Chapter 18: Great Chaos in the Honey Garden

  After sending Sun Jie away, at the end of work hours, Director Cai Jin of the Industrial and Commercial Bureau suddenly appeared, smiling and saying he wanted to treat them to a meal, and have a few drinks with Lu Zhong.

  Cai Jin is the nominal head of the Strike Office, but in terms of business operations, it is actually Vice Director Wang Donglei who is in charge. Normally, Old Cai doesn't come to this side at all and has no contact with Lu Zhong either.

  Lao Cai invited Lu Zhong to dinner, and he knew that he wouldn't come to the Sanbao Hall for nothing, so he also wanted to hear what Lao Cai had found him for.

  In Guangning, there are now several privately run restaurants, among which one called "Dongmi Garden" is the most famous. It's said that the boss has been to Shenzhen and even gone abroad to Hong Kong, so he's seen a lot and knows a lot, and therefore the restaurant's decor has a lot of atmosphere, and it quickly became well-known. Actually, just from the name you can tell, nowadays in mainland China, restaurants are always called something like "xx Restaurant", such as "Victory Restaurant" or "Peace Restaurant", it seems that if they don't have the two words "Restaurant" nobody would know this is a place to eat, but his restaurant is different from all the others.

  Lu Zhong and Old Cai arrived at the Dong Mi Garden, where they took a luxurious room on the second floor. Old Cai wore his business attire as usual, and soon the boss came over to offer them wine. It turned out that Old Cai knew him too, and after introducing Lu Zhong, he exchanged a few words with him in a somewhat indifferent tone before sending him away.

  Merchants of later generations, although still mostly attached to the big trees of some officials, have at least gained a certain status, but now the power of dictatorship is still very terrifying.

  Lu Zhong and Old Cai were chatting all over the sky, gradually, they talked about work, Old Cai sipped his wine, smiled and said: "Comrade Police Commissioner, it's almost mid-year, our task is heavy this year, there are tens of thousands of goods seized, but we haven't caught a few criminals, just some small fry!" When he said this, the glint in his small eyes flickered.

  Lu Zhong knew that most of the things he did had reached his ears. In fact, not only after he became the deputy director of the Strike Office and turned a blind eye, but also in the past when he was caught as a second-hand trafficker, as long as there was no formal written record, he would let it go if possible. After all, in another year or two, the focus of the national Strike Office's work would shift to combating smuggling, and Wushan, as a coastal open city, would only change earlier.

  It's just that at this critical moment, those who get caught might be sentenced to 8-10 years in prison, but the next moment, they become normal business activities to boost the economy. Are these second-hand dealers wronged? Moreover, although policy directions may change, once convicted, most will still end up serving time, and even if they are lucky, it's just a reduction of sentence, now there is no national compensation.

  And among those who first dared to start a business, how many were not capable people?

  So Lu Zhong did not "suppress" them, but instead spent all day thinking of ways to get them off the hook and legitimize their business activities.

  Lu Zhong did not know that his kindness would eventually lead to the rise of the so-called "Guangning Gang", a group of merchants and capitalists from Guangning, who would shake the Chinese world. As the benefactor of this Guangning Gang, he naturally had to face the storms and rains, favors and grudges that lay ahead with them.

  Lu Zhong is now thinking about how to deal with Old Cai, but ten years ago, Old Cai was an expert at catching speculators and profiteers. It's not easy to fool him. Speaking of which, the heads of the county bureau are all seasoned veterans who have been tempered through many years of political struggle. Don't be fooled by their rough appearance or loud voices - they may look like peasants, but if you offend them, you'll be left with nothing but regret and won't even know what hit you.

  However, since Old Cai can call himself out to eat this meal, he should not have any malicious intentions. Otherwise, even if he wanted to invite him to dinner, he would be afraid of being rejected. The two of them eating alone is a completely different matter from the formal dinner gatherings.

  Lu Zhong put down the dish, thought for a moment and said: "Director Cai, I know you care about me, but if I had to say it, what exactly is the central government reforming? Revitalizing the economy comes first. To revitalize the economy, goods must circulate, and this circulation will eventually be legalized. Don't you think so?"

  Cai Jin was taken aback for a moment. Before Lu Zhong came to strike, he naturally had to thoroughly investigate the situation, so the three words "Lu Gang Tou" were already familiar to him. However, he didn't expect that this Gang Tou would open his mouth and talk about economics, talking about revitalization, which made people's hearts feel a little strange.

  However, Lu Zhong was somewhat skeptical of this, but Lu Zhong was indeed too young. Although he had suffered a small setback, he had been able to crack the 516 case, and it seemed that he had some potential, and his future prospects were not to be underestimated. Therefore, he did not want to easily offend this young political commissar. After all, Cai Jin was a native of Guangning, who knew when he might need to ask for help from him in the future? In the public security system, those who could be won over would naturally be won over - there were only advantages and no disadvantages.

