Chapter 466 Night Lantern
"Mafia?" Zhou Yi was startled and asked hurriedly, "What do you mean?"
Those that can be called the underworld are all organized violent criminal gangs whose purpose is to obtain illegal profits.
But they are not a group of rabble gathered together who only know how to fight, kill and extort money.
In the eyes of the police, this kind of group is not qualified and is at most a vicious gang of hooligans.
After three severe crackdowns, the national security environment has been significantly improved. Later, combating crime and eliminating evil was made an important policy. Compared with the 1980s and 1990s, it is no longer the same. Everyone who has experienced that era has personal experience of it.
The underworld is also divided into levels.
Common ones include provoking trouble, gang fighting, illegal detention and intentional injury.
Going up one level, there are monopoly operations, opening casinos, usury, organizing prostitution, etc.
At a higher level, it involves bribery, protection, obstruction of justice and money laundering.
Regardless of the level, it poses a threat to people's lives and property, and will definitely involve human lives.
The only interesting thing is that most gangsters don’t get involved in the drug business.
Because no matter how illiterate the gangsters are, they know how to write the word death.
But Zhou Yi didn't explain too much. He wanted to hear what his uncle had to say.
My uncle said, "I don't know about other things, but we in the seafood business are suffering terribly. From the dock to the seafood market, the whole process is monopolized by those guys."
"The two large docks were contracted out at the beginning of this year. Fishing boats are charged extra fees for docking, including management fees, depreciation fees, and cleaning fees. Then we have to pay various fees to purchase goods. If we don't pay, we are not allowed to enter. It's really disgusting."
"What about going to other docks?" Zhou Yi asked. Qingyuan County mainly does seafood business, and there are more than just these two docks.
"Hey, guess what others thought. Many people who were shipping and buying goods at the time ran to another dock. As a result, a few days later, that dock inexplicably caught fire, burned down a boat, and killed one person."
Zhou Yi didn't take it seriously at first. Although it was unethical for the contracting company to charge various extra fees in order to make money, it couldn't be considered illegal.
But when he heard about the fire, his expression changed instantly.
"Someone was burned to death? What is the nature of the fire after investigation? Accidental or man-made?" Zhou Yi asked hurriedly.
My uncle shook his head. "How would I know? But everyone else said it was those people who burned it."
"What about other docks? Have you encountered similar situations?"
"Of course there are. Some docks have had manure thrown at them, and some people were beaten up after returning from the docks to buy goods. As for those who cause trouble, there are even more."
"In the end, we'll just have to go to those two big docks, unless we stop doing this business."
Zhou Yi continued to ask: "Uncle, you just mentioned there is a seafood market, what's going on here?"
"We're collecting protection money. If anyone dares not pay, we'll cause trouble every day, making it impossible for you to do business."
"There's a boss named Li in our market. He used to be a soldier. He's a big, strong man with a strong character. He refuses to pay protection money even if he's beaten to death. He says he's going to fight these people to the end."
Grandpa couldn't help but ask: "What's the result?"
"And what happened?" the uncle slammed the table angrily. "A few days later, his daughter was splashed with red paint on her way home from school. It's no use being powerful, if they can just take your wife and children. Big Li left Wuguang with his family overnight."
"Hey, so these things won't fetch much money, so I might as well eat them myself."
Zhou Yi remained silent. The behaviors mentioned by his uncle were definitely those of gangsters.
Moreover, the fact that they were able to obtain the contracting rights for two large docks proves that the mastermind behind this is not an uneducated hooligan, but knows how to use commercial means to make money.
It seems that Wu Guang has come to the right place!
At this time, Zhou Yi's older cousin Zhang Xuan asked, "Uncle, why don't you call the police and have them arrest these bad guys?"
My uncle said, "Why didn't you call the police? We called the police before when someone didn't pay their protection fee and started causing trouble. When the police came, they said no real harm had occurred and they could only criticize and educate the troublemaker."
"Huh? Why are the police like this? Why don't they arrest this obviously bad guy?"
At this time, Zhou Yi nodded and said, "Actually, this operation is fine. The police can't decide who is good and who is bad based on their own subjective judgment. The police are law enforcers, so they can only handle it according to the law and objective facts. If it is just a dispute or conflict, then the only way is to educate and warn."
Zhou Yi knew that most people had the same perception as his cousin, thinking that they were obviously bad guys, but the police didn't arrest them, the police didn't take action, and the police were protecting the bad guys.
But the fact is, whether good or bad, everyone is subject to the constraints of the law and is also protected by the law.
This is the fairness of the law.
"Even if some property damage is caused, the punishment is usually administrative detention for 15 days, and they might retaliate the next day."
