Chapter Twenty-Three: The Sterilization Scandal (Part II)

Although Lu Kun was startled, he didn’t lose his composure. He fixed his gaze on the direction ahead and dashed toward the small alley. Before long, a familiar courtyard appeared before him. It was the home of Stone, and Lu Kun’s eyes brightened at the sight.

He reached for his waist and found the key that Stone had given him was still there. The gate of the courtyard was locked from the inside; Stone was likely still asleep, catching up on rest. Lu Kun considered waking Stone to let him in, but worried about alarming the neighbors and thus inviting trouble.

Eyeing the earthen wall, about a meter tall, Lu Kun sprinted forward, grabbed the top with his right hand, and flipped himself over with a back somersault, landing neatly inside Stone’s yard. Without hesitation, he avoided disturbing Stone, used the key to unlock the adjacent room, slipped into the woodshed on the second floor, and hid himself.

The village was now in turmoil, chaos reigning everywhere. The shouts of women caught and struggling, the curses of men subdued, the wails of children—it was a cacophony of panic and confusion. Though Lu Kun was, for the moment, safe, unease gnawed at his heart.

Stone’s house was probably the safest place he could find; everyone in the village knew Stone was a bachelor, and family planning policies didn’t concern him. Moreover, Stone’s uncle was a county police chief, so the village officials wouldn’t dare harass him. The real worry was those sent from higher up, who might not care about Stone’s uncle’s standing, and that could spell trouble.

Knock, knock, knock!

Speak of the devil, and he appears! Lu Kun cursed his own luck, feeling as if he’d jinxed himself.

“Who is it?!”

The repeated knocking on the gate stirred Stone from his slumber, and he shouted outside, his face twisted in irritation. Heaven knew how angry he was right now. The uproar in the village had already disturbed his sleep, but he’d stuck to his principle of staying out of others’ business and entertained himself with a solitary game. Now, just when he was enjoying himself, someone had to come knocking. In his current state, he didn’t want to see anyone; his mood was high and wouldn’t subside anytime soon.

The knocking grew more urgent, pounding louder until voices called out into the yard.

“Listen up inside! Open the door, we’re the county family planning task force. We know there’s someone in there—open up immediately!”

The members of the family planning task force were getting impatient. Since arriving in the village, they’d been like wolves among sheep, rounding up anyone eligible for family planning, regardless of their willingness.

“Open up now! If you don’t, we’ll break in ourselves!” Their faces showed anger and frustration, but inside, they were pleased—surely they’d caught another married couple.

“Damn it!” Stone cursed as he pushed open the door, stepping out in a yellowed white undershirt and blue underwear, the front bulging, a banana-shaped object faintly outlined.

Lu Kun, crouched in the woodshed, used a small stick to carefully poke a hole in the wall, pressing his eye to it to observe the situation outside.

The task force members, hearing Stone’s curses, looked furious, determined to teach the brat inside a lesson.

Lu Kun’s heart thumped wildly. He prayed Stone would help him through this ordeal.

Bang!

Stone opened the gate, and a furious crowd surged forward. Stone spread his arms, blocking their way.

He pointed at the leader, poised to charge in, and barked, “What’s your name? Which department are you from? What’s your badge number? Don’t you recognize me?!”

The man bristled with anger, then paused, cursing internally: “Who the hell does he think he is? If he really had status, would he be holed up here?” Still, his actions slowed.

“Maybe he’s some bigwig’s relative,” the man thought, but he wasn’t foolish enough to reveal his name and badge number.

“If you won’t say, that’s fine. Tomorrow, I’ll bring a medical report and have my uncle take me to your unit to identify you!” Stone was riding high—his uncle was about to be promoted, and he was basking in reflected glory.

“Hell!” The leader’s mouth twitched, inwardly cursing Stone for not playing by the rules. But with his own team behind him, he couldn’t lose face.

“Who’s your uncle? We’re only following orders from above,” he replied, still firm but less aggressive than before.

The village officials, much like policemen in TV dramas, finally arrived, fashionably late. Liang Jinbao was the one who came. Seeing the family planning task force quarreling with Stone, his heart skipped a beat.

“Jinbao, you tell me—do they handle things like this? Are they deliberately provoking my uncle?” Stone, sharp-eyed, spotted him lurking and called him over.

All eyes turned toward Liang Jinbao. He was startled by the attention, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and forced himself forward with a bitter smile. “Come on, everyone, let’s not flood the Dragon King’s temple, we’re all family here.”

The task force members got the message—Stone must have connections in the county.

Liang Jinbao hurried to the ear of the task force leader, Kang Dongming, whispering explanations.

“Nephew of Lu Chaoyang, Chief Hao’s right-hand man from the Public Security Bureau,” Kang Dongming understood immediately.

“Alright, let’s pack up. Another day, I’ll personally invite Instructor Lu for tea.” Kang Dongming smiled at Stone.

He wasn’t worried that Lu Chaoyang would make things difficult for him. Lu’s rank was only one level above his own, and they weren’t in a direct reporting relationship. There was no need for concern. Besides, he’d heard rumors that Lu might be promoted soon, so it wasn’t wise to offend him now. In any case, their team had made a mistake this time—raiding the home of a bachelor while searching for violators of family planning was embarrassing. If this blew up, they’d certainly be reprimanded.

The task force withdrew, and Lu Kun finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the weight lift from his chest.

Liang Jinbao soothed Stone, pouring out compliments. He feared Stone would make a fuss and report this to his uncle, implicating him in the process.

The elderly onlookers, seeing the excitement fade, dispersed one after another.

Stone didn’t say much to Liang Jinbao; he chased him away and locked the gate behind him.