Detective: From the Police Academy

Chapter 448 What did you add to the hot pot?

Chapter 448 What did you add to the hot pot?
Wucheng.

The evening glow has not yet faded, but the Hot Pot City Food Street is already bustling with cars.

The whole street is filled with the aroma of beef hotpot, attracting diners.

In a trance, it seemed like I had arrived in a mountain city.

Luo Rui and his group walked into the 'Longjing' hot pot restaurant, which was already packed with diners, and there were almost no seats left.

"Excuse me, everyone. Please line up outside. We have prepared stools. You can sit for a while." The young waitress greeted them.

Fang Yonghui said with a smile: "Beautiful lady, your business is so good, can you cut in line? Look at us, there are only five of us, we can just find a seat anywhere."

"No." The girl pointed outside: "There are too many people who want to cut in line. Look, people outside are still waiting."

Fang Yonghui flattered, "We'll add some money and give you a service fee. Will you be flexible?"

The girl frowned, looked at Luo Rui and the others, and then whispered, "Wait a moment."

After she left, Lin Chen curled his lips and said, "Fang Yonghui, you are capable of this? Isn't this clearly a bribe?"

"Officer Lin, don't make a big deal out of it. Don't you see how many people are waiting outside? How long do we have to wait?"

Qiao Xue looked inside the restaurant, which was packed with people and fully occupied. She wondered, "Why is the hot pot restaurant doing so well? Who's running it?"

Her meaning was self-evident. Xu Jie had just been killed, but the business of the store had not been affected. This was indeed quite curious.

Luo Rui nodded: "After dinner, ask the store manager to come over and ask."

"Ok."

Not long after, the girl who had left earlier came over and whispered, "There's a private room inside, do you want one?"

"Yes, a private room is preferred." Fang Yonghui had no objection.

The girl pursed her lips and said, "That will cost an additional 80 yuan for service."

"Okay." Fang Yonghui took out his wallet and pulled out a hundred-yuan bill.

The girl didn't answer: "Please follow me."

A group of people followed her to the private room inside.

As soon as they entered, she took the money from Fang Yonghui's hand. The expression on her face was even more enthusiastic than before: "How about red soup or clear soup? Mild spicy? Medium spicy?"

Luo Rui sat in the chair and glanced at her: "Bring a shabu-shabu pot, one portion of each ingredient on the menu."

"Okay." The girl smiled, turned and left, closing the door gently to block out the noise outside.

Fang Yonghui's hand was still stretched in the air, and he said with a distressed look: "No, she didn't give me the change!"

Lin Chen chuckled: "I don't have any change. Besides, if you give me twenty more, won't it make you look generous?"

"That's too much!" Fang Yonghui sat down in a chair: "My money didn't come from the wind."

Qiao Xue shook her head: "People are all like this. Greed is endless. Haven't we seen enough of similar things?"

Fang Yonghui: "Sister Qiao, don't be so sentimental. I have learned a lesson from being a police officer in the past few years."

Chu Yang mocked him: "Old Fang, are you more profound again?"

"Of course not." Fang Yonghui raised his hand and said solemnly: "We followed Luo Da to investigate and solve cases, from the original criminal team to the assault team, along the way, there were always people who played the role of seasoning.

It's like cooking, there is always someone adding ingredients to your meal. What ingredients are they adding? It's happiness.

In the past, it was Qi Lei who played such a role, but unfortunately he died.

Later, it was Tian Guanghan. Although this old guy looks big and strong, he is also a funny guy who can always make people laugh. Now, I feel that I am the baby of our team, acting as a seasoning.

So, you have to respect me a little bit and stop rolling your eyes and making fun of me."

Lin Chen immediately rolled his eyes at him: "Are you really thinking about us?"

"No, I'm a psychiatrist. I can take your pulse."

Qiao Xue took a sip of water: "No need."

Lin Chen also spread his hands: "I don't need it either."

