Early the next morning, Li Yi got up at the crack of dawn!
First, he led the big red mule out to drink some water, then fed it some hay.
It had been working hard every day, pulling the cart back and forth to the county seat, so he had to make sure it had enough fodder.
Only then did Li Yi begin preparing for today’s market stall!
The temperature had risen even higher these past few days, reaching a scorching forty degrees at noon.
As a result, the number of people craving liangpi had increased significantly; two or three hundred servings a day simply weren’t enough to satisfy the workers.
After giving it some thought, Li Yi decided to make some white flatbreads to sell alongside the liangpi—it was sure to be a hit.
He was a man of strong initiative—once he had an idea, he acted on it immediately.
So, after finishing the liangpi, Li Yi made over a hundred white pancakes to test the waters.
At 10:00 a.m., the mule cart arrived once again at the State-Owned Restaurant.
When Liu Jingshan saw the more than ten varieties of prepared mountain produce on the cart, he was so delighted he couldn’t stop smiling!
After the two settled on the prices for the other mushrooms, they began weighing and settling the bill!
When Li Yi stepped out of the state-run restaurant, he had 151 yuan in his pocket!
After deducting the labor fees for his younger brothers, Li Yi had made nearly 100 yuan just from selling the wild produce today.
Add to that the thirty or forty yuan he’d make selling liangpi, and at this rate, he could earn a thousand yuan in a week at most.
It seemed like building a house could be put on the agenda. After all, if he could have a new house built before the wedding, that would be a cause for celebration.
In high spirits, Li Yi drove off toward the sugar factory!
…….
In contrast to Li Yi’s good mood, Wang Anguo at the county bureau was not in such a good mood at that moment.
The conference room was filled with smoke, and everyone’s expression was grim!
“What’s the latest? Any leads on Zhou Baoshan?” Wang Guo’an asked, his voice slightly hoarse.
Deputy Captain Li Yongping, standing nearby, replied immediately, “No leads on Zhou Baoshan, but we’ve apprehended a few petty thieves and black-market speculators!”
As he spoke, a hint of resignation flashed across Deputy Captain Li’s weary face.
After yesterday’s meeting, their criminal investigation team had begun screening vehicles and individuals heading toward the border crossing, while simultaneously deploying a large number of officers to conduct searches throughout the county town and surrounding townships and communes.
Over the course of a day and a night, they had indeed apprehended quite a few petty thieves and black-market dealers, but there was still no sign of that notorious bandit.
“Hand them all over to the Public Security Brigade. Our mission is to hunt down Zhou Baoshan!” Wang Anguo said in a heavy tone.
“We’ve already handed them over!”
Just then, a middle-aged police officer rushed in and said, “Captain Wang, we just received an urgent call from the Municipal Bureau confirming that Zhou Baoshan has entered our county. The Municipal Bureau has ordered us to find him and bring him to justice!”
Wang Anguo immediately stood up and said in a deep voice, “Can you confirm the time?”
“It’s within the next day or two. The day before yesterday, the Municipal Bureau received a tip from the public that a suspect matching his description was spotted near Huanghualing!”
Wang Anguo knew the local terrain very well. Without a moment’s hesitation, he said, “Huanghualing is located in the southeastern part of our Qingshan County, about 50 kilometers from the county seat. Since Zhou Baoshan is a fugitive, he certainly wouldn’t dare take a vehicle—he must be on foot. Judging by his stamina, he should still be within our county’s borders!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Deputy Captain Li said in a grave tone, “Qingshan County has 18 townships and communes, plus several major mountains like Daqingshan, Sumushan, and Agui Mountain. Finding a single person in all that terrain is no less difficult than looking for a needle in a haystack!”
However, Wang Anguo replied with firm conviction, “The suspect is definitely in the county seat!”
“How do you know he’s definitely in the county seat? What’s your evidence?” Deputy Captain Li asked, frowning.
“I have two reasons. First, the suspect’s goal is to flee the country. To leave Yunshan County, he’d have to cross the northern Gobi Desert—a barren, desolate wasteland of sand and wind. He’d need to be well-prepared; if he ventured into the Gobi empty-handed, he’d likely be devoured by wild wolves before even reaching the border!”
Wang Anguo continued, “Second, among the supplies a suspect needs to cross the border, food and self-defense tools are essential. Right now, there aren’t many places that can provide these things, especially food!”
No sooner had he finished speaking than someone raised an objection: “Team Leader Wang, shouldn’t food be relatively easy to come by? After all, the fields are full of crops, fruits, and vegetables right now!”
Wang Anguo replied immediately, “This is the lean season right now. The villagers have no surplus grain, so it’s highly unlikely that Zhou Baoshan could get enough food from them.”
“And while fruits and vegetables are easy to come by, they can’t be stored for long and won’t keep him going for long! So, I’m certain he’ll come to the county seat to stock up on supplies before heading out.”
After hearing Wang Anguo’s analysis, Deputy Captain Li and the other officers all nodded instinctively.
As seasoned veterans of the police force, they naturally knew that for long-distance travel, it was best to bring along some high-calorie, non-perishable food—and fruits and vegetables clearly didn’t fall into that category.
“Captain Wang, what should we do now?”
Wang Anguo thought for a moment and said, “Starting now, step up checkpoints on the roads leading to the northern townships, and at the same time, focus your efforts on monitoring the Supply and Marketing Cooperative! Oh, and send people to keep an eye on the black market as well. Report any suspicious individuals immediately!”
“Why keep an eye on the Supply and Marketing Cooperative and the black market?”
“The suspect is wanted for robbery and murder. Word is he robbed the local credit union of over 20,000 yuan, which means he’s not short on cash.”
Wang Anguo continued, “If he has money but needs supplies, the safest bet is to buy them at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative! But I suspect he doesn’t have enough ration coupons, so he’ll need to exchange some on the black market.”
“As long as we keep a close eye on these two places, we’re sure to find that guy!”
Deputy Captain Li nodded and said, “Captain Wang’s analysis makes perfect sense. Let’s do it that way. I’ll take a team to stake out the black market, and Old Yang will go to the supply and marketing cooperative!”
Wang Anguo paused to think, then said, “Make sure everyone has their guns ready. This suspect is a ruthless bandit who kills without batting an eye—we have to be extra careful!”
“Yes, sir!”
Just then, a young man suddenly knocked on the door and said, “Captain Wang, you have a call!”
“Who’s calling?”
“It’s from the county government. Secretary Wang called to say your father is being discharged from the hospital today. He asked if you have time to pick him up.”
Only then did Wang Anguo remember that his father had suddenly fallen seriously ill the day before yesterday while traveling to the countryside and had been taken to the hospital by a kind stranger; today was his scheduled discharge date.
But given the current situation, there was no way he could go to the hospital to pick him up.
“Tell my brother I’m tied up with an important case and can’t get away. Have him go pick up Grandpa himself!”
“Yes, sir!”
…….