Chapter 2 Prologue: Twenty Years Later
Wang Gongdao patted on the door of Li Xuelian's house for fifteen minutes, but no one answered.Wang Gongdao patted and shouted: "Big cousin, I am Wang Gongdao."
There was no answer in the courtyard.Wang Gong said: "Big cousin, open the door, I can already see the lights in the room."
There was no answer in the courtyard.The prince said: "It's getting dark, I haven't eaten yet. I brought you a pork leg, we have to stew it quickly."
Still no one answered.
Early the next morning, Li Xuelian opened the front door, and Wang Gongdao was still standing in front of the front door.Beside Wang Gongdao, several people from the county court stood.Li Xuelian was taken aback: "Have you guys stood here all night?"
Wang Gongdao pointed to his head aggrievedly: "No, look at the frost on the head."
Li Xuelian looked at his head, but there was no frost on his head.Wang Gongdao laughed: "I'm not that stupid, you pretended not to hear me when you called the door last night, so I had no choice but to go back; I woke up early today, I don't believe I can't stop you."
Li Xuelian had no choice but to lead a group of people into the yard.Twenty years ago, Wang Gongdao was still a young man. Twenty years later, he was already a bloated middle-aged man; There is no beard on the chin, and the face is full of bumps; twenty years ago, Wang Gongdao was a little white boy, and twenty years later, his skin turned black and rough.But Wang Gongdao is not the only one who has changed. Twenty years ago, Li Xuelian was twenty-nine years old. Twenty years later, Li Xuelian was forty-nine years old. Twenty years ago, Li Xuelian had black hair. It took half; twenty years ago, Li Xuelian had beautiful features, her breasts were her breasts, and her waist was her waist. Twenty years later, her face was wrinkled and her waist was as thick as her chest.The two sat down in the yard, and the prince said: "Big cousin, I'm looking for you this time. I have nothing else to do, just to see if there is any difficulty at home."
Wang Gongdao's entourage put a pig leg on the stone platform under the jujube tree.Li Xuelian: "If it's for this, you go away. There is no problem at home, and the pork leg is also taken away. I believe in Buddhism and don't eat meat."
Stand up, pick up the broom to sweep the floor.Wang Gongdao jumped up from the bench, hid Li Xuelian's broom and snatched Li Xuelian's broom at the same time; after snatching it, he helped Li Xuelian sweep the floor and said: "Big cousin, even if there is no difficulty, we are relatives, so I can't come to visit? "
Li Xuelian: "Don't say 'sister' or 'sister', you are the president of the court, I feel flustered."
Wang Gongdao leaned on the broom: "Then let's talk about it. The one who passed away the year before last, Ma Dalian from Majiazhuang, is my uncle, you know?"
Li Xuelian: "If he is your uncle, you shouldn't ask me, you should ask your mother."
The prince said: "Ma Dalian's wife's younger sister married to the old Hu's family in Hujiawan; a cousin from your aunt's family married an uncle and nephew from her husband's family; speaking of it, our relatives are not far away."
Li Xuelian: "Dean Wang, if you have nothing to do, let's stop grinding our teeth. I have to go to my daughter's house. Her cow calved last night."
Wang Gongdao put down his broom and sat down: "Since we are relatives, I won't go around in circles. Cousin, in ten days or so, the National People's Congress will be held again. When are you going to file a complaint?"
Li Xuelian: "So it's about suing. Let me tell you, I won't sue this year."
Wang Gongdao was taken aback.Then he smiled: "Big cousin, I don't go around in circles, but you start to go around in circles again. For twenty years, you have filed complaints every year. This year, you suddenly said you will not sue. Who would believe it?"
Li Xuelian: "This year is different from previous years."
Wang Gong said: "What's different? Tell me about it."
Li Xuelian: "In the past I didn't give up, but this year I did."
Wang Gongdao: "Big cousin, your words are not convincing. I know you have been wronged for twenty years, but the matter is plain, and it is not your own business now. It was originally a big deal, but it ended up making trouble It became a big watermelon; it was originally a big problem with ants, but it turned into an elephant. Because of a divorce, the mayor, county head, court president and special committee were withdrawn. Since the Qing Dynasty, this has never happened in China. Kind of thing. But to be honest, your divorce is true or false, whether you can remarry Qin Yuhe, and then divorce, is it up to these mayors and county magistrates to decide? You did not remarry and then divorced, it was these mayors and county magistrates who decided Did you make a fuss? If you want to say wronged, everyone is wronged besides you. The main body of your case is not the mayor, the county magistrate, the dean and the judge, but Qin Yuhe. By the time of the Qing Dynasty, I had shot him to death, just to talk about the legal system now. You said how abominable this person is, and the matter of divorce and remarriage was complicated enough. He still didn't think it was messy, and then said that you were Pan Jinlian; Two arrows fired at once will drive you to a dead end. You have sued for 20 years, and governments at all levels can understand. The leaders of successive governments and courts have done a lot for Qin Yuhe. But he is stubborn Donkey, for the past twenty years, he has never uttered his words. Qin Yuhe’s unreasonableness is the root cause of this matter, isn’t it? Speaking of which, we are on the same side. Big cousin, can we discuss it, and we won’t sue this year? Prescribe the right medicine and continue to do Qin Yuhe's work. I think time is not forgiving, but time is also the most forgiving; the son you and Qin Yuhe had is 30 years younger this year; the son has another son, and the grandson is in elementary school ;Twenty years have passed, and Qin Yuhe is not monolithic; it is just a stone, and it should be warmed up in his arms. I have thought about the strategy, and this year we will do Qin Yuhe's work again. Can you start with Qin Yuhe's son, or your daughter-in-law, and let them do Qin Yuhe's work. After all, blood is thicker than water. And your little grandson, who is in elementary school, should be sensible , let's do his work too; when the grandson goes to persuade his grandfather, maybe some words will upset Qin Yuhe's nerves. And the daughter you gave birth to Qin Yuhe, isn't she too old? Whether it's for you , or for her own sake, she should go and persuade her father. The parents have been arguing about remarriage and divorce. After twenty years of arguing, how glorious is the girl's face? With so many people working together, Qin Yuhe only needs to If you can hear it, if you divorce his current wife and then remarry you, Pan Jinlian's matter will be settled by itself..."
Li Xuelian stopped Wang Gongdao's tirade: "You don't want to do Qin Yuhe's work; if you do it well, I won't remarry him either."
Wang Gongdao: "If you don't remarry him, how can you prove that your divorce was fake? How can you prove that you are not Pan Jinlian?"
Li Xuelian: "I wanted to prove it in the past, but I don't want to prove it this year."
Wang Gongdao: "It has been proved for twenty years, but this year it is suddenly said that there is no proof, who will believe it?"
