Du Jian put down the phone and saw that Zhou Xiaozhou's forehead was already sweating, saying: "The county has decided to send an investigation team to investigate Lu Xiaoshan. Is it sudden?"

  Zhou Xiaozhou's heart was already racing, he hadn't expected the situation to suddenly turn out like this before pushing open Du Jian's office door. He hadn't thought things would be so serious, nor had he expected Du Jian to step on Lu Xiaoshan without hesitation.

  Zhou Xiaozhou suddenly realized that Du Jian's suggestion that he voluntarily resign as the head of the Education Office was a sincere remark.

  "Should I go find Secretary Shen and apologize now?" Zhou Xiaozhou asked uncertainly.

  Du Jian nodded, he also wanted to make it clear to Zhou Xiaozhou.

  Zhou Xiaozhou took the initiative to admit his mistake, which also benefited him. As for what happened today, let Lu Xiaoshan bear all the consequences. He didn't expect that even a safe retreat would be blocked.

  Du Jianyuan thought that even if Shen Huai had Tan Qiping, the secretary of the municipal party committee, as a backer, his position in Tan Qiping's mind would not be very high. However, from the situation where Tan Qiping accompanied the senior executives of Yeshin Bank to inspect Meixi Steel Plant yesterday, Du Jianyuan realized that he might have been wrong.

  Now that Tao Jixing has made this call, Du Jianen is sure he was wrong: Shen Hua's position in Tan Qiping's mind, or Shen Hua's position in the circle of municipal party secretaries, must be higher than he previously imagined.

  Tan Qiping has been serving as the municipal party secretary of Donghua for two months, and there is still no movement, but it will not always be without movement.

  What options does Tao Jixing have to avoid being adjusted in the upcoming personnel adjustment that is likely to come soon?

  Tao Jixing's previous backer was Wu Haifeng, who was the former municipal party secretary. Although he served as the director of the Municipal People's Congress, he had gradually become marginalized in the Donghua government circles. Between Tan Qiping and Gao Tianhe, Tao Jixing would have to make a positive response to Tan Qiping, at least not leaving any handles for Tan Qiping to settle accounts with him after autumn.

  "What if Secretary Shen refuses to forgive me?" Zhou Xiaozhou thought of the fate that Lu Xiaoshan was about to face, and his heart was filled with fear.

  "Secretary Shen is not a person who doesn't understand emotions, don't worry about anything and don't have any illusions, just admit your mistakes," Du Jian said. "The county investigation team will arrive soon, it's almost dark now, Huang Xinliang is in the city, accompany me to receive him."

  Zhou Xiaozhou walked out and came back soon, looking gloomy and said: "Secretary Shen went to the steel factory..."

  Du Jian let out a light sigh, picked up the phone and dialed Shen Huai's number. After it went straight to voicemail, he hung up and dialed the steel factory's phone number instead. When Shen Huai answered, Du Jian said, "Secretary Shen, this is Du Jian. Principal Zhou is here with me reflecting on his mistakes. Yes, that's right, Zhou Xiaozhou. Given the severity of today's incident, I must take responsibility. I just finished discussing it with Secretary Tao, but the school also bears a great deal of responsibility. As principal, Zhou Xiaozhou failed to protect the teachers and students, which is dereliction of duty. He has come to realize this point and wants to make amends with you, but since he couldn't find you in person, he's currently in my office reflecting on his mistakes and wants to resign as head of the town education bureau. I think that since the county entrusted Meicun Middle School to the town for management, the town should take responsibility for managing it. At present, it seems Zhou Xiaozhou is no longer suitable for the position of head of the education bureau... Alright, alright, we'll discuss this further at tomorrow's party-politics meeting. I'll have Zhou Xiaozhou make a deeper self-criticism at tomorrow's meeting."

  Du Jian put down the phone and said to Zhou Xiaozhou: "You also call Director Wang's side and make a self-examination, hit yourself with a board, after all, it will be lighter..."

