novelden Chapter 142 Routine Inspection
Chapter 142 Routine Inspection
Chapter 142 Routine Inspection
Gu Xiaoran got off the bed, walked forward a few steps, and put her arm around Xiao Chen affectionately, "Sister Chen, what kind of soap are you using? It smells so good!"
"Brother Li brought it back from another place. I used it to take a shower last night. It smells really good. It's your Dashenhai brand..."
The two of them went out talking and laughing, and Qiu Huoming followed them with a thermos.
He Liu opened his eyes on the bed and saw that Mou Jinshan didn't move. He hesitated for a moment, turned over and continued to take a nap.
Qiu Huoming didn't see Huang Chao and the others outside. He probably went downstairs and went to smoke near the restaurant.
Passing the water room, Qiu Huoming stopped and said, "I'll wait for you here."
Gu Xiaoran blinked at him.
They went into the bathroom together. Qiu Huoming bent down to fill the thermos, then carried the thermos to the corner where he could see the stairs. While waiting for them, he thought to himself.
Huang Chao always spoke to them, and their accents were similar, but He Liu and Ma Sixi seldom spoke, and when they did, they also had accents, which were somewhat different from Huang Chao's voices.
If Huang Chao is a veteran and he emphasizes this repeatedly, then there must be a problem.
If there is something wrong with him, even the name Huang Chao may not be real.
Many thoughts came to Qiu Huoming's mind. He didn't know whether Huang Chao and the others were just seeking money or...
Over there, Gu Xiaoran and Xiao Chen stood at the door of the toilet. There were two women's toilets, and the doors faced the corridor directly. Next to them was the men's toilet. Gu Xiaoran grabbed Xiao Chen, stood at the door, and said in a low voice: "Sister Chen, you probably feel something is wrong, right?"
Xiao Chen looked at Gu Xiaoran in confusion.
"You guys came out to buy things this time, you brought a lot of money, right?"
Xiao Chen subconsciously covered the small shoulder bag she was carrying, and she looked at Gu Xiaoran with suspicion.
"Don't trust people too much when you're out."
Gu Xiaoran was a little distressed. It seemed that Xiao Chen was also a little wary of her. "Uncle Huang and his friends are too enthusiastic. I feel something is wrong. However, I have no evidence. Next, we will try to ask some questions."
Seeing that Xiao Chen's eyes were beginning to show some interest, she continued, "No matter whether they are good or bad people, I have a suggestion for you. Stay in a regular guesthouse and don't go with strangers. I heard that there are more kidnappers recently..."
"No way!" Xiao Chen's voice suddenly became louder.
Gu Xiaoran let go of her hand, "We are probably meddling in other people's business, Sister Chen, please be more careful when you go out."
She turned and went into one of the rooms. She really needed to take care of a personal problem. She hadn't gone to the toilet since morning. Fortunately, the toilets on the ship were cleaned quite diligently and did not look dirty inside.
Xiao Chen stood outside alone, thought about it, then went into another room and solved his problem.
When I came out, Gu Xiaoran had already washed his hands and was chatting with the tall boy at the corner outside the door.
"Sister Chen, you're out, let's go." Qiu Huoming picked up the thermos and walked over.
"Xiao Qiu, what my sister said just now, is it..." Xiao Chen looked at Qiu Huoming with some confusion.
She didn't know why, but she had a good feeling towards Qiu Huoming. Maybe he was a bit like her younger brother back home.
"My classmate has already told you in detail. I can't say anything. After all, there is no evidence. Sister Chen, I am from Wucheng County, so we are half fellow villagers. It is because of this relationship that we have been meddling in your affairs. It will always do you good to be more careful. If you try to take advantage of others, you will suffer a great loss."
Xiao Chen seemed to be thinking about something. She nodded and said, "I'll find a chance to persuade Brother Li."
It seems that she listened.
Qiu Huoming let out a long sigh, "Let's go back. I think He Liu is probably getting impatient."
Xiao Chen paused. She had already begun to suspect something, and after hearing what he said, she immediately felt that the other party was indeed acting suspiciously.
As soon as they turned the corner, they saw He Liu lying on the railing outside the door, his eyes staring in the direction they were coming from.
As soon as he saw them coming over, a look of relief appeared on his face.
"Brother He, why don't you take a rest?" Qiu Huoming took a few steps forward and asked.
"I slept too much at noon and really couldn't sleep." He Liu explained.
"Why not go around? This ship is very big. I heard there is a reading room."
"I can't read, so I won't turn around. It's nice to just stand here and enjoy the scenery."
"Brother He, you speak Mandarin very well. Are you from the same place as Uncle Huang?"
"A place!"
He Liu paused, "He's old, it's hard to change his accent."
"Oh, where is Brother He in Guangsai?"
"Li...uh, Li Pu." He stuttered and quickly corrected himself.
