Chapter Eighty: A Trip to the County Seat

The mountain county of Longshan in 1999 was small, with few new buildings. Compared with the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong, it was downright shabby. Sha Leer was a native of Longshan County, yet this was his first time entering the county seat.

Longshan was an agricultural county. There were no real resources here, and if not for the fact that in recent years people had gone out to work and brought some money back, there would have been many places where people could not even afford enough to eat. The county as a whole was hilly country, but Shuangqiao Town lay in the mountains of the county, though it was not the poorest area.

They got off at the station. At that time, Longshan County had only one bus station, a dilapidated and shabby place, with not many people around. Still, a county town was not something a market town could compare with; the people here were very different, and they looked much more polished and stylish.

"Leer, I'm taking you to meet some people today," Feng Shuya said with a smile. "My treat, but you'll be paying, all right?"

"Uh... Sister Feng, this is your turf."

"Can I compare with you? You're a rich man, you know. Don't be stingy." Feng Shuya was joking. "I've only got enough money on me for a bowl of noodles. How could I possibly afford to treat you? Besides, the people I'm introducing you to are all people you'll need later. You ought to be thanking me."

His sister had a very shrewd head for calculations.

"All right then..." Leer laughed happily. "But take me to the bank first. I don't have much cash on me."

Feng Shuya took him on the bus to the bank, and he withdrew three thousand yuan. There were no taxis in the county seat yet; where the bus could not go, one had to take a tricycle. But the county town was very small, with one main street running east to west, and it took only a few minutes to walk it.

After withdrawing the money, Sha Leer let Feng Shuya borrow his mobile phone and she made two calls. Mobile phones were expensive then, and not many people used them; Feng Shuya did not own one either.

They took a tricycle to the Four Seas Restaurant. This was the best restaurant in Longshan. Feng Shuya knew it well and went straight to a private room.

Before long, a young man wearing glasses of silver wire came upstairs, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, dressed in court uniform. When he saw Feng Shuya, he was instantly warm and affectionate.

"Shuya, when did you get here? It's been so long since I last saw you." The young man spoke rather slowly. "How have you been out there? Look how much darker you've gotten."

He did not even glance at Leer.

"Brother Wei Hua, let me introduce you first. This is Sha Leer, the village assistant from our village."

"Hello." Wei Hua extended his hand somewhat coolly and shook Sha Leer's once. "Hmm... I think I've heard of that before... Ah yes, village assistant. Is there such a village post?"

"You mustn't look down on him. He's only seventeen, but already a little rich man... and in the future he'll surely become a big one. I'll still have to rely on him for many things."

Smiling, Feng Shuya introduced Wei Hua to Sha Leer as well, telling him that Wei Hua was the head of the criminal division at the court. When Wei Hua heard the introduction, he looked at Sha Leer with some surprise and nodded. Sha Leer had no especially strong reaction; he only smiled, looking rather simple and innocent.

They had only just finished the introductions when a hearty voice rang out outside the private room. Then a tall, imposing man came in, his footsteps thudding heavily.

"Uncle Xie, you came so quickly."

"Ha... Shuya's treating me to a meal. How could I not hurry over?" The man glanced at Wei Hua. "Wei Hua's here too? And who is this?"

"Uncle Xie, let me introduce him. His name is Sha Leer..."

"Brother Sha Leer, eh? I've long heard my worthless second brother talking about you. The snake-breeding expert from Tao Sha Village, right? Mm, not bad. Such promise at a young age, haha..."

"Uh... Uncle Xie, how can you call him brother? Then wouldn't I be losing out... and should I call him uncle instead?"

Feng Shuya laughed.

"Oh... that's true. Then I'll call you Little Sha instead, haha... Next time I'll come take a look at Tao Sha Town too, and taste your snake meat, all right?"

Director Xie casually patted Sha Leer on the shoulder and sat down.

"As long as Director Xie is willing to go, I'll definitely catch the best snakes to entertain you," Leer said, still with that innocent, almost foolish expression. "I'm only afraid the director will be busy and won't have time to go."

"That's not true; I may not have the time to go."

"No problem. Once the snakes wake from hibernation, I'll send the director a few."

"Good, then it's settled."

