Chapter 103 Outing
Naturally, everyone hates human traffickers, and at this time they all offer suggestions and help.
"Comrade police, go ahead and search. Don't worry, we'll be watching them and won't let them get away."
"Yes, we're watching. They're all handcuffed, so they can't get away. Officers, search quickly and make sure you find evidence. Don't let them get away with it!"
Zhou Zhixing thought for a moment and said, "Zili and Gengsheng, you two stay here and watch. Xiaonan, be careful, come with me to search the house."
Everyone nodded and quickly took action.
Jiang Nan looked around the room and whispered, "The traffickers should have drugs, ropes to tie people up, and anything else?"
Zhou Zhixing: "Transportation tools, such as carts and wheelbarrows. When we came in, there were two carts in the southeast corner of the yard."
Jiang Nan nodded. "Yes! That Uncle Rong came back specially. Maybe they brought a lot of money this time. Where would they put it?"
She looked up at the ceiling. No, it was too high. If something happened, it wouldn't be easy to grab and run. She slowly walked around the room. Zhou Zhixing had already found the rope in the cabinet. It didn't need to be hidden, so it was easy to find.
Jiang Nan's gaze lingered on the thin quilt on the bed. It was summer, and there was still a quilt on the bed? Although it wasn't thick, it was still a cotton quilt.
Jiang Nan clicked on Aunt Rong's channel in her mind and laughed. She whispered, "The quilt, the money and the drugs are all in the quilt!"
After finding the items, the second police team from the station finally arrived. Zhou Zhixing spoke to the compound's manager, and they escorted the three back to the station.
When I arrived at the police station, I happened to see Masayoshi Son and four groups of people escorting another accomplice named Chunhua to justice.
At this point, all the human traffickers who started off well but ended badly were caught.
Even though they've been apprehended, the real challenge is getting these people to talk and reveal the whereabouts of previously trafficked people. Traffickers are incredibly cunning, and they won't admit their crimes until they're caught. Even if they find drugs or other items, they'll simply claim they were tricked by a quack doctor into believing they were a cure.
Aunt Rong even shouted, "This is unfair! I'm just an old woman who came to the oil field for medical treatment, and yet you're called a human trafficker. Is there any justice in the world?"
Outside the interrogation room, Lan Qingshan ordered, "Zhou Zhixing, take Team 6 and search these people's homes again to see if there are any clues we've missed. Even if we catch them, it's all in vain if they don't talk."
Everyone in Group 6 nodded and left. Lan Qingshan looked at Shao Yong and said, "Take your men on a business trip to investigate the brigade where Uncle Rong and Aunt Rong are. Search Aunt Rong's house thoroughly to see if you can find any account books or anything like that."
Shao Yong nodded and led five groups of people to the train station.
Lan Qingshan turned and went to the interrogation room where Chunhua was. This woman was the breakthrough point, so she had to be interrogated carefully.
Soon, nothing new was discovered at the traffickers' residence. Fortunately, Lan Qingshan had captured the woman named Chunhua. Chunhua held a strong grudge, and with a little enticement, she gave in. Unfortunately, as the outermost member of the team, she knew little and had no idea where the kidnapped people were being sold.
The case was temporarily at a standstill, and everyone was waiting to see if Shao Yong could make any discoveries.
After a busy day, even though it was a major case, the suspect had already been arrested, so Lan Qingshan still asked everyone to leave work on time: "Okay, there's no rush to try the case. Tomorrow is the weekend, so have a good rest. I'll let everyone know if there's any news from Shao Yong. Let's go home."
Jiang Nan: "Chief Lan, you should also have a good rest. You have dark circles under your eyes."
Lan Qingshan waved his hand: "I didn't participate in the arrest, it's okay. Go back, don't worry about me."
Shen Mingguang came out of the interrogation room and waved to everyone: "Go back, Lao Lan and I are here to watch over you, don't worry."
Everyone then said goodbye and left. Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing rode their bicycles and quickly returned to Yard No. 1.
The human trafficking case was reported a long time ago, but what everyone is most concerned about now is the housing allocation details, because the housing allocation details were posted today!
Sun Qiaolian grumbled in dissatisfaction, "Only working couples with less than five square meters of living space per person are allocated housing. This is too strict. Why? It's unfair!"
Old Lady Liu curled her lips. "It has nothing to do with your family, right? There are only five of you, living in a house of just over 50 square meters, and you still want to split up the rooms? Humph, my Gaigai and Aihua are still renting. What do you mean by unfair? I think it's perfectly fair, and that's how the rules should be."
