Shen Degui knelt down with a thud, clasping his hands together in a gesture of respect.
"Please, give him a chance to reform..."
More and more villagers gathered outside the courtyard, their whispers rising and falling.
Some shook their heads and sighed, some wore mocking expressions, and many more were filled with shock.
As Su Jianguo helped his younger brother through the crowd, he heard someone whispering.
"The Shen family father and son are finished..."
Seeing that Shen Degui was relentless.
"Get out of here!"
Li Qiang let out a loud shout.
Su Jianguo turned around and saw that Shen Degui had actually grabbed Li Qiang's leg and wouldn't let go no matter what.
"You can't take my son away! Arrest me instead!"
Shen Degui cried out hysterically.
Li Qiang's face was terribly gloomy.
He grabbed Shen Degui by the collar and lifted him up.
"You're obstructing official business! Do you know what crime obstructing official business is? If you dare to obstruct us again, you'll be arrested too!"
Shen Degui was stunned by the stern shout; his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word.
Li Qiang pushed him aside and waved to the team members escorting the prisoner.
"take away!"
The sound of sirens echoed over Shenjiabao.
Su Jianguo carefully helped his younger brother into the ambulance, while he himself got into Li Qiang's jeep.
Through the car window, he saw Shen Degui slumped on the muddy ground, staring blankly at the departing police car, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.
"Go to the police station to give a statement first, then take your brother to the hospital for a checkup."
Li Qiang said this as he drove.
"This kid's lucky. It doesn't look serious; he'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Su Jianguo nodded, his gaze never leaving the ambulance in front of him.
Back at the police station, after giving my statement.
Su Jianguo immediately went to the old-fashioned rotary telephone in the corner of the police station.
He called Sujiatun, and soon, Grandpa Su answered the phone.
"Hello, Dad? It's me."
Su Jianguo was somewhat excited.
"Jianjun has been found. He suffered minor injuries and is on his way to the hospital."
A sigh of relief came from the other end of the phone from Grandpa Su.
"Thank God! How badly are you injured?"
"It's nothing, you'll be fine after a few days of rest."
Su Jianguo said in a low voice.
"Dad, tell Mom not to worry, I'm going to the hospital to be with Jianjun right now."
After hanging up the phone, Su Jianguo said goodbye to Captain Li Qiang.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Su Jianguo pushed open the ward door and saw Su Jianjun with bandages wrapped around his head, leaning weakly against the headboard.
"elder brother!"
Su Jianjun struggled to sit up, but Su Jianguo quickly stepped forward and pressed him down.
"Don't move, just lie still."
Su Jianguo carefully examined his younger brother's injuries and found that in addition to the bruise on his forehead, there were also bloodstains on his wrists from being tied with ropes.
His eyes darkened.
"Those beasts..."
"Brother, I'm fine."
Su Jianjun forced a smile.
"I was starving for two days and got hit on the head. The doctor said I could be discharged after two days of observation."
Su Jianguo poured a glass of warm water and handed it over.
"It's my fault for being careless. If I had known Shen Daqiang was so ruthless, I should have brought more people..."
Su Jianjun shook his head.
"Who would have thought they'd dare to kidnap someone in broad daylight?"
He took a sip of water.
"Brother, while I was locked up, I heard them say... they'd been keeping an eye on you for a while, thinking that since your business had grown so big, you must be rich."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Su Jianguo's head.
He recalled the booming business of "Su's Vegetable Shop" over the past six months, the huge loan in his bank account, and the envious yet complicated looks in the eyes of the villagers...
In this day and age, one's income is undoubtedly astronomical, and countless shady characters have already set their sights on one.
"I see."
Su Jianguo's expression turned serious.
"From today onwards, we must proceed with caution."
The next morning.
Su Jianguo went straight back to Sujiatun.
He didn't go to the construction site, but went to see the old Party Secretary first.
The old Party Secretary was about to go out when he saw Su Jianguo come in and quickly asked.
"How's the nation-building and army-building progressing?"
"It's all alright now, thank you for your concern, former Party Secretary."
Su Jianguo sat down on the stone bench and got straight to the point.
"I've come today to discuss something with you."
He took a wad of banknotes out of his pocket and placed them on the stone table.
"I want to hire another twenty people in the village, specifically to handle construction site safety and deliveries."
The old Party Secretary stared in astonishment.
"Twenty? That many?"
"This incident served as a wake-up call for me."
Su Jianguo's voice was firm.
"Things aren't safe out there right now, so we need to have our own team. The pay is three yuan a day, plus two meals."
The old Party Secretary stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and nodded.
"You're right. There are quite a few young men in the village who are currently unemployed; I'll help you find some jobs."
In less than three days, a "security team" composed of twenty young men was established.
Su Jianguo personally selected them; they were all honest, hardworking, and strong young men from the village.
He provided each person with a uniform blue work uniform and a sturdy wooden stick, and arranged for two shifts to patrol the construction site and transportation routes in turn.
"Brother, are you planning to build a private army?"
Upon seeing this scene after being discharged from the hospital, Su Jianjun couldn't help but joke.
Su Jianguo shook his head, his expression serious.
"That's called prevention. Now that our business has grown, there are quite a few envious people."
He pointed to the trucks that were being unloaded.
"This batch of plastic film alone is worth tens of thousands of yuan. What if something else goes wrong..."
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