The Grain Bureau?
Luo Xiaoxuan couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement—this was a real job at last. It seemed he no longer had to deal with those fake reports.
Through Aunt Zhuang’s account, he gradually pieced together the whole story. Aunt Zhuang had only one son, named Lu Wei. He never liked studying and enlisted in the army early on.
Fortunately, the military district wasn’t far from home, so they could see each other a few times a year. But the good times didn’t last. To earn merit, Lu Wei went deep behind enemy lines, where he was seriously wounded and left disabled.
When he was discharged, he had just been promoted to company commander. Because of his outstanding performance, the military district leaders personally escorted him home and promised his parents they would take care of his future.
True to their word, the leaders didn’t renege. Lu Wei soon landed a respectable job at the Grain Bureau and even got married and had children.
“My son is a grain inspector. He’s so diligent at work that he’s gotten in Fat Lu’s way. Fat Lu keeps yelling to have Lu Wei fired. Does he even have the authority? My son is a hero!”
Aunt Zhuang was confident the military district would stand by her family. She was determined to make a scene at the government office. If that didn’t work, she’d go cry in front of the military district’s gates.
She was willing to risk her life—there was no way she’d let Fat Lu get away with this!
“Auntie, you should go home for now. Give me a few days—I promise I’ll get you an answer!”
Aunt Zhuang hesitated, “Young man, you’re not just sending me away and then forgetting about this, right? Because if that’s the case, I’ll just come back and make a fuss again!”
“No, even if you don’t trust me, you have to trust Director Nan. Her husband is a regiment commander in the military district. He’ll definitely fight for Lu Wei’s justice!”
The moment the military district was mentioned, Aunt Zhuang’s attitude shifted instantly—she became excited and warm. “Really? Your director is a military wife? Who’s her husband, the regiment commander?”
“He’s Deputy Regiment Commander Lin Han. When you go back, you can ask Lu Wei if such a person exists.”
When Aunt Zhuang had arrived earlier, she had unleashed a torrent of curses. Shortly after she was taken upstairs, Director Lu received the news and paced furiously in his office.
“She sure knows how to stir up trouble. It’s been over an hour and she still hasn’t come out?”
The Grain Bureau was mainly responsible for implementing national grain policies, managing grain procurement and supply, and supervising the grain market.
Director Lu had been in his position for over two years. He started out diligent but had since grown complacent, spoiled by all the praise.
His position was lucrative, and everyone below took their cues from him. Yet, he had one exception: Lu Wei, a real rebel.
He had tolerated Lu Wei for a long time because he was a veteran, but Lu Wei kept defying him, showing no respect. While others relaxed a bit to keep things smooth, Lu Wei made things harder and forced Director Lu to expend extra effort.
A few days ago, Director Lu finally lost his temper and laid hands on Lu Wei, even sending him home. The intent was to make him reflect and stop being so uncooperative. But Lu Wei’s mother came storming in and made a scene, leaving Director Lu’s face bruised and him uttering harsh words.
Now, looking back, he felt some regret. Lu Wei was a veteran, and dragging the military district into this made the matter even more serious.
“Don’t worry, Director. We’ve got people watching her closely. The moment she steps out, we’ll follow her home and make sure she changes her tune. It won’t affect your work, I promise.”
“Mm, try playing the emotional card with Lu Wei. He’s stubborn—not someone you can just buy off with money. Just tell him I realize my mistake and that from now on, I’ll follow the rules. We need him back at work as soon as possible.”
When Luo Xiaoxuan was seeing Aunt Zhuang downstairs, the two groups he had called arrived. Their performance in the lobby was nothing short of over-the-top—like actors on stage, neither crying nor laughing convincingly.
Seeing this, Aunt Zhuang quickly said, “No need to send me off. I’ll stay and watch the show for a while.”
Luo Xiaoxuan: …
Not worried about your son anymore, huh? How come you’re so fond of watching chaos?
He dragged the troublemakers upstairs, half pulling, half dragging them along. They were still feeling pretty pleased with themselves, even asking Luo Xiaoxuan how well they performed.
Luo Xiaoxuan: “Excellent! Thank you all!”
He followed procedure, making everyone write down their statements. After releasing one group every half hour, and an hour later, the office finally quieted down. Then he went to report to Nan Sheng, mainly to discuss Lu Wei’s situation.
“A veteran?”
Nan Sheng’s gaze sharpened considerably. “Then go to the Lu family right now and start the investigation according to protocol. Don’t worry about the Grain Bureau. Once there’s solid evidence, arrest immediately.”
The Grain Bureau could be her first big win since transferring to the county government. This battle had to be won spectacularly!
Liu Song was also in the office. Before Luo Xiaoxuan arrived, he had been discussing with Nan Sheng the fates of several township secretaries and how to handle them.
“Let’s release everyone except Jiang Lin. For those caught with evidence, immediately issue county-wide notices of criticism. Don’t give them time to defend themselves. For now, those township secretaries probably won’t dare cause trouble again.”
Liu Song agreed. He could clearly feel that while the disciplinary committee’s pressure had eased, other departments were inexplicably tense—and this change happened simply because the director was back.
This woman was so formidable you’d forget her gender. Her people felt reassured; her enemies could only hope for mercy when facing the director.
After work today, Nan Sheng was too exhausted to go to the hospital. She went straight to bed to rest. The two kids, worried about their mother, patted her arms and legs gently.
Before long, she fell asleep.
Before Nan Sheng got home, Siqi had been planning to go to the hospital. But seeing how tired Nan Sheng was, she completely forgot about her father.
Poor Lin Han had been on his best behavior at the hospital all day, but hadn’t even caught a glimpse of his wife.
Looking out the window, Lin Han was lost in thought. Little Hou advised, “Captain Lin, you should get some rest. Your wife didn’t bring the kids over at this hour—she’s probably resting at home. Government work is tough.”
Even Little Hou thought Lin Han was a bit too clingy. Not seeing his wife for a day—was it really necessary to look so desperate?
Lin Han didn’t bother responding to someone without a wife. He knew his wife’s work was hard and didn’t insist on seeing her every day. But did he have no right to miss her?
He snapped grumpily, “Turn off the lights!”
Hey, dreaming’s the only thing I’m allowed, right?
After a whole night’s sleep, Lin Han felt especially refreshed and insisted on taking a stroll downstairs. As luck would have it, Nan Sheng had also gone to bed early the previous night and woke up early as well. So, the whole family ended up meeting right outside the hospital, looking bright-eyed and lively.
Lin Han was quite amusing—his first reaction upon seeing Nan Sheng was to turn around and run off. Nan Sheng didn’t dare to chase after him but wore a teasing, almost-smiling expression.
Sizhe glanced at their mother’s face and firmly took her side, scolding, “Dad really went too far—injured and still running around. You can’t let him get away with this habit.”
Siqi quickly chimed in, “Exactly! Dad’s being naughty. Mom, you can give him a slap, just like you did to big brother!”
Sizhe thought to himself, Luckily it’s a little sister and not a little brother—otherwise, he might have been beaten to death. So annoying!
Little Hou was a bit puzzled when he saw Lin Han rush back to the ward like the wind. Why did the commander just go downstairs and come back so quickly? Was the injury okay?
Before he could even ask, he saw Lin Han change back into his hospital gown at lightning speed, then obediently lie down on the bed and close his eyes to sleep.
Little Hou: ?
