Chapter 187: Great Karma—Li Yi Hesitates

“Brother Li Yi, is there a way to resolve this crisis?”

Wang Anguo knew that although Li Yi was a mysterious man, he had a good heart.

This was evident from the countless times he had helped him, his family, and his friends out of trouble. If Li Yi was willing to lend a hand this time, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

However, to Wang Anguo’s surprise, this time Li Yi shook his head.

“Is it impossible?” Wang Anguo asked, sounding somewhat disappointed.

“It’s not that I can’t, but the stakes are too high!”

“What… what do you mean?”

“What do you mean by a life-or-death crisis?”

“Well…”

“The so-called ‘trial of life and death’ is a fate bestowed by Heaven. Life and death are predetermined by destiny; outsiders cannot interfere. If they do, they must bear the karmic consequences that follow.”

Li Yi continued, “Take you, for example. You were supposed to have died a month and a half ago, and then be posthumously recognized as a martyr. Barring any surprises, I would have attended your funeral.”

“But because of my intervention, you narrowly escaped that fate. Not only did you not die a glorious death, but you were also promoted to captain of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division for your achievements. Have you ever considered who would be the captain of the Municipal Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Division if you hadn’t shown up?”

“Well… I wouldn’t dare to guess!” Wang Anguo said.

“It doesn’t matter who it is, but you must understand that my intervention has already cost someone a promotion, and thus, a chain of cause and effect has been set in motion!”

“Is that what you call karma?”

“Right, getting back to that person from earlier—the karmic burden on him is too heavy. If we were to save him, the karmic consequences would be too severe!”

“Is it… really that serious?”

“Yes, far beyond your imagination—it involves at least ten lives!”

“Ten?”

“Yes!”

Wang Anguo fell silent. He understood exactly what Li Yi was saying.

Huang Lixing’s life-or-death crisis wasn’t irreversible, but if he were to alter his fate, the fates of many others would be altered as well—and no fewer than ten people would lose their lives as a result.

Now he was hesitating!

In fact, it wasn’t just Wang Anguo; Li Yi himself was also hesitating.

When he first spoke those words, he had merely been putting on a front, trying to appear more dignified.

But as he spoke, he began to feel a bit afraid himself!

Huang Lixing was a completely different kind of person from Wang Anguo, Li Gang, and the others. He was a tycoon who rose to power during Hong Kong’s most chaotic era—a fortune built through ruthless, cold-blooded violence.

And his character was deeply flawed—his bodyguards hadn’t tried to kill him over a financial dispute, but because he’d slept with their woman.

Normally, a woman’s betrayal wouldn’t warrant a life-or-death showdown, but after sleeping with her, this guy was heartless enough to kick her to the curb.

The woman was no pushover either; she secretly approached Huang Lixing’s bodyguard and claimed that Huang had raped her while he was away.

That’s why the bodyguard harbored a grudge and struck a deadly blow.

Not only did he kill Huang Lixing, but he also killed his pregnant wife.

If I were to save him now, given Huang Lixing’s vindictive nature, he would undoubtedly seek revenge against the bodyguard and that woman.

In fact, to ensure the problem was eradicated completely, even the families of those two might not escape Huang Lixing’s pursuit.

Li Yi knew all too well just how ruthless the wealthy elite of Hong Kong Island could be.

To them, killing a person or two was child’s play.

After killing someone, they’d stuff the body into a burlap sack, toss it into international waters, and the remains would vanish without a trace—leaving no evidence to investigate.

The iconic murder scenes from Hong Kong films all have real-life counterparts.

So Li Yi found himself hesitating—should he really save Huang Lixing?

Saving a villain for money, only to potentially cause more people to lose their lives—this seemed to cross Li Yi’s moral line.

As silence fell, Wang Anguo suddenly spoke up: “Since the stakes are so high, I won’t press the matter. Whether he survives this ordeal is entirely up to his own fate!”

“Hmm,” Li Yi replied, sounding somewhat disheartened.

He had originally come here full of enthusiasm, intending to squeeze a hefty sum out of Huang Lixing, thinking of it as buying the lives of himself and his wife and children with that money.

But he hadn’t considered that the consequence of such an act might be saving three lives at the cost of more than a dozen others.

The stakes were simply too high—so high that even Li Yi himself felt he might not be able to bear the burden.

In his previous life, Li Yi didn’t believe in Buddhism or ghosts and gods. After Tang Xue’s death, he believed only in himself.

In this life, Li Yi still didn’t believe in Buddhism or spirits, but he did believe in karma.

In his previous life, it took him decades of torment and regret, plus giving away tens of billions and helping nearly a million people, to earn the chance at rebirth.

He absolutely did not want to incur such immense karmic consequences over a mere pittance.

After all, one misstep could cause this karmic debt to ultimately fall upon his wife, children, and elderly family members.

He dared not take that risk!

For a moment, Li Yi even considered canceling his reservation and going home, to get far away from this trouble-ridden place.

But then he thought, “Since I’m here, I might as well make the best of it.” After all, the rent had already been paid and couldn’t be refunded, so if it didn’t work out, he’d just stay a few more days.

Perhaps there’s still a chance things could change—you never know!

…….

What Li Yi didn’t know was that Huang Lixing, back in his room, was also feeling a bit uneasy.

The way that young man had looked at him earlier was simply too strange, and it also gave him a sense of familiarity.

So after returning to his room, he declined the city leader’s invitation to a welcome dinner, citing exhaustion as an excuse, and stayed in the room with his wife to rest.

The more he thought about it, the more unsettled he felt. In the end, he simply sent his wife to another room and stayed alone in Room 314, smoking to ease his mind.

Just as he was feeling flustered, he suddenly heard a commotion outside.

In a foul mood, he immediately sent his bodyguard, A-Biao, out to see what was going on!

Soon, Ah Biao returned to report that the room next door was being cleaned, and the hotel staff had already moved the young man to another room.

Huang Lixing recalled what the official surnamed Zhou had said earlier; clearly, they were worried that the young man might run into him, so they had deliberately arranged it this way.

Thinking of this, Huang Lixing’s mood improved slightly.

He walked over to the window with a cigar in hand, intending to relax by taking in the view.

However, he immediately spotted several people standing below—two women and a man. The two women were dressed like hotel staff, and the man was the young man who had made him so uncomfortable earlier.

Although several floors separated them, Huang Lixing couldn’t hear their conversation at all.

But he could guess that the two staff members were surely discussing the room change with the young man.

Huang Lixing had expected the young man, having suffered such unfair treatment, to make a huge scene, but the outcome left him somewhat taken aback.

The young man glanced up in his direction, shook his head for some inexplicable reason, and then followed the two staff members toward another building.

Even through two panes of glass, Huang Lixing was certain the young man hadn’t seen him.

Yet his earlier gesture and expression left Huang Lixing deep in thought.

Thinking of another matter that was troubling him, Huang Lixing immediately exchanged a few words with his bodyguard, who then hurriedly left the room.

In an instant, Huang Lixing was left alone in the room!

Outside Building 2 of the City Hotel, a smug Huang Lixing held a cigar in one hand and a briefcase in the other.

Accompanied by his wife Shao Jinhua and several bodyguards, and flanked by relevant officials from the North Frontier Province Investment Promotion Bureau and the Ning City Municipal Party Committee, he was making his way upstairs.

In truth, Huang Lixing didn’t place much importance on this investment inspection.

The reason was simple: he felt that the inland regions were still somewhat conservative in their thinking, and the economy wasn’t very developed—far less conducive to business than the coastal areas.

Beyond that, there were policy considerations. Although many policies in the coastal regions hadn’t been finalized yet, local governments were willing to give foreign investors like them the green light.

Whether it was land allocation or hiring, they would often turn a blind eye.

But things were different in the inland regions; various policies and regulations tied their hands, making business difficult.

Nevertheless, unable to resist Director Feng’s repeated invitations, he decided to make the trip after all.

Regardless of the outcome, since they’d extended such a warm invitation, he felt he had to save face.

As for the investment, he would make a decision later.

“Mr. Huang, your room and your wife’s are on the third floor—they’re the finest suites in our City Hotel!” Director Yan of the City Hotel introduced them warmly.

“Hahaha, thank you very much!” Huang Lixing said with a peculiar accent.

Although he was a foreign businessman, his hometown was in Guangdong Province, so he could not only understand Mandarin but also speak it.

However, having lived on Hong Kong Island for so long, his Mandarin wasn’t very fluent.

The group chatted as they walked and soon arrived on the third floor, heading to Room 314, which the City Hotel had arranged for them.

But just as Huang Lixing and the others were about to open the door to check in, the door next to them suddenly swung open.

Immediately afterward, a young man in his twenties walked out of the room with a calm expression, then closed the door behind him, apparently preparing to go out.

Since the young man’s appearance was so sudden, he instantly caught everyone’s attention.

The young man, seemingly unprepared to find so many people standing at the doorway, froze for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

However, the moment his gaze fell on Huang Lixing, his brow instantly furrowed.

Then his reaction became even more baffling: he turned and walked away as if avoiding a plague, seemingly unwilling to linger there any longer.

Huang Lixing was baffled, the city officials were baffled, and even Wang Anguo standing nearby was completely baffled!

Huang Lixing paused for a moment, then pointed at Li Yi’s receding back and then at himself, his face a picture of bewilderment!

Deputy Director Zhou from the Regional Committee, standing nearby, frowned and said to Yan Aihua, the director of the municipal guesthouse, “Comrade Aihua, what’s wrong with this guy? Doesn’t he have any manners at all?”

“Well…”

To be honest, Yan Aihua was just as baffled. He hadn’t realized there was actually someone staying in the room next to the VIP’s.

She also had no idea what was going on with that young man—why he was looking at the VIPs with such a strange expression.

“Find out who he is. If all else fails, move him to another room to avoid offending Mr. Huang!”

“Yes…”

However, no sooner had Director Yan finished speaking than Wang Anguo, standing nearby, interjected: “Sir, please calm down. Leave this to me!”

“Alright, then I’ll leave it to you, Comrade Anguo!”

“No problem!”

With that, Wang Anguo immediately set off in pursuit of Li Yi.

To be honest, he really hadn’t expected to run into Li Yi here.

Originally, the moment he’d spotted Li Yi, he’d been about to go over and say hello, but Li Yi’s reaction had startled him.

That reaction was all too familiar to him; Li Yi had likely picked up on something again.

Downstairs, on the bluestone pavement, Li Yi strolled leisurely.

Yet an inexplicable smile played on his face; he was thoroughly pleased with his performance just now.