The two almost got into a quarrel, but Sun Qiaolian didn't dare to retort because she was concerned that Old Lady Liu was her elder. Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing quietly came to Jiang Mancheng and his wife.
Jiang Nan: "Dad, why did you come up with the rules so quickly?"
Jiang Mancheng: "Isn't it because Wan Hu just lost face and doesn't dare to jump around? Secretary Tu must have taken this into consideration and decided on the rules first, so that it won't be too late and the Revolutionary Committee will intervene."
Jiang Nan was getting interested. She had actually forgotten how Wan Hu had gotten away with losing face in the provincial capital the last time. She smiled and said, "Let me see when Wan Hu returns from the provincial capital. I remember Dong Tingting came back early, so Wan Hu should have been back early too. I just don't know how he got away."
Jiang Mancheng sneered: "Dong Tingting came back by herself first. Wan Hu shouldn't be with her. Go and have a look."
Jiang Nan nodded, and after a long pause, she burst into laughter. She slyly pulled the three of them to a corner and whispered, "Wan Hu felt embarrassed at first and didn't want to reveal his identity. The steel plant's security department wanted to hand the three of them over to the police station for hooliganism, so Wan Hu panicked. He called an acquaintance in the provincial capital's Revolutionary Committee, and they released them. But..."
She laughed and said, "After hearing what happened to Wan Hu, that acquaintance called Wan Hu again and told him not to contact him again and that they should just pretend they didn't know each other!"
Jiang Mancheng snorted and scratched his chin. "Serves him right! His backing is gone. Great! Let's see how arrogant he can be in the future."
Jiang Nan's face froze for a moment before he said, "Well, Wan Hu has a new backer."
Seeing the three of them looking at her, Jiang Nan whispered, "Well, Luo, a deputy director of the provincial revolutionary committee, heard about this and went to see Wan Hu. He...he fell in love with Wan Hu."
Jiang Mancheng swallowed his saliva and said, "Wan Hu, are you going to just obey me like that?"
Jiang Nan nodded, unable to put it into words. "Mom and Dad, when you and Grandpa scared Wan Hu in the provincial capital, was he doing that with Dong Tingting?"
Chen Jinhua covered her mouth: "He, he can't be..."
Jiang Nan nodded: "Yes, he is no longer able to do it."
Jiang Mancheng's face turned pale, then red, then red, then green, then green, then black. He looked like he could be running a dyeing factory. He said, "Wan Hu, is this the door to a new world?"
Jiang Nan nodded helplessly: "He's been having a hot and heavy relationship with that deputy director these days, so he doesn't have time to take care of the housing allocation."
She closed the system and whispered, "Alright, forget about Wan Hu. He's not annoying enough. Dad, do you think Brother Jiang Gui can get a room this time?"
Jiang Mancheng nodded blankly: "It should be possible."
The four of them spoke in low voices, quickly glanced at each other, and shuddered.
Come on, let’s eat, why worry about so much. Tomorrow is the weekend, and I can finally take action on the outing I have been planning for a long time.
After the human traffickers were caught, Jiang Nan was in a particularly good mood early in the morning on the weekend. He didn't even sleep in, but got up early to wash and eat.
"Mom, shall we go for an outing in West Hill? There are so many potholes over there. How about South Hill?" Jiang Nan took a sip of porridge and suggested to Chen Jinhua, "South Hill is a little further away, but there are fewer people there. We can just ride our bikes faster."
Chen Jinhua had already finished her meal and was sweeping the floor. She nodded and said, "Okay, we're just having fun. It doesn't matter where we go."
Jiang Mancheng smiled: "Isn't there a reservoir over there? We can take our fishing rods and maybe catch some fish."
The family happily ate breakfast. Zhou Zhixing quickly cleaned up and knocked on the door. The father and daughter had just finished their meal and were about to wash the dishes. Chen Jinhua called out, "Xiaoxing, come sit down. Mancheng has washed the dishes. Xiaonan, go change your clothes. We'll be leaving soon."
Jiang Nan stood up: "Okay."
Because they were going up the mountain, Jiang Nan quickly changed into a long-sleeved shirt and long pants with leggings. Chen Jinhua laughed at this and said, "You're going on a 20,000-mile long march."