Li Xuelian: "I won't tell you, I figured it out this year."
Wang Gong said: "Big cousin, why are you so stubborn? If you want to say that, you still have to sue. Or let's say that, you don't look at others, but look at me. I have worked hard for twenty years, and you have seen it; because You and I have made mistakes too. It is not easy to become the dean after falling down and getting up. If you don’t sue, I can keep my position. If you have to struggle, you may be like Dean Xun twenty years ago Same, I was also slapped. My hat is in your hand."
Li Xuelian: "If it's because of your hat, put your heart in your stomach. Didn't I just say that I won't sue this year."
Wang Gongdao almost cried: "Big cousin, why are you talking nonsense? We are two sisters, can't we have an open and honest talk?"
Li Xuelian was in a hurry: "Who told you nonsense? I'm telling the truth, you don't believe me."
Picking up the bag on the steps under the jujube tree: "Anyway, you don't believe what I say, so I won't talk to you anymore. I have to go to my daughter's house. If you are willing to stay, you can stay; before leaving Forgot to lock the door for me."
Then walked out of the yard.Wang Gongdao rushed out again: "What are you in a hurry for? It's just to meet relatives. Wait for me. I'll take you there in the court car."
It has only been three months since the county magistrate solemnly took office in the county.Among the leading cadres from top to bottom, only Zheng Zheng has not realized how powerful Li Xuelian is.He didn’t realize that Li Xuelian is so powerful, not because he didn’t know that Li Xuelian was a contemporary “little cabbage”; because she filed a lawsuit, she once dismissed the mayor, county magistrate, court president, etc. Once bitten by a snake, ten years afraid of well ropes; some plants are soldiers.How can governments at all levels from the city to the county be fooled by a rural woman?Or be killed by a rural woman?Once someone seizes the door of your life and your weakness is in the hands of others, you have no way out, and everyone will not be able to live in peace year after year.Stability maintenance is to maintain, and harmony is to be harmonious, but stability maintenance is not such a stability maintenance method, and harmony is not such a harmonious method.Just like dealing with terrorists, you can't back down; once you back down, he will put forward new conditions, and there will never be an end.Negotiation is not everything.He felt that the leadership from top to bottom was too weak, and he had to be tough when it should be tough; when something should explode, let it explode; if terrorists wanted to shoot, let him shoot.Of course, there was an outbreak 20 years ago, and the mayor, the county magistrate, the president of the court, etc. were withdrawn; but precisely because of the outbreak 20 years ago, they should not be afraid now; People will be evacuated again; the most dangerous place in the world is the safest place.
Seriously, apart from the above understanding, when he was the executive deputy county magistrate in another county, he once handled a case of petitioning and suing, and he has learned from experience.The situation in another county is much more serious than Li Xuelian's complaint.An industrial park is to be built in the county, occupying more than 200 mu of land in a village; the government and farmers have been unable to reach an agreement on land compensation.More than a thousand farmers, men and women, gathered in this village to sit in front of the county government.The county magistrate, Lao Xiong, negotiated ten rounds with the farmer representatives, but no results were reached.More and more people gathered in front of the county government.Old Xiong asked the mayor, Ma Wenbin, if he could use the police force. Ma Wenbin's answer was just four words: "Properly handle it."
Attacking up and down, the old bear was so worried that he was admitted to the hospital.As soon as Lao Xiong got sick, the matter fell on Zheng Zheng's head.Zheng Zheng knows that the old bear's illness is faking and he is hiding from the ants' nest, but Zheng Zheng has serious thoughts.After solemnly taking over, no one asked for instructions, and several peasant representatives who took the lead in making trouble were called to the county government conference room for the eleventh round of negotiations.Farmer representatives entered the conference room and found that it was full of police officers.Without further ado, the police overthrew some of the farmers who had led the disturbance, handcuffed them, gagged them, and escorted them away from the back door of the county government.Knowing that their representative had been arrested by the police, more than a thousand farmers at the gate of the county government quit. The crowd rushed into the county government, smashed the windows of the office building, overturned three cars parked in front of the building, and set them on fire.Solemnly waited for this time.The people who beat, smashed, and robbed then found that the police began to gather around the county government.The police gathered more and more, three or four hundred people gathered, some with guns and ammunition, and some with batons.Solemnly mobilize all three or four hundred police officers from the county.Farmers clashed with police.Solemnly order the police to shoot into the air.As soon as the gunshot rang out, the peasants immediately dispersed.Two stray bullets wounded two running peasants.And so things calmed down.
The arrested negotiators were released; seven or eight ringleaders involved in beating, smashing, looting, and burning were arrested and charged with "disturbing social order," "obstructing public affairs," and "deliberately destroying public and private property." ", were sentenced to three years or five years in prison.The government still compensated the land in the village at the original prescribed price, and the villagers accepted the money. No one dared to make trouble; the industrial park started construction immediately.Because of shooting and wounding, Zheng Zheng was given a warning within the party.Mayor Ma Wenbin was not familiar with Zheng Zheng in the past, but through this incident, he began to appreciate Zheng Da greatly.Appreciation is not appreciation for solemnly shooting and wounding people, but that he dares to make decisions by himself without asking for instructions when encountering such things.In other words, dare to take responsibility.A year later, the county magistrate of Li Xuelian's county was transferred away. Although Zheng Zheng was carrying the punishment, the mayor Ma Wenbin made the decision to transfer Zheng Zheng to this county as the magistrate.When the president of the court, Wang Gongdao, reported Li Xuelian's situation to Zheng Zheng, saying that he was not sure whether she would sue again this year; Wang Gongdao was crying, but Zheng Zheng didn't take it seriously.Wang Gong said: "Twenty years have passed, this girl has become more and more difficult to deal with; the more she says she won't complain, the more worried I am, and I can't figure out what she's thinking."
Solemnly: "If you're not sure, don't do it, let her sue."
Wang Gongdao hurriedly waved his hands: "County Zheng, you didn't know about it just now, so you dare not let her complain."
Solemnly: "Which article in the Constitution stipulates that citizens cannot sue?"
Wang Gong said: "She didn't sue in our county court, but I am not afraid if she will sue in our county court; as soon as she sues, she will go to Beijing. We don't have to be afraid to go to Beijing at ordinary times, Beijing will hold the National People's Congress again soon, right? She If you break into the city hall again, from the mayor to you and then to me, you have to step down again."
He smiled solemnly, and explained the reason why he would not evacuate now just because he had evacuated a group of people 20 years ago; but Wang Gongdao disagreed: "Mayor Zheng, I speak badly, don't worry about it, I understand what happens from time to time. However, just because of this and that, the thoughts of the leaders are the same as Li Xuelian's thoughts, so we can't guess. Do you think the leaders will feel sorry for the withdrawal of cadres? China lacks everything, but there is no shortage of cadres; , they just replaced a group of their own people."