If things went as expected, this single encounter alone would leave a profound impression on Mr. Huang.

With just one or two more encounters like that, even if he didn’t go looking for him, the boss would come to him for a chat.

It had nothing to do with personality or temperament; it was simply curiosity—a natural human trait.

Besides, his earlier actions had also caught Wang Anguo’s attention; as expected, he would surely come looking for him.

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he heard Wang Anguo’s voice from behind him: “Brother Li Yi, wait a minute!”

Li Yi stopped immediately, turned around, and said to Wang Anguo, “Brother Wang, why did you come down to find me instead of staying with that important person?”

“Hehe, there are plenty of people keeping them company—one more won’t make a difference!” Wang Anguo said with a laugh.

Li Yi didn’t dwell on the matter but asked with a smile, “Has the case been solved?”

Wang Anguo’s heart skipped a beat, and he was secretly taken aback.

After all, the oil drum murder case had been solved that very morning. Although the suspect had been apprehended and the facts of the case had been fully established, many follow-up investigations were still ongoing, so they hadn’t yet made an official announcement.

So, it was clearly impossible for Li Yi to have learned the case had been solved through public channels.

Yet he knew it had been solved, which deepened Wang Anguo’s awe of Li Yi’s unfathomable abilities.

“It’s solved!”

“Hmm, well then, congratulations, Brother Wang. You’ve really made a splash this time!” Li Yi said.

“That’s all thanks to you…”

“Brother Wang, I can’t take the credit for that. You’re the one who solved the case and made the arrest—it has nothing to do with me!”

Hearing this, Wang Anguo instantly got the drift and immediately said with a laugh, “You rascal… Never mind, let’s not talk about that. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take care of some business. I heard the city hotel is pretty nice, so I decided to stay for a couple of days!” Li Yi said.

“What business? Do you need any help?”

“No, it’s nothing major!”

“By the way, why did you give Mr. Huang such a strange look just now? You’ve really ruffled the city leader’s feathers. They’re moving you to a different room now—they’re worried you might offend the VIP,” Wang Anguo added.

“Get me a new room ASAP—the farther away, the better. I don’t want to be stuck next to a loser like him!” Li Yi said.

“‘Jerk’—what do you mean by that?” Wang Anguo asked urgently.

He knew Li Yi’s capabilities all too well—if even Li Yi was avoiding that guy, it seemed this Mr. Huang was truly in for a world of trouble.

Li Yi frowned and said, “For the sake of our brotherhood, let me warn you: that cigar-smoking man from earlier has a dark spot between his eyebrows, and his aura is filled with blood-red killing energy. If I’m not mistaken, he’s facing a life-or-death crisis! If you don’t want to get dragged into it, stay as far away from him as possible!”

“A life-or-death crisis—is it the kind of crisis I’m thinking of?” Wang Anguo asked, sounding a bit nervous.

This was the third time he’d heard Li Yi say this.

The first time was when Li Yi had warned him personally, and he’d managed to save his own life with a coin.

The second time was regarding his childhood friend Li Gang; that kid nearly perished in a fire but narrowly escaped death thanks to Li Yi’s warning.

The third time was when Li Yi told his senior brother, and after a thorough investigation, they directly saved the lives of hundreds of people at the sugar factory.

Now that Li Yi was saying Mr. Huang faced a blood-soaked disaster and a life-or-death crisis, Wang Anguo’s heart immediately began to race with unease.

He and Mr. Huang were mere acquaintances; had it been a different time or place, whether the man lived or died would have been none of his business.

But that wasn’t an option now. Mr. Huang was a VIP being hosted by both the provincial and municipal governments, and Wang Anguo was the police captain in charge of his security—they were in a protector-protectee relationship.

If anything happened to Huang Lixing while under his protection—let alone death or serious injury, but even a minor bump or bruise—Wang Anguo would be held fully responsible!

After much deliberation, Wang Anguo’s gaze fell once more upon Li Yi!

In just three short days, a cold case that had been dormant for eleven years was solved.

One of the two vicious suspects was dead, and the other was arrested, while a large portion of the 30,000 yuan in wages previously stolen from the textile factory had been recovered.

Although the identity of the killer came as a shock, it brought some comfort to the deceased.

When the news reached the Municipal Bureau, it caused an instant sensation.

Everyone, including the bureau leadership, began to look at Wang Anguo—the criminal investigation captain who had been fast-tracked from a small county town—with newfound respect.

Even the deputy captain and others, who had previously been acting a bit too cocky, had now settled down!

Everyone could see that Wang Anguo not only had connections but was also highly capable in his own right.

When dealing with someone like him, it’s best to go along with him; if you insist on butting heads, you’d better be prepared to face the consequences.

Moreover, just like the military, the police force reveres strength.

Wang Anguo had proven his strength through his own abilities, so several key members of the Criminal Investigation Unit—including Zhou Daqiang, head of the First Unit, and Li Yuanqing, head of the Second Unit—began signaling their intention to align themselves with him.

After this incident, Wang Anguo had effectively established a firm foothold within the Criminal Investigation Division.

And yet, he hadn’t even gotten to know everyone on the team yet.

It could be said that he had truly worked a miracle.

However, before Wang Anguo could even catch his breath, higher-ups had already assigned them a new mission.

Municipal Bureau Conference Room!

A high-level meeting chaired personally by Chief Li Kang was underway. More than a dozen officials were present, including Deputy Chiefs Wang Zhengyi, Qian Yonghua, and Hu Anming. Compared to them, Wang Anguo looked utterly insignificant.

“The situation is as follows: higher-ups have instructed our bureau to ensure the safety of Mr. Huang and his delegation upon their arrival. Does everyone have confidence in this?”

“We are!”

Li Kang glanced at Wang Anguo, who was seated below him, and said, “Comrade Anguo, your Criminal Investigation Team performed exceptionally well in the oil drum murder case. You made bold assumptions and verified them carefully, solving the case in just three days. Very good.”

“Therefore, the bureau has decided to entrust this security mission to your Criminal Investigation Team. The follow-up work on the oil drum murder case will be handled by Criminal Investigation Unit 1. You will lead Criminal Investigation Unit 2 and the Special Operations Unit to take up positions at the City Hotel tonight. You must ensure the safety of our distinguished guests!”

“Yes, sir. We will complete the mission!”

Li Kang then turned to Jin Gui, the head of the Public Security Division, and said in a stern voice, “Comrade Jin Gui, public order in the city has been somewhat chaotic lately, especially at the bus and train stations. The number of vagrants and transient migrants is growing by the day, and many people have already raised concerns about this issue.”

“Starting tomorrow, your Public Security Brigade, in coordination with local neighborhood watch personnel, will carry out targeted enforcement operations in these areas.”

“Additionally, black markets are becoming increasingly rampant in various parts of the city, severely disrupting the stable operation of our local economy. You must not turn a blind eye to this!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Also, you must step up patrols in the city center to ensure that during the distinguished guests’ inspection tour…”

Since Huang Lixing and his delegation were not only distinguished guests invited by the provincial Investment Promotion Bureau but also the first group of foreign investors brought in by North Sai Province following the reform and opening-up,

Consequently, not only did the provincial government attach great importance to this, but the municipal and district authorities were equally vigilant, fearing any missteps in the reception! dxmbang

Consequently, the reception arrangements were taken to the highest possible level.

Even if high-ranking officials from the capital came down for an inspection, they might not receive such high-level hospitality.

…….

July 30, 3:00 p.m.

After concluding the municipal bureau meeting, Wang Anguo briefly assigned tasks to his team, then led more than ten key members of Team Two and the elite of the Special Operations Unit to the Municipal Hotel, where they took charge of security operations.

To ensure the safety of the distinguished guests, they thoroughly reviewed the hotel’s reception procedures and protocols, and even conducted a comprehensive inspection of the rooms where Huang Lixing and his party were staying—truly going above and beyond.

It was no wonder Wang Anguo was so on edge; he clearly remembered what Li Yi had said before leaving.

He had been told that upon taking office, he would encounter two murder cases—one new and one old. The old case had already occurred and had been solved.

This proved that everything Li Yi had said was true!

In other words, another homicide was about to occur in the city in the near future.

Although he didn’t know exactly where it would happen or whether it would be a violent crime, Wang Anguo dared not take it lightly.

Fortunately, after a thorough inspection, the preparations at the City Hotel were found to be quite thorough and meticulous.

Everything is in order now; all that remains is to await the arrival of the distinguished guests!

What Wang Anguo didn’t know was that while he was waiting for Huang Lixing and the others to arrive, Li Yi was waiting as well.

For Li Yi, Huang Lixing represented an opportunity to resolve his own difficulties.

He was quite confident he could get money from Huang Lixing; after all, whether it was Wang Anguo, Li Gang, or Liang Yukuai, he had already proven his capabilities with these men.

All he had to do was leak a little inside information to Huang Lixing, and he was sure Huang would be completely under his thumb.

Of course, the prerequisite was getting Li Yi to meet him!

If he couldn’t even meet the man, all that talk would be nothing but hot air.

Fortunately, the target didn’t keep Wang Anguo, Li Yi, and the others waiting long. At 5:30 p.m., as a convoy of Volga sedans pulled up to the City Hotel, Hong Kong tycoon Huang Lixing and his entourage finally arrived.

When Li Yi saw the massive motorcade outside through the window, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up slightly.

The Volga M24—that was the national car of our northern big brother, imported in large numbers into the country in previous years.

Naturally, the Volga sedans imported into the country weren’t intended for civilian use; almost all of them were designated as official vehicles for high-ranking officials back then.

Because the deer-shaped emblem on the front grille looked quite imposing, many people referred to them as “Golden Deer” cars.

In fact, even the first passenger car prototyped by the Beijing Automobile Manufacturing Plant back then—the Dongfanghong sedan—was modeled after the Volga M21.

In North Sai Province, only the major provincial-level agencies could afford to use Volga sedans; for officials in Xiangning City, being able to drive a 212 compact jeep was already a luxury.

Based on this alone, Li Yi concluded that Huang Lixing and his group had arrived.

After more than half an hour, Li Yi spotted several fashionably dressed men and women, flanked by a dozen or so public security officials, walking toward Building 2, where he was located.

Clearly, they were there to arrange accommodations for Huang Lixing and his group first.

It seemed just as it had been in his previous life: these people were assigned to the most luxurious Building 2, and this hadn’t changed just because he was staying there.

For Li Yi, this was actually good news.

After all, those closest to the water get the moon first!

Suddenly, Li Yi spotted a familiar figure in the crowd.

