Upon returning to my government quarters on the third floor, I realized those three from last night hadn't come back at all. No wonder no one came to bail me out—had something else happened after I was taken away? Impossible, right? The police were there; those four thugs were already in that state, did they dare act up in front of the officers?

I had planned to go to Xiamaquan first thing this morning to collect the water samples and hand them over to the bus driver who travels to Shimen City daily, but with no guide, that plan was shelved for now. Pitifully, as a cadre sent down to the countryside, I didn't even have my own office, forced instead to lie on the bare cot, scrolling through online news on my phone.

Around eight o'clock, footsteps sounded ascending the stairs, the clearest among them being Ning Shixuan’s. I could distinguish the crisp tap of her women's leather shoes, so I left the room to greet them.

"Where were you last night?" Zhang Fengzhen immediately challenged me with an unfriendly tone, as if I were the one who had done something wrong.

I was startled. Didn't they see the magnitude of my arrest? It was unbelievable! But then I recalled the chaotic scene: Ning Shixuan vomiting aside due to her aversion to blood, two of the four thugs knocked unconscious on the ground, the other two shrieking, and once the police arrived, the onlookers scattered in panic. Afterward, with the injured being carried away and Ning Shixuan urgently taking her uncle to the hospital for a check-up, the situation became even more hectic. Secretary Liu and Zhang Fengzhen were completely focused on the tearful Ning Shixuan, not sparing me a single glance.

Since they were unaware, I decided to say nothing. "Nowhere. Seeing that nothing else was happening, I ran back to the dorm and slept. Where did you all go? Why are you back so late? Did something else happen?"

Secretary Liu said, "Little Ning's uncle is fine; a bit of medicine and rest for a couple of days will fix him up. However…" Zhang Fengzhen cut in, "However, those guys aren't planning to let us off. The two thugs who were stabbed are shouting at the hospital that they'll chop us up. That scared Little Ning so much she dragged us to her uncle's house to keep him company half the night. We only dared to come back this morning after confirming everything was alright."

I frowned. "Weren't the police there? If those four were arrested, how could they still threaten to attack? You’re truly worrying for nothing."

Zhang Fengzhen spat. "The police know those four guys. Besides, they were injured, so they couldn't be taken away. The police just took some simple statements and left. Do you think these are the police from your capital city, where everyone has to obey the law under the Emperor’s nose? Out here, it’s remote, and the Emperor can't manage things. Their police are the local emperors! Whatever they say goes! You can’t argue!"

The police in the capital city weren't all diligent either; I've encountered many incompetent officers myself. Of course, all those officers have since vanished from my sight. If the police here aren't honest either, I suppose they'll meet the same fate.

Secretary Liu stroked his chin thoughtfully and addressed Ning Shixuan. "I think this matter must be resolved quickly, or it could cause major problems. How about this: I'll mention it to Secretary Ma, and he can instruct Director Xie of the Public Security Bureau to issue a warning to those petty ruffians, telling them to stop bothering your uncle."

This Secretary Liu is truly selfish. Why didn't he suggest the thugs stop bothering me too? Of course, I wasn't afraid of them causing trouble—I was even hoping they would. I just couldn't stand Secretary Liu flattering Ning Shixuan.

Zhang Fengzhen countered, "I think we should hold off on alerting Secretary Ma for now. Otherwise, we don't know what kind of dressing-down he’ll give us. Here's what we do: I have some connections with those people. I’ll organize things and see if I can treat them to a meal and cover some medical expenses, then settle this issue by letting it blow over quietly—a resolution where neither side pursues it further. That’s called spending money to avert disaster. After all, we don't have much time to fight them. If they keep pestering us in the future, who knows when we might suffer a hidden loss."

Ning Shixuan wholeheartedly agreed with this suggestion. "Brother Zhang, I'll leave it all to you then. If it really doesn't work out, we can alert Secretary Ma, or perhaps ask Director Xu from our office. We don't mind spending some money, as long as things don't happen again."

It seems I was a bit too heavy-handed, driving those four guys to madness. But they had better behave themselves, or next time, I might just take their lives!

Zhang Fengzhen went downstairs to find people to grease the wheels. Secretary Liu stood for a moment. "I’m going downstairs to organize some documents. I just started working for Secretary Ma, and there’s a lot to sort out. Call me if anything comes up."

Ning Shixuan nodded, and the corridor was left with just the two of us. I said awkwardly, "I’m sorry about causing you so much trouble. If I had known, I should have just broken up the fight. I didn't realize they were so fragile."

Ning Shixuan, however, looked grateful. "Don't say that. My aunt told me those four guys were attacking my uncle desperately. Luckily, my uncle managed to roll up to protect his vital areas, otherwise, he wouldn't have been so fortunate. It was even luckier that you arrived just in time to save him; otherwise, his bones might have been kicked apart. You just arrived and aren't familiar with the situation here; just try to avoid situations like that in the future. I really should thank you properly. You are enthusiastic and clever; you’d make a great friend."

I gave a self-deprecating laugh. "You call me clever? I just brought huge trouble to your uncle."

Ning Shixuan said, "I wasn't referring to last night. I mean your thoughts on building the beverage factory—your ideas are quite unique and bold."

Mentioning the beverage factory, I said, "You should go back to your room and rest now. You didn't sleep at all last night. I'll go out to inquire about the road to Xiamaquan and collect the samples myself to send to Shimen City for testing."

Ning Shixuan replied, "I've been there. The road conditions are complicated; you probably won't find it easily without a guide. This isn't a big city with street names and house numbers. Since I have nothing else to do anyway, I'll accompany you. Otherwise, if you actually manage to build that beverage factory one day, wouldn't I miss out on the credit?"

Hearing Ning Shixuan say that, I realized I couldn't stop her; otherwise, she might misunderstand that I wanted to take all the credit. So, I agreed. "Alright, with a beautiful companion, even a long road won't feel tiring. I see you have a bicycle; let's ride there."

Ning Shixuan chuckled. "Am I beautiful? You're flattering me. You’ll have to carry me both ways on the return trip. You’re quite heavy; I’m afraid you can’t carry me."

I flexed the muscles on my arm to show Ning Shixuan. "No problem. I have plenty of strength."

"I’ll wash my face and change clothes; wait for me a moment." With that, Ning Shixuan ran back to her room. I was used to girls taking time to put on makeup and change before going out, so I waited.

Half an hour later, Ning Shixuan emerged from her room. The fatigue from staying up all night was completely gone, replaced by a face brimming with youthful spirit. Coupled with her light attire, she truly looked beautiful. Of course, my standard of beauty was based on comparing her to the wives back home, but I figured Ning Shixuan’s looks would certainly count her as one of Liangshan County's prettiest girls.

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