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Section 21: Gold Rush Road

  Dig for Gold Road

  It was already past 5 pm when he returned to the police station, and it was very quiet inside. There was only one person inquiring about something at the household registration office. Zhao Guotang glanced at the director's office and the instructor's office, both of which were closed, so he assumed that neither of the two leaders was present. He went back to his office alone, took out his notebook, and organized the gains from the day.

  Daguan Kou Township has a population of over 28,000 people, with 12 villages and one residential committee. In addition to a paper mill and a grain and oil processing plant, the township also has a large-scale prefabricated product factory. The river sand and pebble resources here are very rich, and the quality is also the best in the whole Jiangmiao area, with uniform particles and convenient mining.

  There are also several private enterprises, but they are all small in scale, and are mainly engaged in grain processing and poultry egg processing.

  The Tianhou Temple, located one kilometer south of the town, is a Taoist temple with some reputation in Jiangkou County and even in Anshun City. The name of the town "Daguang" also originated from this temple. The main purpose of the temple is to worship the Water Goddess Mazu, praying for protection against floods in Jiangkou County. On the first and fifteenth day of each month, devout men and women from neighboring towns come to worship, forming a bustling market. People from nearby Pingchuan County and Changjin County also like to come here to socialize and do business, making it a very lively place.

  The Ning River flows from south to north through Daguan Kou Township and Jiang Miao Town, then into Zhuliang Township, and finally flows east-northeast through Jiangkou Town. This river is also the lifeblood of the entire Jiangkou County, with irrigation water and industrial water mainly sourced from here. However, once a mountain flood occurs upstream, it will threaten the safety of several large towns below Jiang Miao Town.

  After sorting out the records, Zhao Guotang leaned his body against the rattan chair and closed his eyes in contemplation. He had also asked about the sand quarrying industry in the countryside, and found that the procedures were not very strict, and it was estimated that it could be handled, but the main reason was still the sales route.

  The pre-fabricated factories in the countryside directly pull sand and gravel from the riverbank, and some scattered sand is mainly supplied to local farmers for self-built houses. In other words, unless the village carries out large-scale infrastructure construction, the sand and gravel in the riverbank are good but have nowhere to go.

  Jiangmiao Town may have a larger use, after all, there are more enterprises and residents here, but Jiangmiao Town itself also produces sand and stone, it is unlikely to pull sand and stone from Daguan Kou for use, even if the sand and stone of Daguan Kou are better, it is difficult to enter the market of Jiangmiao Town, the transportation cost can make up for the difference in quality.

  Zhao Guotong sighed, it seemed that getting the first pot of gold was not as easy as he thought.

  Tan Kai's lead is also very valuable. Since Zhang Sanwa, the cow killer, is suspicious, we should dig deeper. We don't necessarily need to contact him directly, but can start with people around him. If he's really related to this guy, then he must have a connection with acquaintances on the Daguan Kou side. If we can find his acquaintances on the Daguan Kou side, the scope of investigation can be greatly narrowed down.

  "Tan Kai! Tan Kai!"

  "Zhao Ge, are you calling me?" Compared with Hu Minggui, Tan Kai's words were much fewer, but although his words were few, they all carried some weight.

  "Uh, still talking about that thing this morning, the Da Guan Kou cattle case. At noon today when Secretary Li and Mayor Cao were having lunch, although they didn't mention it, I reckon there's a stone stuck in their hearts too. The criminal police came once, but after the murder case was released, it got delayed. Since I'm stationed here, I'll have to think of ways to try."

  "Hmm, where does Brother Zhao plan to start from?" Tan Kai nodded.

  "Tomorrow we're going to Tulinqiao Township, first meet with the township's public security office and the township leaders, then you'll dig in and get a good sense of Zhang Sanwa's situation, starting from his relatives, friends, and acquaintances. See if there are any close relationships on this side of Da Guan Kou, if so, bring me back some information. After tomorrow, you don't need to come back to the office to report, just focus on getting a handle on this situation." Zhao Guodong got straight to the point.