He hadn’t expected Wang Anguo to be there as well, and judging by his position, he must have been in charge of hotel security.

Seeing this, Li Yi couldn’t help but smile.

With Liu Jingshan handling the catering and Wang Anguo in charge of security, getting close to Huang Lixing would be a piece of cake.

With that in mind, Li Yi quickly smoothed out his clothes, turned around, and headed for the door—he had to go and say hello to that Mr. Huang, didn’t he!

The night passed without incident!

Early the next morning, Wang Anguo and his team continued to follow up on the case, meticulously sifting through every clue, afraid of missing anything.

But no one could have imagined that just a few hours later, the Second Criminal Investigation Unit would deliver a shocking piece of news: Zhou Guoyong had committed suicide!

It turned out that at 9:00 a.m., following Wang Anguo’s instructions, Li Yuanqing had led a team to the city’s Third State-Owned Oil Storage Depot to summon Zhou Guoyong to the station to assist with the investigation.

At the time, Zhou Guoyong appeared quite calm, but he asked Li Yuanqing and the others to wait a moment, explaining that he had some official business to attend to and would join them shortly.

Since this was merely a summons and not a compulsory measure, Li Yuanqing and his team did not object.

So, Zhou Guoyong stayed in his office to handle paperwork, while Li Yuanqing and the others waited outside.

However, after waiting nearly an hour, no one emerged, and their calls from outside went unanswered.

They immediately realized something was wrong and burst through the door to check on the situation.

But the scene they witnessed upon entering left them completely speechless.

They saw Zhou Guoyong hanging from a ceiling beam with his belt, his tongue sticking out very far.

When Li Yuanqing and the others scrambled to cut him down, they discovered his body was already cold.

Upon receiving Li Yuanqing’s report, Wang Anguo immediately ordered the news to be suppressed and instructed that Zhou Guoyong’s wife, parents, and siblings be placed under surveillance.

At the same time, they were to be interrogated immediately.

Thanks to the prompt response, Zhou Guoyong’s family was unaware that he had committed suicide.

So when they were told that Zhou Guoyong had confessed to the murder of Tan Yuanqiao, they were all stunned!

Subsequently, under the intense pressure of the police investigation, Zhou Guoyong’s wife was the first to break down and confess to the murder of Tan Yuanqiao.

At this point, the truth behind that baffling case from 11 years ago finally came to light.

According to Zhou Guoyong’s wife, Yang Qimei, the deceased, Tan Yuanqiao, had been a close friend of Zhou Guoyong and his wife during his lifetime.

Not only had Tan Yuanqiao and Zhou Guoyong grown up together as childhood friends, but more importantly, they shared a common passion—drinking.

Of course, if that were all there was to it, the events that followed might never have happened. But the problem was that Tan Yuanqiao had a loose tongue whenever he got drunk, and Zhou Guoyong loved gambling as much as he loved drinking.

Eleven years ago, Zhou Guoyong was tricked at a gambling session and lost over 2,000 yuan in one go.

In those days when 36 yuan was considered a fortune, two thousand yuan was a massive sum.

That was enough to keep Zhou Guoyong from eating or drinking for six whole years!

And the person who set the trap was someone Zhou Guoyong couldn’t afford to cross. The man threatened that if Zhou didn’t pay up, he’d have his limbs cut off. With no other choice, Zhou had to do everything he could to borrow the money.

However, such a large sum was impossible to raise, even after Zhou had borrowed from every relative he knew.

With no other options, they turned their attention to their good friend Tan Yuanqiao.

During a drinking session, they casually pried a piece of information from the drunken Tan Yuanqiao: he went to the bank every 15th of the month to collect wages for his workers, and each time he withdrew tens of thousands of yuan.

So, Zhou Guoyong decided to rob that money to pay off his gambling debts!

On the day of the incident, Zhou Guoyong arrived early to stake out the bank where Tan Yuanqiao usually withdrew money.

Shortly after 9:00 a.m., he saw Tan Yuanqiao arrive as expected and immediately began to devise a plan.

When Zhou Guoyong saw Tan Yuanqiao withdrawing money from the bank, he walked up to him, pretending it was a chance encounter, and then said that the water pipe at his house had broken and asked if Tan could help fix it.

Tan Yuanqiao was a helpful person, so he didn’t think anything of it when he heard this. After all, they had been friends for so many years, and out of trust, he followed Zhou Guoyong to his home.

Little did he know that as soon as he stepped inside, Zhou Guoyong struck him from behind with an axe, killing him instantly.

After the murder, Zhou Guoyong immediately stole the money from Tan Yuanqiao’s body before beginning to dispose of the corpse.

To avoid detection, they stuffed Tan Yuanqiao’s body into a pre-prepared oil drum and sealed it with cement.

Then, taking advantage of his work, he transported the large oil drum containing the body to the outskirts, dumped it into a deep pit dug during bridge construction, and covered it with soil.

Since the pit was over ten meters deep and already filled with trash—with more construction debris dumped into it daily—it wouldn’t take long for it to be completely covered.

Therefore, Zhou Guoyong and Yang Qimei believed it was impossible for anyone to dig up that large oil drum.

Moreover, since the drum was made of sheet metal, it would corrode within a few years. By then, at most, only a skeleton would remain, making it impossible to trace the crime back to them.

After killing Tan Yuanqiao, they first paid off their gambling debts, then pretended nothing had happened and went on with their lives.

Although the police did come by to ask about Tan Yuanqiao during that time, they didn’t suspect them.

Still, they feared exposure. Not only did they not dare to spend that money, but Zhou Guoyong also quit gambling.

Later, relying on his ruthlessness and cunning, Zhou Guoyong gradually earned the trust of his superiors and climbed the ranks from an ordinary employee to become the station manager of the oil storage facility.

Moreover, since so many years had passed, Zhou Guoyong and his wife had gradually let their guard down over the past couple of years and began to set their sights on that money.

They first built a new house, began spending lavishly on food, drink, and daily necessities, and even bought a courtyard home in the city for their eldest son.

However, out of a sense of guilt, they would occasionally help Tan Yuanqiao’s wife, earning the gratitude of the Tan family.

In fact, to thank them for their ongoing support, Tan Yuanqiao’s eldest daughter, Tan Shiqing, had even agreed to marry Zhou Guoyong’s son.

Had it not been for this sudden incident, it wouldn’t have been long before the two were registered as husband and wife.

If that had actually happened, the situation would have become even more impossible to resolve.

Zhou Guoyong and his wife had originally believed that their murder would remain buried forever, eventually becoming an unsolved mystery.

But what they never could have imagined was that, a few years ago, the Ba Wang River had changed course, shifting more than fifty meters to the left and effectively enclosing the former landfill within its new banks.

Washed by the current, the large oil drum containing Tan Yuanqiao’s body slowly slid from the deep pit downstream, eventually coming to rest against a bridge pier.

This year, during the reconstruction of the bridge, the body was unearthed.

In fact, on the very day the oil drum murder occurred, Zhou Guoyong and his wife had received word of it, and they were terrified.

But at the same time, they figured that so many years had passed, and it was unlikely the investigation would ever trace back to them.

Yet they never imagined that the police would track them down so quickly.

Realizing he had been exposed, Zhou Guoyong ultimately chose to hang himself, while Yang Qimei could not escape severe punishment.

With that, the truth behind the mysterious disappearance of the wages of Tan Yuanqiao, the textile factory’s accountant, and all the factory workers was finally brought to light.

Municipal Bureau, Criminal Investigation Division!

After a full day of investigation, various pieces of evidence related to the murder of Tan Yuanqiao gradually came to light.

Not only was the victim, Tan Yuanqiao, finally identified, but many leads also began to surface.

The conference room was still filled with cigarette smoke.

Wang Anguo tapped the table and said, “Everyone, share your findings!”

Zhou Daqiang from Criminal Investigation Unit 1 spoke first: “Captain Wang, this morning we interviewed colleagues from the victim’s former workplace and found that most employees don’t really believe Tan Yuanqiao absconded with the money.”

“Several of his supervisors and colleagues mentioned that although Tan Yuanqiao liked to have a drink now and then, he was not only diligent and responsible at work but also very loyal to others—it’s impossible for him to have done something like this. Plus, he and his wife had a very strong relationship; he wouldn’t have absconded with the money just for a mere few tens of thousands of yuan!”

“Not to mention, they also pointed out that the month Tan Yuanqiao went missing was one of the months with the lowest payroll this year. If you look back a few months, the factory once paid out over 50,000 yuan in wages in a single month. If he really had such malicious intent, why would he specifically target the month with the lowest payout?”

After listening to Zhou Daqiang’s words, Wang Anguo said in a low voice, “This only further proves that Tan Yuanqiao was murdered for his money, and the direction of the investigation back then was flawed!”

“Hmm.”

Next, Li Yuanqing from Criminal Investigation Unit 2 stood up and said, “Captain Wang, we’ve urgently interviewed Tan Yuanqiao’s wife and other relatives and obtained a lot of useful information! One of the leads is particularly crucial!”

“Oh? What’s the lead?”

“According to Tan Yuanqiao’s wife, her husband had many friends before the incident. They often got together to drink and socialize, and among them was indeed someone who worked at a local oil storage station. His name is Zhou Guoyong, and he is currently the station manager of the city’s Third Oil Storage Station.”

Li Yuanqing continued, “According to Tan Yuanqiao’s wife, Zhou Guoyong was her husband’s best friend. Even after her husband’s death, he has continued to support them over the years. The two families have a very close relationship—they were even planning to have their children marry.”

Wang Anguo’s eyes lit up instantly, and he asked immediately, “Have you investigated this Zhou Guoyong? Have there been any changes in his family’s life over the past ten years?”

“We have. There have been significant changes!”

“Be more specific!”

“Over a decade ago, Zhou Guoyong was just an ordinary employee at the oil storage depot. His reputation was mediocre, and he used to gamble frequently. But later, he suddenly turned over a new leaf, settled down at his job, and after more than ten years of hard work, he’s now the station manager!”

Li Yuanqing continued, “And over the past decade, Zhou Guoyong’s family has not only built a brick-and-tile house, but their lifestyle—in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities—has also changed considerably. In short, their life has undergone a major transformation!”

Wang Anguo immediately replied, “Based on the information we currently have, Tan Yuanqiao went missing and was killed on the very day he went to the bank to withdraw money. It’s highly likely that the motive was robbery and murder. And the only person who could have known exactly when Tan Yuanqiao was going to withdraw money must have been someone he knew!”

