Chapter 41
The report begins: "When all was quiet, a rapid ringing of the phone ripped through the tranquil night. From the receiver came heavy breathing and vicious insults. This was the 21st threatening call this week. The countdown sign '50 days until the Gaokao' on the desk behind me was particularly glaring in the cold moonlight by the window."
The following section describes in detail the revenge carried out by the other party: animal carcasses were thrown, paint was splashed on the doorstep, anonymous threatening letters were received, and strangers were wandering around.
Reporter Zheng also highlighted the mother's strength and helplessness. "She wiped away her tears and shielded her daughter behind her. She knew all this was due to a decision she had made before—a decision she never regretted, but one that had plunged her family into hardship."
Finally, Cheng Man's letter of withdrawal was published in the newspaper. Reporter Zheng asked, "What kind of decision would lead someone to go to such extreme lengths to prevent a girl from entering the examination room?"
This finishing touch brought the entire article to a climax, and Tao Zhi was full of admiration.
She continued to flip through the pages, and as expected, she continued to follow up on the report for several days.
The second article, "Behind a Letter of Complaint," begins by addressing yesterday's question. The difficult decision stems from a letter of complaint filed by the victim's mother, Ms. T. From the outset, it recounts how Student C was bullied at school and how Ms. T reported the incident to the police. The evasive attitudes of both the school and the police forced the mother to seek help from kindhearted individuals and privately investigate the situation, uncovering the anomaly. The bully, despite being a poor student, was able to attend a top high school simply because her mother worked in the Education Bureau?
Ms. T painstakingly gathered evidence, only to discover that her daughter wasn't the only victim. She discovered that there were many more students who had nowhere to appeal. By comparing payment records, recordings, and lists, she solidified her case. No longer motivated by selfish motives, but for the sake of the wider community of students, Ms. T decided to report the incident.
Our reporter's investigation confirmed Ms. T's report: Sun, the head of the Municipal Education Bureau's Admissions Office, is suspected of secretly manipulating students who don't meet the requirements into key middle schools.
Reporter Zheng concluded by stating, "After the initial investigation into Sun's case, Ms. T's home became a target of retaliation. Ms. T insisted that all this was related to Sun's family."
The third article starts to get sharper, "Crazy revenge, by whose power?"
Officials stated that Sun has been suspended and investigated.
Reporter Zheng then changed the subject: "So, what about the retaliation against Ms. T? Stalking, intimidation, threats, and hiring social workers. These actions require financial resources, manpower, and 'coordination skills.' How could a simple official under investigation mobilize such resources? Moreover, how could she have the audacity to accept bribes under the noses of her colleagues at the Education Bureau? Many victims and insiders have raised questions with this newspaper: Was her family involved? Was there a larger umbrella of protection behind this?"
"During further investigation, our reporter discovered that Sun's husband, Director Guo of a certain department, had become unusually active since his wife was investigated."
"Among the parents who previously bribed Sun in exchange for school places, there are some business owners who have business dealings with Director Guo's department. There are also signs that their family consumption levels are seriously inconsistent with their publicly disclosed incomes."
Reporter Zheng then asked, "Does Director Guo have anything to do with the degree buying and selling?"
The fourth article takes a different turn, titled "Above the List, Below the List." Reporter Zheng interviews education experts and parents of students suspected of being replaced, exploring the impact of this corruption on the education sector.
"When a child's future is clearly priced, is there any point in studying so hard?"
The fifth chapter is "The pursuit of power between husband and wife, revealing Director Guo's business philosophy."
"After multiple investigations and verifications, Sun's husband, Guo, the director of a municipal bureau, is suspected of abusing his power, using his power for personal gain, interfering with the judiciary, and bribing superiors."
The evidence released included censored financial documents, companies that had failed the test but passed, admission lists of key middle schools, testimony from a business owner, and an account book found in his home. This simple handwritten account book became the most crucial evidence in the conviction.
"Director Guo was expelled from the Party and dismissed from public office after investigation and has been transferred to judicial authorities."
"His wife, Sun, has been found guilty of favoritism, fraud, and bribery, and has been transferred to judicial authorities. His daughter, Guo Ying, who is over 18 years old, is suspected of intentional injury and has been sentenced to three years in prison."
All the reports ended here. Tao Zhi finished reading and breathed a sigh of relief.
Sister Jiang also finished reading. Seeing Tao Zhi's behavior, she couldn't help but slap her thigh and said, "You can't be that Ms. T, right?"
She didn't need Tao Zhi to answer and continued, "No wonder. I was just about to ask you, who did you offend? I've seen this several times recently. They were all strangers. They threw stinky dog shit and rotten fish and shrimp at your house, and even placed wreaths at your door."
Sister Jiang patted Tao Zhi and said, "Xiao Tao, well done. You did a great thing. You should have let us know. We're neighbors, so everyone can help."
Tao Zhi also smiled: "I won't do that again in the future. The most important thing is to be safe and sound."
Sister Jiang got the answer, and she was busy with her own things, so she said goodbye to Tao Zhi first.
The house is now spotless, with no sign of its past. Tao Zhi thanked Sister Chen: "Thank you for your hard work."