  Zhou Xiaozhou nodded and said, "I'll go to Director Wang's place tonight to discuss it." Having made up his mind to leave this troublesome place, even if he escaped this disaster, Shen Hua had already looked down on him. Who knows what would happen in the future? He might still be given a hard time. But thinking about it again, he wasn't willing to give up. Mei Xi Middle School was rotten, but it was still a full-time middle school, one of the six remaining in the county after the merger with vocational high schools. If he left Mei Xi Middle School voluntarily, where would he find another position?

  *************

  Perhaps it was Kuang Xuetao who put pressure on the Xiapu County Public Security Bureau, and the Xiapu County Public Security Bureau reported the matter to County Party Secretary Tao Jixing, and then Tao Jixing found Du Jian's reason?

  Shen Hua thought about the mystery behind him, hung up the phone, and said to Shao Zheng outside his office: "Later you'll find a car to send me to the city to visit the two teachers and students who were injured today..."

  Passat drove away with Chu Qiang, Shen Hui didn't want to directly intervene in the specific investigation of the case anymore, but Xiao Li insisted on staying at the hospital to watch over her classmates and teacher. He would go to the hospital with Chen Dan that night and pick up Xiao Li on the way back. He knew that although Xiao Li hadn't been hurt, she had been scared out of her wits and needed psychological counseling.

  Shen Hua had dinner at the steel plant canteen and then asked Shao Zheng to drive him to Zhuxi Hotel to pick up Chen Dan, and then headed back to the city. Zhuxi Hotel has been operating for a month since its trial operation, and it's gradually getting on track. Chen Dan doesn't need to keep an eye on the hotel all the time anymore.

  Yang Chengming and Kou Xuan have been sent to a separate ward for observation after emergency treatment. Shen Hua and Chen Dan walked in, while Huang Xinliang, Guo Quan, Chu Qiang, as well as Yang Chengming and Kou Xuan's family members were still waiting there, with two teachers from the school also present.

  Shen Hua let Chen Dan go to the ward first to find Xiao Li, and he was talking with Huang Xinliang, Guo Quan, Chu Qiang and two teachers from the school in the corridor: "Xiao Chu, you send Director Huang back first, tonight Old Guo will be guarding, we must ensure that the situation stabilizes, has the medical expenses been paid in full?" The Municipal People's Hospital would not give face to Mei Xi Town, if the medical expenses are not paid in full, they will stop treatment and drive people away.

  "He Qinglong temporarily let the finance department send over 200,000 yuan, and there's no problem for now," Huang Xinliang said. He was also thinking about what happened last night when he drove Shen Hua away, hoping that Shen Hua could see his performance today, but in his heart, he felt that the hope was slim, and he didn't have the support to stay overnight.

  "After the situation stabilizes, I'll go to the town hospital for further treatment," Shen Hua said. "The school can just leave one person here, and in a few days, it's time for the final exams, so the teachers are also very busy."

  Two teachers discussed and finally the middle-aged female teacher decided to stay, after all, Kou Xiang's family only had her elderly grandfather in the hospital, if Kou Xiang needed to get up at night to use the bathroom, it would be more convenient to have a woman take care of her.

  Shen Huai went to the advanced ward to see Yang Chengming, who had a fractured zygomatic bone, nasal bone and concussion. He hadn't seen him clearly in school before, but now Yang Chengming's face was wrapped in gauze, he had been given anesthesia and was still asleep. However, looking at his wife, Shen Huai knew that Yang Chengming couldn't be too old, probably around 35 or 36 years old.

  Apart from Yang Chengming's wife, there were also many of his relatives in the ward.

  Shen Huai walked in, they looked at him young, without any reaction; Huang Xinliang said that the town's Shen Secretary came to visit them, and they all surrounded him with righteous indignation, demanding justice.

  "The hooligans who beat up Teacher Yang have been caught by the Municipal Public Security Bureau and are under investigation. You reported that the hooligan who beat someone is a relative of the head of the town police station, and both the town and county governments know about it. The county government has decided to suspend the head of the police station first and then investigate. If any problems are found, they will not be covered up. Teacher Yang bravely protected his students and fought against the bad youth in society. Both the town and school will give him an award. Now we are doing our best to treat him and ensure that he does not have any aftereffects..."