  So Cai Jin just smiled and said, "No matter how the policy changes in the future, we still have to follow the tone of the province and city for now." He didn't say anything more, what needed to be said had been said. If something happens in the future, don't implicate yourself, anyway it's your business, I didn't hear or see anything.

  With a full stomach, the restaurant service staff brought up melon seed tea water again. Lu Zhong and Cai Jin chatted idly about everything under the sun. Although Lu Zhong didn't intentionally show off, the occasional flashes of cleverness still left Cai Jin puzzled - wasn't he supposed to be a rustic bumpkin? How come he seemed so worldly-wise and profound?

  We were chatting when suddenly we heard a commotion coming from outside, getting louder and closer, the waiter's screams, plates shattering, all sorts of noises mixed together.

  Lu Zhong furrowed his brow and said: "What's going on?" He was about to get up and go out to take a look, as he was in charge of the public security department and had to ensure peace and stability in the area.

  Who knew that the sound was coming from this direction? Then, a woman's hoarse voice shouted: "Where is it? Say, where?" followed by the sound of slapping, as if someone was fighting.

  Lao Cai's face suddenly changed, and Lu Zhong caught a glimpse of it.

  The door curtain was lifted, and five or six people rushed in. Four or five old women were pushing and shoving a young woman who looked like a daughter-in-law, someone grabbed her hair, someone pulled her clothes, the young woman's hair was disheveled, her clothes were messy, she was trembling with fear. Next to her was the only man, Wang, the boss of "Dongmi Garden", he was trying to persuade her, accompanying his words with a smile, but also with some hidden anger.

  The female soldiers who made a big noise in the "Dongmi Garden" were led by a tall and robust woman, who was extremely fierce. As soon as she entered the house and saw Old Cai and Lu Zhong, she shouted loudly with a hoarse voice: "You damned old Cai! Didn't you promise me not to come to this den of foxes? I've seen through you! Your words are just farting!" As she spoke, she began to squeeze her eyebrows and wipe away tears. It seems that no matter how rough a woman is, she knows how to use tears as a weapon. However, some people find it heartbreaking when they see this, while others find it annoying. There's no doubt that the current situation belongs to the latter.

  The old woman who was shouting at Cai was his original wife, while the young woman whose hair was being pulled by Mrs. Cai was Wang's second wife, surnamed Dong. When Mrs. Cai called her a "fox spirit", Wang's male blood finally rose up in anger and he said: "Your words are too unpleasant!"

  "Shut up! You turtle egg!" Madam Cai turned around and scolded him, her eyes bulging like copper bells.

  Looking at Mrs. Cai, who was as fierce as a tigress, Boss Wang's momentum suddenly weakened. He had heard that when Director Cai was in trouble and contracted dysentery, if it weren't for Mrs. Cai's unwavering dedication, Director Cai would have probably passed away long ago. After implementing the policy, Director Cai's career continued to soar, but he couldn't even stand up straight in front of Mrs. Cai, a true example of a hen-pecked husband.

  "That's enough!" Old Cai slammed his hand on the table, his face turning green with rage.

  Lu Zhong saw this and roughly understood what was going on, hurriedly laughing and inserting himself between the two people, "Sister-in-law, listen to me, it's just a misunderstanding..."

  Mrs. Cai was furious, biting whoever she could, glaring viciously at Lu Zhong, "Get out of my sight! Do you have a place to speak?! Have you grown bolder?!" She naturally thought this young man was a follower and bootlicker of her family's mouthpiece.

  "This is outrageous! You're being utterly unreasonable!" Old Cai pointed at Mrs. Cai, so angry that he could hardly get the words out, "Get back here! Get out of my sight!"

  Wang boss whispered to Mrs. Cai on the side: "This is Lu Zhengwei from the County Public Security Bureau."

  "Ah?" Mrs. Cai was stunned, looking up and down at Lu Zhong.

  "Alright, let go, let go! Sister-in-law, come sit over here. You few, go wait in the room next door first! Do you know it's against the law to hit people randomly? If you don't leave, I'll have all of you detained!" Lu Zhēn frowned at the helpers brought by Cai Furen, guessing they were probably Cai Furen's relatives from her maternal family.

  They were all rural women, because Mrs. Cai had been bullying Old Cai for years, so no matter how much Old Cai shouted and yelled outside, these relatives at home were not afraid of him, but when they heard that the person in front was a big official from the Public Security Bureau, they all became timid and retreated one after another.

  Lu Zhong gave Boss Wang a signal, and Boss Wang led the women to an adjacent room. Only then did Madam Li leave with tears in her eyes.

  "Sister-in-law, calm down. It was I who suggested coming here for this meal today, it has nothing to do with Director Cai." Lu Zhong personally poured a cup of tea for Mrs. Cai.

  Mrs. Cai sat down, panting heavily, still somewhat disbelieving. She stared at Lu Zhong with wide eyes: "Is what you said true?" Then she also knew that there was no need for them to deceive her, and Mrs. Cai, no matter how mixed up, understood that Old Cai wouldn't possibly find a mistress and bring along the head of the Public Security Bureau to join in the fun...

