Despite being incredibly wealthy, I want to be a prosecutor.

Inside the village office, people were singing and dancing.

There was also a color TV in the yard, a VCD karaoke machine, where Ni Peng was singing loudly, with enthusiastic village girls dancing beside him.

Zhou Hong frowned as soon as he entered the courtyard.

Old Village Chief Wang was present, but he was clearly exhausted, sitting to the side with his eyes slightly closed. His eldest son, Wang Zhengwen, was entertaining Ni Peng and the others. He was a plump man in his forties, and anyone who didn't know him would think he was a successful entrepreneur.

However, Wang Zhengwen is indeed a businessman. He owns the only supermarket in the town, which means he has a monopoly on the town's daily necessities.

He is also the deputy village chief, the successor to the village chief, and the village chief of Xiaogudi Village. His family has held the position for three generations.

When Zhou Hong entered the hospital, although many people saw him, no one paid special attention to him. Even Ni Peng did not know his identity.

The village's prominent figures were all vying for Nipeng's attention.

Zhou Hong walked over and sat down next to the old village chief.

Although those who saw him were quite surprised and thought he was too abrupt, since he was from a charity foundation, no one reprimanded or kicked him out.

"Village Chief, everyone in the village says these charity supplies were provided by the government. Did you apply for them? Isn't something a little off?" Zhou Hong lit a cigarette, blowing smoke rings. No one else heard him, since most people were applauding and cheering for Ni Peng.

Old Village Chief Wang suddenly opened his eyes, turned to look at him, and smiled, "It must be a misunderstanding. It's alright, everyone will understand in time. We'll explain. Besides, being too calculating when doing charity means losing your true self. I think Minister Nipeng is very good. He doesn't care about any empty titles. No wonder he became a minister at such a young age."

The head of the Thai language department, in Chinese usage, could be translated as "minister," which wouldn't be wrong.

"You speak Mandarin very well! Which generation are you?" Old Village Chief Wang asked again, his tone condescending.

Ignoring his question, Zhou Hong asked again: "Wang Dingshan, nicknamed Wang Danao, did he rape villager Zhang Minghua thirteen years ago and break the leg of Zhang Minghua's newlywed husband? As a result, Zhang Minghua lost her fertility and her husband was left disabled."

Village Chief Wang's face suddenly turned gloomy as he coldly stared at Zhou Hong: "These are just rumors and nonsense circulating in the village. You're an outsider, so don't talk nonsense. For Minister Nipeng's sake, I won't pursue this matter this time."

"Zhang Minghua's grandfather, it seems, competed with your father for the village chief position? At that time, he strongly advocated for signing a peace agreement with the military, which gained the support of many villagers. In the end, he disappeared without a trace. But ten years later, the peace agreement was still signed, wasn't it? It's the same thinking as Zhang Minghua's grandfather. Why exterminate descendants when the grudges are from so many generations ago? Zhang Minghua's father died in battle in his early years. Zhang Minghua's grandfather lost his son in battle. Her father left behind his unborn daughter, Zhang Minghua. Her mother died in childbirth. Logically speaking, with such a family of loyal martyrs, you should take good care of them."

Old Village Chief Wang sat up abruptly, staring intently at Zhou Hong.

Zhou Hong himself never expected that a rape case, which he thought was just a long time ago, involving a powerful clan bullying others, would turn out to be full of hidden secrets the more he inquired.

Of course, many of these secrets are just speculations, without any substantial evidence.

Zhou Hong took out his intern prosecutor's badge. "Don't do anything reckless. If I disappear here, it will be very troublesome. Besides, I just filed a case with the provincial department, and the relevant authorization documents will be delivered tomorrow. If I disappear at this time..."

Old Village Chief Wang suddenly laughed. "Young man, you... sigh, you want to show off? I understand, but what are you doing causing trouble in this little valley?"

"Minister Nipeng, Minister Nipeng..." Old Village Chief Wang raised his voice slightly.

The person singing heard it, and someone paused the VCD player. Ni Peng, still smiling, walked over and asked, "Uncle, what's wrong?"

In just one afternoon, he had become a very close junior to Village Chief Wang.

"Who is this person?" Old Village Chief Wang pointed at Zhou Hong.

Ni Peng looked at Zhou Hong, somewhat confused. He tried to recall, "Oh, it seems to be a volunteer. Hey, why haven't you left yet? Volunteers help out in the afternoon, didn't they all leave? You've worked so hard!" After all, he was paid, while the volunteers were just helping out and would only be treated to a meal or something.

Old Village Chief Wang gave a strange smile: "Him? He's a volunteer prosecutor, a very noble one. As a prosecutor, he puts his words into action, volunteering for charity, and even came to our godforsaken little village."

Nippen was stunned, looking Zhou Hong up and down. Such a young prosecutor?

