The leader was a short and fat police officer in his forties with the rank of a second-class superintendent on his shoulder. He walked to the front of the convoy and knocked on the window of the first truck. He asked in the local dialect while rolling his tongue, "Where are you guys going?"
"We're going to the county to welcome someone," Tao Lielin, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the first truck, rolled down the window and replied with a straight face.
"Welcome someone …" The second-class superintendent was stunned. He then realized that the Miaowei people were going to bring the dead back home. His already uneasy heart skipped a beat again, "Qu County's third Shanlan International Tourism Festival is going to be held in the city. I'm afraid it'll be a bad influence for so many people to enter the city on the trucks."
"What's wrong with the town sending us a bus if it's a bad influence?
To tell you the truth, the person we're going to welcome is this kid's father. His name is Zhang Daowu, Zhang is the Zhang of Guawo Village.
If we don't welcome him today, I'm afraid it won't be these people going to the county tomorrow. "
The second-class superintendent was Damu Town's police station's director, Song Xinghe. He was from Qu County, so he had no idea how powerful the Zhang of Guawo Village was. However, listening to Tao Lielin's tone and looking at the hundreds of Miaowei people's unfriendly gazes, he knew very well that it was not something he could stop as a small official. Even if he could stop it, the price he would have to pay would not be worth it.
"Erm, let's be mindful of our image, folks." Song Xinghe thought about it and admitted that he was unlucky. He asked his subordinates to move the police car to the side of the road and said with an embarrassed smile.
"Of course, I'm a cadre too." Tao Lielin nodded and rolled up the window. The convoy continued to move forward.
Song Xinghe took out his phone and called the county's deputy director in charge of public security as he watched the convoy leave. "Director Liang, I'm Damu Song Xinghe. I have something to report to you …"
Dispatch director to report to the deputy director of public security;
Deputy director of public security to report to the director;
After that, the Qu County's public security director who was the secretary of the county's political and legal committee reported to the county secretary and called the county head's number. Soon, the whole story was made clear under the personal inquiry of the secretary and the county head.
By the time the convoy from Guawo Village arrived at the entrance of the Qu County Central People's Hospital, Guo Guoxing, the deputy secretary of the Qu County County Party Committee who was in charge of maintaining stability, was already waiting there with the traffic police team leader Man Changsheng, Golden Path Taxi Company's director He Daolin, and the Qu County Huazhou Property Insurance Company's general manager Xu Fanmao.
Such a thing was almost unimaginable in the counties and cities in China, but in the areas where ethnic minorities lived, especially the Miaowei people in Western Sichuan, it was very common in recent years. So much so that some of the cadres who worked there missed the days before the Internet.
Although Tao Lielin knew that there might be county leaders among the group of people waiting at the hospital entrance, he did not say anything after pulling Zhang Lisheng out of the truck. Instead, Guo Guoxing took the initiative to walk over and asked with concern, "You guys must be comrade Tao Lielin and Zhang Lisheng from Guawo Village, right?"
"I'm Tao Lielin. And you are?"
"I'm Guo Guoxing, the deputy secretary of Qu County's county committee."
"So you are Secretary Guo. Sigh, look at me. I often see you on the news in our county. You look much younger than on TV."
"I'm old, I'm old. I can't eat well and I can't sleep well ever since I'm in charge of maintaining stability. I'm old.
"Comrade Lielin, you look like an honest person. Let's not beat around the bush. I'm a Miaowei person too, so I respect the Miaowei people's custom of sending the dead away.
"However, it's a special time now. The third Shanlan International Tourism Festival in our county is going to start soon.
"It's a national policy for the party to respect the traditional customs of all ethnic minorities in the country. However, economic development is also the top priority. It's closely related to the vital interests of us ordinary people …"
"I know, Secretary Guo. I know. However, I can't make the decision to ask the villagers to go home if the issue isn't solved. I … I …"
Seeing Tao Lielin's troubled expression, Guo Guoxing said while smiling, "Don't worry, Old Tao. I won't make things difficult for you.
"Manager Xu, Manager Xu, bring me the compensation from the insurance company.
"Manager He, our Golden Path Company's consolation money is ready, right?"
Hearing the county's deputy secretary's greeting, Xu Fanmao walked up quickly while chuckling. He took out a China Construction Bank transfer check from his suit's inner pocket and handed it to Guo Guoxing. "Secretary Guo, the insurance compensation is a total of 500,000 yuan. This is a transfer check. The payment will be made upon receipt of the check. It's based on the county's taxi's maximum insurance amount."
Guo Guoxing nodded and looked at He Daolin who was running over.
"We've prepared 150,000 yuan as consolation money. Although it's not much, it's a small token from our Golden Path Company." The Golden Path Taxi Company's chairman, He Daolin, who was affiliated with the taxi that caused the accident, opened his handbag and took out a thick envelope. He said while forcing a smile.
Initially, the traffic accident that caused Zhang Daowu's death this time was because the deceased had crossed the road. He bore half of the responsibility for the accident. It would be great if his family could get 300,000 to 400,000 yuan as insurance compensation.
