170: Chapter 170 Zhang Qiu's Fate

Director Zhang Qiu looked at Zhu Wenhao, cold sweat pouring down his cheeks from his forehead. His legs felt as if they were welded to the concrete tiles, unable to move a single step.

As the director, he knew all too well what the situation was like in the back kitchen.

It was a complete and utter extortion. The footage of the so-called "failure to separate raw and cooked food" and "substandard rodent prevention" recorded on their devices was all deliberately shot from tricky angles in dark, obscure corners.

If they actually went in to inspect it in front of the Deputy Party Secretary of the town, this monstrous lie would instantly fall apart.

Director Zhang Qiu's Adam's apple bobbed as he hesitated, unable to take a step forward.

Zhu Wenhao glanced at him.

“Director Zhang, why aren't you moving?”

His tone was not loud, and he didn't sound harsh.

“Show the same efficiency and momentum you had when you were issuing fines and sealing up the shop for the common folks just now.”

These words carried a weight that made Director Zhang Qiu gasp for breath.

Zhu Wenhao turned his head. “Director Xu Jie, you will be responsible for recording the entire process. This is firsthand, fresh material. Once it's compiled, send it over to Director Li Qiang of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection. Since the comrades from the county came all this way to rectify the work style and discipline of our Heishi Town, we must provide them with some solid material.”

Director Xu Jie nodded in agreement. “Understood, Secretary Zhu.”

She walked up to the two health clinic staff members and held out her hand, palm up.

“I am Director Xu Jie, Director of the Party and Government Office of Heishi Town,” she said coldly. “Hand over the law enforcement recorders on you.”

The two looked at each other, neither of them daring to unbuckle the equipment on their chests. They could only turn their pleading eyes to Director Zhang Qiu, who stood frozen in place.

Looking at the situation before him, Director Zhang Qiu knew he wouldn't be able to get away with it today.

With a pale face, he slowly nodded as if accepting his fate.

Seeing this, the two staff members reluctantly took off their law enforcement recorders and handed them to Director Xu Jie.

Director Xu Jie took the devices, checked their operating status, and began recording.

Zhu Wenhao was the first to turn around and walk toward the sealed kitchen door.

After taking two steps, he noticed from the corner of his eye that Director Zhang Qiu was still standing still.

“Police Chief Zhao Gang,” Zhu Wenhao said without even turning his head. “Go help Director Zhang. Remember, be civil.”

“You got it.”

Police Chief Zhao Gang took large strides forward and came to Director Zhang Qiu's side.

He grabbed Director Zhang Qiu's right arm. On the surface, it looked like he was supporting him, but in reality, his fingertips tightly locked onto the other man's joints with immense force.

“Director Zhang, let's go. Secretary Zhu is waiting for us ahead.”

With a slight exert of force from Police Chief Zhao Gang, half of Director Zhang Qiu's body was lifted, and he was dragged forward with stumbling steps.

At this moment, Su Qinghan, who had been standing by the square table, pulled out her gold-embossed work ID from her coat pocket.

She walked up to the two health station staff members, held up her ID before their eyes, and let it linger for two seconds.

“I am Su Qinghan from the Third Office of the Linjiang Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection.”

Su Qinghan withdrew her ID. “I have just received a report from this elderly lady. Now, in accordance with the law, I will supervise your health station's law enforcement process.”

She turned around and looked directly at Director Zhang Qiu, who was being supported by Police Chief Zhao Gang.

“I heard every word the elderly lady said just now very clearly. She raised several clear doubts about your work: unfair law enforcement, entrapment law enforcement, and even maliciously inducing the public to offer bribes.”

She cited the regulations: “According to the 'Rules of Work on Supervision and Discipline Enforcement of Discipline Inspection Organs', discipline inspection and supervision organs have the right to supervise and hold public officials accountable throughout the entire process of performing their duties.”

Su Qinghan turned her head to look at Director Xu. “Director Xu, please record this part on file as well. Later, burn the video onto a CD and compile it together for Director Li Qiang of the County Commission for Discipline Inspection.”

After these words were spoken, Director Zhang Qiu's body, supported by Police Chief Zhao Gang, completely went limp.

Having scrambled in the muddy waters of the grassroots level for so many years, Director Zhang Qiu had a clear account in his mind. If only Zhu Wenhao were here today, there would still be room for maneuver. At most, Zhu Wenhao would criticize him by name at the town's Party committee meeting and punish him by making him write a deep self-criticism.

After all, in a remote place like Heishi Town, his health station was not the only government office that went down to rake in money under the guise of inspections. The law does not punish the masses; it had always been like this.

However, once Su Qinghan revealed her identity, the nature of the situation completely changed.

With someone from the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection present and citing the discipline enforcement rules to his face, the last bit of gray area that could be manipulated was completely locked down by Su Qinghan.

In the face of such major principles, no one in the town would dare to step forward to protect him. To save himself, Secretary Qiu Dehai would even be the first to jump out, treating Director Zhang Qiu as a scapegoat to appease the anger of the Municipal Commission for Discipline Inspection, and investigate him inside out.

Under the guidance of Auntie Cui, the crowd jostled and moved toward the back kitchen.

They arrived at the door of the back kitchen.

The door was tightly sealed by a white paper strip printed with the words 'Heishi Town Health Supervision Station'.

Director Xu Jie quickly stepped forward, zoomed in with the camera, and took close-up shots of the seal from multiple angles.

This was the most critical step in securing the evidence.

Zhu Wenhao stood in front of the door with his hands behind his back.