Jiang Nan turned around and boasted, "Mom, this is what you need to wear when you go up the mountain. It's to protect you from insects and snake bites."
Chen Jinhua: "Okay, Mom can't argue with you. Is Mancheng ready? Let's go. Look at you, lazy donkey, you have a lot of shit and piss, why are you going to the toilet again?"
Jiang Mancheng: "Okay, okay, wife, it will be ready soon."
Jiang Mancheng hurriedly opened the door, ran into the room, put on a short-sleeved shirt, and quickly came out, saying in one breath: "Come on, wife, have you brought your fishing rod? We still have some fishing to do. I tell you, I'm sure I can catch a big fish today, and I'll come back to stew it with tofu. I guarantee the fish soup will be white..."
He kept nagging, and Chen Jinhua's head ached. The four of them opened the door, and unexpectedly, the door of the Qiu family across the street also opened. Tian Jiaguang, holding a fishing rod, said to Qiu Pan'er, who had escorted him out, "Pan'er, don't worry, I'll definitely catch some crucian carp to nourish you."
Qiu Pan'er was happy, but she said, "Jiaguang, I'm out of confinement now, I don't need to eat crucian carp anymore."
Tian Jiaguang insisted: "One month is not enough. You are the hero of our family. Two months of confinement is not too much. You rest well at home. I'm leaving."
Qiu Pan'er looked at Tian Jiaguang with sparkling eyes, ignoring the four people from the Jiang family who were watching.
Four people: They didn’t watch, so they just happened to meet.
After Tian Jiaguang went downstairs first, Qiu Paner snorted heavily at the four people, turned around and slammed the door.
Jiang Mancheng sighed, "This is becoming increasingly unreasonable!"
Jiang Nan didn't care: "Dad, we can't control that much."
When they got downstairs, she continued, "I think there's something fishy about Tian Jiaguang. He's not at home with his wife and kids on the weekend. He said he was going out to fish for crucian carp, but who knows? He might just be meeting his mistress!"
Jiang Mancheng agreed, "That's probably true. He already has a job, a wife, and a son. Although there are rumors of him marrying into his wife's family, I really underestimated him. This guy doesn't even care! People like him are either extremely selfish or extremely cruel. I think Tian Jiaguang is the former. He should just live his life to his own comfort."
The four of them pushed their bicycles out of Yard No. 1. Jiang Nan was puzzled. "If Tian Jiaguang is so selfish, why does he have a job? Wouldn't it be better for Qiu Pan'er to support him?"
Jiang Mancheng: "Silly girl, he has to act like he's supporting the family, right? There will definitely be other tricks later, just wait and see."
Jiang Nan wondered, "Will he cheat?"
Jiang Mancheng: "Why not? Haven't you seen someone who wants both? Look at Tian Jiaguang. He's so successful now, just waiting for a big fall."
Jiang Nan didn't understand, but he was very much looking forward to it.
The four of them quickly mounted their bikes and headed towards Nanshan. It wasn't even nine o'clock yet, but the sun was already strong. The trees on either side of the road receded, merging into one continuous mass. A gentle breeze blew across their faces, bringing a refreshing coolness. By the time they reached Nanshan, it was nearly ten o'clock, and the four of them were sweating profusely. They locked their bikes at the foot of the mountain and ascended with ease.
It was summer, and many people came to the mountains to pick wild vegetables. The four of them deliberately went to places with fewer people and quickly found a shady place with no one around. Jiang Nan quickly took out a lunch cloth from the space and took out mineral water, cola, and big cherries.
Chen Jinhua quickly stopped him: "Okay, that's enough. I just had breakfast and I'm not hungry yet. Just some fruit will be fine."
Jiang Mancheng's eyes lit up, and he suggested excitedly, "Xiao Nan, we've never tried durian, so why not buy one and try it? Aren't they said to have a strong flavor? There aren't many people around right now, so let's give it a try. If we like it, we can eat it often in the future. If we don't, we won't have to think about it anymore."
Jiang Nan: “Okay!” She still likes eating durian, but the price of durian in her previous life was really prohibitive. Now that she has the system in this life, she can enjoy durian freedom!
Jiang Nan quickly changed it to a big durian, and Jiang Mancheng, Chen Jinhua and Zhou Zhixing's eyes immediately widened.
Chen Jinhua rubbed her eyes. "Xiao Nan, is this really fruit? Why does it look like a hedgehog grenade?"
Zhou Zhi moved his nose and said, "It really smells quite good."