“Secondly, judging by the victim’s remains, he was attacked from behind while completely off guard. This makes it even more likely that the perpetrator was someone he knew!”

“Finally, there’s one more point: after Tan Yuanqiao’s death, his body was stuffed into an oil drum and taken to the outskirts to be buried. The oil drum and the method of transport warrant closer examination. Carrying it by hand wouldn’t work—a vehicle would be necessary. And because of his job, Zhou Guoyong has exactly the right resources for that!”

“So, based on these factors, Zhou Guoyong is a prime suspect!”

Li Yuanqing immediately asked, “Should we arrest Zhou Guoyong right away?”

“No. First, we lack concrete evidence and can’t arrest him outright. Second, he’s currently the manager of the oil storage facility—we can’t just arrest him on a whim!” Wang Anguo said solemnly.

“Then what should we do?”

“Summon Zhou Guoyong immediately tomorrow, have him cooperate with the investigation, and then keep a close watch on him!”

“Team Leader Wang, are we just asking him to cooperate with the investigation? No coercive measures?”

“That’s right, just a summons for questioning!” Wang Anguo said.

“But won’t that tip him off?”

“Heh, that’s exactly the effect we’re going for. We have to throw him off balance so he slips up!”

Wang Anguo continued, “In addition to treating Zhou Guoyong as a prime suspect, we also need to investigate Tan Yuanqiao’s other associates to ensure we don’t miss any crucial leads!”

“Also, we need to investigate the people around Zhou Guoyong. A case this meticulously planned couldn’t possibly be carried out by just one person!”

“Yes!”

……

By this point, Li Yi had also learned about the oil drum murder case; he’d heard about it from others during dinner that evening.

Since there were quite a few workers in the vicinity when the body was discovered, Wang Anguo and his team were unable to contain the news, even if they had wanted to.

Consequently, word of the incident quickly spread throughout the city.

Moreover, after two days of brewing, the situation was showing signs of escalating.

Upon hearing the news, Li Yi was stunned.

He knew the case had been uncovered recently, but he hadn’t expected such a coincidence—it had happened on Wang Anguo’s very first day in office.

He really didn’t know if this was a good thing or a bad thing for him!

If anything, it was actually a good thing, because the case wasn’t complicated.

In his previous life, the police had meticulously pieced together the case, relying solely on the victim’s remains and other evidence to conduct a thorough investigation. They eventually identified the suspect and solved this cold case in less than a month.

And with Wang Anguo’s extensive investigative experience, coupled with my guidance, I don’t foresee any major issues.

If he could crack the case in a short time, it would indeed be a major achievement and help him establish himself at the Municipal Bureau.

But it’s also true that this situation isn’t all good. Due to the arrival of Huang Lixing and his delegation, the Regional Committee has tightened security measures in the city.

With an incident like this, the Municipal Bureau would inevitably be given a deadline to solve the case, and all they could do was put pressure on Wang Anguo’s criminal investigation team.

The question is how efficient Wang Anguo and his team are—whether they can crack the case within the stipulated timeframe.

Otherwise, even if they do eventually solve the case, it might still draw the displeasure of higher-ups.

In short, this matter is both a challenge and an opportunity for Wang Anguo.

However, Li Yi has no intention of intervening for the time being. For one thing, he believes in Wang Anguo’s capabilities; after all, Wang is not a typical “second-generation official.”

Setting aside the fact that he spent so many years in the military and is a combat hero,

The fact that he rose to the position of county criminal investigation team captain in just a few short years alone demonstrates his considerable investigative skills.

Secondly, although Li Yi was keen to align himself with someone influential, he had no desire to become Wang Anguo’s subordinate.

After all, his own journey was bound for the stars and the vast ocean, and Wang Anguo clearly couldn’t keep up with his pace.

How high Wang Anguo ultimately climbs depends entirely on his own efforts.

Li Yi didn’t want to get too involved; doing so would be detrimental to both Wang Anguo and himself, with no benefits whatsoever!

Besides, Li Yi had more important matters on his mind right now—he certainly didn’t have time to meddle in such trivial affairs!

After leaving the bus station, Li Yi didn’t go to the Municipal Bureau to find Wang Anguo; instead, he headed straight for the state-run hotel in the city center.

Like state-run guesthouses, the State-Run Hotel was a state-owned accommodation facility, though the two catered to entirely different clientele.

Guesthouses generally accommodate employees of various organizations and lower-level officials—for example, a workshop director or office director from a factory—who typically stay at state-run guesthouses when on business trips.

State-run hotels, however, are a different story; they typically accommodate high-ranking officials or foreign guests.

Consequently, the room rates and other expenses here were significantly higher than those at guesthouses, making them completely unaffordable for ordinary people.

The state-run hotel was located in a bustling part of the city; Li Yi didn’t even need to take a taxi—he walked there in about ten minutes.

But when he arrived at the front desk to check in, the staff thought he had come to the wrong place.

“Comrade, this is the City Hotel, not some ordinary guesthouse.”

Hearing the staff member’s rude remark, Li Yi shot back without hesitation: “What’s wrong with the City Hotel? Is it lined with gold? Isn’t it meant for people to stay in?”

“Comrade, how dare you speak to us like that? The City Hotel doesn’t accommodate just anyone! Besides, a night’s stay here isn’t cheap—can you even afford it?”

“Hah, what era is this? Still looking down on people based on their appearance? How do you know I can’t afford it?” Li Yi said coldly.

“How dare you insult me?”

“Which ear did you hear me swearing with? It seems you’ve completely forgotten the principle of serving the people—otherwise, why would you be arguing with me like this?” Li Yi said coldly.

To be honest, regardless of whether the prices here were high or not, Li Yi found the service attitude alone to be absolutely terrible.

If he hadn’t known that Huang Lixing and the others were staying at the state-run hotel, there was no way he would have chosen to stay here.

Just as the argument was heating up, Li Yi suddenly heard a voice from behind him: “Brother Li Yi?”

Li Yi turned to look and saw it was Liu Jingshan.

He was dressed in a white chef’s uniform and wearing a white chef’s hat; anyone who didn’t know better would have thought he was a master chef from somewhere.

Upon seeing Li Yi, Liu Jingshan burst out laughing: “Brother Li Yi, it really is you! What brings you here?”

Li Yi smiled and said, “I came to the city to run some errands. I can’t go back, so I planned to stay here for a few days, but I didn’t expect to run into trouble!”

Liu Jingshan had been drawn over by the commotion just moments ago. He immediately frowned and said, “Brother Li Yi, how did they give you a hard time? I’ll go find Director Yan for you!”

Hearing this, the staff members who had been so aggressive moments ago turned pale.

They didn’t know Li Yi, but they certainly knew Liu Jingshan.

The director of the Qingshan County State-Owned Hotel wasn’t exactly a big shot, and he certainly didn’t have the authority to boss them around.

But the reality was that he had been invited by the Prefectural Party Committee and the government to serve as one of the catering managers for VIP hospitality, and there were even rumors that higher-ups were considering appointing him as the deputy director of the Municipal Hotel.

Setting aside all that, they knew for a fact that Director Yan of the Municipal Hotel treated him with the utmost courtesy.

If he really were to report this to higher-ups, even if only to save face for this man, they would still get reprimanded.

Just getting scolded wouldn’t be so bad, but they knew Director Yan loved to use any excuse to dock the staff’s bonuses.

That’s five yuan, after all—it would hurt so much to have it taken away.

At that, the staff member who had been so aggressive just moments ago suddenly backed down a bit, though she was too embarrassed to speak up.

Instead, the woman standing nearby who had been watching the spectacle hurriedly interjected, “It’s a misunderstanding, really a misunderstanding! We didn’t mean to give this comrade a hard time, it’s just…”

“Cut the crap and check me in!”

Li Yi couldn’t be bothered to listen to their nonsense, especially from this woman speaking now.

She’d been standing by watching the show while they were arguing, and now she was stepping in to play the good guy—she was clearly the manipulative type.

“Fine, fine, fine. Please present your letter of introduction and personal ID!”

Li Yi immediately handed over the letter of introduction he’d obtained yesterday along with his household registration booklet, secretly relieved that he’d gotten the letter yesterday—otherwise, he really wouldn’t have been able to check in today!

“Comrade, our room rates vary. We have standard rooms for two yuan a night, and others for five yuan a day…”

Before the woman could finish, Li Yi said calmly, “Building 2, Room 315, dxmbang!”

Hearing the room number Li Yi had given, the two women were instantly stunned.

“Comrade, the third floor of Building 2 is all VIP rooms. They cost 15 yuan a night. Are you sure you want to stay there?”

“I’ll take it!”

Liu Jingshan, standing nearby, was also dumbfounded. He knew Li Yi was wealthy—in the past two months alone, he’d taken at least 20,000 yuan from their state-run hotel.

But he never imagined that Li Yi would actually choose to stay in a room costing 15 yuan a night—an amount equivalent to nearly half a month’s wages for an ordinary person.

Li Yi clearly sensed what Liu Jingshan was thinking. He smiled and said, “It’s for business—I have no choice!”

Hearing this, Liu Jingshan got it instantly.

So Li Yi was here on business—no wonder. He had to maintain his image!

By then, the front desk staff had already completed Li Yi’s check-in.

After asking Liu Jingshan for directions to his room, Li Yi said, “See you later,” and followed the staff member to Building 2.

The main reason Li Yi insisted on staying in Room 315 was that he knew Huang Lixing and his group had been assigned to Room 314 upon their arrival.

At the time of the incident, he and his wife had been staying in that very room.

This led to frequent rumors that Room 314 in Building 2 of the City Hotel was haunted, providing plenty of after-dinner conversation for the people of Ning City.

Since he was here to ask this Mr. Huang for a donation, staying right next door would give him more opportunities to meet him.

Who knows, maybe an opportunity would arise!

Besides, if all else failed, he could simply rush into the next room to save the day when the bodyguard-turned-murderer struck—that would achieve the same result.

In short, it’s all about being in the right place at the right time!

Standing outside the room and looking at the master key in his hand, Li Yi couldn’t help but shake his head.

This was supposed to be the most upscale hotel in Ning City, yet this massive key alone had already cut the hotel’s prestige in half.

However, once he opened the door, the interior decor and furnishings caught Li Yi’s eye.

It was a suite, with a bedroom inside, a living room outside, and even a bathroom with a bathtub.

In addition, it was fully equipped with a sofa, coffee table, and color TV.

It had to be said that this 15-yuan-a-night hotel was quite unique; at the very least, in this area, it could be called luxurious.

