Volume 1, Chapter 8: The Fleeing Outlaw

After bidding farewell to Liu Guolin, Chen Yang drove his horse cart to the supply and marketing cooperative.

After tethering the horse, he began looking around. Not far away, he spotted the shifty-looking scalper who had sold him ration coupons the day before. Chen Yang smiled and waved at him. Seeing this, the guy trotted over.

"Brother, you’ve got some money to spend, huh? What are you looking to pick up today?"

"I need a bicycle coupon and some industrial coupons. Can you get them?"

The man paused after hearing Chen Yang’s request. He looked him over carefully, thinking he didn't exactly look like the type of person who had that kind of money. After all, a Permanent brand bicycle cost at least 150 yuan. What kind of family could afford a bike? In any case, Chen Yang didn't look like the type who could afford one.

"Brother, bicycle coupons are in high demand; I’ll have to put in some effort to get one. And these aren't like grain or oil coupons—you’ll have to pay a premium!"

Damn! The guy was dragging out his sentences, making Chen Yang think he couldn't get them. It turned out he was just looking for a surcharge.

"Ten yuan for a single coupon. The other industrial coupons are a bit pricier than the grain, flour, and oil ones. Do you want them or not?"

Ten yuan for a bicycle coupon was indeed damn expensive. But as the guy said, bicycle coupons were notoriously hard to come by. Even if it were twenty yuan, Chen Yang would still buy it. Everything he was doing now was to make Huang Zhiyao feel happy, respected, and convinced that she hadn't married the wrong man.

"No problem, I'll take them! But you better be reliable, or there won't be any chance for future cooperation," Chen Yang warned him.

"Don't worry, brother. I, Qi Baozi, am known for my integrity. As long as there's money, there isn't a coupon I can't get." The guy patted his chest and assured him.

After chatting for a while, Chen Yang bought several other types of coupons from him. He then entered the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a large pile of supplies. It was a good thing he had the horse cart; otherwise, getting it all back would have been a major problem.

At this moment, Chen Yang felt an inexhaustible supply of energy. It was a completely different state of being compared to his previous life, where he had just drifted along, waiting for death.

***

As he hummed a tune on his way back, the county Public Security Bureau conference room was thick with smoke.

"Li Chengping, damn it, stop smoking! You’re going to turn this place into a chimney!" Bureau Chief Lin Guihong barked at the young man to his right.

Li Chengping was the captain of the county Public Security Bureau's criminal investigation team and the local expert at solving cases. He was currently stumped by the situation at hand, which was why he had been chain-smoking throughout the meeting.

"Tell me your thoughts!" Seeing Li Chengping crush his cigarette in the ashtray, Lin Guihong’s expression softened slightly as he asked.

"I believe Zheng Wuyang is still in our county. He’s just hiding, and he definitely hasn't left," Li Chengping said firmly.

Zheng Wuyang was a ruthless criminal who had committed crimes across three cities. In just half a month, the death toll at his hands had risen to six, with four others seriously injured. He was armed with a gun and was an extremely dangerous individual. Intelligence suggested he had fled to Hui County, and some had even claimed to see him on the streets. That was why the county bureau was so nervous; if they let him continue to wreak havoc, they wouldn't be able to answer to their superiors. If things went south, it wouldn't just be Bureau Chief Lin Guihong who took the fall.

"Why are you so certain he's still in the county?" Lin Guihong asked, frowning.

"Intuition. Chief, you know my intuition is always accurate. This time, I feel I've encountered an incredibly difficult opponent, but I will bring him to justice!" Li Chengping said coldly. Coming onto his turf to commit crimes was a slap in the face. He had to catch Zheng Wuyang, or he might as well quit as captain.

"Damn it!" Lin Guihong swore after hearing this. But then again, the kid was indeed capable. His intuition had always been sharp, leading to the cracking of many major cases—which was why he had become a captain at such a young age.

"Since you're so certain, take your men and conduct a carpet search of the county. Don't miss a single corner. I don't need to remind you how heavy the burden on our shoulders is, right? If you catch Zheng Wuyang, I'll treat you all to a feast at the state-run restaurant! If you let him keep running wild, then you can all resign, every last one of you! Meeting dismissed!" With that, Lin Guihong stood up and left the conference room.

"Looks like we're working overtime again! Let's go, boys, keep your spirits up and find this animal."

***

Encouraged by Li Chengping, the team began a carpet search of the county.

Chen Yang knew nothing of this. Upon returning home, he fed the horse some fodder and quickly ran to the river. Li Cheng and the others were already splashing around in the water, and several baskets of sorted mushrooms were neatly arranged under the shade of the trees.

"Brother Yang is back! Brother Yang is back!"

"Splash!"

"Splash!"

Hearing this, the group of half-grown boys quickly swam to the shore. Chen Yang had promised to pay them today. They had already bragged to their parents, and if they didn't bring money home, they were sure to face a "broomstick beating."

"So, getting impatient?" Chen Yang joked, looking at his younger friends.

"Brother, we already bragged at home last night. If we don't bring money back today, we might end up 'shortened' tomorrow," Yuan Baoan said with a pained expression.

"Why shortened?" Chen Yang asked, confused.

"Because my dad said he'd break my legs!"

"Hahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter at his dramatic remark.

"You all did a great job on yesterday's task. Two yuan for everyone! Baoan, here's yours. Ergou, yours. Wang Gang, yours..."

Chen Yang gave each of them two yuan. It wasn't that he was stingy; he needed the money urgently himself, and giving too much would only lead to trouble. Even in the countryside, there were many complications, and he didn't want to invite unnecessary drama. Two yuan was a decent amount—enough to satisfy their parents and get them off the hook.

Reborn, he would not treat these brothers poorly, but the days of making real money were still ahead.

"Holy crap, Brother Yang is the best!" When they received their earnings, their excitement was beyond words. After this, Chen Yang became even more legendary in their eyes. The fact that Brother Yang had the skill to win over the educated youth Huang was no longer surprising—it was only natural.