The golden age began in 1977

Chapter 192 The Great Crackdown

On the morning of June 7, 1978, Zidian Commune was shrouded in a wet rain.

The continuous rain had turned the dirt road into mud, and the castor bean leaves by the roadside were being pattered by the raindrops.

In this kind of weather, few people come to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy things; the cooperative is damp and quiet.

Madford pulled up a chair and sat by the door, squinting at the blurry world through the rain.

He used to really like cloudy and rainy days, not only because there was less to do, but mainly because the cloudy environment gave him a certain feeling.

The illusion that the whole world is shrouded in dark clouds and shadows are everywhere.

He knew how many mistakes he had made, so he disliked sunny days; he felt guilty under the sunlight.

Water droplets from the eaves formed a string, splashing into the enamel basin with a monotonous tinkling sound.

Ma Defu took out half a pack of Peony cigarettes, pulled one out, and the blue smoke mixed with the rain mist, swirling around his graying temples.

He remembered that he didn't have any gray hair, but recently he looked in the mirror and found that his temples had turned gray.

It must have been caused by the troubles that have been bothering me for the past two or three months.

In the distance, in the wheat field that had been washed clean by the rain, several commune members draped in plastic sheeting were digging drainage ditches, their bent-over posture resembling a string of black question marks.

"Director Ma, taking a break?" Zhong Jianhu, the team leader of Zhongzhuang Production Team, walked past the door wearing a dark green raincoat, carrying a bamboo chicken coop in his hand, with a mocking smile on his face.

Ma Defu snorted through his nose.

Ever since that brat Qian Jin took his position, no one has been calling him "Director" properly anymore.

Zhong Jianhu was his mortal enemy. He used to never address him properly as "Director Ma," but now that they met, he called him "Big Director Ma," which was clearly a taunt.

This made him very unhappy.

I should have taught this guy a lesson back then.

In the past, when the Zhao family bullied Zhongzhuang, which was located downstream of the Qingshui River, he had advised them a few times to stop them from causing too much trouble.

He now regrets his past misplaced compassion.

Indeed, a real man should be ruthless and decisive enough to achieve his goals; womanly sentimentality is unacceptable!

He had made up his mind that once Qian Jin was transferred and he returned to power, he would deal a severe blow to Zhongzhuang, trampling on them so that they would never be able to recover.

However, we can't count on the Zhao brothers this time.

After the four Zhao brothers were beaten into toothless old men by Qian Jin's bodyguards, they were detained for seven days. When they returned home, they wanted to take revenge on Qian Jin, but two nights later, someone broke their legs!

Both of their ankles were carefully smashed, and they'll probably never be able to stand up again.

But they dared not call the police, because the killer had left each of them a bullet and a note:

Call the police! He's dead!

Recalling these events, he stared at Zhong Jianhu's triumphant figure disappearing into the rain, and finally spat out a mouthful of saliva.

Just bear with it a little longer. According to the information my brother-in-law has gathered, Qian Jin won't stay in the commune for long. Once he's transferred back to the city, the commune will still be under Ma Defu's control.

The rain suddenly intensified.

Just as Ma Defu was about to go back to the house, he suddenly heard the muffled sound of an engine coming from the dirt road.

Two grass-green jeeps rolled through the mud like two wet wild beasts and stopped directly in front of the supply and marketing cooperative.

Both vehicles had the words "For Supply and Marketing System Only" written in red on their doors.

After being washed by the rain, the red lettering was particularly glaring.

This made his heart skip a beat...

The car stopped, and the jeep in front opened its door. The first person to get out was Liu Xinjian, the head of the political work section of the county supply and marketing cooperative. He was wearing a black woolen Zhongshan suit with a transparent raincoat over it, and his briefcase was tucked into his arms.

The man who emerged from the jeep behind was Fu Guocheng, deputy head of the political work section of the municipal supply and marketing cooperative, followed by three security officers in blue uniforms, water droplets dripping from their peaked caps.

Ma Defu forced himself to cheer up.