My uncle immediately agreed and nodded repeatedly. "You're right. We called the police on that boss, but they couldn't put him in jail. A few nights later, on his way home, he was hit on the head by a passing motorcycle. He was in the hospital for over half a month. Hey, what do you say we should do about this?"
My grandfather was very angry when he heard this and cursed these people for being so arrogant.
The grandmother kept reminding her youngest son not to offend these people, and to earn less money if possible. If that doesn't work, he should go back to the countryside to farm. By guarding these few acres of land, at least the whole family will not starve to death.
"Zhou Yi, just tell me, how do we do this business? We won't be able to sleep or eat unless these people are arrested." said my uncle.
"Uncle, don't worry. Just listen to grandma and don't provoke them. Protecting yourself and your family is more important than anything else. I'll be transferred here next month and we'll talk about it after I understand the situation."
"Okay, your words are enough. Come, let's have a drink together." He raised his glass.
Grandpa looked on eagerly, while grandma glared at him and said, "What are you looking at? The doctor told you not to drink alcohol."
Zhou Yi smiled and bumped into his uncle.
Having said that, cracking down on gangs is actually very difficult.
This is not a problem that can be solved alone, nor will it be adopted simply by making suggestions.
Because this is not a single criminal case.
In principle, there are basically three possibilities if you want local governments to launch a special campaign to combat crime and eliminate evil.
First, it is driven by policies uniformly deployed by the highest departments.
Just like last year.
But it’s very strange. It was just cured last year, but it popped up again this year. Is it because it was not completely cured, or is it a new virus?
Second, it caused serious social security problems in the local area.
For example, if a murder occurs, the police will follow the clues during the investigation and find out more criminal problems, and finally eradicate the whole culprit.
Third, there is enormous pressure from public opinion.
But if it is just the aquatic industry, it may be a bit difficult, unless there is public outrage and a large number of reports.
From Zhou Yi's perspective, the second point is undoubtedly the most likely to be cut in, as these people cannot have clean hands.
He also thought of a person, Hu Dali, who was confessed by Wu Yuemei during the interrogation today.
Wu Yuemei said that Hu Dali was a gangster, but from her confession, Hu Dali did not seem to have any obvious behavior of being involved in the underworld.
During today's interrogation, the focus has been on the criminal fact that Hu Dali killed Boss Huang, and the issue of the underworld has not been delved into. It seems that we need to understand the situation further later.
But there is no need to rush now. Let’s see if Ni Jianrong can find Hu Dali first.
If I can catch him, I will go and meet this strange "old acquaintance" again.
"Uncle, don't worry. These people are like grasshoppers after autumn. They won't be able to jump around for much longer. You have to believe that the public security situation in our country will get better and better with the development of the times. It just takes some time."
The uncle nodded repeatedly and said, "Of course I believe it. My eldest nephew is a policeman, so how can I not believe it? I just hope that we can catch this group of people as soon as possible so that we can do business honestly."
Zhou Yi didn't want to say too many nice words to whitewash the situation, because no matter how much he said, it would be useless. The development of the times requires a process and cannot be achieved overnight.
Only by acknowledging the shortcomings of the 1990s can we make the future better.
After dinner, before it got dark, Zhou Yi took Lu Xiaoshuang for a walk.
The two of them walked along the ridge of the field, holding hands, one in front and the other behind.
In the setting sun, the two figures became longer and longer.
Ten years ago, young Zhou Yi was walking alone on the ridge of a field.
Now, there are two people.
Ten years later, there will be a small figure between him and Lu Xiaoshuang, waving his hands.
This is what it means to move forward.
Life is like this, and so are the times.
…
It was getting dark, unlike in the city where there were always lights around.
At night in the countryside, the lights were dim in the distance.
But Lu Xiaoshuang didn't feel scared because Zhou Yi was there.
"Brother Zhou, what are you going to show me?"
After walking for such a long time, Lu Xiaoshuang knew that Zhou Yi was not just strolling around, so she didn't ask until she saw him stop.
Zhou Yi turned around, coughed, and said in a serious tone: "Comrade Lu Xiaoshuang, I am going to criticize you."
"Ah?" These words made Lu Xiaoshuang very confused.
Then he whispered, "Why?"
Seeing her pitiful appearance, Zhou Yi suddenly couldn't bear to tease her anymore and quickly said, "Don't be nervous, I just want to play a joke on you, don't take it seriously."
The words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.
Then he pointed in the direction of Yunxia Mountain not far away and said, "I want to show you something, but I don't know if you'll be lucky enough to do it. After all, I only saw it twice when I was a kid."
"What is this? It's so mysterious." Lu Xiaoshuang asked curiously.
"You'll know when you see it."
