Chapter 592: The Oilfield Turmoil Resurges

In the middle of the night, Xu Damao knocked on Xie Guafu's door again.

The two had been together for so long that they were practically like an old married couple, so they didn't roll into bed the moment he stepped through the door.

Xie Guafu turned and went into the kitchen; before long, she brought out a steaming bowl of wontons.

Xu Damao sat by the table, peeling garlic as he said, "Xie Xiaolan, you need to do something for me."

Xie Guafu sat down beside him, pressed her body against his, and asked in a soft voice, "What is it?"

"I've been going to various villages to show movies lately, and I've noticed something isn't right." Xu Damao tossed a garlic clove into his mouth and crunched down loudly. "The villagers are eating at the canteen like their lives depend on it, gorging themselves as if it's New Year's every day. At this rate, they'll be starving sooner or later! The city will be short on grain, too!"

Xie Guafu's eyes dimmed. "Are you saying... these days of eating at the canteen won't last?"

Xu Damao squinted and chuckled. "Are you stupid? Eating like this every day—do you think grain falls from the sky?"

Upon hearing this, the light in Xie Guafu's eyes faded completely. Ever since the village started the communal mess hall in August, having all the white flour steamed buns she could eat had been the most comfortable two months of her life.

She sighed. "You're right. A few days ago, Team Leader Li ran over to Zhang Mao's house at the east end of the village to borrow grain."

"The autumn harvest just finished, so why is there a grain shortage?" Xu Damao's hand, busy peeling garlic, paused.

"It's not that there's a shortage of grain, it's that the team's fine grain is all gone."

"Then how does Zhang Mao's family have fine grain?"

"I heard that before the liberation, his family had over twenty large horse-drawn carts and specialized in transporting goods for merchants in the city. Zhang Mao is a loyal person, so when they classified his status, they only gave him 'rich peasant'... It's a habit passed down from his ancestors to love hoarding grain. Team Leader Li used to be a long-term hired hand for his family and knew this secret... This time, he borrowed two thousand catties of wheat from him again."

Xu Damao's eyes darted around. "Are you familiar with Zhang Mao's family?"

"I have a pretty good relationship with their San Yatou." Xie Guafu glanced at him. "Are you thinking... of having me buy grain from him?"

Xu Damao rolled his eyes and lowered his voice. "Just tell that San Yatou that even if her family doesn't sell the grain, Team Leader Li will eventually scheme to take it all anyway."

Xie Guafu frowned. "But... where would I put it if I bought it?"

"Doesn't your courtyard have a bunch of large vats?" Xu Damao nudged his chin toward the window. "Put it in the vats, bury them underground, and cover the top with plenty of wood ash; it won't spoil."

Xie Guafu shook her head, a worried look on her face. "It won't work. Do you know how Team Leader Li found out about Zhang Mao's stash? Zhang Mao also put the grain in vats and buried them in the dirt. Team Leader Li took a rock-breaking crowbar and poked the ground; he knew if there was something underneath just by the sound."

Xu Damao sneered. "Are you stupid? That Zhang Mao is a famous wealthy man, so of course Team Leader Li is watching him. You're just a widow; would he really have the nerve to run to your house and poke the ground every day? Isn't he afraid of people pointing fingers at his spine?"

Xie Guafu slapped her thigh, and her face immediately brightened. "Hey! You've got a point there!"

Xu Damao asked again, "Why does your house have so many large vats?"

Xie Guafu's expression darkened, and her voice dropped. "My late husband... that's what he did for a living."

Xu Damao didn't ask any further, only instructing, "If they won't sell to you, just say you can help them store the grain in your courtyard. If you only buy a third of what they have, they'll definitely agree to that condition. I'll bring you the money for the grain later."

Xie Guafu nodded vigorously.

After eating, the two rolled into bed.

Over at the Petroleum Base, He Yuzhu had only just fallen asleep when he was startled awake by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

Opening the door, Li Xiangxiu stood outside, her face pale, unable to catch her breath. "The sentries just reported that two people couldn't provide the password and ran toward the oil storage tanks!"

He Yuzhu's heart skipped a beat. Without a word, he turned and knocked on Man Yatou's door next door.

Man Yatou poked her head out in her pajamas, eyes bleary with sleep. "What's wrong?"

"Stop sleeping, come with me!" He Yuzhu urged.

"Coming!" Man Yatou threw on a coat and ran toward the oil depot with him.

