"I have a question I can't understand. Brother Zhang, you're worth tens of millions now. Even if you keep a low profile in your hometown, the people of Dalingzi should be able to estimate your wealth over the years, right?"
Wan Feng pretended to light a cigarette and asked in a deep voice.
"They certainly can't estimate the specific number, but it's true that everyone in Dalingzi calls me Zhang Baiwan."
Being called a million in the 1980s was already a groundbreaking thing.
"Since you've earned the nickname 'Zhang Baiwan', it doesn't make sense that the kidnappers only wanted 100,000 yuan for your son. If it were me, I'd have to ask for at least 500,000 yuan. This is what I don't understand."
"Maybe the kidnappers are soft-hearted."
"You may believe that, but I certainly don't."
Even if they were kidnappers, they would still show mercy? This idea is simply a fairy tale.
"Where would you go if you wanted to make a phone call here?"
“There’s a post office in the village, and there’s a card machine in Dongguan city.”
Dalingzi is only more than ten miles away from Dongguan City. Now Dalingzi is still a suburb, but in a few years it will be incorporated into the urban area.
In 1985, two cities in Dongguang Province started card machine systems, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.
In 1988, several larger cities in this generation of urban agglomerations had card machine systems that used telephone cards.
When Wan Feng heard that there was a card machine in Dongguan City, he stopped talking.
If there were no card machine, there would be very few places where you could make phone calls. Apart from the post office, it seemed that there was no other place where you could make phone calls to the outside world.
As for individual households, except for wealthy people like Zhang Shiqian, there are no two households in a township that have landline phones.
Maybe we can find some clues.
But with a card machine, this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wan Feng didn't have any other ideas. He might as well wait for the call patiently.
For the next few minutes, no one in the room spoke, and everyone was concentrating on waiting for the call.
At seven forty the phone rang.
Zhang Shiqian's hands were shaking, and he turned to look at Wan Feng.
Wan Feng was so disgusted, he asked, "Why are your legs shaking?" He nodded helplessly.
Zhang Shiqian picked up the phone, and after a few hums and ahs, it seemed like the other end hung up.
Wan Feng just heard it, without saying a word.
"What did the other party say?"
"The other party asked me if the money was ready."
"Nothing else?"
"Again asked me if I had called the police."
Is there anyone asking such a question? Is this kidnapper crazy?
Is it useful to ask such a question? If they really called the police, would they tell you that they called the police?
"No more questions?"
"No, let's wait for the call."
Wan Feng frowned and thought for a moment before suddenly asking, "Do you know who your son usually hangs out with?"
Zhang Shiqian thought for a moment and shook his head: "You know I've been in the north all these years, and I only come home for a few moments. I don't have time to ask about my son's affairs. Besides, my wife is very spoiled and rarely mentions my son in front of me. I really don't know much about him."
This father knows nothing when asked. Is he really his real father?
"There's definitely something wrong with your family's upbringing. Your son's current bad habits must have been spoiled by your wife. How many daughters do you have? How come I've never seen any?"
"Two. One is married, and the other is in her senior year of high school in Dongguan City. She can only come back during the holidays."
"I remember the last time I came here, I asked your son to take me to Shenzhen. He also found someone to accompany me. What was his name?"
"Lei Zi! I don't know his last name, but his son called him Lei Zi twice that day." Han Guangjia interrupted.
"I do know Lei Zi. He's from our village, living in the north. His last name is Lei, and his given name is Lei Yu."
What a great name! So impressive!
Wan Feng pondered for a moment and called Han Guangjia over: "Go to Lei Yu's house to see if this kid is home. If he's not home, ask his family why he went out. If he is home, ask who Zhang Chunlei usually hangs out with."
Han Guangjia threw the bag in his hand to Yang Jianguo and went out silently.
Less than five minutes after Han Guangjia left, Zhang Shiqian's phone rang again.
After Zhang Shiqian finished the call, he said, "They told me to take the money and go to a place called Muyangyan on the north slope of Xiaoliang Mountain in the west. They told me to go alone."
Wan Feng's mind was spinning rapidly.
According to the way kidnappers collect money in movies and TV shows, the place where money is paid has to change several times.
What you see on TV is usually the person redeeming the money sitting with the phone in his hand. He will move to another place after receiving a call, and will only arrive at the final place to collect the money after changing five or six places.
Now this one obviously doesn't work.
Since Zhang Shiqian didn’t have a mobile phone, how could he answer the call halfway?
Wan Feng thought as he quickly spread out the map.
The Xiaoliangshan that the other party was referring to was not the mountainous area where they went to select a factory site yesterday afternoon, but was located to the east of Datan Village.
Among them, the two highest mountains are three or four hundred meters above sea level, which are the highest mountains in the area.
One of them is called Xiaoliangshan.
Although it is not the territory of Da Tam Village, it belongs to the neighboring village.
"Is there any cave on Xiaoliang Mountain?" Wan Feng asked Zhang Shiqian while looking at the map.
"No, there is a cave on the Daling Mountain across from it. It seems to have been dug by the army in the 1950s and 1960s, but it was abandoned around the 1970s. It's right across from Muyang Rock."
Dalingzi Township is named after Daling Mountain. It is very close to Datan Village. It is not an exaggeration to say that Datan Village is at the foot of Daling Mountain.
"How far are Daling Mountain and Xiaoliang Mountain from each other?"
“They’re almost right next to each other. Standing on this mountain, you can see people on that mountain.”
"Brother Yang! Accompany Brother Zhang to Xiao Liangshan."
"Is it appropriate for a stranger like me to accompany you? Besides, they'll let Brother Zhang go alone."
"Go ahead. You won't meet anyone. It's just a trip. To be on the safe side, separate from Brother Zhang when you get to the foot of Xiaoliang Mountain. Just protect Brother Zhang in secret."
There are many trees on Xiaoliang Mountain, and the trees in the south are green in winter. It is not difficult for Yang Jianguo, who was a scout, to hide himself.
Yang Jianguo didn't understand what Wan Feng meant, but he didn't ask anything and followed Zhang Shiqian out of the house.
Less than five minutes after Zhang Shiqian and Yang Jianguo went out, Han Guangjia came back.
"Did you gain anything?"
"Lei Yu isn't home. His family said he's been out for two or three days. No one knows where he went."
Just when Wan Feng was about to say something, Zhang Shiqian's phone rang again.
Wan Feng looked at the phone but didn't reach out to answer it.
The phone kept ringing until it stopped automatically.
Han Guangjia wondered why Wan Feng didn't answer the phone.
Wan Feng smiled and said, "Let's try our luck and see if we can find Zhang Chunlei."
"Do you know where he is?"
"I can't say for sure, but it's almost there."
The two men walked out of Zhang Shiqian's house and locked the door.
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