Suddenly, I realized that my job as a college graduate with a high annual salary of 20 baht didn't seem so appealing anymore.

During this period, he was full of pride and self-satisfaction, and was highly regarded by his parents and relatives at home, so he had long been arrogant.

"Too young, I don't really believe it. By the way, I remember, the director Pam who signed the contract with me at noon today, her husband is the chief prosecutor of our provincial department, right?" Old Village Chief Wang said leisurely.

Nipong nodded blankly: "It seems so..." He had never cared about it before. He only knew that Director Pam was an honorary director, but in reality, she was in charge of many internal affairs of the foundation with the authorization of the chairman. He didn't expect that this old village chief knew that Director Pam's husband was a prosecutor.

Looking at Ni Peng's foolish appearance, Zhou Hong felt helpless. The old man was shrewd and would naturally do his best to find out the background of the key personnel in the foundation.

Even you, a poor college student, were found out long ago by their probing, so they took corresponding measures against you, making you feel like you were floating on air.

"Well then, Minister Nippon, could you ask Director Pam if this young man is a prosecutor?" Village Chief Wang asked again.

Nippen hesitated; although he had Ms. Pam's phone number, he was a little afraid to call.

Outsiders might think he's an honorary director, but in the foundation's hierarchy, even if the chairman doesn't appear, he is the chairman, isn't he?

Although the chairman had spoken to me on the phone, I couldn't just make that call casually.

"Ah, this is difficult. But it's alright, just lock him up for now. We'll check the authenticity of the documents when they arrive tomorrow." Old Village Chief Wang then beckoned to his chubby son: "Zhengwen, you should also call the police station and file a report."

Zhou Hong casually tossed the prosecutor's badge to the chubby man. "You'd better call the police down and let them check if the badge is fake. Oh, I'm an intern stationed in the county prosecutor's office, which is inside the police station building. Lots of people should know me."

Old Wang probably genuinely didn't know whether he was real or fake, and was even more likely to suspect that he was an imposter, which is why he acted this way.

Zhou Hong's voice was loud, and everyone in the courtyard, who were all prominent figures in the village, were drawn to his presence.

Zhou Hong looked around and then smiled, "Also, everyone, don't misunderstand. I didn't come to Xiaogudi to investigate a case. I came to see if my money for charity was being used effectively. The Peace and Love Foundation is a private equity fund that I founded, meaning the money all comes from my family. Choosing Xiaogudi as a donation point was also my decision. Why? I think I wanted to see how my compatriots here are doing, more or less."

After a brief silence, the village office courtyard erupted in a commotion. Village leaders nearby and villagers who had come from afar to watch the spectacle all heard it clearly and immediately began whispering among themselves.

The expressions on the faces of the village elders closest to Zhou Hong and Old Village Chief Wang varied.

But at this moment, it's impossible to know whether what the young man said is true or false, so no one took the initiative to step forward and express their opinion.

Nippeng didn't understand Chinese, but someone was translating for him. He stared wide-eyed at Zhou Hong in disbelief.

Chairman? Is he really the chairman?

Zhou Hong smiled at him, took out his phone, pulled up his contacts, and dialed his number.

Nippen was startled when he saw the incoming call.

Although Zhou Hong had never met them, the Peace and Love Foundation did not have a large management team.

The main three people involved were the HR manager, the finance manager, and Ni Peng. They all spoke with Zhou Hong by phone and also held a group meeting on MSN.

The number Zhou Hong gave to the three managers of the foundation was not his own private number, but a number with many 8s that was given to him by the military bank.

Ni Peng answered the phone, and a voice came from the receiver: "Come here." Zhou Hong was smiling and waving at him on the other end. Then he hung up, and Ni Peng's phone went dead.

"Ah..." Ni Peng was stunned for a moment, then quickly took a few steps. "Chairman, I..." His face changed, and he instinctively felt that he had made a big mistake, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Zhou Hong turned to look at Village Chief Wang, "So, are you going to keep me locked up for another night?"

Village Chief Wang's expression turned extremely grave. He slowly stood up: "Even if you're a prosecutor, you have no right to interfere in our village's affairs, especially those from over a decade ago!"

Zhou Hong nodded: "Hmm, finally getting back to the point, that's more like it!" He added: "I'm not going to talk to you now. Once the authorization letter arrives tomorrow, the village security team will be obligated to assist me in my investigation."

The village security team in the border autonomous village of Xiangguo is essentially an autonomous police force, and prosecutors are obligated to provide legal assistance if needed.

"As for thirteen years ago? For the crime of rape, the statute of limitations in our country is 20 years. However, when the incident occurred thirteen years ago, Xiaogudi had already signed a peace agreement and was incorporated into the territory of our Chiang Rai Province. Therefore, since the crime occurred on our territory, on the territory of our Chiang Rai Province, our Chiang Rai Provincial Prosecutor's Office has the authority to conduct a retrospective investigation!"

