Chapter 449: Chapter 442: The He Demon Rises to Power
In fact, the person who took action wasn’t Hu Dingkun, but his good friend and subordinate, Xu Menglai. Learning about Sisi’s high-profile banquet for the entire school staff and students and thinking of her usual dressing style and behavior, he came up with the idea that Tian Xinhua might be involved in corruption.
Therefore, he arranged for someone to anonymously write that accusation letter. If Tian Xinhua had indeed embezzled money, that would be great—they could take him down in one fell swoop. If not, at the very least they would disrupt Tian Xinhua’s plans. Plus, from what he saw, Tian Xinhua’s wife was not the sharpest tool in the shed; maybe the Disciplinary Committee would even manage to catch her slipping up!
Xu Menglai knew all too well that those guys at the Disciplinary Committee were especially good at setting traps. He was very proud of himself for coming up with this idea and sat in his office, eagerly awaiting good news from the Disciplinary Committee.
However, he didn’t receive the good news he was expecting; instead, Hu Dingkun entered his office with a grim face.
"Old Xu, you’re the one who had the accusation letter written," Hu Dingkun stated with certainty.
Xu Menglai raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Yes, so what about it? Tian Xinhua must be locked up by the Disciplinary Committee by now, right?"
"Locked up my ass, he just gave me his regards a moment ago!" Hu Dingkun said irritably.
Xu Menglai expressed his shock, "How is that possible? His wife dresses up like a movie star every day, how can his salary be enough to afford all that?"
"How can it not be enough? Her father is none other than the well-known owner of He Family Winery. And Tian Xinhua’s own family has businesses too. His wife said they are not short of money," explained Hu Dingkun.
This clearly demonstrated Hu Dingkun’s significant control over Huangyuan County; he was already aware of things that had only just happened at noon by the afternoon.
"He Family Wine? He Sisi? Damn it, Tian Xinhua is really one lucky bastard, his wife is not only rich but also beautiful," Xu Menglai said with a mix of envy and resentment.
"Luckily, Tian Xinhua doesn’t know that you are the one who orchestrated the accusation letter. Old Xu, from now on, you should consult with me before you do anything. Like this time, we ended up in a very passive situation."
Hu Dingkun was very dissatisfied with Xu Menglai, who had taken action on several occasions in recent years without consulting him.
Over the years, he had grown accustomed to their working method, where he made the plans and Xu Menglai executed them. This sudden move made him uncomfortable and caused a few grievances towards Xu Menglai, feeling his friend was not giving him due consideration.
"Got it, it was just a minor issue!"
Xu Menglai replied nonchalantly, but in reality, he was also dissatisfied. He didn’t lack ability or brains, so why should he always have to follow Hu Dingkun’s orders?
What neither of these self-proclaimed ’brothers’ swore to each other—pledges of lifelong loyalty and solidarity—realized was that a fine crack had appeared in their once unbreakable friendship. It was very thin, very fine, but with the passage of time, this crack would ultimately become a chasm.
The issue with the Disciplinary Committee ended without consequence, because it was carried out discreetly, hence no one at the County Committee Building even knew it occurred. This actually made Sisi less annoyed with the people from the Disciplinary Committee and led her to believe that not all of them were as brainless as Wu Yun.
As for who made the accusation, Tian Xinhua claimed to have a pretty good idea and told Sisi not to worry.
Certainly, Sisi was not worried; her husband had been personally groomed by the sly Old Man Yun, how could he possibly not outwit a few local grasshoppers!
The easy-going Sisi continued to live her privileged bourgeois lifestyle happily, and after the event, she actually did send two pounds of fine tea leaves to the Disciplinary Committee office as a personal gift to Mr. Li from the Disciplinary Committee.
After presenting the tea, Sisi made a point to complain, "Mr. Li, that Wu Yun from the supervision office is really something... I’m quite baffled at how such a brainless person could work in such an important department like the Disciplinary Committee. Aren’t you worried about wrongful cases happening because of this?"
Just because Wu Yun treated her as a suspect that day, she certainly wouldn’t let Wu Yun off the hook easily; He Sisi had always been vindictive, instantly seeking revenge. None of that nonsense about "a gentleman’s revenge is not too late even after ten years" for her.
Afterwards, Sisi even made a special trip to the Disciplinary Committee to investigate and found out that Wu Yun had been sent to the grassroots level for training, which made Sisi quite satisfied. She curled her lips up into a smile, shared the pastries she brought with the people in the office, and left cheerfully.
From then on, there was a new rumor floating around the County Committee Building—that the Deputy Secretary’s Wife was not only formidable in a fight, but also held grudges and mustn’t be trifled with.
Everyone was saying, "Down goes Wu Dalang, up comes He Demon," and naturally, the little devil was more formidable than the big wolf.
As a result, the family members of the County Committee treated Sisi with even more politeness than they did Wu’s sister-in-law.
Sisi was oblivious to these rumors behind her back, and even if she knew, it wouldn’t matter. She didn’t want any kind of good reputation for being amiable and gentle. Although for Tian Xinhua, having a gentle and honest wife might have been more suitable.
But she really couldn’t do it. Playing the role of a virtuous wife for a time was one thing, but to keep up the act for decades would be worse than death for her. She didn’t want to torment herself that way, and luckily, Tian Xinhua didn’t expect her to play the part of a virtuous wife either; he just wanted her to be happy.
And so, she was going to be a unique leader’s spouse!
April passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, May Day arrived. In those days, May Day didn’t come with an extended holiday; offices only gave a one-day break, and the holiday schedule wasn’t shifted around—it was what it was.
Principal Gu of the Teacher’s College was quite progressive, though. This year May Day fell on a Tuesday, so he compensated for Monday by using up half of Saturday and half of Sunday, allowing the teachers and students to have a two and a half day break. Sisi was over the moon with joy, determined to take advantage of it and have a good time.
Sisi had already made plans with Liu Shanxing and Liu Qingtao, two female students, to visit their home. They lived in Liu Village in Litu Town, a place Sisi had never been to, and Tian Xinhua said he’d take her there on Sunday as he’d be off work, and it could double as a rural inspection trip.
Sisi had no classes on Sunday, so like a holiday, she and Tian Xinhua slept in until broad daylight, finally getting up only when Old Xu knocked on their door.
Old Xu, whose real name was Xu Pinwen, seemed quite mature for his age, but in reality, he was only twenty-eight, a proud bachelor at that.
Because he was a bachelor, having a holiday or not really didn’t make any difference to him. So, when he heard that the boss was going for a rural jaunt, he shamelessly volunteered to be the chauffeur.
Litu Town’s terrain was flatter compared to Mijia Town, and the greenery here seemed more plentiful as well, probably because the local leadership prioritized green initiatives.
Xu Pinwen was quite familiar with the roads around here, making a series of turns, he quickly brought them into Liu Village. At the entrance of the village was a lush tree, draped with strands of tender green fruits, a soothing sight to behold.
"What is this? It looks a bit like locust flowers, but not quite." Sisi pointed at the tree and asked.
"It’s elm seeds, now’s just the time to eat them," Xu Pinwen glanced at it and said.
Sisi’s eyes lit up. In junior high, she remembered reading a text called "Elm Seed Rice." The author depicted elm seeds as so deliciously irresistible, she must’ve read the text dozens of times that semester, craving to try the taste of elm seed rice for herself.
But elm trees were absent in the south, and thus, there were no elm seeds. Her wish from her former life was unfulfilled right until her death. She hadn’t expected to now be faced with such a large elm tree full of seeds!
Thank you, God!
Finally, she could taste the legendary elm seed rice!