ryethenovel Chapter 64 Acquaintances
Chapter 64 Acquaintances
Gu Huai's voice wasn't loud, but it carried far on the open beach.
The seven or eight people froze at the same time.
Someone had already opened the trunk to move things, but the shout made their hand freeze in mid-air.
Some people were already carrying a box when they were so startled that they dropped it on the ground.
Seeing this, Hou Hao also turned on his flashlight, and the two beams swept across the area, pinning those people to the spot.
silence.
Finally, the person at the very front raised their hand above their head and slowly turned around.
The flashlight beam shone on his face. He was in his forties, with a square face and dark skin. He squinted, trying his best to look in Gu Huai's direction.
"Officer Gu...?"
Gu Huai lowered the flashlight and saw the other person's face clearly.
"You are...Ali?" Gu Huai asked, feigning surprise.
In fact, the reason Gu Huai chose to come to Xixiang was specifically to wait for the people from Yinhu Village.
Having just experienced a fire, they are now in dire need of money.
Upon hearing Gu Huai's words, the man breathed a sigh of relief, and the expression on his face changed from fear to embarrassment.
He rubbed his hands together, glanced back at the people behind him, signaling them to behave, and then turned back.
"Officer Gu, what brings you here?"
"That's what I should be asking you." Gu Huai turned off the flashlight and slowly walked towards Ali.
Ali swallowed hard, his mind racing as he tried to figure out if Gu Huai was there to arrest someone or what.
If they're here to arrest someone, there won't be just two people. But if they're not here to arrest someone, then there's still room for maneuver regarding tonight's events.
If it were anyone else, it wouldn't be so bad, but it just so happens to be Gu Huai. He knows me, so even if I run away, he'll be chased all the way to my house.
After glancing at Hou Hao standing in the shadows from afar, Ali finally decided to back down.
"Officer Gu," he took two steps forward and lowered his voice, "could you please pretend you didn't see what happened today? We were just... doing some work, nothing valuable, just seafood, all seafood."
Gu Huai didn't respond to him at all, and instead continued walking forward on his own.
The atmosphere immediately froze.
Hou Hao stood there, his palms sweaty.
His other hand was on his belt, where a pistol was tucked. Only that thing could make him feel a little more at ease.
But looking at Gu Huai's fearless demeanor from afar, Hou Hao thought Gu Huai must have gone mad.
But it was precisely at this moment that he couldn't panic; Gu Huai's safety now depended on him.
Seeing that Gu Huai didn't say anything and walked straight towards the box, Ali quickly took a step forward, lowering his voice even further this time.
"Officer Gu, this isn't the place to talk. Why don't you come with me? We can find a more open place to chat."
Gu Huai remained silent, instead placing his hand on the box, ready to open it at any moment.
As Gu Huai moved, Hou Hao felt his body tense up.
"Officer Gu!" Ali's hand trembled slightly as he grasped Gu Huai's. "My great-uncle was talking about you the other day, saying you're a great benefactor. Now that we've run into you, we should at least express our gratitude. Why don't you come back to the ancestral hall with me and we can talk?"
Seeing that Ali had finally taken the bait, Gu Huai pretended to think for a moment, then nodded, "Okay."
Ali breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and shouted to the people next to him, "What are you all standing there for? Move your stuff back to the car, we're not leaving tonight."
The seven or eight people visibly breathed a sigh of relief, and moved even faster than when they arrived.
After moving the boxes back onto the vehicles and rewinding the ropes, the three vehicles were cleaned up in less than five minutes.
While they were busy, Hou Hao cautiously stepped forward, tugged at Gu Huai's sleeve, and whispered, "Huai, are we really going with them?"
"Of course," Gu Huai said matter-of-factly, "That's why we came here tonight."
As he spoke, Gu Huai noticed Hou Hao's trembling body and asked in a low voice, "Are you scared?"
"A little." Hou Hao didn't try to be brave. "There are seven or eight people on the other side, and there are only two of us, and we don't have any guns."