Jiang Nan chuckled. She took out a fruit knife and nimbly broke the durian apart. It was true that the system's products were of guaranteed quality. This was truly a gratitude durian, with six compartments, each one as plump and full as a dumpling with thin skin and large fillings.
Jiang Nan picked up one and demonstrated, "Here, this is durian. It tastes like stinky tofu. Mom and Dad, Zhou Zhixing, don't just stand there. Come on and try it. See if you like it."
Seeing that Jiang Nan's eyes were narrowed while eating, the three of them didn't hesitate any more and started eating.
I originally thought that the four of them would have similar tastes after working together for so long, but Jiang Mancheng and Zhou Zhixing didn't like it, while Chen Jinhua and Jiang Nan both liked it very much.
Chen Jinhua: "It smells really good. This is good. It tastes better than bananas."
She took another big bite, and seeing Jiang Mancheng's expression as if he wanted to say something but hesitated, she asked, "Mancheng, don't you like it? It smells really good."
Jiang Mancheng swallowed the durian in his mouth with difficulty, handed the rest over, and said, "Uh, this tastes really... Wife, I'll give it to you. I really can't stand this."
Zhou Zhixing also had a look of 'Where am I, what am I doing?' on his face. He handed the piece of fruit in his hand to Jiang Nan and said with an apologetic smile, "This is for you to eat. I...I'll go dig a hole. This durian shell needs to be buried. We can't just throw it away like this. I'll find some branches to dig a hole."
Jiang Nan rolled his eyes: "I have an iron shovel in my space."
As she spoke, she took out a shovel and said, "No need to dig too deep. This is wet garbage and will decompose quickly."
Jiang Mancheng also found something to do, so he stood up and said, "I'll help."
It was a rare sight for the father-in-law and son-in-law to work in unison. The mother and daughter burst out laughing, thinking they were two guys who didn't know how to appreciate delicious food.
The mother and daughter happily finished their Bao En durian. Jiang Nan wanted to buy more, but Chen Jinhua stopped her: "Next time, didn't you say this stuff causes internal heat? We can't eat too much at once. Let's pack up and walk around the mountain."
Jiang Nan smiled and said, "Okay, I'll put my things away. There should be wild fruits, pheasants, rabbits and other things on the mountain. Let's go take a look."
She quickly gathered her things, while Jiang Mancheng and Zhou Zhixing buried the durian shells. The four of them strolled through the mountains, where the trees were lush and the flowers were in full bloom. Zhou Zhixing quickly made a wreath and handed it to Jiang Nan, saying, "Here, put it on. It's perfect for keeping out the sun."
The red, yellow, and purple flowers on the wreath fluttered in the wind. Jiang Nan happily put it on her head and said, "That's great! Let's pick some more wildflowers and put them in a vase when we get home."
Jiang Mancheng, of course, wasn't left behind. He handed the wreath to Chen Jinhua and began picking flowers. When they came across raspberries, the four of them would stop to eat a few or pick a few handfuls. While the system had cultivated fresh fruits, these wild fruits also had a unique flavor, so they definitely had to try them when they came across them.
Jiang Nan: "Dad, are the bitter herbs still edible at this time? I saw several."
Jiang Mancheng: "No, the ones now are old, too bitter, and no longer tasty. Let's eat them next spring."
Jiang Nan nodded regretfully. The four of them wandered the mountain, stopping here and there. Luckily, they found a few more peach trees. Summer was peach season, but unfortunately, the wild peaches were small and thin, and their taste was astringent, not even suitable for canning. There were a few wild cherries, though a bit sour, but they could be candied and made into syrup, which was still edible. The four of them simply picked them all.
Jiang Nan talks about hunting, but he is actually not too keen on it. After all, wild animals are not as delicious as domestic ones. His family has no shortage of meat now, so of course he is not interested in hunting.
They weren't paying attention, but the others who were climbing the mountain were. Although there were few people here on Nanshan, they did encounter a few along the way. They were all carrying slingshots, sticks, and other weapons, clearly hunting to improve their diet.
When they reached the top of the mountain, Jiang Nan squinted at the reservoir below and sighed, "There are quite a few people fishing here."
Jiang Mancheng: "Fishing is always easier than hunting. Let's go down the mountain from the other direction. We'll pass by the reservoir and see if we can catch some fish."
"Uncle, my dad is good at fishing. Why don't you take my fish?"
