Power and Wealth

Morning.

The news spread further and further.

The Chengguan Police Station became famous—truly famous. Many colleagues from other townships in Jiaolin County called their acquaintances at the Chengguan Police Station. The calls were mostly the same, just inquiries about the situation. Who wouldn’t be curious?

“Hello, Old Zhang.”

“Old Lu, what’s up?”

“Did your police station arrest the county Party Secretary?”

“...”

“Is it true or not?”

“Don’t you already know?”

“Cut the sarcasm. Do you think we wanted this? We didn’t recognize the person. If we had known he was the new county Party Secretary, even if we had a hundred times the courage, we wouldn’t have dared to arrest him. Enough already. Since yesterday, I’ve been fielding calls non-stop. Let’s drop it. You’re so amused. You don’t know the atmosphere at our station now. We’re all on edge. Even when dealing with a criminal, we dare not raise our voices, afraid of letting Secretary Dong catch wind of it. We'll be in trouble if he finds a reason to fault us. Just wait and see.”

“So, Secretary Dong is staying with you guys?”

“What do you mean ‘really’? He’s already settled in. Let me tell you, don’t tell anyone else, but I saw it with my own eyes this morning. Secretary Dong went out in slippers for breakfast and returned with a lot of vegetables. He’s cooking. The vegetables are quite a variety. For one person, it’s enough for at least two days, maybe even three. So, is he staying at our place? Don’t even ask.”

“You guys better watch yourselves.”

“This is a tough situation.”

“Yeah, but at least there’s someone to handle it. It doesn’t concern you as a police officer. You weren’t involved in that task, right?”

“No, I wasn’t. I was off yesterday.”

“Then let them deal with it.”

Even though the Chengguan Police Station staff who weren’t involved in the arrest of Dong Xuebing might be feeling uneasy, having seen the new county Party Secretary's troublesome behavior, they wondered if he might overhaul the Chengguan Police Station entirely. Many people have heard about it by now. In the morning, the station chief, Hu Hanbin, didn’t come to work, and several officers involved in the minibus incident were also absent. It was rumored that the city’s disciplinary department had summoned them, but it was only hearsay, and the truth was uncertain. Given that it involved the county Party Secretary, it was likely a significant matter, even if the Secretary hadn’t officially assumed office yet. Regardless, such matters were always important. The county would treat it seriously even if the Secretary didn’t say anything.

Ten minutes later.

The deputy station chief called a small meeting, gathering most of the officers in the conference room. Since the station chief, Hu Hanbin, was absent, the deputy had to handle the work.

Everyone was present.

The meeting began.

Deputy Station Chief looked at everyone, but his expression was not very good. It was filled with anxiety and deep sorrow as if someone in his family had just passed away. In short, it was a challenging situation.

“The reason I called everyone here today is not for anything special. I think you all understand the situation well by now, so I won’t repeat it. The county Party Secretary is currently staying at our police station and might stay for a long time. Please be mentally prepared for that. I want to remind everyone today to pay close attention to our words, actions, and work methods. Old Li, Xiao Sun, you two have been quite impulsive in your work, so be extra careful.”

Old Li smiled wryly, “Got it.”

Xiao Sun also quickly said, “Understood.”

The two of them didn’t need much reminding. Even those who usually had more aggressive and reckless behavior knew better than to act out. They weren’t fools.

The Deputy Station Chief continued, “As for other matters, I haven’t figured out all the details yet. After all, this is the first time something like this has happened. It’s up to everyone to be vigilant. Let me stress again that there must be no issues. Everyone needs to stay alert. If something goes wrong, I’ll hold the person responsible. Everyone should know by now the seriousness of the situation.” Seeing the others nodding helplessly, the Deputy Station Chief said, “That’s it. We’re facing a tough challenge now. I hope everyone can get through it together.”

“Understood.”

“Don’t worry.”

Everyone responded.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The Deputy Station Chief said, “Alright, the meeting is over. You all get back to work.”

