"What's your opinion?"
"Of course, we save the person."
Nan Sheng looked at Liu Song with an expression reserved for hopeless fools. "Only the living can create value and be reformed. What use is a dead person besides digging a hole to bury them? Don’t ask me such stupid questions in the future. Wen Min, report this matter to the County Revolutionary Committee as well. Say that Comrade Yu Gan’s temperament is too violent, and he’s no longer fit for Revolutionary Committee work."
Liu Song felt his heart sink at Nan Sheng’s words. He thought Director Nan was even more ruthless than Director Ou—now, even death wasn’t an option for these exiled individuals! How tragic!
By the time he returned to Qingxi Alley, Deng Jun had already left. The village head, after hearing the relayed message, was silent for a long while.
Under Director Ou’s rule, the people of Sanwei Town had lived in constant fear. Now, with the arrival of the cold-hearted Director Nan, Sanwei Town was truly doomed!
After handling Yang Junzhi’s matter, Liu Song hurried back to the government office to report. It was past lunchtime, and his colleagues were resting. Wen Min spotted him and said, "The canteen saved food for you. Comrade Deng Jun is there too. Don’t rush to report yet—the county just called. Director Nan is busy right now."
This was Nan Sheng’s first phone call with Director Ou, arriving a day earlier than she had anticipated.
Ou: "Director Nan, hello. This is Ou Yaosheng. On behalf of the County Revolutionary Committee, I welcome you!"
Nan Sheng’s voice was noticeably excited, a stark contrast to her calm eyes. "Director Ou? My apologies, I’m just too overwhelmed. You’ve always been someone I deeply admire. I’m thrilled to work under your leadership."
Ou Yaosheng paused. The Nan Sheng he’d heard about was cunning and scheming, no less shrewd than himself. Why did she sound like an overeager rookie now?
"No need for formalities, Director Nan. We’re all serving the people. I just received the town government’s report and wanted to clarify a few points. Is this a good time?"
"Of course! Absolutely!"
Ou: Suddenly, I don’t even feel like asking anymore. When did I gain such an ardent admirer?
"It’s about Yu Gan. Your report states that he disobeyed orders and incited three other staff members to engage in factionalism, correct? How do you suggest I handle him?"
Nan Sheng feigned indignation. "It’s worse than that! Yesterday, he publicly beat an exiled individual half to death for amusement—right in front of the villagers! All the credibility you’ve built in Sanwei Town over the years is being ruined by him!"
Ou: "Is that so? Then he must be severely punished. But why is his recklessness being tied to me?"
Nan Sheng adopted a tone of righteous defense. "Every time he caused trouble, he did it in your name! When the village head reported the incident, he outright asked if you wanted Yang Junzhi dead and said they’d cooperate! If investigators come down, no one will blame Yu Gan for his cruelty—they’ll assume it was all your doing!"
At this, Ou Yaosheng’s tone finally shifted.
After being transferred to the county, he had used the Revolutionary Committee’s unique authority to rival the County Party Secretary. Both men would gladly see the other dead.
He’d just received word that the Secretary had pulled strings to report him to the city, demanding an investigation. Yet Director Nan had uncovered this so quickly—was it coincidence, or did she have unfathomable connections?
Has military influence already infiltrated the government?
"If I recall correctly, Yang Junzhi is an exiled individual in Qingxi Alley, right? How is he now?"
"Don’t worry, Director Ou. I’ve already sent for a doctor. We’ll keep him alive—your reputation won’t suffer because of this!"
After hanging up, Ou Yaosheng fell into deep thought. Regardless of how genuine Nan Sheng’s admiration was, her call had inadvertently solved an urgent problem for him.
The Secretary would surely monitor this call. Once he realized his plan was exposed, the investigation would likely be called off.
Director Nan had stumbled into doing him a favor.
Soon, the county’s decision on Yu Gan was announced. He was stripped of his position as a full staff member and demoted to one of only two probationary workers in the town government.
Notably, the other was Wen Min, who had been working there for less than half a year.
People whispered among themselves, surprised that Director Ou had shown no leniency toward Yu Gan. The punishment was unusually harsh.
Yu Gan took several days of sick leave and still hadn’t returned to work.
Nan Sheng hadn’t been idle either. She cracked down on the town government’s work ethic—late arrivals, early departures, laziness, and poor attitudes were all reprimanded. A stack of self-criticisms piled up on her desk.
The harshest punishment went to the canteen procurement officer, caught substituting inferior goods and embezzling public funds. He was sentenced to five years of labor reform.
The man begged Secretary Cai for help, but the Secretary was in no position to intervene—Nan Sheng had discovered his affair.
If she reported him, he might not even survive.
Just remembering how Nan Sheng had smiled while uttering "Zhang Yingci" made his hair stand on end.
How could someone be so terrifying?
Near the end of the workday, Wen Min and the others submitted all the compiled documents. Nan Sheng rarely gave praise, but this time, she said, "Good job!"
She gave Liu Song a meaningful look. Kicking out the troublemakers and keeping the experienced staff was the right move. They’ve got plenty of useful knowledge.
"Take tomorrow off. Starting the day after, one person will stay on duty while the rest join me in village inspections. It’s time to clean up this town’s atmosphere!"
"Yes, Director!"
After days of working under her, Deng Jun and the others realized that as long as they obeyed, Director Nan wasn’t so bad. She even treated them decently. Their fear had lessened—though her work standards remained strict. They had to stay sharp during office hours.
As Nan Sheng returned to the residential compound, a neighbor called out, "Director Nan, the postman just delivered a whole pile of packages for your family. You should go take a look."
The poor delivery boy had nearly collapsed under the load—it was enough to furnish two households!
And the postage must have cost a fortune. Who in their right mind shipped so much at once?
"Thank you for letting me know. We arrived empty-handed, and with every relative sending a package, it adds up. I’ll head home now."
Had it been anyone else, the military families would’ve crowded in to gawk. But for Battalion Commander Lin’s household?
Better not risk it…
At home, Nan Sheng found the two children sweating as they sorted through the mountain of goods. They’d clearly been at it for a while.
Sizhe reported, "Mom, I think we got extra stuff. There are two whole bundles of cured meat alone. I’ve already put the clothes and bedding in the wardrobes. The rest is just dried vegetables and snacks."
The most outrageous was an entire crate of canned food. Nan Sheng guessed the extras were Xiao Yi’s doing. At least they still had an empty room to store it all.
It's about time I wrote a letter home. It's been over a week since I arrived, and all I've done is make a quick phone call. My relatives and friends must all be wondering how I'm doing.
