Scarface never expected to be so short this year!
They didn't make any deals in Nanshao, so Xu Lei urged them to leave. Scarface and his friends had no choice but to meet up with other brothers who were collecting goods in the nearby county.
Yes, this gang of kidnappers is divided into groups. It is not easy to make a trip these days. They need letters of introduction, food, clothing, shelter, and sleeping outdoors. If they only kidnap three or five people at a time, they will inevitably suffer some losses.
So they split into two sides, one side also had three people, and went to the next county to look for their local informants. They expected to pick up five or six of them, and when the two sides met up, they would go to the countryside to pick up a few more, and the trip would be worth it!
But who knows what happened this year, the police from the neighboring county suddenly checked a wave of foreign population before the New Year.
Scarface thought it was bad luck. Why did they like to kidnap children during the Chinese New Year? Wasn't it because during the Chinese New Year, the children were on holiday and gathered in groups, making it easier to kidnap them
Besides, the Chinese New Year is a time for visiting relatives and friends, so the population in the city is inevitably more complicated, which makes it easier for them to hide.
As a result, things were not going well this year. The neighboring county was already in a panic about investigating the influx of foreign population, and the underground casino in their gang was also reported. The big brothers who took advantage of the lucrative jobs in the casino were arrested.
Perhaps frightened by the casino incident, Scarface received a letter that several surrounding counties had begun to strictly investigate outsiders and petty thefts.
Scarface was in a dilemma. Several places he had originally planned to go were no longer suitable, and his informants no longer passed on information. It was unclear whether they had been arrested or simply because the news was too loud and they dared not pass on information.
In this case, Scarface has much fewer options.
He asked someone and inquired about the news from the brothers who did not go in, and finally confirmed that only Nanshao was still quiet.
So his only choice was to bring his brothers to join Xu Lei.
Scarface hurriedly delivered the message, then quickly wrapped his scarf around his face and walked away.
This area is full of old residential areas, and as a stranger he would inevitably arouse people's vigilance.
Scarface left, and the little boy with candy in his mouth went to find Xu Dabao.
Unfortunately, Xu Dabao did not return home, and Xu Dabao's father was not at home either.
Xu Dabao's grandmother and mother were there, but the little boy was a little scared. The people in the surrounding courtyards knew that Xu Dabao's mother was a teacher, and she was always particularly scary when she didn't speak. Xu Dabao's grandmother was fine, but...
"Dabao is not at home, you should go home quickly."
Perhaps because there were no adults around, Aunt Xu's annoyance with the child could be seen directly on her face.
The little boy, who had originally wanted to speak directly to Xu Dabao's grandmother, didn't dare to speak anymore and ran back to his own courtyard.
Aunt Xu muttered: "Where did this dirty little kid come from? His face is covered with snot, he doesn't look good! His parents must not be good people either, he's still eating candy, what's the point of this little brat eating candy, he's so heartless, why didn't he bring one more when he came to see Dabao..."
Wang Ying, who happened to walk in with a keen sense of hearing, said:
To be honest, she had seen many weird people, but it was the first time she had seen such an indiscriminate attack like Aunt Xu, who would curse at everything she saw. It seemed that the other party had a big opinion on everyone and could curse at anyone with all kinds of weird words.
Wang Ying shook her head and walked in with two fish in her hands.
Although it was agreed in advance that Aunt Liu helped her to grab the fish, it was not the case that plans could not change quickly. The fish she bought were not as big as those in the small fish pond of the Seventh Brigade, but they were rare species.
Big yellow croaker!
Wang Ying was very happy when she saw the fish. Wild yellow croaker could be sold for five figures a piece later. Due to the wanton fishing in the next few decades, the value of wild yellow croaker skyrocketed. Later, it could basically only be seen in high-end business restaurants.
Wang Ying immediately became excited when she saw that the fish this time were wild yellow croakers. Although her own share had been sold out, wasn't there still a black market
Black market controls are very loose during the Chinese New Year, mainly because at this time the black market is not just filled with people dumping goods from the countryside into the city, but also with some families having a hard time and selling their own fish out.