“Director Zhang,” he pointed at the paper strip on the door. “The edges of this seal are intact, and the stamp across the seam is not misaligned. This shows that after you finished sealing it and left, the operator of this shop did not tear off the seal without permission, nor did anyone enter to tamper with the scene.”

Zhu Wenhao turned his head to look at Director Zhang Qiu. “Am I right about this?”

Director Zhang Qiu's Adam's apple bobbed with difficulty, and he nodded numbly.

“That's good.” Zhu Wenhao took half a step back. “Have the people from your health station peel off this seal with their own hands. Then we'll go in and take a good look at where exactly that fifty thousand yuan fine was justified.”

He pointed to the subordinates following behind Director Zhang Qiu.

“You two, come over here.”

How could the two young men have ever seen such a scene? Being stared at by everyone, their hands shook like chaff.

They approached, carefully pinched a corner of the seal, and peeled it off bit by bit.

The seal fell to the ground.

Director Xu Jie was the first to step inside sideways, with her law enforcement recorder running.

Zhu Wenhao followed closely behind, while Police Chief Zhao Gang half-dragged Director Zhang Qiu, and the group entered one after another.

The back kitchen was not large, but it was exceptionally neat and tidy.

Although the white tiles on the wall were somewhat old and slightly yellowed, not a trace of sticky grease could be felt on them.

The stainless steel stove was polished bright enough to reflect a person's image.

The seasoning boxes in the corner were stacked neatly according to their size and height.

The floor was paved with red bricks and had just been mopped; there were no puddles of standing water, let alone any unpleasant odor.

In the two large freezers against the wall, vegetables and meat were separately packed in transparent airtight containers, separating raw and cooked items, with labels clearly attached.

At the outlet of the drainage ditch, an intact metal rodent-proof mesh was firmly secured in place.

This was not an illegal workshop with hygiene concerns at all; this was a clean livelihood that an honest person relied on to survive.

The reality of the cleanliness formed a highly ironic contrast with that fine ordering them to suspend business within a time limit.

Zhu Wenhao stood in front of the stove, his gaze slowly scanning every corner of the back kitchen.

He did not lose his temper, nor did he point at those clean countertops to question Director Zhang Qiu.

Sometimes, silence could destroy a person's psychological defense far more effectively than a long, lecturing scolding.

He just turned his head and gestured to Director Xu Jie.

Director Xu Jie understood immediately. Holding up the device, she recorded the stove, freezers, rodent-proof mesh, and even the exhaust fan's filter clearly.

She recorded it twice in full to ensure nothing was missed.

“Let's go out.”

Zhu Wenhao dropped those three words and was the first to turn and walk out of the back kitchen.

Returning to the dining area.

Auntie Cui and Grandpa Qi supported each other as they stood by the counter, looking anxiously at these high-ranking officials. The elderly couple did not know if they could still save their shop.

Everyone stood still once again.

Director Zhang Qiu had even prepared himself to be scolded, mentally drafting excuses to exculpate himself.

However, Zhu Wenhao's gaze bypassed the glass door of the noodle shop and cast across the street.

“Director Zhang, since we are going down to the grassroots to inspect hygiene today, inspecting only this noodle shop would seem a bit biased and our work wouldn't be comprehensive enough.”

He reached out and pointed to the noodle shop across the street.

“Look. Isn't there another newly opened shop over there?”

Zhu Wenhao withdrew his hand and looked at Director Zhang Qiu.

“Come. Let's just take the trouble today to go over and inspect that noodle shop across the street from beginning to end as well.”

He paused slightly. “What do you say, Director Zhang?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Director Zhang Qiu only felt a roaring sound in his head, and the world began to spin.

That 'Zhangs Noodle Shop' across the street was a storefront his own cousin had just taken over, using the name of the Zhang Clan.

In order to snatch the customer flow from Auntie Cui's old shop, the cousin, relying on his position as the director of the health station, had left all the dirty work of squeezing out their competitor to him.

As for the hygiene status of that new shop, Director Zhang Qiu knew it better than anyone.

It was fair without but foul within.

To cut down on renovation costs, his cousin hadn't even made the most basic drainage system in the back kitchen up to standard. To save money, all the ingredients purchased were rotten vegetable leaves left over when the farmers' market was about to close, and near-expired frozen meat.

Just yesterday afternoon, less than two days after the noodle shop opened, because the ingredients were unclean, it had upset the stomachs of two truck drivers, causing them to end up in the town hospital with vomiting and diarrhea.

Food poisoning was a fatal, high-risk disaster zone.

If Director Zhang Qiu hadn't used his authority to go to the hospital to suppress the medical records and let his cousin pay to settle the matter privately, that shop would have already been sealed up for rectification yesterday.

This was an untouchable minefield.

Now, with the Director of the Party and Government Office holding the law enforcement recorder, the Deputy Party Secretary of the town personally leading the team, and the Police Station Chief backing them up, if this team stepped into the back kitchen of Zhangs Noodle Shop and recorded those foul-smelling frozen meats and overflowing sewage...

Then it would no longer be a matter of a fifty thousand yuan fine.

Director Zhang Qiu's legs shook uncontrollably, and sweat blurred his vision, flowing into his mouth with an astringent, bitter taste.

He wanted to open his mouth to beg for mercy, to find an excuse to brush it off. But when he met Zhu Wenhao's deep, all-seeing eyes, all his excuses got stuck in his throat.

That young deputy secretary was like a high-and-mighty chess player, who had long calculated his fatal weakness at every step, just waiting for him to jump into the abyss himself.

“Okay... Okay...”

Like a marionette with its soul drained, Director Zhang Qiu, pale-faced, nodded woodily.