Chapter 572

Lu Xiaoya said, "It's not this lively in our compound; they set off fewer firecrackers."

Su Xinghui nodded. Many high-ranking cadres lived in the Provincial Party Committee compound, and many were retired. Older people liked peace and quiet, so naturally, fewer firecrackers were set off. However, fewer firecrackers meant a lot less of the New Year atmosphere.

Of course, setting off too many firecrackers had many drawbacks. In a few years, Jiangcheng would likely ban them completely. Such things had their pros and cons, but generally speaking, banning them was better than not banning them; the New Year atmosphere could be replaced by other folk activities.

The two walked to the entrance of the commercial street and saw a dragon lantern team and a colorful dragon boat team entering the street. Lu Xiaoya said excitedly, "Let's go in and take a look."

Dancing with dragon lanterns and colorful dragon boats was a New Year custom in Shangjun County. The dragon lantern was a dragon made of cloth, over twenty meters long and about two feet in diameter, with a circular frame made of wire inside, fitted with light bulbs or candles, and wrapped in colored cloth. The dance was performed by dozens of people—one person in front led the dragon with a silk ball, while the rest held up the dragon, performing moves like "Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl," "Double Dragons Emerging from the Water," "Fire Dragon Soaring," and "Coiled Dragon Stirring the Sea."

The colorful dragon boat was a miniature dragon boat made of bamboo and cloth, with a hollow center. A woman or a male performer dressed as a woman stood in the middle of the boat, holding the sides with both hands, singing "Dragon Boat Tunes." An old boatman led the way in front, and a team of people danced and sang on both sides of the boat to entertain the audience.

These were popular folk customs in Shangjun, usually organized by villages around the county to perform in the county seat. They would perform from the first day of the New Year until the Lantern Festival. Of course, to perform this, the year had to be a good one; if the year was bad, who would have the heart to perform?

During the years of turmoil, these customs were called "dross" and "feudal remnants" and were banned. The dragon lanterns and colorful dragon boats of each village were burned by the "little revolutionaries." For over a decade, these two folk customs disappeared, but since the Reform and Opening-up, they had been slowly recovering.

Of course, in the early years, the rural economy wasn't very good, so not many villages performed with dragon lanterns and dragon boats. In the last two years, as the economy improved, these customs had flourished again.

The two followed the dragon lantern and dragon boat into the commercial street. They performed in front of a clothing store, and it was very lively. The dragon lantern was danced up and down by dozens of people, which was quite a sight. It was a pity it was daytime; if it were night, the candlelight inside the dragon would create trails of fire in the air, which would be even more spectacular.

Su Xinghui said, "Xiaoya, let's come back to watch after dinner; it'll be even better then."

Lu Xiaoya nodded, "That's good. We don't see this in our compound."

After the dragon lantern and dragon boat finished their performance, cigarettes and boxes of pastries were thrown out from the surrounding shops like snowflakes. This was also a custom in Shangjun County. When the teams came to perform, they were bringing New Year's blessings, and every shop or unit had to show some appreciation. Of course, the amount didn't matter; it was just for good luck.

This was also because the customs of the New Year in Shangjun had changed in recent years. In the past, the vast majority of shops would not open during the New Year. At that time, if a shop opened during the holiday, people would mock the owner for being a "money-grubber" who had gone crazy for profit.

Back then, one had to buy all the New Year goods before the holiday, including rice, oil, fish, meat, and vegetables—enough for half a month. Generally, the weather was cold during the New Year, so buying so much food to keep at home wouldn't cause it to spoil.

But now, customs had changed. Shops opened during the New Year. Except for going home to eat the New Year's Eve dinner, they stayed open for business the rest of the time. The New Year period was when consumers had the most money, and business was at its best—one day could be worth more than a whole week normally. Why wouldn't they open if there was money to be made?

This was also because people's concepts were slowly changing. With so many shops open, naturally, more dragon lantern and dragon boat teams came, because performing a round meant getting some cigarettes, pastries, and the like, which were still quite important to some people in the countryside.

