Su Jianguo continued his analysis.
"We need to make the notice very clear. First, the consequences of harboring criminals; second, the reward for whistleblowing; and third, ensuring the safety of whistleblowers."
Officer Li took out paper and pen and began to take notes.
"Speak slowly, I'll write it down."
Su Jianguo explained clearly and logically.
"The notice should begin solemnly, stating that the Zhang brothers are suspected of serious crimes and that anyone who harbors them will be punished equally. The middle section should emphasize the impact of political vetting, especially on the future of eligible young people. The reward should be given only at the end, but it must specify that the reward will only be given to the first person to provide a valid lead."
Why only reward the first one?
Officer Li was puzzled.
"To create competition."
Su Jianguo gave a sly smile.
"Whoever reports first gets paid; if you're a step behind, you lose out. This way, they'll become suspicious of each other, afraid someone else will beat them to it."
Officer Li nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.
"It's a real shame you're not a policeman with a brain like that!"
Su Jianguo waved his hand.
"Another crucial point is that the notice shouldn't have my name on it; it should be issued in the name of the police station. We'll wait for someone to report it before making the transaction privately, to prevent them from colluding to inflate the price."
"That's very thoughtful."
Officer Li expressed his sincere admiration.
"I'll draft the notice right away; could you please check the wording?"
The two buried themselves in discussing the contents of the notice, occasionally arguing about whether a certain word was appropriate.
By the time the final draft was completed, the sun was already setting outside the window.
"I'll take some people to put them up first thing tomorrow morning."
Police officer Li rolled up the notice.
"Okay, I'll go with you first thing tomorrow morning."
Su Jianguo also wanted to go to Zhangjiazhuang to see if he could personally capture the four Zhang brothers.
...
at the same time.
Zhangjiazhuang, an earthen kiln outside the village.
The earthen kiln was damp and cold, and the mud on the walls smelled musty.
San'er lay on the earthen bed in the corner, his face as pale as paper, with fine beads of sweat on his forehead.
His right ear was wrapped in rough strips of cloth, which had been stained dark red with seeping blood.
"Ouch...it hurts so much..."
The third brother groaned, each sound trembling.
The fourth brother squatted in the center of the earthen kiln in front of a makeshift stove made of a few stones, adding firewood to the fire.
Hearing the third brother's groans, he irritably threw down the firewood in his hand.
"Third Brother, can you please shut up for a bit?"
The fourth brother roared in a low voice, his voice filled with suppressed anger.
"You've been howling since last night, and it's still going on now. Aren't you tired of it? Your wound has been stitched up, and the village doctor gave you some herbal painkillers, didn't he?"
The third brother suddenly sat up, the movement aggravating his wound, causing him to gasp in pain.
"Bullshit!"
He cursed through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse.
"It wasn't your ear that fell off, of course you don't feel pain! That village doctor didn't even have anesthesia, he just stitched it up with needle and thread, do you know how painful that was?"
The fourth brother stood up, dusted the sawdust off his hands, walked to the earthen bed, and looked down at the third brother.
He was in his early twenties, with a somewhat childish face, but his eyes were as fierce as a wolf's.
"Serves you right!"
He spat.
"Who told you to push that idiot to his death? If you hadn't insisted on taking his sunglasses, would things have turned out like this?"
"Say that again, you fucking idiot?"
The third son struggled to get up, but the pain caused him to fall back onto the kang (a heated brick bed), the veins on his forehead bulging.
"Didn't you take action back then? Why are you pretending to be a good guy now? If you weren't such a coward, we would have..."
"Shut up, all of you!"
The second brother, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly shouted sharply.
He was sitting in the shadows at the very back of the cave dwelling when he suddenly opened his eyes, which flashed with a fierce light.
The second brother, around thirty years old, was the most composed of the four brothers and the pillar of support when his eldest brother was away.
The cave dwelling fell silent, save for the crackling of the burning firewood.
The fourth brother retreated sullenly to the stove, while the third brother muttered a few words of resentment, but his voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
The second brother stood up, walked over to the third brother, and reached out to press the bandage on his ear. The rough action made the third brother cry out in pain.
"Bear with it."
The second brother said coldly.
"Our brother risked his life to go out and find a way to survive, and you guys just stand here making a racket? Are you afraid the police won't be able to find us?"
The fourth brother, head bowed, poked at the fire with a stick.
"Second Brother."
He hesitated for a moment.
"Can my brother really get the money? My aunt is such a person..."
The second brother's lips curled into a sinister smile as he pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and lit it.
The pungent smell of inferior tobacco immediately filled the cave.
"Does she dare not give it to her?"
He exhaled a smoke ring, his voice low.
"We got into this mess because we were standing up for her. If she doesn't compensate us, who will?"
Upon hearing this, the third brother struggled to sit up again.
"Second brother, how much can Auntie contribute? That idiot probably won't survive. If someone dies, it should be enough for us to run away!"
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