As Liang Zhenzhang listened, his expression grew increasingly grim.
Indeed, Teacher Shen was not one to quibble over trivial matters; Mao Xiaoming was clearly in the wrong.
If he had simply been absent for a few days, it wouldn't have been a big deal.
However, Mao Xiaoming had not only left the base but had also gone out carousing, and not for any good.
It was true, the things Mao Xiaoming had done were known to the people in the village and the neighboring one.
Simply put, during this period, Mao Xiaoming had been involved with several women from his own village and the one next door.
Among them were young widows and women whose husbands were away.
In short, the young man had been up to no good during this time.
"This is hooliganism!" Liang Zhenzhang was furious.
Yet, as he spoke, he kept his voice low, not daring to raise it.
He clearly knew the gravity of the situation.
Not long ago, someone in the neighboring town had been convicted of hooliganism and had paid the ultimate price!
If his words were overheard by someone with ulterior motives, he and the Party Secretary might become sworn enemies.
"Teacher Shen isn't planning to keep him anyway," the youngest son of the An family said in a low voice.
Liang Zhenzhang wholeheartedly agreed with this sentiment.
Now that Shen Zizhen didn't want him, it wasn't anyone else's fault!
Who told the young man to do bad things at such an inopportune time?
He deserved to be dismissed! Sudannovel.com
"I'm aware of this matter, and I will handle it."
If the Party Secretary knew that his own nephew had committed so many acts that angered the public, he likely wouldn't show leniency either, would he?
After all, no matter how important a nephew was, he wasn't as important as one's own career, let alone one's own life.
Mao Xiaoming's actions, while not a major offense, were certainly not minor. It was entirely possible that he could implicate his uncle.
The two walked side-by-side, speaking in hushed tones. No one knew exactly what they discussed as they went.
But the An family's youngest son knew he had said all he needed to say.
Liang Zhenzhang also knew that he had learned all he needed to know, and the next step was how to proceed.
Having said their piece, the two arrived at the research base.
Shen Zizhen and the other two had only entered the building a few minutes prior.
When they returned, An Ronghua and his wife were about to have dinner with their child.
Having known that Shen Zizhen and his companions would not be eating, they had only prepared their own meal.
Who knew that the three would suddenly return, and they seemed rather unhappy.
The couple exchanged glances, wondering if Secretary An had said something displeasing.
But that didn't seem right. Secretary An was as slippery as an eel; how could he have said something that would anger Teacher Shen so much?
Regardless, since they had returned during mealtime, a new meal had to be prepared.
An Ronghua took their own meal back into the house for the child to eat first, while he and his wife went to the kitchen to prepare a new meal.
As he was about to wash the rice, An Ronghua saw the village Party Secretary's youngest son enter with a food carrier.
"Wife, no need to cook anymore. The food has been delivered."
An Ronghua guessed that this must be the meal delivery.
Indeed, the An family's youngest son asked An Ronghua to help set up a table before taking out the food from the carrier.
The carrier contained four meat dishes: stewed chicken, braised fish, sizzling eel, and stir-fried cured meat with chili.
The spread was quite impressive, all substantial dishes!
It seemed that there wasn't a conflict between Teacher Shen and Secretary An's family. So, what was the reason then?
An Ronghua pondered this but asked no further questions.
"Sister-in-law, please prepare two more vegetable dishes for Teacher Shen to make it a total of six dishes. Six, six, everything goes smoothly!"
The An family's youngest son was quite articulate, smiling as he said this to An Ronghua's wife.
By seniority, he was An Ronghua's cousin, so calling her sister-in-law was appropriate.
As for the vegetable dishes, they could be stir-fried if desired, or if not, a simple tomato salad or cucumber salad would also count as two dishes.
He had even brought the ingredients.
An Ronghua's wife readily agreed and took the basket to the kitchen to get busy.
Meanwhile, Liang Zhenzhang went to Shen Zizhen's dormitory to personally invite him to dinner.
Shen Zizhen merely wished to avoid Mao Xiaoming's obnoxious presence and had no issue with anyone else, so he quickly agreed to come.
Looking at the lavish spread on the table, he felt a bit embarrassed, thinking Secretary An was spending too much.
"Today, I'm borrowing flowers to offer to Buddha. Using Secretary An's delicious food, I'd like to have a casual chat with you, Teacher Shen," Liang Zhenzhang said very politely.
Although Shen Zizhen held a high position, he was not arrogant. As Liang Zhenzhang spoke with deference, he responded with equal warmth.
The two chatted amiably, and the atmosphere was very pleasant.
Su Xiaotian also felt somewhat relieved. It was indeed more comfortable for everyone when the annoying person was absent.
An Ronghua's wife soon brought over two more dishes. Instead of cucumber salad or tomato salad, she prepared stir-fried cucumber with eggs and stir-fried lotus root cubes, both refreshing dishes.
After delivering the dishes, An Ronghua's wife excused herself, leaving the others to enjoy the meal.
Liang Zhenzhang did not explicitly state it, but he subtly implied that he would definitely resolve the issue.
Shen Zizhen was determined not to have Mao Xiaoming anymore; hiring such a person was more disgusting than helpful.
He had already considered approaching the higher authorities himself to discuss the matter. Since Liang Zhenzhang had made such an indication, he wouldn't need to trouble himself.
After briefly stating his position, Liang Zhenzhang did not dwell on the issue and instead discussed other matters with Shen Zizhen.
Naturally, the conversation eventually turned to Su Xiaotian's proposal of teaching some first-aid knowledge to the people of Tongliang.
With Shen Zizhen present, the time for the lecture was set.
"Actually, why not print some small booklets and distribute them to the educated individuals in each village? This way, even if we leave in the future, others can still benefit."
Su Xiaotian felt that a single day might not be enough to teach much.
However, she was on a mission this time and didn't have much time to worry about things like lectures.
Liang Zhenzhang found this suggestion to be excellent.
This was not only a good deed that could save lives but also a potential achievement for his political career.
He was glad he had made this trip, otherwise, he would have truly missed such a rare and golden opportunity.
Since it was beneficial to the common people and also to himself, Liang Zhenzhang became even happier.
He put down his chopsticks, stood up, and bowed to Su Xiaotian.
His sudden action startled Su Xiaotian.
"What are you doing? Mayor Liang, you are an elder!"
Su Xiaotian was quite speechless.
Liang Zhenzhang was in his fifties; bowing to her, wasn't he afraid of shortening his own lifespan?
Reminded by Su Xiaotian, Liang Zhenzhang realized that his action was somewhat inappropriate.
He quickly found another reason.
"I am apologizing on behalf of those who will benefit from this in the future. You deserve it! And you are worthy of it!"
The meal was considered a pleasant gathering for all, oh, wait, the hosts were not present.
Secretary An was at home comforting Mao Xiaoming.