Beside the four of them, a little boy who was digging wild vegetables looked up at Jiang Mancheng with sparkling eyes. He scratched his head, a little embarrassed for the sudden interruption, but still said, "Hey, I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I was just digging wild vegetables here and accidentally overheard it."
He continued, "Uncle, I'm not lying to you. My dad is the best at fishing. He catches fish every day. What kind of fish do you want? If there's no fresh fish, I have all kinds of salted fish at home. There are many varieties."
Jiang Mancheng was amused. The little boy was about eight or nine years old, his clothes patched up, and it looked like his family wasn't well off. But his eyes were innocent and open, not at all self-conscious or evasive. It was obvious that he was a child from a loving family. Jiang Mancheng asked, "What's your name? How do you exchange for the fish?"
The little boy rubbed his hands happily. "My name is Zhuang Xiaodong. I live in Yangjiawa, also near the oil field. I'm not lying. Come on, I'll take you to see it. Ask my dad how to get it. I don't know either, hehe."
The four of them looked at each other, and Jiang Mancheng said, "Okay, then Xiaodong, you lead the way. Let's go see the fish your dad caught."
Xiaodong put all the wild vegetables in a backpack and skipped ahead to lead the way: "My dad is amazing. He comes fishing every day after get off work. If you want to eat fish, you can come here to exchange. Or you can go directly to my house. I have the most fish..."
Along the way, Xiaodong chattered away, describing his family's "fish-trading business." The four of them followed, quickly arriving at the reservoir. The weather was getting hotter, and while it looked like there were many fishermen from above, once we got down, we realized that, due to the reservoir's size, while there were still many people, they were spread out more sparsely, not appearing crowded.
Xiaodong's father, surnamed Zhuang, was a math teacher at Oilfield High School, a tall, thin, middle-aged man. Although Jiang Nan had never taught him, he had met Zhuang and knew that he had many children, so it wasn't surprising that he fished to supplement his income.
The four of them immediately felt relieved. It was much safer to trade with someone they knew but didn't know well.
Teacher Zhuang was an expert fisherman. Before noon, there were already three large catfish weighing three or four pounds in the bucket. Jiang Mancheng took a fancy to them immediately: "This one is good, with few bones. I'll stew it with eggplant when I get home. I want the biggest one."
He glanced at Jiang Nan and pulled Teacher Zhuang aside to discuss how to change. Although the four of them were traveling light, they still carried bags, but they just stuffed some old newspapers to make them look presentable. After all, they couldn't go out without anything.
At this time, you have to be cautious in doing things.
The three of them waited for a while before Jiang Mancheng came back cheerfully and whispered to Jiang Nan, "Just give Xiaodong two yuan plus a pound of food coupons."
Pork is about 80 cents a pound now, and fish is cheaper, but it's still 60 cents. This fish is less than four pounds, so asking for so much money is fair. Jiang Nan nodded, pulled Xiaodong, pretended to take wild fruits from his pocket, mixed the money and food coupons in, and whispered, "Take it and give it to your father when you get home."
Xiaodong's eyes narrowed with joy. He nodded, clenched his fists and ran towards Teacher Zhuang.
After buying the fish, Jiang Nan noticed that Tian Jiaguang had also disappeared as they were just arriving at the reservoir. Seeing an acquaintance, Tian Jiaguang felt a momentary pang of guilt, but quickly pretended not to see him and found his spot to start fishing.
The four of them didn't bother looking for trouble, so they quickly found a flat hillside and started their lunch.
Jiang Nan suggested: "Dad, how about we grill the fish? We can stew fish anytime. We finally get to eat it once, so why not grill it?"
Jiang Mancheng looked around and said, "If we're going to grill it, we can't do it here. We have to do it near the reservoir, otherwise it might cause a wildfire."
Jiang Nan chuckled: "Then let's go back?"
Jiang Mancheng: "Just go ahead and do it."
Chen Jinhua doted on her daughter, so she smiled and said, "We've finally gotten out, so let's go for it. Xiaonan, get everything you need for lunch. Don't just take things out when you're near the reservoir."
Jiang Mancheng was helpless and said to Zhou Zhixing, "Let's go. We need firewood to barbecue, and we also need to dig a buffer zone. It's a lot of work. You go collect firewood, and I'll dig the buffer zone."
Zhou Zhixing nodded, and Chen Jinhua smiled: "No need to pick them up specially, we can just pick up some on the way down the mountain. Let's go."