Director Xie Weicai was the kind of man whose stomp could shake the county town. Yet it seemed Sha Leer suited his eye very well, and he sat down beside him.

"Leer, you're the host treating us today, so you should order the dishes," Feng Shuya said softly, smiling.

"Sister Feng, I'm just an ignorant country bumpkin. How would I know these things? You decide."

He felt heartache over the money, but once he was here, it was no longer up to him. When the time came, he would really have to settle accounts with Tao Haiying and the others; it was simply too much of a loss. Though his heart ached, his face still wore that innocent, harmless smile, with not a trace of scheming.

"Then don't feel bad. I'll order the good stuff," Feng Shuya said.

She truly did not spare his purse. She ordered soft-shelled turtle, crab, wild boar, and the like, and even a bottle of Maotai. Back then, Maotai was not nearly as expensive as it is now; a bottle cost just over two hundred yuan. But for Leer, spending more than two hundred yuan on a single bottle of liquor still hurt.

"Director Xie, Director Wei, let me toast you first." Leer had already gained some experience at drinking tables from a few rounds with Secretary Huang and Old Cannons Xie. "It's my first time in the county seat, and also my first time at such a fancy restaurant. I don't know the rules, so please don't hold it against me."

He really had a talent for speaking falsehoods; when he lied, it sounded exactly like the truth. When he was in Guangdong, whether in Panyu or in Foshan, the grand restaurants he entered were not something this county's restaurant could compare with.

Director Xie laughed heartily, and Wei Hua also grew much warmer toward Sha Leer. The four of them clinked glasses. The three men drank deeply, while Feng Shuya only sipped a little.

"This Maotai is too strong. It doesn't taste as good as the home-brewed liquor back in our village."

Leer frowned. The other three looked at him and laughed again. Then Feng Shuya proposed a toast, and after a few rounds the bottle was empty.

"Shuya, I heard you've become the village head of Tao Sha Village. You didn't come all the way here just to treat us to a drink, did you?" Wei Hua said with a smile. "Say what's needed first. If we get drunk later, nothing useful will get done."

Feng Shuya smiled quietly and explained the purpose of their visit.

"Director Xie, the suspects are still with you, right?"

"Yes. I've already looked into this case, and the suspects are still in custody." Director Xie also smiled. "They'll be sent over to you in the next day or two."

"As for them, they can be sentenced heavily or lightly. Considering their crimes, the three direct perpetrators could be charged with attempted offense and assault. Combined, the two offenses could bring a sentence of one to three years."

"Oh... what I mean is that the sentence can be heavier, but the punishment lighter."

"You mean..."

"The term can be three years, say, but they could be given suspended enforcement outside prison or something like that... Would that work?"

Feng Shuya's meaning was very clear: she wanted to deal properly with those people, making them grateful to her and yet keeping them in misery, entirely under her and Sha Leer's control, so that they could be punished however they liked.

For villagers, as long as they were not thrown straight into a cell, the length of the sentence hardly mattered. If a person was out in the world, he could work and earn money, and at least save face. Once released, he would surely be endlessly grateful.

The matter was settled very quickly. Leer had had a little too much to drink, but he was still holding up. Feng Shuya did not go home; she went straight back to Tao Sha Village with Leer.

"Leer, we spent so much money today. Do you feel bad about it?"

"Not at all. It was only a little over a thousand yuan, and besides, Sister Feng did this so I could meet two big shots. I'm not grateful enough yet."

"You sly thing. You were looking all honest just now; so you were putting on an act?"

"Heh heh... heh heh... I'm honest by nature. How could I be putting on an act?"

"Honest, my foot." Feng Shuya smiled smugly. "Still, that makes me even more at ease. With a mind like yours, you'll definitely get things done. But don't try any tricks on me."

"How could I dare... I and Sister Feng are absolutely on the same side."

They got into the car. The road was fairly good and not too bumpy; in less than two hours they reached Shuangqiao Town. Though Leer had spent money, he felt happy in his heart. He thought of what Li Ying had said: spend money when it should be spent; as long as you don't waste it, there's no need to feel bad. He was only a mountain boy with little experience, but he was willing to learn and remember, and was beginning to mature.