Wang Ying seized the opportunity and found a few people who were trying to sell fish outside the crowd who were crowding around to buy fish, and successfully got two large yellow croakers.
The best thing to do with this fresh big fish is to make roasted yellow croaker.
There are thousands of ways to cook yellow croaker, and the seasonings used are also varied, but the most important thing is to use lard.
Put lard into the pan, fry the seasonings, then put the fresh fish into the pan and stew it. It is best to make the lard freshly, and the cooked fish will have golden soup. With a flick of the chopsticks, you can pick up a piece of garlic fish meat, which is salty and fresh. The fish juice covers the rice, and the taste is rich and tempting.
Wang Ying, a theoretical talent, instructed Xu Shuang, who went home to slack off during work, to cook fish. Xu Shuang had cooked fish for Wang Ying quite a lot in the past few years, so she was not an inexperienced cook at all.
Isn't it just cooking fish with lard? There's nothing wrong with that.
Xu Shuang controlled the heat and cooked the fish, and this time the aroma was simply amazing.
The fragrance that spreads ten miles away is not just a scare tactic. Several families in the same compound are getting a little uneasy.
The Liu family was fine, as they usually had some pig offal to improve their diet, so they were not too short of food. However, the two children looked at the cabbage stewed with lard on their table with longing eyes, not very satisfied.
To be fair, cabbage stewed with lard is already a good dish, but who can blame them for making their dishes so delicious!
Aunt Liu was a little tired. Chen Dong also cooked when he lived in the backyard, but never like now. Since Xu Shuang moved in, their family has bought and eaten more meat than before.
It’s because I can’t bear the greed.
Not to mention children, adults are the same.
Even if they use the same ingredients, they can cook them so deliciously that everyone in the compound eats half an extra bowl of rice just to enjoy the aroma.
Aunt Liu was worried and wondered if she should ask Wang Ying tactfully. It was impossible to ask her to accommodate her, but maybe she could ask how a few dishes were cooked
Everyone in the room was worried, when suddenly Wang Ying's voice came from outside.
"Aunt Liu?"
Aunt Liu quickly responded and opened the door curtain: "I'm here!"
Wang Ying stood outside holding a bowl of fish: "I cooked some yellow croaker at home. I'll share some with you."
The yellow croaker was bought by someone who had queued up in the middle of the night, so Wang Ying certainly wouldn't be stingy with it.
Aunt Liu felt embarrassed all of a sudden: "We have some at home, no need. You are still pregnant, it is better to eat more fish."
When she said this, Yangyang and Yueyue's originally happy looks dimmed in an instant.
Woo woo woo, I want to eat fish. I want to eat the fish grilled by my neighbor.
Wang Ying pushed the bowl to Aunt Liu without saying anything: "Try it, I have more at home."
When Aunt Liu saw Wang Ying handing over the dish, she quickly turned around and didn't dare to refuse. Wang Ying was still pregnant, and what would happen if she was not careful while pushing it back and forth
She called out to Wang Ying to come in the afternoon so that her family could make sweet potato balls.
The two little ones at home can’t wait any longer.
"Grandma, let me serve it!"
What a delicious fish!
The soup was not a reddish braised color, but a yellow, white and golden color.
Aunt Liu took a bite and found the fish tender and the soup thick and tasty. Several adults tasted it and the two children wanted to lick the bowl.
"It's so delicious! I want to learn how to cook in the future!"
Make ambitious plans every month.
Yangyang: "You can't do that. You can't flip the pot. But I can!"
Yueyue was not convinced, but she also knew that her brother was right. After a while, she said, "Then I want to marry someone who can cook fish!"
She used to think her father was a good guy, but now she thinks, if her father could cook, wouldn’t she be able to eat fish every day
Just like the baby in Aunt Wang Ying's belly, she can eat well every day. And Aunt Wang Ying's husband Uncle Xu Shuang is so handsome...
Oh, forget it, my mother is not as smart as me, and my father cannot be replaced. I can only find someone who can cook when the time comes.
The conversation between the two children made everyone in the family laugh. Tang Min looked at her husband teasingly.
