Returning to the county opera troupe in 77

A large crowd gathered at the entrance of the compound, and almost all the staff and trainees in the compound were alerted. They gathered in small groups, whispering and discussing among themselves.

"Hey, what law did Fatty Qin break? Why was he arrested by the police station?" Lin Datou stared wide-eyed, his face full of disbelief. "That coward doesn't even dare to take an extra slice of pork from the cafeteria, how dare he break the law?"

He Jianshe frowned and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense! The police officers at the station already said that they asked Fatty Qin to cooperate with the investigation and understand the situation. Who said he must have committed a crime? If you keep shouting like this, people will think he really did something."

Lin Datou was taken aback by the remark, shrank back, and lowered his voice: "So, there needs to be a reason for cooperating with an investigation, right? Tell me, what kind of cooperation could a guy who just flips a wok possibly have?"

The group of people were saying all sorts of things, but as soon as they saw Feng Zhengxiao walking over with a stern face, they all quickly shut their mouths.

Zhu Zheng frowned, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "What are you all doing gathered here? The matter isn't even settled yet, and you're already framing people? Disperse, go do what you were doing!"

Several people in the crowd immediately looked embarrassed, such as Liu Benyi, Lin Datou, and Ma Dongmei, who had been the loudest earlier. Now, under Zhu Zhengkuo's gaze, they all shrank back and their eyes darted around.

"Secretary Zhu, let's go to the police station first to find out what's going on," Chen Xiangdong suggested.

He had some guesses about why Fatty Qin was taken away. But he could only find out the specifics from the police station.

Zhu Zheng nodded and said, "Yes, let's go right now!"

Feng Zhengxiao's lips were a little pale, and his voice was hoarse: "I...I'll go too!"

He took two steps forward as he spoke, but his steps felt unsteady.

Chen Xiangdong quickly stepped forward and reassured him, "Don't worry, Chef Feng, Chef Qin will definitely be fine. Think about it, he usually just hangs around the stove. Besides tossing the wok and chopping vegetables, what serious crime could he have committed? At most, it might be food hygiene issues. I reckon the police station is looking for him because it's related to the cafeteria."

Feng Zhengxiao felt a little more at ease and said in a low voice, "Well, let's go take a look first."

The group walked quickly toward the police station on East Street. The midday sun hung brightly in the sky, casting somewhat messy shadows.

Upon arriving at the police station, Zhu Zhengkuo, as the secretary of the troupe, walked at the front and made a point of adjusting his collar as he entered.

The police station is a single-story building facing the street. As soon as you enter, there is a desk in front of you, and a young policeman is sitting behind the desk.

Feng Zhengxiao, looking nervous, spoke first: "Comrade, has Qin Gang from the county theater troupe been arrested here?"

The young policeman looked up, glanced at the group of people, and asked in a relatively gentle tone, "You're from the county theater troupe, right?"

Zhu Zhengkuo stepped forward and nodded: "Yes, comrade, I am Zhu Zhengkuo, the secretary of the county theater troupe. Our troupe's Master Qin has been brought in to cooperate with the investigation. We've come to ask him what he did wrong?"

The young police officer stood up and smiled, "Oh, don't be nervous, we're just investigating the situation. This morning we received an anonymous tip-off, reporting that Qin Gang bought a large quantity of bean curd and meat and openly used it in the county theater troupe's canteen, which could pose a serious safety hazard. Although this isn't a criminal case, it does involve the safety of over a hundred people in the troupe, so we need to investigate and gather evidence."

After saying that, he continued, "However, since the report was handed over to the police station, we have to investigate and collect evidence, both morally and logically. If the situation is indeed true, we will transfer the case to the Health Bureau. What the Health Bureau does then is no longer our police station's business."

"Bean curd and meat?"

Zhu Zhengguo and Feng Zhengxiao exchanged glances, simultaneously breathing a sigh of relief; so that's what it was about.

