Chapter 37 Catching the Thief (2)
Security Department of Hongri Machinery Factory
The second floor of the security office in the separate building was bustling with activity. Under the personal command of the factory director, most of the security personnel had been mobilized. When the head of the security office, Liu Congwu, arrived from home after hearing the news, the morning glow had already illuminated half the sky.
"What exactly is going on? Why did the security department send so many people to catch the car thief without my orders?"
Liu Congwu hurriedly ran from the first floor to the second floor, and with a gloomy face, he yelled at Deputy Section Chief Gao Cheng.
"The factory manager personally assigned him." Gao Cheng shrugged, his eyes puffed out with a helpless shrug. "The factory manager said he'd personally go catch the car thieves, and that it had to be kept secret, I..."
What can I do... Gao Cheng silently finished the second half of his sentence in his mind.
"The factory director personally took action?" Liu Congwu's face turned extremely ugly. He felt as if he had missed some important information and asked in a cold voice, "Where are Li Huguo and the others who are in charge of catching the pickpockets?"
"It's in the office on the third floor," Gao Cheng pointed upstairs.
Liu Congwu turned around and wanted to go upstairs, but he ran several steps before Gao Cheng, who looked dazed, caught up with him and pulled him back.
"The factory manager told us to wait on the second floor first."
"Why?"
The question had barely left his lips when a middle-aged man wearing glasses ran down the stairs. Upon seeing Liu Congwu and Gao Cheng, he waved to them.
"The factory manager wants you to go up to the third floor."
This man was Wang Zhong, the deputy secretary of the factory's Youth League Committee. His appearance indicated that the matter had already alarmed the Youth League Committee.
Liu Congwu's face turned pale and then flushed. He hadn't even taken two steps before a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back. His mind raced, trying to recall if anything had gone wrong with the security department's work recently.
There were many people sitting or standing in front of several offices in the corridor, most of whom were key personnel from the security department.
"Section Chief," someone called.
Liu Congwu was a kind and honest person, and he was well-liked in the security department. So when someone saw how nervous he was, they quickly smiled, shook their head, and whispered, "It has nothing to do with us."
It has nothing to do with us... In other words, the factory director's actions were not directed at the security department.
Liu Congwu felt a little more at ease, cleared his throat, and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
creak—
This was originally Liu Congwu's section chief office. He knew the layout of the room better than anyone else. As soon as he walked in, he looked towards the office on the right.
There was no one behind the desk; Zhao Feng and Huang Fangcheng were both sitting on the sofa on the left.
"Old Liu!" Zhao Feng said with a smile, waving to him, "Come and sit down, I'm so sorry to have woken you up so early."
"What are you saying, Factory Director? If something happens in the factory, my security department will definitely bear some responsibility," Liu Congwu replied readily, glancing at the sofa.
Besides Zhao Feng and Huang Fangcheng, there were two other people sitting on the sofa with their backs to them, sitting upright with their eyes fixed straight ahead, far less relaxed than the two leaders.
Walking up to the sofa and looking down, I realized it was Li Huguo and Gao Ming.
"Section Chief Liu."
"Section Chief Liu."
"Have the hitchhikers been caught?" Liu Congwu's mind raced for a moment before he decided to ask, "Are we manpower enough?"
"We've got him." Gao Ming smiled and moved closer to Li Huguo to make room for him: "Section Chief Liu, please sit down and let us explain."
"I called you up here to talk about this," Zhao Feng said with a faint smile.
Huang Fangcheng cleared his throat: "Captain Gao, please tell Section Chief Liu what happened last night. We still have things to do."
"good……"
Nine people were arrested for stealing from vehicles. Five of them were members of several brigades under the Huangniba Commune, and the remaining four were all from the Hongri Machinery Factory.
Tang Junjie, who was caught on the spot, was the apparent leader of the carjacking thieves. Zhou Xinfang was responsible for providing detailed information about the convoy, while Luo Jianguo was their "strategist," specifically responsible for planning the escape route. Cao Qin's position in the gang is currently unknown.
“Everyone except Luo Jianguo was arrested on the spot. As for Luo Jianguo…” Gao Ming looked at Zhao Feng.
With a slight mocking smile, Zhao Feng continued, "When we went to arrest Luo Jianguo, he was involved in underground gambling. The matter has already been reported to the Panshui County Public Security Bureau."
No one expected that catching a hitchhiker would lead to the discovery of an underground gambling den hidden in Huangniba Commune.
