1978: A Literary Giant Who Began His Military Service

Chapter 119 Stop being so unreasonable

"..."

Gao Dashan was stunned for a moment, not expecting Director Zhang to make such a fuss. He quickly nodded: "If the director wants to see the documents, then I'll have the car turn around and go directly to the county committee!"

Zhang Linsheng nodded and led Zhou Xu directly into the car.

In general, when the discipline inspection commission conducts an investigation, it will send a leader of the same or higher level to the investigation. Therefore, Zhang Linsheng, the section chief who was sent there, obviously also had suspicions about the entire county and city.

Gao Dashan didn't dare to have any objections, after all, the person on the other side was not only a division-level cadre sent by the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection, but also a representative of the military region and the Provincial Department of Education.

He took a deep breath; the greatest fortune was that this matter had nothing to do with him.

We arrived at the county party committee office.

Gao Dashan pulled up all sorts of documents and said softly, "Originally, this 'fake Zhou Xu' was your classmate at the county's No. 1 Middle School. His real name was Zhou Wei. I wonder if Comrade Zhou Xu remembers him? His father was the principal of the county's No. 1 Middle School and also served as the director of the Education Bureau."

Zhang Linsheng flipped through the documents: "Sending gold, sending bicycles... the leadership of this county's No. 1 High School must be quite capable?"

Gao Dashan sighed deeply and said to Zhang Linsheng, "Director Zhang, I'm almost sixty these past two years and I'm preparing to retire... so the leadership team has already started handing over the work to the deputy secretary and his group, so it's also my fault for neglecting management."

Gao Dashan's attitude was also quite sincere. To put it bluntly, before many leaders got into trouble, cadres who had been stuck in limbo for a long time would be transferred to a lower rank and retired, enjoying the treatment of a deputy director-level cadre.

Gao Dashan had no idea that this would happen before his retirement.

Zhang Linsheng glanced at Gao Dashan: "Secretary Gao, as long as you fully cooperate with our Discipline Inspection Commission, we won't make things difficult for you."

Zhou Xu didn't care what the two were talking about; after all, he just wanted to avoid offending anyone.

"Comrade Zhou Xu, the county will prepare dinner later. Tomorrow we will take you to the Discipline Inspection Commission. We have already detained those who violated laws and regulations at the bureau." Gao Dashan nodded.

"Okay, I'll continue looking at the information."

night.

Zhou Xu followed Zhang Linsheng to a restaurant for a meal.

The table was covered in fish and beef.

The two sat down, and the county magistrate and Wang Hairui from the armed forces department came over: "Comrade Zhou Xu, it's been a long time."

"County Head! Hello." Zhou Xu stood up.

The county magistrate immediately said, "No need, no need, Comrade Zhou Xu, Lao Wang and I apologize for what happened to you!"

Wang Hairui said, "Indeed, if the two of us were more careful..."

A group of people toasted Zhang Linsheng. After all, he was a division chief in his forties and a provincial leader. How could he be the same as their county magistrate who was about to retire?

They also toasted Zhou Xu quite a bit, but Zhou Xu wouldn't have been able to do this if he didn't have the energy.

"..."

the next day.

The sun was shining brightly, and Zhou Xu quickly got up. As soon as he stepped out the door, he saw Zhang Linsheng, who said, "We've almost finished investigating their case. Let's go straight to the Discipline Inspection Commission office later."

Zhou Xu nodded.

The two arrived at the county discipline inspection commission, in a simple courtyard.

The county discipline inspection commission's compound wasn't large. The cement floor was swept clean, and several old camphor trees shaded half the sky. The air was filled with the fragrance of camphor trees, but it didn't diminish the solemn atmosphere in the compound.

As soon as he entered the gate, a staff member in a discipline inspection and supervision uniform came up to him and saluted Zhang Linsheng: "Director Zhang, the people are waiting in the detention room, and the materials have been prepared. Would you like to go there now?"

Zhang Linsheng nodded and said, "You'll come with me; there are some things I need you to verify."

Zhou Xu followed the two inside.

After walking for about several dozen meters, the staff stopped in front of a room with a sign that read "Interview Room" and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in." A steady voice came from inside.

Pushing open the door, Zhou Xu immediately saw the person sitting across the table, Zhou Wei, who had impersonated him, and Zhou Mohai, the former principal of the county's No. 1 Middle School, who was also Zhou Wei's father.

Both men were pale. When Zhou Xu entered, Zhou Wei's eyes darted away, while Zhou Mo Hai clenched his fists tightly and pressed his lips into a thin line.

Zhang Linsheng walked to the head of the table and sat down, placing the documents in his hand on the table. His voice was flat and monotone.
“Zhou Mohai, tell me first. Your son, Zhou Wei, impersonated Comrade Zhou Xu, from enrolling in the county's No. 1 High School to later being assigned a job. How much of this process did you actually participate in?”

Zhou Mohai stood up and said, "In order to get my son admitted to Wuhan University, I erased Comrade Zhou Xu's admission notice and results! I was confused and bewitched! My son knew nothing about it!"

"Your son doesn't know?!" Impersonating someone else by stealing or impersonating their identity to gain admission to higher education constitutes the crime of impersonation, punishable by up to three years imprisonment, detention, or public surveillance, and a fine.