Chu Yang: "Me too."

Fang Yonghui sneered: "Sister Qiao and Chu Yang don't want it, you two are as sweet as honey. Lin Chen is also a naive person and doesn't understand my kindness. Luo Da, Luo Da, do you need me?"

Luo Rui smiled and nodded: "I need you to help me analyze the case, how about it? Do you have any clues? Tell me about it?"

"Uh..." Fang Yonghui scratched the back of his head.

Soon, the waiter brought over the dishes, including tripe, fatty beef, marbled beef, enoki mushrooms, duck blood and other hot pot ingredients.

At this point, everyone was already hungry, and the aroma of the beef hotpot made their stomachs churn.

"Eat. We can talk about the case after you're full." Luo Rui called.

Fang Yonghui has already started eating: "I want to try it. What's so special about this hot pot restaurant that so many people come to eat there?"

A few seconds later, a large chopstick of tripe dipped in the sauce at the bottom of the bowl went into his mouth.

"Hiss, it's hot. Not to mention, it tastes really good." Fang Yonghui exclaimed.

Lin Chen also took a bite and praised: "It tastes quite delicious, Luo Chu, you should try it too."

Luo Rui picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of tripe, dipped it in the hot pot, and put it into his mouth.

He chewed slowly and then spat what was in his mouth directly into the bowl.

"Mr. Luo, what's wrong?" Fang Yonghui was putting ingredients into the pot.

Luo Rui didn't answer. He stood up, took the colander and scooped some water from the pot. Then he held the colander in front of his eyes and looked carefully at the black stuff in the colander. He also picked up chopsticks and poked it a few times.

Then, Luo Rui threw the colander and chopsticks onto the table and said, "Call their manager!"

"I'll go!" Fang Yonghui immediately stood up, opened the door and walked out.

Needless to say, Luo Rui's actions have already made the problem clear.

Lin Chen, Qiao Xue and Chu Yang put down their chopsticks and picked up their cups of water to rinse their mouths.

Lin Chen pouted twice, picked up his phone, and said angrily: "I'll call the Industry and Commerce Bureau."

"No, call the Narcotics Squad," Luo Rui ordered.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Okay."

After a while, Fang Yonghui called the manager over, and with him came the girl who had previously entertained them.

The girl frowned and her nostrils flared slightly. She felt that these people in front of her were not honest. They just collected a hundred yuan for service fee. Was there any need to find a manager?
The manager was a fat man in a suit with a face full of flesh. He stared at the few people and asked in a neither humble nor arrogant tone: "Dear customers, what's wrong? Is the food not fresh? Or is there something wrong with the food?"

Luo Rui pointed to the contents of the colander and said, "Look for yourself!"

The manager came over and looked down: "This... this is nothing, is there any problem?"

He looked so serious that it didn't seem like he was acting, which made Luo Rui angry.

"No problem? You mixed poppy shells into your hot pot, and you still think it's okay? You are breaking the law!"

The manager was not afraid at all. He stood up, put his hands on his abdomen and folded them. He felt that this was the greatest respect for the customers.

"Hey guys, go ask which hotpot restaurant doesn't use this stuff? It's an ingredient for flavor enhancement, just like ginkgo, tangerine peel and fennel.

Besides, it’s no big deal if people eat it. We have been doing business for many years and nothing has ever happened.

Judging from your accent, you must be from other places, right? It's the same here in Yun Province, it's no big deal! "

Luo Rui took a deep breath. The anti-corruption work has a long way to go, especially food safety. It is from this moment that these businessmen start to act boldly and lawless!

Not to mention that it is 11 now, even if it was ten years later, this kind of thing would still happen despite repeated bans, not to mention that it happened in Yun Province.

Luo Rui had heard a saying before, that the Burmese rice noodles on the other side of the mountain are a bowl of noodles with this thing in it.

"We won't argue with you. We've called the police and are waiting for them to handle the matter!" Fang Yonghui interrupted.