Despite their young age, Tang Junjie and his gang were already regulars at casinos, and most of the money they exchanged for stolen goods ended up at the gambling tables.
"Underground gambling!"
"Those nine people are being held in your security office." Zhao Feng pointed to several offices diagonally opposite. "We'll interrogate them once the county public security bureau officers arrive."
"Luo Jianguo drank too much last night. Even after he was arrested, he thought we were here to take him home." Huang Fangcheng glanced at Liu Congwu with a smirk, his tone clearly sarcastic: "The alcohol was given to him by Deputy Factory Director Luo."
Liu Congwu: "..."
Everyone knew that the head of the security department was personally promoted by Deputy Factory Director Luo, so they automatically categorized him as belonging to the deputy factory director's side.
Liu Congwu was suffering in silence...
Huang Fangcheng stopped sneer and looked at Gao Mingshi with a slight smile: "I heard about what happened last night from Lao Zhao. It was thanks to Doctor Chen that we finally caught the important figure among the car thieves."
"It was all on impulse, and I was terrified afterwards." Gao Ming shook his head and chuckled.
“Next time, we can’t let family members participate in such dangerous things. There are so many men in our factory, how can we let women take risks?”
Gao Ming nodded repeatedly, saying, "I won't dare to do it again next time."
Huang Fangcheng reached out and patted Gao Ming on the shoulder: "Thanks to Dr. Chen, your aunt and I can finally hold our grandson. Remember to tell Dr. Chen when you get home today. My wife has been saying these past few days that she wants to send a big red flower to the hospital after the baby is born."
"Congratulations, Secretary Huang." Gao Ming was genuinely happy for Huang Xuegong and his wife.
Zhao Feng was genuinely happy for his old partner.
Apart from Liu Congwu, who was filled with bitterness, everyone in the office was congratulating Huang Fangcheng, and the topic naturally veered in another direction.
A dozen minutes later, there was another knock on the office door.
"Factory manager, the comrades from the county public security bureau have arrived."
A dozen or so people from the county public security bureau arrived. Three fully armed jeeps were parked downstairs, with armed police officers guarding the vehicles.
"Thank you for your great help. You helped our county public security bureau solve two very troublesome major cases in one fell swoop."
Liu Min, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the County Public Security Bureau, greeted Zhao Feng warmly and shook his hand to express his gratitude.
The underground casinos in Panshui County, a malignant tumor, only emerged last year. During this period, many people were swindled out of their fortunes and forced to engage in petty theft.
Many of the thieves arrested by the police in the county town were caught for this reason.
Unfortunately, the casino's location was constantly changing, and sometimes the group would quickly move to a different place as soon as they discovered the slightest clue.
In addition, Panshui County has many subordinate communes, and the Public Security Bureau is unable to deploy its manpower throughout the county. Over the years, the gambling dens have been able to roam around without being caught.
Unexpectedly, the Hongri Machinery Factory's capture of a car thief also gave the county public security bureau a big gift.
The "old place" Tang Junjie mentioned was the "old lair" of the underground casinos after they moved to Huangniba Commune.
"Captain Liu mentioned two major cases... what's the other one?" Zhao Feng asked again.
"We need to interrogate those hitchhikers first, and then follow the trail to see if we can find out who their upstream supplier was," Liu Min said, his gaze sweeping over Gao Ming. "Young man, which department are you from? You look like a demobilized soldier!"
Gao Ming's demeanor clearly indicated that he was a soldier who had recently been demobilized; his gaze was resolute and unwavering.
"This is Captain Gao from the transport team. We were able to arrest everyone in the casino last night thanks to him."
Before setting off, everyone thought they were only arresting Luo Jianguo, and that six grown men could easily carry him back.
Who would have thought that looking out of the abandoned warehouse, one would find about twenty shirtless men inside, their eyes bloodshot from losing – a truly terrifying sight.
Gao Ming observed from outside for more than ten minutes and then assigned tasks to the remaining five people.
Immediately afterwards, they rushed in and closed the door. After knocking down the leaders, they easily tied up the rest of the men.
"He's a good comrade of the country!" Liu Min patted Gao Ming's shoulder with satisfaction: "Go in and listen to the interrogation later, and give us some feedback while you're at it."
"Captain Liu is joking. I have no right to offer any opinions."
"Let's go in and listen."
Liu Min burst out laughing and dragged Gao Ming into the first office next to the stairwell.