Not to mention that the room also included breakfast for two!

Looking at it this way, it seemed well worth the price!

Of course, if it weren’t for his own plans, Li Yi wouldn’t have chosen this place.

Late at night, in the forensic lab of the Municipal Bureau, Wang Anguo, Li Yuanqing, and the others watched quietly as forensic pathologist Qin Ya carefully removed the clothing from the skeleton, piece by piece.

Although the skeleton was completely devoid of flesh and blood, it still looked somewhat terrifying.

It was truly hard to imagine that a young woman in her twenties wasn’t the least bit afraid, as if the bones before her were nothing more than leftover chicken or pork bones.

It took quite a while before Qin Ya finally managed to peel away the severely decayed clothing and extract the skeleton.

Since there was almost no flesh left on the deceased, they could only look for the cause of death and clues on the bones themselves.

Soon, Qin Ya pointed to a massive fracture at the top of the skull and said, “Captain Wang, judging by the integrity of these bones, the victim’s limbs didn’t sustain significant damage. However, this area was struck by a blunt object with such force that it crushed through the skull—an injury severe enough to be fatal!”

Wang Anguo nodded and said, “In other words, the victim may have been killed by a blow to the head with a blunt object!”

“Exactly!”

At that moment, Li Yuanqing said in a grave tone, “The impact point is at the back of the head, which means he was likely killed while completely off guard or unable to defend himself!”

Hearing this, Wang Anguo and Li Yuanqing exchanged a glance and said in unison, “It was an inside job!”

“Could it have been a family member?” Wang Anguo asked in a low voice.

“Impossible!”

Li Yuanqing continued, “After the incident, we conducted a thorough interrogation and investigation of Tan Yuanqiao’s family. None of them had an alibi.”

“Besides, Tan Yuanqiao and his wife had a very good relationship. They have three children—there’s absolutely no way they’d kill for money.”

“What about his friends?”

“We only asked them a few casual questions at the time; we didn’t investigate them in depth…”

Wang Anguo immediately said, “That should be a useful lead—it might just be the key to solving the case!”

“Hmm!”

Suddenly, Wang Anguo’s gaze fixed on the oil drum containing the body.

Although the drum had become heavily rusted after more than a decade of exposure, the words “State-Owned No. X Gas Station” were still faintly visible.

“Look into this drum. A large drum like this was a rarity over a decade ago. Anyone capable of procuring something like this to store a body isn’t just an ordinary person!” Wang Anguo said.

“Yes!”

…….

Early the next morning, Wang Anguo had just gotten out of bed when he saw Li Yuanqing rushing over.

As soon as they met, he exclaimed excitedly, “Captain Wang, it’s been confirmed—the deceased is Tan Yuanqiao!”

“Did you find any evidence?”

“Yes. After work yesterday, I made a special trip to the Tan family home to speak with Tan Yuanqiao’s wife. I told her about the discovery of the remains, and she revealed a crucial detail to me!”

“What detail?”

“She said the buttons on the outfit Tan Yuanqiao was wearing before he went missing were different from those worn by the textile factory workers. The reason is that a few days before he disappeared, he got drunk, took a fall, and lost several buttons.”

Li Yuanqing continued, “At the time, she searched the entire house but couldn’t find a matching button, so she just sewed on a random one. That’s why there’s one button on Tan Yuanqiao’s shirt that’s different from the rest!”

“Before coming here, I went back to the forensic lab and carefully examined the clothes on the body. Sure enough, I found that the bottom hem of the garment was different from the rest!”

“So, you’re saying the deceased is Tan Yuanqiao?”

“Yes.”

Li Yuanqing continued, “Furthermore, I’ve investigated this: the Model Worker medals issued by the city back then were numbered, and the one Tan Yuanqiao received was numbered 665—which perfectly matches the number of the medal we found in the victim’s pocket.”

“All the evidence points to the deceased being Tan Yuanqiao!”

“Now that we’ve confirmed the victim’s identity, we should thoroughly investigate Tan Yuanqiao’s relationships before his death, especially those acquaintances whose lives have undergone significant changes.”

Wang Anguo continued, “We didn’t find the missing money on Tan Yuanqiao’s body, so there’s good reason to believe the killer’s motive was financial gain!”

“And when someone suddenly comes into that much money, they might be able to hold back for a year or two, but it’s impossible to keep up the pretense for over a decade without spending any of it. We can definitely start our investigation from this angle!”

“Exactly!”

“Comrade Yuanqing, go notify everyone that the team’s key members are to report to the conference room immediately in twenty minutes. We’ll review the evidence and split up to investigate!”

“Yes!”

……..

While Wang Anguo was busy leading the investigation, Li Yi had already arrived in the city.

He hadn’t come here to help Wang Anguo solve the case; after all, he hadn’t known about the oil drum murder case before arriving.

To be honest, Li Yi’s sudden trip to the city was entirely aimed at that billionaire, Huang Lixing.

Li Yi had heard a thing or two about this Mr. Huang.

Mr. Huang is from Guangdong Province and just turned fifty this year. In his youth, he and some fellow villagers, relying on their strong swimming skills, swam across the Pearl River to Hong Kong Island to make a living.

He was a man of vision and determination. Starting out as a porter at the docks, he worked his way up to running a street stall, then opened a factory, got into the clothing business, and eventually established a foreign trade company.

After more than thirty years of development, he finally amassed assets worth over 100 million, making him a well-known tycoon on Hong Kong Island.

Moreover, he possesses keen investment acumen. Upon learning that large-scale reforms were underway in mainland China, he immediately recognized this as a massive business opportunity.

Consequently, he began to consider expanding his business into the mainland.

By a stroke of luck, he met Director Feng of the Investment Promotion Bureau of North Sai Province at a high-level conference, and the two hit it off immediately.

At Director Feng’s strong invitation, Huang Lixing immediately decided to take his wife and bodyguards to Sai Bei Province for an inspection tour.

Originally, Director Feng had intended for Huang Lixing to invest in the provincial capital, but after surveying the situation in Qingcheng, Huang felt its potential was limited and suggested visiting the various cities further down the line.

Ning City was their second stop in North Sai Province. Under normal circumstances, they would have continued on to explore even more remote locations like Lu City and Coal City.

Unexpectedly, however, on the third day of their arrival in Ning City, he and his wife were found dead in their hotel room—a truly tragic turn of events.

Even more shocking was the fact that, after a thorough investigation, the police discovered that the murderer was none other than Huang Lixing’s own bodyguard.

Although the case was eventually solved, it left a terribly bad reputation for Saibei Province.

For many years afterward, foreign investors would flatly refuse any invitation from the Saibei Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau upon hearing its name, which severely hampered the province’s economic development.

Li Yi’s interest in the matter wasn’t driven by concern for the Investment Promotion Bureau’s reputation, but rather by the hope that he might use this Mr. Huang to resolve his current financial crisis.

If possible, he wouldn’t mind having Mr. Huang spend his money to save his own life!

He was still mulling over the specifics of how to go about it.

But no matter how he went about it, he had to get to the city first.

So early this morning, he said goodbye to his family and headed into the city.

Municipal Bureau. Criminal Investigation Division. Conference Room.

The meeting room, with its windows wide open, was still filled with smoke. Regardless of their age, every one of these detectives loved to have a smoke.

It wasn’t that they didn’t know smoking was harmful to their health; it was simply that the pressure was too great.

Whenever a major case occurred, the public demanded the truth, and the government needed to provide an explanation—so all the pressure inevitably fell squarely on their shoulders.

What with withstanding the pressure and meeting deadlines to solve cases, most people simply couldn’t handle such immense pressure.

Because the case had erupted so suddenly, Wang Anguo, the newly appointed captain, hadn’t even had time to get to know everyone on the team yet, but he was now forced to step into his role immediately and take charge of this case involving a body hidden in a gasoline drum.

This sudden and heinous crime immediately became the focus of everyone’s attention.

For the members of the Municipal Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Team—and even higher-ranking officials—this case is like an exam, specifically designed for Wang Anguo, the newly appointed captain.

Solving the case is the only correct answer!

If the case is solved, it will prove Wang Anguo’s competence as a criminal investigation team captain, and he will be able to establish himself within the team as quickly as possible.

On the other hand, if the case remains unsolved, Wang Anguo’s competence will be called into question by everyone.

To establish a firm foothold at the Municipal Bureau, he’ll have to work even harder.

“Is everyone here? Then let’s get started!”

Finally, Wang Anguo added, “First, let’s discuss the stance of the municipal bureau leadership. We must solve this case within a set timeframe. Since the crime occurred so long ago, they’ve given us one month.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Deputy Captain Zhang Yongmao frowned and said, “Solving a case from over a decade ago within a month? That’s a bit too short a timeframe, isn’t it?”

“Exactly. This isn’t a recent case—how could we possibly solve it in a month?”

“What were the higher-ups thinking? We’d be lucky to even identify the victim within a month!”

“You’re right. Solving this case within a month is completely impossible…”

Once everyone had had their say, Wang Anguo tapped the table and said, “I understand how you all feel, but an order is an order. The higher-ups have given us one month to solve this case, so we must solve it within that time! As for how we do it, that depends on our own abilities!”

Then, Wang Anguo added, “Besides, I personally believe a month is plenty of time!”

Upon hearing this, the looks in everyone’s eyes toward Wang Anguo changed.

Shock, confusion, and disdain—every kind of expression was there. Some even looked at him as if he were a complete fool.

Wang Anguo didn’t care what they thought; he already had some leads on this case.

At the very least, Brother Li Yi was there; if worse came to worst, he could always ask him for help. A month was more than enough time.

“Captain Wang, how do you plan to solve this case, guys…”

Before Deputy Captain Zhang could finish, Wang Anguo cut him off and said, “I already have a plan, and I’ve even found some leads!”

Then, Wang Anguo pulled a thick case file from a dusty folder and said, “The victim’s identity has been basically confirmed—he is Tan Yuanqiao, the accountant at the former municipal textile factory!”

Upon hearing the name Tan Yuanqiao, the veteran detectives present were stunned.

“Captain Wang, is… is this true? Is it really Accountant Tan?”

“No way—weren’t we told that Accountant Tan had absconded with the funds? How could he have died here!”

“I knew it. How could there be no trace of him at all? So he was murdered after all…”

Tan Yuanqiao was actually quite a well-known figure within the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division, as his disappearance years ago had caused quite a stir, and it was the Municipal Criminal Investigation Team that had handled the case at the time.

