Chapter 140: Folding Gold Ingots

"Hou Dui, we're heading back today." Wu Jun lit a Zhonghua cigarette offered by his apprentice and called Hou Le, the captain of the Longli County Criminal Investigation Team.

Wu Jun could usually maintain proper decorum toward the criminal investigation captain of his own Ningtai County, but toward the captain of the neighboring county, he treated him with a very "equal" attitude.

Besides, the hospitality in Longli wasn't even good, was it?

Hou Le naturally felt a bit embarrassed and hurriedly said, "The case just got solved, don't rush. I'm swamped—you know how it is, homicide cases, the bosses are constantly asking for updates. If I even have one drink, I'll get hung up and beaten…"

"We understand. But our case here is finished too—we need to return and report in." Wu Jun replied with polite evasion, still smoking his cigarette, utterly worldly.

"Just stay a few more days. Two more days—I'll treat everyone to a proper drink, I guarantee you'll enjoy it…" Hou Le's voice sounded like a beggar pleading with a wealthy patron, his tone equally worldly.

"We truly appreciate the gesture, but we really must return. It's rare to have two days off; we can't waste them at the guesthouse." Wu Jun smiled warmly, speaking in polite formalities.

Hou Le urged two more times, but failed to sway him, then reluctantly hung up with feigned reluctance.

Wu Jun also hung up his phone and said to Jiang Yuan, "Alright, let's go. The job here is done."

"Okay, I'll call for the car." Jiang Yuan also dialed out.

Wu Jun asked, "Where's our car?"

"It doesn't have air conditioning. You still want to ride back in that?" Jiang Yuan gave Wu Jun a puzzled look.

As Jiang Yuan spoke, he lit another cigarette for his master, and at that moment, Jiang Yongxin's Elpha parked right in front of them.

"Far Ge." Jiang Yongxin got out, opened the middle automatic door, and enthusiastically helped Wu Jun with his luggage.

Wu Jun looked at the brand-new business vehicle, his mood lifting considerably. He chuckled, "Next time we go on a autopsy assignment, they should send a car to pick us up. A bad car just won't do."

"Dream on," Jiang Yuan laughed as he got in.

Jiang Yongxin walked around and got in from the other side.

"Why did you come pick us up yourself? You could've sent a junior." Jiang Yuan politely pressed.

Jiang Yongxin grinned. "I usually drive clients around—mostly female clients before. Made an exception for you."

"That's quite a leap you've taken," Wu Jun teased.

Jiang Yongxin paused, then understood and burst out laughing. "You don't know—people from Jiang Village used to be famous for daring and boldness. It's only because the government demolished our homes that I stayed. If not for that, I'd have left long ago to build my own fortune."

"You should've joined the demolition office back then," Wu Jun shook his head, smiling.

Jiang Yuan felt a deep sense of nostalgia.

The older generation in Jiang Village used to work far away. Whether they dared or not didn't matter—if they didn't leave, the whole family would starve.

Now? Everyone just stays home, eating and waiting to die, healthy and full of energy.

The entire return trip was on the expressway.

Jiang Yuan dozed off for barely half an hour before they entered Ningtai County.

The landscapes of the two counties were similar, but returning to Ningtai felt lighter, more relaxed to Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan stretched, extended his legs, opened a bottle of Baishuisan, drank nearly half in one go, exhaled deeply, and said, "Feels like I got cheated."

"No way. We can sell this for at least a thousand." Wu Jun pointed at himself, then at Jiang Yuan. "I get four hundred, you get six hundred."

Jiang Yuan nearly choked on his drink.

"Three hundred for you, seven hundred for me would be fair too." Wu Jun chuckled, then added, "This trip counts as Huang Dui's. Longli's paying us back a favor. We're basically…"

"Labor export," Jiang Yongxin understood instantly.

Jiang Yuan couldn't help smiling.

The Elpha first dropped off Master Wu Jun, then took Jiang Yuan home.

Back at Jiang Village compound, the small square was bustling with noise.

If women didn't dance square dances and men didn't drink alcohol in the morning or evening, it was pure harmony.

"What's going on today?" Jiang Yuan had been away studying for so long he didn't know what new activity the village had invented.

Jiang Yongxin chuckled. "I thought you'd know. We specifically chose today for your return. Today's Gold Folding Day."

