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

"Sir, please drink this, and hold on tight!" Xiao Li poured Zhang Dewang a glass of water. "Just routinely checking the situation; you'll be fine with that."

"Yongzi, would you like tea or water?"

Zhang Dewang sat on the wooden interrogation chair, watching Zhang Yong chat familiarly with the local police.

He was filled with regret, while Zhang Yong acted as if he were in his own backyard.

Looking at myself again, I realized that my pockets had been emptied as soon as I entered the room. My buttocks were hard as a rock, and the interrogation chair was quite high, so my feet couldn't reach the ground. I could only tremble in the air.

"Sir, it's your turn." Xiao Li handed a glass of water to another older police officer, then opened his notebook and twisted the cap off his pen.

"Let me explain first. We received a report from residents of Chaoyang District that you had contact with a certain suspect, so we are conducting a routine inquiry."

"I...I didn't break the law!" Zhang Dewang finally managed to utter.

"No one said you broke the law."

Xiao Li smiled, looking particularly happy. "We just received a tip that you have dealings with Ma Degui, an oil dealer from Baoding, so we're taking a statement. What is your relationship with Ma Degui?"

Zhang Dewang shook his head repeatedly in a panic.

"I've only seen...I've met him before. Ma Degui is famous in our area! I'm not the only one who's seen him! I've only met him once!"

Xiao Li didn't reply, but instead rummaged through a drawer, pulled out a file folder, and took out a few sheets of paper.

"This is the statement of Liu Gui, the detainee." He turned one page over and pointed to a line. "He said that he came to Beijing to collect a debt, which was arranged by Ma Degui. Ma Degui gave him an IOU for 500 yuan, which stated that Zhang Dewang borrowed the money, and the date was last month."

Xiao Li looked up at Zhang Dewang.

"Sir, the IOU for 1,000 yuan that you had in your pocket just now is the same paper, the same seal, and the same handwriting as Liu Gui's 500 yuan IOU. The date is from last week."

"Are you sure you only met him once? Maybe you should think about it again?"

Zhang Dewang's hands began to tremble.

"Well... I just went to borrow some money, um... I only met him twice..."

"Okay, twice." Xiao Li took back the notebook. "Then please tell me the time and place of the meeting, how the money was borrowed, when it was borrowed, and where the money was spent. You tell me and I'll write it down."

Zhang Dewang stared at the paper, sweat pouring down his face.

Zhang Yong stood outside the duty room, leaning against the door frame, without going in.

He doesn't need to go in.

Xiao Li is a sensible person.

Liu Gui's case was already pending, and Zhang Dewang's name was clearly written on the note. Now that he's come to us, we just need to follow the procedures.

The police station has always had a set of rules for handling these kinds of cases, which are not much different from those of 26 years ago.

In his past life, he had been there a few times, but...

Zhang Dewang is not currently in the act of committing a crime and has no direct criminal charges, but he has a clear connection with Liu Gui, who is in custody, and also has financial dealings with Ma Degui, who is currently under investigation.

In this situation, the local police officer has the right to conduct "detention and questioning"—which simply means detaining the person for questioning for a maximum of 24 hours.

If they get substantial information, transfer the case to the criminal investigation department. If they can't get anything out of them, release the person.

But regardless of whether they get any answers, Zhang Dewang is not leaving today.

After Xiao Li finished writing the explanation, he looked up and waved to Zhang Yong.

"Zhang Yong, come over and sign this. The section for the person who filed the report."

Zhang Yong walked over, took the pen, and signed his name in the "whistleblower" column.

"Oh, right." Xiao Li picked up the two hundred-yuan bills from the table and placed them in front of Zhang Yong. "Take these back."

"Um?"

"You found it in your uncle's pocket, and he confessed where it came from." Xiao Li patted Zhang Yong on the shoulder. "You're both brave and resourceful. You managed to intimidate him with money. It's not considered stolen money, so we have no reason to confiscate it."

