Chapter 841: Grassroots Drug Dealer

Chen Shi discovered something: the marijuana was air-dried and hence brown, indicating it wasn’t harvested this year.

However, the tens of kilograms already constituted enough for a drug possession charge. The situation would be far worse if he distributed or sold it to others.

At this moment, the mistress shouted from above, “Trouble! Officer, he’s trying to escape!”

The two officers hurried up, and from the window, they saw an old man rushing outside. Chen Shi dashed into the yard only to find the gate stubbornly stuck. The mistress, now dressed, leaned on the window, munching an apple, “That shameless old man locked the gate. Climb over the wall!”

Chen Shi gestured to Lin Dongxue, stacking his hands to boost her over the wall as she gripped it and climbed.

The mistress, clearly enjoying the drama, teased, “Officer, is there a dead body hidden in the cellar? Do I get a reward for the tip?”

“Not only a reward, but there’ll be a commendation in the newspaper too!” Chen Shi responded.

“Uh, never mind then…”

Suddenly, there was a clatter outside. Lin Dongxue had opened the door; the old man had bolted in panic, merely barring the door, not locking it.

They chased after him. Reaching the village entrance, they saw the old man and another man seated in an SUV, its engine roaring powerfully as the wheels spun, kicking up dust before the vehicle sped off, crashing into a tax bureau car parked in front of the village committee, then adjusting direction to flee the village.

“Shoot! Aim for the tires.”

But the handgun’s accuracy was lacking; from a distance of a few meters, Lin Dongxue shot the fuel tank instead, causing gasoline to gush out onto the ground.

Chen Shi yelled, “The gas tank’s leaking! Are you trying to get yourselves killed?”

In reality, even if a bullet hit the fuel tank, it wouldn’t explode like in the movies. Unaware of this, the old man peeked and, terrified, stopped the car, and both men jumped out, running with their hands up.

“Boom!” Chen Shi mimicked the sound of an explosion with his mouth.

Terrified, the men shuddered to a halt and obediently knelt down.

Lin Dongxue hurried over to handcuff them, asking, “Why did you crash into the tax bureau’s car?”

“Ah? The tax bureau’s car? I thought it was yours…” the old man’s voice trailed off.

“You really think you’re in a drama,” Chen Shi approached. “Running? You know that adds to your charges, right? Who’s this guy?”

Chen Shi glanced at the younger man with the old man, noting his dyed yellow hair, earrings, and a vest adorned with metal, exuding a rebellious vibe.

“Nicholas.”

“Am I asking for his English name?”

“That’s his name.”

Chen Shi took another look at the young man, then said to Lin Dongxue, “Call someone over!”

The two were taken back to the old man’s house, where he began cursing the mistress through the window and pleaded with Chen Shi, “Boss, I’ll confess everything, just one request—let me slap that bitch just once!”

“You think you’re in a position to negotiate?” Chen Shi scoffed.

For easier interrogation, the two were separated. The young man was handcuffed to a water pipe in the storage room, while the old man was brought to the living room.

“You know what’s in your cellar, don’t tell me you thought it was herbal medicine,” Chen Shi stated.

The old man bowed his head, twisting his hands together, remaining silent for a long time.

“If you won’t talk, I will. Since you consciously stored and dried these substances, it shows you know what they are and their real value. Such a quantity couldn’t possibly have been sneaked away while providing for the harvesters; you discovered what was growing in your fields, weren’t satisfied just earning that envelope of money, and decided to go it alone.”

The old man trembled with fear, then cursed angrily, “That bitch, just because I scolded her this morning, now she’s ruined me completely!” He then covered his face and sobbed loudly.

The officers waited quietly until he had cried enough. The old man shakily reached for a cigarette on the table, seeking Chen Shi’s permission with his eyes. Chen Shi asked, “Ready to confess?”

The old man lit the cigarette, exhaling with a sigh, “Ah, I guess I’m just not destined for this wealth…”

He confessed the origin of the substances, explaining he had been growing “Shennong No. 24” for ten years. Like all farmers, he had wondered what was so special about this rice. How could it be so valuable?

One year, by chance, he discovered that the scent of the burnt rice leaves was quite pleasant when inhaled through the nose. He pondered whether these were meant for smoking. So, he dried some leaves and smoked them like a cigar. The experience was exhilarating—almost heavenly!

Having lived for over forty years, he instantly realized these weren’t ordinary rice plants but narcotics. He immediately extinguished it, fearful of becoming addicted.

The old man’s thoughts raced. Realizing these were drugs, he thought about the hard months they spent tilling the fields each year, while the harvesters carted away truckloads of crops, only to treat them to a meal at year’s end and hand out an envelope containing fifty to a hundred thousand dollars. Initially, it seemed fair, but after uncovering the truth, he felt profoundly cheated.

Those few hundred kilograms of drugs could earn the harvesters enough to buy several mansions each year!

The more he thought about it, the less he could tolerate the injustice. Sleepless nights and mounting frustration plagued him until he resolved to take matters into his own hands. No horse gets fat without grazing at night; he decided to cultivate and sell it himself!

He shared his plan with a few other farmers in the village, and they quickly agreed. They cleared a plot on a nearby barren hill to plant the narcotic rice. By winter, when they harvested and realized all the crops were theirs, their joy was indescribable. But the worry soon returned: the leaves couldn’t turn into cash by themselves—they needed to be sold.

Living in a remote area, where could they sell it?

It took nearly two years to establish a channel. At the Xu family gorge’s nightclub, some young men from the city with connections came into play. These guys had their own addictions and helped to sell the leaves while consuming some themselves. Although they took half the profit, the five farmers still made two million dollars—overjoyed beyond words.

“They planned to quit after selling off that winter’s harvest, keep it a secret, and pretend it never happened,” the old man sighed, a look of regret on his face.

“From frugality to extravagance is easy, but the reverse is hard!” Chen Shi looked around the modestly furnished living room, his gaze falling on the old man’s Nine-Five Supreme cigarettes, designer leather shoes, and gold teeth, feeling not an ounce of sympathy for him.

“Who’s he?” Chen Shi nodded toward the next room.

“He’s the head of those sales guys.”

“So, you’re saying your business has gotten quite big now?”

“You could say that…”

“I XXX, you old XXX, how dare you betray me, I X!” The young man in the next room cursed loudly, rattling his handcuffs.

These amateur grassroots drug dealers, lacking tight organization and meticulous planning, were easily netted by a mere word from the mistress. The village entrance was bound to be lively tonight.