Chapter Twenty-Two: The Idea of Building a House (New Book—Your Support Is Welcome!)

Early the next morning, Li Yi rose with the dawn. He first led out the large red mule to give it a drink and added some fresh fodder to its trough. With the animal pulling the cart back and forth to the county seat every day lately, it was truly working hard, and ensuring it was well-fed was a necessity.

Only after tending to the mule did Li Yi begin preparing for the day’s business. The temperatures had been climbing, reaching a sweltering forty degrees Celsius at midday. As a result, demand for his cold noodles had surged, and the two or three hundred servings he prepared daily were nowhere near enough to satisfy the workers. After some careful thought, Li Yi decided to make some flatbreads to pair with the noodles, betting that it would be a hit.

A man of action, he set to work immediately. After finishing the cold noodles, he griddled over a hundred flatbreads to test the market.

At ten o’clock in the morning, the mule cart arrived at the state-run restaurant once again. When Liu Jingshan saw the dozen or so varieties of wild goods processed and ready on the cart, his face beamed with delight. After agreeing on the prices for the various fungi, the two began weighing the goods and settling the accounts.

When Li Yi walked out of the state-run restaurant, his pockets were heavier by 151 yuan. Even after subtracting the labor fees for the young men helping him, he had cleared nearly a hundred yuan just from the wild goods today. Combined with the thirty or forty yuan he could make from the cold noodles, at this rate, he would have a thousand yuan saved in no more than a week. It seemed that building a new house could finally be put on the agenda; after all, having a new home before getting married would be a joyous milestone. With a light heart, Li Yi drove his cart toward the sugar refinery.

...

In stark contrast to Li Yi’s good mood, Wang Anguo, at the county bureau, was feeling far from cheerful. The conference room was thick with cigarette smoke, and every face present was grave.

"What is the situation? Are there any leads on Zhou Baoshan?" Wang Anguo asked, his voice rasping.

Deputy Captain Li Yongping replied immediately, "No leads on Zhou Baoshan, though we have apprehended a few petty thieves and black marketeers." As he spoke, a flash of exhaustion and frustration crossed his weary face. Since the meeting yesterday, their criminal investigation team had begun inspecting vehicles and personnel heading toward the border crossings, while simultaneously deploying a large number of men to scout the county and surrounding townships. After a full day and night, they had indeed rounded up several minor offenders, but there was still no sign of that ruthless bandit.

"Hand them over to the security squad; our mission is to hunt down Zhou Baoshan," Wang Anguo said in a heavy tone.

"They have already been transferred."

Just then, a middle-aged officer hurried in and said, "Captain Wang, we just received an urgent call from the municipal bureau. It has been confirmed that Zhou Baoshan has entered our county. The municipal bureau has ordered us to find him and bring him to justice."

Wang Anguo stood up immediately and said in a low, firm voice, "Can you confirm the timeline?"

"It should be within the last day or two. The day before yesterday, the municipal bureau received a report from a citizen about a suspicious individual appearing near Huanghualiang."

Wang Anguo, who knew the local terrain like the back of his hand, responded without hesitation: "Huanghualiang is in the southeast of our Qingshan County, about 50 kilometers from the county seat. As a wanted fugitive, Zhou Baoshan wouldn't dare take public transport; he must be traveling on foot. Based on his pace, he should still be within our county borders."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Deputy Captain Li interjected grimly, "Our Qingshan County has eighteen townships and communes, plus several massive mountain ranges like Daqing, Sumu, and Agui. Trying to find one man in these places is like looking for a needle in an ocean."

However, Wang Anguo remained firm. "The suspect is definitely in the county seat."

"How can you be sure? Where is the evidence?" Deputy Captain Li frowned.

"I have two reasons. First, the suspect’s goal is to flee across the border. To exit from our Yunshan County, he must cross the northern Gobi Desert—a barren, uninhabited expanse of wind and sand. He must be prepared. If he enters the Gobi empty-handed, he’ll likely be eaten by wolves before even reaching the border."

Wang Anguo continued, "Secondly, among the supplies he needs for his escape, food and self-defense tools are essential. There are few places that can provide these things right now, especially food."

Someone immediately raised a doubt: "Captain Wang, shouldn't food be easy to get? The fields are full of crops, melons, and vegetables right now."

Wang Anguo retorted instantly, "This is the lean season when the old crops have been consumed and the new ones aren't yet ready. The villagers don't have surplus grain, so it is unlikely Zhou Baoshan could obtain enough food from them. While melons and vegetables are easy to find, they don't store well and aren't filling. Therefore, I am certain he will come to the county seat to secure supplies before attempting to cross the border."

After hearing Wang Anguo’s analysis, Deputy Captain Li and the other officers nodded subconsciously. As experienced veterans of the public security force, they knew that for a long journey, one needed high-calorie, shelf-stable food—things that fresh produce certainly was not.

"Captain Wang, what should we do now?"

Wang Anguo thought for a moment and said, "From now on, increase inspections on the roads leading to the northern townships. At the same time, focus our efforts on monitoring the supply and marketing cooperatives. Also, send men to keep an eye on the black market. Report any suspicious individuals immediately!"

"Why watch the supply cooperatives and the black market?"

"The suspect is wanted for robbery and murder. It’s said he stole over twenty thousand yuan from a local credit union, so he isn't short on money." Wang Anguo added, "Since he has money and needs supplies, the safest way is to purchase them at the cooperatives. But I suspect he doesn't have the necessary ration coupons, so he will need to trade at the black market. If we watch these two places, we will definitely catch him!"

Deputy Captain Li nodded. "Your analysis makes perfect sense, Captain. Let’s do it. I’ll take men to watch the black market, and Old Yang can take the cooperatives!"

Wang Anguo cautioned, "Tell the men to keep their weapons ready. The suspect is a cold-blooded, ruthless bandit; we must be careful!"

"Yes, sir!"

As they were speaking, a young man knocked on the door. "Captain Wang, there’s a call for you."

"Who is calling?"

"It’s from the county government. Secretary Wang called to say your father is being discharged from the hospital today and asked if you have time to pick him up."

Only then did Wang Anguo remember that his father had fallen severely ill while visiting the countryside two days ago and had been taken to the hospital by a kind stranger. Today was his discharge day. But given the current situation, it was impossible for him to go to the hospital.

"Tell my brother that I have an important case here and can't get away. Tell him to go pick up the old man himself!"

"Yes, sir!"