"Nothing will happen," Gu Huai said. "They're more scared than we are. If you get caught smuggling, at most they'll confiscate the goods and fine you, but if you dare to assault a police officer, that's a different story. Besides, I know them."
Hou Hao thought about it and realized it made sense, and his hands gradually stopped shaking.
Seeing that he had recovered, Gu Huai said, "Go drive the car and come with us to Yinhu Village later."
"Oh..." Hou Hao nodded subconsciously, then looked at Gu Huai in surprise, "And you?"
"Me?" Gu Huai pointed to the group of people who had already packed up and were ready to leave. "Of course I'll get in their car. Otherwise, what if they switch the items later?"
After saying that, Gu Huai waved his hand and walked towards the group.
Watching Gu Huai calmly walk away, Hou Hao couldn't help but pinch his arm.
Why are you shaking like that! How can you be so pathetic?
After driving for more than twenty minutes, we entered Yinhu Village.
The van stopped in front of the ancestral hall. Ali unbuckled his seatbelt, glanced at Gu Huai sitting in the passenger seat, and said, "Officer Gu, please wait a moment while I go and fetch my great-uncle."
Gu Huai nodded slightly and got out of the car from the right side. "Remember to move everything inside the car so that Grand Uncle can have a good look at it."
Upon hearing Gu Huai's words, Ali was taken aback at first, then looked at the ancestral hall in front of him and the police car in the distance. He gritted his teeth and nodded, saying, "Okay!"
After Gu Huai got out of the car, he tightened his police uniform, walked to Hou Hao's car, and gently knocked on his car window.
After the car window rolled down, Gu Huai said softly, "When you come in with me later, don't be impulsive. Remember, we're not here to investigate smuggling."
Hou Hao nodded. "I've got it."
Ten minutes later, A-Qiang came out and let Gu Huai and the other person go in.
Upon entering the Zhang Family Ancestral Hall again, the atmosphere was far more somber than the last time.
Zhang Guiyuan was sitting in the main hall on a grand chair, leaning on a cane, his back ramrod straight.
Several people stood next to him, all members of the Zhang family, their heads bowed, not daring to speak.
Gu Huai walked in and stood in front of the hall.
"Grandpa Zhang, we meet again."
Zhang Guiyuan glanced at him, nodded slightly, but did not reply.
He turned his head and his gaze fell on the people who had been brought in.
"Kneel down!"
The sound wasn't loud, but it was deep.
Without saying a word, the seven or eight people knelt down on the terrazzo slab in front of the hall, as if they had rehearsed this countless times beforehand.
Zhang Guiyuan stood up, walked over to Ali, and said, "Ali, how many times have I told you? The rule of our Zhang family is that we can't do anything illegal. Have you been ignoring me?"
Ah-Qiang lowered his head, not daring to look him in the eye. "Great-Uncle, we just want to get some seafood..."
"Still trying to deny it!" Zhang Guiyuan sneered. "Do you think I'm senile? Do you think seafood needs to be caught sneaking around in the middle of the night? Do you think seafood needs to have its license plate covered up?"
Still not satisfied, Zhang Guiyuan pointed at the boxes with his cane and said, "Believe it or not, I'll open these boxes right now and see if they're filled with seafood."
Ali dared not speak again.
Gu Huai stood coldly to the side, watching the drama unfold before him.
Seeing that Gu Huai remained silent, Zhang Guiyuan felt somewhat embarrassed. He turned around, walked to the offering table, and picked up a rattan cane from the altar.
The rattan wasn't thick, but it looked very heavy, and it was jet black and shiny, indicating that it had been used for many years.
He walked back, raised the rattan cane, and lashed it hard across Ali's back.
It made a crisp snap.
Ali leaned forward slightly, gritting his teeth and remaining silent.
The second time, the third time.
Zhang Guiyuan was not light-handed; to show his sincerity, he made sure each strike was accompanied by the sound of wind.
You could see red marks on Ali's back even through his clothes.
Seeing that the act was almost over, as a policeman, he couldn't just stand by and watch someone get beaten, even if the person was willing to do so.
And so, Gu Huai made his move.
"Alright, sir, stop hitting him. It won't be good if you get hurt."