Chapter 156: Things are getting troublesome!

Stepping out of the car, Yang Dong looked at Gong Hongyang and Jin Hemin with a smile on his face, though a deep sense of bewilderment lingered in his heart.

How had news about his mother reached the ears of these two men?

Could there be some hidden circumstances behind all this that he was completely unaware of?

For Gong Hongyang to take the initiative and apologize the moment they met—something was definitely not right!

Yang Dong had only just arrived at the Administration for Industry and Commerce Enforcement Station. Just as Jiang Hu killed the engine and before Yang Dong even had a chance to get out, Gong Hongyang and Jin Hemin had already ridden up on a motorcycle.

Therefore, he had no idea what had actually transpired inside.

"Secretary Gong, Mayor Jin, is selling fish against the law for my mother?"

Yang Dong maintained a smile, but his tone carried an unmistakable edge of anger.

Whose interests did his mother selling fish disrupt? Was it really necessary to drag her back to the enforcement station?

Naturally, everyone understood how matters worked at the grassroots level; there was no need to spell it out.

Determining right and wrong was difficult; it all depended entirely on who had connections and who held a higher position—whoever did was automatically in the right.

"It's not against the law, of course it's not against the law."

Hearing Yang Dong's question, Jin Hemin hurriedly stepped forward to respond.

Bending slightly at the waist, he plastered a full smile across his face and continued, "Director Yang, it's like this: recently, the town has been trying to regulate the commercial and industrial environment, so unregistered street vendors are, of course, not permitted."

"However, the enforcement methods used by the Industry and Commerce Enforcement Station were unquestionably flawed. Our town government has repeatedly issued strict orders for civil, polite, and courteous law enforcement, yet certain individual enforcement personnel have violated these regulations."

"Please rest assured, Director Yang, that we will make a vigorous effort to rectify this in the future and eradicate such uncivilized enforcement practices."

As the town mayor, Jin Hemin naturally had to explain the situation personally to Yang Dong.

Strictly speaking, this fell squarely under his responsibilities as mayor.

"Let's go inside first."

Without acknowledging Jin Hemin's remarks, Yang Dong gestured toward the enforcement station and walked in.

He wanted to see precisely what had happened and why Gong Hongyang felt the need to apologize in person.

Could something have happened to his mother inside the enforcement station?

At this thought, Yang Dong's heart sank, and his anger flared even higher.

Gong Hongyang and Jin Hemin exchanged glances; both of them had no choice but to brace themselves and follow him inside.

"Who are you looking for?"

As soon as Yang Dong stepped into the enforcement station, he saw a middle-aged woman sitting on a chair, head tilted back with an arrogant expression, shouting impatiently at him.

Ignoring her, Yang Dong continued walking further inside.

"Hey, hey, hey! Who do you think you are? Where do you think you're barging into?"

The middle-aged woman immediately rose from her chair, grabbed Yang Dong's arm, and tried to block him from moving further in.

By this time, Yang Dong could already hear his mother's voice, though it somehow sounded choked with tears.

"Is this the attitude your enforcement station usually displays when going about your work?"

Yang Dong turned his head and glanced sideways at the middle-aged woman.

Frowning, the middle-aged woman looked Yang Dong up and down.

Then, catching sight of the two men walking in behind him, her expression changed drastically.

"Secretary Gong, Mayor Jin."

It was impossible for her not to recognize the top two officials of Xiashu Town.

Seeing Gong Hongyang and Jin Hemin enter, she was hardly a fool; she instantly realized that the young man she had just grabbed by the clothes was certainly no ordinary person.

With lightning speed, she released her grip on Yang Dong's jacket, her demeanor undergoing a complete one-eighty-degree transformation.

"Oh my, Comrade, is there some business you need to take care of?"

The middle-aged woman asked with an ingratiating smile, leaving no trace of her previous arrogance and overbearing attitude.

Turning back to look at Gong Hongyang and Jin Hemin, Yang Dong couldn't help smiling bitterly. "It seems the Xiashu Town Industry and Commerce Enforcement Station is in dire need of an overhaul."

"This two-faced attitude—polite to my face and heavy-handed behind the scenes—truly opens my eyes."

"Fortunately, these two leaders followed me in; otherwise, I might have been carried out horizontally, wouldn't I?"

Yang Dong's words were scathing, dripping with venom.

At these remarks, the complexions of both Gong Hongyang and Jin Hemin shifted uncomfortably.

"Comrade Yang Dong, please don't be upset. We will definitely give you a perfectly satisfactory resolution to this matter."

Gong Hongyang hurried to speak, knowing that Yang Dong's anger had been thoroughly ignited and needed to be suppressed immediately.