When Wang Gongdao said this, he did not think of it solemnly.He solemnly leaned on the back of the chair: "Just withdraw, I just don't want to be the one."
Wang Gongdao was in a hurry: "You have the final say on this matter. If you don't want to be the mayor, what if you still want to be the mayor?"
He bowed his head and said, "Besides, I still want to be one."
Seriously seeing that Wang Gongdao is an honest man, he couldn't help laughing: "The governments at all levels are being manipulated by a rural woman like this?"
Wang Gong said: "It's not bad, it's been like this every year for twenty years."
He also said: "The trouble is that if she is alone, it is easy to deal with, but in fact she has become three people."
Seriously puzzled: "What do you mean?"
Wang Gongdao: "We think she is 'Xiaobaicai', her ex-husband said she was 'Pan Jinlian', and she said that she was wronged like 'Dou E', wouldn't that make three people? These three women, which one is Fuel-efficient lamps? It’s hard to deal with one person alone, but if three difficult people are entangled together, wouldn’t it be superfluous? It’s like a white lady practicing kung fu. After twenty years of practice, she can become a master gone?"
He also said: "In order to coax her, she has not lost anything in the past twenty years. I gave her seventeen or eight pork legs alone."
He also said: "I have seen everyone give things to officials, but how have you ever seen an official give something to a rural woman?"
He also complained: "The National People's Congress is also held very frequently. It is held once a year and once every five years. This year is different from previous years. This year is a big meeting. The government is about to change. How dare you let her help it? Don’t dare to be careless.”
He sighed again: "It's nothing else to blame, it's just the fact that things were reversed. I never thought that a rural woman would be linked to state affairs all of a sudden."
Zheng Zheng: "Because of you doing this, she has been used to something wrong."
Wang Gong said: "Major Zheng, this is the current reality. I am a junior official, so we can't talk about it. Magistrate Zheng, you are a senior official, why don't you talk to her?"
He smiled solemnly, knowing that Wang Gongdao wanted to push things up and avoid the ant's nest; this man seemed honest, and he also had ghosts in his heart; but solemnly didn't care about this, and asked another way of thinking: "Can you investigate and investigate?" See if this woman has other things, such as stealing, fighting, gambling, or other illegal things?"
Wang Gongdao understood the meaning of solemnity: "I hope she does. If she wants to have other crimes, why don't you arrest her earlier? Then I will be clean, and it's up to the Public Security Bureau to deal with her."
But scratching his head, he said, "I've been paying attention to her for twenty years, but a girl from the countryside wants to commit a crime, but she doesn't have the guts to gamble, and she has no money."
Zheng Zheng disagreed: "According to your description, it's not that he doesn't have the guts, but it proves that his quality is not bad."
He also said: "Let's change our thinking again, can we work as her ex-husband and remarry with her? If they remarry, wouldn't there be no complaint?"
Wang Gong said: "We have walked this road for twenty years; we have done this job hundreds of times. But her ex-husband is also a stubborn donkey, saying that he has not been troubled for twenty years, and remarriage can still be considered; After twenty years of trouble, even if she is the only woman left in the world, she will not remarry with her again."
He added: "Furthermore, that man has found someone else, and the child he gave birth to is almost twenty. If he remarries Li Xuelian, he still has to get a divorce first, right?"
He added: "Furthermore, Li Xuelian wants to remarry her ex-husband, not for the sake of life, but for divorce after the remarriage. In a word, it's purely for making trouble, to prove that she is not Pan Jinlian."
She sighed again: "She didn't torment her ex-husband, but torment us. Twenty years, Magistrate Zheng. I sometimes feel sad. I really want to quit this dean and start a small business."
Zheng Zheng smiled "Puffing": "Seeing that you have been forced to this point, I will take her side."
Wang Gongdao immediately stood up: "That's right, County Magistrate Zheng. Anyway, if you say hello, it's just to coax her. After coaxing her for a month, when the National People's Congress is over, she can think of where to sue her. Just go and sue. As long as the critical period passes, we won’t be afraid.”
Shaking his head solemnly: "You said this county, how come there is such a Pan Jinlian?"
Wang Gong said: "by chance, it's purely by chance."
The next morning, the county magistrate solemnly went to Li Xuelian's village to look for Li Xuelian, accompanied by the president of the court, Wang Gongdao, and his entourage.Zheng Zheng went to see Li Xuelian not just because Wang Gongdao gave a big talk yesterday to convince Zheng Zheng; but after Wang Gongdao left, the mayor Ma Wenbin also called him, saying that ten days later, he would serve as a representative of the National People's Congress. , going to Beijing to attend the National People's Congress; there is a woman in your county named Li Xuelian, who made a scene in the city hall twenty years ago, and has filed complaints every year since then, reminding you to pay attention.Ma Wenbin: "I will go to Beijing to attend the National People's Congress, but Li Xuelian will not go."
Wang Gongdao made a lot of talk, and he could care about it solemnly, or he didn't care; Ma Wenbin's call was solemn but he couldn't ignore it, and he didn't dare to ignore it.At the same time, he also wanted to meet Li Xuelian, to see if she had three heads and six arms, and had tormented everyone for twenty years from top to bottom.When I saw Li Xuelian, she turned out to be an ordinary rural woman, with gray hair, a waist as thick as a water tank, and a husky voice.Li Xuelian felt strange when she saw Wang Gongdao: "You came yesterday, why are you here again today?"
Wang Gong said: "Big cousin, yesterday was yesterday, and today is different from yesterday."
Pointing to Zheng Zheng: "This is the magistrate Zheng of our county. I am a junior officer. I couldn't talk about you yesterday. Today I invited the magistrate here."
Everyone sat down under the jujube tree in the yard.Solemnly: "Sister-in-law, I like to cut straight to the point, so let's make a long story short. The country is about to hold a National People's Congress, so why don't you file a complaint?"
Li Xuelian pointed at the prince and said, "I didn't tell him yesterday, and I won't go this year."
The solemn question was the same as Wang Gongdao asked yesterday: "Why didn't you go?"
Li Xuelian answered the same as yesterday: "I didn't figure it out in the past, but I figured it out this year."
Wang Gongdao slapped his hands: "The more you say that, the more uncertain I am."
He added: "If you want to say that, you still have to sue."
He solemnly stopped Wang Gongdao with his hands, and said to Li Xuelian: "Dean Wang doesn't believe you, but I believe you. Now that you've figured it out, let's write a letter of guarantee."
Li Xuelian was taken aback: "What is a letter of guarantee?"
Solemnly: "I promise not to sue again, and sign your name."
Li Xuelian: "What's the use of signing it?"