However, not only would the insurance company have to pay the full amount, but he would also have to fork out 150,000 yuan as consolation money for no reason. Of course, He Daolin felt the pinch. However, he knew that he had to fork out the money. Otherwise, it would definitely cause a so-called ethnic conflict. Perhaps his company would have to close down.
After showing enough sincerity, Guo Guoxing looked at Zhang Lisheng who was next to him instead of looking at Tao Lielin. He said in a sorrowful tone, "Zhang Lisheng, I'm very sad that you've lost your family.
"I've ordered the person responsible for the accident to compensate you as much as possible. If you have any other requests, you can bring them up as long as it's reasonable."
He was the county's deputy secretary and also the director of the tourism development zone at the divisional level. Perhaps such a level of cadres was nothing in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, but in Qu County, he was someone who could really cause a commotion in the county even if he stomped his foot.
Moreover, Guo Guoxing was born with the surname Hua in Miaowei. Therefore, as long as he could gain the upper hand in terms of reason, he would not be afraid of other people stirring up trouble and making trouble out of nothing.
What was out of Guo Guoxing's expectation was that the young man did not cry bitterly and bargain like he had imagined. Instead, he spoke in a low voice without even raising his head, "Uncle, I'm here today to bring back my father's remains.
"He flipped over the railing and got hit by a car. I don't blame anyone. I'm fine with any amount of compensation. I'm here to bring my father's remains back …"
There were very few saints with noble characters in the world. There were also very few extremely vicious criminals. Most of them were ordinary people who were good and evil.
Meanwhile, ordinary people's emotions were easily influenced by the things around them. Sometimes, hypocrisy and sincerity were just a matter of a thought.
Hearing Zhang Lisheng's mumbling answer and looking at the skinny young man who had lost his father and had his head lowered, Guo Guoxing, who was supposed to be relieved now that the incident had come to a successful conclusion, suddenly felt a pang in his heart. He thought of his son who was almost the same age as him.
"Son, don't say that. You still need to live in the future. You'll have a place to go to high school, university and postgraduate with more compensation.
You'll have a bright future after you've finished your studies and contribute to the country. That's the right thing to do. It'll make your father who passed away feel at ease too, "He took the check and cash from Xu Fanmao and He Daolin and shoved them into Zhang Lisheng's hand.
Although it was still polite and empty talk, his tone was very different from before.
Guo Guoxing sighed when he saw that Zhang Lisheng was still keeping his head down after he was done speaking. He rummaged through his pocket and took out a few hundred yuan. He shoved it into the young man's hand and said, "I'm earning my salary too. This is not a lot of money, buy a textbook for you to go to school. Study hard."
"Secretary Guo, w-what are you doing? T-This isn't …" Tao Lielin, who was standing aside, stuttered.
"Old Tao, this is the money I'm giving to the kid. Don't say anything.
The kid's father is gone, he's so pitiful, "Guo Guoxing's eyes became wet slowly as he spoke to this point as if he had touched himself." Bring him to the county committee to look for me if you have any difficulties in the future … "
'Click, click, click, click, click …' At that moment, a shutter sound came from the side. It turned out that Guo Guoxing's secretary had gotten a camera from somewhere and captured the touching scene.
Guo Guoxing was slightly stunned and wanted to stop it by instinct. However, he did not say anything as he thought about it. Instead, he patted Zhang Lisheng's head unnecessarily with a kind yet sad expression on his face.
'Click, click' naturally, the shutter flashed again …
Sending the corpse that could have caused a commotion turned into a touching scene where the county committee leader cared about the Miaowei orphan's future growth.
With Guo Guoxing's help, not only did the county central People's Hospital waive Zhang Daowu's rescue fee, they even contacted the related unit, the Qu County Crematorium to send a funeral car with an ice coffin and a small generator to send his corpse back to Guawo Village.
All in all, sending Zhang Daowu's corpse back was a smooth process from the beginning to the end. However, it was already past two in the afternoon when everyone returned to the mountain village.
Zhang Lisheng was the first to get off the car in the convoy. He stood on the stone road and stared blankly at the young villagers carrying his father's corpse along with the ice coffin. He thought about it numbly and suddenly passed the paper bag with 150,000 consolation money that he was holding to his chest to Tao Lielin. He said, "Uncle Ah Lie, I don't know anything. Please take care of my father's funeral.
Take this money and use it. "
"Why would I need so much money?" Tao Lielin was shocked. He took out three stacks of 100 yuan bills from the paper bag and replied, "30,000 yuan. Don't tell me that the villagers will kill you like how they kill outsiders? Moreover, there's nothing in the supermarket in the city now.
"Take the rest of the money back. I'll bring you to the city to deposit it after your father's funeral is over."
"Sure." Zhang Lisheng did not delay it much after hearing what Tao Lielin said. He took the 120,000 yuan that Tao Lielin passed to him and returned to his old house with Zhang Daowu's ice coffin in silence.
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