If Yang Dong were allowed to make a major issue out of this, their position in Xiashu Town would become perilous.

They could not allow a minor enforcement station to jeopardize the broader interests of the entire town.

"Just who are you in this enforcement station? What is your official title?"

Disregarding Gong Hongyang's assurances, Yang Dong pointed straight at the middle-aged woman and demanded in a deep voice.

Realizing at last that something was amiss and that the situation might be grave, the middle-aged woman turned an appeal for help toward Gong Hongyang and Jin Hemin.

"Director Yang asked you a question, so answer it! What are you looking at us for?"

Jin Hemin barked angrily, glaring fiercely at the middle-aged woman.

Director Yang?

Confusion washed over the middle-aged woman. She had no idea who "Director Yang" referred to, nor which department he was from.

And he was so young, besides!

She had never seen Yang Dong around the town government offices, meaning he certainly wasn't a local town cadre. That meant... he must at least be an official from the county level.

Coming from the county? No wonder he required the personal accompaniment of the town party secretary and the mayor!

Flustered, she quickly replied to Yang Dong, "Director Yang, I am the deputy director of the Industry and Commerce Enforcement Station."

Yang Dong was not the least bit surprised by her title. So what if she was a deputy director? Her arrogant nature remained unchanged.

Certain petty grassroots cadres, stuck midway without the prospect of promotion or demotion and having lost all hope of rising further, simply loved wielding their meager shred of authority to bully ordinary citizens.

A township enforcement station was merely a unit ranked at the primary股级 (section-chief equivalent) level.

The head of the station was generally a primary-level cadre, while the deputy director could be either primary or sub-level.

Yet regardless of rank, none of it mitigated her blatant arrogance and tyranny.

Her overbearing conduct had nothing to do with her rank; it stemmed entirely from her character.

"Did your station detain a female comrade who was selling fish?"

Frowning deeply and fighting down the rage simmering in his chest, Gong Hongyang turned to the deputy director of the enforcement station.

"Ah? Yes, we brought one in."

Startled for a moment, the middle-aged woman suddenly sensed imminent disaster.

Could the party secretary and the mayor have come here specifically for the rural woman who sold fish?

At this realization, cold sweat broke out on her skin, leaving her trembling with anxiety.

In the heat of the moment earlier, she had slapped that country woman across the face—surely nothing terrible would come of that, would it?

"Where is she?"

Continuing to suppress his anger, Gong Hongyang demanded.

"Oh—right this way, in the inner room!"

She pointed a shaky finger toward the inner chamber.

Without hesitation, Yang Dong strode rapidly forward and pushed open the door to the inner room.

With a single glance, he spotted his mother, Du Yuxiang, clad in a dark blue work uniform, wrapped in a red headscarf, and still wearing the white cotton work gloves she used for manual labor.

At that moment, her eyes were red and watery as she sat on a stool, her shoulders trembling slightly—clear evidence that she had been crying not long ago.

Yet none of that was the most important thing.

The crucial detail was the stark, deeply indented red handprint clearly visible on Du Yuxiang's left cheek.

Seeing his mother in this state, Yang Dong instantly understood why Gong Hongyang had proactively offered an apology the moment they met.

So his mother had suffered humiliation and been struck across the face right here within the enforcement station.

No wonder...

"Mom, let's go home!"

Walking straight up to her, he gently helped Du Yuxiang to her feet and guided her toward the exit.

"My eldest son, the fish, and the bicycle!"

Du Yuxiang called out behind him, anxious that her bicycle and over twenty catties of fish were still being impounded by the enforcement station.

"We don't want them anymore. Consider it a donation to the enforcement station to boost their revenue!"

Yang Dong cast a chilling glare at the deputy director.

"Director Yang, Director Yang, please listen to our explanation, Director Yang..."

Nervous and frantic, Jin Hemin chased after them, desperately attempting to offer an explanation.

Waving a dismissive hand, Yang Dong refused to hear another word from him.

He pulled open the car door and motioned for his mother to get into the back seat.

"Huzi, back to the village!"

Standing side by side, Gong Hongyang and Jin Hemin watched the municipal discipline inspection committee's Jetta sedan pull away, their expressions grim and desolate.

"This business is going to be a massive headache."

Jin Hemin sighed, deeply depressed.

"Heh. Yang Dong didn't make a scene, didn't argue, and didn't demand an explanation right away."

"What does that tell you?"

"Figure it out yourself, my dear mayor!"

Sneering coldly, Gong Hongyang shot Jin Hemin one last venomous glare before turning on his heel and storming off.