PCJ – Chapter 220 Ill-gotten Wealth

Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head. He had to admit that the shop owner was right. No matter how good the tea leaves were, they wouldn’t sell well in this market. Although Zhang Jiaohua was just a child, he had a keen eye. The so-called premium teas in the department store were just well-packaged, but their actual quality couldn’t compare to his own black tea. However, they could fetch high prices in the department store, while in this market, regular people only wanted cheap tea. Even if he brought his tea here, it would sell at the same low price. People just wanted to quench their thirst, not necessarily drink the best tea. It was like cigarettes; everyone knew good cigarettes tasted better, but most people on the street still smoked loose tobacco wrapped in paper.

Feeling a bit discouraged, Zhang Jiaohua returned to the county police station. The guard at the gate recognized him.

“You’re Zhang Jiaohua, right? Captain Luo told me to let you wait in the criminal investigation team’s office. He’ll have lunch with you.” The guard, a cheerful man in his fifties, said.

“Okay.” Zhang Jiaohua responded and went to the criminal investigation team office.

At noon, Luo Changjun finally returned and pulled Zhang Jiaohua outside, “Let’s go, let’s have lunch. I have something to tell you.”

This time, they didn’t eat at the police station cafeteria but found a nice restaurant outside and went into a private room.

“Uncle Luo, is the case solved?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“More or less. But some things are hard to explain. The thief only confessed to last night’s crime because we caught him red-handed. He couldn’t deny it. But even so, given the large amount involved and the ongoing crackdown, he knew he’d face a heavy sentence. So, he clammed up and refused to confess to the previous two thefts. He insisted he hadn’t stolen anything. The victims of those two cases are also not talking. The investigation team from the city doesn’t want to expand the impact, so they won’t dig deeper. They’re letting the matter of the previous stolen goods go. I searched the thief’s place today but found nothing. This thief is cunning; he must have anticipated this.” Luo Changjun, not treating Zhang Jiaohua like a child or an outsider, explained everything.

“They’re not going to chase after that batch of stolen goods?” Zhang Jiaohua asked in surprise. From his visit last night, he knew the previous two victims had lost a lot.

“No, the investigation team has accepted the thief’s statement that he didn’t steal anything in the previous two cases. So, those stolen goods don’t exist.” Luo Changjun said with a deeper meaning.

“What if someone finds those stolen goods?” Zhang Jiaohua was confused.

“Then it’s not stolen goods because the thief didn’t steal anything. So, even if someone finds those goods, no one will claim them. They’ll be ownerless.” Luo Changjun laughed.

Luo Changjun’s words were a bit puzzling. Zhang Jiaohua scratched his head, not fully understanding, but then his eyes lit up, “If I find them, they’re mine?”

“Don’t tell me or anyone else about today’s conversation. Waiter, bring the food quickly.” Luo Changjun went outside to call for the waiter.

Zhang Jiaohua understood. Luo Changjun had come out to have lunch with him specifically to convey this message.

The thief couldn’t have come away empty-handed from the first two thefts. He must have tasted success, which is why he targeted another official the third time. Since it was ill-gotten wealth and some people wanted to cover it up, Luo Changjun let Zhang Jiaohua take advantage. The thief had hidden the goods well. Luo Changjun had thoroughly searched the thief’s place yesterday but found nothing. But he knew that no matter how cunning the thief was, he couldn’t escape Zhang Jiaohua’s methods. If Zhang Jiaohua could easily find the thief after a couple of days, he could surely find where the thief had been and uncover the hidden loot.

Zhang Jiaohua felt nervous. Though he knew it was ill-gotten wealth, he still felt like a thief. Such things couldn’t be done in the daytime. So, he spent the whole afternoon restlessly in the guesthouse, unsure if what he was about to do was right.

In the evening, Luo Changjun, looking tired, came to the guesthouse, “Where are you going tonight? Want me to go with you?”

“I’ll just wait in the guesthouse.” Zhang Jiaohua had Jin Hu and his group to help, so he didn’t need to go himself. Zuan Shanbao was also out. After losing to Jin Hu’s group last night, Zuan Shanbao was unwilling to concede. Zuan Shanbao was getting smarter and more human-like, almost like a child.

“I’ll come to pick you up in the morning. Pack your things in advance. I’ll drive over at dawn.” Luo Changjun left immediately after saying this. He didn’t want to be involved, to avoid attracting the attention of ill-intentioned people.

In finding things, Jin Hu’s group was no match for Zuan Shanbao. Even after nearly three days, Zuan Shanbao could retrace the thief’s steps by scent. The thief was cunning but overlooked one thing: the more carefully he hid, the more traces he left. The stolen goods were hidden in different places. The thief had put effort into disguising the hiding spots well. If he didn’t reveal them himself, no one could find them. But the more effort he put into hiding, the more scent he left. Zuan Shanbao easily found two large bags of items from the thief’s apartment balcony and a hidden spot under a loose stone in a nearby bridge’s arch.

Zuan Shanbao could find these things but couldn’t bring them back alone, so Jin Hu’s group had to help. Soon, the items were retrieved. The two bags were packed in plastic-lined urea bags, with some quicklime inside, likely to keep them dry. The bags were full of money, not inferior to what was found in Xu Yinshan’s home. If discovered, Yang Weidong and Dai Chengbao would be executed. At that time, the punishment for corrupt officials was severe.

So much money! Zhang Jiaohua’s heart pounded. He quickly tied up the bags after a glance.

All night, Zhang Jiaohua couldn’t sleep, feeling both excited and nervous. Excited because with so much money, his parents wouldn’t have to work anymore. Nervous because if the money was stolen while he slept, it would be a big problem. He also felt guilty. It was ill-gotten wealth!