Solemnly: "If you sue again, you will have to bear legal responsibility."
Li Xuelian: "Then I won't write."
Zheng Zheng was stunned: "Since you won't sue, why don't you dare to write a letter of guarantee?"
Li Xuelian: "It's not that I don't dare, it's not the case, and the reason is not the case; I don't have to complain if I have a grievance, but I can't write you a letter of guarantee; once I write a letter of guarantee, it seems that I was wrong; It's nothing, isn't it all wrong for twenty years?"
Zheng Zheng was stunned again, and saw that this rural woman was unusual; Zheng Zheng didn't expect this kind of truth in the matter.He said solemnly, "Sister-in-law, it's not that serious, it's just a formality."
Li Xuelian shook her head: "Now it's just a formality. If something happens in the future, you can arrest me with this piece of paper."
Zheng Zheng finally knew that this was a difficult person; Li Xuelian, as expected of Li Xuelian; he set up a trick, and she saw it all.Seriously explained: "It's not the intention, it's to reassure everyone; otherwise, how can we reach an agreement with empty words?"
Wang Gongdao took out a piece of official paper from his briefcase, on which several lines of words had been printed.Wang Gongdao: "Elder cousin, the agreement has been drafted for you. The county magistrate Zheng is here today, so you can sign it."
Then he took out a pen from his jacket pocket: "You signed it, and I won't bother you again."
Unexpectedly, Li Xuelian knocked Wang Gongdao's pen away: "I didn't want to sue this year, but if you want to force me like this, let me tell you, I changed my mind, and I have to sue this year."
Zheng Zheng froze there.Wang Gongdao picked up the pen from the ground, clapped the letter of guarantee in his hand and said, "Look, I'm finally telling the truth."
The county magistrate, Zheng Zheng, was personally criticized by the mayor Ma Wenbin; criticism of him intensified the conflict between the government and Li Xuelian.When Zheng Zheng was the executive deputy county magistrate in a neighboring county, he dealt with the case of peasants besieging the county government, which intensified the conflict; but that intensification was right, but this time it was wrong.A rural woman, who has sued for 20 years, suddenly said no to sue this year; regardless of the truth or falsehood of this statement, being able to say no to sue, which has never happened in 20 years, is a positive factor.Even if it is a lie, it is false, but there is a desire to correct the complaints and extreme practices.If people have such wishes, we should guide them in a positive way; but from the president of the court to the county magistrate, they all have a bucket of cold water in their pockets, and they must say that what they said is a lie.In order to turn lies into truth, people must sign a guarantee and must bear legal responsibility.The results of it?Push a good thing or a good wish to a dead end.What is the starting point?Just don't trust people.If you don't trust others, how can they trust you?The rabbit will jump over the wall when it is anxious.The result was just the opposite, and things backfired. The woman originally said that she would not sue this year, but finally changed her mind and said that she would sue this year.Now everyone is at ease.But then to do the work, the difficulty is even greater.When people have good wishes, they work hard in the same direction; when they change the same to different, they have to start from different; and from different to the same road, it is only this that breaks In itself, the workload is heavy.
Who is responsible for this extra workload?Not this rural woman, but us who go to work.Our working methods are problematic.The problem lies in the working method, which is only the surface of the problem; but the essence of the problem lies in our attitude towards the people.If you don't trust the people, how can the people trust you?This approach itself does not regard itself as a public servant of the people, but stands on the opposite side of the people, acting as an official and a lord.A bigger mistake than these is the lack of a big picture when dealing with this matter.In half a month, the country will hold the National People's Congress.When a rural woman is invisibly connected with national affairs, she is no longer an ordinary rural woman; and the way we do work is still the same as treating an ordinary rural woman.Twenty years ago, this woman broke into the Great Hall of the People; because of her, a series of our predecessors were withdrawn; twenty years ago, our predecessors treated this woman like this; Shouldn't the lessons of blood be learned?More important than these are political ideas.This year's National People's Congress is different from previous years' National People's Congress. This year is a new year, and a new government will be formed. The whole country and the world are paying attention.Twenty years ago, it was a small year for women; this year, it will be a big year.If she breaks through, she succeeds in breaking through like twenty years ago, and the political accidents and political influences will be different from those twenty years ago.News is more developed than it was twenty years ago.With the Internet.With Weibo.Maybe overnight, the whole world will know about it.It is a small matter that we are dismissed like our predecessors twenty years ago, but it is a big matter to throw the face of the whole country in front of the whole world...
When Ma Wenbin criticized Zheng Zheng, although the wording was very fierce, he kept smiling.This is the characteristic of Ma Wenbin's speech.Ma Wenbin is not tall, about 1.6 meters.Speaking on the rostrum, sometimes you need to stand in front of the microphone on the side of the stage; others have said that, when he walks over, it is difficult for his head to reach the microphone; generally, when it is the mayor’s turn to speak, the staff have to run away Go up to lower the height of the mic.He is short, thin, and wears a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, making him look like a frail scholar.When talking to people, the voice is not loud, and you laugh before speaking; after talking for a while, laugh again.But reasoning is not a matter of exaggeration. For the same thing, if others can explain one level of reasoning, he can explain three levels of reasoning;In addition, Ma Wenbin usually speaks in a low voice, but when he is appointed as a research cadre, his voice suddenly becomes louder; whoever is promoted and whoever is removed has a clear banner; whoever he wants to be promoted, generally no one dares to object; If you talk about the three levels of reasoning, you can't tell him; often the final decision is made.In the same way, which cadre he wants to remove is often finalized.So from the city to the county, cadres at all levels are afraid of him.Ma Wenbin's criticism of Zheng Zheng is the same as criticizing others. After criticizing a paragraph, he smiles;Zheng Zheng broke into a cold sweat not because he was afraid of Ma Wenbin's criticism, but because he felt that what Ma Wenbin said was reasonable.Standing and gaze are much higher than solemnity.What is the gap?This is the gap.There is no other reason why someone else is the mayor and you are the county magistrate. It is because the level of others is higher than yours.After Ma Wenbin's criticism, he said solemnly and sincerely: "Mayor Ma, you are right. It is because I have simplified the problem, and I have underestimated the big issues. It is because I have no overall and political concepts. Times. I'll go back and write you a check."
Ma Wenbin smiled and waved his hands: "There is no need to check, just recognize it."
He also said: "I think about it sometimes. Some ancient idioms are still worth pondering, and they still have profound meanings. For example, 'a dike of a thousand miles collapses in an ant's nest', for example, 'preventing micro-duration', for example , "Because of the small, the big is lost". In short, they are all talking about the word "small". Many people stumble, not on the word "big", but on the word "small". Or, they don't understand the word "small". The meaning of the words."
