Zhang Shuya stepped out of the car and scanned the area, quickly spotting Wang An, who was bragging to the villagers and the local defense officers.
After walking over, Zhang Shuya ignored Wang An and greeted Director Zhang instead.
"Uncle Zhang, have you been busy lately?"
Director Zhang looked at Zhang Shuya with the gaze one reserves for a junior, saying with a face full of smiles
"Not busy. There's nothing major happening day to day, but it's much better than before."
It was clear that the two of them already knew each other, and it was highly likely that Zhang Shuya had arranged for Director Zhang to come to Xing'an Township.
While the two were exchanging pleasantries, people stepped out of another jeep.
Among those descending from this vehicle was Ye Qingfeng, Wang An's classmate.
Upon seeing Wang An, Ye Qingfeng waved his hand with a look of sheer joy. Judging by the expression on his face, the kid had definitely solved his "impotence" troubles.
As soon as Ye Qingfeng and his group stepped off the car, the grain station manager and a crowd of staff rushed forward to greet them.
They all said, "Hello, Station Master Ye," to a man in his fifties. Clearly, this man was the station master of the county grain station—Ye Qingfeng's father, Comrade Ye Hongbo.
After the greetings were exchanged, Ye Hongbo gave the township grain station manager a sharp, hidden glare from an angle others couldn't see.
It was evident that Ye Hongbo was extremely dissatisfied with the way the manager had handled the situation.
Once Ye Qingfeng and the others reached them, Zhang Shuya, Ye Hongbo, and Director Zhang introduced one another. Amidst the chatting and laughter, not a single person mentioned the matter of deducting 8% moisture from the grain.
Mainly, as long as one wasn't an idiot, it was obvious the moment they heard about it that the problem lay with the quality inspector.
Locally, corn that had just been harvested and not yet dried usually had a moisture content of around 20%. After just a few days of drying, the moisture would drop to around 12% at most.
The standard for grain handed over to the state was that it must not exceed 8% moisture to be considered qualified.
Therefore, the act of deducting another 8% on top of the standard 8% was clearly unreasonable. There was no need for instruments; anyone with a bit of common sense knew what was going on.
After getting a brief overview of the events, Ye Hongbo said to Wang An with a smile
"Young man, deducting 8% moisture was definitely wrong, but you hitting someone was even more wrong. How about this: I'll take charge. We'll have the grain tested by the county's quality inspectors before it's handed over. Does that work?"
To be fair, this was how a leader should behave, as his approach was to resolve the conflict rather than escalate it like the township grain station manager.
Of course, this might also be because Zhang Shuya was present. After all, the weight of a County Public Security Bureau Chief was something no one could afford to ignore.
Most importantly, with Zhang Shuya there, if this matter escalated further, the entire grain station system would end up suffering the consequences.
Wang An agreed with a grin
"That definitely works! That's exactly what we were asking for, hehehe..."
As he spoke, Wang An pointed to the quality inspector who had already stood up and said
"I'm telling you, Station Master Ye, I wouldn't have lost my temper otherwise. From a single pile of grain, this idiot managed to produce two different sets of data, insisting one part was qualified and the other wasn't. With a piece of dog-shit like this who thinks he can just spout whatever he wants from his useless mouth, you should just tell him to get lost and go back home to farm the land."
With Zhang Shuya present, Wang An was utterly unscrupulous, cursing and venting his frustrations to his heart's content.
After a round of insults and berating, Wang An's mood improved significantly.
Ye Hongbo didn't seem annoyed; instead, he looked at the beaten quality inspector with utter disgust and turned to Wang An.
"Indeed. The reputation of the grain station is ruined by black sheep like this. Rest assured, we will handle this severely."
From start to finish, Zhang Shuya didn't express a single opinion regarding the grain.
And so, under Ye Hongbo's mediation, the matter was "resolved" without actually being fully settled.
As for how the quality inspector would be punished, Ye Hongbo didn't mention it at all.
There was no helping it; everyone operated within their own systems. While Zhang Shuya was powerful and her father was even more so, Station Master Ye's attitude in solving the problem was flawless, leaving no room for anyone to find fault.
As for Wang An, he was simply taken to the police station to drink a bowl of plain boiled water, and then he rode back to the grain station in Zhang Shuya's car with his head held high.
Of course, Wang An would never tell anyone about the part on the way back where Zhang Shuya stopped the car, dragged him out, and gave him a thorough beating.
The main issue was that despite practicing martial arts for so long, he was still no match for Zhang Shuya, which was just damn embarrassing.
Upon arriving at the grain station, Wang An suggested to Zhang Shuya in a cheeky tone
"Big Sister, come to my house. I'll slaughter a pig for you to eat, and then I'll slaughter a sheep. How does that sound?"
Wang An knew that Zhang Shuya had a huge appetite, especially for meat.
Sure enough, at the mention of slaughtering a pig and a sheep, Zhang Shuya's eyes lit up. She checked her watch and made an excuse for herself
"Fine. I'm off work anyway, so I'll go to your house and have a proper meal."
Wang An rolled down the car window and shouted to Wang Yong and the others
"Big brother, drive my four-wheeler back. I'm leaving first with my Big Sister. When you get back, tell my sister-in-law to come over to my house and help with the work!"
A few minutes later, Zhang Shuya's jeep stopped next to Wang An's GAZ. Turning her head, Zhang Shuya asked
"Whose GAZ is this? Why is it parked in your yard?"
Wang An said with a grin
"Mine. I asked Brother Wu to help me buy it a few days ago. What do you think? Isn't this car handsome?"
Zhang Shuya replied
"It looks pointy and scrawny. I think the jeep looks better."
To be fair, in terms of aesthetics, the pointed face of the GAZ was indeed less in line with Chinese tastes than the square face of the jeep.
However, Wang An was genuinely thrilled just to be able to buy a GAZ, as he only managed to get it through Wu Dong's strong connections. As for a jeep, Wang An didn't even dare to dream of it, because production was extremely limited at the time, making it impossible for an ordinary person to buy one.
So, after Zhang Shuya spoke, Wang An didn't mind and said with a laugh
"As long as I have a car, it's fine. There's nothing I can do about it not being as good-looking as a jeep, hehehe..."
As they spoke, the two got out of the car, and Wang Dazhu and Liu Guilan had already come out of the house.
Seeing Zhang Shuya arrive, Liu Guilan was incredibly happy, calling her "dear girl" this and "dear girl" that with great affection.
Before Wang An could speak, Liu Guilan instructed him
"Xiao An, go catch a pig to slaughter—pick a big one. And that sheep, that big ram is useless now, slaughter it too."
(End of Chapter)