PCJ – Chapter 368 The Cowardly Thief

“Go catch them!” Xu Jinlin was eager to rush down and capture the two cattle thieves.

“Wait,” Luo Changjun quickly said, “The situation isn’t clear yet. If we rush down to catch them and alert the thieves, the hard-earned clue could be lost. You all stay here; I’ll go down with Jiaohua to take a closer look.”

“I’d better go alone,” Zhang Jiaohua suggested. “Even if they see me, they won’t suspect anything. I’ll just say I’m out here hunting. But if they see you adults, they’ll definitely get suspicious.”

“Hmm, that’s thoughtful of you,” Zhang Youping nodded.

“But you’re just a child. It’s not safe,” Luo Changjun said, worried.

“Don’t worry, they’re cattle thieves, not murderers. I don’t think they’ll do anything to a kid,” Zhang Jiaohua reassured him.

In no time, Dashing Leopard, Zhang Jiaohua’s dog, brought out a wild chicken from who knows where. Zhang Jiaohua tied it to a rope and slung it over his shoulder, then boldly headed down the mountain.

Halfway down, he saw a dozen water buffaloes swimming near the reservoir. Every time the buffaloes tried to climb onto the shore, two men standing there would drive them back into the water with bamboo poles. With the buffaloes in the water, it was easier for the men to keep an eye on them than if they were on land.

Upon seeing so many buffaloes, Zhang Jiaohua immediately realized that all the missing cattle from Maotouqiao Township were here.

Instead of approaching right away, Zhang Jiaohua hid in the grass, slowly getting closer to eavesdrop on the two men’s conversation.

“Yusheng is too cautious. Hiding the cattle here isn’t a good plan. If anyone happens to find them, all our effort will be wasted.”

“Exactly. What are we afraid of? Just take them to the cattle market and sell them. I doubt anyone from Xintian County could track us down in Shiqi County. It’s boring standing around here every day.”

“Yeah, we need to get Yusheng to send someone else to take over. It’s always the two of us doing this kind of job.”

“Where’s the guy bringing us food? I’m starving.”

“By the way, what was up with those dogs earlier?”

“Probably hunting dogs. Haven’t heard of anyone keeping that many dogs around here.”

“Who cares? Whatever dogs they are, it’s none of our business.”

“I’m just worried that someone from Maotouqiao is looking for us.”

“Come on, give Yusheng some credit. He’s pulled off so many jobs without getting caught.”

“That’s because he got his hands on that dog whistle. That thing is amazing — one blow and the dogs don’t bark.”

The two men muttered for a long time without noticing Zhang Jiaohua hiding nearby.

After a while, another man arrived with a basket, shouting as he climbed the hill, “Xiong Zhanglin, Wu Guo’an, dinner’s here!”

“Old Hu, what took you so long today? We’re starving!” Xiong Zhanglin, the taller one, grumbled.

“You two could’ve fetched the food yourselves, couldn’t you? No one’s going to die of hunger. Do you think it’s easy for me to cater to you every day?” Old Hu, whose full name was Hu Xiaofu, was what everyone in the group called him.

“Is Yusheng around? Tell him to send someone else to relieve us,” Wu Guo’an said irritably to Old Hu.

Old Hu gave Wu Guo’an a disdainful look. “What else could you two do besides this? Everyone else is out doing real work, and this is all you’re good for. If Yusheng heard you talking like this, he’d beat the two of you. What, don’t like what I’m saying?”

“Old Hu, that’s not fair,” Wu Guo’an protested. “We’re always doing the dirty work in every job!”

Old Hu laughed, “Fine, fine. No use complaining to me. Tell Yusheng yourself. I’m not sticking my neck out for you.”

Xiong Zhanglin quickly intervened, “Alright, alright. There’s no point arguing with Old Hu. Just bring dinner earlier next time, and could you also bring some mosquito coils? The mosquitoes here are killing us. Also, tell Yusheng these buffaloes have been here too long. If they’re discovered, all our effort will be for nothing.”

“I’ll let Yusheng know, but don’t rush it. Safety comes first. We shouldn’t have taken so many buffaloes at once, and certainly not in one place. Yusheng’s already regretting it. There are police roadblocks all over Xintian County, and even here in Shiqi County. When Yusheng went to the cattle market to check, he saw many unfamiliar faces—probably officers investigating the cattle thefts.”

