amaotonovel Chapter 1454: Evil people still need to be punished by evil people
Chapter 1454: Evil people still need to be punished by evil people
Chapter 1454: Evil people still need to be punished by evil people
Qin Hao first led Yang Shumo back to the educated youth settlement to get shovels, pickaxes, and sacks. Then, the group of five went to the back mountain. Just as Yang Shumo and the others were wondering what was going on, they saw Qin Hao squat down, dig through the snow in front of him, and reveal a dark hole.
Yang Shumo was the first to react: "Old Qin, you're planning to... dig up rat holes? I used to do that when I was a kid! After the autumn harvest, field mice store food for winter, and you can find several kilograms of grain in one hole!"
Xie Zhiqiang rubbed his hands together and said, "That's a great idea! Now that the grain has been harvested and stored in the team's warehouse, Jia Shifa is keeping a close watch on it. The grain in the rat holes is 'unclaimed grain'!"
Shi Xiaona shrank back slightly in fear: "Rat holes? Those are so dirty... and what if the rats bite?"
"Being dirty is better than going hungry." Qin Hao glanced at Shi Xiaona: "Anyway, I don't mind. If any of you want to continue going hungry, you can go back now."
The group exchanged glances, their eyes finally settling on Shi Xiaona. Having grown up in luxury, she had probably never even seen a mouse before, let alone raided a rat hole.
Shi Xiaona bit her lip, looked at everyone's expectant eyes, and then remembered how hungry she had been these past few days. Finally, she nodded and said, "Then... then let's be careful."
"Let's do it!" Yang Shumo slapped his thigh, squatted down and carefully examined the drag marks at the entrance of the hole. His eyes lit up: "That's right! It's a field mouse burrow, and a big one at that! Look at these marks, they've been going in and out frequently, there must be a lot of food stored inside for the winter!"
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get started!" Xie Zhiqiang rubbed his hands together, eager to get started.
"Wait a minute." Qin Hao stopped him. "You can't dig randomly. The field mouse burrow has a complex structure, with a granary, a bedroom, a ventilation shaft, and several exits. Digging the wrong one will not only be a waste of effort but also easily cause it to collapse."
He broke off a dry twig and started drawing on the snow: "I've seen the direction of this slope. The main entrance is here, but there must be a backup exit downhill. Da Mao, take Fu Heming over there and keep watch. If you see any field mice running out, block them. Field mice are meat after you deal with them. Xie Laozhuan, you dig here, but be careful. Dig along the main entrance first, and don't collapse the cave walls. Xiao Na, you have sharp eyes, watch from the side and direct Laozhuan so that he doesn't dig off course."
With a clear division of labor, everyone performed their duties. Yang Shumo and Fu Heming ran down the slope with sticks and sacks to lie in ambush. Xie Zhiqiang spat into his palm, picked up a shovel, and began to carefully dig along the main entrance of the cave. Shi Xiaona squatted nervously beside him, her eyes fixed on the gradually revealed cave.
Qin Hao wasn't idle either. He searched the surrounding area carefully and found two more hidden cave entrances not far away, which he blocked with snow and dry grass.
The shovel struck the frozen ground with a dull thud. Xie Zhiqiang dug carefully, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. After digging about a meter deep, the tunnel began to branch out.
"You've dug a bit to the left!" Shi Xiaona stamped her feet in the cold wind, but she didn't slack off.
Xie Zhiqiang turned to the left and started digging. After digging another half meter, the shovel suddenly went dry!
"I've got it!" he roared excitedly.
Digging away the loose soil, a "room" larger than a basketball was revealed. It was filled to the brim with all kinds of grains: golden corn kernels, plump peanuts, and red beans, all neatly piled up, dry and clean, without a trace of dampness.
"My God..." Xie Zhiqiang's eyes widened in disbelief: "This rat is a genius! It knows how to manage a household better than a human!"
Shi Xiaona forgot her fear and curiously came over to take a look, exclaiming in amazement, "How could a rat's nest store so much food?"
Just then, a rustling sound came from deep within the burrow, and several plump field mice darted out in a panic, trying to escape. But Qin Hao had already blocked the other exits, and Yang Shumo and Fu Heming were also waiting at the bottom of the slope. The field mice bumped into obstacles everywhere, and finally Yang Shumo used a burlap sack to trap them all.
"Good heavens, this is really fat! Now we can finally have some meat." Yang Shumo hefted the sack, and squeaking and struggling sounds came from inside.
