HPDBC Chapter 83 You San'er's Confession
Chapter 83 You San'er's Confession
After the matter of You San'er was settled, Xu Chunsheng felt much more relieved.
However, finding Qian Junwei was not something that Xu Chunsheng could do alone, along with the village chief and a few elders.
The last incident had a huge impact, and the brigade secretary even held a special meeting to refute the rumors. As for how to handle this matter, we still need to discuss it with Secretary Li.
Now, You San'er has only verbally admitted that he was instructed by Qian Junwei to throw away dead rats and other such things. But if they were to really confront each other, it would be difficult to get to the bottom of Qian Junwei based solely on You San'er's verbal statements.
If he stubbornly denies it and turns the tables, there's no guarantee that other rumors won't spread.
Yesterday, after Xu Chunsheng caught up with the village chief and his group from behind, before Xu Chunsheng could even speak, the village chief directly said to him:
"Chunsheng, I know you want to get revenge, but whether or not Qian Junwei instructed You San to throw the dead rat, we can't just believe You San's one-sided story."
"Once the investigation is complete, justice will naturally be served for you."
In this situation, Xu Chunsheng was truly at a loss for words, and could only say:
"Okay, I'll follow the village's arrangements. Thank you for your help, Grandpa."
Watching the departing figures of the group, the gentleness in Xu Chunsheng's eyes instantly diminished.
In the mountain villages of the 90s, personal relationships outweighed rules. Trivial matters and malicious retaliations could generally be settled with money, as long as no major disaster or death occurred.
In his past life, Qian Junwei's parents spent a lot of money cleaning up his messes, finding people to mediate and resolve the issues, so he never really suffered a loss.
This time, the commotion was quite significant, but relying solely on You San'er's words was ultimately not a reliable strategy.
Even if Li Minfu were willing to testify, his testimony would be greatly diminished because he was an apprentice of his uncle.
Therefore, it's inevitable that the Qian family will eventually have to spend money to settle the matter.
As long as the Qian family offers enough money, they can still bribe You San'er to recant his testimony. In the end, they can send gifts to the village committee and villagers to smooth things over. In the end, all their efforts might just result in a misunderstanding among neighbors and a hasty conclusion.
Therefore, Xu Chunsheng decided to strike first.
What he wanted was never just an apology or financial compensation.
What he wants is for Qian Junwei to be punished, for them to have money but nowhere to spend it, and for them to have no way to get things done!
So this morning, Xu Chunsheng had a quick breakfast and went straight to the brigade office.
"Knock knock." Xu Chunsheng knocked on the office door.
When Secretary Li heard someone knocking on the door, he looked up and looked outside.
"Secretary Li, I'm sorry to bother you, but I need to take a moment to talk to you about something."
Xu Chunsheng greeted everyone briefly and, after receiving permission, explained the purpose of his visit:
"Secretary, the reason I came here this time is because of the rumor that dead rats were thrown into the pig farm last time. I have figured out who did it."
Party Secretary Li nodded:
"Your village chief came to see me about this yesterday. You San'er verbally admitted that Qian Junwei instigated it, but without proof, we can't make any conclusions."
"I understand the village's concerns."
Xu Chunsheng nodded and calmly said:
"I know that You San'er's words alone are not enough to prove anything, and he can change his mind at any time."
"Therefore, I would like to ask you, Party Secretary, to personally testify and have You San'er sign a confession. That way, he won't be able to deny it or change his story. He shouldn't even think about settling things with money."
Party Secretary Li understood what Xu Chunsheng meant.
Although he served as the village secretary for many years, he always handled matters impartially and with integrity.
Unfortunately, sometimes villagers settle things privately by paying money, and witnesses often recant their testimonies, leaving the villagers with no recourse.
Party Secretary Li nodded solemnly:
"You're right. I'll go with you again today. I'll ask him personally and have someone record it so that this matter isn't left in a murky state."
After finishing speaking, Secretary Li explained his whereabouts to the others and then called over a cadre from the office. It was the same cadre, Zhang, who had helped Xu Chunsheng with the paperwork last time.
After the three entered the village, they went to call the village chief and the elders from yesterday.
The group of people headed towards You San'er's house.
Since Xu Chunsheng and his group left yesterday, You San'er hasn't had a good night's sleep.
She kept thinking about how she would be retaliated against by Qian Junwei for testifying, but before she could figure that out, she remembered the fifty yuan that Xu Chunsheng had promised her, and she spent the whole night feeling uneasy.
You San'er, who hadn't slept well all night, saw that Xu Chunsheng had come again, this time with Secretary Li and the village chief.
His legs went weak, and he stood timidly under the eaves, not daring to meet the eyes of the others.
Party Secretary Li didn't seem to care about his reaction, but instead asked him seriously:
"You San'er, I'm here today on official business. Confess now: who instructed you to throw dead rats into Xu Chunsheng's pig farm and spread rumors about diseased pigs?"
"Tell us the truth, and we will record everything you say. If you lie or conceal anything, and then recant your testimony later, that will be deceiving the brigade cadres and disrupting village order. At that point, it won't be as simple as just a few of us questioning you!"
The brigade secretary came to question them personally, unlike the usual quarrels and private confrontations between the two families. This was a genuine questioning by "officials".
Moreover, a cadre was taking notes on the branch secretary's questions and You San'er's answers.
A few words reached You San'er's ears and wiped away his last bit of hope.
If he steals small things on a regular basis, they can't do anything about it, but if the officials take it seriously on important matters, he won't get away with it.
You San'er took a deep breath, exhaled, swallowed hard, and then recounted how Qian Junwei had found him:
"That day, I saw some peanuts drying in the Qian family's courtyard, so I grabbed a handful, and Qian Junwei caught me..."
The story begins with how the two met, how Qian Junwei threatened him, saying he would have to pay for peanuts if he didn't do it, and how he paid him to cause trouble at the pig farm and spread rumors about sick pigs.
The village chief and several elders heard the story again today, just as they had heard it yesterday.
Although he was somewhat impatient, he dared not show it.
What they found frustrating was that this meant they could no longer gain any benefit from the situation, and they decided to downplay the matter and let it go.
Although the village chief told Secretary Li about this, it was only to highlight that he was a conscientious and responsible village chief.
As for the witnesses recanting their testimonies later, what does that have to do with him, the village chief?
However, with Xu Chunsheng's actions, the group could no longer resolve the matter by simply smoothing things over.
After You San'er finished speaking, Cadre Zhang read the transcript word for word, and finally asked:
"Is my memory accurate? Is there any falsehood, exaggeration, or omission? If not, please confirm it verbally and then press your fingerprint on it."
After talking for a while, You San licked the saliva from the corner of his mouth and nodded:
"Yes, yes, I'm not lying."
After confirming that there were no problems, in the presence of Xu Chunsheng and several others, You San'er pressed his handprint at the end.
Party Secretary Li picked up the pen again, signed his name on the back, wrote the date, and then, instead of closing the notebook, handed it to Xu Chunsheng and the others.
"Village Chief Xu, and all of you, come and sign here."
Xu Chunsheng took the notebook and spread it out in his palm:
"Grandpa, you two write first, I'll hold the notebook for you."
Seeing how reluctant the others were to sign, Xu Chunsheng was overjoyed and happily signed his name on the back.