Wang Anguo motioned for everyone to quiet down, then said, “Based on the clothes the deceased was wearing, a colleague at the scene immediately pointed out that these were the standard work uniforms of the Municipal Textile Factory employees. I then had my team investigate whether there had been any missing persons from the Municipal Textile Factory over the past decade or so.”

“Our investigation revealed that, over the past decade or so, the only person to have gone missing from the Municipal Textile Factory was the former accountant, Tan Yuanqiao. He disappeared 11 years ago, and judging by the degree of skeletal decomposition, it has been roughly the same amount of time—the timeline essentially matches.”

“Furthermore, this afternoon we found a medal in the deceased’s pocket—one awarded by the city to Model Workers. Tan Yuanqiao was, in fact, one of the recipients. All the evidence points to the deceased being Tan Yuanqiao.”

Wang Anguo continued, “This afternoon, I had the case files from Tan Yuanqiao’s disappearance retrieved. After reviewing the basic details of that case, I believe we can merge the two investigations!”

Deputy Captain Zhang frowned and said, “Combining the cases is fine, but we must first confirm that the deceased is indeed Tan Yuanqiao. Otherwise, it will only cloud our judgment!”

“The forensic team is currently determining the time of death, and we’re also collecting other items from the gasoline drum. I’m confident we’ll soon have substantial evidence to confirm the victim’s identity!”

Wang Anguo continued, “But until then, we can’t just sit around waiting. Based on reasonable assumptions, we can proceed with investigating the relevant circumstances!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhou Daqiang, the head of Criminal Investigation Unit 1, immediately replied, “I think Captain Wang makes a good point. Isn’t solving cases all about making bold assumptions and carefully verifying them? Since we can already roughly confirm the victim’s identity, we can certainly conduct our investigation while waiting for new evidence!”

“Right, I think Captain Wang makes a good point!”

“I also agree with Captain Wang’s approach…”

After receiving support from several team leaders, Wang Anguo said in a solemn tone, “In that case, let’s start by looking into the disappearance of Tan Yuanqiao!”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Yuanqing, the head of the Second Criminal Investigation Unit, said in a firm tone, “I handled this case personally, so I’m quite familiar with the details!”

“Then please, Comrade Yuanqing, give us an overview of this case!” Wang Anguo said.

“Hmm!”

Li Yuanqing gathered his thoughts and began, “I remember this case very clearly. It happened during the summer 11 years ago—in August of ’69, to be exact. I had just been transferred back to the Municipal Bureau from a township. On my fifth day on the job, we suddenly received a report from the Municipal Textile Factory that their accountant, Tan Yuanqiao, had gone missing.”

“We didn’t think much of it at the time, but later we learned that it wasn’t just the person who was missing—more than 30,000 yuan was gone as well.”

“The day Tan Yuanqiao disappeared happened to be the factory’s payday. As the factory’s accountant, Tan Yuanqiao was responsible for withdrawing the workers’ wages from the bank every month. And along with Tan Yuanqiao, the wages for the entire factory’s workforce vanished.”

Li Yuanqing continued, “At the time, all the evidence pointed to Tan Yuanqiao having absconded with the funds. After all, the total amount of workers’ wages he had withdrawn from the bank amounted to 30,000 yuan—no small sum, and certainly enough to tempt the greed of most people.”

“Since he could not be found, the case was ultimately classified as embezzlement and flight, and it remains unsolved to this day.”

“If the remains found this time are indeed those of Tan Yuanqiao, then he didn’t abscond with the funds back then—he was murdered. The direction of the investigation all those years ago was completely wrong!”

After hearing Li Yuanqing’s words, the room fell into silence.

After a long pause, Wang Anguo said in a solemn voice, “Regardless of the direction of the investigation back then, I believe what we need to do now is to conduct interviews with the veteran employees of the textile factory as soon as possible.”

“At the same time, contact Tan Yuanqiao’s family immediately. After all, they are his relatives and have a clear understanding of his personal relationships; perhaps they’ll provide some new leads!”

“Furthermore, the most important task is to examine the items at the scene, especially those found on the victim’s person! Remember, while the dead cannot speak, they also cannot lie—the evidence on their bodies is often the truth!”

“Yes!”

…….

Li Yi was unaware of the events unfolding at the Municipal Bureau; his remarks were based primarily on things he had experienced or heard about in his previous life.

On one hand, he spoke up to warn Wang Anguo, so he’d be mentally prepared.

On the other hand, Li Yi was doing it for his own upcoming plan!

He hadn’t expected, however, that the very day after he’d spoken those words, the incident would actually occur.

If it weren’t for the fact that this murder had taken place at least a decade ago—and that Li Yi had been only a teenager at the time—it would have been completely impossible for him to have committed the crime.

Otherwise, Wang Anguo would likely have suspected Li Yi himself first.

As for Li Yi, after exchanging his nationwide grain coupons,

he took Tang Xue to the supply and marketing cooperative, where they bought a batch of rice, flour, and cooking oil, and he also bought her some insect repellent.

Afterward, Li Yi took Tang Xue to the Hongqi Commune, where Nianzishan Village was located, to obtain an introduction letter!

By the time they arrived at the Hongqi Commune, it was nearly noon.

When they saw Li Yi driving his cart pulled by a big black horse into the courtyard of the Hongqi Commune, it immediately caught the attention of the officials inside.

“Hey, look who that is. Isn’t that the kid from the Li family in Nianzishan Village?”

“Old Liu, aren’t you talking about that ‘tough guy’ who threw every male educated youth in Nianzishan Village into jail?”

“Who else could it be? I’ve heard that this kid is particularly ruthless…”

…….

What Li Yi didn’t know was that even though he rarely visited the commune, his reputation had long since spread throughout the entire Hongqi Commune.

It couldn’t be helped. Hongqi Commune had always been known for its simple, honest folk, and for many years, no serious incidents had occurred there. In fact, in a commune this large, even fistfights were rare.

But this kid was like a catfish suddenly dropped into a pond—extremely aggressive.

Let’s not even mention what happened a few years ago; in just the past few months alone, he’s caused quite a stir.

Take the case of those male educated youths in Nianzishan Village, for instance. To them, it might have been a minor matter, but this young man, relying on his solid connections in the county seat, managed to get all six of them thrown in jail.

On top of that, when the parents and relatives of those male educated youths came to the commune to plead for mercy not long ago—and spoke of just how cold-hearted and ruthless Li Yi was—it only made his reputation for being “fierce” even more notorious.

Everyone knew that Nianzi Mountain Village had produced a ruthless man—one you’d be wise not to cross.

Li Yi was completely unaware of all this. He made his way with ease to the office where letters of introduction were issued and explained his business to the staff member.

The clerk was a young man himself, looking to be under twenty.

Seeing Li Yi, so young and accompanied by such a beautiful young wife, the clerk—whether out of jealousy or some other reason—spoke in a sharp tone, seemingly trying to test Li Yi’s limits.

Li Yi certainly wasn’t going to put up with that, but before he could lose his temper, a middle-aged official hurried in from outside and took the young man’s place.

In contrast to the young clerk, this middle-aged official was surprisingly courteous.

He was exceptionally diligent in handling Li Yi’s business, which actually managed to calm Li Yi’s previously frayed nerves.

Since the matter had been settled anyway, Li Yi didn’t bother to argue with the young man. He then took Tang Xue and left the Hongqi Commune in the horse-drawn carriage.

Watching Li Yi and Tang Xue’s retreating figures, the middle-aged man who had received Li Yi breathed a sigh of relief.

He immediately summoned the young man into his office and unleashed a torrent of abuse on him.

If he hadn’t happened to be passing by and stepped in to take the young man’s place, who knows what kind of mess would have ensued.

He knew full well that the young man was Secretary Wang’s father’s savior; at Old Man Wang’s birthday celebration, the young man had been a guest of honor, seated at the family table.

Not even the director of their commune enjoyed that kind of treatment.

This kid had no idea his place and actually tried to boss him around—wasn’t that like looking for trouble in a dark corner?

The young man who’d been scolded was stunned. He hadn’t realized that the guy who looked like a mud-covered peasant had such high-ranking connections. He’d nearly caused a major disaster and couldn’t help but feel a lingering sense of dread.

Li Yi had no idea what happened afterward, and even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared.

After leaving the Hongqi Commune, they set off on foot toward Nianzishan Village.

Since villagers would be selling mushrooms that afternoon, Second Sister alone wouldn’t be able to handle it all, so they had to get back early.

…….

By the time they got home, it was already 1:00 p.m., and both of them were starving.

Fortunately, their mother had steamed plenty of buns and picked some greens from the vegetable patch, which she stir-fried with an egg for them. They certainly had their fill.

After lunch, Li Yi took Tang Xue over to the new house.

When he arrived, his second older sister, Li Lan, was packing the sun-dried mushrooms into bags and stacking them one by one in the storage shed next door.

It had been less than a month, and the dried mushrooms already filled an entire storage room.

Seeing Li Yi and Tang Xue arrive, his second older sister immediately asked how things were going.

Li Yi asked Tang Xue to chat with his second older sister for a while, while he rolled up his sleeves and took over the work from her!

Li Yi spent the entire afternoon working at the new house.

To be honest, it had rained a lot in Qingshan County this year, and the number of mushrooms on the mountain had exceeded Li Yi’s expectations.

He had originally thought that a daily yield of three or four thousand catties would last at most a fortnight before dropping off—after all, these weren’t cultivated; they were all wild, and couldn’t possibly withstand such frequent harvesting.

But to his surprise, nearly a month had passed, and the quantity hadn’t changed much.

But upon reflection, it made sense. The hills behind Nianzishan Village are backed by Daqing Mountain, home to a vast forest stretching for dozens of kilometers, teeming with all kinds of mushrooms, wood ear fungus, and wild animals.

Plus, these mushrooms aren’t very filling and don’t keep well, so no one usually bothers to pick them.

If one spot runs out, there are plenty of others just as abundant, so the amount of wild produce the villagers have been bringing in hasn’t changed much during this time.

The only change was that the kids were bringing back less and less!

After all, they’re still quite young, and Li Yi worries that venturing too deep into the forest might be dangerous, so he only allows them to forage along the forest’s edge.

It would be fine if the adults weren’t getting involved, but now that the adults have started foraging for mushrooms on their “turf,” the kids are able to gather much less.

From a peak of seven or eight hundred pounds a day, the harvest has now dropped to less than four hundred pounds—a decrease of about half.

However, Li Yi wasn’t bothered by this; it was exactly what he had expected.

Compared to adults, the children were still young after all; their labor capacity and range of movement were limited.