Over here, Xie Zhiqiang and Qin Hao began sorting through their "spoils of war." They carefully packed various grains into cloth bags they had brought. Corn kernels were the most plentiful, filling almost half a bag and estimated to weigh several kilograms.
All the grain was packed, and it was heavy. Yang Shumao and Xie Laozhuan were full of excitement. Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming were also very happy, but they still had a natural fear of the field mice in the sack and dared not go forward.
"Alright, backfill the soil. We've done a service to the people."
Qin Hao and his companions worked together to backfill the soil, tamped it down, and then sprinkled some snow and dry grass on top. After that, they began searching for field mouse holes all over the mountain. They dug up six or seven mouse holes in a row and found about ten kilograms of grain. Of course, not all mouse holes had any food. Some mouse holes were empty, and some had been taken over by snakes. However, this added a new ingredient to Qin Hao and his companions' menu.
The grain certainly couldn't be taken back to the educated youth settlement; otherwise, with so many people watching, it would definitely be confiscated. After all, in those days, it was still a collective system, and all the harvest belonged to the collective.
In a naturally sunken pit on the back side of the mountain, Qin Hao had already processed several field mice and the unfortunate snake. As the field mouse meat and snake meat sizzled and dripped oil under the heat of the flames, a rich aroma wafted over.
These days, let alone educated youth sent to the countryside, even city workers rarely see meat. Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming's eyes never left the meat on the fire, but they were too shy to touch it.
"It's almost cooked. One serving each, no problem, right?"
Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming nodded repeatedly at Qin Hao's suggestion, and Yang Shumao and Xie Laozhuan naturally had no objections either.
However, while Yang Shumao and the other two were enjoying the field mouse meat, Shi Xiaona hesitated to take a bite.
"Just think of this as beef, then you won't feel guilty eating it," Qin Hao said while munching on the "spicy meat strip."
Shi Xiaona smiled wryly: "Field mouse meat is field mouse meat, how can it be compared to beef?"
Qin Hao laughed. "That's not necessarily true. If Jerry's head can be used as a duck neck, what else is impossible?"
However, Shi Xiaona still closed her eyes and took a bite. To her surprise, the field mouse meat did not have the strange taste she had imagined. On the contrary, it was quite fragrant. The only drawback was that the taste was a bit bland.
After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Qin Hao used the snow to extinguish the fire, and then dug a hole to bury the remaining grain.
"I didn't bring any cooking utensils today, so let's store this food here for now. Anyone have any objections?"
Yang Shuma and the other three exchanged glances and shook their heads. They hadn't even realized that Qin Hao had become their pillar of support without them noticing.
Winter nights come exceptionally early. By the time Qin Hao and his group of five trudged through the snow and circled around the village from the back mountain, it was already dusk.
Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming returned to the dormitory of the female educated youth, while Qin Hao and the other two returned to the homes of the villagers they were staying with.
For the next two weeks, whenever there was an opportunity—such as when it was time to rest or when they were assigned to chop firewood in the back mountain—Qin Hao would lead Yang Shumao and the other three to their "secret granary." They not only managed to retrieve some more grain from the rat hole, but of course, they didn't always succeed.
In addition, Qin Hao also made several simple rope traps and set them on the paths that animals might pass through on the back mountain.
They were lucky; they actually caught three wild rabbits with their trap! Although they weren't very big, they were real meat, a more "proper" choice than field mouse meat.
While the other educated youth at the settlement were still gnawing on hard, astringent wild vegetable buns and drinking watery vegetable soup, Qin Hao and his four friends could treat themselves to a meat feast every few days at their "secret base" in the back mountains. Sometimes it was roasted rabbit, sometimes it was a pot of wild vegetable porridge with grains. Although there weren't many seasonings, it was an unparalleled delicacy for them, who were chronically lacking in oil and fat and in a state of semi-starvation.
However, Shi Xiaona's brow didn't completely unfurrow. Filling her stomach was important, but a heavy weight remained on her mind—returning to the city. As the days passed and the New Year drew closer, there was still no news about a spot to return to the city.
Yang Shumo was anxious as he watched: "If all else fails, I'll snatch the return permit from Jia Shifa for you."
"Nonsense!" Qin Hao glared at him, annoyed. "You really are stupid! You've already stolen the return-to-city permit, and before we even get on the train, Jia Shifa will sue you! Breaking into an official's office and stealing official seals and documents—what kind of crime is that? We might end up having to deliver prison food to you!"
Xie Zhiqiang was also startled and quickly grabbed Yang Shumo: "Silly Mao, are you crazy! You can't do such a thing!"
