Although this is a small border town, the border is long, which means there are many places to do shady things. An Moxue just arrived in the town today and just wanted to get a general understanding of the mountainous terrain of the border to see if she could find a route for smuggling.

An Moxue drove along the border. Because she was driving, she didn't dare get too close to the border, fearing that she might be arrested as a suspect, which would cause trouble.

So she drove around the town’s border, found a few suspicious places, noted them down, and then drove back into the town.

She saw several children, dressed in rags, squatting or standing not far from the restaurant entrance, and an idea immediately came to her.

She parked her car on the side of the road, got out, walked up to the children, and asked, "Want something delicious to eat?"

The children looked at her, then at her car, and then all of them looked at one of the boys, who spoke up: "Who doesn't want to?"

An Moxue was surprised that these little beggars were quite organized. She said, "I'll ask you some questions. If you answer them well, you'll get something good to eat in a little while. If you can help me with something, you'll get even more good food. How about it?"

"Is it just food?" the boy asked back.

An Moxue looked at him and answered seriously, "Not necessarily, it depends on the value of the information you provide me."

"Go ahead and ask." The children all looked at her with bright eyes.

Looking at their expectant eyes, An Moxue couldn't help but smile and asked, "Have you all lived in this small town for many years?"

"Yes," the little boy answered, and the others nodded in unison.

"Then you must know a lot about this small town?"

This time, the little boy thought for a moment before answering, "It's alright."

An Moxue glanced around before asking, "Do you know anything about smuggling?"

This time, the little boy looked at An Moxue warily and asked, "What are you going to do?"

An Moxue couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No one in this border town, young or old, was simple; they were all so vigilant. She said, "There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. If you want something, you have to exchange it for something of corresponding value, right?"

"Go ahead and ask," the boy said, looking at her. This time, he was quite straightforward.

"Do you know which road or several roads large smuggling vehicles would take here?"

The little boy looked knowing and said, "You're involved in smuggling, or something related to smuggling. But this lead isn't something you can get for a meal."

An Moxue glanced at the restaurant not far away. "The food will be the same as always. I can prepay, and you can go and eat by yourselves. What else would you like?"

The boy glanced at the children and said, "Give each of us a hundred dollars."

"How about this, I'll add another hundred, and also the food for you guys before I leave? But you have to do me a favor, though?"

"you say."

"Keep an eye on these large freight trucks coming from the other side in the next few days. Don't worry, it'll be at most three days."

The boy shook his head and said, "This won't do, it's too dangerous, no way."

Are you sure?

"OK," the boy said, and no one objected. That was interesting.

"Alright! Then I won't force you. Let's do as we agreed before: a good meal, plus 100 yuan per person."

Then, the boy looked at An Moxue.

An Moxue smiled. This little rascal, so young, yet so cunning.

She took out a small wad of cash from her wallet, gave each person a hundred, and then said, "Let's go eat."

When An Moxue arrived at the restaurant, she gestured for the boys to order. After they ordered, they politely left the restaurant. Only the little boy who was leading the group whispered a few words in An Moxue's ear before leaving as well. The restaurant prepared the food, packed it up, and delivered it to them.

An Moxue found this small town increasingly interesting: a restaurant that didn't discriminate against beggars, and a group of perceptive little beggars.

An Moxue sat in the restaurant eating the special fish set meal. The taste was surprisingly to her liking, and she finished all the food she ordered.

After finishing her meal, she drove around again, following the little boy's directions. Sure enough, she discovered some places she hadn't noticed before. It seemed the money hadn't been wasted. Moreover, she had a general idea of ​​where the smugglers would go. She would have to watch the car to see if it came from there, and then she would know if her guess was right.

After finishing reading, An Moxue drove back to the small town. Bored, she drove around the town, exploring the entire small town, and made up her mind.

It is said that when relations between Russia and Lancang were friendly, this place was a port city with thriving border trade. However, as relations between the two countries became tense, especially after some border troops clashed, the place became increasingly desolate, but that did not stop people from secretly crossing the border.

That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, An Moxue went to the border again. This time, she went specifically to investigate the black line that might be used by large trucks.

When she arrived at that route, she indeed saw border troops patrolling not far away, and she suspected that there were hidden sentries watching even during the day.

She bypassed them and walked deeper into the border region.

After walking a distance and confirming that they wouldn't find her, An Moxue took out a flashlight and followed the tire tracks deeper into the area. The tire tracks were clearly left by vehicles that passed by regularly, further confirming An Moxue's guess.

She followed the tire tracks until she reached the border, then stopped and found a secluded spot to enter the space.

She wasn't sure when the car would cross the border, but it wouldn't be more than three days at the latest.

This place is quite a distance from the border between the two countries, and it's also a dense forest, making it the perfect place for her to cause trouble.

And so, An Moxue began her stakeout.

Throughout the night, with few people passing by, An Moxue quietly left and returned to the small town.

She found the little beggar again. "Kids, I have another question for you. Where are there houses for sale around here? They need to be in a good location, detached, and quiet is fine too. The key is that the price must be reasonable."

The boy thought for a moment and asked, "I only know of two places right now. Are you in a hurry? No, I'm not. We'll be here this afternoon, and I can find out more information."

An Moxue thought for a moment and said, "How about lunch? I'll treat you to lunch again."

Is this considered payment?

"Of course, if I manage to buy the house, I'll treat you to dinner again."

"Alright! You just wait." After saying that to An Moxue, the boy lowered his head and muttered something to the group of little beggars.

After saying that, the children scattered and ran off to different places.

The little boy glanced at An Moxue and then left.