He threw his cigarette butt into the muddy water, forced a smile, and went up to them: "Section Chief Fu, Section Chief Liu! What brings you two leaders here on this rainy day?"

No one answered him. The group got out of the car and walked in through the pattering rain.

Liu Xiulan hurriedly put down the feather duster and ran out: "Good morning, leaders. What instructions do you have?"

Fu Guocheng nodded to her.

Ma Defu interrupted, "Xiao Liu, hurry up and wake Director Qian up. It's cloudy and rainy today, making everyone sleepy. Our Director Qian..."

"Director Qian got up early. He went to Shuanggou Production Brigade early this morning. He said he was going to see a veteran commune member," Liu Xiulan said bluntly.

Ma Defu was taken aback.

Qian Jin left a long time ago?
Seeing that there was no movement in the office, he thought that Qian Jin hadn't gotten up yet, because he always had to come out to wash up after getting up, and he hadn't seen Qian Jin washing up.

He then smiled and said, "So that's how it is."

He remained expressionless, took out cigarettes and offered them to the leaders: "Please sit down, leaders. I'll pour you some tea."

"No need." Fu Guocheng pushed away the cigarette offered to him and pulled a brown paper envelope from his briefcase.

The envelope was sealed with sealing wax, revealing it to be a confidential document.

“Comrade Ma Defu,” Fu Guocheng’s voice was colder than the rain, “After deliberation by the Party Committee of the Municipal Supply and Marketing Cooperative and approval by the County Revolutionary Committee…”

He brandished the envelope in his hand, his expression serious: "Arrest you!"

Just then, a bolt of lightning flashed by, followed quickly by a rumble of thunder.

The envelope was opened in front of Ma Defu, and Fu Guocheng pulled out the letter inside to show everyone.

It turned out to be an arrest warrant.

A bright red official seal was stamped on one corner of the document.

Liu Xinjian and others were not surprised by this, clearly already aware of the inside story.

He stepped aside, revealing the handcuffs in the hands of the security officer behind him; the metal gleamed bluish-green in the rainy weather.

"...Following reports from the public and extensive investigations, it has now been determined that during your tenure as director of the Zidian Commune Supply and Marketing Cooperative, you abused your position to embezzle state-purchased and distributed goods and accepted bribes. The circumstances are serious and the impact is extremely negative..."

The rain pattered and splashed on the ground.

Ma Defu was shocked and his vision went black. He felt a buzzing in his ears, and the world in the rain seemed unreal.

He didn't hear the rest clearly; his ears only caught a few fragmented words: "military reserve rations," "penicillin," "fake accounts"...

His gaze passed over Fu Guocheng's shoulder and landed on the jeep in the rain.

The car twisted and seemed to transform into a human figure.

He looked closely and realized that it was Qian Jin grinning at him.

"Hey! Comrade Ma Defu, focus your attention." Liu Xinjian shook his shoulder.

Ma Defu shuddered, as if his soul had returned to his body: "What's wrong? What?"

Ignoring his reaction, Fu Guocheng continued reading the arrest warrant:
"In accordance with Article 7 of the 'Regulations on Punishing Corruption of the People's Republic of China' and Article 2, Sub-Article 4 of the 'Regulations on the Management of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives,' you are hereby placed under isolation and investigation."

Fu Guocheng pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket and said, "Comrade Ma Defu, please sign."

Ma Defu's lips trembled: "This is a frame-up! I've worked at the Zidian Commune for twenty years, no, more than twenty years. I've offended many people, and people have been slandering me all along..."

“I haven’t committed a crime. I can withstand the organization’s investigation. Let me tell you, especially you, Fu Guocheng, you definitely know who my father-in-law is. If you allow some scoundrels to slander me, then you…”

"Oh, right, I almost forgot about that." Fu Guocheng suddenly realized.

He opened the folder he was carrying and showed it to Ma Defu: "This is the divorce agreement that Comrade Pang Baixue entrusted me to bring to you. Please sign it."

There was no lightning or thunder this time.

But Ma Defu felt as if a thunderbolt had exploded above his head, making his eardrums ache.