Shi Xiaona's face turned pale, and she hurriedly stepped forward to grab Yang Shumao's sleeve: "Yang Shumao, don't be impulsive! You mustn't do anything foolish!"
Based on her understanding of Yang Shumo, she knew he was truly capable of doing something so reckless for her.
Seeing Shi Xiaona's anxiety, Yang Shumo felt both touched and annoyed. He shook off Xie Zhiqiang's hand and asked Qin Hao in frustration, "So, Lao Qin, what do you suggest we do? Are we just going to sit here and wait without doing anything?"
Qin Hao pondered for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the four people in front of him. He lowered his voice, making sure only they could hear him: "We can't just take it by force, but we can outsmart them. Don't we still have a pickled rabbit, plus the ten or so pounds of grain we haven't finished here?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Shumo immediately deflated: "Hey, I thought it was a great idea! You think you can bribe Jia Shifa with this little bit of stuff? That bastard is ruthless. He won't let Xiaona go back to the city unless he gets something really valuable and makes a huge profit!"
Disappointment also appeared on the faces of Shi Xiaona and the other two. Indeed, Jia Shifa was insatiable, and this little bit of stuff probably wouldn't be enough to sway him.
Qin Hao glared at Yang Shumo in annoyance: "Who said we were going to bribe him? Have you ever heard of the Feast at Hongmen?"
"A trap?" Yang Shumo was taken aback.
"Yes." Qin Hao lowered his voice even further: "I saw a herb in the back mountain. If we extract some of its juice and mix it into the wine, Jia Shifa will definitely say whatever we ask. As long as we have evidence of his crimes, let alone a few return permits, he'll give us his house, even if we want it."
Yang Shumo slapped his thigh and almost jumped up: "Great! This method is great! It's completely undetectable! That bastard Jia Shifa needs to be taught a lesson! Old Qin, you know this stuff? That's awesome!"
Shi Xiaona's eyes were also filled with joy, as if she saw hope of returning to the city. She really didn't want to stay in this godforsaken place for another second.
Fu Heming remained relatively calm. She looked at Qin Hao and asked with some concern, "Old Qin, are the herbs you mentioned really that effective? Could there be... any adverse consequences?"
She was worried that someone might die or be driven insane, which would be a serious matter.
Qin Hao looked at Fu Heming and said seriously, "Don't worry, this herb only temporarily numbs the nerves, making people confused and prone to speaking the truth. If the dosage is controlled properly, they will be fine after a good night's sleep and there will be no aftereffects. Absolutely no problem."
In the mortal world, his alchemy skills are no less than Han Li's. If he can't even handle this dosage, he's just wasting his life.
Yang Shumo couldn't wait any longer: "Great! Old Qin, you tell us what to do, we'll do whatever you say!"
"Yes, I'll listen to you!" Xie Zhiqiang nodded vigorously.
Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming exchanged a glance and nodded solemnly.
Qin Hao began to make arrangements: "First, we need liquor. High-proof, loose-brewed liquor is best. Da Mao, Lao Zhuan, you two take five catties of corn and go to the village to exchange it for liquor. Just say it's cold and you want to drink some to warm up. Go separately, don't be too conspicuous."
Yang Shumao and Xie Zhiqiang nodded and noted it down.
"Secondly, we need to lure Jia Shifa out for a meal alone. Not in his office, and not at the educated youth settlement. Just say you're thanking him for taking care of you during this time, and that you'd like to invite him to dinner to ask him some questions. Xiao Na, Fu Heming, this task is assigned to you. Jia Shifa is... quite 'concerned' about you, so you're the most likely to invite him. The location is that abandoned melon shed at the east end of the village; it's a remote place, and nobody goes there at night."
When Shi Xiaona heard that she was to invite Jia Shifa, her face paled. She felt even more disgusted when she heard Qin Hao's subtle "showing concern." But in order to get back to the city, she gritted her teeth and nodded: "Okay, I'll go."
Fu Heming took her hand: "I'll go with you."
……
The plan began to be implemented quietly. Yang Shumo and Xie Zhiqiang separately exchanged their grain for a pound of loose liquor, which they stored in an old military water bottle. Qin Hao, taking advantage of a break from work during the day, slipped away to the deeper part of the back mountain, found the herb he had mentioned, carefully dug out the roots and stems, squeezed out the juice, and stored it in a small glass bottle. Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming, suppressing their nausea, found an opportunity to "coincidentally" meet Jia Shifa on his way out of the village committee.
