Two property owners' relatives had ended up at the police station one after the other. That was definitely bad news for Director Ma.
Zhang's situation was actually manageable. The bigger problem was that our group had been the last people to see him before he committed the crime. Zhang's parents had both died on the same day, and Zhang had become a criminal suspect. The demolition work that followed might run into some procedural difficulties, but they were only difficulties.
Hu Kai's situation was much worse. Even if Hu Kai himself had a criminal record, a family dispute over demolition that led to someone's death was exactly the kind of negative news the demolition office didn't want to see.
Everyone knew that people killed for money, and no one blamed the cash. But when it came to property and demolition compensation, not everyone could think so clearly.
Society had long since reached a kind of "consensus" on this. Before demolition, people hoped it would happen. Afterward, they resented it for turning family members against each other and tearing families apart. It was like working hard to make money and doing whatever it took when you were poor, then longing for the genuine affection and simple life you had back when you had no money. In fact, you could apply this to all kinds of situations. People always longed for what they didn't have, while disregarding, even belittling and hating, what they already possessed.
It was human nature, and a common public-relations crisis.
I could see the veins bulging on Director Ma's forehead. At that moment, he even glared at me. The look immediately reminded me of Xu Gang and Xu Tie, the two brothers.
The story of Xu Guangzong's family had been overshadowed by Xu Gang's status as a left-behind