Back to 1978

Chapter 193: How Han Laogou Blackmails People

The next day, Qici sent someone. The other party's leader did not dare to come to Zhongping directly. I don't know how many connections he had, but at ten o'clock in the morning, he drove to the Zhongping Brigade Headquarters with the old cadres who had not yet retired from the Bingyang County Government.

The wife of this veteran cadre is surnamed Han, but she was not from Zhongping Village, but from Hanjialou.

But according to seniority, she is Han Laogou's aunt, so this old cadre is considered the son-in-law of the old Han family. Although they don't have much contact, there is always some family connection.

Xie Hushan is now a brigade cadre and captain of the third team. Although it is not his turn to preside over such matters, he at least has the qualification to attend the team headquarters and cheer for Han Laogou.

In the past, he was only qualified to wait outside with Han Laoer and his gang. Now, Han Laogou was negotiating with outsiders, with the militia battalion commander and armed militia company commander Ge Baosheng and his security director Xie Hushan standing behind him.

There were only four people from the other side, in one car. Leading the group was the secretary of the Seventh Porcelain Factory, whose surname was Qian. Next was the chief of the Public Security Section of the Seventh Porcelain Factory. Then there was the cadre son-in-law of the Han family and a driver from the porcelain factory. It was an absolutely small entourage.

And his words, manners and behavior are very humble.

The only person who came forward from Zhongping to talk to the other party was Han Laogou. This has been the rule in Zhongping for many years. Once there is something that needs to be reported to the outside, no matter how big or small the matter is, first ensure that there is a unified opinion within the team, and no different voices can arise.

Whether to fight or make peace, to live or die must be decided by only one person. Negotiations cannot be conducted halfway and different voices cannot arise within the party.

If other team leaders are willing, they can sit nearby for a while, but they are not allowed to speak or express their opinions on specific matters.

Since you didn't express your opinions earlier, once the discussion starts, you have to keep it to yourself even if you are dissatisfied with Han Laogou's way of handling the matter.

The two sides exchanged pleasantries for a while, using the relationship of the Han family cadre's son-in-law from Bingyang County. After drinking a cup of tea, Secretary Qian from Qici turned the topic to yesterday's incident:
"It's like this, Secretary Han. After the factory leaders got to know about it, they found out that a young comrade named Han Hongbing from our Zhongping Steel Rolling Mill was wronged yesterday. There are major problems with the work of the factory's public security department."

"After the factory leaders learned about this, they organized a meeting overnight to study and deal with it. First, we decided to expel the two workers from the Public Security Section who took Comrade Han Hongbing back. The original head of the factory's Public Security Section was also prepared to punish him and let him find another place to make use of his remaining energy. Although Chief Gao who came with me today is also a member of our Qici, he had been working in the Yaoshan Public Security Bureau as a worker. This time, the factory leaders decided to transfer him back to serve as the head of the Public Security Section of Qici."

"All subsequent handling will be done at a factory-wide meeting. The first thing I want to do when I come here is to ask you to come and personally supervise the meeting with Comrade Han Hongbing in a few days to see how we handle it and whether you are satisfied. If there are any shortcomings, you are welcome to give us some valuable suggestions."

Han Laogou nodded expressionlessly, puffing on his pipe:

"We are farmers in the countryside and don't understand those things. We just do whatever the factory leaders in the city tell us to do."

"This is a very bad thing. Now that we have reform and opening up, we must stop using the despicable means of bullying people in the past." The secretary of the porcelain factory continued with a serious face:

"So the second thing I want to say is that our factory technician Zhao Shancheng used a so-called pornographic book to bully people. He must be expelled from the factory. He must not be tolerated. At the same time, the factory public security department will file a case on this matter. If the investigation finds it necessary, they will arrest and sentence him! I am here to express my position. Please rest assured that Secretary Han and Comrade Han Hongbing's family will deal with this matter seriously."

"This is indeed a terrible thing. More than half of the members of the entire brigade couldn't sleep last night." Han Laogou took off his pipe and knocked on it, then said to the secretary of the porcelain factory:
"Leaders still need to pay attention to these issues. You city people may not be afraid of these things, but we rural people have no other choice. Once the door is opened to bully people and their class background is affected, it is easy to cause death if we are not careful."