Fortunately, their vacation would soon be over. Once they’d earned their money, they could return to school with peace of mind.

Municipal Bureau, Criminal Investigation Division!

While Li Yi was in the county town exchanging national grain coupons with Tang Xue, Wang Anguo had already arrived at the Municipal Bureau to take up his post.

The city authorities placed great importance on this Criminal Investigation Division captain, who had been promoted on the front lines. Consequently, with the exception of the bureau’s top official, all the other deputy directors were present today to welcome Wang Anguo.

Although the rank of Criminal Investigation Division Captain isn’t particularly high, he is responsible for major and high-profile cases across the entire city—a classic example of someone with a low rank but significant power.

With someone like this, while it wasn’t necessarily essential to curry favor, it was best not to offend him.

Moreover, Wang Anguo’s older brother is the top official in Qingshan County, so they had to give him that face.

However, what no one could have anticipated was that just as the municipal bureau leadership was welcoming Wang Anguo to his new post, the Criminal Investigation Division suddenly received a report that workers had unearthed a body at the construction site for the renovation of the Old Bridge in the western part of the city.

The sudden homicide case brought the Municipal Bureau’s welcome reception to an abrupt halt. As the newly appointed captain, Wang Anguo immediately led his team to the scene.

On the way to the crime scene, Wang Anguo was in a state of utter shock.

He couldn’t help but recall the words Li Yi had spoken at his home the day before: two homicide cases—one old, one new.

Moreover, Li Yi had made it very clear yesterday: the old case would come first, followed by the new one.

Although he had always been aware of Li Yi’s abilities and knew he was uncannily prescient,

he never imagined it would be this precise—he hadn’t even had time to settle into his new position before a body was discovered in the city.

Moreover, according to the officer who responded to the call, the remains found at the scene were nearly skeletal, and a visual assessment suggested the time of death was no less than ten years ago.

There was no doubt about it—this was clearly an old case that had been unsolved for a long time, matching Li Yi’s prediction to a T.

Although Wang Anguo really wanted to go back right now to see Li Yi and ask him exactly what was going on,

he recalled Li Yi’s words: there were plenty of leads in this cold case, and a thorough investigation offered a good chance of solving it.

Therefore, he decided to go to the scene first.

The crime scene was located beside the old bridge over the Bawang River on the outskirts of the city. At that moment, the area was surrounded by a crowd of workers and a small number of police officers.

After Wang Anguo and his team arrived, an elderly police officer in charge of maintaining order at the scene immediately came over to report the situation.

“Captain Wang, we’ve secured the scene. There’s a nearly skeletonized body and a few pieces of clothing under the bridge pier—nothing else at the scene…”

After hearing the veteran officer’s report, Wang Anguo immediately asked, “Who called the police?”

The veteran officer immediately shouted toward the crowd of onlookers in the distance, “Where’s the foreman? Come over here!”

Soon, a middle-aged man in his forties hurried over and said, “I’m the foreman… I’m the foreman!”

“Tell me what happened here. How was the body discovered?” Wang Anguo asked immediately.

“Comrade Police Officer, we’re from the Municipal Road and Bridge Team. We were tasked with renovating this bridge. While demolishing one of the piers, we suddenly unearthed a metal oil drum from below. We found a dead body inside, so we called the police…”

After getting the details, Wang Anguo went personally to the site where the remains were found.

There, beside the bridge pier slated for demolition, was a large pit two or three meters deep. Inside the pit lay a rusty, large oil drum, tilted at an angle, with a skeleton huddled inside.

Recalling Li Yi’s mention that there were plenty of leads in this cold case, Wang Anguo immediately began examining the skeletal remains closely.

Having worked in law enforcement for so many years, Wang Anguo knew full well that to crack a cold case like this, the first step was to identify the victim.

Relying solely on these nearly skeletonized remains, it was highly unlikely that his identity could be determined.

Fortunately, the clothes on his body hadn’t completely disintegrated yet, and Wang Anguo could vaguely make out that they were a factory uniform.

He immediately called over several veteran police officers who had accompanied him to identify which factory the uniform belonged to.

Soon, a gray-haired veteran officer named Yan Guoqiang recognized it: “Captain, this looks like the uniform from the Municipal Textile Factory!”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely. The employees at the Municipal Textile Factory still wear this type of work uniform—it’s very distinctive.”

Wang Anguo ordered immediately, “Take this gasoline drum and the remains back to the Municipal Bureau right away. Have the forensic team determine the time of death, and at the same time, send someone to the Textile Factory to find out if any of their workers have gone missing in recent years.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Notify all team members to return for a meeting. We’re setting up a special task force immediately to solve this case as quickly as possible!”

“Yes!”

…….

After returning to the Municipal Bureau from the crime scene, Wang Anguo first gave a brief report on the situation to his superior. Upon receiving instructions to solve the case as quickly as possible, he returned to his office.

Sitting in his chair with his eyes closed, he pondered for a long while before finally picking up the phone and dialing the number.

Qingshan County, Criminal Investigation Division!

Li Gang was packing up his things in his office when he suddenly heard someone calling him to the phone.

Without hesitation, he immediately ran to the switchboard room and took the receiver from the operator.

“This is Li Gang. Who’s calling?”

“It’s me, Wang Anguo!”

“Brother Wang, didn’t you just get to the Municipal Bureau? Why are you calling back so soon? Missing your old buddy?” Li Gang said with a laugh.

However, Wang Anguo replied in a serious tone, “Stop joking around. I’ve got something important to discuss with you!”

Li Gang immediately composed his expression and replied, “Got it. What’s going on?”

Wang Anguo was silent for a long moment before saying, “Gangzi, do you remember what Brother Li Yi told us yesterday?”

“What did he say?”

“Things aren’t going so well—two murders!”

“I remember. What’s up?”

No sooner had he asked than Li Gang froze, then cautiously inquired, “Brother Wang, it can’t be that accurate, can it?”

“Yeah. I just got a report from the public as soon as I arrived at the Municipal Bureau. A body was found on the outskirts of the city. Judging by the condition, the victim has been dead for at least ten years—an old cold case!”

Hearing Wang Anguo’s words, Li Gang couldn’t help but gasp.

He thought back to what Li Yi had said yesterday—one new case and one old case. This was definitely the old one!

The victim had been dead for over a decade, and the crime had occurred at least ten years ago—there was likely no older cold case in the Municipal Bureau than this one.

“Any leads?”

“A few, but not many!” Wang Anguo replied.

“Should I go talk to Brother Li Yi? He might have more concrete information!” Li Gang asked.

“Not just yet. I want to see how capable our colleagues at the Municipal Bureau are at solving cases. Let’s use this case as a test,” Wang Anguo said.

“That’s fine, but Brother Wang, don’t go too far. You know how many people are watching you right now, and how many are just waiting for you to slip up!” Li Gang said.

“I know. I’m not the type to let pride get the better of me. If things don’t work out, I’ll ask Brother Li Yi for help!” Wang Anguo said.

“Hmm! Is there anything I can do?”

“Nothing for now. Just keep an eye on Brother Li Yi for me after I’m gone.”

Then Wang Anguo added, “Also, I stopped by Director Zhang’s office last night to recommend you for the position of Criminal Investigation Team Captain. Tell your dad to get out there and make some moves—he shouldn’t just sit around waiting!”

“Got it!”

“Mm-hmm!”

……..

Declining the Wang Anguo couple’s invitation to stay, Li Yi returned to the county bureau, caught up with his black horse-drawn cart, and headed back to Nianzishan Village.

Although he had slept for several hours that afternoon, he was still feeling a bit under the weather because he had drunk at least eight liang of baijiu at noon.

On top of that, the wind hitting him as he stepped outside caused the alcohol to rush to his head all at once, and he instantly began to feel dizzy and disoriented.

Fortunately, the black horse was quite experienced; even though Li Yi lacked the energy to control it, the horse still safely pulled him back home.

By the time they arrived home, it was already 8:00 p.m., and the sky had grown completely dark.

At the Li family’s old residence, everyone had been worried about Li Yi because he hadn’t returned.

Suddenly, they heard a noise outside the front gate. Third Sister Li Na and Tang Xue immediately went out to check and found that Li Yi had returned.

However, when they saw Li Yi in the carriage, everyone was startled.

Li Yi looked completely drained of energy, and upon closer inspection, they could smell the strong scent of alcohol on him.

“Yi, why did you drink so much?”

Tang Xue hurriedly said, “Sister Na, don’t say anything—let’s just help him inside first!”

The two of them scrambled to help Li Yi into the house. Seeing his son in such a state, their elderly father, Li Shankui, couldn’t bear to watch any longer and immediately began scolding him.

This was the Li family’s usual approach to discipline!

Unfortunately, the more they did this, the more rebellious Li Yi became.

Fortunately, Li Yi was merely feeling miserable at the moment; his mind was actually quite clear.

“Dad, please spare me the scolding. I didn’t want to drink either, but today I really had no choice!”

Seeing that Li Yi was still thinking clearly, everyone believed him.

Afterward, Tang Xue and Li Na helped Li Yi to the west wing, where his mother prepared a bowl of hot tea to help him sober up.

After drinking the tea and working up a light sweat, Li Yi felt much better.

Even so, he still didn’t feel quite right. He had originally intended to say something important to Tang Xue, but in the end, he forgot.

……..

Early the next morning, Li Yi was roused by his third older sister, and the siblings set to work once again on their grand endeavor of making liangpi.

After breakfast, the two mule-drawn carts set off once more.

Only this time, in addition to Li Yi and Li Na, Tang Xue had come along as well.

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Li Yi; rather, Li Yi had told her that he needed to take her to the commune to get a letter of introduction.

They also had to exchange national grain coupons—all essentials for their journey.

On the way, Tang Xue sat astride the side seat on the other side of the cart, looking at the farmlands on either side of the gravel road and said, “The crops are growing really well this year—it’s going to be another bumper harvest!”

Li Yi, however, shook his head and said, “That’s not necessarily true!”

“Why?”

“Have you ever heard the saying, ‘The weather is unpredictable, and misfortune can strike at any moment’? The same goes for crops—until every last grain is safely stored in the granary, you never know what might happen!”

Li Yi said this because he knew that the first half of the year had indeed been blessed with favorable weather, but no one could have anticipated that after autumn set in, Qing Shan County would be plagued by continuous rain for over half a month.

By the time the weather cleared, much of the crop had rotted in the fields.

Especially wheat and buckwheat—their yields had dropped by more than half.

