152 were arrested
Guan Yuehe noticed that for several days in a row, people in the alley were talking about the news of the smuggler being arrested.
So-and-so from which unit was arrested, and it hasn't been said what crime they committed, but everyone thinks they must have been involved in smuggling.
“Officer Song hasn’t been home for almost half a month. Look at his family in the southwest; he eats at the factory canteen every day before coming home.”
"You all think..." Aunt Bai glanced at the courtyard gate first before whispering her guess, "Could Ding Laowu also be involved in smuggling?"
Aunt Er and Aunt Zhao didn't say anything, but their expressions said: That's what I think too.
Several middle-aged women huddled together, heads close, hands covering their mouths, whispering amongst themselves, occasionally clicking their tongues or making a sound of surprise.
They all felt they had discovered a great secret. But fearing being harassed by Aunt Ding and Old Man Ding, they didn't tell anyone.
In fact, it's not just a few of them who think this way.
Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang were kneading dough to make dumplings, while Guan Yuehe sat beside them waiting to eat. She overheard the two old friends guessing that Ding Laowu was also involved in smuggling.
I just don't know which part of the job he was doing.
“He could buy a job and do something legitimate, but he still complains about the low salary.” Jiang Guiying scoffed. “This kid has never wanted to walk the straight path since he was little. Only his mother thinks he’s capable.”
"Aunt Ding wears new clothes every day and shows off at the entrance of the alley. She's also bought some big items for her house. Of course, she thinks Ding Laowu is capable. Now it's all good. Aunt Ding only favors Ding Laowu, so it's perfect to let Ding Laowu be filial to her."
To avoid harming others.
The two families of Ding Lao Er and Ding Lao San, who separated and moved out, are doing quite well without Ding Da Ma causing trouble.
"That's true."
Jiang Guiying suddenly thought of Ding Xuewen and asked with concern, "Has he been assigned a job yet? I'm just worried that something might happen to Ding Laowu and affect his job assignment."
"Oh dear, yes!" Aunt Fang also looked over.
They only knew that Ding Xuewen was studying at a university in Beijing, but they didn't know the specifics.
They were all thinking that they had finally gotten into university and were about to be assigned a job after graduation, but Ding Laowu was going to ruin it. They felt sorry for Ding Xuewen.
"He's gone to work."
They were living a very good life. Only Aunt Ding thought he was still a teacher in the countryside of Northeast China. Every time she showed off Ding Laowu's filial piety, she would take a jab at Ding Xuewen, saying he was good-for-nothing.
If Aunt Ding knew that Ding Xuewen had already bought a house in Beijing, she might be so angry that she couldn't sleep or eat.
Guan Yuehe felt refreshed just thinking about it.
"The four of you are all more promising than the last."
“That’s right! Even a fool can amount to something.” Guan Yuehe said jokingly.
This amused Jiang Guiying and Aunt Fang, the two old friends, who laughed heartily, "Alright, you four are quite the good-for-nothings!"
"Why hasn't your dad come back yet?" I asked him to go to Uncle Ming's restaurant and get two dishes for me, but he's been gone for half an hour.
"Maybe there are a lot of customers." Guan Yuehe glanced at her watch and said, "It's still early. My father-in-law hasn't gotten home yet either. Sigh, is the factory rushing to produce today?"
Aunt Fang shook her head, "I haven't heard about that. I left work on time every few days before."
They had finished making the dumplings, and after waiting for nearly half an hour, Guan Canghai and Grandpa Lin returned together, both looking rather unwell, with Guan Aiguo following behind them.
Guan Canghai went out to buy groceries empty-handed. Before Jiang Guiying could get angry, Guan Aiguo spoke first, "Mom, something happened to the factory's transport team. My eldest brother was arrested by the security department, and my sister-in-law was also called to the factory for investigation."
Her anger was instantly extinguished by the cold water. Jiang Guiying froze, her face turning pale. "What do you mean? Your older brother got into trouble?"
Guan Aiguo was slapped on the back of the head by Guan Canghai. He couldn't even get the message across properly, which must have frightened his wife.
Mr. Lin, who knew the situation better, explained: "It wasn't Jianguo who had an accident, it was the factory's transportation team that was taken away by the security department."
It's actually related to the crackdown on smuggling that was reported in the news a few days ago. Who would have thought that the crackdown on smuggling would involve several state-owned factories?
It's unclear which specific state-owned factories were involved. However, it is certain that some drivers from the Wuxing Automobile Factory's transport team were involved in smuggling, and all the drivers in the team have now been arrested by the security department.
"This morning, the Public Security Bureau and Customs came to the factory. This afternoon, the factory set up an investigation team to interrogate the factory's transportation team from top to bottom."
Not only were the drivers of the transport team arrested and interrogated, but even their family members were summoned to the security department for investigation.
The factory acted swiftly. By the time the factory workers learned of the situation, all the drivers and their families in the transportation team had been summoned to the security department. No one has come out of the security department yet, and no one knows what is happening to the drivers who have been arrested.
Grandpa Lin said, "The factory is cooperating with the police and customs. As long as Jianguo doesn't get involved, there won't be any problems."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Guiying's expression softened.
She knew her eldest son fairly well; he had his own ideas but lacked the courage to do so. If she asked him to get involved in smuggling, he definitely wouldn't dare.
The worst-case scenario is that he's smuggling for someone without even realizing it.
"Now we can only wait for news from the factory."
