Will the Boat Sink the Water?: The Life of China's Peasants Read Online Free PDF Page B

against Ding Zuoming: her husband, Ding Yanle, “had implemented the one-child policy overzealously and had offended Ding Zuoming, who stopped him on a village path and beat him up.”
    Kang and Ren were more than happy to see this trumped-up charge against Ding Zuoming. They had already received a firm order from their superiors at the county to form a working group to check the financial records of Luying Village, an order that, obviously, reflected badly on their own leadership. The group must include those who had made the complaints. It was obvious to Kang and Ren that Ding Zuoming was the ring-leader who had brought matters to a head. Kang and Ren lost no time in directing the township security force to take action on the accusation against Ding Zuoming. And the township security, being a tool of the township bosses, in turn wasted not a moment before sending out a notice for Ding Zuoming to report to their office immediately.

    By the time Ding Zuoming received the summons on the fateful morning of February 21, he had not only come out of hiding
    will the boat sink the water ?

    but had on the previous morning been invited to attend a meeting at the township, where the word was out that the auditing should start the very next day. Ding was perplexed by the summons from the township security. He could only surmise that it was Ding Yanle up to one of his tricks again. But Ding felt sure that once the audit got going, all the abuses in Luying Village would be brought to light. As for himself, Ding had nothing to hide. He walked out of the house and made for the township security office with a light step, which is where our story first started.

    What happened inside the security office on the day of February 21 after Ding Zuoming walked in was never made public, but after the case was closed, there was an internal report, which we were able to acquire for this investigation.
    According to this report, the minute Ding Zuoming stepped into the office, the deputy chief of township security, Peng Zhizhong, barked at him, “How dare you attack Ding Yanle?” “I never attacked him, I’ve never attacked anyone!” Ding
    protested.
    The accusation and the denial were repeated back and forth over and over again. Peng’s logic was “If you did not attack Ding Yanle, why would his wife make those accusations to the township?” Ding Zuoming replied, “If anyone present at the scene that day, even a child, testified that I attacked Ding Yanle, I would take the consequences.”
    Peng lost patience and pronounced sentence: “One, you must pay 280.50 yuan for Ding Yanle’s medical bills. Two, you must use a cart to fetch Ding Yanle back from the hospital on a township market day.”
    Of course Ding Zuoming would not accept the preposterous sentence. He had picked up some knowledge of legal proce—
    the martyr

    dures from his constant reading of newspapers, and he said, “I never attacked Ding Yanle. I can appeal your sentence.”
    Peng was enraged. He pointed his finger at Ding Zuoming and shouted, “I can have you arrested this very minute!”
    Ding replied, “Even if your ‘sentence’ can stand, mine is not a criminal offense. And even if you hold me in detention, you must give a reason for detention within twenty-four hours.”
    Peng retorted, “Good, I will detain you for twenty-three-and-a-half-hours. After that, if you refuse to pay up, I will detain you for another twenty-three-and-a-half-hours. This will go on until you pay.” At this, he called to three security hirelings, Zhu Chuanji, Ji Hongli, and Zhao Jinxi, and told them to take Ding to the “detention cell.” The government had passed clear-cut rules forbidding the local security from setting up such cells.
    Against Ding Zuoming’s protests, Peng said to the three men, “The lout has no manners. Too spirited. Soften him up a bit.” Then he retired.
    The three men knew what was meant by “softening up.” One of the men present, Zhu, had been