Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

At the entrance of the Nanshan County Police Station, Song Erdan from Xiazai Village sneaked in through the main gate, peeked into the station a few times, and saw many people talking in the lobby. He hesitated whether to go in.

A policeman riding back from outside saw Song Erdan peeking around in the courtyard, stopped his bicycle, and asked Song Erdan, "Comrade, is something wrong?"

Startled by the voices behind him, Song Erdan turned around and saw it was a police officer. He then patted his chest and said, "Officer, I...I'm here to report a case. I have important clues to share!"

Upon hearing that they were there to provide clues, the police asked, "Is it about the major shooting incident on February 2.15th?"

Song Erdan didn't know what the "February 2.15th major shooting incident" meant, but he understood the word "shooting," and nodded repeatedly, saying, "Yes, yes, it's about the shooting incident in the county town. I have a crucial lead!"

"Let's go, let's go in," the policeman said, parking his bicycle and leading the somewhat hesitant Song Erdan into the bustling hall.

All the people in the hall had come to report the crime after learning about the county public security bureau's reward for information on the perpetrators of the shooting. Some said that their neighbors were nocturnal and their behavior was very suspicious, and they suspected that they were accomplices of the perpetrators.

Some people said they had seen the three criminals who were still on the run. When the police asked what they looked like, the people who reported them gave vague descriptions, such as big noses, square faces, and dark skin. They said nothing of substance.

"Comrade, we will investigate your report. We'll need to verify the facts before we can let you know!"

"What's there to verify, officers? Just go and arrest him. He's fast asleep right now. He wasn't home all night and didn't get back until after 5 a.m., which is when I got up in the middle of the night and saw him!"

"Are you sure your neighbor isn't just nocturnal because they work the night shift?"

"Well……"

Song Erdan was led by the policeman to a desk. The policeman opened his notebook, took off the cap of his pen, and looked at Song Erdan, who was still looking around. "Comrade, you said you have important clues to provide. Please describe them in detail."

Instead of answering the police officer's question directly, Song Erdan lowered his voice and asked, "Officer, I came to report this after seeing the reward notice you posted on the utility pole at the entrance of our village. I want to ask, if my report is true, can you really give me a thousand yuan directly?"

"As long as the clues you report are true, and after verification, we will reward you if the person is caught," the police officer said to the crowd that day, which he had said countless times.

Song Erdan then asked timidly, "Officer, after I reported the person and received a reward, could you please keep it a secret? After all, the person I reported is from our village. If the villagers find out that I was the one who reported him, they'll gossip about me and call me a traitor!"

The police officer listened to Song Erdan's words, his expression growing increasingly solemn, his brows furrowing involuntarily. Could this man truly have some crucial clue? He reassured Song Erdan, "Don't worry, comrade, our police station will strictly protect all information about the informant. We won't let you face any retaliation afterward!"

Hearing the police say this, Song Erdan felt much more at ease. He took out the "Agarwood" cigarette case he had picked up from his pocket and placed it on the desk in front of the policeman. "Officer, please take a look at this cigarette case."

The policeman frowned and picked up the cigarette pack that Song Erdan had put down. He'd never seen this pack before, and upon closer inspection, saw the words "Xiamen Cigarette Factory, Fujian Province" written on the bottom. His expression immediately turned serious. "Comrade, where did you get this cigarette pack?"

These days, cigarette factories are located all over China. They are usually produced and sold by local smokers. Except for high-end cigarettes such as Huazi Mudan, which are sold in small quantities by supply and marketing cooperatives, very few others are sold to other places.

The cigarettes labeled "Agarwood" were produced by a cigarette factory in Xiamen, Fujian Province. Logically speaking, cigarettes from other places should not be found in Tuocheng, which is more than 240 kilometers away from Xiamen, unless someone brought them from Xiamen!

"Wei Xucheng from our village secretly threw it away. He thought he could get away with it, so he deliberately threw it by the ditch. I noticed him a long time ago. His expression was off ever since he saw the wanted notice you posted. There was something fishy in his eyes!"

"I secretly followed him the whole way. This kid wanted to throw away this pack of cigarettes, but he couldn't bear to part with the few cigarettes left inside. He even pried them all out before squeezing the pack flat and throwing it away. I'm so clever, I immediately picked it up!"

At this point, Song Erdan deliberately lowered his voice, as if afraid that others around him would hear, and whispered to the police officer, "Just yesterday, two people rode bicycles into our village. Wei Xucheng left with these two people chatting and laughing. In the afternoon, Wei Xucheng got very drunk and was carried back on a bicycle."

"And the person who carried him back is the same person on your announcement!"

The police officer's pupils contracted, and he asked Song Erdan in a slightly serious yet tense tone, "Comrade, are you sure?"

"I'm sure, it's absolutely true. Wei Xucheng lives right next door to me. That day, I was sitting by the well in front of my house, washing my baby's diapers, when that person rode his bike to bring Wei Xucheng back. I saw it clearly, there's no mistake!"

After hearing this, the policeman, gripping his pen tightly, stood up excitedly. "Comrade, come with me to see our chief!"

"Officer, can I get a thousand yuan for this lead?"

"Once we catch him and confirm that Wei Xucheng, whom you mentioned, is an accomplice of these thugs, we'll succeed!"

"Okay," Song Erdan smiled and excitedly followed the police officer toward the chief's office. Just as they reached the door, they saw two other people about to go in. Song Erdan looked at one of them and realized that he was the owner of the noodle soup stall at the entrance of Shangzhai Village.

"It's you!"

"You report it too!"

"You two know each other?" The police officer who brought Song Erdan over glanced at the noodle soup stall owner and asked.

"I know him, I'm sure I know him, he sells noodles at the entrance of Shangzhai Village!"

"I know him. He's Song Erdan from Xiazai Village. He still owes me money for two bowls of noodle soup!"

After the noodle soup vendor finished speaking, Song Erdan across from him awkwardly rubbed his nose. "Another day, Liu the Cripple, I'll pay you back for the noodle soup another day. Don't go around telling everyone that I, Erdan, owe you money for noodle soup, making me sound like a deadbeat!"

"I think we shouldn't postpone it. Just pay back the money for the two bowls of noodle soup today. Otherwise, you might just run away as soon as you leave the county public security bureau, and I can't possibly go to your house and block your door demanding money from you!"

"Don't worry, I'll have the money to pay you back right away!"