The Official Ladder: I ascend to the pinnacle of power, wielding the power of life and death.

Jiang Yiming looked and saw that it was the middle-aged man in the car who had tried to persuade him. He then walked over with Ding Li.

"Uncle, do you own this teahouse?"

"I own it. There's not much business. I just use it to pass the time."

The middle-aged man invited, "Come in and have a cup of tea with me."

Jiang Yiming and the other person did not refuse, as he happened to have some things he wanted to ask.

"Judging from your accents, you're not locals, are you?"

"We are from Xinping County."

Jiang Yiming said with a smile.

The accents of the various counties under Yiyang City are different, especially Xichuan County, which is located in a mountainous area and has the biggest difference in accent from other counties.

"Oh? I heard that our newly appointed county magistrate is also from Xinping County."

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "Do you know anything about the new county head? What kind of cadre is he?"

“The local people have heard that he has a good reputation, and some call him ‘the living Yama’.”

"He has a good reputation and is a down-to-earth person."

Jiang Yiming asked in confusion, "Why do you call him 'Living Yama'?"

"He only worked in Xinping County for a few years, but he sent over a hundred corrupt officials to prison. Wouldn't you say he was a living devil?"

The middle-aged man smiled and said, "The people of Xichuan County are still looking forward to this new county magistrate."

"Alas, our Xichuan County is too backward in development. If a good leader doesn't come soon, I'm afraid the people really won't be able to survive."

"Uncle, why do you say that?"

Jiang Yiming inquired.

"You felt it on your way here too: no one asked why cars were overloaded, no one resisted when extra money was charged halfway, and even when someone robbed you, everyone just watched numbly."

The middle-aged man said, "It's not that the people of Xichuan are too cold-blooded, but that they can't change anything."

"Actually, I know the driver Wang Daxiong too. They are a bit dark-skinned, but they are not bad people."

"Why does he overload his vehicle so relentlessly? Isn't it because he wants to take more passengers and collect more tolls? If he doesn't collect more money, how will he appease the leaders at those checkpoints?"

"Since the vehicle isn't overloaded, we shouldn't need to send them anything, right?"

Jiang Yiming said.

"It would be nice if that were the case."

The middle-aged man said, "These people are blacker than soot at the bottom of a pot. Regardless of whether you're overloaded or not, you have to pay them a price, otherwise don't even think about getting through there. They have too many reasons to make things difficult for you. Either this doesn't comply with the regulations, or there's some problem there."

"In short, if you don't offer money as a bribe, don't even think about leaving the checkpoint."

"The price increase later was also to recoup the money given as a bribe. As the saying goes, the money comes from the people themselves. Those people at the checkpoints weren't taking bribes from the drivers, but from us passengers."

"Do we have to give that much as a token of filial piety?"

Jiang Yiming calculated that it was three yuan per person, which meant he had overcharged by nearly one hundred and fifty yuan.

"Besides paying tribute to the checkpoint, you also need to pay tribute to the leaders of the bus station. The Xichuan Bus Station has been contracted out to a private individual. If you want to run a transport business, you must get their approval and pay a certain amount every day to ensure smooth operation. Otherwise, you can no longer run the business."

The middle-aged man said, "Tell me, in order to make money, they can only spread the costs across the passengers."

"Didn't those drivers call to report it?"

"It would be great if the report could be successfully filed."

The middle-aged man said with a wry smile, "Whether it's contracting the bus station or working at the checkpoint, who doesn't have connections?"

Jiang Yiming nodded, somewhat understanding, and then asked, "By the way, why did the people who stopped people on the road today only ask the drivers for money, and not the passengers?"

“Those people are villagers from nearby villages. They rarely come out to block the road unless they are really starving, in which case they will stop passing vehicles on the highway and ask for some money to make a living.”

The middle-aged man said, “Our Xichuan County is located in a mountainous area with very limited arable land. Especially for those living in the mountains, they can’t produce any food at all and have no other source of income. They have a problem even eating. In order to survive, they stop passing vehicles every now and then and ask for some money. This year, we encountered a drought, so life has become even more difficult, and we have come down here more often.”

"They don't hurt anyone, and they don't ask passengers for money; they only ask the driver. This way, they can avoid conflicts with passengers, since there are many passengers, and asking them for money carries a certain risk."

Are all drivers this cooperative?

"Some people didn't cooperate, but they were beaten and ended up in the hospital. The other side had a lot of people. Even if you brought a few more people to escort you in the car, it wouldn't be enough for them to bully you."

The middle-aged man said, "In the end, everyone learned their lesson and gave money when asked, as long as it wasn't too outrageous."

“Some drivers called the police, but it was no use. When they went to the village to arrest them, the whole village blocked them, so the police had no choice but to leave in frustration. Moreover, the amount of money involved was not large, and the police were too lazy to deal with such a thorny matter. Over time, this has led to the current trend.”

Jiang Yiming thought to himself, "The situation here is indeed much more complicated. It seems that being a county magistrate is not an easy job."

After chatting for a while, Jiang Yiming left the other party's name and number, and then left with Ding Li.

The two found a small restaurant and ordered two simple dishes.

When it came time to pay the bill after the meal, Jiang Yiming realized how high the prices were. However, seeing that the prices on the dishes differed from what he actually paid, he frowned and said, "The shredded pork with green peppers and stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured pork only cost fifteen yuan on the wall. Why are you asking us for thirty-one?"

"That doesn't count; the actual price will prevail."

The boss said calmly.

"Why are you posting this if it doesn't count?"

"Can't I just stick them on for fun? Why are you being so nosy? Do you think you're the county magistrate?"

The restaurant owner said impatiently, "Pay up now, or I'll call the police."

"Fine, call the police. I want to see how they handle things when they arrive."

Jiang Yiming sat there, waiting for the other party to call the police.

This price is even higher than in Xinping County. They must be trying to rip us off because they think we're from out of town.

"Alright, since you want to go in for tea, I'll grant your wish."

The restaurant owner made a phone call from the landline: "Brother Li, this is the owner of Xiangman Street Restaurant. Yes, you ate here yesterday. Here's the thing, two young men ate here and didn't pay, and they were acting tough. You need to come and handle this. Okay, okay, I'll wait for you."

After hanging up the phone, the restaurant owner sneered, "You could have just paid and left, but you wouldn't listen and insisted on going in. You asked for this."

"You overcharge your customers, and you still think you're right?"

Jiang Yiming said, "I also want to see how the police handle this."

About ten minutes later, two police officers strolled over.

"what happened?"

The man leading the group raised his head and asked.

"Brother Li, those two guys didn't pay for their meal."

“You’re so young and you’re already doing bad things, trying to dine and dash like others. Take him back to the station.”

Without asking any questions, the man in charge immediately ordered the arrests.