Chapter 185 – The wolf is here! (1/2)

The more Dong Xuebing wants to do something for the villagers, the more difficulty he had to face!

Today, Dong Xuebing was going through all the Hui Tian Village Station’s investigation and case records he got from the Bureau’s Office and Chu Feng. These were records of unsolved cases that happened in Hui Tian Village this year. One of the cases is about gambling and assault in a clubroom. Another case is someone’s dog had bitten someone and refuses to pay compensation. There is another case of drink driving and damaging a farmer’s field. These were not criminal cases and there were more than 20 of them. Dong Xuebing knew these cases were unsolved because the people involved have relationships or connections with the leaders in the various departments of the County government or bureaus. They are either friends or relatives of some leaders and used their connections to stop the investigations.

Dong Xuebing threw the records on the desk and rubbed his temples. He wanted to arrest all the culprits in these records for the villagers, but in China, connections are more important than anything else. This is the unspoken rule. If you don’t give those leaders’ faces, you will be in trouble and might even lose your job.

Ring, ring, ring…

Dong Xuebing took out his phone, and it was his mother calling.

“Xiao Bing, are you busy? I will just make things short. Old Zhuangzi’s younger son is bitten by a dog, and the police station is not doing anything against the dog owner.” Luan Xiaoping did not want to give problems to her son. But Old Zhuangzi is a close neighbor of them, and she needs to help them. “His leg is badly mauled by that dog… We don’t need the police to arrest the owner or what. But he should at least pay for the medical fees and compensate him some money.”

Dong Xuebing replied. “I know. Let’s talk about this another time.”

“What do you mean another time? You are a deputy Chief, and you don’t have the authority to look into this?”

“There are lots of things which you don’t understand. I will help you ask around, alright?” Dong Xuebing had just read about this case and knew the dog’s owner is a relative of the County’s Public Security Bureau Finance Department’s Deputy Section Chief. That’s why Liu Dahai and the officers did not handle it like other cases.

Connections!!! Dong Xuebing hated all these connections.

If Dong Xuebing were to punish these people harshly, he would offend the leaders, and if he let them off lightly, it will be unfair to the villagers. This is too disgusting!

Ring, ring, ring… Dong Xuebing’s office phone rang.

Liu Dahai barked. “Chief Dong, I don’t understand why the Bureau is not giving us our cash incentives. We got to settle our salaries ourselves, we got to pay for the PCs and office supplies ourselves, and we still have to settle the cash incentives promised to us, ourselves? The station is already penniless! How are we going to find the money? When I called the Finance department, they kept pushing me to someone else! What the f**k! If this carries on, I will quit! All my men are furious!”

Dong Xuebing frowned. “What cash incentives?”

“This is a program introduced last year as a form of encouragement. The officers who had good performances issued the most fines or made significant contributions will receive cash incentives. Every year, it is the bureau that hands out the budget for the station. Earlier this year, the Bureau’s Finances is tight, and the incentive is delayed for over a month. But now, other stations were given the incentives except for us.”

“What did the finance department say?”

“They said they still have not finish calculating the incentives and asked us to settle it ourselves. How can they do this to us? The officers from other stations had already received their incentives except for us.”

“Old Liu, don’t be so agitated. I remember we have just collected the money for the explosives? Use that money as incentives for your men first.”

Liu Dahai said: “You told us that the Bureau did not approve our procurement request, but those things cannot be delayed. This is why we had used all of the station’s money to procure those things, and the station does not any money left. I don’t even let our officers drive police cars. Why? Because the station is too poor to even afford petrol!” Liu Dahai was exaggerating, but Hui Tian Village Station’s finances are in terrible shape and the Bureau refuses to issue the money.

Dong Xuebing frowned. “Don’t worry about this. I will hurry them.”

Liu Dahai said. “Chief Dong, I am not angry with you today. I am in a bad mood because of those people from the Finance department. Do you know Police officers, Da Leng and Er Leng, the pair of twins from our station? They had solved a big case earlier this year, and Da Leng was injured in the course of duty. Their incentives should have been issued earlier. They have a younger sister who is studying in the university. All of her sister’s expenses are paid by her two brothers, and if they still don’t get their incentives, their sister might not continue her studies!”

Dong Xuebing knew the Finance department is one of the departments under Hu Yiguo. The other stations had received the incentives except for the station under Dong Xuebing. It was apparent the Finance department is making things difficult for Dong Xuebing!

Dong Xuebing was in a bad mood as he picks up the phone to call the finance department’s Deputy Section Chief Liu. “I’m Dong Xuebing. When will the incentives for the officers from Hui Tian Village Station be issued? The other stations had received their incentives a few days ago!”

Deputy Section Chief Liu knew Chief Dong will be calling him and had prepared an excuse. “Chief Dong, it is not that we are not issuing the incentives. Section Chief Wang, who does the tabulation of the incentives, still have not get back to us. How about you check with him?” Deputy Section Chief Liu pushes the blame to Deputy Section Chief Wang, who was also in the Finance department.

Dong Xuebing narrowed his eyes. “You are trying to push the blame to someone else?”

Deputy Section Chief Liu smiled. “I don’t dare. We really still have not finish calculating their incentives.”

After hanging up the phone, Dong Xuebing called Deputy Section Chief Wang. These people seem to have discussed this beforehand. Deputy Section Chief Wang said. “Chief Dong, we are doing our best to tabulate the incentives. Please wait for a few more days.”

“How many days?”

“I am not sure. Anyway, I will hurry my men to get the job done.”

