Chapter 123: Chapter 123: The Person Behind

Everyone was very unhappy with Wang Dadan, feeling that he had disrupted the village’s peace.

"But if we let them out in a few days, they’ll just keep stirring up trouble," said Zhou Er Gou, the first team leader. "But we can’t just keep them locked up forever!"

"That’s right. After all, Wang Dadan made a mistake, but he didn’t break the law," said Liu Mazi, the second team leader. "We need to get to the root of the problem and solve it. Also, I think Wang Dadan and Li Siming are paying far too much attention to those elderly people. Wang Dadan was the one who brought them to the village in the first place, and afterward, he repeatedly harassed them. Then, before the New Year, we discovered they were often spying on the Dragon King Temple at night. So, I think Wang Dadan and Li Siming might have some other objective."

Hua Yusen listened, inwardly pleased. ’So everyone has figured it out.’

"Yes. Whether it’s Li Siming or Wang Dadan, they’ve been spying on the elderly people in the back," Hua Yusen explained. "I think they might be using these few elders to target Uncle Miao, or even the whole village."

"Ah?" Dong Sanshu jumped in fright. "Mr. Hua, that... Where is that coming from? How did you deduce that?"

"Actually, none of you—not Nianqiao Village, not Miao Dahai, not any of you villagers—hold any real grudge against those people. But Wang Dadan and Li Siming seem to make tormenting them their goal," Hua Yusen explained. "If the higher-ups were to blindly believe Li Siming and Wang Dadan, it would be a disaster for Miao Cunzheng and the elderly folks in the village! The greatest disaster of all would be if Nianqiao Village fell into their hands."

Hua Yusen’s words were like a thunderclap, leaving the village cadres stunned and speechless.

After a good while, Li Guihua finally stammered, "Maybe their target is all of Nianqiao Village, and those few people are just being used as pawns along the way. Wang Dadan has said more than once that he wants Miao’s position, promising he’d make sure the villagers ate well. But everyone just treated it as a joke and didn’t pay it any mind. After all, even people in the city can’t eat meat every day."

Wu Dazhu chimed in, "Wang Dadan has wanted to take his place more than once. And Liu Lanhua has also been saying in private that if she were in charge of women’s affairs, she could serve the villagers much better."

"Heh, how would you know what Liu Lanhua says in private, Big Pillar?" Second team leader Liu Mazi said with a wink, joking, "Could it be you two are..."

"Don’t you go spouting nonsense! I’m innocent!" Wu Dazhu quickly explained. "You scoundrel, Ma Zi, you can’t just run your mouth like that. You know my wife. She’s really outgoing and can talk to anyone in the village. Liu Lanhua told some of the women, and those women told my wife."

Miao Dahai had been silent the whole time, listening to everyone’s discussion.

Hua Yusen looked at Miao Dahai. In Nianqiao Village, Miao Dahai was the stabilizing force. He quickly asked, "Miao Dahai, what are your thoughts? If we all discuss it together, we can surely find a foolproof plan."

"Sigh... I’ve thought about everything you’ve said. I had the same suspicions, and I’ve even tried to confirm them. Your guesses are all correct," Miao Dahai said slowly. "There is indeed someone behind Wang Dadan and Li Siming. It’s easy enough to take them down—after all, they’re from Nianqiao Village, and our villagers are united as one. They won’t listen to their nonsense. But I’m worried..."

"Worried about what?" Li Guihua’s heart was heavy. She kept thinking about the instructions from her son who worked in the city. She was terrified of something going wrong. It wouldn’t matter if they suffered a little, but what if it affected her son’s future at the factory, or even put his life in danger!

"I’m worried that dealing with Wang Dadan and Li Siming is easy—we can send them to prison. But what happens when the people behind them send someone else?" Miao Dahai frowned. "The new people could come from two places. One is from our own village, but after Wang Dadan and Li Siming both failed, their backers probably won’t use our villagers again. That means they will inevitably bring someone in from the outside. Facing an outsider whose background and abilities we don’t know—that’s what’s most dangerous."

Hua Yusen was also taken aback. Miao Dahai’s thinking was so far-sighted, and it coincided perfectly with his own earlier worries.

Once Wang Dadan and Li Siming were no longer useful, those people would definitely send someone else.

That would be the real trouble.

Wu Dazhu slapped his thigh in a moment of sudden realization. "Miao Dahai, you really think of everything! We only saw the surface, thinking everything would be fine once we took down Wang Dadan and Li Siming. We never thought that far ahead!"

"Yes, yes," Dong Sanshu and the others sighed in admiration. No wonder Miao Dahai was so capable and had been able to serve Nianqiao Village for so many years. While they were just figuring out what was happening, Miao Dahai had already thought through the consequences.

He took one step but saw three.

Hua Yusen nodded. "Yes, it’s the unknown people and events that are the most frightening. So, should we just lock up Wang Dadan and Li Siming for a few days and then let them go?"

"Mm, for now, that’s all we can do," Miao Cunzheng nodded, taking a sip of hot tea. "However, I’m going to the county seat tomorrow to report on the ideological work in Nianqiao Village. We’re in the right on this matter, so we need to make our case. We can’t just suffer this injustice in silence."

"That’s one way to do it," Hua Yusen agreed. "Uncle Miao, don’t worry. I spoke with those elderly folks earlier, and they’re willing to cooperate with your report. By the way, here are their thought reports. Combined with the labor statistics from Accountant Dong, this should be excellent material to make your report more convincing."

Miao Dahai was overjoyed. He accepted the thought reports Hua Yusen brought over. Added to the several reports that each person had written before, it was more than enough. He nodded and said, "Good. I’ll write it up later."

After the meeting, everyone felt a sense of unease.

They were uncertain about the future, but they were also thankful that the village had someone like Miao Dahai.

Zhao Nuanyue overheard the entire conversation and sighed inwardly. She felt that things were not as simple as they seemed on the surface, and that more trouble was to come.

When Hua Yusen returned, he privately told Zhao Nuanyue the gist of it that night.

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