Siheyuan, my new life

Seeing Guo Yongping listening intently, Zhao Xiangdong decided to explain everything clearly to avoid future trouble. He took a drag of his cigarette and continued, "I don't know what the situation is like in your hometown in Henan Province, but near Beijing, there hasn't been a single rain since spring, and not a single snowfall since winter began. I remember the elders in my family always saying, 'A timely snow promises a good harvest,' but now there isn't even a single snowflake. I estimate next spring's grain yield will be affected. Think about it, even a half-baked farmer like me can notice this; wouldn't the experienced farmers who work the land year-round notice it? Many villages near Beijing are clan-based, and in these villages, the respected elders..." The older generation's voice even surpasses that of the production team leader and village head. These elders experienced the great drought of 1942; seeing the current situation, how could they not imagine the impending drought? Any elder with a modicum of sense would surely remind their descendants to prepare. Many rural areas have begun to find ways to procure food to cope with the coming disaster. According to reports from our purchasing agents who went to the countryside, those villages near the mountains have begun to deploy militia to stand guard at major intersections. In addition to blocking refugees fleeing the famine, their main purpose is to intercept outsiders sneaking into the mountains to hunt. Once discovered by these militia, their prey will be confiscated on the spot. If a conflict occurs, the person will also be detained by the local rural production brigade, and their work unit or street office will be notified to come and pay a ransom to retrieve them.

Although he had occasionally seen snippets of related information on the internet in later years, Guo Yongping nodded slightly upon hearing Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong's words in person. He was truly grateful for the other party's reminder; if he had openly led his prey out of the mountains, he would most likely have been intercepted on the spot.

Guo Yongping originally planned to put the large and medium-sized prey he hunted directly into his storage space, retrieve it after leaving the mountains, and then find a way to transport it back to the Hongxing Steel Mill, so that his prey could be properly transported.

However, after hearing what Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong said, Guo Yongping couldn't help but gasp inwardly. If he did that, he would be walking into a trap. Even if he had a letter of introduction and work permit from Hongxing Steel Rolling Mill, the people in the production brigade probably wouldn't accept it. After all, they themselves were starving, so why would they stand by and watch a bunch of prey be taken away by others? The final outcome was predictable. Even if the production brigade didn't detain the people, they would still ruthlessly detain the prey.

I really have to thank Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong for reminding me, otherwise I would have really worked hard for nothing and ended up doing all the work for someone else.

Thinking of this, Guo Yongping said, "Thanks to your reminder, I originally planned to pay the local rural production brigade to send an oxcart to transport the game back after I hunted it. It seems that I was too naive."

Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong said with a hint of pride, "Our purchasing staff from the Third Purchasing Division often go to those production brigades to buy some mountain products. I only learned about this when they chatted casually after they came back. Actually, if you catch any game in the future, it's best to hide it in a place where cars can pass through, and then call our factory from the nearby commune post office. Ask the switchboard to transfer you to the purchasing department, and the section chief and I will arrange for trucks from the convoy to come and pick you up. Of course, to avoid any unforeseen problems, we will also ask the security department to send a few security guards to accompany you. After all, it's not very peaceful outside these days, and we're just taking precautions."

Guo Yongping certainly wouldn't go through all that trouble; he already had his own plan in mind. However, he still said, "Alright, then I have a better understanding."

For the rest of the time, the two sat facing each other on either side of the desk, smoking and drinking tea while talking in hushed tones. Most of the conversation was about how Section Chief Zhao Xiangdong told Guo Yongping about the experiences other purchasing agents had had in the countryside, which was meant to prepare him mentally and give him some experience in dealing with the communes and production brigades below.

In the interrogation room on the ground floor of the security office building, Hao Aiguo was handcuffed to the window bars in an extremely awkward position, or rather, half-hanging on the iron bars that were about the thickness of a thumb. At this moment, he could only barely support his entire weight with his toes.

Half an hour ago, Hao Aiguo was escorted into this interrogation room by two security guards. He immediately saw Wang Shengli, the deputy director, sitting behind the interrogation table with a gloomy face. On his left and right sat two security guards, each holding a pen.

Following Wang Shengli's instructions, the two security guards hung Hao Aiguo directly on the window opposite the interrogation table, and then stood curiously to the side. To be honest, when these security guards from the Public Security Department interrogated those who had been arrested for crimes, if the other party was honest, that was fine. But for those who were stubborn and did not confess, they would usually start with a series of memory recovery techniques. Under normal circumstances, those who had been educated would honestly confess their problems.

However, today, Deputy Director Wang Shengli acted out of character. Instead of interrogating Hao Aiguo directly, he simply had them handcuff his hands to the window bars. Not only were the two security guards puzzled, but even the security guard sitting at the interrogation table who was responsible for taking notes looked at the scene in front of him with confusion. However, they had already received a hint from the section chief that all matters concerning Hao Aiguo's interrogation today would be handled according to Deputy Director Wang's instructions.

In fact, everyone already knew the reason for the incident and could understand Deputy Director Wang Shengli's anger. Putting themselves in his shoes, if it were the descendant of their old comrade-in-arms or former leader, who had only been on the job for two days, and was openly forced to undermine the national unified purchase and sales policy, unjustly accused, and labeled a sabotage element, they would definitely not let it go. Therefore, everyone was already guessing how Deputy Director Wang would deal with this culprit.

Unexpectedly, Wang Shengli simply sat behind the interrogation table with a gloomy expression, smoking one cigarette after another, without asking a single question.

Time passed slowly, second by second. When Hao Aiguo was escorted into the interrogation room of the security department, he was already so scared that his whole body was weak. Thinking of the rumors about the security department interrogating prisoners, he almost wet his pants. He kept praying that his senior brother would come and rescue him as soon as possible.