Chapter 16

Part One: Turmoil in officialdom. Chapter 16: An unexpected turn

"Ah..."

Zhang Ke recognized the little girl. The terror of a nightmare on her pretty face was heartbreaking to see.

The little girl recognized Zhang Ke too. Her mouth opened in two soundless cries, and she pointed at him, struggling out of Xu Xueping's arms before he had a firm hold on her. She nearly fell to the floor.

"I hadn't got a proper hold on her yet! Why did you let go? How would we answer to her mother if she fell?" Xu Xueping complained loudly, only to see his granddaughter, Xie Zhitong, throw herself at the boy who had come with Zhang Zhixing. To everyone's surprise, she wrapped her arms around the boy's waist. Unable to reach all the way around him, she clutched his clothes tightly, holding on as though afraid of losing something she loved.

On the eighteenth, nearly a hundred workers from Xinguang Paper Mill had gathered to protest at Bell Tower Square in front of the city government offices. They protested that the Chengnan District government had disregarded the workers' interests by relocating Xinguang Paper Mill to the Southern Suburb Industrial Park, far from the urban area. Once the new mill was built, it lacked the funds to buy raw materials and begin production, yet the district government was eager to shut down the old mill. The city temporarily reassigned most of the traffic patrol officers from the West District to Bell Tower Square to maintain order. As a result, a drunk driver drove a dump truck into the city through Beiguan and all the way to North Street without a single traffic officer stopping the speeding truck or its intoxicated driver, causing a major traffic accident on North Street.

Zhang Ke had never imagined that the young man killed in Haizhou's major traffic accident on the eighteenth was Xu Xueping's son. Looking at the little girl's pitiful expression, he supposed she had been having a nightmare about the accident. His heart ached, and he picked her up and settled her on his lap.

"Come, Zhitong, let's go upstairs to bed. Your big brother still has things to do..." Xu Xueping's wife slipped her hands under the little girl's arms to take her, but the girl clung desperately to Zhang Ke's neck, making hoarse "ah, ah" sounds and refusing to let go.

Everyone in the living room was bewildered by this turn of events. Zhang Ke rose awkwardly, his neck hurting a little from the girl's grip. He and Xu Xueping's wife supported her together, afraid that her arms might give out and she might fall. His face was full of embarrassment.

"Ah, you're the boy who saved Zhitong?" Little Li was the first to realize what was happening. Pointing at Zhang Ke, he asked, "Were you the one who saved Zhitong from under the dump truck on the eighteenth? What's your name? Why did you leave?"

"I was terrified too. When I saw she was all right, I didn't think about anything. I just left in a daze..." Xu Xueping's wife let go, and Zhang Ke held the little girl in his arms. He too was overjoyed at this unexpected development and did not know what to say.

"You really were the one who saved Zhitong?" Xu Xueping asked instinctively. Without waiting for Zhang Ke's answer, he turned and instructed the nanny, "Little Zhou, call Zhitong's mother right away. Tell her we've found the boy who saved Zhitong from under the wheels. He's here at our house. Tell her to hurry back." His voice was full of emotion. He came over to shake Zhang Ke's hand, but since Zhang Ke was holding Zhitong, he pressed his shoulder instead, urging him to sit down, at a loss for words.

Xu Xueping's wife said from beside them, "We asked Haizhou Television Station to help find you. Haven't you watched television these past few days? Losing Zhiming like this has already broken our hearts. If anything had happened to Zhitong too, none of us could have borne it." As she spoke, she began wiping away her tears.

Zhang Zhixing was utterly bewildered by this turn of events. It seemed almost unbelievable. Looking at his son, he asked, "You... when did you save Secretary Xu's granddaughter... why didn't you tell me?"

"It was on the eighteenth, the day my fever had just gone down. I felt cooped up at home, so I went for a walk on North Street, and then... I was holding her when the truck turned past, practically brushing the tips of our noses. I was terrified and just wanted to forget it." Zhang Ke turned to Xu Xueping's wife. "My dad and I haven't had time to watch television these past few days. We didn't know you were looking for me."

"What was your name again?" Xu Xueping patted his forehead and pointed at Zhang Ke, tears welling in his eyes as emotion stirred him. After his son's death in the accident, his granddaughter had become his greatest comfort, and he felt deeply grateful to the boy who had saved her from under the wheels. According to his daughter-in-law, the situation had been extremely dangerous. The boy had practically rushed under the wheels to snatch her away. He had been very brave. Rarer still, after saving her, he had quietly left without giving his name.

Xu Xueping had been planning to wait until these few days had passed, then tell Haizhou's authorities to find the boy no matter what, so he could thank him properly.

"Zhang Ke..."

"Yes, yes, Zhang Ke. Your father mentioned it when he came in, but I didn't take it in. Don't be angry with your uncle..."

"Xueping, they came to our home as guests. How could you leave them sitting here? Thank goodness Zhitong woke up, or wouldn't we have missed him again?" Xu Xueping's wife wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Xueping, whatever it is, can't you help them with it?"

Zhang Zhixing said awkwardly, "We... Haizhou is investigating a bribery case involving Deputy Mayor Tang Xueqian. We found some material and rushed to the provincial capital to report it to Secretary Xu. Secretary Xu told us to report directly to the Provincial Procuratorate."

Pointing at the stack of documents Zhang Zhixing had brought, Xu Xueping said, "There's still some time before the people from the procuratorate arrive. Come to the study with me and give me another report on the situation. Tell me how you obtained these materials."