Some generous shops and units would throw whole cartons of cigarettes as soon as the teams arrived. This was not a small income.

The dragon lantern team had people specifically assigned to collect these items, then they would smile, bow in a circle, shout "Boss, get rich!", and continue walking down the commercial street.

Lu Xiaoya found it very novel, so she held Su Xinghui's hand and followed the teams. Behind them, naturally, a large crowd gathered, all there to watch the performance.

Su Xinghui held Lu Xiaoya's hand, vigilantly scanning his surroundings. Times when crowds gathered like this were the best opportunities for pickpockets to strike.

The dragon lantern team in front began to dance again. Lu Xiaoya's attention was completely captured by the dragon lantern flipping up and down. When she saw a spectacular move, she would occasionally burst into cheers along with the others.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowded area ahead. Lei Ming emerged from the crowd, his right hand gripping the wrist of a thin young man like a pair of pliers, pulling him out of the crowd. The thin young man cried out in pain, but he was clutching a wallet in his hand. Because of Lei Ming's skillful grip, he couldn't throw it away even if he wanted to.

Lei Ming shouted, "Whose wallet is this?"

Immediately, someone shouted, "Mine, mine, my wallet was stolen!"

Lei Ming efficiently handcuffed the young man and handed him over to a young police officer, telling the person who lost the wallet to follow them to the police station to make a statement. A burst of enthusiastic applause erupted from the crowd.

Su Xinghui called out, "Brother Lei!" Lei Ming turned, saw him, and immediately walked toward Su Xinghui with a smile.

Su Xinghui introduced him to Lu Xiaoya, "This is Brother Lei, the Chief of the Chengguan Police Station."

Lu Xiaoya said, "Hello, Brother Lei."

Su Xinghui then introduced her to Lei Ming, "This is my girlfriend, Lu Xiaoya, a reporter for the *Hudong Daily*."

Lei Ming nodded and praised, "Your girlfriend is truly beautiful!"

Lu Xiaoya blushed slightly, "Brother Lei, you're too kind."

Su Xinghui asked, "Brother Lei, it's the third day of the New Year, and you're still out here catching pickpockets?"

Lei Ming said, "I've been out since the first day. Now that the shops on the commercial street don't close, there are many people, and they carry a lot of money, so there are definitely many pickpockets. I come here to catch them, and I catch at least four or five a day."

Su Xinghui gave him a thumbs up, "Impressive!"

Lei Ming said, "Oh, right, do you know about the Jia Hequn situation?"

Su Xinghui turned to look at the Rongrong Clothing Store. The small storefront was closed, and there wasn't even a spring couplet on the door. In the bustling commercial street, it looked exceptionally desolate.

He nodded, "Yes, I know. Do you know who told Jia Hequn's wife about this?"

Lei Ming shook his head, "Not clear. Jia Hequn's wife is also a wretch; she drove Shu Rong crazy. Shu Rong is in a miserable state now. She originally made a lot of money running this shop, but once she went crazy, her husband took the money and ran. Now he's nowhere to be found. Her parents have to pay for her hospitalization, and they have to raise her son because her parents-in-law refuse to take the boy, insisting he's a bastard."

Su Xinghui sighed, "That's why I say, one must still walk the right path. Trying to take shortcuts just doesn't work."

Lei Ming nodded in agreement.

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and then Lei Ming took his leave. He still had anti-theft tasks, and he knew that a young couple was out on a date; it would be tactless for him to keep talking to Su Xinghui.

After Lei Ming left, Lu Xiaoya asked, "What's this about the Shu Rong situation you two were talking about?"

Su Xinghui told Lu Xiaoya about Shu Rong's identity and what had happened to her. Upon hearing it, Lu Xiaoya said indignantly, "Wasn't Jia Hequn's wife's behavior too much? Isn't that an insult to human dignity? She actually drove someone crazy."