Mingjing sneered, "Stop talking nonsense, don't listen to those women's idle chatter."
“My dad is still locked up in the police station, and he probably won’t be able to keep his position as village chief. You’ll have to take responsibility,” Zhang Fan said irritably.
"What's it to us, Zhang Fan? Stop talking nonsense. You should use that time to think about when your dad will be released."
Zhang Fan was so angry that his mouth twisted in disbelief. Without evidence, he couldn't insist that Mingjing was the one who did it, so he turned around and went back home in a huff.
"Mingliang, go to town and get a barrel of diesel. We'll be in trouble if we run out of fuel and get stuck at sea."
"Do we need to use diesel fuel again?" Ming Dahai hesitated.
With oil prices rising, this ship will need a lot of fuel, at least three hundred dollars. If there's no cargo, it will be a loss-making business.
Mingjing laughed and encouraged, "Dad, I've already given you this boat, and you still want to save on fuel costs? Every time I make you a thousand or eight hundred, don't worry, you won't lose out."
"We set over thirty traps this time, and it hasn't even brought in a few thousand yuan?"
Ming Dahai thought about it and realized it made sense. He had never lost money before, and if he could catch a king crab this time, he would make a fortune.
"Okay, Mingliang, go and come back quickly."
Ming Dahai was moved.
Back home, Mingda packed his things, while Mingliang rode his motorcycle to town to buy oil.
Meanwhile, Mingjing was packing up when she realized that there was no meat left in the house. What could she use as fish bait?
The bait in fishing tackle shops is either for big fish, used to catch big fish, or for small fish. They don't have any at home, so it would be difficult to explain bringing it on the boat.
But if it's artificial bait, then there's even less to say. There are plenty of them by the sea, but they're mostly barnacles and rotten shrimp, so fish traps aren't suitable.
"Dad, I'm going to town to get some fish entrails that other people don't want. Thirty fish traps will make a lot of bait."
"Okay, then you go ahead, I'll tidy up the tools at home."
Mingjing drove his electric car to town and went to the seafood restaurant, where there must be plenty of offal.
Of course, a little bit of miscellaneous fish and shrimp was also required, mostly fish innards. Dong Li symbolically charged a small amount for the shrimp.
After finishing all that, Mingjing went to the poultry market and got some pig offal, chicken, duck and goose intestines, hearts, livers and lungs. Once these things are put in the trap, it would be strange if a big catch doesn't come.
For less than thirty yuan, Mingjing bought a large amount of offal and put it in a plastic bag. Just as she was about to go home, she ran into Wang Yong shopping at the vegetable market.
"Officer Wang," Mingjing greeted him.
Wang Yong turned around and saw her, exclaiming in surprise, "What brings you here?"
"What's that stinky smell?"
He covered his nose, glanced at Mingjing's plastic bag, and frowned. "Your family is this poor?"
"Hey fish feeder, why aren't you solving cases? Why are you wandering around the market?"
Wang Yong smiled wryly, "What cases are we solving? The police station is tiny. The public security is pretty good now, there aren't many cases. It's just that those few hooligans in your village are giving me a real headache."
"Oh, they dare to hit you?" Mingjing deliberately probed, "It's just a trivial matter, are you really going to sentence them?"
Wang Yong sneered, "Trivial matters? The one with the knife almost killed someone. Now Zhao Liang'an, Ming Dashan, and several other villagers are hospitalized."
"They didn't do it on purpose. They all have families to support. It was a moment of impulse. If they really go to jail, it's a matter for life."
Wang Yong witnessed the assault and didn't hide it from anyone.
"No one was seriously injured, except Zhao Liang'an, whose arms and legs were broken, and Ming Dashan, whose ribs were broken. The one who did the assault will be locked up for a few months, and the others will just be given a warning."
Mingjing breathed a sigh of relief. She had thought someone was going to go to jail, and she had been feeling uneasy all day.
"Is Old Zhao capable?"
“He has no choice but to do it. He started it today, everyone saw it, but he is seriously injured, and Zhang Ping will cover the hospital expenses.”
Mingjing nodded insincerely, "Sigh, how could this happen? I wonder if the village chief can still keep his official hat."
Fortunately, this happened in the 1990s. If it were in the era of advanced internet, Zhang Ping would definitely have been dismissed and investigated.
"I don't know. I heard that the higher-ups have some issues with him, and he might be in danger," Wang Yong guessed.
Mingjing learned what had happened and said goodbye to Wang Yong.
On the way, Mingjing was again pondering the matter of that piece of land.
Those three will definitely suffer a great loss before they learn their lesson. She'll have to show off her power to Zhang Fan when she gets back. As long as his father approves the land, she can get him out.
This needs to be done while Zhang Fan is still in office; otherwise, it might not be so easy to do it with someone else.
When he got home, Mingliang was already back, and the Ming family was making preparations on the boat.
Mingjing instructed Mingliang to prepare the pig's internal organs, and then went to Zhang Ping's house.
A group of people were gathered in the Zhang family courtyard, discussing countermeasures.
Zhang Fan was furious when he saw Mingjing. "What are you doing here? To watch the show?"
"What are you saying? I'm here to report on the village chief's situation. I heard that the village chief's case is quite serious. He was involved in a gang fight and may be dismissed, fined, and imprisoned."
Mingjing deliberately exaggerated, frightening the Zhang family into a state of panic.
"What, what should we do?" Zhang's wife was pacing anxiously. "My son still needs to find work in town."
"Who told you that?" Zhang Fan asked, disbelieving.
"Have you forgotten my friend from the police station?"
The group looked at each other, not daring to speak.
"Actually, it's simple. You know I'm not that kind-hearted to help you for no reason. I want the land next to the Temple of the Sea Goddess."
"Old Li approved it for me. I found someone to smooth things over and make it a small matter, and then the village chief came out."
"Really?" Zhang Fan asked, still somewhat skeptical.
"Do you have any other choice? You know I have a way to get him out and then put him in. You decide what to do."
After Mingjing finished speaking, she turned and left.
After she left, everyone was talking about it. Some said Mingjing was bluffing, while others said she was lying. Zhang Fan was at a loss and had no choice but to believe Mingjing.
"I promise you, as long as you help my dad get it approved, I'll get him to approve that piece of land for you."
Zhang Fan chased after him.
"Just wait," Ming said, heading towards the dock without looking back.
Mingda was cleaning the boat, Mingliang was adding diesel fuel to the yacht, and Mingyue was busy cleaning the fish traps near the sea.
"Dad, why did you bring the little brat along?" Mingjing asked, carrying the entrails onto the boat.
“I’m worried about him being home alone, so it won’t hurt to bring him along to see him,” Ming Dahai said with a smile, ruffling Ming Lei’s hair.
"Sister, look, there's a small boat over here."
Mingyue stood on the stairs, cleaning the fish trap, glancing at the small wooden boat tied to the side, with a lifebuoy tied to the other side.
"That's for escape," Minghai said, cleaning the boat and testing the parts to make sure they worked before turning the key and setting sail.
Everyone was well-prepared for this voyage, bringing everything they needed, including the iron cage that Mingjing had bought beforehand. They were determined to have a large cargo.
Mingda set sail, while Mingliang and Mingjing stuffed fish traps with entrails as bait. Mingyue and Minglei blew up balloons and tied them to the traps as buoys.
Because it was dark, Ming Dahai dared not go into the deep sea, so he just wandered around the island.
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