"Little Ke discovered much of it..." Zhang Zhixing pointed at his son.

Xu Xueping turned to look at Zhitong. Zhang Ke said, "She's asleep. I'm fine holding her."

Even asleep, the little girl kept her arms tightly around Zhang Ke's neck, afraid he would leave. But the terror had vanished from her face, replaced by a child's peaceful sleeping expression. Xu Xueping sighed softly. "This is the first time she's slept so soundly in days. Let's stay here and speak quietly."

The nanny withdrew, and Xu Xueping's wife sat down as well.

Earlier, after handing the materials to Xu Xueping, Zhang Zhixing had been interrupted before he could explain in detail how they had obtained them. He had never expected a turn like this. He carefully explained the relationships between Xu Si, Tang Xueqian, Jiang Mingcheng, and Zeng Jianhua. He described in detail how his son Zhang Ke had happened to discover Xu Si together with Ding Xiangshan, how he had taken photographs as evidence, how he had obtained the photograph of Tang Xueqian and Xu Si from her, the various peculiarities in the rumors circulating in Haizhou, how they had found Zeng Jianhua's notebook at Tang Xueqian's home, and how they had only learned that Zeng Jianhua had fled abroad with the money after going to his home.

"Xueping, Haizhou does have good officials," Xu Xueping's wife said after hearing Zhang Zhixing's account. "Comrade Zhang took such great risks and did so much work, even enduring his colleagues' misunderstanding, simply because he hoped to get to the bottom of the matter, without wronging a good official or letting anyone who had done wrong escape. The provincial authorities must support him."

When someone disliked a person, everything that person said sounded grating; when they liked someone, everything that person said seemed reasonable. Zhang Ke noticed that although Xu Xueping's expression was grave, he had already been persuaded.

"I hadn't expected Haizhou might have problems this serious," Xu Xueping said. "But I can't listen only to your side of the story. I also need to hear what the investigation team has found so far..." Still, he offered Zhang Zhixing some reassurance. "Whether Tang Xueqian accepted bribes or not, your willingness to question things is precisely what upholds the authority of judicial fairness. Good officials like you are rare."

Zhang Ke was taken aback too. Xu Xueping's words carried considerable weight. They were like a protective talisman placed on his father: as long as Xu Xueping remained in office, no one in Haizhou would dare touch a hair on his father's head.

Zhang Zhixing struggled to keep any smugness from showing on his face. Xu Xueping's affection was extending to those connected with the person he favored.

Xu Xueping told Little Li, "Contact Jin Guohai immediately and see whether he can fax me a copy of the investigation team's findings in Haizhou."

Xu Xueping turned to look at Zhang Ke. This rather pretty-looking boy had surprised and delighted him. Rushing under the wheels to save someone and leaving afterward without giving his name was rare enough, but he was also so alert when things happened, able to spot problems others would miss. If they really uncovered hidden circumstances behind Tang Xueqian's case, this boy would deserve a great deal of credit. Making no attempt to hide his appreciation, he gave a rare smile. "I don't know whether your father has been boasting on your behalf, but you really did well. How old are you?"

"Sixteen. I just graduated from junior high..."

"Much older than our Zhitong, then. A big brother." Xu Xueping introduced Zhang Ke to the people in the living room. Little Li's name was Li Yijiang, and he was Xu Xueping's dedicated secretary. His wife was called Zhou Shuhui and worked at the Provincial Department of Labor. Little Zhou, the nanny, was an old relative on Zhou Shuhui's side of the family.

Secretary Li put down the telephone and came over. "Deputy Chief Procurator Jin has already left home and is on his way..."

"Can he see the future?" Xu Xueping asked in surprise.

How could Jin Guohai possibly see the future?

Xu Xueping's secretary had called to say that someone from Haizhou had brought some documents to Xu Xueping's home and asked the procuratorate to send someone to collect them, without explaining the matter in detail. Since Xu Xueping's son had just been killed in a traffic accident in Haizhou, the staff on duty were particularly sensitive to such matters and immediately called Jin Guohai, a leader of the procuratorate who was at home, for instructions. Jin Guohai did not dare take it lightly. Knowing that Xu Xueping would be very short-tempered during this period, he decided to visit his home personally, regardless of whether the matter was important or trivial. He had not expected that the matter would indeed take a turn at Xu Xueping's home.

Jin Guohai and his assistant had barely arrived at Xu Xueping's home when Xie Wanqing followed. She had been at the company sorting through her husband's belongings when she suddenly received a call saying that the boy who had saved Zhitong was at her father-in-law Xu Xueping's home. Without delay, she left the company and hurried over. The first thing she saw upon entering was Zhang Ke holding Zhitong.

"Thank you for saving Zhitong. We didn't get your name at the time. I was planning to go to Haizhou to look for you after a while." This was the only thing that had brought Xie Wanqing any comfort in recent days. She turned to her father-in-law. "Dad, how did you find Zhitong's young benefactor?"

"No one went looking for him. Zhitong recognized him herself," Xu Xueping said. "You and Shuhui take Zhitong upstairs to bed first. Let Shuhui tell you..."

Seeing Jin Guohai visiting so late, Xie Wanqing knew there must be something important. She reached out to take her daughter, only to find that the girl had her arms tightly around the boy's neck and refused to let go even in her sleep. She said softly, "Zhitong, come, let Mommy hold you..." Zhitong opened her drowsy eyes and, seeing her mother, finally released her reluctant grip.