The group got up and left the conference room, leaving the Deputy Station Chief alone to make a few more phone calls and arrange things. He was as busy as ever.

The atmosphere was tense, and this tension had started the previous afternoon.

In contrast, Dong Xuebing, the person at the storm's center, was in a completely different state.

By noon, around 11:30, the officers at the police station began preparing for their lunch break. Dong Xuebing, in the duty room, was also getting busy, but instead of working, he was cooking. No one dared knock on Dong Xuebing’s door, but the room had glass windows, and Dong Xuebing hadn’t drawn the curtains. Anyone nearby in the courtyard could see inside. Dong Xuebing was cheerfully cooking with the ingredients he had washed earlier at the sink. He turned on the induction stove and started preparing the meal.

He cooked a dish of minced pork with celery.

He also made a dish of shredded pork in Peking sauce.

He even made a soup inspired by the local spicy hot soup he had in the morning, trying to recreate the taste.

The dishes, except for the minced pork with celery, were quite complicated, but Dong Xuebing seemed to enjoy the process, not minding the effort. He spent over half an hour cooking as if he were honing his culinary skills. He occasionally tasted the soup to check its seasoning, nodding or shaking his head as he went. It felt like he was at home, utterly unbothered by the expressions of the passing officers who saw him. He went about his business, sticking to his way.

Outside, people were discussing:

“Secretary Dong is cooking?”

“Uh, does the county Party Secretary cook for himself?”

“I’m getting anxious. When will this esteemed figure leave?”

“It’s true. This is putting so much pressure on us. I’ve worked in various local positions for nearly twenty years and have seen several places. Still, I’ve never heard of a county Party Secretary staying at a police station, let alone one who is so relaxed and calm about it. I’ll say this to you, but don’t spread it around, okay? I feel it must take a bad-tempered leader to do something like this. I’ve never seen a leader like this; it’s quite something.”

“Well, no wonder Dong Xuebing is at this level at such a young age. There must be something extraordinary about him. He’s not an ordinary person. Have you ever seen a county Party Secretary who can kick over a minibus? Just imagine the situation, the vehicle's speed, and the scene. Even if we had ten people, we couldn’t flip a minibus. But Dong Xuebing did it with a single kick. It’s wild. Was he a Taekwondo practitioner before? His kicking skills are exaggerated. If he played soccer, he could score from his half if he aimed right. Is he even human?”

“Enough, he definitely wouldn’t score a goal.”

“Why? With that kind of power, even a long kick would be a straight line across.”

“Exactly. With such force, the ball would probably explode.”

Everyone’s discussion today revolved around Dong Xuebing. Even though they knew it wasn’t appropriate to gossip about leaders, they couldn’t help it. Since Dong Xuebing arrived in Jiaolin County, he hadn’t done anything a typical leader would do. This created a significant visual and cognitive dissonance for everyone. People are naturally curious and gossipy, so it was inevitable that they would discuss him.

Dong Xuebing intended to let everyone understand his working style so that future work could proceed more smoothly. He wanted to lay things out clearly, giving people a sense of who he was. Dong Xuebing has always been known for his volatile temper and rough manner. He probably won’t change, so he decided to show his true self early on rather than hiding it. Since he’s the county Party Secretary and the top leader, he doesn’t care about what others think. He’s confident and unconcerned about opinions. That’s why he presented himself unprecedentedly in his new post. Whether or not people accepted him was not his concern.

As the saying goes:

“Whether you like me or not, whether you accept me or not, I’m always here, forever here.”

It seems that Dong Xuebing achieved his goal. He made the people of Jiaolin County, especially those in the public security system, fully aware of what kind of person this new county Party Secretary is. The effect might be even more substantial. After hearing about Dong Xuebing, many people have almost turned him into a legend. His astonishing feat of kicking over a minibus has spread throughout Jiaolin County’s institutions and may have reached the city by now.

The mysteriousness breeds fear.

The fear breeds respect.

Regardless of other aspects, regardless of the county leaders' and officials’ impressions of Dong Xuebing, his authority and prestige have been established for the first time.