He nodded solemnly: "I lost the big because of the small, and I didn't understand the deep meaning of the word 'small'."
Ma Wenbin: "There is also an idiom called 'It's a blessing in disguise'? This time I stumbled, and the next time I know 'this and that' and 'drawing inferences from one', it just makes progress."
Solemnly: "After I return to the county, I will go back to work immediately and talk to this woman again."
Ma Wenbin smiled and said solemnly: "You are already at odds with others, and it is not a day's work just to grind this 'top'."
He patted the armrest of the sofa: "The National People's Congress will be held in nine days, so let me do it myself. You go back and make an appointment, and I will treat this woman to dinner."
Hearing that the mayor wanted to invite a rural woman to dinner, and the reason was that he didn't do a good job, Zheng Zheng felt a little uneasy: "Mayor Ma, it's because I didn't do a good job that I caused trouble for you."
Ma Wenbin waved his hand: "Seeing the masses is also part of my job."
He smiled again and said, "I have been the mayor for three years, but I haven't seen the 'Xiaobaicai' under my rule. By the way, I haven't seen this 'Pan Jinlian'. You said just now that she is 'Dou E', and she is The three-headed and six-armed 'Nezha', I have never seen this 'Dou E' and 'Nezha', I am not right, I also committed bureaucracy."
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Zheng Zheng laughed and laughed: "The 'Xiaobaicai', 'Pan Jinlian' and 'Dou'e' in the play are all handsome little daughter-in-laws; our 'Xiaobaicai', 'Pan Jinlian' here ' and 'Dou E', but an old woman with white hair."
When the mayor Ma Wenbin invited Li Xuelian to dinner, Ma Wenbin criticized the secretary-general of the city government and the county magistrate Zheng Zheng for the location of the meal.Ma Wenbin usually invites people to eat in three places: if the provincial leaders or colleagues from other cities come, they will be in the city government hotel; Classmates and friends, the city government hotel prepares meals and transports them to their homes.The secretary-general of the municipal government felt that it was within the scope of work for Ma Wenbin to invite a farmer to dinner, so he arranged the banquet at the municipal government hotel; he planned to send a car to pick up Li Xuelian.When reporting to Ma Wenbin, Ma Wenbin frowned: "I'm not criticizing you, what is the attitude towards the masses, you can see it through a meal. Do you let the masses come to see you, or do you go to meet the masses?"
The secretary-general immediately realized his mistake: "Yes, yes, we should go to the county."
After leaving Ma Wenbin's office, he hurriedly called the county magistrate solemnly.Solemnly arranged the meal in the county's "Xanadu".The county's "Xanadu" is the place with the highest dining standards in the county.Although the county is inland, the dishes of "Xanadu" have fresh seafood from all over the world.Mayor Ma Wenbin used to visit the county, if he stayed for dinner, he would be in "Xanadu".In the past, we were in "Xanadu", and this time we are also in "Xanadu".Solemnly reported to the Secretary-General, and the Secretary-General reported to Ma Wenbin, Ma Wenbin frowned again: "Didn't you say 'inference from one example'? Four words, put it into practice, why is it so difficult? Invite a group of people to eat, you go' Xanadu', bright lights, fresh seafood, scares people before eating; she is even more angry when she sees that you eat so well all day long; then how does she do her work? Let me tell you, invite people to eat Can you find a place that makes people feel comfortable and relaxed? For example, go to her town and find a mutton soup restaurant, eat three or five sesame seed cakes, drink a bowl of hot mutton soup, and sweat profusely , the atmosphere will be harmonious soon?"
The secretary-general realized his mistake again, and nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, yes, let's go to their town, and let's drink mutton soup."
And worried: "I'm afraid that the small restaurants in the town are unhygienic."
Ma Wenbin waved: "I also grew up in the countryside. If others eat, I will eat; if you can't eat, don't go."
The secretary-general nodded hurriedly: "We can eat too, we can eat too."
He went back to his office and made a solemn call to the county magistrate.Zheng Zheng also immediately realized his mistake, and according to Mayor Ma Wenbin's intention, changed the place to eat to the sheep soup restaurant in the town.At the same time, I admire Ma Wenbin even more.When people think about a small thing, it is far more profound than themselves. I still haven't figured out the deep meaning of the word "small".What is the gap?This is called the gap.
The next night, Mayor Ma Wenbin invited Li Xuelian to drink mutton soup at the "Old Baiyang Soup Restaurant" in Guaiwan Town. "Old Baiyang Soup Restaurant" is located in the west of the town.On weekdays, the "Old Baiyang Soup Restaurant" is dirty from the inside to the outside; today it suddenly became clean.It was still dirty in the morning, but it was clean in the afternoon.The floor was swept, the table was scalded with boiling water, there were a few holes in the ceiling, and a few newspapers were pasted temporarily; the corners of the back kitchen were also shoveled with a shovel to shovel the grease.Once the inside and outside are cleaned up, the "Old Baiyang Soup Restaurant" looks much brighter. On the left hand side of "Old White Sheep Soup Restaurant" is a street stall selling offal; it was still selling offal in the morning, but was driven away by the mayor Lai Xiaomao in the afternoon; Lao Yu, who also sells groceries, was also chased away by Lai Xiaomao in the afternoon.After cleaning the left and right sides of the door, the front of "Old Baiyang Soup Restaurant" immediately looks much wider.Those who accompanied the mayor to invite Li Xuelian to dinner included the secretary-general of the city government, Zheng Zheng, the magistrate of the county, and Wang Gongdao, the president of the court.There are five people sitting at a table.The entourages of other city governments, the county government, and the county court were all taken to the canteen of the town government by Lai Xiaomao, the mayor of Guaiwan Town.I was also afraid that the battle would become too big, and Li Xuelian would be frightened at once.The county magistrate Zheng Zheng hesitated a lot about who to send to invite Li Xuelian to dinner.Zheng Zheng told Wang Gong that he had just talked to Li Xuelian, and he didn't dare to provoke her anymore, so Zheng Zheng put this burden on Lai Xiaomao, the mayor of Guaiwan Town.Lai Xiaomao is in his forties this year. He is a short and fat man. He usually uses three dirty words when he says a word; he even dares to beat people when he is drunk.He owned a "Santana 3000" car, got into the car drunk, sat in the back seat, and liked to direct the driver to drive.When the car is driving fast, he will be anxious, raise his hand, and slap the driver on the head: "Mom, your father is dead, and you are in a hurry to go back to the funeral?"
When the car drove slowly, he would also be anxious, raised his hand, and slapped again: "Mom, is your father pulling the car? What a car, it makes you drive like a donkey cart."