He suddenly ran towards the door. No one expected this to happen and couldn't stop him, letting him rush out the door and into the rain.

However, his rubber shoes slipped in the mud, and he took too big a step and lost his balance, falling hard into the mud.

The youngest officer in the security department caught up in one stride, twisted his leg, turned his wrist, and pressed down, his movements clean and efficient as if he had practiced a thousand times.

"Ma Defu! You are suspected of violating the law and committing crimes, and you still want to resist the organization's investigation?" Fu Guocheng's question rolled through the rain like thunder.

As the cold metal buckle was fastened to his wrist, Ma Defu saw Jin Hai, Zhao Dazhu, and others running out.

These people stared at him expectantly.

Surprisingly, there was no shock on his face.

It seemed that everyone knew he would be caught sooner or later, so when that day came, no one was surprised or astonished.

"Take him away!" Fu Guocheng waved his hand.

Two security officers lifted Ma Defu up, mud dripping from his drooping toes, drawing a crooked line in the puddles.

Several people who were digging a ditch in the distance noticed this scene. They shouted, "Catch someone! Catch someone!" and then ran over quickly, covered with plastic sheeting.

When the faces of those who were arrested were finally seen, their expressions were quite varied.

As the jeep started, someone finally shouted, "It's Director Ma! Director Ma has been arrested!"

"That damn director, it's Ma Defu! The corrupt official Ma Defu has been caught!"

"Did you see the handcuffs he was wearing?"

After being shoved into the car, Ma Defu struggled violently, shouting, "I need to call my wife! I don't believe it, I don't believe it at all, you guys are definitely messing around!"

"You can't take me away, let me make a phone call first!"

"It's too late." Liu Xinjian sighed. "This was arranged by your former father-in-law. He won't let Pang Baixue answer your call."

The rain is getting heavier.

Ma Defu was unwilling to accept this.

At that moment, all his strength was awakened, and he actually knocked aside the security officer next to him and jumped out of the car.

The security officer stumbled and slipped after landing. Ma Defu jumped out of the car and tried to run, but he was already handcuffed and his rubber shoes were covered in mud, so he couldn't stand up and fell down as well.

The two security officers flew into a rage and forcibly lifted him up, as if he were a stray dog ​​being pulled out of the mud.

Someone punched him in the stomach first, and someone else kicked him in the knee.

Madfu's screams carried far through the rain.

He was forced back into the back seat of the jeep, and the security officer cursed, "You motherfucker, what are you so arrogant about, you embezzler? Trying to escape? Attacking us?"

"Fine, the crime is compounded!"

People from nearby homes and workplaces came out upon hearing the commotion. Liu Xinjian squeezed through the front row, grabbed his collar, and roared, "Don't cause me trouble, and don't embarrass yourself!"

"This is where you worked for over a decade. Don't you want to save some face for yourself?"

"Let me tell you, Ma Defu, you're finished this time! Look at this!"

He slapped a newspaper at Madford’s face.

Ma Defu looked closely and saw the headline: "A nationwide campaign to combat economic crimes."

"Let's go! Go back and deal with him!"

The car door slammed shut, and the engine noise was drowned out by the downpour.

Ma Defu took one last look at the Zidian Commune where he had lived for more than ten years—

The willow branches along the roadside were blown about by the wind, and the faded slogans were peeling off in the rain. Many commune members stood under the eaves of the supply and marketing cooperative, pointing and gesturing, their expressions indistinct.

The jeep drove over a puddle, splashing mud that covered the rear window.

He turned around and tried to see through the cracks in the mud at the rural commune he had always looked down on but could no longer reach.

"Behave yourself!" The security officer next to him gave him a shove.

Liu Xinjian, however, understood his thoughts and said, "Don't worry about him, just keep an eye on the car door."

"This is where he fought hard during the best years of his life. Let's take another look, because we won't be able to see it again."

Upon hearing this, Madford burst into a loud, howling laugh.

The windshield wipers left fan-shaped streaks of water on the windshield.

Through this brief moment of clarity, Madford saw wheat fields in the farmland on both sides of the road.

