Chapter 735: Successful Capture!
At the entrance to Nianzi Mountain Village, Li Yi, his father Li Shankui, and some fifty or sixty able-bodied men watched intently as the column advanced slowly in the distance. Everyone looked tense!
Although everyone knew the capture operation had concluded, the outcome was what truly concerned them.
At 5:50 a.m., the public security officers and village militia who had participated in the operation finally arrived at the village entrance.
When Li Yi and the others saw the stretchers in the middle of the procession, everyone’s hearts leapt into their throats.
The presence of stretchers meant there were casualties—the very thing they had hoped to avoid had happened.
But as the arrest team drew closer, Li Yi realized something seemed off.
Although there were people carrying stretchers in the group, the atmosphere didn’t seem somber. From a distance, they could hear Li Gang’s booming voice and the laughter and banter of the others.
If someone had truly been killed or seriously injured, the atmosphere would definitely not be like this.
With that thought, Li Yi immediately led his men to meet them!
Soon the two groups met up. Before Li Yi could even ask what was going on, Li Gang burst out laughing: “Brother Li Yi, thank you so much! You set the stage for us at the county bureau to put on quite a show. It really is that whole Xue Guangzhong clan!”
“Have you caught them all?”
“Yes, but unfortunately three of them died!” Li Gang said.
“Did we suffer any casualties?” Li Yi asked again.
“No one was killed, but…”
Li Yi’s expression immediately turned serious, and he hurriedly asked, “But what? Just say it!”
“But someone got hurt…”
“Who’s injured? Is it serious?”
“Secretary Feng slipped and sprained his back while chasing a suspect; he’ll likely need some time to recover. Also, one of our soldiers accidentally stepped on a bear trap and suffered a pretty serious injury to his foot!”
“Is that all?”
“That’s all!”
Li Yi let out a long sigh of relief and said, “That gave me a heart attack. I thought someone had been shot!”
“Those guys may have had guns, but that’s all they could do—just fire them. Secretary Feng took down two of them all by himself, and the other comrades riddled the third one with bullets.”
Li Gang continued, “The last three saw the writing on the wall and tried to run, but they were surrounded like dumplings in a pot. When they realized there was no escape, they raised their hands and surrendered!”
“I never expected Uncle Feng to be so fierce—he’s really made me look at him in a whole new light!” Li Yi said with a laugh.
Feng Kai, lying on the stretcher, grinned and said, “Man, I managed to get myself injured just catching a petty thief. If my old buddies see this, I don’t know how they’ll make fun of me!”
“You’re still going strong at your age—no one would dare make fun of you!” Li Gang said with a laugh.
“Exactly. Uncle Feng, you’re over sixty and still able to go into battle—that’s truly remarkable!”
Li Yi then changed the subject and asked Li Gang, “What are you planning to do now?”
“I need to take them back to the county bureau for questioning right away. We’ll see if these bastards have any accomplices, and find out exactly what they were digging up, then report the situation to the municipal bureau!” Li Gang said.
“What about the back mountain?”
Li Yi was referring to the general’s tomb. After today’s raid, word of the large tomb and treasure on the back mountain would spread like wildfire in no time.
If the situation wasn’t handled properly, even if they’d arrested Xue Guangzhong’s family, it would still attract other tomb raiders.
After all, as the situation gradually stabilizes, the prices of cultural relics and antiques are on the rise.
On top of that, protection of ancient tombs isn’t very strict these days, and a venture with such high returns is likely to tempt many to take the risk.
“We’ve already backfilled the holes those bastards dug and poured plenty of melted snowwater over them. In this freezing weather, it’ll turn to solid ice in no time. Even if someone tries to dig down from there, they won’t be able to break through anytime soon!”
Li Gang continued, “Also, I’ve discussed it with Secretary Feng. From now on, your village will send someone to patrol that area once a day. Report any developments to the county immediately, until we figure out exactly what’s buried there.”
“That’s a good plan, but you must make sure to investigate thoroughly—find out if these people are part of any other gangs!” Li Yi said.
“Rest assured, we’ll definitely get to the bottom of it!” Li Gang replied.
“All right, it’s getting late. You should head back to the county seat right away!” Li Yi said.
“Aren’t you coming back with us?”
“What would I do going back with you?” Li Yi said with a laugh.
