These days, people tend to tough it out rather than take medicine, take medicine rather than get injections, and get injections rather than be hospitalized.
The villagers, in particular, are all struggling financially and are even more reluctant to spend money.
When the whole family went to the hospital, and several households at once, Zhao Youcai realized something was wrong.
There can only be two reasons why this could happen.
The first possibility is that someone poisoned him on a small scale, but in that case, they wouldn't come looking for Director Zhu. And if it really were a poisoning incident, it wouldn't be the Revolutionary Committee that would come.
The second type is—
"After examination by the hospital doctors, it was found that the group of people had eaten meat that had contracted the plague, which is why they either had problems suddenly or several days later due to their physical condition."
"We invited you here because we wanted to ask if you know anything about the inside story, since you've dealt with the farm before?"
Zhao Youcai understood; perhaps Cao Meng had indeed approached him for a legitimate reason.
That’s right.
Given this group's reputation, the villagers would be incredibly brave if they didn't just run away, let alone cooperate with their investigation.
"I don't know the details, but it's really unusual that Director Zhu's female secretary has been coming to see me so frequently lately."
Zhao Youcai then recounted everything Chen Tingting had done during this period, from how she moved from the town to Zhao Jiagou, and then from Zhao Jiagou to the county seat.
In Zhao Youcai's view, the police officers of the Public Security Bureau are a group of very upright people, and they act in accordance with the law and evidence.
The current laws and regulations are not perfect enough. If a young and beautiful woman tries every means to seduce an old man, this is at most a dispute, and the police officers will only advise them to settle it privately.
At most, they'll make Chen Tingting write a guarantee that she'll never appear in front of Zhao Youcai again, and that'll be the end of it.
But after hearing Cao Meng talk about the breeding farm, Zhao Youcai suddenly realized what Chen Tingting and Factory Director Zhu were up to behind the scenes.
It's simply because he has a business in instant noodles with the military region, and he thinks that this life-or-death incident he caused can be resolved with minimal losses.
After all, if someone from the military region intervenes, Director Zhu can continue to be the factory director unscathed.
Zhao Youcai is always the one causing trouble for others, how could he possibly remain silent after being schemed against by others?
Since Chen Tingting and Factory Director Zhu are so determined to scheme against him, then he shouldn't blame him for retaliating in kind with equally underhanded methods.
...
The outbreak of the plague at the farm was so sudden that even Director Zhu, who was being investigated at the Public Security Bureau, only found out about it then.
"How could that be? Those pigs are all fine, and my sons and I are eating them too."
Director Zhu immediately shut up after saying this.
At this moment, he felt somewhat annoyed. What was the difference between this and admitting guilt without being asked?
Only Chen Tingting's mind was still buzzing, whether from the shock she had experienced today or from worrying about her future.
"So, you really did secretly conceal and fail to report so many livestock behind the backs of the country and the organization?"
This is undermining socialism!
Such a crime warrants being sent to a cowshed for reform through labor, and paraded through the streets as a form of public humiliation.
In Northeast China, there were also farms where people who had made mistakes were sent down to, but Director Zhu was a local, so he naturally didn't find the cold winter weather to be anything to suffer.
Therefore, if people here make mistakes, they will be sent to the even more arduous Northwest.
The environment there is completely different from here. Someone who feels unbearably hot at 28 degrees Celsius will definitely not be able to stand it in the Northwest.
To be honest, these people from the Public Security Bureau had long disliked Director Zhu.
It's simply because he's the only individual business owner running a breeding farm in the subordinate town, yet he sells meat at the highest price.
He only sells one or two pigs when the meat delivered from the provincial capital is sold out, or when the pork raised by local farmers can't keep up with demand. And at twice the price.
Even if those who crave meat are reluctant, they will grit their teeth and buy some to enjoy. This includes the comrades from the county's public security bureau.
The police officers who were interrogating Director Zhu hated this kind of unscrupulous businessman the most.
He still remembers that a month after his wife gave birth, she went out to buy pork but couldn't find any. She just muttered, "The pork seller is so stingy. He clearly slaughtered two pigs but insisted that there was only half a pig."
This one sentence was overheard by Director Zhu of the breeding farm, who, being petty, spent money to hire a few thugs to block his wife's way home at the alley entrance, put her in a sack, and beat her half to death.
Although he arrested and dealt with those thugs, it is undeniable that the police officers still remember the culprit who was implicated by them.
To be honest, the police officers had wanted to arrest him for a long time, but their superiors, who had received countless bribes from him, managed to suppress the matter.
He was so worried that the matter would be exposed that his application for promotion was withheld, which forced him to work as a low-level police officer in the county's public security bureau, and he couldn't even transfer to another public security bureau.
Well, that's good. Director Zhu was brought over by the comrades from the Revolutionary Committee, which allowed the police officers to finally vent their anger.
Even if a certain leader at the top is willing to act as a protector for this guy surnamed Zhu, so what? He still wouldn't dare to openly challenge the Revolutionary Committee.
There's nothing we can do; the Revolutionary Committee has so much power that it can investigate whomever it wants.
At this moment, the policeman, who had been severely suppressed, saw Zhao Youcai's face again in his mind, and he couldn't be happier.
Regardless of what others think, once this matter is over, I will definitely go to Zhao Youcai's house and acknowledge him as my godfather.
...
Zhao Youcai, who was talking to Director Cao at the Revolutionary Committee, suddenly sneezed loudly.
Upon seeing this, Cao Meng hurriedly ordered someone to prepare a bowl of hot brown sugar ginger tea.
"Hurry up and drink some tea to warm yourself up. The weather is bad tonight, it looks like it's going to rain. You've probably caught a chill."
Zhao Youcai thanked him and accepted the gift, but in his heart he was thinking: Who knows, that bastard surnamed Zhu is probably secretly cursing me.
...
In the county town, in Zhao Youcai's small courtyard.
The Zhao family's daughters-in-law were busy tidying up the courtyard, while Zhao Youcai's sons sat around in the courtyard, each busy with their own tasks.
This scene seemed strange to the neighbors, Mr. and Mrs. Qi, and Mrs. Qi couldn't help but ask a question.
"Aren't you worried about your father?"
The eldest brother, Zhao Jianguo, was using sandpaper to smooth the rough edges of the bamboo tubes until they were incredibly clean and smooth.
"What's there to worry about? Our dad hasn't done anything wrong or broken the law, he'll be back soon."
The second son immediately nodded in agreement, "That's right, our father is very lucky; he always manages to turn bad luck into good."
The third son, Zhao Jianhua, was much more decisive: "No one has ever been born who could scheme against our father and escape unscathed. Anyone who dares to come looking for trouble is basically in jail."
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