However, upon hearing Li Yi’s words, Tang Xue stared at him intently, as if she had discovered something extraordinary.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?” Li Yi asked with a smile.

“No, I just suddenly realized you seem to have quite a way with words!”

“Literary flair?”

“Yeah, I noticed you speak just like a certain person!” Tang Xue said again.

“Who does he look like?”

“My teacher!”

“Your teacher?”

“Yeah, my high school teacher’s last name is Cui. He was a college student from Beijing. He’s really funny and always has a quick wit!”

Tang Xue continued, “I hadn’t noticed it before, but the more I listen to you speak, the more I feel you really do resemble him!”

Li Yi immediately understood—Tang Xue wasn’t saying they looked alike, but that their demeanor was similar.

“Haha, how could I possibly compare to a teacher like him?” Li Yi said with a laugh.

“Why not? It seems like every time you open your mouth, it’s either an idiom or a riddle—you don’t sound at all like someone who didn’t finish middle school!” Tang Xue said.

“Do you care that much about my educational background?” Li Yi asked suddenly.

“Not that much, but a little bit, I guess!” Tang Xue admitted honestly.

However, Li Yi just smiled and said, “Then you won’t have to worry about that anymore!”

“Huh?”

Seeing the puzzled look on Tang Xue’s face, Li Yi smiled and said, “Actually, schooling and knowledge are two different things—just like a diploma doesn’t equal culture!”

Li Yi continued, “Although I didn’t finish junior high and don’t have a diploma, I consider my cultural literacy to be quite good!”

Tang Xue nodded immediately and said, “Hmm, I can tell. You really aren’t the uneducated slacker people say you are—you’re actually quite capable!”

Being praised like this by his wife made Li Yi feel incredibly happy.

“By the way, when are we going back to my place?” Tang Xue suddenly asked.

“I was just about to mention that yesterday. I originally planned to leave in a day or two, but some unexpected circumstances have come up, so I’m going to postpone it for a few days!” Li Yi said.

“What happened?” Tang Xue asked, sounding a bit anxious.

“Nothing major. Captain Wang is taking a new post in the city, and a few of us are planning to see him off,” Li Yi said, half-jokingly.

“I see. Well, we really should see him off. After all, Captain Wang has been quite kind to us,” Tang Xue said.

“Yeah, but it won’t be later than the end of the month,” Li Yi said.

“Okay…”

…….

The two chatted as they walked, and before long, the carriage arrived at the county town.

Just as before, Li Na drove the bright red mule cart to the market stall, while Li Yi drove the horse-drawn carriage, carrying Tang Xue to the state-run restaurant.

After handing over the mountain produce, Li Yi took Tang Xue to the nearby grain and oil station.

This was a facility specifically for buying and selling grain and oil, as well as exchanging grain coupons. If Li Yi and Tang Xue wanted to leave the province, the locally issued grain coupons would be useless; they would have to exchange them for nationally valid grain coupons.

Upon arriving at the grain and oil station, the staff inside asked as soon as they walked in, “What do you need?”

“Comrade, we’d like to exchange some national grain coupons!” Li Yi said.

“How many?”

Li Yi immediately pulled a stack of bundled grain coupons from his shoulder bag and said, “500 jin!”

Hearing Li Yi’s words, the young woman across from him froze in surprise.

She had been working at this grain and oil station for three years, and this was the first time she had ever seen anyone redeem 500 jin of grain coupons.

After all, a large bowl of noodles at a state-run restaurant cost only two liang of grain coupons—500 jin? That was incredibly extravagant!

“Comrade, are you really going to exchange 500 jin of national grain coupons? You should know that exchanging local grain coupons for national ones requires a supplement of oil coupons!”

Li Yi nodded and said, “I know. Ten jin of grain coupons require one liang of oil coupons—I’ve already got five jin of oil coupons ready!”

The young woman looked at Li Yi, then finally nodded and said, “All right, then!”

She then proceeded to exchange the tickets for him!

Seeing Liang Yukui push open the door and enter, the people in the room immediately stood up to greet him.

After all, among them, Liang Yukui was the eldest and the most accomplished.

Therefore, no matter what, everyone should show him the respect he deserved.

No sooner had he sat down than Liang Yukui fixed his gaze on Wang Anguo and said, “Why the sudden move to the city? That’s a real melting pot!”

Wang Anguo smiled and said, “I want to give it a try. The ceiling here in the county is so low—I can see right to the end of the road. It’s no fun!”

“That may be so, but you must know that Master’s connections with Anmin don’t extend to the city. Once you’re there, you’ll have to rely on yourself!” Liang Yukui said.

“Yeah, I know, but I still want to give it a shot!” Wang Anguo said.

“Ah, you’re still too young!” Liang Yukui said helplessly.

However, Li Yi smiled and said, “Brother Liang, while it takes courage to step out of your comfort zone, it’s only by venturing out that you’ll achieve breakthroughs and improve!”

Liang Yukui knew Li Yi’s capabilities and immediately asked, “Brother Li Yi, do you also think my friend should give it a shot?”

Li Yi nodded and said, “If you go out there, you might end up with a black eye, but if you don’t, you might just waste your whole life away!”

Wang Anguo replied immediately, “In that case, I’d better go out and see the world!”

Liang Yukui sighed and said, “That’s a good idea. I’ve been friends with Director Qi from the Municipal Party Committee Office for a long time. If you need anything, you can go to him for help!”

“Alright, I’ll go see him if I need to!” Wang Anguo said.

After chatting for a while, Liang Yukui suddenly brought up Yang Wenguang, Wang’s brother-in-law.

“Brother Li Yi, how well do you know your eldest sister’s husband?”

“Brother Liang, what’s up?” Li Yi asked immediately.

“Your brother-in-law’s background is quite extraordinary!”

“In what way is he special?”

“After your brother-in-law was hired, we followed procedure to transfer his personnel file to the factory. But when we went to the archives bureau to retrieve it, we were told that his file wasn’t held at the county level—it was at the provincial level.”

Liang Yukui continued, “We didn’t think much of it at the time—after all, some discharged soldiers’ files are indeed kept at the Provincial Armed Forces Department for various reasons. But when our factory called them to request the transfer of your brother-in-law’s file, they replied that Comrade Yang Wenguang’s file is classified, and we have no authority to access it!”

Hearing this, Li Yi was a bit taken aback.

To be honest, he didn’t really know much about his eldest sister’s husband.

After all, his older sister hadn’t visited her parents’ home much in the three years since she married him, and then a major upheaval struck the Li family.

By the time he returned again, his eldest sister and her husband had already passed away.

So, his knowledge of his eldest sister’s husband was limited to the short time they’d spent together recently.

“Brother Liang, my older sister’s husband… won’t this affect his job at the sugar factory?” Li Yi asked.

“It’s not that bad. Although the provincial authorities said we had no authority to access Comrade Yang Wenguang’s personnel file, they did provide a brief overview of his background, describing him as a fine comrade and expressing their gratitude to our sugar factory for hiring such a hero!” Liang Yukuai replied.

“That’s good!”

Liang Yukui continued, “I had a special chat with your brother-in-law a couple of days ago and found him to be quite thoughtful. Our sugar factory’s transportation department has had several accidents in a row recently, and two people even died!”

“So, I removed the head of the transportation department and reorganized the leadership team. Your older sister’s husband is now a squad leader in the transportation department!”

“Brother Liang, no need for thanks. If you ever need a hand, just let me know!” Li Yi said.

He knew full well that his sister’s husband had stood out among so many employees not only because of his own abilities but also largely because Liang Yukui was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

As the saying goes, if the boss says you’re capable, you’re capable—even if you’re not; if the boss says you’re not capable, you’re not—even if you are!

This saying might seem full of “sarcasm,” but upon closer reflection, it makes a lot of sense.

Especially in a state-owned enterprise like the sugar factory, where the atmosphere is thick with bureaucracy.

Ability is secondary; connections and networks are what really matter.

Take my brother-in-law’s situation, for example. Without the connection between me and Liang Yukuai, he wouldn’t have even been able to step foot inside the sugar factory, let alone become a team leader.

If you can’t even get on stage, how could you possibly have a chance to show your talents!

“Hahaha, no problem at all!”

Just then, An Hong returned carrying some meat and a few bottles of liquor.

Upon seeing Liang Yukui, she greeted him briefly before heading into the kitchen to get to work.

Li Yi hadn’t expected An Hong to be such a quick cook; in less than half an hour, she’d whipped up several appetizers to go with the drinks: cold-dressed pig’s ears, candied persimmons, sliced cucumber, and hand-shredded smoked chicken.

On top of that, An Hong had a pot of braised spare ribs simmering on the stove and a pot of steamed rice ready!

Compared to this era of relative scarcity, a table full of food like this was quite a luxury.

Fortunately, everyone present today was well-off, so they didn’t find it particularly remarkable.

Once the dishes were served, Wang Anguo immediately opened a bottle of locally produced Sebei Laojiu and poured everyone a glass.

Li Yi hadn’t intended to drink, but he couldn’t resist the urging of Wang Anguo and Li Gang. With the mood already set, he had no choice but to raise his glass!

After several rounds of drinks and a variety of dishes, An Hong’s braised spare ribs were finally ready.

The group then ate meat and drank wine as the mood gradually grew more lively, and then…

That was it!

When Li Yi woke up, his surroundings felt unfamiliar!

A strange room, a strange bed, strange furnishings!

He shook his dazed head and sat up, bracing himself against the edge of the bed.

When his gaze settled on the wall clock, he saw that the hour hand was pointing to six and the minute hand to four—it was already 6:20 p.m.

He remembered that it hadn’t even been noon when they’d been eating, yet here he was, six hours later.

Taking a deep breath, he immediately walked out of the room and found himself in Wang An’s living room—the place he’d just been sleeping in was actually the small bedroom at the back of Wang An’s house.

The mess of cups and plates in the living room had been cleared away, but Li Gang was still sprawled on the sofa, snoring loudly.

Wang Anguo and Liang Yukui were both gone; he had no idea where they’d gone.

Although Li Yi was a bit anxious, he didn’t leave right away; he decided to at least say hello to someone before leaving.

Besides, his throat was a bit dry. Spotting the freshly brewed tea on the coffee table, he walked over, picked up the cup, and poured himself a large glass of the cold tea.

After downing the cup of tea, the burning sensation in his throat finally subsided.

Just as Li Yi was about to pour himself another cup, a sudden clatter of footsteps came from outside, accompanied by the sound of voices.

Li Yi immediately looked out the window and saw Wang Anguo and An Hong walking in from outside!