Li Xiuyuan immediately understood: "Brother-in-law, is something the matter?"
"Mm," Zhang Zhihao replied.
"How about this, I'll come over later when I'm done with my work. We don't need to eat, I've already arranged a dinner party for you guys. Is that alright?" Li Xiuyuan said.
“Okay, Xiuyuan, I’ll wait for you tonight,” Zhang Zhihao said.
After Li Xiuyuan hung up the phone, he called Zhang Yaozong. A while later, Zhang Yaozong arrived at the village office.
"Director Zhang, please sit down. You've had a hard time." Li Xiuyuan personally poured tea for Zhang Yaozong and offered him a cigarette.
Zhang Yaozong smiled as well; he found Li Xiuyuan's statement quite agreeable.
“Mayor Li, it’s my pleasure. It’s better to be able to get things done by following you. It’s much better than sitting in the office reading newspapers and drinking tea. I’m also happy with what I’m doing,” Zhang Yaozong said with a smile.
After chatting for a while, Li Xiuyuan finally got down to business, which was about the town's Party Committee members. He also briefly recounted what Zhang Xingdong had told him at noon.
"As for Minister Qi Weihua, Director Xingdong is right. He is indeed very righteous. I also heard that Minister Qi insists on sending money to several comrades who are in financial difficulty every year. Anyway, he is a very good person. If you want to talk about it, we can try to get him to help. If I remember correctly, there is one of Minister Qi's comrades in Meilin Village. If possible, I think we can start from that point."
Zhang Yaozong pondered for a moment before speaking.
Li Xiuyuan nodded, signaling Zhang Yaozong to continue: "As for Committee Member Ma Tao, the incident of kneeling before the old secretary is true. As for the claim that he made a mistake at work, that's not it. The real situation is..."
As Zhang Yaozong spoke, he glanced at the door and, seeing that it was closed, continued, "It was a matter of conduct. He had an affair with a female cadre in the town, which was discovered by her husband, who reported it to the old Party Secretary. Later, he knelt down and made a profound self-criticism, and the matter was over. However, not many people knew about it at the time."
The old Party Secretary also instructed us to keep it a secret. Everyone in the town thought he had problems at work, which was why he knelt down. They didn't even know if it was true or not. But the real reason was unknown to most people..."
As Zhang Yaozong spoke, Li Xiuyuan narrowed his eyes. "The relationship between men and women... so many years have passed, it's really not a good time to bring it up again, because bringing it up again would be harmful to the parties involved."
If not handled properly, it could cause trouble.
"Are you clear about what happened back then?" Li Xiuyuan asked.
“I’m considered to be in the know, but that’s all I know. The specifics are from the old Party Secretary’s side. However, after he retired, his children took him to the provincial capital. Apart from the person involved, not many people know the details,” Zhang Yaozong said.
"Are you still in contact with the old Party Secretary?"
"I guess so, they call during holidays and festivals," Zhang Yaozong said.
"Then, could you go to the provincial capital and ask the old Party Secretary about this matter in detail?" Li Xiuyuan said directly.
Zhang Yaozong was immediately in a dilemma: "Mayor Li, so much time has passed since this matter. If we bring it up again, it will not only be bad for the parties involved, but it will also put the old Party Secretary in a difficult position. After all, it was the old Party Secretary who suppressed it back then, and he has been good to me..."
"You're overthinking it. I didn't mean that, Director Zhang. Don't you trust me? Don't worry, I won't make a big deal out of this."
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