The four of them returned to the reservoir, set up a fire, and began to grill the fish. Since they were grilling fish, one fish definitely wasn't enough. Jiang Mancheng went to ask Teacher Zhuang for two more. The four of them shared three fish, which was more than enough.
Jiang Nan's mouth was black from eating so much, but he didn't notice Jing'er at all. He said happily, "This fish is really fresh. It was grilled right after it was caught. It can't be fresher than this."
The other three nodded in agreement. The catfish was fat and dripping with oil when grilled, making it very tempting. The aroma of grilled fish instantly attracted more fishermen. Some of them couldn't resist and started grilling fish like the four of them. Suddenly, Mr. Zhuang's business increased.
Jiang Nan was still not satisfied with his meal. He smacked his lips and said, "Didn't you say we could roast sparrows? How about we catch a few and roast them?"
Jiang Mancheng: "I don't know how to catch sparrows, Jinhua, do you know how to catch sparrows?"
Chen Jinhua was a city kid who had never played mahjong online. She shook her head and said, "No."
Zhou Zhixing smiled: "It's okay, Xiaodong will definitely do it."
He called out to Xiaodong, who was helping Teacher Zhuang with his business: "Xiaodong, come here, I have something to tell you."
Xiaodong's face was filled with joy. He had met four people today. Not only had he sold all his father's fish, but he'd also been incredibly lucky, catching big fish. He glanced at Teacher Zhuang, who waved him off. Xiaodong ran over with a grin.
Zhou Zhixing whispered about the sparrow fishing trip, and Xiaodong was delighted. "Don't worry, Brother Zhou, I'll go catch sparrows right away. Five for one dollar, is that a deal?"
Zhou Zhixing nodded: "It's settled."
Since the fish were all gone and the sparrows were still unavailable, Jiang Mancheng simply followed Mr. Zhuang's example and started fishing nearby. He had never fished before, so naturally, his luck was bad. Even after Xiaodong brought him ten sparrows, Jiang Mancheng still hadn't caught a single fish.
He simply set up his fishing rod and went straight to roast the sparrows, and he ate a lot of them after they were roasted.
This was Jiang Nan’s first time eating this thing. How should I put it? The meat was a bit tough when grilled, but it was still meat and still delicious.
Perhaps the four of them were enjoying their meal so much that a fisherman came over with a grass carp to trade for it. The man, a middle-aged man in his forties wearing glasses, came over with Teacher Zhuang. He said, "Mr. Jiang, how about I trade this fish for five of your sparrows? It's a grass carp, but it's almost three pounds. What do you think? I haven't had roasted sparrows in a while, and I'm craving them."
Jiang Mancheng thought of the boiled fish he had eaten before, and seeing that this person was brought by Teacher Zhuang, he nodded readily: "Okay, for Teacher Zhuang's sake, we will switch with you."
As he spoke, he picked out five sparrows that had not yet been plucked and handed them over.
The incident passed quickly, and the four of them ate and drank, happily enjoying their lunch. Since it was all meat, Jiang Nan even washed the raspberries he had picked that morning, and the four of them each had a few bites of the wild fruits to relieve the greasiness.
After thoroughly extinguishing the fire with earth and water, the four of them found a shady spot with four or five large rocks, perfect for sitting down and resting. Willow trees were most abundant around the reservoir, and their branches swayed in the wind.
Not long after the four of them sat down, Zhou Zhixing casually plucked a swaying willow branch, made a whistle in a few seconds, put it to his mouth and started blowing.
Jiang Nan hummed along for a while, and when the song ended, she squinted and smiled, "You can do this too?"
Zhou Zhixing shook the tree whistle and laughed, "I used to be a playboy, after all. I even learned to play an instrument. Playing this is just a piece of cake."
Jiang Nan snorted, "I told you you were fat and you're still panting."
Chen Jinhua nudged the man who was resting with his eyes closed next to her and said, "Mancheng, can you?"
Jiang Mancheng yawned. "Jinhua, I was a eunuch in my previous life. I'm lucky to be alive. How could I possibly play any musical instrument? The fact that I can read is a miracle of self-study. We shouldn't be too greedy."
Chen Jinhua twisted Jiang Mancheng's arm and said, "How am I greedy? I'm just asking. Is asking okay?"
Jiang Mancheng chuckled: "Okay, okay, my aunt."
