Chapter 259: One Incident, Three Flat Tires

"Kuang qie~ kuang qie~ kuang qie qie~"

The train heading south from Jingcheng to Hushi rolled through the early summer night, its rhythmic clatter against the rails like a lullaby, lulling the packed passengers into slumber.

Li Ye also sat squeezed on his seat, eyes closed, feigning sleep; it was already three a. ., when the human biological clock was at its peak, and even he, a cheat, couldn't escape exhaustion.

Suddenly, Li Ye felt his arm being prodded.

He opened his eyes and saw Han Xia, seated across from him, nervously glancing toward his side-rear.

"Li Ye, there are pickpockets over there."

Li Ye slowly turned his head and indeed saw a gang of scoundrels preparing to rob a woman.

They had lookouts, cover, and operatives—clearly a professional crew with high technical skill.

In his past life, Li Ye would have kept sleeping with his head buried.

In an era where no one dared to help an old woman who fell for two hours, why wake up and cry out against injustice?

Haven't you watched the classic scene with Song Xiaobao and Sha Li? Can't you feel the quiet sorrow of those small people?

But now, Li Ye was no longer a small person.

"Where's my wallet? Oh no, where's my wallet? My wallet's gone~~~"

Li Ye's clear, loud cry echoed through the entire carriage, jolting nearly two hundred passengers from their dreams.

Including the woman who was about to lose her wallet.

"Who lost their wallet? Who—"

"What are you yelling for? Just check your own wallet, don't shout!"

Passengers on seats, in the aisle, even under seats—all woke up instantly and began checking their wallets.

The coordinated gang glanced at each other, thoroughly confused.

"Liu Liu, did you just do some private work?"

"No, Brother, you know me—I never hoard for myself. Besides, that kid's group had over ten people; they're not our kind of easy prey."

"Then why did his wallet disappear?"

"Brother, he's faking us out. I saw that girl look this way earlier—I thought she wouldn't interfere, but turns out she's got the guts of a bear and a leopard. Maybe—"

"Maybe what? Hmph. Kill a thousand, lose eight hundred. Switch carriages."

The gang rose and left; as they went, Liu Liu shot Han Xia a glare.

Han Xia glared back defiantly, but her heart pounded wildly, uncontrollably.

Only now did she realize there were seven of them.

Only after they were all gone did she snap back to reality, waves of dread washing over her.

Danger you've never experienced never feels quite real.

Just like men who aren't cowards until they're on the battlefield—shouting bravely when safe, but peeing their pants on their first real fight? That's normal.

Han Xia, Hu Man, Yan Jinbu, and others had woken up, watching the quiet Li Ye, wanting to speak but feeling it inappropriate.

Because the road was unsafe, Li Ye had traveled home in a hard-seat group of eight, no longer booking a sleeper.

Wang Qiangqiang, Wang Qiangdong, and several ex-soldiers were also returning to Qingshui with Li Ye; together, over a dozen men ensured absolute safety.

If they hadn't had Li Ye and the others with them, Han Xia's single glance might have landed her in serious trouble.

But brave, righteous people still existed.

Wang Qiangdong, a veteran of the People's Liberation Army, stepped closer and whispered to Li Ye: "They've moved to the next carriage. Should we stop them?"

Li Ye considered briefly, then said: "You and I will go find the train conductor."

Wang Qiangdong nodded, called the other ex-soldiers, and followed Li Ye to find the conductor.

They found the conductor, and Li Ye showed his membership card from the Writers' Association, making his small request.

Minutes later, the loudspeakers in every carriage of the train cycled a broadcast: "Passengers, please note: pickpockets are suspected on this train. Please safeguard your belongings."

When Li Ye returned to his seat, Han Xia looked at him and said: "That's it? The train isn't full of—"

Li Ye closed his eyes and said nothing.

In 1983, the entire nation had only seventy thousand police.

If that number means nothing, compare it to Hong Kong's seven million people with thirty thousand Royal Police—then you understand the problem.

There were only a few officers per carriage, earning a few dozen yuan a month—what do you expect them to do?

Don't stand there talking without feeling the burden.

But at the next station, Hu Man and the others saw, under the platform lights, that gang disembarking.

Only then did they realize Li Ye's "soft approach" had worked.

Hu Man whispered to Han Xia: "They had over ten people."

Han Xia nodded, still shaken: "Thank goodness for Li Ye—but I remember last year it wasn't this bad. What are we going to do?"

Yan Jinbu, Wang Qiangqiang, and others also wore worried expressions; these college students truly carried national concerns.

But Li Ye, eyes closed, said: "Don't worry. When things reach their extreme, they reverse. It'll get better soon. Bright days are coming."

It was already July; in less than a month, many people's days of reckoning would arrive.

If you can arrest or not, arrest. If you can sentence or not, sentence. If you can execute or not, execute.

This wasn't a joke—it was a slogan.

When daylight broke, the train, having rattled all night, finally stopped at the platform of Dongshan's provincial capital.

Li Ye stepped off the train and found his father, Li Kaibian, hadn't come to meet him.

Li Dayong frowned: "Didn't Kaibian say he'd come pick us up? Why isn't he here?"

