the next day.
Sujiatun.
The morning sun pierced through the thin mist and shone on the rows of white greenhouses in Sujiatun.
Su Jianguo stood at the entrance of greenhouse number three, his face ashen.
He bent down and picked up a diseased leaf, gently stroking the dense yellow spots on its surface with his fingertips.
"Brother, take a look at this."
Su Jianjun handed over a magnifying glass, his expression also grim.
Su Jianguo took the magnifying glass and bent down to observe carefully.
Under a magnifying glass, the yellow spots revealed strange radial patterns, with several almost transparent insect eggs attached to the edges.
His brows furrowed more and more deeply.
"Have you found out who put it there?"
Su Jianguo straightened up, his voice as cold as ice.
"They actually believe that if it's a pest infestation, there must be some clues..."
Su Jianjun shook his head.
"We've checked, but there are no clues. There are so many people coming and going in and out of our greenhouse every day, picking the produce, that it's impossible to pinpoint the exact location."
Then, Su Jianjun took out a transparent plastic bag from his pocket, which contained several similar diseased leaves.
"Experts from the agricultural research station came to inspect it yesterday. They said this pest is called the 'cucumber leafminer,' and it's extremely rare in our area."
He pointed to several large greenhouses in the distance.
"Only these three sheds were affected; the others were completely unharmed."
Su Jianguo squinted, his gaze sweeping over the rows of sickly cucumber vines.
These crops, which should have been ready for harvest in a week, now have curled leaves and brown spots on their fruit surfaces.
He crouched down, brushed away the surface layer of soil, and found several tiny larvae wriggling.
"Has the loss been estimated?"
Su Jianguo's voice was calm, but he was extremely angry inside.
"At least six acres of land have yielded no harvest."
Su Jianjun wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Based on current market prices, the loss exceeds 12,000 yuan. This is a conservative estimate; if the pest infestation spreads..."
"What did the experts say yesterday?"
Su Jianguo inquired.
Su Jianjun pointed to several empty buckets in the corner of the greenhouse.
"Experts prescribed pesticides, which were sprayed overnight. However, the experts said that even if the pests are controlled, the quality of these cucumbers will be greatly reduced, and they can only be sold as substandard products at best."
Su Jianguo remained silent for a moment.
He didn't have any good solutions to the current situation.
"elder brother..."
Su Jianjun stepped forward, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
"Two extra people will be assigned to each shed, working in shifts 24 hours a day."
Su Jianguo suddenly spoke, his voice low and firm.
"Especially at night, we need to monitor this closely. We must prevent this from happening again."
Su Jianjun nodded.
The two walked out of the greenhouse one after the other.
After instructing Su Jianjun to take good care of the greenhouse, Su Jianguo returned to Beijing.
Today was the day he decided to confront Li Hongmei, a moment that had almost been delayed because of the pest infestation in the greenhouse.
He returned to Beijing and went straight to the police station.
In front of the Sijiucheng Police Station, Su Jianguo straightened his collar and strode inside.
The young police officer behind the reception desk actually knew Su Jianguo.
"Mr. Su? How can I help you?"
The police officer put down the documents in his hand.
Su Jianguo wasn't too surprised; he had dealt with the police station staff many times recently.
"I'm looking for Officer Li."
Su Jianguo said calmly.
"Regarding a corruption case."
Ten minutes later, Officer Li came over and led Su Jianguo into the office.
Su Jianguo took out a notebook from his briefcase, which contained records of his shop's reported losses.
"This is evidence of my employee Li Hongmei's embezzlement during this period."
Su Jianguo opened his notebook and said.
"Every day before leaving get off work, she would disguise perfectly good vegetables as 'damaged' ones, and then her cousin would take them away to sell."
Officer Li examined the notebook carefully, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper.
"These records alone make it difficult to determine if she committed theft or embezzlement. How did you..."
"I've been investigating this for the past few days..."
Su Jianguo spoke frankly.
"I started collecting evidence the day my employee, Zhang Meili, reported me to the police."
He turned to the last page of the notebook, where a handwritten account was pasted.
"Based on my estimate, Li Hongmei has embezzled vegetables worth at least 1,500 yuan during this period."
Officer Li gasped.
In an era when the average worker's monthly salary was no more than 100 yuan, this was definitely a major case.
"What are your plans to do?"
Officer Li closed his notebook and said...
"Handle it according to the law."
Su Jianguo's voice was resolute.
"I followed her yesterday and found the location where her cousin sells vegetables. If the police move in now, they can catch him red-handed."
Officer Li pondered for a moment, then shouted directly outside.
"Xiao Wang, gather three men and come with me on a field mission."
...
4:20 PM, in the back alley of the vegetable market.
Li Hongmei's cousin, Zhang Xiaoqiang, was squatting next to the tricycle, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, glancing at the alley entrance from time to time.
Several bulging woven bags were piled on the truck, with cucumbers, tomatoes, and some other vegetables peeking out.
Fresh cucumbers! Selling cheap!
He loudly called out to passersby.
"Five cents a pound, three cents cheaper than the market price!"
Several housewives gathered around, scrutinizing the vegetables with a critical eye.
"Wow, your vegetables are pretty cheap!"
An older woman exclaimed in surprise.
Zhang Xiaoqiang grinned.
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