He glanced at Chen Jinhua and sighed inwardly. What musical instrument was he supposed to learn? That idiot Zhou Zhixing was showing off just because he could play a musical instrument. And Jiang Mancheng could even carve fake seals and imitate other people's handwriting. What did he say?!
Happy times always pass by in a flash. After a nap, the four of us packed up and headed down the mountain without staying too long. Although we didn't find any ginseng or ganoderma, we ate durian, grilled fish, and roasted sparrows, and it was a very enjoyable weekend.
The four of them quickly rode their bikes back to the family compound. Besides going out for fun, there were other things to do on weekends. Without appliances these days, they had to do everything themselves—washing clothes, cooking, sewing, cleaning, and more. Even their quilts had to be made themselves.
The four of them returned so early to refill the quilt. If they could buy more cotton, it would be best to add more. Although it was summer, winter arrived early in the Chaoyang Oilfield. Refilling, refilling, and making the quilt would take at least three weekends.
Today they were going to fluff cotton. There was a shop near Courtyard No. 1 that specialized in fluffing cotton. After the four of them returned to Courtyard No. 1, they hurriedly removed the covers of the two quilts at home.
As Chen Jinhua was undoing the quilt, she asked, "Xiaoxing, don't you want to re-touch your quilt?"
Zhou Zhixing shook his head: "Mine is still the new quilt I bought last year, I don't need it."
Chen Jinhua advised: "Just play it."
She lowered her voice and said, "There's cotton in Xiaonan's system. If you re-stir it, I'll add more cotton when I make the quilt, so you can stay warm in the winter. Be good and get it. We'll dismantle it and send it over to stir it together."
Zhou Zhixing scratched his head: "Okay, Aunt Chen, wait a moment. I'll go get the quilt."
Chen Jinhua nodded: "Go ahead, I'll take it apart for you, and we can carry it over together."
The four of them wasted no time and unpacked all three quilts in less than an hour. Cotton was hard to come by at that time, so before sending them to the store, Jiang Mancheng went to get a scale and reweighed them. The three quilts weighed less than 18 kilograms in total.
Chen Jinhua: "After the quilt is finished, add two kilograms of cotton to make a thick quilt weighing eight kilograms, which is warm in winter."
The others naturally had no objections, and the four of them carried their cotton to the store. Of course, the cotton would not be good that day, so they had to pick it up the next day.
After a leisurely weekend, Shao Yong returned to work on Monday with good news. A brown paper-wrapped notebook had been found by the sink in Aunt Rong's yard. Inside, it contained the account books for years of business. Living people, in Aunt Rong's notebook, had become cold, cold codes. She hadn't recorded their whereabouts, only their prices.
When Aunt Rong heard about the discovery of the account book, she sneered. Knowing she could no longer hide the truth, she simply confessed, "So what if I sold them? They were already having a hard time at home. By selling them, I was finding a new way out for them. I was giving them a better life. They should be grateful to me!"
Lan Qingshan said with a cold face: "Where did you sell all the people to?"
Aunt Rong snorted, "Who cares? We kidnap people. Selling people is another matter. I sell people to them, so who cares where they sell them to? I want money! Money, you know. Besides, if I ask so many questions, people will think I'm trying to steal your business."
Lan Qingshan asked: "Who is the one who is working with you to buy people?"
Aunt Rong thought for a moment and said, "There are mainly three groups of people. One group is..."
The human trafficking case has seen new progress. Since the three trafficking rings described by Aunt Rong are not located in Baishui City, the police station has issued a letter of assistance to the local authorities and ordered Shao Yong to immediately depart for another location. They have also dispatched Son Masayoshi with Team 4 and Team 3 to another location. Team 6 will remain to organize evidence and written materials.
By the time everything was done, the three quilts were quilted and aired, and even Du Hehua's birthday was celebrated. This year, Jiang Nan and Zhou Zhixing were busy with the human trafficking case and had no time to go back. The day before her birthday, Jiang Nan specially bought five pounds of pork belly through the system as an apology.
By the time this group of human traffickers were arrested, it was already September, a beautiful and cool month.
They say autumn is a busy season, and it's no exaggeration. Farmers are busy harvesting, city dwellers are drying their vegetables, and the young couple Jiang Gui, who have just moved into their new home, are busy hosting a banquet to warm up the house.