He beat the driver away five times.There are more than forty cadres in the town government, and none of them have not been scolded by him; there are more than twenty villages below the town, and there are more than twenty village chiefs, and none of them has not been kicked by him.But Lai Xiaomao had been the mayor for five years, and Li Xuelian lived in a village below Guaiwan Town, and filed complaints every year, but he always kept Li Xuelian at a respectful distance.因为李雪莲告状，县上每年开年终会，都批评拐弯镇，说镇上“维稳”这一条没达标，不能算先进乡镇；赖小毛从县上开会回来，却交代镇政府所有的干部，宁肯不当这个先进，也不能阻止李雪莲告状。因李雪莲告状是越级；不阻止，她不找镇上的麻烦；一阻止，一不越级，这蚂蜂窝就落到了他头上。赖小毛：“咱们在拐弯镇工作，心里也得会拐弯。”
赖小毛平时粗，谁知也有细的时候；如今郑重派他去请李雪莲喝羊汤，赖小毛虽然肚子里暗暗叫苦，但身子又不敢不去。赖小毛平日见人张口就骂，抬手就打；但见了李雪莲，胖脸却笑起了一朵花，张口就叫“大姑”。叫得李雪莲倒有些含糊。因为一个告状，咋招来这么多亲戚呢？李雪莲：“赖镇长，法院王院长叫我表姐都有些勉强，你又降了一辈儿，给我叫姑，我听得身上起鸡皮疙瘩。”
赖小毛竖起眼睛：“王院长叫你'表姐'，肯定叫得没边没沿，我从俺姥娘家算起，给你叫声'大姑'，还真不算冤。我给你论论啊，我妈他娘家是严家庄的，我妈他哥也就是俺舅，娶的是柴家庄老柴的外甥女……”
掰着胖指头在那里数。李雪莲止住他：“赖镇长，咱别兜圈子了，啥事吧？你要来说告状的事，咱就别说下去了。”
赖小毛：“不说告状的事。大姑，我在镇上工作五年了，见到你，跟你说过告状的事没有？”
李雪莲想了想，点头：“那倒真没有。”
赖小毛拍着手：“就是呀，有仇报仇，有冤申冤，从三国以来，都属天经地义。我不拦人告状。我今天来，是请你去吃饭。也不是我请你吃饭，是咱市里的马市长请你，大姑，你面子大了。”
李雪莲马上又翻了脸：“不管市长县长，请你吃饭，准没好事，不定心里憋着啥坏呢。”
又说：“为啥平日不请，现在突然要请呢？还不是国家马上要开人代会了？”
转身就往院外走。赖小毛跳到她面前，用手拦住她：“大姑，我同意你的看法，当那么大官，不会白请人吃饭，何况又是特殊时期；但就是'鸿门宴'，你今儿也得走一遭。”
李雪莲倒一愣：“啥意思，要捆人呀？”
赖小毛：“那我哪儿敢呀，我是求你老人家，不为别人，为我。”
又说：“本来这事皮里没我，肉里也没我，谁知道天有不测风云，今天请你吃饭这事儿，就落到了我头上。”
又说：“我也知道市长找你，又是劝你别告状；你不赞成，我也不赞成。但你赞成不赞成，那是你的事；吃饭去不去，却是我的事。你只要去了，哪怕跟他们闹翻了，也就跟我没关系了。”
又说：“大姑，你这事儿太大，我这官儿太小，你从来都是跟上层打交道，这回别因为一个吃饭，把我扯进去了。鸡巴一个镇长，露水大的前程，你要不发慈悲，我立马就蒸发了。”
又说：“我也上有老下有小，俺爹是你表哥，也八十多了，还得了脑血栓，嘴歪眼斜的，在炕上躺着，不知能活几天，大姑，你不可怜我，就当可怜我爹吧。”
身子堵住头门，屁股一撅一撅，开始给李雪莲作揖。李雪莲倒“噗啼”笑了，照他脑袋上打了一巴掌：“还镇长呢，纯粹一个泼皮。不就一顿饭吗，就是刀山，我走一趟就是了。”
在这镇上，都是赖小毛打人，哪里敢有人打赖小毛？除非他吃了豹子胆；现在挨了一巴掌，赖小毛倒捂着头笑了：“我的大姑耶，这就对了，那谁都说，放下屠刀，立地成佛。”
欢欢喜喜，用他的“桑塔纳3000”，将李雪莲拉到了镇上。
李雪莲见到市长马文彬，还是客气许多。客气不是因为马文彬是市长，而是他戴着金丝眼镜，一派斯文；说话也很客气，没说话先笑；说完一段，又笑一回；让人觉得亲切。斯文的气氛下，大家不好一见面就闹起来。比斯文更重要的是，他说话讲道理。别人讲一件事只能说一层理，这理可能还说错了；他却能说三层理，还句句在理。一见面，马文彬根本不提告状的事，开始扯些家常。就是扯家常，也不是居高临下，先问别人家的事，譬如家里几口人呀，都干什么呀，等于打听人家的隐私，让人回答不是，不回答也不是；而是先拿自己开刀。他指指羊汤馆四壁，说自己也是农村出身，从小家里穷，当年最想吃的，就是镇上羊汤馆的羊汤。穷又吃不起，每天放学，便跑到羊汤馆，扒着羊汤馆的门往里张望。一次一个大汉，连吃了三碗羊汤。第三碗剩一个碗底，大汉向马文彬招手。马文彬蹭过去，那大汉说：“你学三声狗叫，这碗底就让你吃了。”
马文彬“汪汪”学了三声狗叫，那大汉就把碗推给了他，他就把那碗底吃了。说得众人笑了，李雪莲也笑了。接着大家吃烧饼，喝羊汤，皆吃喝得满头大汗，气氛就显得更融洽了。马文彬又说，他小的时候，是个老实孩子，从来不会说假话；他有一个弟弟比他机灵，看他老实，便欺负他；弟弟每次偷吃家里的东西，都赖到他头上；放羊丢了一只羊，也赖到他头上；他嘴笨，说不过弟弟，每次都挨爹的打。他那时最苦恼的是，自己说的是真的，咋每次都变成了假的；弟弟说的都是假的，咋每次都变成了真的呢？这时李雪莲已进入他谈话的氛围和话题之中，不由脱口而出：“我告状也是为了这个，明明是假的，咋就变成了真的呢？我说的明明是真的，咋就没人信呢？”
