Chapter 835: The Perks of Growing Rice

With the truth out, Jia Laosi knew there was no turning back. He sat down dejectedly and asked, “Can I smoke?”

“Go ahead,” Chen Shi replied.

Lin Dongxue opened the window. Jia Laosi lit a cigarette, his hands trembling. He said, “Our village has poor signal reception, always cutting in and out. Xiao Jia came that day to borrow my phone because I have a landline with internet…”

Chen Shi raised an eyebrow, puzzled but let him continue.

“I told them to have lunch first. While I was in the kitchen—which faces the street—Chu, the rice harvester, spoke to me through the window. He told me to keep the two policemen there and gave me a packet of powder… No, he put it in the pot himself!”

“We’ll verify those details. Just tell us the truth now,” Chen Shi said calmly.

Jia Laosi’s face crumpled, “How many years will I get for drugging the police?”

“If they coerced you, your sentence could be lighter. But if you lie, it will only make things worse,” Chen Shi assured him.

Grasping at the lifeline, Jia Laosi nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, Chu Wei forced me. I said it was illegal, but he insisted I drug the food… After lunch, Xiao Xu and Xiao Jia passed out. It was noon, scorching hot, with no one outside. The two harvesters came in, dragged the policemen to the shed, and locked the door.”

“You just watched?” Chen Shi asked.

“No, I sat inside and smoked,” Jia Laosi admitted.

“And Jia is your nephew!” Lin Dongxue couldn’t help but scold.

Jia Laosi scratched his face awkwardly. Chen Shi pressed on, “What happened next?”

“Chu Wei gave me a red envelope…”

“How much?”

“Four thousand. He said there would be more if I kept quiet. I was scared but didn’t dare offend them. In the afternoon, they went to the shed, dressed in police uniforms, walked to the village entrance, and drove away.”

“And the car?”

“I don’t know. The area is all wasteland. Who knows where they dumped it. They came back at night and helped me harvest my rice. While loading the truck, I saw the two policemen tied up like mummies in the truck bed. They were awake and moaning. Chu Wei patted my shoulder, giving me a look to stay out of it. They covered the policemen with rice and drove off.”

“Where to?”

“I don’t know.”

“Why did they kidnap the police?”

“How would I dare ask? You haven’t met Chu Wei. He’s quiet, with a long scar on his face. When he smiles, his mouth twists, making him look fierce. Xiaolong, the other one, jokes a lot but has tattoos all over. Chu Wei told me Xiaolong had killed people,” Jia Laosi revealed everything, abandoning any pretense.

“Shennong No. 24, are you familiar with it?” Chen Shi asked.

At the mention of the name, Jia Laosi smiled bitterly, “Too familiar.”

“Did they tell you to grow it?”

“It started with Uncle Wang, an outsider who had been jailed for stealing cable. The village didn’t like him. He talked to me occasionally. One winter, he came over for a drink and said growing this rice made good money. I was skeptical, thinking a few hundred extra at best. I was in my early twenties, ambitious, not wanting to farm forever. Uncle Wang said I’d see if I tried.”

Jia Laosi lit another cigarette and exhaled before continuing, “The next year, I tried it. Nothing special—planting, ing, watering. When it was time to harvest in May, the two harvesters came, checked my rice, and bought it all at a slightly higher price. They told me to plant again in autumn, but to protect the leaves and harvest by hand, not machine. I made a few hundred more that year. I asked Uncle Wang, and he mysteriously said the good stuff was yet to come.

“At year’s end, Uncle Wang took me to the best restaurant in town. The table was full of strangers, eating big crabs, smoking premium cigarettes, drinking Maotai. It was surreal. After the meal, Uncle Wang took me to a place… You know, a brothel. He told me to pick a girl. I picked a young one, but he said the older ones were more experienced. Thinking he was treating, I chose the older one and let him have the younger. It was my first time, and…”

“Enough details!” Lin Dongxue interrupted.

“Okay, okay. Anyway, we stayed in town for two days, eating and whoring. Then the two harvesters found us, gave us thick envelopes, and said to plant well next year. Every year we’d have this team-building. The envelopes had 50,000 yuan, more than my year’s earnings from rice. I was thrilled but puzzled. What’s special about this rice? I asked Uncle Wang, but he told me not to question, just grow it. So I did for seven or eight years. Each year, the harvesters called for another round of feasting and handed out envelopes. It was the same for other farmers in nearby villages.”

“Why didn’t you involve other villagers? You’re supposed to be promoting these seeds, right?” Chen Shi asked.

“Promote? It was just a front to hide my earnings. I asked the harvesters if more people could grow it. They said no, growers had to be single and tight-lipped. We’re a team with team spirit, no solo acts.”

“Didn’t you find it strange? Ordinary rice isn’t worth that much.”

“Of course it was strange, but I didn’t dare ask. Asking might get me Uncle Wang’s fate…”

“What happened to Uncle Wang?”

After a pause, Jia Laosi’s face darkened, “He’s dead.”