Sister Xu seemed to have thought of something and said, "The strange thing about the Jing family is that they have a lot of people and are so poor that they have to eat dirt, but many people have seen them eating meat often, and the smell of meat can be smelled out. But the Jing family just won't admit it."
Zhu Fanfan explained, "Perhaps others misheard. It's not that a half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home. They have many sons in their family, so they have to be frugal. Everyone is reluctant to buy meat, so it's possible that they're hallucinating because they want to eat it."
Sister Xu shook her head: "I said it was unlucky because their family was really strange. Later, anyone who said their house smelled of meat had an accident. Some drowned, some were crushed to death by flower pots. They all met a bad end. It's too much of a coincidence to call it a coincidence."
Later, everyone said that the Jing family was poor and couldn't afford to buy meat. At first, it felt awkward, but after saying it so many times, people got used to it and were afraid of being haunted by something unclean. Gradually, everyone realized that the Jing family was poor, but she still remembered what had happened before.
No more did Sister Xu know; after all, she was just chatting with everyone and wasn't specifically targeting anyone.
Zhu Fanfan said she needed to rest for a while and would let her know when it was time to eat, as Uncle Qi was taking her out to investigate a case that afternoon.
Sister Xu hurriedly asked who Uncle Qi was, wishing she could dig up his entire family history. Zhu Fanfan could only say that he was a relative of her grandfather's side. After saying that, she went back to her room to rest, as she still had a lot to do!
In the afternoon, Qi Shan came to pick them up in person. After the two of them went out together, Zhu Fanfan complained, "Uncle Qi, you're the bureau chief, why don't you have a car?"
Walking to the police station, Qi Shan didn't think there was anything wrong with it: "Walking is good for my health. Besides, I rarely go out, so I don't need a car. I can just take the bureau's car when I go to the grassroots level."
When they arrived at the police station, there were noticeably fewer people in the afternoon. Qi Shan explained, "About half of them were beaten and sent to the hospital. We gave them the afternoon off, so there aren't many people on duty. I've found you a very good police officer who will definitely make you happy."
Zhu Fanfan: ...Happy?
Soon an older policeman came over. Zhu Fanfan looked at Qi Shan, who explained, "Yuan Datou is a native of this area. If you don't understand anything, just ask him. I have a lot of things to do. I'll take you home after you finish your investigation."
Yuan Datou chuckled and said, "My surname is Yuan. As you can see, I have a big head, so people call me Yuan Datou. You can call me that too."
Zhu Fanfan greeted him politely, "Hello, Grandpa Yuan."
Qi Shan checked the time and instructed, "You can go directly to the visits this afternoon. Don't do anything dangerous, especially Fanfan. Don't be reckless just because you know martial arts. When you get back, come to my office and I'll take you home."
Zhu Fanfan snorted indignantly, "You said it twice in one minute."
Qi Shan left only after feeling uneasy. It wasn't easy for him. At noon, he asked his old leader, who told him to keep an eye on Fanfan and not let her cause trouble. The old leader also told him about Zhu Fanfan's petty revenge. If you offend this girl, she will really fight to the death.
After Qi Shan left, Yuan Datou still had a smile on his face: "Little girl, are you related to the bureau chief?"
Zhu Fanfan nodded: "I guess so. Uncle Qi is my uncle's sworn brother."
Yuan Datou didn't say anything, but took Zhu Fanfan out. Along the way, he greeted people and chatted with them. It was almost dark, and it seemed like he hadn't investigated anything.
Zhu Fanfan got tired from walking and said, "I'm hungry, let's go eat!"
Yuan Datou, still smiling, refused, saying, "We haven't finished visiting them yet! We still have a few more to go."
Zhu Fanfan said, "It's my treat, and I even brought a bottle of Moutai."
At her insistence, her grandfather bought several bottles of liquor. In addition to Moutai, he also bought several bottles of Xifeng, Luzhou Laojiao and Fenjiu. Even if she didn't drink them, she thought that when they were worth a lot of money in forty or fifty years, she could recoup her investment by selling just one bottle.
Yuan Datou's eyes lit up instantly: "Then I'm so sorry, you're still a child, where did you get the wine?"
Zhu Fanfan didn't answer, but opened her backpack, revealing the wine inside. Yuan Datou frowned, looking distressed: "Little auntie, the wine bottle is so fragile, what if it breaks? You didn't even pack it properly, and you carried it all afternoon. Do your family know you're carrying wine?"
Zhu Fanfan nodded: "I know, they gave it to me as soon as I told them I'd ask them to."
Yuan Datou inwardly cursed the extravagance, saying that even spoiling a child shouldn't be done like this. This is Moutai liquor, which is not cheap, costing several yuan!
With the wine as a medium, Yuan Datou's tone became more sincere, especially when Zhu Fanfan ordered dishes such as braised chicken with chestnuts, three-color shrimp, sesame pork, and a plate of green vegetables, all of which were hearty dishes.
Although the drought has had a significant impact, state-run restaurants still offer plenty of good food. It's just that state-run restaurants haven't served such a lavish spread in a long time, and he hasn't had meat in ages. Today, he can eat his fill of meat and drink wine—it's like living in paradise.
While waiting for the food, Yuan Datou had already drunk a small cup. He was familiar with the people at the state-run restaurant, so he borrowed a wine glass.
After drinking two small cups, Yuan Datou started talking: "Young lady, I believe you when you say your uncle and the bureau chief are sworn brothers, but for the bureau chief to personally receive you, your family must be quite impressive. I also know that your grandfather was the bureau chief's former superior."
Zhu Fanfan nodded; Yuan Datou's information network was quite extensive.
Yuan Datou understood what Zhu Fanfan meant: "I've been here for over fifty years. I don't have any special skills, but I'm very well-informed. If I want to find out something, there's nothing I can't find out."
So even though he's not very capable and is quite old, people still respect him for this reason: his relatives and friends are all from here, and no matter what disputes arise, he steps in to mediate, and they always give him face, saving him a lot of trouble.
The dishes were served quickly. Yuan Datou couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks, take a bite of meat, and chew it with satisfaction. It was delicious; this was life.
Taking the opportunity, Zhu Fanfan asked, "Why did you take me wandering around like this afternoon? Weren't you going to take me on a visit?"
Yuan Shikai replied, "I have visited them! The people here are very open with me, and I can ask them anything I want to know."
Zhu Fanfan was puzzled: "But we need to investigate the Jing family's situation. You didn't ask about it all afternoon. When those people heard about the Jing family, they avoided talking about it, but you didn't ask them either."
Yuan Datou protested his innocence: "No one told me that the investigation was targeting the Jing family. They just told me to show you around and hear about the interesting things happening in each family."
Zhu Fanfan asked incredulously, "Nobody told you they were going to investigate the Jing family?" Is Uncle Qi really that unreliable?
Yuan Datou shook his head: "Nobody told me how old I am. The higher-ups would never send me to do dangerous things. They all know I love to chat, so they assume that my investigations are just chatting."
Zhu Fanfan: ...There's even a job where you specifically come out to chat with people?
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