Chapter 828: The Missing Policemen

Chen Shi instructed Xu Xiaodong, “Go check that field and see if you can find any rice ears. Keep them as evidence.”

Xu Xiaodong nodded and left. Then Lao Jia came back and showed them a contact list. Two rice harvesters, one named Chu Wei and the other Luo Chuanlong. Lin Dongxue took out her phone and called Chu Wei. A heavily accented southern voice answered, “Yes, yes, we come to Wangchenggang every year to harvest rice. Our purchase price is a bit higher than the grain bureau’s, so the farmers prefer to work with us.”

“Do you know about the two missing policemen from Wangchenggang?”

“Officer Xu and Officer Jia? I’m not sure. They came to us that day because of a small dispute. They had lunch in the village and then left. Their disappearance has nothing to do with us.”

“Ask where the batch of rice went,” Chen Shi whispered.

“A villager named Jia Laosi, did you harvest rice from his field?”

“Uh, yes.”

“We want to see that batch of rice.”

“That might be inconvenient. The rice has already been piled in the warehouse, all mixed together. If you really want to see it, you can check the warehouse.”

Lin Dongxue glanced at Chen Shi and continued on the phone, “Can you and Luo Chuanlong come to Wangchenggang sometime? We need to ask some questions.”

The person on the other end clicked his tongue in annoyance, “It’s harvest season, we’re busy collecting grain everywhere. We don’t have time.”

“Then we’ll come to you. Give us your current address.”

Chu Wei provided a village address and then hung up.

Lin Dongxue said, “I’m curious. How do these private buyers make money? Who do they sell the grain to?”

“Usually to cooperating factories. Do they have a license? If not, could they have had a conflict with the police and then…” Lao Zhang speculated.

“Not having a license would at most result in a fine. Kidnapping or killing for such a matter seems exaggerated,” Chen Shi said. “Let’s ask around the village and see if there are any clues.”

The police entered the village and went door to door. The villagers’ statements varied, but one thing was consistent: the two policemen who came to mediate had lunch at Jia Laosi’s house, and someone saw them leave the village in their car in the afternoon.

According to this, the disappearance likely occurred outside the village.

However, the key figure, Jia Laosi, was missing. Neighbors said he went to Xi’an this morning to meet an online friend. Lin Dongxue and Chen Shi found this too coincidental, but several neighbors confirmed the story, saying Jia Laosi met a divorced woman with a child online and, being single for years, took the chance to go to Xi’an for a date during the farming off-season.

“So he hurriedly harvested his own field before leaving?” Chen Shi asked.

“Seems like it,” a neighbor answered.

Lao Jia, who was with them, indignantly said, “Jia Laosi is so shameless. He took the money from the film crew, told them not to harvest the rice, and yet he did it anyway, causing this mess today. Sigh!”

“How much did they pay for renting the land?” Chen Shi asked.

“Four thousand per household.”

“More than the rice planted on it?”

“Of course, a rough calculation per acre is only a bit over eight hundred.”

Chen Shi’s gaze fell on a single, shiny small villa with bright ceramic tiles, standing out among the brick houses. He asked, “Is this Jia Laosi’s house?”

“Yes.”

“He seems pretty well-off. Doesn’t he just have that small piece of self-cultivated land?”

“You can’t earn much from farming alone. He sells seeds in town, specifically the Shennong No. 24 drought-resistant rice he grows in his field.”

“Do other households grow it too?”

“No, because Shennong No. 24 is average. The ears are particularly small, and although the purchase price is a bit higher, the total yield per acre isn’t much better.”

Chen Shi thanked Lao Jia and went back to the village committee. Lin Dongxue said, “We should check Jia Laosi’s income.”

“Haha, that’s what I was thinking. And also check the identities of the two rice buyers.”

By noon, they had basically finished visiting the village. Lao Jia invited everyone to have lunch at the village committee. There were no restaurants or guesthouses here, so the police agreed. Chen Shi said, “Wait, there’s someone we haven’t asked yet.”

“Chen, we went door to door. We didn’t miss anyone.”

“The people renting land for filming weren’t asked, right? They were the ones being mediated and were in the village at the time,” Chen Shi said.

“Do we have to ask during lunch?”

“They’ll be busier in the afternoon. Since we’re all in the same village, it won’t take long. Dongxue, let’s go.”

The crew had rented a house at the entrance of the village, with a nanny van and trucks parked outside, and a canopy set up. When Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue arrived, the crew had just finished lunch and were eating watermelon under the canopy.

Entering the canopy, the manager and assistants gave them hostile looks. Chen Shi said, “We’re not here to take your watermelon.”

“And we won’t offer you any,” the manager responded.

“We have a question. On the 17th, two days ago, two policemen came to mediate the ferret incident. When was the last time you saw them?”

“Don’t mention it. Just thinking about it makes me angry. Those two cops acted like we should defer to the villagers because we’re from the city. They thought whoever is poorer is right, huh? They killed our ferret, and just talking about Anqila’s pedigree, they should compensate us thousands! Later, I found out those two cops were related to the villagers, no wonder they sided with them. I was so angry I went to the city bureau to report it, and your captain had the same indifferent attitude.”

The manager’s rant grew more intense.

Lin Dongxue couldn’t help but argue, “The ferret wasn’t killed by the villagers. It was the rice harvesters. Stop blaming the wrong people.”

“Hmph, to me, they’re all the same. Anqila was so cute, and they ate it. How could anyone do that?”

At this moment, a soft sobbing sound came from the nanny van. The assistant whispered, “Stop it, Sister Qing is crying again.”

The manager ran over and, through the window, said, “Don’t be sad. I’ll get justice for Anqila.”

He returned, shrugged, and said, “Someone has to be responsible for this. If you side with the villagers, you should pay!”

“You’re mistaken. We’re not here to mediate. We’re investigating the missing policemen.”

“I don’t care. If I can’t get justice for Anqila, I won’t provide any clues…”

The manager smirked slyly, “I won’t tell you that those two cops are still in the village!”