In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

Chapter 126 Sons Paying for Their Fathers' Debts is a Matter of Nature

Li Guilan returned from outside at some point and saw Zhang Chao wiping away tears at the door.

The dark-skinned young man was thin and sobbing, and she felt a pang of sadness watching him.

I quickly put down the pork belly and potatoes, grabbed a clean towel, wrung it out, and handed it over.

Zhang Yong also placed another cup of warm water on the corner of the table and took a towel.

"Brother Chao, wipe your face."

"It's alright, let's all think of a way together. If we can get more clues now, we can get a verdict sooner, and my uncle won't have to stay locked up forever."

Zhang Chao buried his face in the towel, took a few muffled breaths, and his shoulders were still trembling.

Zhang Yong didn't urge him any further, and just sat across from him and waited.

The cicadas outside the window were chirping less, and the sun was already at noon. A little light leaked in through the gaps in the iron bars of the security window, casting a row of shadows on the cement floor.

After a long while, Zhang Chao finally took the towel off his face; his eyes were swollen like walnuts.

"Yongzi." His voice was still hoarse. "Didn't you just ask me where else I'd seen the labels on those barrels?"

"Hmm." Zhang Yong nodded. "Think carefully, besides that shed, have you seen it anywhere else?"

Zhang Chao's hands trembled as he took a sip of water to calm himself down.

"Yes, I've seen it quite a few times."

His voice was very low, as if he was afraid that once he said it, he would never be able to take it back.

"Where?"

Zhang Chao raised his head, his eyes vacant.

"You can basically see them at the local market."

Zhang Yong's brow twitched. "What do you mean?"

"At the northern end of Gaoyang County, on the long street leading to Baoding, there is a large market on the fifth and tenth of each month."

"At the eastern end of the market, next to the livestock shed, there is a row of stalls that specialize in buying and selling oil products."

"stall?"

"Yes." Zhang Chao's voice gradually calmed down. "It's not big, just a tricycle and a wooden board. There are a few empty buckets on it as samples, and those three-lined triangles are drawn on the top of the buckets."

"I used to go to the market to exchange vegetables and cloth, and I saw it a few times when I passed by. In fact, all the villagers on our street know about it; they've been collecting it for several years."

"Of course, they're not there every day," Zhang Chao emphasized. "They're only there occasionally on the fifth and tenth of the lunar month, and they move away as soon as the market closes."

Zhang Yong tapped his fingers twice on the table.

The fifth and tenth of the lunar month. Twice a month.

Mobile stalls leave no permanent traces.

It's actually not easy to find; if you don't live on the street all the time, you wouldn't even realize it.

"Who's watching that stall?"

"A lame old man, always wearing a tattered straw hat," Zhang Chao thought for a moment. "My dad calls him—Sixth Uncle? He's not a relative, just a nickname."

"Are you sure the markings on those buckets are the same as in the photo?"

"Exactly the same!" Zhang Chao slammed his hand on the table. "Three bars, a small triangle at the bottom, painted red. My eyesight is excellent!"

Zhang Yong took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair.

Market stalls, mobile operations, twice a month.

Xiao Li might not actually know about this connection.

The comrades from Baoding went to the villages to investigate, looking for fixed locations. Who would have thought that Ma Degui would set up distribution outlets at market stalls?

The market is poorly managed; you can set up a stall as long as you pay the stall fee, and you don't need any business license.

They would sell their goods and leave, and back then even the city management officers couldn't stop them.

"Brother Chao," Zhang Yong stared at him, "can you tell the police station about this?"

Zhang Chao paused for a moment, then flinched, unable to respond.

He was timid and honest, always avoiding the police, and never thought of going to the police station himself.

The room was quiet for about ten seconds.

"Yongzi," Zhang Defa finally spoke, his voice muffled as if squeezed from cotton. "How about—you see—"

That eight thousand yuan —

He rubbed his hands together, his eyes slightly unfocused.

"Or maybe we shouldn't take it at all."

Li Guilan gasped in shock, about to lash out, but Zhang Defa stopped her with a gesture.

"Wife, let me finish speaking." Zhang Defa stood up and quickly grabbed Li Guilan's hand.

"Consider this me buying out all the mess I've made over the years. From now on, I'll listen to you and Yongzi; after all, we're still family."

--daughter in law----.

""

He turned to look at Zhang Chao, his eyes red-rimmed.

"After all—Chaozi and my sister-in-law have had a really tough time."

Zhang Yong remained silent.

He never expected to get all eight thousand yuan back.

The property certificate is in someone else's name, and Zhang Dewang himself is penniless, so getting the money back is harder than climbing to heaven.

Zhang Defa was actually giving Zhang Chao a way out when he said that.

But this would make Li Guilan feel too wronged, and he couldn't just ignore his mother, so he was about to interrupt.

Zhang Chao stood up abruptly.

The chair leg scraped against the concrete floor with a screeching sound.

"Third Uncle! I disagree!"

Zhang Chao's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was filled with malice.

"It's only right that sons should pay for their fathers' debts!"

He was thin and small, but his voice was firm and stern.

"My dad's a jerk, but I have to act like one!"

Zhang Defa was stunned.

Zhang Chao clenched his fists tightly, as if he had already figured it out.

"Third Uncle, Brother Yongzi, Third Aunt, this money should be repaid by our family! My father did something wrong, and our family accepts it!"

He sniffed, his voice trembling as he spoke each word slowly and deliberately.

"I don't have money right now, but I have plenty of strength. I can farm, do odd jobs, and carry bricks. Three to five years, ten to eight years, I'll take responsibility for it!"

After saying this, Zhang Chao seemed to have all his strength drained away, his legs wobbled, and he plopped back down on the stool.

Li Guilan couldn't hold back any longer and went over to hug Zhang Chao tightly: "You silly boy, you silly boy, it's not a big deal, don't get yourself into trouble."

As if afraid he would regret it, Zhang Chao held Li Guilan's hand tightly; "Third Aunt, I can do it! Don't try to persuade me, I won't be able to sleep at night if I can't pay back this money."

His back was straight.

Zhang Defa finally couldn't take it anymore and went back to his room to hide.

Li Guilan quietly turned her face away, wiped away her tears, and went back to the kitchen.

"Okay, I won't mention that anymore. You young people can decide for yourselves. We'll have stewed potatoes and meat later, and I'll cook rice."

Zhang Yong looked at Zhang Chao.

This kid is really different from his father.

"Brother Chao," Zhang Yong's voice softened. "The money isn't urgent. If we can catch Ma Degui and that Liu Cuiping and chase them down, we can get the money back. The key is that they've both run away."

Zhang Chao raised his head.

"The trail went cold in Baoding, and we can't find the equipment either." Zhang Yong stared into his eyes.

"The information you just mentioned—the market stalls, the oil drum markings, and that shed—the police station doesn't know any of it yet."

"If we can find them, we can recover some of our debts even if we sell all the equipment. If we can find those two people, they can even compensate us directly."

Zhang Chao's eyes lit up.

"Are you willing to go to the police station and explain all this to the officers handling the case?"

This time, Zhang Chao didn't hesitate.

"Yes! Let's go!"