见李雪莲主动说告状的事，马文彬便抓住时机，开始说李雪莲告状的事。说李雪莲告状的事，也不从李雪莲说起，开始批评在座的县长郑重、法院院长王公道。这也是让他们在场的原因。马文彬批评他们工作方法简单，站到了群众的对立面；忘记了自己是人民公仆，在当官做老爷；比这些更重要的是，遇事不相信群众；就是不相信群众，作为一个人，也该将心比心；一个人告状，锲而不舍告了二十年，把大好的青春年华搭了进去，告到头发都白了，如果她没有冤屈，能坚持下来吗？如果是你们，你们能这么干吗？说得李雪莲倒有些感动，似乎在世上第一次遇到了知音。谁说政府没有好干部？这里就有一个。县长郑重、法院院长王公道被批得满脸通红，点头如捣蒜，嘴里说着：“我们回去就写检查，我们回去就写检查。”
倒让李雪莲过意不去，对马文彬说：“也不能全怪他们。”
又说：“他们都当着官，他们也有他们的难处。”
马文彬拍了一下桌子：“看看，一个农村大嫂，觉悟都比你们高。”
郑重和王公道又忙点头：“觉悟比我们高，觉悟比我们高。”
马文彬又抓住这个机会，笑着问：“大嫂，我再问你一句话，你想答答，不想答就不答，你上回说过不告状的话，他们都不信，就把话说顶了，现在，你说过的话，还能不能重说，或者，咱能不能把话再说回来？”
忙又说：“不能说回来，咱也别勉强。”
李雪莲又被马文彬的话感动了，说：“市长你要这么说，我不把话说死，我的话，现在还能重说。”
又指着郑重和王公道：“我跟他们说过两回，我今年不告状了，他们不信哩。”
马文彬点着郑重和王公道说：“像我小时候，说真话，当权者不信哩。”
大家笑了。马文彬又说：“大嫂，咱纯粹是聊天啊，我接着再问一句，告状告了二十年，今年咋突然不告了？”
问得跟郑重和王公道前两回问得一样。李雪莲答得跟前两回也一样：“过去没想通，今年想通了。”
马文彬又笑着问：“大嫂，你能不能告诉我，过去没想通，今年为啥想通了？譬如讲，因为一件什么具体事，让你想通了？当然，像刚才一样，你想答答，不想答就不答。”
因为什么事想通了，这是前两回王公道和郑重忘了问的话；只顾追究其然，忘了追究其所以然；没问来由，所以无法相信；王公道和郑重忘了问的地方，市长现在问了；问明病因，才好对症下药；可见市长做事，在每个细节上，都比他们深入；这又是“小”的作用；这又是市长比他们高明的地方。郑重和王公道忙又佩服地点头。李雪莲：“没因为啥具体事，我就是听了牛的话。”
李雪莲这么回答，是大家没有料到的；或者，弯拐得这么陡，让大家有些措手不及。大家愣在那里，马文彬也愣在那里，嘴有些结巴：“牛？什么牛？”
郑重回过神来，忙说：“说人呢，咋拐到了牛身上？”
李爱莲：“二十年来，世上这么多人，没有一个人信我的话，只有这头牛信我的话；我告不告状，也听这头牛的话。过去我问牛，该不该告状，牛说'该'，我就告了；今年又问牛，牛不让我告了，我也就不告了。”
众人更是如坠云雾。秘书长也开始结巴：“你这牛，是真的存在呢，还是跟我们说着玩呢？”
李爱莲：“我不跟你们说着玩，这头牛是我养的。”
马文彬回过神来，问：“我能不能见见这头牛，让它跟我也说一说？”
李爱莲：“不能。”
马文彬一愣：“为什么？”
李爱莲：“前几天它已经死了。”
大家哭笑不得。郑重有些急了：“大嫂，马市长跑这么远过来见你，也是一片好意，也是想帮你解决问题，你不该拿我们打碴，你不该这么奚落人。”
见郑重急了，李雪莲也有些急了，拍着巴掌：“看看，跟我的案子一样，我把真的，又说不成真的了不是？”
马文彬止住郑重，微笑着对李雪莲说：“大嫂，我相信这头牛是真的。”
接着说：“那我们共同来相信这头牛的话，今年起不告状了，好不好？”
李雪莲：“这里可有分别。”
马文彬：“啥分别？”
李雪莲：“牛说行，你们说不行。”
马文彬不解：“为什么？”
李雪莲：“牛不让我告状，是说告状没用；你们不让我告状，是让我继续含冤，这可是两回事。”
马文彬一愣：“大嫂，我们找你来，不就想帮你解决问题吗？”
这时李雪莲哭了：“你们别骗我了，你们要觉得我冤，不用过来找我，早把案子给我翻过来了。”
指着郑重和王公道：“你们跟他们一样，来找我，还是想糊弄我，怕我去北京告状，撤了你们的职。”
又说：“你们要想帮我，平时咋不来呀？全国一开人代会，你们咋接二连三地来呀？还不是想糊弄过这几天，接着又撂下不管了？”
马文彬皱了皱眉，这才知道李雪莲这个妇女的厉害。找她是来解决问题，没想到让她奚落一番——牛都张嘴说话了。双方过招，他倒钻了这妇女的圈套。早知这样，就不问其所以然了，就不问到牛了。可不问所以然，怎么对症下药呢？当然，钻了别人的圈套，出来一头牛，马文彬也不怕；他来，就是试探一下事情的深浅。现在，通过一头牛看出，事情已经无可救药了。她说不告状，就是还要告状。或者，她在胡搅蛮缠。王公道和郑重的判断还是对的。事情无可救药马文彬也不怕，如同使用干部，干部犯了错误，分有可救药型和无可救药型两种；有可救药者，还有得说；无可救药者，干脆连话都不用说了。秘书长看马文彬皱眉，忙站起说：“今天谈话就到这里吧，马市长市里还有会。”
马文彬站起身，这时又满面笑容：“大嫂，我还有事，就先走了，你按你的去做，一切不必勉强。”
然后出门走了。秘书长，县长郑重，也忙跟了出去。只剩下法院院长王公道收拾残局。王公道抖着手：“大表姐，你说的这是哪儿跟哪儿呀，说案子就说案子，咋说到牛身上了？你这不是骂人吗？”
李雪莲擦着泪：“我没骂人。”
王公道：“拿畜牲跟人比，还不叫骂人？”
抖着手在地上转圈：“宁肯听畜生的话，也不听政府的话，这不等于说，各级领导，连畜生都不如吗？”
李雪莲急了：“咋我说啥，你们都不信呢？我说啥，你们都往坏处想呢？”
又说：“如果是这样，今年我还得去告状。”
王公道拍手：“看看，终于又说实话了吧？”