However, if the imposter is completely unaware that it was orchestrated by their father and that the imposter entered the university without their knowledge, then the imposter lacks subjective intent, does not constitute the crime of impersonation, and should not be subject to criminal punishment.

Zhang Linsheng and Zhou Xu both understood that the bureau chief's only thought was to protect his son.

Gao Dashan's face darkened upon hearing this. He asked, "Mo Hai, you...you."

Zhang Linsheng nodded: "Okay! Okay! Then you're the only one who knows about this! The others are unaware!"

“…” Zhou Mohai nodded.

He looked at Zhou Xu and said slowly, "Comrade Zhou Xu, you were only fifteen years old that year, as thin as a bean sprout, holding your report card and afraid to come in at the office door. I saw that you answered the questions neatly, and I heard that your family was not well-off, so I specially took out ten yuan from my pocket and stuffed it into your hand, saying, 'Study hard, and you will be successful in the future.'"

Your father later came to the school to thank me, carrying a basket of tomatoes he had grown himself. They were so red and glossy; I still remember the taste.

As he spoke, his eyes seemed to redden slightly, and he tapped the table lightly with his fingers: "Zhou Xu, I know I'm sorry for what happened this time, but Zhou Wei really didn't know anything about it. He's always been honest and obedient to me since he was a child. Even when he went to university, I helped him pack his luggage... You two used to be classmates."

Zhou Mohai simply couldn't imagine that a child who had graduated from his school two years ago could do this!
Two years after graduation, he had already become a deputy section-level official, a level of ability and speed he had never seen before in his life.

Behind the scenes, there was a powerful backer... Zhou Mohai felt helpless and powerless, only feeling heavy-hearted.

"..."

hiss!
Zhou Xu felt a chill run down his spine. This old leader was speaking with such emotion, directly resorting to emotional appeals. If he were really a young man, he might actually consider making an exception for him.

He was stunned for a long time before saying, "Principal, since you care about me, why did you take away my chance to change my life?"

"This...this..." Zhou Mohai was speechless for a moment.

“Secretary, you have no idea how tough it is in the army. I gritted my teeth and endured it all! Your son is enjoying my university education, which is a privilege! I, an ordinary citizen, went to the front lines to protect your country, and now I have to offer my degree as a reward?”

Zhou Xu retorted sarcastically, "Is this our current style? Is this the style of our organization?"

"..."

Zhang Linsheng slammed his fist on the table: "Comrade Mo Hai, you...you county and city are absolutely despicable! Comrade Zhou Xu is a martyr of three generations! His grandfather fought against the Japanese, his father fought against the Americans, and now he is fighting back against Vietnam! How could you...how could you bring yourself to deprive him of the opportunity to go to school?"

Zhou Mohai cried, his voice trembling as he continued, "I'm sorry, Comrade Zhou Xu, I'm so sorry. I'm guilty. I shouldn't have taken your spot for my own son's future!"

"...Zhou Mohai! Stop talking nonsense here! Don't think I don't know what you're trying to say!" Gao Dashan slammed his fist on the table and shouted.

"You think you can protect your son by just making trouble here?"

Zhang Linsheng flipped through the documents and continued, "Your son knew nothing about this? You mean, your son went to school under the name Zhou Xu for two years? Did he ask to change his name to Zhou Xu when he went to university? Did he even know about this?"

"This..." Zhou Mohai remained silent about this matter.

Zhang Linsheng issued his final ultimatum: "Fine, then I'll wait for you. You won't budge? You want to protect your son? Then let me tell you, within three days! If you don't give the higher-ups an answer, the person coming down in two days won't be me!"

Upon hearing about the matter concerning higher-ups, Zhou Mohai fell silent.

He is thinking, and he also needs to think.

What if other leaders are removed from their posts?
What could he do? In the end, Zhang Linsheng turned to Zhou Xu for help. Even if Zhou Xu just said a few words, it would make things better for his son.

"Comrade Zhou Xu! How could you be so ruthless towards us!" Zhou Mohai pleaded hysterically. "Zhou Wei was your classmate! Back when your family was so poor you had nothing to eat, how many loaves of bread and biscuits did he secretly give you? How can you just stand by and watch him fall from grace!"

Zhou Xu didn't show any emotion when he heard these words.

Firstly, he wasn't the original owner; he just harbored some resentment about the matter.

Secondly, Zhou Wei did not care for him at all, but rather humiliated him.

He looked up at Zhou Mohai: "Principal Zhou, it's better to be clear about some things. Your son brought me food because he can't finish his math homework and asked me to help him with it. The food was his 'payment'."
Besides, I've been bullied by him quite a bit because of homework, haven't I? ...Besides, whether he's found guilty or not isn't my business.

"Are you really that cruel?" Zhou Mohai asked one last time.

Gao Dashan walked over: "Zhou Mohai! What are you doing? Are you already groveling for mercy? If you admit your mistake now, you still have a chance. Don't even think about threatening Comrade Zhou Xu."

Zhang Lin was afraid that Zhou Mohai would bring up Zhou Xu's painful memories, so he patted him on the back and told him to leave.

As soon as Zhou Xu stepped out, Zhou Wei, unable to bear seeing his father so subservient, shouted, "Zhou Xu... Zhou Xu, you just wait and see, I'll make you pay!!!"

He spoke with such force that he was practically screaming his lungs out!

(End of this chapter)