Liu Zhigao, the eldest of the Liu family, rubbed his nose and said guiltily, "Then I'll go ask around in the next few days?"
You can't really let your daughter be seduced away by another man, can you
The Liu family was in high spirits, and the Ma family also started talking about fish.
Ma Dalian called out to her third child: "Go ask them how they cook fish these days, and remember to give them some of our fried dough twists when you go."
Ma Yongjun was not convinced: "Mom, having me in our family is enough. I am a great chef after all!"
After what happened with Chen Dong, Ma Dalian started to look down on her eldest son.
You little brat, don't you know that others don't know you? You made your mother look so ugly, and you still have the nerve to speak
"You are a piece of shit! You have been delayed for several years and you can only barely pass the third-level certificate."
Ma Yongjun failed the Level 3 certificate that year and failed the exam every year. He just barely passed it this year. Now he can't be called a chef, but just a small cook in a state-owned restaurant.
When Ma Yongjun heard my mother yell at him, he shrank back.
He muttered, "This is all your fault. If you had taken down Master Chen, I would have gotten level two, not to mention level three."
They lived in the same courtyard. After Xu Shuang moved in, Ma Yongjun always avoided her because he felt heartbroken when he saw her.
If my mother had been more motivated, maybe I would be like Xu Shuang now.
Even though he was no longer in the biggest restaurant, he knew that Xu Shuang's annual gift this time was more than twice his! Ma Yongjun was envious when he thought about it.
Ma sneered, "You are the only one who is the same as them? Same as them! Go and cook fish now! If you can make our fish taste like them, I will accept it. I will pave the way for you even if I have to sacrifice my reputation! Can you do it?"
Ma Yongjun stopped talking immediately. What could he do
I don't know how the fish was stewed, but the smell coming out is not fishy at all. It's really weird. They are not near the river or the sea. How can Xu Shuang cook fish so well
Ma Da Niang suppressed her eldest son and turned to instruct her second daughter-in-law Ding Zhaodi: "Xiao San is going to learn how to fish. No matter whether she can learn it or not, you should take her there politely. Last time, she gave us donkey eggs to help reduce fever. We should keep in touch with her on a daily basis."
Ma Da Niang suffered a great loss at the hands of Chen Dong, and now she understands. If you meet a capable person, you should not confront him head-on. What good is there in confronting him head-on? You will still get nothing.
It’s better to build good relationships with people, maybe something good will come of it in the future.
Ma Dalian was not smart, but she was not a mean person. Although Wang Ying did not allow her to take advantage of others, she did not seem to be a calculating person. Sometimes her children would give her two candies when they saw her.
That's enough!
Ma Dalian looked at her naive third son and sighed.
The biggest thing in her family now is to find a wife for the third child.
But having said that, it is not that easy to do.
The third child is not young anymore, already in his twenties, but still a temporary worker. He went to the countryside for a few years, then returned to the city due to illness, and has not yet found a formal job.
Ma Dalian is worried.
Wang Ying happily finished most of the yellow croaker, even eating the soup over rice. The remaining pieces were a few fish fillets that she had specially reserved for Xu Shuang to come back and add some to her meal.
She has been on vacation for the past few days. She has been staying at home listening to the radio and eating. Her life is quite leisurely.
Xu Shuang can't take a holiday. She only has three days off for the Chinese New Year. After the three days, she will probably be even busier.
But fortunately, he only cooks. Recently, he goes there for a while in the morning, two hours at noon, and two hours in the evening. He just muddles through like this.
Wang Ying's side was quite relaxed, but the situation in the compound next door was not so relaxing.
The smell of fish wafted over and no one could eat.
The little boy who was given candy by Scarface in the morning was poking his steamed bun and didn't want to eat it during his meal. It happened that the two new girls in the yard were also cooking fish today, so the boy's mother gave him two sesame cakes and some peach cakes to share.
It's like this in this compound. It's not a problem for the kids to eat with each other a few times, but no one will go too far. If they go to eat for free, they will bring some food for them.
The little boy went to the home of Tiantian, a girl with pigtails.