“Aren’t you going to call your sister back?”
“I’ll wait until morning. I’m really tired right now—I’d better go home and get some sleep first!” Li Yi said.
“Alright, then we’ll head back to the county bureau first!”
Li Gang then exchanged a few more words with Feng Kai, who was lying on the stretcher, before getting back into the car and driving off toward the county seat!
After watching Li Gang and the others leave, Li Yi and the others worked together to take Feng Kai back to his home, and then they all went their separate ways!
………
The next morning!
The Li family slept in… No, to be precise, most of the people in Nianzishan Village slept in.
After all, last night had dragged on from past 2 a.m. until past 6 a.m., filled with chases and gunfights. Many were physically and mentally exhausted, so it was inevitable that they’d sleep in.
By the time Li Yi got up, it was already 11:00 a.m.
The room was empty. Not only was Jiang Xue gone, but the two children were missing as well. Even the quilts in the room had been neatly folded, leaving only the one beneath him still in disarray, lying lonely on the kang.
Judging by the babbling sounds coming from the next room, Yunrui and Yunjin had most likely been carried over there.
After getting dressed and freshening up, Li Yi headed over to the next room.
In his parents’ room, his eldest sister and mother were cutting paper cutouts on the kang, while Jiang Xue sat astride the edge, watching intently, seemingly eager to learn the craft.
His father was crouched on a small stool next to the stove, puffing on a pipe while watching his young grandson and two little grandsons play on the kang.
When she saw Li Yi push open the door, Jiang Xue immediately asked, “You’re awake? I’ll go heat up some food for you!”
No sooner had she spoken than her father, poking the embers with a poker, said, “Why reheat the meal? Have some roasted sweet potatoes instead!”
With that, his father pulled two roasted potatoes out of the stove and handed them to Li Yi.
Li Yi immediately took a few quick steps forward to accept the baked yams, smiling as he said, “These are a real treat—I haven’t had baked yams in two years!”
With that, Li Yi handed one to Jiang Xue and said, “Try one. Dad has a perfect handle on the heat—not undercooked or burnt, and they smell so good!”
“I’m not hungry. You eat first!”
Jiang Xue said as she put on her shoes and walked toward the door.
A moment later, she returned to the room, but now she was holding a bowl—half-filled with noodles in sauce.
This was a condiment unique to central North Province—roasted sesame seeds ground into a paste, used as a substitute for soy sauce.
If you add a pinch of salt, it tastes almost like salt and pepper. Locals usually dip their potatoes in this when they eat them.
“Hahaha, how did you know I wanted to dip it in this stuff?” Li Yi said with a laugh.
“I just knew…”
Just as they were talking, Li Shan Kui, his father, suddenly asked, “Xiao Yi, are you planning to go to the county seat later?”
Li Yi knew what his father was getting at and replied immediately, “Yeah, yesterday afternoon my third older sister called Li Gang and asked me to call her back, but Li Gang was too busy yesterday and didn’t have time to let me know…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Xue chimed in, “What did Sister Na want you to call her about? Did the gift from Hong Kong arrive?”
“It’s possible, but it could also be something related to the shop!” Li Yi said.
“When are you going? I’d like to head into town too!” Jiang Xue said.
Before Li Yi could respond, his father chimed in, “I’m going too!”
“Dad, do you have something to do in the county seat?” Li Yi asked.
“To stock up on some New Year’s supplies, and to buy some treats for my grandkids!”
“You don’t need to go yourself for New Year’s shopping. I’ll pick some up on my way back with Xue. As for the kids…”
Before Li Yi could finish, Li Shankui cut him off, saying, “I don’t care what you want to buy, but you’re not going to tell me what I can’t buy!”
“All right, all right, I won’t… I won’t…”
Li Yi then glanced at his watch and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s pack up and head out. If we leave early, we’ll still make it home in time for lunch!”
In the dead of winter, locals tend to eat lunch late—usually around two o’clock.
And in some households that eat only two meals a day, lunch might not be served until three or four o’clock.
His father didn’t say much; he immediately opened the large red cabinet, took out a green shoulder bag, asked his mother for some money, and headed outside.
Seeing this, Li Yi and Jiang Xue immediately put on warm clothes, called Zhang Ziqiang, Zhang Feng, and the others, and drove off toward the county seat…
……..