Han Xia immediately scolded: "What rank are you, that you expect to be picked up? Hurry up and squeeze onto the bus—you'll miss your seat if you're late."

Everyone rushed to the bus, barely managing to board.

Buses from the provincial capital to Qingshui County ran only twice daily; if you missed the morning one, you waited for the afternoon; if you missed that, you spent the night in the capital.

The long-distance bus crossed the Mother River at ten a. ., swaying along the highway toward Qingshui County.

Twenty kilometers from Qingshui County, Li Ye spotted a Dongfeng 140 truck stopped on the road; two men crouched beside it repairing a tire—his cheap father, Li Kaibian, and the driver, Old Hu.

"Driver, stop! Stop the bus!"

Li Ye shouted for the bus to halt, got off with Li Dayong and the others, and then Han Xia and the rest tumbled out to help.

Li Kaibian, seeing Li Ye, smiled: "You got up early this time, but didn't make it to the night market. Wait a bit—the tire's almost fixed, then we can head home."

"No rush. But how did three tires go bad at once?"

Li Ye looked at the three flat tires on the ground, surprised.

This Dongfeng 140 had only traveled twenty kilometers from the county town—it shouldn't have lost three tires simultaneously.

If not for the fact that truck drivers back then were half-mechanics, carrying their own repair tools, the vehicle would've been stranded.

Old Hu, squatting and patching the tire, chuckled bitterly: "Ah, what a shame!

I was careless this morning—didn't even circle the truck. If my apprentices find out, I'll lose all face as a master!"

"Master, don't blame the innocent! I didn't laugh at you—I'll help you—"

"No need, no need. Just bring me a new tire from the rear. Otherwise, both front tires will have patches—it's unsafe."

Back then, tire patching wasn't as good as today; the 140 was a heavy truck, and patching a large plug on a front tire wasn't reliable.

Before Li Ye could move, Wang Qiangdong, an ex-engineer soldier, had already gathered several ex-soldiers and got to work swiftly.

Li Ye stepped beside Li Kaibian and whispered: "Someone sabotaged you?"

Li Kaibian chuckled twice, glancing toward Qingshui County, then spat contemptuously.

"A bunch of cowards—only know how to use low tricks."

Li Ye followed his father's gaze and saw several motorcycles on the northern highway.

In this era, motorcycles were rare; seeing several together was clearly suspicious.

Li Ye thought for a moment and asked: "Were they robbing travelers, or targeting us?"

Li Kaibian waved his hand: "Don't worry about it. A bunch of trash who can't even count as petty thieves. They rode by earlier, I hadn't even picked up my crank handle—they ran off like rabbits from the northern grasslands."

Only then did Li Ye notice the one-meter-plus-long crank handle beside Li Kaibian's foot—the one used to start the 140 truck.

Li Ye thought a moment, then whispered: "Is San Shui back?"

Two months ago, when Li Zhongfa went to Jingcheng, he told Li Ye that San Shui had returned—and had expanded his smuggling business.

He'd originally started smuggling motorcycles, which led to his falling out with Jin Peng; now, any thought pointed to him.

"Hmph~"

Li Kaibian lit a Da Qianmen cigarette and sneered: "Don't bother yourself. Your grandfather said he won't last long.

Doing shady business means keeping your head down—but he's the opposite, strutting around, showing off, as if no one knows how capable he is.

A few days ago, he took a gang to Hewan Township, forced a family to marry their daughter to his brother, and when they refused, broke the father's arm."

Li Ye was stunned. He knew San Shui was arrogant, but not this extreme—he'd gone completely off the rails.

"Did the family give their daughter to him?"

"No. Your grandfather interfered," Li Kaibian said. "When the storm comes, he'll be the first to be cut down. Anyone who marries their daughter into his family is blind."

Li Ye paused, then asked: "When did Grandfather say the storm would come?"

"At most one or two years," Li Kaibian exhaled a smoke ring. "Your grandfather's been in the system for over forty years—he can guess the direction. Do you think the higher-ups are deaf and blind?"

"."

Li Ye, stunned, felt deep admiration for Li Zhongfa.

Li Zhongfa had no cheat tools, yet through his familiarity with policy trends and decades of experience, he'd predicted what was coming.

"The axle is fixed—get on board and let's go!"

Lao Hu packed his repair tools into the toolbox and called out to everyone to get on the vehicle.

Li Ye instructed Wang Qiangdong: "Tie that rope around the cargo bed several times—once everyone's on, hold tight to the rope; this road is rough!"

Wang Qiangdong replied: "Got it. Back in the army, we'd drive so fast the vehicle seemed to fly, yet nothing ever fell off."

Li Ye and Wang Qiangdong secured the rope, then scrambled into the driver's seat, laughing: "I haven't driven in ages—let me have some fun."

Lao Hu said generously: "Drive however you like—this vehicle's in my hands, it's as good as new."

Hu Man, Li Dayong, and the others climbed onto the truck bed with laughter and cheer, grateful that today Li Ye would deliver them straight to their doorsteps.

But they had no idea what thrilling game Li Ye was about to take them on next.

(End of Chapter)