"How dare you!" The manager turned around, straightened his chest, and glared at Fang Yonghui: "I have never seen people like you. You just want to eat for free! Fine, I'll beat you up and I'll give you a free meal!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the manager opened the door and shouted outside.

"Come here, some people are looking for trouble!"

The private room was just in front of the kitchen. When they heard his shout, the waiters and the kitchen staff with big spoons all ran over.

Four or five people ran into the box, shouting, "Manager, who's causing trouble?"

"Let me see who is so bold as to cause trouble here!"

……

Several people ran into the box, talking in a flurry. Just as they were about to frown, they immediately widened their eyes when they saw what Fang Yonghui was holding.

"Provincial Public Security Bureau, Criminal Investigation Department!"

A few ignorant people were just stunned for a moment, and then started to shout: "The Provincial Public Security Bureau is so great? Bullying the common people? Come on, hit me, and you hit me and see?"

"Snapped!"

Luo Rui stood up, picked up a chair, smashed it on the open space at the door, and pointed at the person who was speaking.

"You, you, what's your name? Stand up right here!"

The man had a round face, was tall, and had a sweat towel wrapped around his neck. Just as he was about to step forward, the manager immediately grabbed him and said, "You are so fierce! Who are you scolding? We do business in harmony to make money. Don't you understand this principle?"

They came to eat hotpot, and they still have to endure your anger? It's rude, apologize, apologize to them quickly!"

Isn't it funny to think about this attitude of being arrogant at first and respectful later?

No, this is the law of survival. The people under him are uneducated and don't know their place. But the manager is different. He has some knowledge.

He was originally ready to find a way out when the other party showed their police ID, but he didn't know that his men had no good eyesight at all.

"Manager, I..." The round-faced man hesitated. As a worker, the most fearful thing is to stand up for the leader, but the leader will sell you out.

"The person you just scolded? Stand up!" Luo Rui took two steps forward and planned to let him go.

The manager quickly apologized with a smile, "Officer, we were wrong. You are so generous. Please don't bother with us. How about this... our store has launched a singing service. I'll ask the waiter to sing a song for you to liven up the atmosphere?"

Luo Rui ignored him and continued to ask: "What's your name?"

"My name is Zhang Zhou, what do you want?" The round-faced man chose to be tough.

"Okay!" Luo Rui nodded and looked at Fang Yonghui and Chu Yang: "Tie him up first!"

The manager was frightened. He didn't expect the other party would actually dare to arrest someone.

Just as he was about to speak, a shrill sirens sounded outside the store.

In less than a moment, a team of uniformed police officers walked in. The leader glanced at the situation in the box, narrowed his eyes, and immediately said flatteringly: "Mr. Luo? Is it Mr. Luo? Hello, hello, I am from the public security brigade, my name is Yang Zhen."

As soon as Luo Rui came to Wucheng to handle a case, everyone in the Wucheng police system knew about it, and the leaders even specifically asked their subordinates to recognize his face and not to provoke Luo Yanwang, who was a well-known figure in Haidong Province.

Yang Zhen was no exception and recognized Luo Rui at first sight. The main reason was that Luo Rui was not only 1.85 meters tall, but also had a wheat-colored complexion and a crew cut. The people around him had also appeared on TV and were also mentioned in the internal study documents.

"Captain Yang, hello." Luo Rui stretched out his hand and shook his hand. "Well, arrest everyone in this hot pot restaurant first. They have two other restaurants, send people to arrest them too."

"Ah?" Yang Zhen swallowed his saliva.

The manager next to him bent his knees and almost fell to his knees.

Yuan Lian was also frightened, and the desire to fight back was gone like a deflated ball.

Lin Chen said: "Captain Yang, I called the Anti-Drug Division..."

Yang Zhen replied, "Yes, the Narcotics Squad let me take a look at the situation first."