"But your uncle's other belongings need to be registered. He said these two hundred yuan were for your travel expenses. Please confirm, sign, and take them back."

Zhang Yong took the money, signed the papers, and put them back in his pocket.

"And that burlap sack, I kept it for testing." Xiao Li pointed to the bulging cloth sack leaning against the corner. "The peanuts and salted duck eggs inside are unrelated to the case, and we can't accept them. The chief will be furious if he finds out. Don't you want me to take them?"

Zhang Yong glanced at the dark oil stain at the bottom of the sack.

"Okay." Zhang Yong went back to his motorcycle and grabbed two large cloth bags, filling them to the brim. "These are what my uncle brought from our hometown."

Xiao Li waved his hand. "I've already looked at it, take it."

Zhang Yong carried the bag and walked out, but stopped at the door.

"Little Li."

"Um?"

"My uncle is a timid man. Call me after the interrogation, and I'll bring him some daily necessities."

Xiao Li nodded. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Zhang Yong hopped on his motorcycle and rode home.

……

Back to Jinsong Community.

Zhang Yong parked his motorcycle in the shed, then carried the two bags of peanuts and salted duck eggs upstairs.

The door wasn't locked.

Upon entering the house, Li Guilan and Zhang Defa sat at opposite ends of the dining table, separated by the nearly empty corn porridge.

No one spoke.

Zhang Defa's head drooped, his hands resting on his knees, like a primary school student who had made a mistake.

"My son is back." Li Guilan smiled first, her voice hoarse.

"I'm back."

Zhang Defa suddenly looked up.

"Your uncle..."

"He's at the police station." Zhang Yong pulled out a chair and sat down. "The local police officer is questioning him. He has to stay for 24 hours. If there's nothing wrong, he'll be released; if there is, he'll be transferred."

"Twenty-four hours..." Zhang Defa's lips trembled. "Isn't that...like being in prison?"

"It's different." Zhang Yong glanced at the bottom of the porridge in the pot, scooped out a spoonful, and found it was still warm.

"Going to jail is a sentence, and the questioning is just to cooperate with the investigation. If he really wasn't involved in the fake oil incident, he'll be out tomorrow after the questioning, buy a train ticket back to Baoding, and nobody will stop him."

Zhang Defa fell silent.

"But what if he gets involved?" Li Guilan asked.

Zhang Yong looked at his mother.

"That's beyond our control."

The room was quiet for a while.

Outside the window, the cicadas were still chirping. In the next building, someone was hanging quilts to dry on their balcony; the bamboo poles clanged against the iron railings.

Zhang Defa suddenly stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to the mother and son.

"Dad." Zhang Yong could tell at a glance that his father was secretly wiping away tears again.

"……Um."

"You've had a tough time these past years, taking care of the whole family. My mom and I understand. As long as we're on the same page, that's all that matters."

Zhang Defa didn't turn around. He raised his hand and wiped his face hard with his sleeve.

"It's my fault..." His voice was muffled and nasal. "I'm sorry to your mother. I'm sorry to you."

Li Guilan's tears finally fell. She walked over to Zhang Defa and punched him hard before turning around and going back into the inner room.

Zhang Yong also stood up, walked behind Zhang Defa, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Dad, let's not talk about the past."

"I'll be able to earn money from now on."

Zhang Defa turned around, his face wrinkled, his mouth pursed, and wrinkles peeking out...

"But what if your uncle..." Zhang Defa swallowed, "What if he calls me from back home... How am I supposed to explain this...?"

"If they call again from Baoding in the next couple of days, no matter who it is, tell them all that Uncle isn't home," Zhang Yong said firmly. "We have to wait for the police station's results. Don't overthink it. Go talk to my mom for a while."

Zhang Defa closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"……OK."

Zhang Yong watched his father walk back into the inner room and scoop out another spoonful of porridge.

Eat your fill first, then get to work. We still need to get back every single penny of that eight thousand yuan!

......