***
At the entrance of Chen Yun's home in Building 10.
Who is it?
Chen Yun had just arrived home at dawn and had only slept for a few hours when she was awakened by a deafening knocking on the door. She hurriedly put on a coat and went to open the door.
"It's me, Chen Meizi."
Yang Juhua's anxious voice rang out from outside the door.
The door opened, revealing Yang Juhua's disheveled face.
Her hair, which was always neatly tied back, was ripped apart, and two thin wounds on her face were still oozing blood. Her right cheek was swollen. Judging from the extent of the injuries, the assailant looked like a man.
Upon seeing Chen Yun's concerned gaze, Yang Juhua's tears immediately welled up.
"I...I don't have my keys, so I can't get into my house."
"Sister-in-law, come in quickly! Who hit you?" Chen Yun hurriedly helped Yang Juhua up, and when she looked down, she saw that Yang Juhua was only wearing one shoe, and her other foot was covered in blood.
"Ouch... who hit Chrysanthemum Girl?!"
As soon as she heard the commotion, Old Ma from across the street rushed over and was quite shocked to see Yang Juhua's miserable state.
"Auntie, please help your sister-in-law sit down. I'll go pour some cool boiled water to rinse her feet. With so much blood, I don't know how big the wound must be."
Yang Juhua cried even more bitterly, her tears falling like beads from a broken string.
Grandma Ma helped the person sit down on a low stool.
"Girl, tell me what happened... What's the use of just crying!"
The person who usually walks with a brisk pace was crying like a little wife, which made even Old Ma, who hadn't known her for long, feel quite bad.
“I, Yang Juhua, have never done anything wrong in my life, how could I have given birth to such a worthless girl?” Yang Juhua said, pounding her chest hard. “She just stood there watching her mother get beaten without saying a word to help… Why is my life so miserable…”
Chen Yun poured some cooled boiled water and came back. She gently took off the nylon stockings that were stuck to her skin. The stockings were torn in many places, and with a little force, she could pull out a thread from the wound.
Yang Juhua trembled slightly in pain.
Chen Yun carefully examined the wound, carefully wiping away the surrounding dirt with a clean gauze roll, noting that it was a small wound, with only the one on her heel being slightly longer. Fortunately, the wound was not deep and did not require stitches.
"There's some leftover iodine upstairs, I'll go up and get it."
Liberation shoes are comfortable to walk in but not breathable. Every time Gao Ming goes out to drive for a few days, he has to soak his feet in iodine, otherwise they will smell bad... Chen Yun firmly disagrees with sleeping in the same bed.
"What happened to your daughter Yue'e?" Old Ma asked anxiously, scratching her head and pressing for an answer. "Could it be that your daughter sent people to beat you up because you objected to her dating!"
Hu Yue'e really wanted to be with Tang Junjie. It was nothing new in their area; mother and daughter would argue every few days, and you could hear it right outside their own door.
"Old Tang and Tang Junjie's mother went to the cafeteria and made a scene, insisting that my Yue'e is not good enough for their son, and they wouldn't agree to it even if I paid them..."
Old Tang was incredibly confident. Without saying a word, he told Yang Juhua to keep her money-losing daughter in check and not to keep coming to the Tang family's house.
This morning, before dawn, Hu Yue'e went to the Tang family and said she would take care of Tang Junjie's parents, fetching water for them to wash their faces and making breakfast.
"The noodles and eggs for breakfast were brought from home... Auntie, you know, even my dog knows how to take care of the family better than her..." Yang Juhua became more and more upset as she spoke.
Despite his shameless eagerness, he still couldn't earn even the slightest smile from Old Man Tang and his wife.
After breakfast, a neighbor joked that the Tang family was about to get a daughter-in-law, which immediately angered the two old men. They insisted on dragging Hu Yue'e to the canteen to talk to Yang Juhua and make things clear.
In front of dozens of people in the cafeteria, Old Tang managed to belittle Hu Yue'e as a worthless woman who was willing to pay men for her services.
How could Yang Juhua, the mother, tolerate her daughter being insulted? She confronted Old Man Tang single-handedly.
Throughout his conversation, Old Man Tang was boasting about his son's ability to make money. Outsiders couldn't understand the inside story, but Yang Juhua knew very well where Tang Junjie's money came from.
In a moment of desperation, he said a few words about how the money wasn't clean, which made Old Tang and his wife so angry that they grabbed the bowls on the table and smashed them.