Dong Xuebing can’t be bothered with him. Who knows how long his ‘a few days’ will last? He called the head of the Finance Department’s Wu Jun. “Section Chief Wu, your department is very efficient. Your men still know how to delay the officers’ salaries and incentives!”

Wu Jun smiles. “Are you talking about the incentives? Oh, two days ago, our PC had some problems, and we are now calculating their incentives. Chief Dong, Hui Tian Village Station, has the most money compared to the rest of the villages. They should be able to issue the incentives to their officers first. Please ask them to issue the incentives first, and we will transfer the money over another day. I hope you can understand.”

Dong Xuebing smiled. “The head of the department is still the best at finding excuses and pushing away responsibilities. You are really the best example for everyone at the grassroots level.”

Wu Jun had heard of Chief Xiao Dong’s sarcastic remarks and laughed to himself. “We also have our difficulties. Please be understanding.”

Dong Xuebing slammed the phone down!

Motherf**kers! Every one of them dares to step all over my head!! Rejecting our application for new PCs is fine. The incentives were promised to the officers by the bureau. How can they drag the payments?! Dong Xuebing did not call anyone else and did not look for Liang Chengpeng. He does not want to let Chief Liang or other leaders help him whenever he faces problems. Dong Xuebing will be looked down upon if he asks for help. He got to settle this by himself!

Dong Xuebing looked at the pile of records on his desk.

Settle this by ourselves? Fine! They are asking for this!

Dong Xuebing looked at his watch and grabbed all the case records and his bag. He walked quickly to the Bureau’s office and enter Hu Silian’s office.

Hu Silian got a shock and quickly walk over. “Chief Dong, just give me a call if you need anything. Why are you coming over?”

Dong Xuebing replied. “Sister Hu, is the Buicks MPV still around?”

“Yes, but the finance department said they need to use it today.”

Dong Xuebing nodded. “Give me the keys.”

Hu Silian smiled awkwardly. “Chief Dong, this… this is not right…”

The finance department had made things difficult for Dong Xuebing, and Dong Xuebing will not give them any face. He reached out his hand. “Ask them to look for me when they are here. Oh, I will be at the Hui Tian Village office for the next few days. Will there be any problem if I return the car a few days later?” Hu Silian didn’t dare to refuse Dong Xuebing and passed him the keys. This was the first time she saw Dong Xuebing being so overbearing.

Hui Tian Village.

When the car enters the station, Dong Xuebing noticed the gloomy expressions on the police officers’ faces.

“Since there are no incentives, why did the bureau promise us in the first place?! They are lying to us!”

“Your family’s financial condition is better than mine. My family is going to starve soon!”

“I think our money had been taken by those people in the finance department!”

“Shhh… I think that is Chief Dong’s car.”

The officers greeted Chief Dong after he alighted. Dong Xuebing nodded to them and noticed two very tanned officers looking identical. They were in their early 30s and should be the twins Liu Dahai told him earlier. Dong Xuebing asked. “You two is Da Leng and Er Leng?”

Da Leng never expects Chief Dong to know him. He quickly nodded.

Er Leng stood there, scratching his head and smiled at Dong Xuebing.

Dong Xuebing saw the torn and worn-out shoes they were wearing and knew Liu Dahai was not lying. These two brothers should be in poverty. “I heard you have a sister in University? Haha, where is her university and how are her results?”

Da Leng replied proudly. “She is studying in Fengzhou City. My sister’s result is outstanding!” The countryside is different from major cities like Beijing. It’s rare for these villagers to have a graduate in their families. When Da Leng remembered his sister’s situation, he asked worryingly. “Chief Dong, the… when will the incentive be issued? My sister does not have any money now. If I still don’t send her money, she will starve.”

Dong Xuebing did not reply to him and looked at Da Leng’s right arm, which was still wrapped in bandages. “Is this the injury you got earlier this year?”

Er Leng said: “My brother tried to restrain a robber and the robber took out a knife and attack him. He is lucky not to get killed. Station Chief Liu had applied for 2,000 RMB incentive for my brother, but… now…” Both Brothers had risked their lives for their younger sister. But in the end, they did not receive the incentive they were promised.

Dong Xuebing patted their shoulders. “Don’t worry. I am here to settle this problem.”

5 minutes later, Dong Xuebing found Liu Dahai. “Old Liu, thanks for working hard. Get all the officers, including those at home, over for a meeting now!”

Liu Dahai asked. “This…”

Dong Xuebing did not explain. “I will be waiting in the meeting room. I have some tasks for you all.”

The meeting room is a bigger office, and Dong Xuebing called Chu Feng to enter with him. He placed all the records on a table and asked Chu Feng about the details of each of them. Chu Feng was excited. He knew he had gained Chief Dong’s trust during the previous operation. He did not hold back and told Dong Xuebing everything he knew about those cases.

After a while, all the officers entered the room. Liu Dahai, Instructor Li Sanmiao, and Deputy Station Chief Chen Fa were also there.

This was not a big office, and there were insufficient chairs. Many officers could only stand at the back.

Dong Xuebing did not use the microphone and looked at everyone. “I know everyone here is very concern about your incentives. Yes. Our officers are risking their lives on the frontlines and work harder than anyone else. You all still don’t get overtime pay and face danger anytime. The only thing the bureau can repay to you all is incentives. But I need to tell all of you that I had spoken to the leader of our Bureau’s Finance Department. Their side has some problems and needs to recalculate your incentives. They will not be issuing the incentives soon!”