—
As the workers at the Five Star Automobile Factory gradually returned home after get off work, the news of the factory's transportation team's involvement in smuggling spread far and wide.
"These people have really got a death wish! They'd do anything to risk being shot. They've made a fortune, but they probably won't live to enjoy it!"
"Guess who had the audacity to engage in smuggling?"
Almost everyone in the transport team, from top to bottom, was guessed. Even Guan Jianguo wasn't spared.
Guan Yuehe didn't take it to heart. In the alley, anything without evidence could be made to seem true. Even if she heard something like "Guan Jianguo is the head of a smuggling gang," it was still possible.
Lin Yiku hurried into the house, "Yuehe, I heard..."
"My brother was arrested for smuggling? I already know."
"Guan Aiguo and his parents went to the factory to wait for news. His parents also went to ask around to find out what was going on."
Upon hearing the news, no one was in the mood for dinner. They quickly made dumplings to tide them over and then rushed out the door.
She couldn't help even if she went out, so she stayed at home.
Seeing that his clothes were covered in mud, I knew he must have been busy with training today. I reminded him that there was hot water in the kitchen and a plate of dumplings on the table.
Having learned about the situation from Guan Yuehe, Lin Yiku was no longer in a hurry.
He was stopped as soon as he returned to the alley entrance. The elderly folks made it sound so serious that it was hard for him not to worry.
Yuehe works in the Ministry of Foreign Trade. If she has a brother who is involved in smuggling, it will have a negative impact on her.
Given her situation, she will definitely have opportunities to travel abroad on official business in the future, but the country now has strict vetting procedures for those going abroad on official business...
"Don't think too much about it. I bet your brother doesn't have the guts," Guan Yuehe urged him to go take a shower.
Around 10 p.m., Jiang Guiying and the others finally returned.
They also brought back good news.
“Your older brother wasn’t involved in the smuggling. However, the factory is going to conduct a major inspection, and he won’t be able to go back until that’s over. Your sister-in-law has already gone home.”
The next day.
Gu Mannian brought new news.
“Xu Qianjin has been arrested and is under investigation. It’s an undeniable fact that he was involved in smuggling.” Gu Mannian gritted his teeth in anger. “He was involved in smuggling by himself, which implicated our entire factory. Now the higher-ups have sent people to the factory to form an investigation team to investigate the entire factory.”
Guan Yuehe was truly impressed. Today at work, she had heard her colleagues mention the smuggling, including machinery factories, daily chemical factories, television factories, department stores... plus Wuxing Automobile Factory and Zhuoyue Garment Factory, nearly ten state-owned factories were involved, and those involved in the smuggling were all factory cadres. No wonder the higher-ups sent people down to form an investigation team.
Every day, new news comes out about the crackdown on smuggling gangs and the investigation results of various state-owned factories. After getting off work every day, Guan Yuehe no longer rushes to watch TV at home, but carries a small stool to the alley entrance to learn about the latest developments.
Although the news from older folks is often exaggerated, you can still learn something useful from it.
Another week later, Guan Jianguo took Lin Yufeng and their three children back to Ginkgo Hutong for a meal.
Guan Yuehe suddenly realized that her elder brother looked a few years older than when they met in April.
"What did the factory say? This won't affect you, will it?"
Guan Jianguo shook his head. "Luckily, I've been working on the Northeast transport route all year, otherwise..."
Although only one driver was involved in smuggling and the others were not involved, they were all aware of it, helped cover it up, and received kickbacks. It's impossible for them to sever ties.
"Several drivers who drove south were fired." One of them was his junior apprentice. Because of this, his master retired a few years early.
"It's good that you're alright. Think of your family before you do anything in the future." Guan Canghai said meaningfully, "If something happens to you, Weiwei will be the one most affected. Even when he finishes vocational school and gets a job, their family's social standing will be a factor..."
"What are you doing?!"
Suddenly, a sharp scream came from the front yard.
The somber atmosphere at the Guan family's house was instantly dispelled, and not only their family, but even the neighbors living in the back building came out.
"What's up?"
Some people even had rolling pins in their hands, thinking that someone had come to cause trouble in their yard and were ready to help.
Guan Yuehe was also curious, so she followed her family to the front yard.
She didn't push her way into the crowd; instead, she stood on the periphery, craning her neck to barely make out the heads of a few police officers.
Fortunately, her neighbors were all talkative, so she knew what was happening even without standing in front of them.
"I told you long ago, Ding Laowu was definitely involved in smuggling, otherwise, why would the police come to arrest him?"
"I told you this kid was bound to get into trouble sooner or later, but he's only been smug for less than a month, and look what's happened!"
"No wonder he sneaked back today. I haven't seen him come back since he moved out." I just don't know what he was thinking. Why did he have to come back home instead of hiding somewhere else?
Zhang Ersao scoffed, "That family of theirs is arguing about dividing the family property and money tonight. I think Ding Laowu came back to take the money and run away, but Ding Laoda and his wife found out and disagreed."
After causing a scene at home, the police ended up coming to their door.
Aunt Ding was still obstructing the police from arresting people, and even brought up Officer Song, saying that Officer Song should fire them.
Several police officers almost rolled their eyes; they were from the Public Security Bureau, not the Changhu Police Station.
Seeing that Aunt Ding was being unreasonable and making a scene, the police didn't tolerate it and arrested her as well.
Author's Note: [Cat paw] There won't be a second update tonight. I'm going to revise the first few chapters. I'll let you know which chapters I've changed after I'm done.
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