  Afraid of being criticized by Qiu Suo and Liao Guiding if I don't report for duty.

  "I'll go and tell Qiu that we've cracked the case first," Zhao Guotang waved his hand, "You don't need to worry about these things, I just want you to get a grasp of the situation for me. Remember, it must be detailed and accurate. I'm giving you one week's time."

  "Okay, Zhang Sanwa is from Tuling Huoshi Village. I have some relatives and friends there too. I'll go down and take a good look around." Tan Kai stood up, "I've already called Tang Dongfu, the public security officer of Tuling Township, he will be waiting for us in the security room tomorrow."

  "Alright, you go ahead." Zhao Guotang appreciated Tan Kai's straightforwardness, his words and actions were never ambiguous.

  It wasn't until after six o'clock that Qiu Suo and Liao Guiding still hadn't appeared, but Luo Mingshan did come to punch in, only to disappear soon after. Only He Honghai, who was on duty, sat in the duty room reading a newspaper.

  "He Ge, reading the newspaper?"

  "Hmm, Guo Dong, back from Da Guan Kou? Today's the first day of meeting, right?" He Honghai was a few years older than Zhao Guodong, with fair skin and looking well-maintained. He was stationed in Jiangmiao, five townships including Bao Long Xiang and Hei Shi Xiang.

  "Uh-huh, just got back."

  "What's the situation like? I've heard that things haven't been too quiet around here this year, and the villagers have some opinions about us." He Honghai said casually.

  "It's okay, I've seen Director Luo and learned about the situation. If there's nothing else, I'll go out and run around some more." Zhao Guotang also sat slanted on the desk in the duty room, where an old-fashioned black telephone was placed on top. Rural police stations were different from those in the city, still using this kind of rotary phone. First, you had to dial the Jiangmiao Post and Telecommunications Bureau's switchboard, then let the operator connect your call.

  "Going to Tuling tomorrow?"

  "Uh-huh, I've got to run around both towns, and after coming down, I'll need some time to get familiar with things."

  "It's also like this in the countryside, far worse than the county town. By the way, how did you end up coming down from the criminal police team?" He Honghai suddenly became interested at this point.

  "To be honest, I didn't know either. Later, I heard from Liu that Jiang Temple was short of people, and since my family is from this side, the bureau let me come down." Zhao Guotang shrugged his shoulders.

  "Is it reasonable for someone from this side to come down just because their home is here? You're a professional, aren't you?" He Honghai seemed to be speaking up for Zhao Guotang again.

  "Ah, all that's in the past now. I'm a member of the Jiang Temple police station, and every place is work. This one is just closer to my home." Zhao Guodong didn't want to dwell on this issue anymore. "Isn't Qiu not here today?"

  "Hmm, I'm going to the bureau with Director Liao for a meeting, don't know what new actions there will be." He Honghai yawned, "I'm on duty tonight, Guo Dong you can go home if you have nothing else to do."

  "Never mind, I have to go to Tuling early tomorrow morning. If not, you can go back, Ge, and I'll take your shift tonight." Zhao Guotang said generously, "Anyway, I'm free."

  "This doesn't seem quite right." He Honghai's heart skipped a beat, this Zhao Guotang, although he had come down from the criminal police team, still seemed pretty straightforward.

  "It's okay, what if one day I'm on duty and something happens, won't I have to ask Brother He for help?" Zhao Guotang smiled.

  "En, that's no problem." He Honghai was overjoyed. "Alright then, it's settled. If there's anything in the future, just say so. I actually have something to attend to tonight, so I'll be off first. Dammit, it takes an hour just to get a ride on the road."

  Looking at He Honghai's hurriedly departing back, Zhao Guodong shook his head. This guy still hasn't changed. He's not a bad person and has abilities too, but he's homesick. His heart is set on being transferred back to the county town, but good things never come to him easily. It will take three years before he can be transferred back to the northern suburbs of the county town.

  Nothing happened all night.

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