In order to improve the meals for their employees, canteens in various units would secretly obtain some cheap meat, and sometimes it was inevitable that they would mix in some pork or other meats, which was almost an open secret.

I've never heard of anyone writing a complaint letter specifically to report this. Although it doesn't involve criminal charges, if the matter is verified and transferred to the local health bureau, Fatty Qin will definitely lose his job as the head chef.

Chen Xiangdong asked, "Comrade, what did Chef Qin say?"

The police officer shook his head: "Qin Gang refused to admit the contents of the whistleblower letter, saying that it was all a frame-up against him and that the situation was not true."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhengguo and Feng Zhengxiao both showed a hint of relief on their faces. As for things like buying bean curd and meat, as long as they weren't caught red-handed, they would just deny it to the death, and no one could do anything about it.

Everyone knows the behind-the-scenes tricks the troupe has used in purchasing over the years.

But these kinds of things are usually left unpunished unless the people complain. So the person who writes the whistleblower letter is the one who really breaks the rules of the trade.

Chen Xiangdong lowered his eyelids, seemingly lost in thought.

He remembered clearly that in his previous life, when Fatty Qin was reported for selling meat and beans, the matter escalated much more dramatically than it had this time.

At the time, he wasn't called in to cooperate with the investigation; instead, the police caught him red-handed at Old Xue's house.

He was directly dismissed from his position as head chef, and almost lost his job. In the end, it was only through the collective pleading of the entire leadership of the county troupe that he was spared. However, Yu Baoliang took over the job of head chef.

After extensive investigation, Fatty Qin finally learned that the whistleblower was none other than Yu Baoliang.

Chen Xiangdong could guess without even thinking that Yu Baoliang was probably behind the anonymous whistleblower letter.

Just then, the door to the inner room creaked open, and Jia Dafang came out first, followed by Han Wenxue and Officer Li, who had handled the case of Sun Douzhan beating Liu Dezhu. Fatty Qin followed at the back, his face gloomy, and remained silent.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Feng Zhengxiao was the first to react, taking a step forward to meet Qin Pangzi and looking him up and down: "How are you? Are you alright?"

Fatty Qin forced a smile: "Second Uncle, I'm fine, don't worry."

Zhu Zheng glanced at Jia Dafang, then looked at Officer Li and asked, "Officer Li, has the matter been thoroughly investigated?"

"Okay, the statement is complete." Officer Li nodded. "Comrade Qin Gang firmly denied the contents of the whistleblower letter, and we haven't collected any concrete evidence. He won't be detained any further, and he can go home."

Just as Zhu Zheng was about to say that he was causing trouble for the police station, Officer Li added, "However, if the Health Bureau receives the same report, they may contact Comrade Qin Gang again to find out more. You'd better prepare the purchase invoices in advance, just in case."

Zhu Zhengkuo and Jia Dafang exchanged a glance and nodded in succession. Zhu Zhengkuo thanked Li Gong'an, and then the group left the police station and walked back towards the theater troupe's compound.

Fatty Qin, head down, lagged behind the crowd. Chen Xiangdong leaned close to him and whispered, "Teacher Qin, who do you think wrote that whistleblower letter?"

Fatty Qin frowned and shook his head, saying in a muffled voice, "I don't know... I haven't offended anyone before."

Chen Xiangdong glanced at him sideways: "So, if something happens to you and you lose your job, who do you think will be the biggest beneficiary?"

Qin Pangzi suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening sharply.

He was just a cook in charge of the kitchen, not a particularly important position. If there was anyone eyeing his position covetously, there was only one person.

He turned to look at Chen Xiangdong, his voice low and menacing: "You suspect it's him too?"

It seems that Fatty Qin's head isn't entirely made of wood; he's clearly also suspicious of Yu Baoliang.

Chen Xiangdong winked at Fatty Qin and whispered in his ear, "How about we put on a show and trick him?"