Me! A high-ranking official!

The old man next to him was even more agitated, almost spitting in Luo Ming's face: "Luo Ming! You didn't lift a finger, just passed the buck and took a hundred yuan from each of us! We old bones sit on the street eating dirt and only earn two hundred, while you sit in an office with air conditioning and earn seven or eight hundred! Have you lost your mind?!"

After berating Luo Ming, Huopao immediately turned to the bewildered Luo Shuishan: "And you! Village Chief Shuishan! Look at the village cadres you've trained! You clearly promised Secretary Zhao we'd get 300 each, but this bastard ripped us off! If you don't give us the money today, we'll stay at your factory!"

Upon hearing the cursing, the workers immediately erupted in anger.

"What? The village chief is embezzling money from these old people?"

"They even hired someone to stop Secretary Zhao's car that was repairing the streetlights? Are the village chief of Shuishan and Lao Mingqian even human?"

The workers' gazes toward Luo Shuishan and his companion were instantly filled with shock, disdain, and barely concealed astonishment. They were all villagers and had always been very concerned about repairing the streetlights.

Zhao Jianguo parked his car and slowly walked out from behind the crowd, his hands behind his back, a chilling smile on his lips, looking at the two people in the middle who looked like they were being roasted over a fire.

"Village Chief Shuishan, Director Luo Ming." Zhao Jianguo's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a strong penetrating power and official authority, immediately silencing the originally noisy courtyard.

"You two have really done a good job!" He stared into Luo Shuishan's eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife: "I went through a lot of trouble, begging and pleading, and finally managed to get special funds for the lighting project for our poor village. The streetlights are about to be installed. Yesterday, I kindly asked you to help me advance some start-up capital, but you made excuses and said that the factory didn't have money to pay wages."

"But what about today? You're certainly loaded! You're willing to spend a fortune hiring old folks from the next village to block our own material trucks! To obstruct the great project of installing streetlights in the village!"

Zhao Jianguo suddenly raised his voice and sternly questioned, "Luo Shuishan! Luo Ming! You're using collective funds to obstruct village construction! What are you up to?! Who are you going against?! Are you going against me, the village secretary, or against all the villagers who want a better life?!"

This barrage of interrogations was like a thunderbolt in the courtyard of the mud slab factory.

Luo Shuishan's face turned deathly pale, and he broke out in a cold sweat. He glanced frantically at the workers around him. The villagers who had previously revered him were now whispering and pointing, their eyes filled with disgust. He was utterly horrified. What kind of monster was Zhao Jianguo?! What kind of extraordinary magic had he used to make these money-grubbing old men from other villages collectively betray him in such a short time, running all the way to his headquarters and revealing their true intentions?!

Compared to Luo Shuishan, Luo Ming was truly stunned by the scolding.

He had no idea that Zhao Jianguo had put on a show of turning 300 into 200 in front of these old people. All he heard was that these old men and women insisted that they had embezzled 100 yuan.

Luo Ming was so anxious he was jumping up and down, sweating profusely as he cried out, "No! Auntie, Uncle, don't make false accusations! I didn't embezzle! I swear on my whole family's lives I didn't embezzle!"

He turned to Luo Shuishan anxiously, as if grasping at a lifeline: "This money was given to me by Village Chief Shuishan! He gave me two hundred yuan per person as funding! I distributed it all without any change, I didn't make a single penny more! You can ask Village Chief Shuishan if you don't believe me, he can vouch for me!"

As soon as those words were spoken...

Luo Shuishan felt a loud buzzing in his head, and he almost fainted.

What an idiot!! He's a complete brainless idiot!!

This happened in front of everyone, right in front of the new Party Secretary! If you had denied it or made up some excuse earlier, you could have fooled me a little. But now you've exposed me in public, isn't this completely and unequivocally pinning the charge of obstructing and causing damage to my head, Luo Shuishan?!

Once Zhao Jianguo confirms this and reports it to the town or county discipline inspection commission, he, the village chief who has served for more than ten years, will be immediately dismissed and investigated! Not only will he never be able to hold his head high in Luojia Village again, but his lucrative mud slab factory will also be shut down every day due to environmental protection and industry and commerce inspections!

At the critical moment.

A bloodshot vein popped out of Luo Shuishan's eyes. Without any hesitation, he took a step forward, raised his foot, and kicked Luo Ming hard in the side of his thigh!

"Ouch!"

Caught off guard, Luo Ming stumbled from the kick and fell awkwardly onto the muddy ground covered in white dust.

Before Luo Ming could react, Luo Shuishan roared like a mad dog guarding its food, his voice distorted with extreme fear and rage: "Luo Ming!! You son of a bitch! What are you spouting nonsense about?! Explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened?!"

Luo Shuishan pointed at Luo Ming on the ground, cursing and spitting saliva everywhere: "When did I ever give you money to hire people to stop cars?! I've been emphasizing to the village committee these past two days that installing streetlights is a great thing for future generations, and everyone must unconditionally cooperate with Secretary Zhao's work! How dare you do something so heinous and obstructive to village construction behind my back?!"

Luo Ming, clutching his thigh that had been kicked, sat on the ground, completely dumbfounded.

He looked up at Luo Shuishan, whose face was contorted in horror, his expression one of utter astonishment. This wasn't right! Last night, you were the one who called me to your office, slipped me over a thousand yuan in cash, and repeatedly told me to go to the next village and find a few troublesome old men and women to harass Zhao Jianguo! Now that disaster is upon us, why are you turning your back on me?!

"Water, Water Mountain, you..." Luo Ming was about to speak up and defend himself.

Luo Shuishan didn't give him a chance to retort. He suddenly stepped forward, a vicious glint in his eyes, and stared intently into Luo Ming's eyes. He spoke rapidly, each word like a heavy hammer blow to Luo Ming's heart: "Luo Ming! Think about it with your own conscience! Over the years, haven't I treated you well as the village head?! Whenever your family needed money, wasn't it my factory that lent it to you?! Since you came to be the accountant, have I ever mistreated you?!"

Luo Shuishan gasped sharply, his voice suddenly lowering, but the threat emanating from it was chilling: "Including all the trouble your family got into before...including what happened to your son! Every single time, wasn't it me who stepped in, risking my reputation to smooth things over and clean up your messes?! How could you be so heartless, doing such dirty things that damage the village's collective interests behind my back! And you even dare to turn around and use my name to deceive the villagers, how am I supposed to face anyone in the village after this?!"

Upon hearing the words "that matter concerning your son."