  "You don't know, Secretary Shen was the first one to rush out and save Teacher Yang, he definitely won't just sit back and do nothing about this matter." Huang Xinliang added in a flattering tone.

  Shen Huai then comforted Yang Chengming's wife and the excited family members with some words, and went to the next ward to see the injured female student Kou Xuan.

  In the afternoon, Shen Huai heard from Xiao Li that this girl's father had passed away and her mother had abandoned her to run off with another man. Now she relies on her grandfather for survival.

  Kou Xuan's grandfather was a bamboo craftsman in the town. Shen Hui had an impression of him, occasionally seeing him carrying baskets and other bamboo products along the village to sell, everyone called him "Old Kou" or "Old Man Kou". It had been several years since Shen Hui saw Old Kou, now he looked old and frail, his hair was gray, Shen Hui thought he must be over seventy years old, still having to support his underage granddaughter, his waist was also bent by the hardships of life.

  Kou Lao came in, scolding his granddaughter Kou Xuan for being disobedient and not listening to him. She didn't study at school but instead hung out with young people from society, causing today's trouble, speaking with spittle flying everywhere.

  Shen Huai had heard from Xiao Li that Kou Xuan was not a troublemaker, but rather she and her grandfather were dependent on each other for survival and were truly impoverished. The village and town did not provide any relief, and even the tuition fees for high school were not exempt (in 1993, Mei Xi High School's miscellaneous fees had risen to 370 yuan per year, which was a huge burden for poor families). Kou Xuan could not afford to drop out of school to find work, so she had no choice but to work part-time at the town's billiard room to earn tuition and living expenses, inevitably coming into contact with some hoodlums who hung out there all day.

  Kou Xuan's face was half swollen, but not bandaged, so there shouldn't be any major issues. It could be seen that she was a pretty girl with a delicate complexion. Now her body was very weak, and her big eyes had no sparkle, but her temperament looked very stubborn. Even when her grandfather scolded her until he was red in the face, she just bit her pale lips and didn't make a sound.

  Looking at the scene in the ward, Shen Huan also stopped making any official tones, walked over and patted Xiao Li's shoulder, saying: "I just asked the doctor, your classmate's injury is relatively more stable than Yang teacher's, may need to spend some time on the hospital bed during winter break, nothing else to worry about..."

  Shen Hua asked Chu Qiang and Shao Zheng to drive Yang Chengming's family back home first, and then let Yang Chengming's wife stay behind to take care of him. The hospital room could only add a small bed for nursing, Guo Quan wanted to stay, he could squeeze in with Kou Jing's grandfather on the small bed, the female teacher squeezed in with Yang Chengming's wife, Xiao Li wanted to stay but there was no place for her to spend the night.

  Shen Huai and Chen Dan accompanied Xiao Li in the hospital room until very late, until Yang Chengming's anesthesia wore off, they talked and confirmed that his injury was stable, then the three of them were sent back to town by Shao Zheng.

  The county public security bureau has sent people to come over, Du Jian's attitude is also very clear, Lu Xiaoshan immediately stopped working and temporarily let Zheng, the instructor, take charge of the affairs. Li Feng also arranged for the joint defense team to focus on checking the town's table tennis room, game room and video hall.

  Shen Huai didn't have the mood to ask about these things for the time being either.

  Today's events also scared Xiao Li, and when they returned to the town, Chen Dan didn't dare leave Xiao Li alone in the house. She helped Shen Huai boil hot water and brought it over, and finally threw those two boxes of condoms at him, scolding him: "You damn lecher!"

  Shen Hua could only watch as two boxes of condoms lay unused.

  Woke up with a covered head until the sky was bright, heard Little Li across the door teasing Jinzi for a while before going to school. Shen Huan looked at the alarm clock and saw that it was still early, so he lay in bed thinking of how to trick Chen Dan into doing what they didn't finish last night.