The secretary of the porcelain factory nodded repeatedly: "Secretary Han, you are right. The third and last thing I came here for is about Comrade Han Hongbing... or the compensation issue for the Zhongping Production Brigade affected by this incident. The child has been wronged, and it cannot be in vain. Zhao Shancheng's parents and our factory leaders told me before we left that you can make any conditions you want. As long as we can do our best to meet them, we will never refuse."

Xie Hushan was listening nearby and muttered to himself, is there anyone in the other factory who understands the situation?
This is an attempt to forcibly bring the negotiations into the other party's hands.

First, the other party did not allow the parents of the little boy with glasses named Zhao Shancheng to come along to add unnecessary variables.

Second, after arriving, he kept his composure and never mentioned the fact that the person was detained in Zhongping.

Third, the three things the other party said were all arrangements to show their stance to Zhongping.

The factory police who arrested Han Hongbing were fired.

Zhao Shancheng was fired and was investigated by the factory’s public security department, and he might even be sent to jail.

Han Hongbing has been wronged, Zhongping can ask for any conditions you want.

This humble attitude will make it difficult for those who are determined to ask for a high price. As the saying goes, don't hit a smiling person.

What's more, there is a son-in-law of the Han family sitting next to him who just drinks tea and doesn't say anything. Although Qici has no intention of using this son-in-law of the Han family to help, but he sitting here is the ballast of the other party. There is no need to beg for mercy, just watch. If you put on such a humble attitude, you Zhongping people will ask for too much, and then the son-in-law of the Han family will go out to spread the word for you when he goes back, saying that what you did was not fair.

Even the unruly people want face and a reputation.

Xie Hushan was thinking in his mind, among the current cadres in Zhongping, who would be able to swallow their pride when faced with this situation?

Yang Liming definitely can't do it. Old Yang thinks a lot, and the more he thinks in this kind of situation, the more concerns he will have. In the end, he will definitely make a fool of himself and won't get any big advantage.

Master Zhang Cheng probably wouldn't work either, because Zhang is very proud and the other party is being humble, so Zhang can't lose face.

But there should be no problem with the commune secretary Yin Qianfeng. Old Yin is a smiling Buddha. You are humble, and I am even lower. But if the other party wants to play this game, Yin Qianfeng can beat around the bush in official language and will never tell you anything serious. He is just like an old villain, beating around the bush and wasting time. When the other party loses his patience and starts to raise his tone, give him the chance, and he will surely not be able to escape. It means that Han Laogou will not fall for his tricks and can deal with him.

Han Laogou would have no problem facing this situation, because he had become immune to Secretary Yin's tactic of keeping a low profile.

Sometimes, Han Laogou is actually similar to Lao Meng who watches the weighing room. You can say whatever you want, no matter how miserable you say it is, it will not stop me from killing you.

Otherwise, would Secretary Yin have a headache just by looking at him? He had said nice things to Old Man Han countless times, but to no avail.

Then there is himself, because Xie Hushan feels that he can also change the rhythm. The method is very simple, which most people would not bother to do: just be shameless.

"If you say that the leaders are very clear-headed, I think this matter was handled openly. There is nothing to complain about. There is nothing wrong with it." After listening to the other party's three things, Han Laogou slowly filled his pipe with another bag of tobacco, struck a match, and slowly sucked on the pipe with the flame:

"Last night, the people were brought back. The brigade cadres and many Zhongping residents took the initiative to say that we are not unruly people and we should trust the factory leaders to handle the matter fairly and send the people back as soon as possible. But why didn't they send them back in the end?"

Several people on the other side looked at him eagerly. Was it just about arresting people? The two bullet holes at the gate of the porcelain factory were still clearly visible today.

Han Laogou took off his pipe and looked at Secretary Qian: "Because I am a troublemaker."

This sentence is absolutely perfect.

Xie Hushan wanted to give Han Laogou a thumbs up and praise him. There is a reason why Han Laogou has been the brigade secretary for so many years and has such high prestige. It can be seen now that he really dares to handle things alone when encountering problems.

There were no bad people in the entire brigade. Everyone advised to release the man. Only I, the brigade secretary, disagreed and detained him. The conditions I will propose do not represent those of other people in Zhongping. If you are not satisfied, come to me.

"Secretary Han, you must be joking. How could you be a troublemaker? You are an old revolutionary. Your name is everywhere in the annals of Bingyang County. You can't say such things casually." The face of the secretary of the porcelain factory changed obviously because of Han Laogou's words. The secretary is mainly responsible for ideological work and is very good at heart-to-heart talks. As soon as Han Laogou opened his mouth, he felt a little uneasy.