Ding Sitian was eating fish with a bowl in her arms. When she saw her friend coming, she consciously made room for him. Ding Sitian's father, Ding Yan, is a retired soldier. Although he is tall and strong, he is very generous to children. When he saw a child coming, he also served him a bowl of rice.
Ding Sitian finished the food in her bowl in one breath and asked, "Da Yuan, why didn't you come to play with us this morning? We are still short of one person to play war."
Da Yuan stuffed fish meat in his mouth and spoke vaguely: "I wanted to look for you, but there was an uncle... an uncle with a scar on his face. He asked me to look for Xu Dabao's father. I went to the next yard to look for Xu Dabao's father but couldn't find him. Then, then I forgot about it..."
Ding Sitian said seriously, "Then Dayuan, if you don't come next time, you have to tell us, otherwise we will keep a place for you! We haven't even started the show of catching the special forces yet. If you don't come, the role of catching the special forces soldiers will have to be played by others."
Da Yuan: “Well… I know!”
Ding Sitian's father, Ding Yan, suddenly interrupted at this time: "Dayuan, you said that a man with a scar on his face asked you to speak to Xu Dabao's father? What did you say?"
Da Yuan blinked his big eyes: "He told me to tell Xu Dabao's father that something happened at my uncle's house and that some of his relatives wanted to stay with us."
Ding Yan pulled the stool closer: "Oh? He didn't say anything specific?"
Da Yuan tilted his head: "No... Then I went to look for Da Bao's father, but he wasn't at home. His grandmother was so fierce, so I didn't tell anyone and came back."
Ding Yan's expression suddenly became strange: "Did the other party say anything else? Did he give you anything?"
Da Yuan: "He gave me a candy and didn't say anything else."
Ding Yan's eyes lit up immediately: "Tiantian, you stay at home and take good care of the house. Dad has something to go out for this afternoon."
Ding Yan rushed to his leader's house in the afternoon, and the leader turned out to be the old policeman.
The old policeman was surprised and asked, "Why are you here at this time?"
Since it was determined that Xu Lei had a problem, the old policeman passed the news to his superiors, who specially approved two unfamiliar soldiers who had just retired from military service to come.
Originally, the two were expected to be transferred to the police station, but the old policeman thought it was better to do so first, so he arranged temporary jobs for them and assigned them to live in the compound next to Xu Lei, just to keep an eye on Xu Lei.
It's been less than a month since he left, is there already news
Ding Lei quickly shared what he knew: "I didn't pay attention when the kid spoke, but I think it's almost certain. If he wasn't Xu Lei's accomplice, why would he be so cautious? If he was Xu Lei's relative, why didn't he go in when he was already at the door?"
The old policeman was also very excited, but he could hold his own better than the newcomer. "You go back first and don't alert the enemy. I'll go and ask about the situation. This man has been gone for less than a month and he's back. There must be a reason."
Ding Lei left with great confidence, and the old policeman made several phone calls.
It didn’t take long to figure out why.
It turned out that it was caused by the file that was formed during the last investigation with the sister units. After he handed the file over, the police stations in several nearby counties also probably knew about the matter.
Everyone was unhappy when they thought that Nanshao County would rely on this to gain merit.
The case belongs to everyone. If you were to catch them all at once, wouldn't it make us look useless
Therefore, several counties around did not follow the old policeman's method of waiting for an opening from the kidnapper, but prepared to conduct a thorough investigation first. If the criminals were found out, it would be their credit and no one else's.
As a result, they actually found something after checking.
The casinos were the first to be investigated. There is no shortage of these gamblers at any time. Even though everyone is having a hard time, there are always people who can't control their own claws and will go gambling even if their families are too poor to afford food.
The local police station thought about it and organized a special operation before the New Year, following the clues and arresting a group of people.
When he moved, the surroundings followed suit. Now, only the Nanshao County side did not move in order to wait for the kidnapper.
Old Policeman: …
No wonder these people are running here, it turns out that other places are not safe.
Well, no need to wait now.
Now that you're here, why not stay here and have free jail meals during the New Year!