Chapter 839: Following the Clues

Chen Shi added, “Of course, it could also be a case of usurping someone else’s business, essentially a complete overhaul of the entire industry chain.”

Lin Dongxue chuckled, “You think so fast; we’ve just got a hint of a clue and you’ve already deduced so much.”

“Anxious,” Chen replied. “I wish the investigation could move as fast as my thoughts.”

“Ha, then the criminals would stand no chance.”

Chen glanced at his watch; it was nearly eight o’clock. “Are you hungry? Let’s go grab some dinner.”

“Sure!”

The next morning, the police returned to Wangcheng Gang to continue investigating yesterday’s case. Chen Shi and Lin Dongxue, still working solo, followed up on the whereabouts of those involved in the rice collection.

The duo visited a neighboring village, searching for the uncle they spoke to last time. At the village entrance, overlooking a vast field of harvested crops, Lin Dongxue said, “I think I might understand how that fool from Xujiakou died three years ago. He probably discovered the secret of the fake rice, either smoking the leaves himself or maybe the young man sold it to him.”

“No, no, if the rice growers themselves were selling drugs, given this gang’s level of caution and care, they would surely eliminate the growers involved,” Chen countered.

“Okay, I hadn’t considered that.”

“But your line of thinking is correct. Those rice growers who disappeared or died accidentally had stumbled upon the secret. Once we locate the rice collector and expose the gang’s true face, all the puzzles should fall into place.”

They found the uncle’s house by asking around. People in the village didn’t lock their doors during the day; the uncle’s front door was wide open, and no lights were on inside. The two entered the house and saw the uncle sitting by the window, laughing and chatting on the phone, a cigar-shaped object in hand.

Seeing the police, his cigar fell to the ground. He quickly jumped from the window, stomped it out, and kicked it under a cabinet.

“What are you smoking!” Lin Dongxue demanded alertly.

“It’s just the smell of a cigar, I can tell,” Chen remarked, noticing a plastic Coke bottle on the table. He picked it up, shook it, and smiled knowingly, “Living the good life, huh?”

“What do you want? I’ve already told you everything I know!” the uncle stuttered, glancing shiftily at Lin Dongxue.

“But we haven’t finished asking what we want to know. How long have you been growing this type of rice?”

“Ah, why can’t you police just leave a simple farmer alone? I’m just diligently working my fields at home, that’s normal, right?”

“Answer the question!”

“Uh, ten years.”

“So you’re a ‘veteran’ then.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Do you recognize this person?” Chen pulled up a photo on his phone and showed it to the uncle, who scratched his head, “I shouldn’t know him.”

The photo was of Jia Lao Si taken yesterday. Chen asked, “What do you mean ‘shouldn’t know him’? Don’t you all meet at the end of each year? Where did you go for dinner last year, was it XX Town? Does the rice collector treat you all to crab and Maotai every year?”

The uncle stared wide-eyed; he didn’t expect such things to be spoken by the police and still feigned ignorance, “I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Shall we change the location then?”

“Go outside?”

“To the police station.”

The uncle panicked, “What’s this for? I’m just growing rice; who have I wronged?” He glanced at Lin Dongxue, “Aren’t you just making trouble out of nothing?”

“Stop playing dumb, tell us where the rice collector is now!”

The uncle scratched his neck incessantly, his eyebrows twitching as Chen continued to press him, saying to Lin Dongxue, “You brought the handcuffs, right?”

“Got them,” she pulled them out from behind her waist.

Seeing the handcuffs, the uncle completely lost his composure, “Si Ma Village, Si Ma Village. Look for a guy nicknamed ‘Idiot’ there… That’s all I know, really! I’d be a dog if I lied.”

“Who is this person?”

“He grows rice too, but he talks with the rice collector, seems like they’re some sort of relatives… Every year during meals, he sits at the head of the table.”

“Do you know other rice growers? Tell us everything you know.”

The uncle showed a distressed expression but continued to feign innocence, “Just growing rice, who am I offending?” Then he listed all the names he knew, which Chen noted down in Lin Dongxue’s notebook.

Asthey were leaving, Chen Shi said, “Stop growing this rice. I hope we don’t meet again.”

Once outside, Chen laughed. Lin Dongxue asked him what was so funny. He replied, “That uncle probably earns a decent sum but dares not show it. Look, he still wears patched trousers but enjoys cigars alone at home, drinking wine from a Coke bottle. Quite the pairing!”

“Ha, so it was wine… Speaking of which, they’re growing narcotics. When this case goes to court, even if they didn’t know, they can’t escape punishment, right?”

“What do you think?”

“Ah, ignorance is truly frightening.”

“No, it’s not ignorance. Any sensible person would understand that rice making tens of thousands a year isn’t normal. Yet, they keep growing it year after year, just like Jia Lao Si said, once they’ve tasted the sweet, they can’t go back. Last time we met this uncle, he lied to us because he benefits from it, instinctively protecting those upstream in the industry chain for his own income. In the end, it’s all driven by profit.”

“There’s always a catch behind any deal that seems too good.”

“Exactly, there’s no free lunch in this world. Eventually, you pay the price.”

The list the uncle gave them showed three rice growers in this village and Xujiakou, only one in Wangcheng Gang, and an average of two to three in other villages. However, Si Ma Village had five, indicating it was likely a major activity area for the rice collectors.

In the afternoon, the pair hurried to Si Ma Village but didn’t find the person they were looking for. Chen Shi inquired with the village committee members who said, “There are two rice collectors who come to the village every year in trucks to collect the rice. The first batch they pick up from Idiot and a few other households; the second batch from the others.”

Chen had heard this statement three times already, but this time he had a new idea. He asked, “Have they collected rice from the other households this year?”

“Yes, our village finished the harvest half a month ago.”

Turning around, Chen excitedly said, “As rice collectors, only collecting one type of rice would raise suspicions, so they also pick up other rice. They can’t possibly process or sell tens of tons of ordinary rice themselves each year, I think they must be offloading it.”

“Selling it off cheap?” Lin Dongxue suggested.

“The only ones who could take in so much rice are probably the grain bureaus.”

“Yes, I’ll call the grain bureau. As a long-term partner, they might have information on these two.”

Chen took out his phone. While he was making the call, Lin Dongxue squatted by the roadside, plucking foxtails. After about fifteen minutes, Chen hung up, excitedly saying, “Lu Xing Village, they live in Lu Xing Village! Let’s go!”

They were almost too eager to get there. As they approached, Lin Dongxue grew worried, “Just the two of us coming here? Is that safe? Should I ask my brother to send some more people?”

“Hmm, let’s first verify the information, then call for backup if needed…”

“What’s that smell? It smells like something is burning.”

Looking out the car window, they saw a large area of charred ash in a field, quite a spectacle. Several farm women were bent over, sifting something with baskets.

They got out of the car, and Lin Dongxue approached to ask what had happened. One of the farm women laughed, “It’s a sin, I don’t know who piled up so much rice here to burn it, but the layer underneath didn’t catch fire, so we’re picking some up to feed the chickens.”