A “Cross-Provincial” Tea Drinking Experience

Hello everybody, I’m Brother Lou. 

Immediately, I merely need to write on my expertise being “invited to tea” a pair days in the past. It was a “cross-provincial” tea ingesting expertise. 

At 9pm on October twentieth, 2022, I acquired a shock name from an area police officer. He stated he was ready for me in my house advanced constructing supervisor’s workplace. He needed me to come back down for a bit, as he had a matter to debate with me. 

I instantly felt uneasy. So I requested him: are Zhejiang police in search of me?

The native officer instantly denied that, saying: “It’s not the Zhejiang police. We’re simply seeking to perceive what’s occurring.”

I didn’t need them to come back as much as the house in search of me as my youngsters have been residence and hadn’t gone to mattress but. I agreed to go down straight away. 

Simply as I anticipated, those trying “to grasp what’s occurring” have been police from Zhejiang. They have been already ready for me within the constructing supervisor’s workplace. 

They’d come all the best way from Zhejiang in search of me due to a Weibo submit I’d despatched that morning at 1:45am that referred to as into query [the actions of] the police in Shaoxing, Zhejiang. [Screenshot below]

A screenshot of the Weibo submit accusing Shaoxing police of harassing two sisters for submitting a report on authorities officers’ misconduct. The screenshot exhibits two official summons and asks, “Shaoxing police: Why did you knock on their door in the midst of the evening? Was it to power them to delete their report or was it to forcibly summon individuals who report officers?

The Shaoxing police dispatched 4 officers. 

I requested the top officer: Why did you come all this fashion? To demand I delete that Weibo submit?

He stated they got here with out an agenda, that they got here to talk with me—simply taking pictures the breeze. 

Afterwards, he started asking, in a methodical method, about my household, marriage, youngsters, mother and father, and ancestral residence. 

It’s truthful to say that no one has a deeper understanding of me and my household than that policeman, aside from myself.  

I knew they hadn’t gone to such lengths to hunt me out for a easy chat or a dialog on my life and targets, not to mention to easily instruct me to treasure my at present blessed life. 

So I once more requested them instantly: “Did you come right here to demand I delete that Weibo submit?”

He once more refused to instantly reply whether or not or not they needed me to delete the Weibo submit. He stated, “As your submit is simply an celebration’s one-sided account, it’d embrace false info. The summons you posted may need been a photoshopped faux.”

I stated: “As as to if you referred to as on [the sisters] in the midst of the evening, I used to be on the telephone with them whereas it occurred and talked to the imposing officers who confirmed to me that they have been imposing the summons. The doc itself was despatched to me by [the sisters] who took that {photograph} on the scene. As to [the sisters’] declare that “police demanded we delete our submit reporting [the government officials],” [the sisters] have a recording. 

My reply clearly put him on his heel, so he took a unique tack: “Why did you assist her submit that Weibo? What’s your objective?”

I stated: “Initially, freedom of speech is a basic proper assured to residents within the Structure. Secondly, superintendence can also be a basic proper assured to residents within the Structure. I’ve no angle. Final December, after the pregnant Hunan instructor Li Tiantian was “mentally-illed” I wrote essays for seven days straight to assist her out, till she was launched again residence. I’ve written essays on all the things together with this 12 months’s ‘chained girl of Jiangsu‘ incident, final 12 months’s ‘Zhengzhou floods,’ this 12 months’s ‘Zhengzhou depositors‘ incident and even this 12 months’s ‘Tangshan assault‘ incident. All the folks concerned have been unknown to me earlier than I wrote these essays (aside from a few WeChat messages Li Tiantian and I had exchanged). In the event you will need to have a cause for why I write what I do, then I assume it’s that I hope my nation can grow to be ever higher.”

Two of the officers then requested to see these different essays I’d written however I advised them the accounts I used to publish them have been all shut down. They’re inaccessible now. 

I wasn’t pulling the wool over their eyes once I stated that. It’s true. All the public accounts I used to publish these essays have been completely shut down. 

We went backwards and forwards like this for about an hour once I advised them I’d prefer to go residence—I figured we’d lined all the things already and was considering of how late it was and my members of the family ready for me at residence. They as a substitute knowledgeable me that they’d prefer to make an official document of the dialog on the station. 

I advised them we’d gone over all the things there was to debate, that there was no have to make an official document. 

They stated they’d come all this fashion and that after they bought again they’d should submit a report. They hoped I might perceive. 

I advised we make an official document proper there within the constructing supervisor’s workplace, however they stated the workplace lacked the correct tools, necessitating the journey to the police station. 

Over WeChat I requested my good friend, a lawyer, for his recommendation, after which I accompanied them of their automobile to the district police station. 

On the station, we waited for about half-an-hour till a room to take the official report in turned out there. Two officers in control of the report got here in and requested the identical questions I’d been requested within the constructing supervisor’s workplace. 

It took almost two hours to file the report as a result of they requested for particular particulars—right down to the time—that I’d written the essays and posted the Weibos, which required me to double verify issues to verify them. 

Whereas I stepped out to go to the lavatory, an officer handed me within the hallways and whispered: “Are you able to delete the Weibo submit?” He stated the submit’s attain and likes have been steadily rising and it was having a serious destructive impression. 

I stated: “We will take that up as soon as this report is completed.”

Over WeChat, I requested my lawyer good friend about whether or not or not I ought to delete my Weibo submit. He suggested me that I had the choice to not delete it however that if I didn’t the police would possibly waste extra of my time after which advised it will be finest if I delete it as a way to get residence a bit sooner. 

It was already one within the morning by then. My spouse and youngsters, who had faculty the following day, had but to sleep and have been ready for me to return residence so I took my lawyer good friend’s recommendation and, after ending the report, I deleted the Weibo posts. 

The whole “cross-provincial tea and dialog” took up 5 full hours. The 4 officers from Zhejiang have been civil and well mannered the complete time and have been proactive in buying me drinks, fruit, and a night snack. I used to be additionally astonished by two of the officer’s well-informed views on historical past and literature. 

By the point I bought out of the police station, it was previous two within the morning. 

My spouse had introduced the kids to the doorway of the police station, the place they have been ready for me. I felt a swelling heat however greater than that, I felt responsible. [Chinese]