Following Qin Hao's instructions, Shi Xiaona awkwardly expressed her gratitude to Jia Shifa for his care during this time. She said that she and the other educated youth wanted to invite him to a simple meal at a quiet melon shed to avoid gossip.
When Jia Shifa heard that it was Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming, two beautiful female educated youths, who had taken the initiative to invite him, his eyes lit up. His lecherous gaze lingered on the two women, and he agreed almost without hesitation, setting a time.
The appointed day arrived. In the evening, Qin Hao and his two companions went to check on the melon shed. It was a small shed built of mud bricks, used to guard the melon fields in the summer, but now it was abandoned. Inside, there was only a bed made of broken wooden planks and a table with a crooked leg.
As darkness fell, Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming arrived carrying a small basket containing a few simple dishes they had "shared" from a fellow villager's home—stir-fried cabbage, pickled vegetable shreds, the rabbit, and a pot of slightly seasoned liquor. They lit a small charcoal brazier, which could be used for warmth and to warm the liquor.
Not long after, Jia Shifa arrived, humming a little tune and rubbing his hands together. As soon as he entered the shed, he saw only two girls, Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming. The charcoal brazier was burning warmly, and there were dishes and wine on the table. His face immediately lit up with a smile, and the lewd light in his eyes was almost undisguised.
"Secretary Jia, you've arrived. Please have a seat." Shi Xiaona greeted him with a forced smile, and together with Fu Heming, poured wine for Jia Shifa.
Jia Shifa, blinded by lust, was already fantasizing about the "exciting scenes" that might unfold later, completely disregarding the two delicate young female intellectuals. He took the wine glass, downed it in one gulp, and smacked his lips, saying, "Good wine! It's not the wine that intoxicates, it's the mood that makes you drunk, haha~~~"
Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming, suppressing their disgust, took turns pouring him drinks, flattering him, and urging him to drink more. Jia Shifa accepted all offers, and after three cups, his eyes began to glaze over, and his speech became somewhat slurred.
"Xiao Na... He Ming... don't worry... I'll take care of the return to the city..." He hiccuped as he reached out to grab Shi Xiao Na's hand.
Shi Xiaona nimbly dodged, exchanged a glance with Fu Heming, and nodded.
The drug took effect. Jia Shifa felt dizzy and lightheaded; the two figures in front of him began to sway and overlap; his thoughts became chaotic; and his tongue was no longer under his control.
"It's done!" Shi Xiaona whispered, quickly got up, and opened the dilapidated wooden door of the shed.
Qin Hao, Yang Shumo, and Xie Zhiqiang filed in. Yang Shumo stepped forward and stood between Jia Shifa and the two girls. Jia Shifa groggily raised his head, looking at the three people who had suddenly appeared, and didn't react for a moment: "You...you...how..."
Qin Hao walked up to him and asked in a deep voice, "Jia Shifa, how much grain did you embezzle from the village granary? How much of the educated youth's rations did you intercept each month?"
Jia Shifa's eyes were unfocused, and he answered subconsciously: "Grain warehouse...loss...reported as 20%...actually...less than half a percent...educated youth...23 people...each person per month...deducted three jin...refined grain exchanged for coarse grain...price difference..."
He spoke haltingly, vaguely revealing how he manipulated the accounts, how he resold the fine grains he obtained, and even how he accepted "gifts" from other educated youth who wanted to return to the city.
Xie Zhiqiang had already searched him and pulled a palm-sized hardcover notebook from his inner pocket. Opening it, he saw it was filled with numbers and symbols written in pencil, incomprehensible to others, but combined with Jia Shifa's earlier words, this was clearly his private "ledger"!
Qin Hao took the ledger, quickly flipped through it, and then had Jia Shifa, who was already unconscious, write a confession on the paper prepared by Xie Zhiqiang, based on Qin Hao's dictation, and press his fingerprint on it.
unambiguous evidence!
Qin Hao splashed the cold water he had brought onto Jia Shifa's face. The cold water in the dead of winter made Jia Shifa shiver, which made him slightly more awake, but his head still ached terribly and he felt weak all over.
"Secretary Jia, take a look at this." Qin Hao waved the confession and account book in front of him.
Upon reading the contents, Jia Shifa was terrified, his face turning deathly pale. The alcohol completely wore off, replaced by a chilling fear. "You...you...you tricked me!"
"I was just plotting against you." Qin Hao said coldly, "Now, issue return permits to Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming, right now."
"I...I didn't bring the company seal..."
"Then go back and get it now!" Yang Shumo's eyes widened.
"No...no..." Jia Shifa was sweating profusely. "I'll open it, I'll open it! But the official seal is really in the office...if we go get it now, what if someone sees us..."
