop. I know I was wrong, and I hope you can forgive me." Seeing his sincere expression, Lin Wanqiu's anger subsided considerably: "As long as you truly repent and behave well in the future, I will forgive you. Your father made a mistake, but that doesn't mean you have to make the same mistake. Live a good life from now on and don't disappoint the villagers again."
Zhao Jianjun then visited the homes of several villagers he had wronged, apologizing to each one and even helping them with farm work and house repairs. Seeing his genuine remorse, the villagers all forgave him. Gradually, Zhao Jianjun stopped being idle and found a job in a factory in the county town. He worked diligently from dawn till dusk, and a smile gradually returned to his face.
Meanwhile, there was new progress in Zhao's father's case. Through in-depth investigation, the special task force not only obtained all the evidence of Zhao's father's collusion with foreign forces and arms trafficking, but also discovered his connection to a cultural relic theft case from several years ago. It turned out that, in order to obtain more money, Zhao's father had conspired with several tomb raiders to steal cultural relics from an ancient tomb near the village, and then sold them to overseas antique dealers.
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