Sister Chen shook her head. "Of course, of course." She took the paper from under the phone and said, "Teacher Tao, this is what I called you earlier."
Tao Zhi took it and looked at it. There were Wen Xu, Cheng Dachuan, Cheng Xiangmei, Village Chief Zhou, and the construction team. The last one was Huang Xinyue?
She asked Sister Chen, "Is this classmate Huang looking for Cheng Man?"
Sister Chen poked her head out: "No, no, they're all looking for you."
Tao Zhi was puzzled. Why was he looking for her? But it was useless to think about it now. She sat down and called back one by one.
The first person to answer was Cheng Dachuan, who was calling from the board factory. As soon as he picked up the phone, he said, "Auntie, I'm coming to your house to see you."
That means there is no urgent matter. Tao Zhi replied: "You have the key yourself. Come back when you are free."
The second call was to Village Chief Zhou, who said, "The kindergarten is almost finished. We'll wait for you to come back for the opening ceremony."
Tao Zhi subconsciously asked, "Which day?"
Village Chief Zhou was stunned: "See when you are free?"
Tao Zhi came back to his senses and laughed to himself: "Then I'll set a time and tell you."
The third one called the construction team, who said the house had been built and asked her when they could inspect it.
Tao Zhi thought for a moment and said, "The day after tomorrow."
The fourth person called Huang Xinyue, the shy Huang. She timidly said, "Auntie, my classmates asked me to say thank you to you on their behalf."
Tao Zhi was very gentle: "How are all the students?"
Huang Xinyue smiled happily: "Now that we know that bad people also have people they fear, we are no longer afraid of them."
"Good boy, I wish you and your classmates all success in the college entrance examination, study hard and have a bright future."
The fifth call was to Cheng Xiangmei. The sister-in-law seemed to be waiting by the phone. She answered, "Hello, is this my sister-in-law?"
"Hey, it's me. Why don't you go home?"
"I called home."
"I mean my hometown."
"Sister-in-law, are you back?"
"Didn't Auntie tell you?"
"She said you were out for something."
Tao Zhi remembered it, but she didn't tell Sister Chen.
"It's okay, I'm back now."
"Sister-in-law, Cheng Man dropped out of school?"
"Didn't I say hello to you?"
Cheng Xiangmei felt aggrieved: "I don't know anything."
"I'm sorry, I was in a daze during that time. I can't remember anything. I don't remember whether I said it or not."
Cheng Xiangmei didn't dare to complain when she heard this. "I'm sorry, sister-in-law. So many things happened, but I only found out about it after reading the newspaper. Li Qize didn't tell me anything."
Tao Zhi smiled and took over the conversation: "I told him not to tell you."
Cheng Xiangmei heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this: "I thought he was hiding it from me on purpose."
"He loves you too, so he doesn't want you to worry."
"Sister-in-law, when you are home, I will go to see you."
"The day after tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, okay, see you then, sister-in-law."
After hanging up the phone with her sister-in-law, Tao Zhi calmed down.
To say she had no thoughts in her mind would be a lie, but Tao Zhi was just being open-minded. Everyone was in the business world, and as the saying goes, harmony brings wealth. No matter how uncomfortable she was, she kept it to herself and didn't show it on her face.
Tao Zhi understood the logic. If the cost of stepping forward was too high, it was perfectly understandable that others were unwilling to help. The only thing she couldn't get over was that the Li family hadn't said anything. Otherwise, she would have at least been prepared, and Cheng Man wouldn't have suffered such an unprovoked disaster.
During Tao Zhi's visit, her husband told her that her brother-in-law had secured another order, and the machinery factory had been working overtime. A rough calculation suggested that completing this order would bring in millions in revenue. The old man was delighted when he said this, and Tao Zhi followed suit.
First, for the sake of money. The Li family had indeed supported her family's rise, and gratitude was paramount. Furthermore, the old man's order, the extra million, was clearly a disguised subsidy. Second, her family's meager assets weren't even a fraction of what the other family had, so what could she possibly use to argue with them? Most importantly, Cheng Man was fortunately unharmed and had found her true love. Blessings and misfortunes go hand in hand, so Tao Zhi didn't harbor any resentment.
Although she spent a lot of money, she did not ask anyone for help and got her revenge on her own. So Tao Zhi was very happy today. Everything seemed peaceful and she no longer cared about the past.
Tao Zhi made her last call to Wen Xu. The phone rang for a long time, but no one answered, so she had to hang up.
Tao Zhi stretched and planned to take a walk in the garden. As she reached the gate, she saw Wen Xu and Yuan Heng pushing the door open. "Hey, I was just about to call you back."
Wen Xu laughed heartily: "As soon as we heard you were back, we came here immediately."
Yuan Heng was carrying a lot of bags and walking slowly behind.
"You guys are here now, what else are you bringing?"
"They were all brought by Brother Yuan. They have nothing to do with me."
Yuan Heng smiled and said, "These are all local specialties from my hometown. I brought them for you to try."
Tao Zhi was not polite and asked him to put the things in the kitchen.
"You all look so smiling, is there any good news?"
"I still can't hide it from you."
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