Chapter 46: The Little People

On one hand, they feared Dai Xiaohua’s background. On the other hand, the only eyewitness, the person who collected scraps in East City, had disappeared. Because of this, the case could only be dragged on indefinitely.

“Feng Zi, about this matter, I’m afraid we can only accept it. I’ll go ask about the stolen calligraphy and paintings again tomorrow…”

After learning about Dai Xiaohua’s background, Ye Dongping could only advise Feng Kuang to accept his bad luck. As the saying goes, ordinary people should not fight with officials. No matter how many brothers Feng Kuang had at home, they wouldn’t be enough for the government to arrest.

However, the beating could be set aside for now, but Ye Dongping refused to let go of the stolen calligraphy and paintings. This was because those calligraphy and paintings did not all belong to him personally.

Aside from the dozens of famous people’s handwritten works that belonged to the Old Taoist, even Wen Zhengming’s “Landscape Chess Game Painting” was collected by Feng Kuang. Although it was the property of the Recycling Station, it was not his alone.

Ye Dongping bore a great responsibility for the loss of the calligraphy and paintings. If he did not put effort into investigating further, he would truly have no face to see the Old Taoist in the future.

“Uncle Ye, it’s fine that I got beaten up, but since these things were stolen, shouldn’t the police give an explanation?”

Seeing Ye Dongping sighing, Feng Kuang grew a bit anxious. That Wen Zhengming “Landscape Chess Game Painting” was worth several thousand yuan, which was a huge sum of money at the time.

“Sigh, what explanation can there be? I heard that the county leaders demanded a strict investigation into this matter. However, the scene was messed up, and the police found no evidence. It can only be dragged on like this.”

Ye Dongping sighed. All the news he got from the Police Station today was bad. Although he knew that the Recycling Station incident was done by Dai Xiaohua and his group, without evidence, he simply could do nothing against those people.

Moreover, Director Xu’s attitude did not seem as firm as it was a few days ago. He only said that he received instructions from the leaders and would definitely solve this case.

But Ye Dongping knew that generally, cases involving such large amounts of money would be transferred to the criminal investigation department. The fact that the Police Station was still following up now indicated that the leaders’ “attention” was probably quite limited.

“There’s no way for now, Feng Zi. Let’s wait a few more days.”

Ye Dongping helplessly shook his head. No matter the era, personal connections… often outweighed the law.

Feng Kuang was still young after all. He stood up immediately and said angrily, “What if it just ends with nothing? No, I’m going to the Police Station to find them.”

“Feng Zi, don’t be impulsive. Ah, Old Wang, you’re here.”

Ye Dongping failed to stop Feng Kuang with one grab. When he chased out into the yard, he found someone standing at the gate. Looking carefully, it was a scrap collector from West City. He quickly greeted him.

“Brother Old Wang, what brings you?”

Seeing Old Wang arrive, Feng Zi also stopped. He glanced behind Old Wang and couldn’t help but feel confused. Usually when Old Wang came, he brought a lot of scrap. Why did he come empty-handed today?

“Brother Feng Zi, Comrade Ye, I… I…”

Old Wang stood at the door, rubbing his hands uneasily. The words seemed difficult to say, and even the child Ye Tian could see the troubled look on his face.

“Old Wang, come, come in and sit for a while, have some water. Whatever it is, we can talk about it slowly…”

When Old Wang came to sell scrap before, Ye Dongping had chatted with him a few times. He knew this man was honest. Ye Dongping had given him a few bottles of beer before, and Old Wang had even returned the empty bottles. Looking at him like this now, he must have encountered some trouble.

“Oh, no… no, Comrade Ye, I… I just have a few words, I’ll leave after saying them…”

Hearing Ye Dongping ask him to come in and sit, Old Wang quickly waved his hand. The expression on his face changed several times. He gritted his teeth and spoke, “Brother Feng Zi, Comrade Ye, I’m afraid… I’m afraid from now on, I… I can’t sell scrap to you anymore.”

“What? Old Wang, I haven’t treated you badly, brother. You… how can you do this?”

As soon as Feng Zi heard Old Wang’s words, he immediately exploded. He had spent so much money on these scrap collectors in West City, calling them brothers every day. Wasn’t it all for the scrap they collected?

Moreover, Old Wang had a lot of respect among the scrap collectors in West City. If he said he wouldn’t sell to them, probably the rest wouldn’t come either. For a Recycling Station that had just opened, such a loss was unbearable.

“Brother Feng Zi, I really… I’m really sorry…” After hearing Feng Kuang’s words, a look of helplessness and shame appeared on Old Wang’s face.

“Aren’t you just calling a pockmark not a pockmark, but calling it a trap?”

Feng Kuang was also angry and confused. The frustrations of the past few days all burst out at this moment. He rushed to Old Wang’s side in one step and reached out to grab his collar.

“Feng Zi, what are you doing? Step aside.”

Ye Dongping blocked Feng Zi’s arm and said, “Old Wang, come in first. Tell us what difficulty you’re facing. Wouldn’t it be better if we discuss and solve it together?”

“Com… Comrade Ye, I… I have no choice either.”

Hearing Ye Tian’s heartwarming words, Old Wang’s tears welled up in his eyes. He simply squatted on the ground and started crying. “Yesterday, a group of people rushed into my home. They beat up my wife and kids. They said we are not allowed to sell scrap to you anymore. Brother Feng Zi, Comrade Ye, you… you tell me, what could I do?”

Old Wang was about the same age as Ye Dongping, a rather sturdy man. At this moment, he cried like a child. Clearly, what happened yesterday had really scared him.

“What? Someone threatened you not to sell scrap to us?”

After hearing Old Wang’s tearful words, both Ye Dongping and Feng Kuang were stunned. They never expected it was such a matter.

Old Wang wiped his tears and nodded, saying, “Yes, those people said if we still sell scrap to you, they will take the lives of my whole family…”

To be honest, in the 1980s, collecting scrap was looked down upon. Even children could curse at them. Although Old Wang and his group were many, their courage had long been worn down. They simply dared not offend these local bullies and ruffians.

Seeing Old Wang like this, Ye Dongping also felt at a loss. After thinking for a long time, he spoke, “Then… then why don’t you report it to the police?”

Hearing Ye Dongping’s words, Old Wang shook his head bitterly and said, “Report it? We don’t even have proper identities. Who would believe our words?”

Old Wang knew that scrap collectors like them were quite mobile. In every city, they belonged to the lowest level of little people. If they were really killed, as long as the bodies weren’t found, no one would ever know or care. So he never even thought about reporting it.

“Brother Feng Zi, Comrade Ye, I really… I’m really sorry.”

Old Wang stood up, bowed deeply to Ye Dongping and Feng Zi, ignored their calls, wiped his tears, and left the Recycling Station.

“This… what should we do now?”

After Old Wang left, Ye Dongping and Feng Zi were completely dumbfounded. With no one coming to deliver scrap, this business simply couldn’t go on.