If the other party doesn't fall for it, it's useless no matter how humble you are.

The main point is to be honest. I am just a troublemaker. So what? Even if you don't want to, you have to listen to my conditions.

"My father has been a laborer all his life. He often tells his employers, 'Let's be mean first, then be a gentleman.' What does that mean? He means to negotiate the wages first, then talk about other things. Why does he always say this? Because he was cheated before. He is honest. When people asked him to cut wheat, he felt embarrassed to ask for the price as a fellow villager. As a result, he suffered a loss when he asked for money after the work was done. He suffered a lot of losses, so he learned the trick of being mean first, then be a gentleman, and taught it to me." Han Laogou always spoke slowly:

"Ordinarily, the two factory leaders came to our rural brigade to apologize and solve the problem. They definitely couldn't fool us, but I was afraid. The porcelain factory is so good, but didn't three bad apples show up yesterday? The reason I didn't let them go is that I want some compensation."

"You said that compensation is justified." Secretary Qian said while trying to maintain a smile.

Han Laogou said calmly:
"The pornographic book issue is no longer illegal, it seems to be just a misunderstanding."

"If it's true that in a few years, Han Hongbing might be dug up again because of the pornographic book, and the old Han family might be affected again. But you said that in three to five years, ten to eight years, Han Hongbing and the old Han family will go to the porcelain factory to ask for an explanation because of the pornographic book. Wouldn't the porcelain factory also feel wronged? I'm the leader of the porcelain factory, and I don't want to take the blame. How can something that happened so many years ago be blamed on me?"

"So, why not just solve all the problems that may arise in the future at once? As long as we reach an agreement, we can sign a written agreement on the spot and there will be no future accusations. After we leave today, even if the Han family is collectively shot for this matter, they can't blame the porcelain factory."

"This... Secretary Han is thinking too complicatedly. The country is now recovering step by step." Han Laogou's words made Secretary Qian of the porcelain factory's smile a little forced, and the rhythm of the previous conversation was immediately disrupted.

What a big appetite!

Xie Hushan was also a little shocked. What is a troublesome citizen? Now you have seen it. Han Laogou is a troublesome citizen.

I want to claim compensation from the porcelain factory at this time based on possible problems that may occur in the future.

To put it simply, it means taking advantage of the situation and extorting money from people.

I'll hit you on the head with a stick first, and then you can give me the whole rhythm. After one hit, let alone the rhythm, the other party won't know how to bargain even if he wants to.

From this perspective, Secretary Yin has been dealing with Old Man Han for so many years, but he has never had a heart attack and died at his workplace. He can be considered a ruthless person.

When Han Laogou heard the other party talking about the country, he immediately caught the topic and asked:

"Our country developed so well in the 1950s, but it suddenly changed, didn't it? Can you, Secretary Qian, be sure? How about this? Secretary Qian, on behalf of the porcelain factory, can you write a note to guarantee that nothing will go wrong in the future? As long as you write the note, the Han family will not be affected in the future, and we will not ask for an account. But if something goes wrong, we will come to your house with the note to talk to you."

Secretary Qian was so frightened by Han Laogou's words that he almost reached out to wipe his sweat: "... this... no one dares to write this note. My Secretary Han, why don't I hear what our brigade wants to compensate you for?"

"It's nothing. People in the countryside just want to have a stable meal. Our team has little land but a lot of laborers, and many people are idle. For example, Han Hongbing's father, his uncle, and his brothers are all idle. It's easy for them to cause trouble when they are idle. What's more, if Han Hongbing's incident is brought up in the future, it will be even more difficult for them to find something to do. In fact, we are begging the factory leaders to see if they can help the Han family find jobs for twenty people." Han Laogou offered a price, twenty people.

"Secretary Han, are you kidding me? Twenty people? And they have agricultural household registration? Do you know how many young people with urban household registration in the city cannot find jobs? Our porcelain factory really cannot agree to this condition. You are not asking for some compensation for Comrade Han Hongbing, you are... Oh... Anyway, what can I say? I really can't do anything." The secretary of the porcelain factory gritted his teeth to control his emotions. He did not say the word "blackmail" to give Han Laogou a chance to make trouble. He said with a wry smile.

Twenty people were crammed into the porcelain factory at once. Not to mention that the one who proposed the conditions was Han Laogou, even if the factory director's father asked for it, the factory director would have refused it outright.

