In those days, stealing state property was a serious crime, and if it was caught in a crackdown, execution was not out of the question. Even Zhao Qingshan and Zhao Youtian, as the secretary and village chief of Zhaojiagou, would be implicated if a thief stole state property in the village.
"Report letter? I don't know..." Zhao Qingshan looked at Qiao Aiguo eagerly, and was about to ask if he could see the report letter.
Before he finished speaking, Qiao Aiguo took out a crumpled letter from a briefcase he was carrying.
Although the big words "Personally addressed to the town government leader" on the envelope were crooked, what was rare was that there was not a single typo. It was obvious at a glance that the whistleblower had received some education.
Qiao Aiguo took out the envelope to let Zhao Qingshan take a look at the handwriting to see if he could find any clues. As for the letter of complaint inside, it was important material and was kept in the archives of the town government until the matter was resolved. Qiao Aiguo could not carry it with him casually.
Zhao Qingshan carefully examined the handwriting on the envelope and frowned. The words looked familiar. Unfortunately, Zhao Qingshan searched his memory for everyone he knew and couldn't recall where he'd seen such handwriting before.
There are not many literate people in the countryside, and this is especially true in Zhaojiagou. Because it is located in a mountain valley with inconvenient transportation, the lives of the villagers in Zhaojiagou are much more difficult than those in several other villages with convenient transportation.
Zhaojiagou Village is small and has no school. Children in Zhaojiagou have to go to Dawangzhuang, more than 20 miles away, to attend school.
The villagers had just filled their stomachs and were eager for their older children to take their younger children with them so that they could relax a little. Many villagers did not send their children to school. Over time, there were even fewer educated villagers in Zhaojiagou.
Zhao Youtian was elected village chief by the villagers just because he attended primary school for three years. But the village chief had to go to the town every year to attend meetings and convey instructions from the leadership. Someone who couldn't read a single word couldn't do that job.
Qiao Aiguo had no intention of showing Zhao Qingshan the contents of the letter, and Zhao Qingshan wouldn't be so tactless as to ask for it. After all, if Qiao Aiguo hadn't considered their friendship, he might not even have taken out the envelope.
"Uncle Qingshan, the town committee and government are taking this matter very seriously and have sent a few of us down to investigate. This letter is unsigned and unaddressed, and it wasn't even sent to the town through the post office. Instead, someone slipped it into the town government's guard room after dark." Qiao Aiguo, wanting to flatter Zhao Qingshan, didn't hide the letter's origins. The town committee secretary and mayor were furious over this inexplicable letter of accusation, nearly firing the gatekeeper, Old Tietou.
If it wasn't a letter but a bomb, wouldn't our entire town government be wiped out? This was the exact words the town party secretary used when he scolded Lao Tietou.
In this day and age, vigilance is paramount. Someone like Lao Tietou, who always dozes off at night, isn't really suited to being a town government security guard. But after all, Lao Tietou is the mayor's father-in-law. Even if the town committee secretary is furious, he still has to save some face for the mayor.
Qiao Aiguo had some things left to say. The report didn't specify who had stolen the trees, but it clearly stated that Zhaojiagou's Party Secretary, Zhao Qingshan, was the "umbrella" that shielded the thieves. After discussing this with the mayor for a long time yesterday, Qiao Aiguo finally decided to make Zhaojiagou the first stop of his investigation.
Frankly speaking, Zhao Qingshan was a veteran revolutionary and a combat hero, a man whom Qiao Aiguo and the town government leaders trusted. However, since Zhao Qingshan's name was mentioned in the letter of complaint, the town government needed to investigate the situation and clean up the dirty water that had been poured on the hero's head.
During the conversation, Qiao Aiguo kept his eyes on Zhao Qingshan, observing his every move. From the surprise when he heard someone stole the tree to the moment when Qiao Aiguo took out the envelope of the report letter, Qiao Aiguo paid special attention to Zhao Qingshan's eyes.
After hearing these things, although Zhao Qingshan's expression was not good, his eyes were clear, without any panic or guilt of someone being reported.
Based on this point alone, Qiao Aiguo could conclude that Zhao Qingshan had no idea that someone had stolen the trees.
Zhao Qingshan didn't know he was Qiao Aiguo's main suspect. After thinking for a while, he suggested to Qiao Aiguo: "Aiguo! This matter must be thoroughly investigated. Don't wrongly accuse a good person, and don't let a bad person go."
No matter how hard things were in the past, the villagers of Zhaojiagou never went up the mountain to cut down a single tree. In the past two years, their lives have improved significantly, and it's even less likely that anyone would be out of their mind. Stealing trees is a serious crime, and one risks losing their head.
In this era, denunciation and big-character posters were not uncommon. It was not uncommon for someone to write a random letter of denunciation out of jealousy.
Qiao Aiguo chuckled and said, "Uncle Qingshan, since you haven't heard anything about this in the village, it seems like someone is just messing around and deliberately writing a letter of denunciation to give us a headache."
"Aiguo, don't worry! Later, Youtian and I will hold a village meeting and tell everyone about this matter. Stealing state property is a serious crime. I hope the villagers can recognize their mistakes, supervise each other, and make progress together." Zhao Qingshan thought for a moment and came up with a solution.
Regardless of whether the tree theft is true or not, the villagers should give the case a proper education. If any foolish person does commit such a crime, they should be stopped immediately. After all, we only have one life, and if we are caught in the act, it will be no joke.
Qiao Aiguo nodded, agreeing with Zhao Qingshan's approach. Their town government was also in a passive position in this matter. If it was just a false report made as a joke, it would be fine. But if the tree theft really happened, the entire town leadership team would be held responsible.
After Qiao Aiguo and several town officials had walked away, Zhao Youtian finally spoke: "Uncle, what should we do? Should we really notify the villagers to hold a meeting?"
Zhao Qingshan nodded and said, "Youtian, please notify everyone that a meeting will be held at 1:00 PM in the threshing ground. All villagers, except those who are seriously ill and bedridden, regardless of gender, age, or children under ten years old, must attend. If anyone is absent, ten centimeters will be deducted."
Regardless of whether the tree theft was true or not, Zhao Qingshan would use this opportunity to warn the villagers. Some things, a single misstep, can lead to eternal regret. Zhao Qingshan didn't want to watch his fellow villagers being shot.
Zhao Youtian was busy notifying the villagers. Zhao Qingshan locked up the brigade headquarters and prepared to go home. That brat Ziqing ran away yesterday and didn't come back all day. I wonder if he went to his fiancée's house again?
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