Wu Guo’an grew even more anxious. “Aren’t we in the most danger, then? Maybe we should just let the buffaloes go. That might be safer. Even if the police catch us, they won’t have any evidence.”

“You know how big the Wuxi Reservoir is. No one’s going to find us here. We worked hard to gather these cattle. There’s no way Yusheng will let them go easily. He plans to wait until things calm down before moving them,” Old Hu replied, unimpressed by Wu Guo’an’s sudden cowardice. He mentally noted to report Wu Guo’an’s behavior to Yusheng, as such people were a liability to their gang.

After serving the meal and collecting the dirty dishes, Old Hu complained, “You guys can’t even wash your own dishes? The leftovers are already rotting. I’m not your servant, you know.”

“Alright, Old Hu, we could use some better food too. It’s been ages since we’ve had any meat,” Xiong Zhanglin said.

“Meat? You should be glad to have anything to eat,” Old Hu chuckled.

Once Old Hu left, and the two men were squatting down to smoke, Zhang Jiaohua sneaked back up the mountain to report what he had overheard to Luo Changjun.

“It seems this cattle theft ring is quite large and operates across different regions, with members from both Xintian and Shiqi counties. They’re well-organized. To catch the whole gang, we’ll need to coordinate with the city police. Fortunately, we’ve found the cattle. We should contact the Wuxi City police and launch a joint operation,” Luo Changjun said.

“But what if the thieves move the cattle once we leave?” Xu Jinlin asked, concerned.

Luo Changjun nodded, “We need to leave some people here to keep an eye on them and stop the thieves if they try to move the cattle. Meanwhile, a few of us should go back and contact the police.”

“I’ll go back,” Xu Jinlin volunteered.

“That’s a good idea. You’re the right person to make the contact,” Zhang Youping agreed.

“I’ll stay,” said Zhu Kaixun, eager to see the tracking dogs in action again.

Zhang Youping and Xu Jinlin then hurried back to Meizi’ao. Since Meizi’ao was closer than Maotouqiao, they went to the tea factory there to use the phone to contact the county police, who could then coordinate with the city police.

“Jiaohua, be careful and listen to Uncle Luo. Got it?” Zhang Youping reminded his son before leaving.

“Got it,” Zhang Jiaohua nodded.

Now, only Luo Changjun, Zhu Kaixun, and Zhang Jiaohua remained, while the rest had withdrawn. Luo Changjun wasn’t a police officer anymore, so he wasn’t carrying a gun, and Zhu Kaixun, being from the police dog team, didn’t have any weapons either. Going into a village to catch thieves was risky because many rural households had hunting rifles. Even the police, armed or not, had to be cautious in such places, as the villagers were known for their fierce resistance.

Worried that something might go wrong, Luo Changjun had the three of them stealthily move closer to Xiong Zhanglin and Wu Guo’an’s position.

Meanwhile, Wu Guo’an, growing increasingly uneasy after Old Hu’s comments, said, “Brother Xiong, I don’t know why, but my eyelid keeps twitching. Every time something bad happens, my eyelid starts twitching like this.”

Xiong Zhanglin chuckled, “Are you seriously spooked by what Old Hu said? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Who could find us here? And even if someone from Shiqi County did spot us, they wouldn’t care.”

“I’m serious, Brother Xiong. Every time my eyelid twitches, something bad happens. If we get caught, do you think they’ll make us take the fall? We’ve done all the work, but Yusheng and the others get the biggest cut. I’m not taking the blame. Especially now, with the crackdown on crime. We’ve stolen so many buffaloes, the value is huge. If we’re caught, it won’t end well,” Wu Guo’an said, growing more agitated.

Xiong Zhanglin, now a bit worried himself, said, “No way. We’re in such a remote place. Who could possibly find us?”

“Hunting dogs! There was a whole pack of them earlier, but we never saw any hunters. You know any hunter around here with that many dogs?” Wu Guo’an suddenly slapped his thigh, jumping up in alarm.

Xiong Zhanglin’s face darkened as well.