"They use poppy shells in their store, which is a serious violation of the law."

"This one……"

Yang Zhen thought for a moment, then shouted to his subordinates, "Collect evidence, arrest people, take all the staff in the store back, and notify comrades in other areas to seal up the other two stores as well. Contact the Industry and Commerce Bureau and ask them to come over quickly."

Luo Rui pointed at the round-faced man and said, "This man is Zhang Zhou. He insulted the police officers and is suspected of provoking trouble. You guys handle it."

"Okay, we certainly will!" Yang Zhen nodded hurriedly.

"By the way, keep this manager here. I want to question him."

When the manager saw Luo Rui staring at him with a fierce look in his eyes, he now clearly understood how powerful the people in this box were.

The captain of the public security brigade was already a very important official in his eyes, but the way this man surnamed Yang looked at Luo Rui was even more humble and modest than when he looked at the big leaders of Wucheng City.

The manager stared at Yang Zhen eagerly, hoping that the other party would treat him equally and take him away as well. Needless to say, he definitely thought that these people would not give him a good time.

Yang Zhen saw the meaning in his eyes and reminded him: "The person in front of you is a comrade from the Provincial Public Security Department. Please cooperate well."

"I..." The manager wanted to cry but had no tears. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Yang Zhen ordered his subordinates to take Yuan Lian out. In the restaurant outside the box, police officers in uniform were some controlling people while others were investigating and collecting evidence.

Diners were asked to stay seated and not to leave.

After the box door was closed, the manager looked at Luo Rui and almost knelt down.

He swallowed his saliva and bowed with his hands: "Officer, I... I know I was wrong. Can you please forgive me and let me go?"

Fang Yonghui chuckled. Although as a policeman, he shouldn't feel happy about this kind of thing, to be honest, he did feel happy.

Qiao Xue and Lin Chen didn't react much, and Chu Yang was quite polite. However, when the other party ordered people to take action, he immediately protected Lin Chen and Qiao Xue in front of him.

Luo Rui sat in the chair and moved out a chair in front of him: "You sit down first."

I might as well kneel down for you. Do I dare to do it? I... The manager groaned inwardly and shook his head hurriedly: "I dare not, I dare not..."

"What's your name?"

"My name is... Liu Guangtai."

Luo Rui nodded: "Where is your boss?"

"Boss?" Liu Guangtai rolled his eyes and asked, "Are you asking about the second boss or the first boss?"

"You have two owners in this hot pot restaurant?"

"Yes, the big boss doesn't come here often, so this store is usually managed by the second boss."

"What are their names?"

"The big boss is Xu Jie, and the second-in-command is Xu Ming."

Liu Guangtai hurriedly said, "Officer, adding poppy shells has nothing to do with us. I just said the truth. It's not just our store that does this. Many restaurants in this hot pot city add this stuff!"

Luo Rui looked at Qiao Xue and said, "Tell Captain Yang to call someone over to check all these restaurants. If there are any problems, seal them all!"

Liu Guangtai was so frightened that he shivered and broke out in a cold sweat. He thought that his careless words had offended so many restaurant owners. If the news got out, wouldn’t he have a leg crippled?

"Officer, please don't tell me that I told you, seriously, or you'll kill me."

"Are you scared now?" Fang Yonghui asked, "Where's your ruthlessness just now?"

Luo Rui waved his hand to stop him from continuing.

Liu Guangtai, is there any conflict between your boss and the second boss? "

"Yes, there must be conflicts! The big boss is the eldest brother, and his business philosophy is not in line with the second boss's."

"What's wrong with the road?"

"The second boss asked us to add poppy shells. He wanted to build up the business so that the big boss would listen to him."

Lin Chen had been taking notes and asked, "What is the relationship between your boss Xu Jie and Xu Ming?"

"Brother, dear brother."

Luo Rui asked: "I heard that Xu Jie had an accident. Did you know about this?"