As the night deepened, Zhou Yi kept looking towards Yunxia Mountain, as if he was looking for something.
Suddenly, Zhou Yi pointed in a direction and shouted excitedly: "Look, there."
Lu Xiaoshuang squinted her eyes in the direction he pointed, carefully distinguishing what was going on.
On the dark mountain of Yunxia Mountain, there seemed to be some faint light.
It seems to be there and not there, so you have to squint your eyes and look carefully.
"Is this... a firefly?" she asked excitedly.
"Um."
"Wow, I've never seen fireflies before." Lu Xiaoshuang said excitedly, "It's a pity that they are a bit far away and too hard to distinguish."
Zhou Yi smiled mysteriously, put his arm around her shoulders and said, "Don't worry, you'll know in a moment."
Lu Xiaoshuang hid in Zhou Yi's arms, staring in that direction.
Slowly, slowly, more and more points of light appeared in that direction, becoming much more obvious in the night.
Zhou Yi suddenly said, "Here I come."
Then Lu Xiaoshuang saw that the light spots gradually gathered together and turned into a thin band of light, flying and shuttling among the trees growing on the mountain.
"Wow, so beautiful." She couldn't help but exclaim.
"When I was a child, my grandmother told me that these glowing insects are called night lanterns here. According to Yunxia Mountain folklore, night lanterns are the spirits of the ancestors of the villagers at the foot of the mountain. Villagers often got lost while going up the mountain to chop wood or gather herbs, and then night lanterns would appear, transforming into a strip of light like this. By following the night lanterns, they could find their way back down the mountain."
Lu Xiaoshuang looked up in surprise and asked, "Really? It's so magical?"
Zhou Yi lowered his head and was about to speak, but found that his face was very close to Lu Xiaoshuang.
They were so close that they could even feel each other's breath.
Zhou Yi looked at Lu Xiaoshuang's eyes, which were sparkling, not knowing whether they reflected fireflies or the stars in the sky.
Under the starry sky, a faint band of light floats among the mountains and forests.
The two figures looked like sculptures in a museum.
…
The next morning, Zhou Yi and Lu Xiaoshuang decided to go hiking to watch the sunrise.
Because Zhou Yi called to check the weather forecast, which said that it would be sunny today and tomorrow, but it looked like it might rain starting tomorrow night, so there was no time to lose.
When Zhou Yi arrived, he prepared necessary items such as tents, sleeping bags, compasses and high-intensity flashlights.
Grandma also prepared a big bag of dry food and a watermelon.
Zhou Yi looked at these things and didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Grandma, we will be back tomorrow morning after watching the sunrise, so we can't eat so much. Besides, there are small shops at the entrance of the scenic area and on the mountain. We can just buy some ourselves when the time comes."
Grandma said, "That won't work. The things sold in the scenic area are so expensive, and the ones sold in the mountains are even more expensive. Wait, grandma will make you some sauce, otherwise the pancakes alone will be too bland."
Zhou Yi nodded and said, "I'd like some of this."
Finally, Zhou Yi was persuaded to bring a few cakes, some sauce and pickles, but there was no way he would bring watermelon.
Then just go to the scenic area to buy some bread and water.
Grandpa borrowed a tricycle from the neighbor next door, and then slowly drove the two of them to the entrance of the scenic area two kilometers away.
Zhou Yi originally wanted to ride by himself, but his grandfather firmly disagreed, saying that he was in good health and could definitely lead them.
Zhou Yi sat in the back of the tricycle, looking at his grandfather's old back, and suddenly felt a little tearful.
This is probably the greatest pain of rebirth. All the separations of life and death that we experienced in the previous life will eventually have to be experienced again in this life.
Thinking of this, Zhou Yi couldn't help feeling sad.
Suddenly, he felt Lu Xiaoshuang touching his head and whispered, "Don't be sad, Brother Yi. Grandma, Grandpa, and Grandpa will definitely live a long life."
Zhou Yi looked up and smiled at her, then suddenly froze for a moment and asked, "What did you call me just now?"
Lu Xiaoshuang looked at him with a smile, then imitated his tone and said seriously: "Well, Lu Xiaoshuang is a good comrade who admits his mistakes and can correct them."
Zhou Yi couldn't help but burst out laughing, because this was probably what they called telepathy.
The joke I made last night was to ask Lu Xiaoshuang when she could change her name, after all, their relationship is different now.
Unexpectedly, Lu Xiaoshuang had already seen through his little thoughts.
Zhou Yi feigned disdain and said, "It's a little corny."
"Hateful." Lu Xiaoshuang said, and hit him.
Grandpa didn't understand why, he just knew that the two of them were happy, so he was happy too, and rode the tricycle even harder.
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