On the one hand, due to Dai Xiaohua's background, and on the other hand, the only witness, the man who picked up rags in the east of the city, has disappeared. As a result, the case can only be dragged on indefinitely.
"Fengzi, I'm afraid we have to admit this matter. I'll ask about the theft of calligraphy and paintings tomorrow..."
After learning about Dai Xiaohua's background, Ye Dongping could only persuade Feng Kuang to admit that he was unlucky. As the saying goes, the people do not fight against the officials. No matter how many brothers Feng Kuang has in his family, they are not enough for the government to arrest him.
However, the matter of being beaten can be put aside, but Ye Dongping refused to let go of the theft of those calligraphy and paintings, because not all of those calligraphy and paintings were his own.
Apart from the dozens of handwritings of famous people owned by Lao Dao, even Wen Zhengming's "Landscape Game" was acquired under seal. Although it is the property of the acquisition station, it does not belong to him alone.
Ye Dongping himself bears a great responsibility for the loss of calligraphy and painting. If he does not make efforts to trace it, Ye Dongping will really have no shame to see the old Taoist in the future.
"Uncle Ye, I'll be fine even if I'm beaten, but this thing was stolen. The police have to give me an explanation, right?"
Seeing Ye Dongping sighing, Feng Kuang became a little anxious. Wen Zhengming's "Landscape Game" was worth thousands of dollars, which was a huge sum of money at the time.
"Well, what can you say? I heard that the county leaders requested a strict investigation into this matter, but the scene was destroyed and the police did not find any evidence, so they can only delay it like this..."
Ye Dongping sighed. All he got when he went to the police station today was bad news. Although he knew that Dai Xiaohua and the others were responsible for what happened at the acquisition station, without evidence, there was nothing he could do against those people.
Moreover, Director Xu's attitude seemed not to be as firm as it was a few days ago. He just said that he would definitely solve this case after receiving instructions from the leadership.
But Ye Dongping knew that usually cases like this involving relatively large sums of money would be handed over to the criminal investigation department for investigation. Now the police station is still following up, which shows that the "attention" of the leadership is probably very limited.
"There is nothing we can do now, Fengzi, just wait a few more days..."
Ye Dongping shook his head helplessly. No matter what era he was in, human feelings... were always greater than the rule of law.
After all, Feng Kuang was still young. He stood up and said angrily: "What if we just let it go? No, I'm going to the police station to find them..."
"Fengzi, don't be impulsive. Hey, Lao Wang, you're here..."
Ye Dongping grabbed Feng Kuang and chased him out of the courtyard. He found someone standing at the courtyard gate. When he looked carefully, he saw that it was a scavenger from the west side of the city. He quickly said hello.
"Brother Wang, what are you doing?"
When Feng Zi saw Lao Wang coming, he stopped and glanced behind Lao Wang. He couldn't help but be a little confused. Usually when Lao Wang comes, he always brings a lot of waste. Why are he empty-handed today?
coming?
"Brother Fengzi, Comrade Ye, I...I..."
Lao Wang stood at the door, rubbing his hands uneasily. He seemed to have difficulty speaking when he spoke. Even the child Ye Tian could see his embarrassed expression.
"Old Wang, come on, come in, sit down, have a drink of water, and let's talk slowly if you have anything to do..."
When Lao Wang came to sell scraps in the past, Ye Dongping had chatted with him several times and knew that this man was a kind man. He gave him a few bottles of beer, and he returned all the bottles. With his current appearance, it must be
Something is wrong.
"Oh, no... no, Comrade Ye, I... I will just say a few words and then leave..."
Hearing Ye Dongping ask him to come in and sit down, Lao Wang quickly waved his hand, the expression on his face changed again and again, gritted his teeth and said: "Brother Feng Zi, Comrade Ye, I'm afraid... I'm afraid in the future, I... I can't
I’ll sell you scraps again…”
"What? Lao Wang, brother, I am not mean to you. You...how could you do this?"
When Feng Zi heard what Lao Wang said, he immediately exploded. He had spent so much money on the rag pickers in the west of the city. Isn't it just for the junk they picked up that they called each other brothers every day?
Moreover, Lao Wang has great prestige among the rag pickers in the west of the city. If he said he would not sell to him, it is estimated that the remaining people would not come. Such a loss would be a big loss for the newly opened purchasing station.
Unbearable.
"Brother Feng Zi, I'm really... really sorry..." After hearing Feng Kuang's words, Lao Wang showed a look of helplessness and shame on his face.
"Aren't you called pockmarked? Are you called a liar?"
Feng Kuang was also furious. All the grievances he had felt over the past few days burst out at this moment. He rushed to Lao Wang's side and reached out to grab his collar.
"Fengzi, what are you doing? Go aside..."
Ye Dongping stopped Feng Zi's arm and said, "Old Wang, come in first. If you have any difficulties, tell us. Wouldn't it be better for everyone to discuss and solve them together?"
"Comrade Ye...Comrade Ye, I...I can't help it..."
Hearing Ye Tian's heart-warming words, Lao Wang burst into tears. He simply squatted on the ground and started crying, "Yesterday, a group of people rushed to my house and beat up my mother-in-law, aunt, and children. They said...
I'm not allowed to sell any more scraps to you, Brother Fengzi, Comrade Ye, you... what do you think I can do?"
Lao Wang is about the same age as Ye Dongping, a very strong man, and he is crying like a child. It is obvious that what happened yesterday really frightened him.
"What? Someone threatened you not to sell scraps to us?"
After hearing Lao Wang's tearful words, Ye Dongping and Feng Kuang were stunned. They never expected that this was actually the case.
Lao Wang wiped his tears, nodded and said: "Yes, those people said that if the scraps are still sold to you, it will cost the lives of our whole family..."
To be honest, in the 1980s, people looked down upon people for picking up rags. Even children could scold them a few times. Although there were many people like Lao Wang, their blood had been polished off a long time ago, and they didn’t care about it at all.
Dare to offend these local gangsters.
Seeing Lao Wang like this, Ye Dongping had no idea. After thinking for a long time, he said: "Then...then you won't report the crime?"
After hearing what Ye Dongping said, Lao Wang shook his head bitterly and said: "Report a crime? We don't even have an identity, who will believe what we say..."
Lao Wang knows that scavengers like them are relatively mobile and belong to the lowest level of the people in every city. If they are really killed by someone, as long as the body is not discovered, no one will ever know or care about it.
, so he never thought of reporting the crime.
"Brother Fengzi, Comrade Ye, I'm really... really sorry..."
Lao Wang stood up, bowed deeply to Ye Dongping and Feng Zi, ignored their shouts, and left the purchasing station wiping his tears.
"What...what should I do?"
After Lao Wang left, Ye Dongping and Feng Zi were completely dumbfounded. No one came to deliver scraps, so this business could not continue at all.