A few days ago, Li Xiangxiu had received news from Liu Rusi—they had intercepted a telegram from Taiwan, and someone was planning to make a move on the Songliao Oilfield.

He Yuzhu hadn't been idle during this time; not only had he set up patrol teams, but he had also placed many hidden sentries.

He himself often slipped out in the middle of the night to wander around, keeping an eye on the oil depot, the oil pipelines, and those few high-yield oil wells.

It was just that the oil wells were too scattered for him to watch them all alone.

He had been forced to deploy all the professional forces from the Security Department, but still feeling it wasn't safe, he had organized a worker patrol team to work in shifts day and night.

The defenses around the base were supposed to be tight enough. Yet, someone was still trying to make a move tonight; this must have been a long-planned operation.

The three of them got into He Yuzhu's Jeep and headed straight for the oil storage base.

What they didn't know was that as soon as they left, two dark shadows crept toward the place where He Yuzhu and Man Yatou lived.

One of them pushed open He Yuzhu's door and stepped inside.

"Snap!"

With a crisp sound, a large animal trap bit down hard on his lower leg.

"Ah—" the man screamed, his leg bone snapped by the trap.

The other person rushed over, lowering his voice. "Xiao Wang! How are you?"

"Old Liu... hurry, hurry and carry me away... my leg is ruined..." Xiao Wang was sweating profusely from the pain.

Old Liu didn't bother trying to remove the trap, gritted his teeth, hoisted the man onto his back, and stumbled away into the night.

Back at the oil storage base, the three of them circled the area but found nothing unusual.

He Yuzhu suddenly stopped and said, "This isn't right, this is a diversion! Their target is my place!"

Li Xiangxiu was stunned and said, "I'll stay here to patrol, you go back first."

"There are only a few of them, they can only pull off sneak attacks. Now that they've been exposed, they're out of options. You come back with me," He Yuzhu said.

The three of them hurried back.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw He Yuzhu's door wide open, and the animal trap in the room was gone.

He Yuzhu's eyes turned cold, and he said to Li Xiangxiu, "Xiangxiu, the person who entered my room was caught by the animal trap. Hurry and take people to search!"

"Thank goodness you brought Man Yatou out, otherwise she would have been done for if she were alone in the room!" Li Xiangxiu looked at Man Yatou with lingering fear.

Man Yatou patted the gun at her waist. "I have a gun, what's there to be afraid of?"

He Yuzhu smiled. "You need to learn some Kung Fu from me; otherwise, having a gun alone won't be enough to deal with them. Those people are all veterans."

In the cellar of Deputy Director Ma's house, Xing Fei was squatting down, removing the animal trap from Xiao Wang's leg.

Xiao Wang was grimacing in pain, cursing under his breath, "Damn that He Yuzhu, he's too devious! Who the hell would have thought he'd set traps in his own house?"

Xing Fei's hands did not stop moving, but his face was gloomy: "I told you long ago, he is an old hand. You just wouldn't take it seriously." He raised his eyes, "You cannot stay at the base; you must leave immediately."

"They are definitely searching, how am I supposed to leave?" Xiao Wang said urgently.

"Tomorrow morning, Deputy Director Ma will use a vehicle to send you out," Xing Fei said while wrapping gauze around his leg.

Deputy Director Ma stood to the side; the expression on his face changed, then quickly returned to normal.

Li Xiangxiu did not sleep all night, sending people out to search the entire base.

In a place of eighty thousand people, trying to find someone in hiding is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

At the hour of dawn, Xing Fei quickly sent Old Liu away.

In the cellar, only he, Deputy Director Ma, and Xiao Wang, who was in agonizing pain, remained.

Xiao Wang leaned against the wall, baring his teeth as he rubbed his leg.

Xing Fei leaned in and suddenly smashed a heavy punch into the back of his head.

Xiao Wang's eyes rolled back, and he fainted on the spot.

Xing Fei wrapped both hands around his neck and gave it a violent twist.

"Crack!"

The sound of bone snapping was exceptionally clear in the cellar.

Xiao Wang kicked his legs twice, then went completely still.

Deputy Director Ma's eyelids twitched as he watched, and he blurted out: "You... why are you attacking your own people?"

Xing Fei let go, his face without the slightest ripple: "His injury cannot be hidden. Once he gives the game away, Old Liu will be finished along with him. Once Old Liu is finished, they will soon track it back to me."