李雪莲家院子有三分地大，正北三间瓦房，东边一间厨房，西边两间牛舍。三间瓦房还是二十二年前盖的，那时他和秦玉河已结婚六年了，儿子也五岁了。为扒掉草房，盖三间瓦房，李雪莲不但养牛，还养了三头老母猪；瓦房的一半木料砖瓦，是靠卖牛犊和猪娃换来的；秦玉河在县化肥厂开卡车，木料砖瓦的另一半，是靠他加班拉化肥挣来的。秦玉河白天拉过化肥，晚上连轴转，又拉，两眼熬成了红灯笼。半夜开车，常打瞌睡，有一次一头撞到了路边的槐树上；修车花去两千多块钱，只好从头再挣。那时她和秦玉河也吵架，但吵归吵，大家在一条道上；吵来吵去，大家还是一条心。没想到瓦房盖好一年多，秦玉河就变了心。这时李雪莲也有些后悔，当初不该因为怀孕，与秦玉河闹假离婚。大半年见不着面，这假的就变成了真的。这时两人不吵架了，开始打官司。官司一直打了二十年，头发都花白了，还没有个结果。更让李雪莲后悔的是，当初假离婚的馊主意，还是她出的。比这些更让李雪莲窝心的是，当初闹假离婚是为了生下后来的女儿；谁知女儿长大之后，跟李雪莲也不是一条心。
经过二十二年的风吹雨打，房子已经有些破旧。夏天秋天雨水大，北屋的后墙，已经被雨水打酥了；其它三面墙的外砖，也时常“扑簌”“扑簌”往下掉砖末子。屋里的墙皮，也脱落了一大半。十年前，房顶开始漏雨。二十年都在告状，换成别人，会无心修缮这房。告状头十年，李雪莲也无心管房的事；不但无心管房的事，也无心收拾家；屋里屋外，成了猪窝；不但无心收拾家，也无心收拾自个儿，衣裳脏了不知道换，头发乱得像个鸡窝；一人走在路上，远看像个要饭的；倒跟告状的身份相符。但十年过去，告状成了常事，也就习惯了。习惯并不是习惯这种东奔西走的日子，而是偶尔病了，出不得门，对窝在家里的生活反倒不习惯了。不告状，也不知道该干啥。正因为习惯了，告状本身成了日子，反倒回头收拾自个儿和自个儿的家和屋子了。头发剪短了，衣裳常洗，出门告状之前，浑身上下收拾得干干净净。屋子的外墙和内墙，收拾起来花工夫太大，但房子漏雨不能不管，她花钱雇人，把房顶的破瓦揭下，换成新瓦，又用石灰勾了缝，下雨马上就不漏了。屋子内墙四处脱皮，她拿一把扫帚，将脱下的墙皮扫下，虽然四面墙显得疤疤拉拉，跟花瓜似的，看上去起码利索许多。在家的时候，屋里屋外，打扫得干干净净。贴着院墙，又种了一趟串红，一趟鸡冠花。陌生人进来，看不出这是个告状的人家。
三间正房里，又分三间，分别用隔扇隔着。左间，是盛粮食和杂物的地方。中间，是过厅。右间，是睡觉的地方：二十一年前，这里是李雪莲和秦玉河的卧室；现在，天天只剩下李雪莲一个人。靠窗的墙头，挂着一个小学生算术本。这算术本上，记着李雪莲二十年告状的经历。二十年过去，这小学生算术本已皮开肉绽，脏得像一块破抹布。但就是这块破抹布，记着李雪莲告状去过的所有地方，见过的所有人；也一天天看着李雪莲的头发如何由乌黑变成了花白，腰口如何由杨柳变成了水缸。她盼着这算术本，有一天能帮她把“假的”变成假的，也就是把真的变成真的；但二十年过去，假的还是真的；或者，真的还是假的。同时，一顶潘金莲的帽子，戴了二十年，也没摘下来。十年前，李雪莲差点疯了。后来年年如此，像年年告状一样，同样也习惯了。
李雪莲年年告状，省里、市里、县里都知道，但对她一次次告状的经历，时间一久大家都忘记了，只记得一个“告状”；时间一长，李雪莲对告状的许多细节也模糊了；惟有这个算术本，桩桩件件，记得牢靠。不但细节记得牢靠，像生意人做买卖记账一样，最后还有一个统计。据李雪莲统计，二十年来，在年年的全国人民代表大会召开期间，她到北京告过十九次状；其中，被当地警察拦住十一次；半道上，被河北警察拦住过三次；还有五次到了北京，被追过去的该县警察在旅馆里找到三次，也就是被“劝回”三次；剩下两次，一次到了长安街，被北京的警察扣住；一次终于到了天安门广场，又被广场的警察扣住。这么说起来，二十年的告状，一次也没成功过；一次也没有像头一次去北京那样，闯进了大会堂。但正因为如此，李雪莲才要继续告状。让李雪莲不明白的是，二十年来，李雪莲告状从没成功过，从省里、市里到县里的各级政府，为啥对她的告状还草木皆兵呢？害得法院院长给她叫“大表姐”，镇长给她叫“大姑”。也许这正是李雪莲没想到的，正因为她一次都没有成功过，从省到市到县各级政府，才不怕一万，就怕万一呢，才越到后边越紧张呢。
但今年李雪莲不准备告状了。不准备告状不是这状不能告了，或各级政府把她吓住了，或二十年年年告状，天底下没有一个人信她的话，她自个儿灰心了，而是天底下有一个人信她的话，这个人死了。这个人也不是人，是她家里的一头牛。二十一年前，这头牛还是头牛犊，跟着它妈。二十一年前，李雪莲跟丈夫秦玉河商量假离婚时，就在家里的牛舍。牛舍里拴着一头母牛；还有一头牛犊，在撞着母牛的下裆拱奶吃。除了这两头牛，世人无人听到这假离婚商量的过程。正因为无人听到，就给了秦玉河可乘之机；大半年之后，他跟另一个女的好了，便把假离婚说成真离婚，跟那个女的结婚了。正因为当时没人听到，李雪莲二十年告状没有结果。十年前，李雪莲见年年告状没有结果，有一段差点疯了；出门见人说话，语无伦次；见到她的人，都说她神经了。她的女儿当时十岁，也觉得李雪莲疯了，晚上不敢跟她在一起睡觉，睡觉跑到邻居家。李雪莲自己也觉得，当时神经有些错乱，白天见人嘻嘻笑，晚上便跑到牛舍里，教牛说话。希望有一天牛能说话，帮她洗冤。但牛哪里会说话呢？有一天老牛突然死了，剩下它的女儿；它的女儿这时也十一岁了，比李雪莲的女儿还大一岁；十年过去，也牛到中年了；倒是女儿见它娘死了，眼中涌出了泪。李雪莲上去踢它一脚：“你娘死了，你知道哭，我十年的冤屈没人理会，你咋不哭？”
那牛便仰脸看李雪莲。李雪莲：“你不会说话，不会点头和摇头呀？十一年前离婚那场事，你也在场，你说说，当时到底是真的还是假的？”
没想到那牛竟摇了摇头。李雪莲扑上去搂住它，大