There are only a few days left until the wheat harvest.

The wheat fields in the rain are a mix of green and yellow; if there are just two more days of sunshine, the wheat fields will turn completely yellow!
This was the color he used to hate the most, but now it became the last scene of the commune he saw...

The frustration pierced his heart like a thorn in the wheat.

At that moment, he felt deep regret, regretting his past illegal actions.

But he still harbored some wishful thinking.

At most, Qian Jin obtained some ledgers and the like, but that alone is not enough to convict him!

Qian Jin wants to defeat him?

Not that easy!
Then Liu Xinjian looked at his watch and said, "At this time, Qian Jin, together with the comrades from the police station, should have arrested all those bigwigs at the distribution station."

Upon hearing this, Ma Defu immediately understood the unit's arrangement.

Suddenly, he felt a chill run through his body.

Qian Jin stood at the entrance of the medical station. He saw two jeeps arrive, saw Ma Defu being arrested, and heard Ma Defu's screams before he left.

Li Weiguo, who was standing next to him, was the same.

At the nearby police station, Liu Jianguo hung up the phone and led two militiamen into the rain.

They strode into the medical station without umbrellas or raincoats.

Li Weiguo didn't even have time to take off his white coat before his hands were handcuffed behind his back.

He didn't struggle, but just smiled bitterly at Qian Jin and said, "Director Qian, please give me some face, considering that I'm always the first to submit to you."

Qian Jin took off the stethoscope from his chest and said to Liu Jianguo, "Director Liu, give him some face."

Liu Jianguo released his hands, which were tied behind his back, and made him place his hands in front of his lower abdomen to be handcuffed.

Qian Jin took off his coat and covered his hands with it, saying, "Choosing to make your move on this day is already giving you face."

Li Weiguo gave a dejected smile and followed Liu Jianguo into the rain.

He soon saw the situation at the entrance of the partner store.

Qian Jin had indeed given him face.

Right in front of the partner store, a security guard kicked Yu Zhenfeng in the back of the knee and yelled, "Behave yourself! If you dare to cause any more trouble, you'll be shot on the spot!"

The once arrogant store manager now drooped his head like a sick chicken.

His shirt and trousers were soaked, and his feet were covered in mud.

Accountant Zhang Lei was in an even worse state; his belt wasn't even fastened properly, and he was pushed and shoved by the militiamen, falling into a mud pit.

Some papers, whether bills or something else, scattered from his arms. The snow-white pages, stained with mud, stuck to the ground like a swarm of large white moths stuck in the mud.

In the police station office, Wei Quanmin, who was also soaking wet, had already been brought in.

He was squatting on the ground, wailing, "I'm innocent! What are you doing? We're all good friends..."

Li Weiguo entered the room. Wei Quanmin turned around upon hearing the door open and instinctively tried to stand up: "Old Li, you better explain this to me right now! What's going on? Why are you handcuffing me..."

The words are not finished yet.

Li Weiguo raised his hands in a gesture of greeting.

Handcuffs were also present.

Liu Jianguo entered the room and slammed his belt on the table: "Go to the countryside immediately and arrest people according to the list given by the county bureau!"

"If necessary, we can request support from the militia of each production brigade. We must bring them back to me without missing a single one!"

The security guards and commune militiamen saluted together and shouted, "Yes, sir!"

Qian Jin put away his umbrella and went inside.

My liberation shoes were completely soaked, and every step I took left a clear footprint on the cement floor of the police station.

Wei Quanmin yelled at him again, "Director Qian, what are you doing? We're all your men! Look at how brutally Director Liu is handling us! It's one thing if they hit me..."

"Then hit hard," Qian Jin said calmly.

Liu Jianguo grinned maliciously, the brass buckles on his belt clanging loudly: "Director Qian, shall I proceed directly to the preliminary investigation here?"

Qian Jin's gaze swept over the four people who had already been arrested.

Yu Zhenfeng's expression was complicated as he looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

Accountant Zhang's glasses had a broken leg, and they were perched crookedly on his nose.