Even if she were incredibly strong normally, she couldn't possibly beat a man in his forties, and she was quickly beaten so badly she couldn't get up.
These weren't the most painful things for Yang Juhua; what was truly disheartening was that Hu Yue'e was there the whole time.
From the moment they started arguing to the moment they started fighting, Hu Yue'e didn't utter a single word, as if the person being beaten had nothing to do with her.
"After finally someone pulled Old Man Tang away, guess what Hu Yue'e said... She said it was all my fault for talking nonsense, and that I deserved it!"
Old Ma was even angrier than Yang Juhua. She stood up with her hands on her hips and spat twice at the door.
"You heartless bastard! If I were her mother, I'd kick her out today. She won't be staying in this house for even a minute longer!"
Chen Yun let out a slow sigh: "Sister-in-law, we can't let this go like this. Aunt is right... she's just ruining the family!"
"I'm at my wit's end." Yang Juhua waved her hand, crying, her face ashen. "Let Xiangyang's father decide."
Before returning, Yang Juhua had already asked someone to call Hu Gangtie home from the workshop. During the fight, she didn't know where she had thrown her house key, so she had no choice but to knock on Chen Yun's door.
"Don't worry, sister-in-law, Tang Junjie was arrested last night."
The crying stopped abruptly, and Old Ma's eyes widened. After a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a sentence that was both laughable and pathetic: "Was he arrested for harassing other women?"
Chen Yun quickly waved his hand: "I was caught red-handed stealing from a car."
"He really got caught?" Yang Juhua was both surprised and delighted, quickly wiping away her tears. "That bastard really is a hitchhiker?"
"I hurt my hand yesterday." Chen Yun raised her arm, and the patches of blood on her fair skin looked even worse than Yang Juhua's.
"You still went!" Old Ma exclaimed in surprise.
Chen Yun nodded, put down her sleeve, and picked up the iodine again: "Let me clean your wound to prevent infection."
"Don't rush, the few small cuts will be fine this afternoon." Yang Juhua grabbed Chen Yun's arm: "Tell me what happened last night."
After nearly falling into the river last night, Gao Ming refused to let Chen Yun participate in the next operation to capture Luo Jianguo, and finally had Su Weiming send her and Ruan Qiu back to the factory.
Unaware of what happened in the middle of the night, they still believed that Tang Junjie was only involved in the crime of stealing from a car.
“When we arrived last night, it was only past midnight. Ruanqiu and I waited in the bushes for more than two hours…” Chen Yunzhen enthusiastically recounted the events of the night to the two of them.
Just as they were getting into the conversation, they heard a soft laugh coming from the doorway, accompanied by a slightly hoarse voice.
"Today, Secretary Huang and Captain Liu from the county public security bureau both praised you, saying that you are both literate and skilled in martial arts... capable of treating the sick and saving lives as well as catching thieves."
The man, who had worked hard all night, had a lot of stubble on his chin, but there was no sign of fatigue in his eyes, and every step he took was powerful and light.
"You mean the county police station?" Chen Yun didn't have time to be shy and immediately asked, "The police station arrived so quickly!"
Usually, the factory will interrogate the suspects first and then report the results to the Public Security Bureau. If the crime is serious, the Public Security Bureau will take the suspect away, while if it is not serious, the factory security department will handle it itself.
“Stealing from a train is just the least serious offense.” Gao Ming tilted his head and looked back, then called out, “Brother Hu, your wife is at my house.”
Hu Gangtie stopped opening his own door and turned to enter Chen Yun's house.
"They are also suspected of involvement in underground gambling and speculation. They were all taken to the county public security bureau after being interrogated this morning."
Gao Ming spoke succinctly, but the explosive information contained within was enough to take the people present a long time to process.
"The factory has already notified Deputy Director Luo and Tang Junjie's family, and they've gone to the county town to try and find connections..." He sighed with regret, "Yue'e is in the car too."
When Deputy Factory Director Luo arrived at the security department after receiving the news, Luo Jianguo had already pressed his big red fingerprint on the confession, leaving him with no room to use his silver tongue.
Captain Liu informed them to wait for the investigation results. Luo Youmao heard from uninformed people that Luo Jianguo only had the idea to participate but did not actually go, and was even hoping to find connections in the county town to get him out.
Zhao Feng knew the truth but didn't say a word, simply letting Luo Youmao pace anxiously.
