Chapter 45: Benefits in the Southeast
County Town. State-Owned Hotel!
Due to a fairly heavy thunderstorm last night, the road leading to the county seat had become quite muddy, and the mule cart was moving rather slowly, so Li Yi arrived later than usual.
As soon as he arrived at the hotel entrance, Li Yi saw several men in olive-green uniforms coming out of the building.
Upon closer inspection, he was startled to discover that the man leading the group was none other than Wang Anguo.
Li Yi was hesitating whether to say hello; after all, he didn’t know if Wang Anguo was here on official business, and he worried that greeting him out of the blue might interfere with his duties.
Just then, Wang Anguo walked toward him with a smile, saying, “Brother Li Yi, we’ve been waiting for you for over an hour!”
“Huh, Captain Wang, were you here specifically waiting for me?” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Yep!”
“Then hold on a moment—I’ll chat with you after I’ve delivered the goods!”
Before he could finish, Liu Jingshan chimed in from the side, “Brother Li Yi, Captain Wang must have something urgent to discuss with you. I’ll go weigh your shipment—you two go ahead and talk!”
Li Yi didn’t refuse, but simply said with a smile, “Brother Liu, there’s half a basket of monkey head mushrooms in there—don’t weigh them as if they were ordinary mushrooms!”
“Don’t worry, you won’t lose out!”
“Hahaha!”
Amid the banter, Li Yi followed Wang Anguo and another police officer into the restaurant, where they found a relatively quiet spot to sit down.
Once they were seated, Wang Anguo looked at Li Yi and said, “Brother Li Yi, was what you said the other day true?”
“What words?” Li Yi asked, feigning ignorance.
“You said that if we couldn’t handle that big problem, we should come to you!” Wang Anguo said earnestly.
Li Yi didn’t answer him, but instead glanced at the other police officer sitting nearby.
Wang Anguo immediately said, “Let me introduce you. His name is Li Gang. He’s my deputy and a brother I grew up with. His grandfather is Li Yunfei, the most famous veteran hero of the War of Resistance in our county. You can trust him completely!”
Hearing Wang Anguo say that the young man standing before him was actually the grandson of the veteran hero Li Yunfei, Li Yi took a closer look at Li Gang. He looked just like the photo Li Yi had seen in the newspaper—a real short-lived fellow!
“Hello, I’m Li Gang. If we go back a few generations, we might even be related!” Li Gang said with a smile.
Li Yi glanced at him, then nodded and said, “It’s an honor to be related to the legendary hero Li Yunfei!”
Then, Li Yi looked at Wang Anguo and said, “I know what you want to ask. You’re from the Southeast, aren’t you?”
“The southeast?”
“Yes. Trust me and dig deep in that direction—you’re sure to find what you’re looking for!”
With that, Li Yi ignored Wang Anguo, stood up, and headed over to find Liu Jingshan!
Just then, Li Gang suddenly spoke up, “Brother Li Yi, for the sake of our family ties, could you read my face for me?”
Li Yi looked at him and said, “You want a reading?”
“Yeah!”
“500 yuan!”
“Hey, why is it free for him but you’re charging me? We’re even from the same clan!” Li Gang complained.
“Because I offered to read his face, but I didn’t offer to read yours!”
“Is there a difference?”
“Yes!”
“What’s the difference?”
“You have to pay!”
“I’m willing to pay, but 500 yuan is really too much. Can you knock a little off?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “I’m not asking for the money right now. If you think my prediction is accurate, you can pay me later! Just don’t get upset when I tell you what I’m going to say!”
“I won’t be. Go ahead! If you really hit the mark, I’ll sell everything I own to pay you!” Li Gang said.
“The center of the forehead has sunken in, and the brow ridge connects to the bridge of the nose. Your gaze wanders, your energy is scattered and unfocused—you seem half-drunk, half-awake, and indecisive. Add to that the ‘three whites’ and ‘four whites’ in your eyes, and you breathe like a pig. You clearly have the face of a short-lived person!”
Li Yi continued, “Moreover, your Five Elements lack Water and are afflicted by Fire, and your name is too harsh. You must know that excessive rigidity leads to breakage. Therefore, your death will be related to fire!”
Li Gang was dumbfounded, and so was Wang Anguo!
Just yesterday, he had joked with Li Gang, saying that if Li Yi were to read his face, he might well tell him that his brow was dark and that he was in danger of bloodshed.
But he never expected Li Yi to come out and say Li Gang had the face of a short-lived man—and that his death would be linked to fire!
That was a pretty serious statement. Li Gang’s current sullen expression made it clear just how terrible he was feeling.
Li Yi didn’t bother responding; he simply walked over to Liu Jingshan on his own.
He’d given the warning he needed to give; as for whether the young man would heed his words, that was beyond his control.
After all, the Buddha saves those with karmic ties, and doctors cannot cure the incurable. All he could do was give him a heads-up—nothing more!
Watching Li Yi walk away like that, Li Gang was both furious and speechless. Fortune-telling was just for fun—you say something nice, I’m happy, and I give you some money.
How come with this kid, things had taken a turn? He’d actually pointed his finger at him and called him a short-lived ghost—what the hell was that all about!
If he hadn’t promised Wang Anguo last night not to lay a hand on him, he would’ve slapped the kid right then and there!
“Look at this kid…”
Before Li Gang could finish, Wang Anguo chimed in with a smile, “Come on, he was just talking. Don’t take it to heart. Besides, you don’t believe in that stuff anyway, do you?”
“I don’t believe in it, but hearing that just doesn’t sit right with me!”
“Never mind that. I was just thinking—the southeast is indeed our weak spot where we’ve pulled back…”
Before he could finish, Li Gang frowned and said, “You aren’t seriously listening to that kid’s nonsense, are you? Aside from that mining area, there’s absolutely nothing in the southeast—not a soul. Besides, our men searched the mining area on the very first day and found nothing!”
“The mining area—that’s it, the mining area!” Wang Anguo suddenly exclaimed, slapping his thigh.
“I’ve been thinking about this for the past few days. If I were a human trafficker, where would I hide those children to avoid detection by the police and armed police? After much consideration, any open-air location is out of the question—they’d be exposed. The only option is underground!”
Wang Anguo continued, “But with so many children, an ordinary cellar wouldn’t work—they’d suffocate from lack of oxygen in no time. Now it seems hiding them in mine shafts would be the perfect solution!”
“If you put it that way, a mountain cave would work too!” Li Gang said.
“Haha, mountain caves are far more likely to be discovered than mine shafts. After all, mountain caves are usually desolate, and it’s not easy to procure food and water there.”
Wang Anguo added, “But mine shafts are different. Since they’re connected to the mine, the workers have plenty of legitimate reasons to procure supplies.”
“That doesn’t make sense either. Wouldn’t the miners at the mine notice something was wrong?” Li Gang asked again.
“What if the kids were kidnapped by people from the mine itself?”
“That… is that even possible?” Li Gang said, sounding a bit incredulous.
“We’re public security officers—we need the mindset and courage to think boldly! Come on, let’s head back to the station, round up our people, and conduct a thorough search of those mines to the southeast right away!” Wang Anguo said in a deep voice.
“Is that really necessary?”
“Yes, it’s absolutely necessary. I have a feeling we might make a major discovery this time!”
With that, Wang Anguo grabbed Li Gang’s arm and hurriedly left the State-Run Hotel!