"I haven't heard of it. What local specialties do you have? When I graduate, I plan to travel around and broaden my horizons." Qiu Huoming put down the thermos in his hand, leaned on the railing beside him, and asked curiously.
"It's all mountains, fruit trees, and all fruits. There's not much grain production, and there aren't any local specialties." Seeing that he was just a student, He Liu spoke more casually.
The country is so vast, how much can a young boy know? He leaned against the railing and glanced at Mou Jinshan who was sitting in the cabin and writing.
"Fruit? What kind of fruit are there?"
"What else? Grapefruit..."
As soon as he finished speaking, there were hurried footsteps nearby, and soon Huang Chao and others showed up.
Qiu Huoming greeted them with a smile, "Uncle Huang, Uncle Ma, Brother Li..."
Gu Xiaoran didn't say anything, just smiled and nodded.
Huang Chao glanced at his feet and said, "Get some hot water. Hey, you are diligent, young comrade."
Xiao Chen grabbed Xiao Li and said, "Come with me, let's discuss this..."
Brother Li said with a smile: "Uncle Huang, I'll go in first."
Huang Chao didn't take it seriously. It was normal for a young couple to talk in private.
"Haha, Xiao Chen is afraid that I will kidnap your lover..."
Xiao Chen's face turned slightly red. He lowered his head and pulled Xiao Li into the cabin.
Gu Xiaoran stood beside Qiu Huoming and looked at the river below with some boredom.
"Uncle Huang, I was just talking about food with Brother He, and he said you have sleeves there, they are delicious, I haven't eaten them yet."
There is no grapefruit producing area in Wucheng County, and grapefruit from other places are rarely shipped here. Qiu Huoming's words are completely flawless.
"What a pity, the season hasn't arrived yet..." Huang Chao saw that Xiao Li seemed to be whispering to Xiao Chen inside, so it was not convenient for him to go in for the time being.
"Then your land doesn't produce anything else? How do you pay the annual grain tax?" Qiu Huoming muttered, "We do have rice, taro, and sweet potatoes..."
"There is also rice in Wodai..."
"Your products are too single. No wonder you have to come out to make a living." Qiu Huoming looked at Huang Chao with some pity.
He Liu was somewhat touched, "That's right! They are all mountains... It's not easy to come out."
"Then why did you buy such expensive tickets?" Qiu Huoming sighed, "I didn't buy a fourth-class ticket..."
He Liu's expression changed slightly, but Huang Chao spoke up, "Tickets are hard to buy."
Ma Sixi didn't say anything. He scratched the top of his sparse head and looked at everyone with a blank expression.
Gu Xiaoran was a little frightened by his gaze. She whispered to Qiu Huoming, "I'll go in first..."
Qiu Huoming nodded.
When she was far away, Huang Chao grinned and asked, "Comrade Xiaoqiu, is she your girlfriend?"
"How dare I get close to people from big cities like them!" Qiu Huoming said with a look of melancholy.
He Liu resonated even more this time. He patted Qiu Huoming on the shoulder and said, "What's a big city? I..."
"Sixth Brother!" Ma Sixi called out suddenly.
He Liu snorted coldly: "Come out once, I'll take care of everything..."
Huang Chao smiled and acted as a peacemaker, "No more chatting, let's go inside and have a rest..."
Qiu Huoming bent down, picked up the thermos, and followed them in.
In the cabin, the young couple seemed to be having a quarrel, and Xiao Chen's eyes were a little red.
"Did you have a fight?" Huang Chao walked over.
Xiao Li waved his hands and said, "It's okay, it's just a small matter. It will be fine in a while."
Huang Chao stopped and said, "Xiao Li, take your wife out for a walk. It's boring to stay in the cabin every day..."
Xiao Li turned his head to look at Xiao Chen, "Stop messing around, let's go, I'll take you to the restaurant to drink soda."
Xiao Chen glared at him, but finally stood up, and the two of them walked out one after the other.
Mou Jinshan took Qiu Huoming's teacup and poured the hot water he had just poured into it.
"When will we arrive at the dock tomorrow?" he asked Qiu Huoming.
"In the afternoon, around 4 o'clock."
"That means there are still three meals to be solved, and that..." He looked at Qiu Huoming embarrassedly.
"Let's eat together. I still have money for food." Qiu Huoming said, trying to hold back his smile.
"I'll return it to you when we get to Shenhai." Mou Jinshan said with a sigh of relief.
In the eyes of Huang Chao and others on the opposite side, Mou Jinshan was just an educated youth who was sent down to the countryside. He took his niece back to Shenhai to find a way back to the city. He ran out of money on the way and needed this little brother for support.
At that moment, several people showed some contempt on their faces.
When it was almost time for dinner, Qiu Huoming went out with Mou Jinshan on the pretext of letting the water out. Halfway through the way, Qiu Huoming told Mou Jinshan all his suspicions.