The two of them were assigned a single room of less than 30 square meters. At Jiang Mancheng's suggestion, it was divided into a layout of one bedroom, one living room and one bathroom. The living room has multiple functions, serving as a dining room, a kitchen, and a place to entertain guests. Therefore, it has the largest area, 17 square meters, while the room is less than 10 square meters, and the bathroom is extremely small, only a little over 3 square meters.
However, the house was small but well-equipped, and it was spacious enough for the young couple. Even if Luo Tao had a child in the future, it would be more than enough for the three of them. At the house-warming party, Du Hehua gave Ma Honghua a rare good look. This second daughter-in-law had finally come to her senses and stopped pestering her son to move in. She was quite sensible.
Ma Honghua rolled her eyes. Although she loved her son, she wasn't so unpredictable. She only had one son, not even a daughter. If she got sick in the future, wouldn't she still have to rely on her daughter-in-law? She wouldn't be a wicked mother-in-law and offend her daughter-in-law. She was a very sensible mother-in-law. Hmm, she had obviously forgotten about her previous plan to give her daughter-in-law the "sex-changing medicine."
Coincidentally, Cheng Gaigai and Jing Aihua were also having a house-warming party that day. Their house was the same size as Jiang Gui's, but it had been converted into a two-bedroom apartment, making it seem much more cramped. Cheng Gaigai's parents-in-law seemed to be planning to stay for a long time, and the bedding was already laid out. Jiang Nan, who had come to deliver the house-warming gift, felt the awkwardness of the atmosphere.
Fortunately, she doesn't have to eat at a banquet, otherwise she would have suffered from indigestion.
After attending Jiang Gui's house-warming feast, the weather turned slightly cooler. While it was still warm, the four of them took advantage of the weekend to go up the mountain twice, digging wild vegetables, picking mushrooms and wild fruits, drying and pickling them for winter consumption.
Of course, the four of them alone wouldn't have been able to produce enough vegetables and mushrooms. Du Hehua and the others provided the bulk of the supply. Every year, Jiang Mancheng would trade for dried vegetables on the banks of the West River. Du Hehua would gather them early in the village, and Jiang Mancheng's family would simply pick them up when the time came. Of course, the money and tickets involved were substantial. This year, thanks to Teacher Zhuang's connections, even the salted fish supply increased. The Jiang family's warehouses were overflowing, and they didn't have to worry about surviving the winter.
By the time they bought the first batch of preserved vegetables, Cheng Meijuan's belly was already bulging. Because they hadn't received an allocation of housing, Fang Nanshan and Cheng Meijuan had been sulking daily, as if someone owed them money, much to the amazement of everyone in Building 4. Everyone knew they had no chance, yet they still thought they were guaranteed a housing allocation, completely lost in their minds.
Old Lady Liu curled her lips and waved at Jiang Nan who had just come downstairs, with a kind face: "Xiao Nan, come here, Grandma Liu wants to ask you something."
Jiang Nan gathered her scarf and trotted over: "Grandma Liu, what's going on?"
Old Lady Liu was also queuing up to buy preserved vegetables. Her eldest grandson, Cheng Kantan, was with her. She nudged him and urged him, "Hurry up and get in line. Why are you dawdling? Grandma wants to talk to your sister Xiaonan."
Cheng Kantan was a man of discerning eyes. He didn't like to talk much, but when he saw Old Lady Liu urging him on, he didn't argue and trotted off to take his place. When Old Lady Liu saw him running away, she whispered, "Xiao Nan, does Chief Lan from your police station have a daughter who's still unmarried?"
Jiang Nan uttered a "huh" and looked at Old Lady Liu suspiciously. "Grandma Liu, you're not thinking... Sister Qingli is three years older than Kantan. Isn't this inappropriate?"
Old Lady Liu waved her hand nonchalantly, "It's perfect, absolutely perfect! What's wrong with being three years older? A woman three years older than you is a treasure! We don't care about that! Kantan is almost eighteen now. He can date the Lan family's daughter for two years and then get married. How perfect. Xiaonan, you have to say a few good words for Grandma Liu. You know Kantan too, he's such an honest kid, good-looking and good-tempered. He's working for his father now, and he might be a kitchen helper now. After two years, he'll pass the exam and become a chef."
Jiang Nan scratched his head after hearing this: "Grandma Liu, this, this..."
Jiang Nan was really at a loss. She had met Director Lan's daughter last year during New Year's visit. She was a very beautiful and intelligent sister, and also an elementary school teacher. With such good conditions, could she really be interested in Cheng Kantan?
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