Gold Folding meant hand-folding gold ingots and gold bars to burn for ancestors.

The elderly in Jiang Village, with nothing else to do, invented all kinds of activities. While other villages burned paper money, Jiang Village insisted on folding their own.

Of course, many villages preferred folding their own, believing it more effective and devout.

"Do you fold?" Jiang Yuan asked Jiang Yongxin.

"Of course. My grandpa's still down there waiting—maybe he wants to buy a tractor." Jiang Yongxin said casually.

Jiang Yuan smiled. "Then let's fold. My grandpa always wanted a cow."

After Jiang Yongxin parked, they walked to the square, found any empty table, and picked up the gold paper to fold.

The gold paper was bought by the village committee; after folding, you could take it home or leave it on the table.

Villagers came whenever they wanted, folded for a while, then left whenever they felt like it.

In some homes, husband and wife took turns—one would tutor the child's homework, get angry, then come fold gold ingots to cool off, while the other took over the tutoring. Their anger breaks became the child's rest periods.

Jiang Yuan's father, Jiang Fujian, was, as usual, boiling meat in the big kitchen.

The rich aroma of the meat wafted out along the breeze. Jiang Yuan smelled it and knew his father was inside.

Others used different spice blends and cooking times—this scent was unmistakably Jiang Fujian's.

After a while, Jiang Fujian walked over like a true chef, wiping his hands with a towel.

"Dad." Jiang Yuan greeted him first.

"Back already." Jiang Fujian, always awkward in front of villagers, sat beside Jiang Yuan before saying, "Oh, I bought the newspaper with your story."

"Newspaper?"

"Qinghe Evening News. Hey, isn't there one here?" Jiang Fujian rummaged through the gold paper and found a newspaper underneath: "This one."

Jiang Yuan leaned over and saw the headline on the lower half: "Young Forensic Reveals Trail of the Murderous Demon…"

"This headline…"

"It's great—catches attention, makes people want to read further." Jiang Fujian said. "I bought a thousand copies. Free for everyone."

Jiang Yuan smiled as expected. As long as his father hadn't gone door-to-door shoving papers into people's hands, this was a subtle boast.

Back when there were no Moments, if someone in the village had good news, they had to visit every household to tell them.

In that sense, Moments greatly improved the efficiency of boasting, saving everyone's time—even if that saved time was useless.

But something like appearing in the newspaper still felt too solemn for just Moments.

Jiang Fujian buying newspapers and giving them away for free felt perfectly reasonable.

"There's one more thing." Jiang Fujian cleared his throat a few times, then pulled someone over from behind. "This is your Yu Shan uncle. You remember him, right?"

"Hello, Uncle Yu Shan." Jiang Yuan remembered him clearly.

Compared to close relatives like Uncle Seventeen, Uncle Yu Shan was more distant—different great-grandfathers, same great-great-grandfather.

By bloodline, he should be called Congshu, but no one used that term anymore.

Uncle Yu Shan's son was Jiang Yuan's clan brother—fifth degree of kinship in the five mourning garments. But since they lived in the same village, Jiang Yuan knew this clan brother better.

"Your Uncle Yu Shan has a favor to ask you," Jiang Fujian said, then turned to the slightly embarrassed Jiang Yushan. "You tell him, or shall I?"

"You tell him," Jiang Yushan said, awkward and tongue-tied.

"Alright." Jiang Fujian pulled Jiang Yushan down to sit. "Your uncle lent someone money. Now the guy's vanished, and the money's gone. Your uncle reported it to the police—no leads. He wants you to help find him."

He spoke quickly and clearly; Jiang Yushan nodded vigorously.

Jiang Yuan nodded, then asked instinctively, "Is he dead?"

Jiang Fujian sighed. "If he were dead, your Uncle Yu Shan wouldn't be so torn up."

Jiang Yushan nodded.

"So, are we looking for the man, or his money?" Jiang Yuan asked.

"The man," Jiang Yushan affirmed. "He's a con artist. The police say so too, but they can't find him."

Jiang Yuan nodded. Before he could speak, a system interface popped up before him:

Task: Find the Man

Task Description: A qualified forensic expert can locate a person (alive or corpse) through minute details.

……