Liu Guangtai blinked: "Something happened? I haven't heard of it."

"How was business in the store on the evening of November 1st?"

"pretty good."

"Was Xu Jie in the store at the time?"

Liu Guangtai suddenly came to his senses: "Oh, right, the police came to ask about this yesterday! I remember, they asked the big boss who he had dinner with the night before yesterday, and we answered them one by one."

He was trying to find out where the police in the box came from, and it didn't seem like they were after the poppy shell.

"Was your second boss in the store at the time?"

Liu Guangtai shook his head: "He's not here."

When he replied this, his eyes rolled around.

Luo Rui thought the other party didn't seem to be lying, but he must be hiding something.

"What do you think of Xu Ming? Have he ever had a fight with Xu Jie?"

Liu Guangtai nodded: "They often quarrel, we have heard it several times."

"What's the quarrel?"

"It's about the business of the store. Besides, I heard... heard..."

Luo Rui warned: "Liu Guangtai, you have to understand that you are just an employee, don't hide anything from me. I'm telling you the truth, we are investigating a murder case, a matter of life and death, if you dare to fool me, don't blame me for not giving you a chance!"

"Yes." Liu Guangtai pursed his lips and said, "Just last month, I heard the big boss and the second boss arguing at the back door of the kitchen. The noise was very loud, and they seemed to be talking about something like 'sister-in-law'. I didn't quite understand what they were arguing about."

"In your opinion..." Luo Rui pondered, "Will Xu Ming want to kill his elder brother Xu Jie?"

"what?"

Liu Guangtai was frightened. The information in this sentence was a bit explosive, and he vaguely felt that the boss must be dead, otherwise, such a powerful policeman would not have been attracted.

Luo Rui pursed his lips: "Tell me, can you do it?"

"I think, I don't think so, they are brothers."

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Liu Guangtai shook his head: "I don't know about the other things."

"Have any suspicious people appeared in the store recently? For example, asking about your big boss Xu Jie, or strangers wandering outside your store?"

Liu Guangtai thought about it and continued to shake his head: "I haven't noticed it. How about I go ask the clerk?"

"Then I won't bother you." Luo Rui said with a smile, "Where does your second boss Xu Ming live? Tell me the house number."

"Okay, okay."

Luo Rui stood up and instructed Fang Yonghui and Qiao Xue, "You two stay here and check all the employees. There are surveillance cameras in the store. Copy all the video recordings before and after November 1st. After doing this, if it's still early, you can go to the North City Wholesale Market to meet us."

"Okay!" Fang Yonghui and Qiao Xue answered in unison, then walked out of the box and began to check.

----------

At eight o'clock in the evening, in an upscale community not far from the hot pot city.

As Lin Chen walked, he told Luo Rui: "Xu Jie also lived in this community before, but he moved away after divorcing his ex-wife three years ago.

My younger brother Xu Ming also lives here, Room 5, Building 1302.

I called the household registration office and found out that Xu Ming was unmarried and 31 years old.

Luo Rui nodded, took Lin Chen and Chu Yang to Building 5, and prepared to take the elevator upstairs.

Lin Chen continued, "After the brothers Xu Jie and Xu Ming became rich, they bought an upstairs house. The victim Xu Jie lived on the 12th floor. Director Luo, which house should we go to first?"

Luo Rui pressed the button for the twelfth floor: "Go ask the victim's family first."

After the elevator arrived, Chu Yang went to knock on the door.

Soon, a girl in a junior high school uniform opened the door with a gel pen in her hand: "Who are you looking for?"

"Excuse me, is this Xu Jie's home?"

The girl frowned. “He doesn’t live here.”

"What about your mother?"

"She's having her hair done."

Chu Yang continued to ask: "When will she come back?"

The girl shook her head and closed the door without saying a word.

Chu Yang turned around and shrugged.

Luo Rui ordered: "Let's go upstairs."

It was just one floor, so they took the stairs.