Looking around at the village leaders, he thought, "If I had known that this valley was a den of iniquity, I wouldn't have bothered sending these supplies here today, even if it meant feeding the dogs!"

"Watch your mouth! What do you mean by 'hiding filth'? What do you mean by 'feeding dogs'?!" The chubby Wang Zhengwen glared at him angrily.

Zhou Hong ignored him. "But it doesn't matter anymore. As long as there's no future, that's fine. Before the Peace and Love Foundation's supplies arrived, you must have done your research, right? Although I've only been registered for a little over half a month, how much have I already accomplished in that time?"

The prominent figures looked at each other, some with extremely strange expressions.

Indeed, upon suddenly hearing that a foundation had sent millions of baht worth of supplies, those who were interested would naturally investigate to avoid being scammed or con artists.

As a result, although the foundation has only been registered for a short time, it has already received its third donation within just over ten days.

The first donation was to a Chinese school in Hekou, with a direct cash check for $20.

The second donation was to the SOS Children's Village in Chiang Rai, the provincial capital, where $10 worth of supplies was donated.

The third shipment was to the small valley, also worth $10 worth of supplies.

It has to be said that this foundation is incredibly wealthy, and it does seem to focus its donations on donations related to the Chinese community.

However, who would have thought that the chairman of the board was also a prosecutor? He somehow found out about the village's old stories and was so indignant.

Ultimately, it's all because Wang Danao has a problem with his brain. This matter can't be hidden no matter how hard he tries. Even after more than ten years, when Wang Danao is drunk, he still brings it up to brag, regardless of whether the people at the table despise him or have no choice but to listen to his boasting. Of course, there are also quite a few people who praise him.

Zhang Minghua, wasn't she once the village beauty?

Old Village Chief Wang looked around, stepped forward, and said calmly, "Prosecutor Hong, is that right?"

"Back then, Wang Da Nao was beaten thirty times with a stick, almost dying. Our village has already disciplined him! According to the law, one crime cannot be punished multiple times, right?"

"Yes, rape is a serious crime, not something that the village council can punish. Our self-governed village council can only punish minor offenses. But more than ten years ago, the situation was different. We were still fighting for the government army. We can't judge it by today's standards. Prosecutor Hong, you live in peacetime, so you probably don't understand these things!"

Old Village Chief Wang is indeed Old Village Chief Wang. As soon as he said this, many people nodded in agreement. Although this powerful figure was getting old and hadn't been involved in much affairs for the past two years, he was still the one with an extremely clear mind who could grasp the key to solving problems.

Even the other clan leaders, who had long been dissatisfied with the Wang family and had been secretly conspiring to launch an attack when the Wang family was about to pass the leadership to his son, couldn't help but sigh inwardly, "The tiger may be old, but its might is still there."

Zhou Hong also glanced at him in surprise. Sure enough, those who could lead the Northern Frontier Autonomous Village out of the war-torn years were no ordinary people.

"That's why I'm reopening the investigation. I heard that the person who carried out the execution back then is now Wang Danao's brother-in-law?"

"At the time of the execution, the two were not relatives. Prosecutor Hong, you studied law..." Old Village Chief Wang shook his head repeatedly.

"The law I studied doesn't involve village covenants or vigilante justice, but the essence of law is to maintain public order and good customs. Do you think that if the person who carried out the vigilante justice wasn't related to the perpetrator at the time, but they became in-laws a few months later, it means that both the person who carried out the vigilante justice and the perpetrator are innocent? Isn't such a law and such a village covenant a violation of public order and good customs? Shouldn't such a village covenant be abolished?"

"What does it mean that I know all this in such a short time? Does it mean that many villagers feel aggrieved? Do they believe that the execution was an act of favoritism, and that this is still a topic of conversation more than ten years later?"

Zhou Hong looked at Old Village Chief Wang, "Please teach me, Old Village Chief!"

"Oh, oh..." Wang Zhengwen, the chubby man, suddenly shouted, as if he wanted to gag.

"Let's leave it at that. I already said I'm only qualified to discuss this case tomorrow, so Deputy Village Chief Wang doesn't need to try to change the subject." Zhou Hong smiled, making Wang Zhengwen blush. He had only pretended to be drunk because he saw his father was at a disadvantage. Although he was seen through, he still walked to the side and started dry heaving.

"Yes, I'll sleep at Brother Zhao's house. And let me say this first: if anything happens to Brother Zhao and his wife during this time, I can guarantee that this little valley will never have peace again!"

After speaking decisively, Zhou Hong turned and strode out.

For some reason, everyone felt a chill in their hearts. Even those who were gloating and eager to see the Wang family make a fool of themselves suddenly felt uneasy.

Ni Peng was in the same boat. He had originally wanted to say a few words to the chairman, but now he couldn't understand what the chairman was saying. For some reason, he just didn't dare to follow him.