Qin Hao thought for a moment: "Tomorrow morning, you take the stamped return certificate. If you dare to try anything funny..." He waved the account book and confession in his hand: "We'll send these directly to the county. You decide what to do."
Jia Shifa shivered. Being doused with cold water in the dead of winter filled him with shock and fear, and he trembled like a leaf. But he didn't care about the cold or changing his clothes; his mind was filled with that damned ledger.
The next morning, Jia Shifa respectfully handed the stamped return certificate to Qin Hao.
"Gentlemen...gentlemen, I have done as you asked, shouldn't...shouldn't you return the ledger to me?" he pleaded.
Shi Xiaona and the others looked at Qin Hao.
Qin Hao sneered, "I'll keep the ledger for now. As long as you behave yourself and don't resort to underhanded tricks, we probably won't see each other again after we return to the city. We have no use for the ledger, so we'll return it to you naturally."
Yang Shumo and Xie Zhiqiang also realized what was going on. Right, Shi Xiaona and Fu Heming were gone, and they, the male educated youth, still hadn't gotten their return-to-the-city permits! If they returned the account books now, Jia Shifa could easily destroy them.
Jia Shifa's eyes darted around, and he quickly bowed, saying, "No! No! Your return-to-the-city certificates... have actually already been approved, they're in the village committee's drawer! They were just delivered by the commune a few days ago! I... I'll get them right away!"
Good heavens! There's an unexpected surprise?! Yang Shumo and Xie Zhiqiang exchanged a glance, overjoyed and secretly relieved: Luckily, Lao Qin was thoughtful and kept his composure! Otherwise, wouldn't they have been completely controlled by Jia Shifa afterward?
Qin Hao remained calm, as if he had expected this: "Then we'll wait until you've stamped everyone's return permits and brought them to us for verification. Then we'll consider returning the ledger to you. Remember, don't try anything funny; you can't afford to."
Jia Shifa nodded vigorously: "No, no! Absolutely not!"
Half an hour later, Jia Shifa rushed over again, handing Qin Hao three return-to-city certificates. He rubbed his hands together, a fawning yet anxious smile on his face: "Comrade Qin, have you got all the certificates? Look, this ledger..."
Qin Hao looked at him and said, "What's the rush? We'll be going back to the city in a week or so. Don't worry, I'll return it to you before we get on the train."
Jia Shifa's expression changed, clearly not expecting Qin Hao to be so cautious. However, with his lifeline in his hands, he dared not speak out and could only nod awkwardly, "Okay, okay... then... then what else do you need? Just tell me..."
"The food at our educated youth settlement has been really bad lately," Qin Hao said meaningfully.
"Understood! Understood! I'll arrange it right away! I'll make improvements immediately!" Jia Shifa quickly assured him.
So, in the following week, the educated youth at the Taishantun settlement were surprised to find that their food standards had risen sharply! The porridge in the morning was thicker, and there were fewer wild vegetables in the cornbread at noon. What puzzled them even more was that Qin Hao, Yang Shumao, and Xie Zhiqiang were often "kindly" called over by Jia Shifa, supposedly to "check on their ideological dynamics." In reality, each time they returned, they all had rosy complexions, and sometimes they even had a boiled egg or something in their pockets.
Niu Tinggui was both aggrieved and frustrated. He had clearly reported Qin Hao and his gang, so why was Jia Shifa being so nice to them now? He was counting on Jia Shifa to get back at Qin Hao and his group and vent his anger! That day, he couldn't hold back any longer and went to Jia Shifa to complain: "Captain Jia, Qin Hao and his gang have been too arrogant lately, why are you still..."
"Shut up!" Before he could finish speaking, Jia Shifa launched into a tirade: "Niu Tinggui, let me tell you, stop gossiping behind people's backs! Comrade Qin Hao and the others are outstanding educated youth, role models for our Taishan Village! If you keep talking nonsense, see how I deal with you!"
Niu Tinggui was stunned by the scolding and had no idea what had happened. Jia Shifa looked at his stupid face and felt even angrier—if this idiot hadn't betrayed him by stealing sweet potatoes, he wouldn't have clashed with Qin Hao and his gang, and he wouldn't be in this situation where they had him in their hands! He wanted nothing more than to tear Qin Hao and his gang apart, but did he dare? The ledger and the confession were like knives hanging over his head, ready to fall at any moment.
He could only swallow his anger and keep a smile on his face, carefully serving those "young masters" and hoping they would leave soon and return the account book.