Wei Quanmin was panicked and indignant, with several muddy footprints on his body, indicating that he had been kicked.

Li Weiguo was in the best situation. Although he was soaked to the bone, at least he hadn't been beaten and was aware of the current situation.

Qian Jin said, "Director Liu, please proceed with your work as you see fit. I will assist with the investigation."

Liu Jianguo dried his hands and took a stack of photocopy paper from the drawer.

He flicked his wrist, making the papers rustle: "The county bureau has issued an order to arrest you corrupt officials. Damn it, we're all acquaintances. You know I hate corrupt officials the most, I wish I could shoot you all."

Wei Quanmin saw that the other security guards and militiamen had already gone to the countryside in the rain, and there were few people in the security station.

So he seized the opportunity to build a relationship: "Director Liu, you weren't like this before. We used to have a pretty good relationship..."

"Who said I'm on good terms with a corrupt official like you!" Liu Jianguo grabbed the enamel mug in front of him and smashed it at him.

"I didn't know you were corrupt officials before. I thought you were law-abiding citizens and my comrades, so I chatted and laughed with you. If I had known earlier that you were bloodsuckers who were exploiting ordinary people, I would have killed you long ago!"

As he spoke, he drew his pistol from his waist and slammed it on the table with a loud bang.

"You're lucky. The county bureau has issued instructions to follow the policy of 'learning from past mistakes to avoid future ones and curing the disease to save the patient,' and the leaders are willing to give you a chance to redeem yourselves through meritorious service."

At this point, he raised his voice: "As long as you honestly confess Ma Defu's problems, it will be considered that you have voluntarily exposed him!"

"Once you go to court and personally testify against Ma Defu's criminal acts, it will be considered that you've redeemed yourselves by performing good deeds..."

This is the moment Li Weiguo has been waiting for.

He was the first to stand up, his eyes bloodshot: "Director Liu, I need to confess! In fact, I have been under tremendous mental pressure for many years, and I have always wanted to expose his criminal activities!"

"But he has a very powerful background, and he keeps an eye on me, so I don't have the opportunity to report him!"

"But I've compiled all the information I know about his crimes, and I've hidden it all in the medical clinic..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jianguo smiled and said, "Very good, Comrade Li Weiguo has a very high level of awareness."

Yu Zhenfeng hurriedly said, "Me too. Old Li knows that we all privately disapprove of Ma Defu's despicable criminal behavior of sucking the blood of ordinary people and eating their flesh."

“We’ve wanted to report him for a long time, and Director Qian can testify for us…”

Qian Jin said slowly, "Let's not drag me into this now, shall we? I gave you all a chance, but you were all useless."

Yu Zhenfeng regretted it.

Wei Quanmin has now also seen the situation clearly and has also actively expressed his willingness to cooperate with the government in testing Ma Defu.

They all spoke at once, recounting their personal experiences of corruption.

Liu Jianguo wrote it all down with swift, flowing strokes of his pen.

In fact, Qian Jin had already submitted all of this information to the Political Work Department, and he even submitted audio recordings.

However, strictly speaking, these people are not employees of the supply and marketing cooperative; they are still members of the general public.

Therefore, it was the Security Department of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative that arrested Ma Defu, while the Public Security Bureau arrested the heads of the distribution stations.

The rain is still falling.

Teams that went to the countryside to arrest people came back intermittently.

The supply and marketing cooperatives were completely shut down.

None of Ma Defu's confidants can escape.

Meanwhile, some people went to the supply and marketing cooperative intermittently.

When the security guards and commune militiamen went to the countryside, they also notified a few people that they would be starting work at the distribution station.

The work at the distribution center cannot be neglected.

Judging that it was about time, Qian Jin picked up his umbrella and said goodbye to Liu Jianguo.

He whispered a few words to Liu Jianguo, who nodded and said, "No problem."

Qian Jin opened his umbrella and stepped into the rain.

He returned to the supply and marketing cooperative and entered the office, where more than a dozen people were waiting with puzzled expressions.

(End of this chapter)