  Lao Cai's face sank as he stood by the window, staring outside without making a sound.

  Lu Zhong paused for a moment, giving Mrs. Cai time to consider, before sighing and saying in a low voice: "Sister, no matter what, you shouldn't have made such a fuss. Our county town is not that big, and soon everyone will know everything they should or shouldn't know. Why bother? It's having a terrible impact on Director Cai."

  Mrs. Cai snorted and said, "Is he capable of doing it? Besides, it's better if he doesn't take this official position. He hasn't made much money, but his eyes are getting more and more arrogant, now he looks down on his own family members!"

  Lu Zhong smiled and said, "Brother Cai is not that kind of person." He also said, "Sister-in-law, you must have misunderstood. Now Brother Cai is in charge of all the enterprises and individual businesses in the county, so he's definitely busy with social events. Take me for example, I still have many things to ask Brother Cai to help me with, but he doesn't agree. You, on the other hand, can affect Brother Cai's position as bureau chief without worrying about it. Brother Cai respects and loves you, you are a couple who has been through thick and thin together. No matter what you do, Brother Cai won't complain. However, if Brother Cai doesn't speak up, there will be people who won't be happy."

  Mrs. Cai didn't quite understand and said: "Who? What's happy or unhappy about?"

  Lu Zhong pointed to his own nose and said, "For example, take me. I'm in the middle of asking Cai Da Ge for a favor, and it's almost settled, but you've stirred up trouble and made him lose face. You think I'd be happy about that? I'm not happy, so I like to catch people. I don't dare to catch you because it would affect Cai Da Ge's reputation, but I can always catch your relatives, like those who just came in with you." In fact, Lu Zhong was also laughing to himself as he spoke these words. How did he feel so despicable? Like a bandit or a tyrant? But when dealing with such an unreasonable person, it's really hard to reason with them. Looking at Old Cai, he felt quite pitiful too.

  From head to toe, I didn't see any eye contact between Old Cai and Boss Wang's wife, perhaps it was just a misunderstanding.

  But whether or not there was a misunderstanding, it didn't matter to Lu Zhong. What mattered was that Old Cai would fall because of today's events, and he himself would become the laughing stock of the entire Guangning officialdom. Whenever people talked about Old Cai's joke, they would inevitably mention him.

  So I have to put up with it myself.

  Eating also eats out a body of sweat, Lu Zhong's heart is bitter and smiling, he really is an unlucky year.

  "How dare you!" Hearing Lu Zhong's threat, Cai Furen's tone suddenly rose by eight degrees.

  Lu Zhong sneered, "What am I afraid of? Isn't this what I do?" Lu Zhong had killed people on the battlefield before, and when he revealed that fierce aura, it was truly chilling.

  Mrs. Cai's body trembled with fear, and she immediately felt that the young man in front of her was not their old acquaintance Mr. Cai, but rather a very dangerous person.

  In the room, the air solidified, and all that could be heard was Mrs. Cai's urgent gasps for breath.

  After a while, Lu Zhong smiled and said: "Sister-in-law, I'll arrange for a table, you all just eat in the next room, and then go home. In the future, if there's anything else, communicate more with Cai Da Ge, don't believe others' rumors."

  "Have dinner?" Mrs. Cai couldn't keep up with Lu Zhong's rapid thinking.

  Lu Zhong certainly had a meaning, but just smiled and said: "Hmm, I'll treat you to good food and drink, just order whatever you like."

  Mrs. Cai was stunned for a moment, looking at Cai Jin standing by the window several times, but Cai Jin had his back to her and didn't say a word.

  Mrs. Cai also felt that today was like her own, and the young man in front of her was sometimes pale and sometimes red-faced, making her feel uneasy at heart. After staring at Lu Zhong for a few moments, she finally got up, and judging from the sound of footsteps, it seemed that she had gone next door. Before long, laughter came from next door, and it was clear that Mrs. Cai's relatives were excited to be able to eat and drink for free in this big restaurant.

  Director Cai finally turned his head and smiled bitterly: "Younger brother, we owe you one today."

  Lu Zhong waved his hand and said indifferently, "Aren't you being too polite? Brother Cai, I'll settle the bill later, you go sit for a while, I'll leave first."

  Lu Zhong seemed to have no curiosity about what happened today. Director Cai nodded slightly, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this stubborn head was likable.

  Cai Jinye also understood Lu Zhong's intention, and naturally left himself time to comfort his loved one, and also reminded the boss and waiters here not to go out and spread rumors.

  "You pay the bill, which one is okay?" Cai Jin shook his head repeatedly.

  Lu Zhong smiled and said, "We're not different from each other. Next time I go to the city, I'll pick out a few more clothes for my sister-in-law. I think she's being frugal, right? A woman without new clothes is okay, but this is all because of big brother's temper."

  Cai Jin smiled, and the annoyance in his heart was slightly alleviated.