"Lipu, I happen to know this place, it is rich in taro and fruit, but I have never heard of grapefruit."
"I mentioned taro, but they didn't respond at all. I suspect they are not from Guangse..."
"It's really a problem to cover it up like this. No, I have to talk to the people on the ship about this."
There are also "water police" on duty at fixed points on the ship. They are affiliated with the internal security department of the unit and are managed by the public security department. They are not part of the Ministry of Public Security.
"Uncle Mou, did you lose your work permit?"
Hearing this, Mu Jinshan paused and smiled awkwardly, "It's okay. There is a phone on the ship and my unit also has a phone. Just ask them to call and ask."
"Okay, let's go together." Qiu Huoming followed him and walked quickly to the first floor.
When I went down to the first floor, there was someone on duty. A uniformed staff member was lying on the table writing documents.
Mou Jinshan took a few quick steps and knocked on the door. "Comrade, I have something to report."
The staff member immediately stood up and said, "Please come in."
"My surname is Tang. You can just call me Comrade Tang. What situation do you want to respond to?"
"Hello, Comrade Tang." Mou Jinshan stretched out his hand and shook his hand. "My name is Mou Jinshan. I am currently the head of the Wucheng County Discipline Inspection Commission. The situation I am reporting is related to the passengers in my cabin."
Qiu Huoming, who was sitting next to him, heard what he said, and his eyebrows suddenly jumped. Damn it, this is the director Qiu Jianshe often talks about. He is an airborne soldier, most likely!It seems that this dinner should be more generous.
"Excuse me, what is your ID?" Comrade Tang asked.
"It was stolen and the money is gone."
"Do you suspect that the people in your cabin did it?" Comrade Tang immediately asked with a serious face.
Mou Jinshan showed an awkward smile, "No, no, my reaction has nothing to do with this."
"I suspect that the three men who were staying in our cabin and were said to be from Guangse were either swindlers or kidnappers."
He described in detail to Comrade Tang what he had observed along the way.
"So you just have suspicions, but no actual evidence, right?"
Mou Jinshan nodded, "There is indeed no evidence."
"But, Comrade Tang, you can call our unit to verify my situation. Everything I just reported is true..."
"There is no telephone on the ship." Comrade Tang stared at Mou Jinshan's face suspiciously.
Qiu Huoming coughed lightly at the side.
"Comrade Tang, my name is Qiu Huoming. I am a student taking this year's college entrance examination and I am about to report to the university. I can testify that what Uncle Mou said is true. My ID is in my backpack. Comrade Tang can come up and check their IDs and also check mine..."
"I just asked them, and their description of their hometown is inconsistent with what I know. I remember our teacher told me that when encountering such a situation, we should immediately suspect whether they are spies."
As soon as these words were spoken, the other party immediately stood up.
"Okay, you guys go back first, I'll ask a few staff members to go up with me."
"Okay, thank you for troubling Comrade Tang."
Qiu Huoming immediately pulled Mou Jinshan up and walked out.
Mou Jinshan followed behind him and said after a while: "You kid... you use this excuse very well!"
Qiu Huoming was walking in front and silently rolled his eyes at him, since he couldn't see it anyway.
Qiu Huoming somewhat understood his old-fashioned father and why he could get along so well with Mou Jinshan. In some ways, they were really alike.
There are indeed problems with Huang Chao and the other two. It would be best if the authorities stepped in to deal with it. Otherwise, it would be bad if something went wrong when they were desperate, especially since Gu Xiaoran is still here.
When we went up to the third floor, Xiao Chen and Xiao Li had already returned. It seemed that the conflict had not been resolved yet. The two of them sat on opposite sides, ignoring each other.
Huang Chao's several attempts to persuade them were of no avail, so he simply ignored the situation. The three of them started talking in their native dialect, and Qiu Huoming didn't understand a word they heard.
Soon, it was time for dinner. Huang Chao just stood up when he saw four people walking in from the door one after another.
The leader was Comrade Tang. He glanced around with a normal expression and said, "Routine inspection."
"Show us your ID or letters of introduction." Comrade Tang's eyes passed by Qiu Huoming and Mou Jinshan without leaving a trace.
"Oh, then I'll look for it." Qiu Huoming stood up, pulled the backpack out from the corner of the bed, then sat back down, slowly opened the bag, and began to search.
Gu Xiaoran was sitting on the upper bunk. Her diploma was in her small shoulder bag and she took it out immediately.
Huang Chao and the other two looked at each other. Ma Sixi took out a piece of paper from his handbag, which was so crumpled that it was unclear.
"A letter of introduction issued by Wodai Commune." Huang Chao took the paper, turned around and handed it to Comrade Tang.
Thank you friends for your tips, subscriptions and votes:)
(Today is Monday and there are too many things to do, so I'll just do 4000. I'll work harder tomorrow!)