Han Laogou seemed to have thought that the other party might not agree, so there was no surprise on his face:

"Hey, it's okay if we can't do it. Let's just handle it impartially. Our brigade will file a case. It has nothing to do with the porcelain factory. We will just say that someone from the porcelain factory's public security department illegally kidnapped a member of our brigade and let the state do justice."

"If you, Brother Han, really insist on this condition, then I have nothing to say. Why don't you report the case to the county bureau and let the government handle it. This condition really makes it difficult for me." Secretary Qian could no longer maintain his smile.

The worst case scenario for impartiality is that the factory's public security department is completely replaced or even completely abolished.

"It's okay. Let's eat. I'll have someone report the case. Hu San, go to the cafeteria. The team will pay for some dishes to entertain the leaders of the porcelain factory." Han Laogou said with a smile, but in fact he was sending a signal to Xie Hushan.

"You're still caring about their meals? Second uncle, why are you wasting your time talking to them? Han Hongbing's position has been arranged anyway. He is now the deputy director of the joint venture offset printing factory. He can't kill them!" Xie Hushan heard this and immediately pretended to be young and angry and glared at him and said:
"Just follow the advice given to you by Minister Jiao of the County United Front Work Department. Call the Hong Kong businessman directly and ask him to talk to the Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese about this matter. Then ask the provincial leaders to remove Qici from the list of the annual Canton Fair. Hong Kong businessmen have a lot of influence! They allow the people in their porcelain factory to deal with Han Lao Er, but we are not allowed to use Hong Kong businessmen to deal with them?"

Han Laogou looked at Xie Hushan with dissatisfaction and said, "What does it have to do with you? Stay away! There's no need to tell the leaders of the porcelain factory about this. There's no point in talking about it."

"Isn't this Comrade Han Hongbing a worker at the steel rolling mill?" The secretary of the porcelain factory was immediately a little confused and asked Han Laogou uncertainly.

The porcelain factory clearly knew that Han Hongbing was a worker in a steel rolling mill. How come he suddenly became the deputy director of an offset printing factory jointly operated with Hong Kong businessmen? And the county United Front Work Department director gave Han Laogou an idea, asking the Hong Kong businessmen to call the Provincial Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese to complain, thus cutting off their chances of exporting porcelain at the Canton Fair?
Damn it! This county's United Front Work Department Minister is really lacking in virtue!
This move is too vicious! It really seems like the way some leading cadres want to punish people! Rural people can't think of such a trick!
Qici relies on signing a few foreign trade contracts at the Canton Fair every year to earn some foreign exchange...

Han Laogou looked at the secretary of the porcelain factory as if nothing had happened. "Ah, he was a worker in the steel rolling mill before. Didn't the brigade hold a meeting last night and decide to transfer him to the offset printing factory jointly operated by our brigade and Hong Kong businessmen as deputy director? Anyway, it's the brigade's job, so there's no need to arrange for a job transfer."

This must be the idea given by the Minister of United Front Work!
Secretary Qian was almost hating the Minister of United Front Work of Bingyang County in his heart. He was really good at playing tricks on him. Otherwise, when he had not agreed just now, Old Han would not have shown any surprise. He had already planned how he would deal with the porcelain factory if he did not agree.

It's time to admit defeat. The Canton Fair is held twice a year and it is a foreign trade exhibition that Qici cannot miss. What's more, the Yaoshan leaders have no say on whether or not to attend the fair. The list of participants must be decided by the provincial leaders. If Hong Kong businessmen really report to the provincial leaders, the provincial leaders will remove Qici from the Zhili Province's exhibition list in order to take care of the Hong Kong businessmen's emotions, delaying the development of Yaoshan's foreign trade. The Yaoshan Prefectural Party Committee leaders can first kill a group of Qici factory leaders to vent their anger, and Secretary Qian will definitely be among them.

Thinking of this, Secretary Qian bowed to Han Laogou and admitted his defeat with a wry smile:
"Brother Han, you see, we have come to this point. Your people can go to Hong Kong Island, so why are you afraid of black material or digging up old scores? Let's be frank. Give me a real number. Twenty is definitely not enough."

Seeing that the other party had given in, Han Laogou spoke up, "Since you have a good attitude, then let's have ten. I guarantee that at least six of them will be regular employees. If we can't solve it, we'll let the Hong Kong businessmen speak."

(End of this chapter)