Old Tang thought Luo Youmao really had connections, so he insisted on going to the county town to wait for the results. The group borrowed a factory jeep, and just before getting in, Gao Ming saw Hu Yue'e also get in.
Even though Old Man Tang cursed her as a jinx, she still didn't get off the bus.
The mother was beaten, but the daughter was only thinking about the perpetrator.
Even though Gao Ming hadn't heard that Yang Juhua had been beaten, he still felt that he had raised Hu Yue'e as a daughter in vain.
Hu Gangtie hung his head as if he hadn't heard what Gao Ming said, his gaze lingering on Yang Juhua's face for a moment: "Who hit you?"
“Old Tang and his wife,” Yang Juhua said, pointing to the untreated wound on her foot. “Hu Yue’e was there too.”
The couple both let out a bitter laugh.
"..."
"Go back and pack Hu Yue'e's clothes first. When she comes back tonight, let her go back to the countryside. I'll go to the Youth League Committee this afternoon to transfer her personnel file."
“But…” Yang Juhua’s toes twitched, and she hesitated, finally just lowering her head.
"She eats as much as she earns in work points. She's a grown woman and should have been able to support herself long ago. If she doesn't work, then she'll just go hungry..."
Hu Gangtie became calmer and calmer as he spoke, as if he were deciding not his daughter's fate but that of a relative.
His family was transferred back to the countryside, and like everyone else in the production team, he could only earn work points by working in the fields.
The only way for Hu Yue'e to ever return to the city is to marry a city dweller.
Hu Gangtie said he would no longer care about this daughter... This is truly letting her fend for herself.
Chen Yun felt that Hu Yue'e wouldn't easily return to the countryside, and she would only know what kind of trouble she would cause when she came back.
As for the present situation... it's just a decision made by Yang Juhua and her husband.
Hu Gangtie helped Yang Juhua back to her home. Old Ma couldn't wait to go back and share such a big secret with her family.
For a moment, only Chen Yun and his wife remained in the house.
Gao Ming let out a deep breath: "I'm going to take a shower and get some sleep. You pack your clothes for the provincial capital tonight."
"good."
After washing away the fatigue of two days of hard work, Gao Ming was so tired that even the bottom of his eyes became bloodshot.
She lay down on the bed with her hair only half-dry.
"Dry your hair before you sleep, or you'll get headaches when you're old." Chen Yun handed her another dry towel, but then withdrew it after sitting down: "I'll dry it for you."
"good."
His head quickly moved to Chen Yun's lap, and with a large hand, he buried his entire face in Chen Yun's arms.
Her thick, black short hair was wiped clean, revealing her smooth forehead, and the hot breath she exhaled scalded her skin through her clothes.
As her breathing gradually calmed down, Chen Yun quickened her wiping.
"Won't the wound on my arm leave a scar?"
"No, the scar will fall off in a couple of days and it'll be back to normal." Chen Yun smiled nonchalantly, then, as if possessed, lowered his head to smell his hair: "Did you wash your hair with soap?"
"You took it as soap, and you know what, it actually cleaned quite well."
"That's soap for washing shoes and socks, you're washing your hair?" Chen Yun continued wiping, both amused and exasperated.
"Don't you want to know about Tang Junjie's involvement in gambling?"
Chen Yun smiled, her abrupt change of topic unchanged from before her marriage. She lightly flicked her stray hairs and laughed, "I just want to know."
Yang Juhua and her husband were too heartbroken to care about the aftermath of the car thief's actions, so Chen Yun didn't ask any further questions.
“Before the interrogation, even I thought Luo Jianguo was only involved in gambling. I never expected that he and Cao Qin were both partners in an underground casino.”
"They...run a casino?" Chen Yun was genuinely shocked.
"So now you know why Cao Qin isn't even afraid of jumping into the river, right? Getting caught would be much worse than jumping into the river."
If she gets caught, the exposure of her organized gambling activities won't be as simple as a few years of labor camp. No one knows better than her what the consequences would be if she were caught.
Death might be easier than decades in prison, so he'd rather die in the river than be caught.
"You mean Cao Qin organized an underground casino, and she was the mastermind?"
"Even Luo Jianguo has to listen to him..."
Gao Ming perked up as soon as the topic of the interrogation came up, and he described in detail the extremely difficult interrogation.
After two hours of interrogation yielded no breakthrough, it was only after Gao Ming came up with a brilliant idea that the deadlock was finally broken.
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