113: Chapter 113 I'll get him sooner or later

The car drove to Miaogao Township Middle School. Zhao Yang took down the sack and found a teacher who was busy in the courtyard, explaining his purpose.

Teacher Ma looked at the big sack of fish and was a bit stunned: "Comrade, did you catch all of these by yourself?"

"Yes," Zhao Yang patted the dust off his hands. "Right at the village entrance, many people saw it. It's almost lunchtime, so I'm giving you the fish and hoping to mooch a meal. By the way, I'm Zhao Yang, from the capital. The Ministry of Public Security sent me to Pingkang County to conduct some investigations."

Teacher Ma's heart skipped a beat. He looked Zhao Yang up and down, his gaze becoming somewhat complicated: "I wonder what you are investigating, coming all the way from the capital?"

"Nothing much, mainly recent criminal cases. I can't say much more; you know how it is, we have discipline." Zhao Yang gestured with his chin toward the sack. "Get these fish processed quickly; it'll be just in time for lunch."

Teacher Ma was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, I'll go make arrangements."

"By the way, how many teachers are there in the school?"

"Only two."

"Two?" Zhao Yang pretended to be surprised. "How can you finish all that? Call the students to eat together."

"The students usually bring their own food."

"Just treat it as an extra dish for lunch. Make it a bit bland, and try to finish it all in one meal."

Teacher Ma smiled: "Alright, I'll thank you on behalf of the students."

While he went to make arrangements, Zhao Yang wandered around the school alone. Mud-brick houses, a dilapidated playground, and several classrooms with missing window panes. Before long, Teacher Ma returned and stood beside him, looking like he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Zhao Yang glanced at him: "Teacher Ma, do you have something you want to tell me?"

"Comrade Zhao Yang, it might be a bit presumptuous to ask—since you are so young, what kind of work do you do in the capital?"

Zhao Yang sighed: "In a place like the capital, being an official isn't easy. Someone like me, without any connections, was only just promoted to deputy director level recently."

Teacher Ma was stunned: "Deputy director... do you mean a deputy division chief?"

"It depends on the work," Zhao Yang said. "If it were in Pingkang County, it would be roughly the position of the Public Security Bureau Chief or a Deputy County Magistrate."

Teacher Ma was dumbfounded.

He had seen the county leaders; they were all in their fifties or sixties, yet the person in front of him looked at most in his early twenties, and he was actually at the same level as them.

"You don't believe me?" Zhao Yang smiled slightly. "Come, let me verify it for you. You know Li Jianguo, the captain of the Pingkang County Criminal Police Team, right?"

"I know him."

Zhao Yang took out his phone, dialed Li Jianguo's number, and pressed speakerphone: "Hello, Captain Li, it's me."

"Director Zhao, is something the matter?"

"I caught too many fish, more than a dozen left over, and I plan to give them to Miaogao Township Middle School to give the kids an extra meal. Teacher Ma here is a bit unsure of my identity; could you vouch for me? Teacher Ma is right next to me." After saying this, he winked at Teacher Ma.

Teacher Ma leaned in closer: "Hello, Captain Li, I am Teacher Ma from Miaogao Township Middle School."

The voice on the other end of the phone immediately became authoritative: "Teacher Ma, this is Li Jianguo from the Pingkang County Public Security Bureau Criminal Police Team. This Comrade Zhao Yang next to you is a high-ranking leader from the capital; you must treat him well. If he is dissatisfied, I will hold you accountable!"

"Don't worry, Captain Li, I will definitely treat him well and ensure the leader is satisfied!"

Zhao Yang took the phone back, chatted a bit more, and hung up. Then he looked at Teacher Ma with a smile: "Believe me now?"

Teacher Ma swallowed, hesitated for a moment, and then probed: "Comrade Zhao Yang, are you... very close with Captain Li?"

Zhao Yang curled his lip, looking disdainful: "That guy is no good. When I go back, I'll take that bastard down."

A flash of surprise crossed Teacher Ma's eyes: "Did he offend you?"

"He dare offend me? Hell no!" Zhao Yang spat, adopting the mannerisms of a capital city playboy again. "I just can't stand him, the bullshit case he handled. A graduate student from a big city came to teach, and he says he assaulted a woman and drowned while trying to escape—how the hell is that possible? His girlfriend was the class belle. I saw that Ding Chunmei who accused him of assault; she's not even fit to carry his girlfriend's shoes! She's just a village girl; why would he be so bored as to assault her?"

Teacher Ma's breathing quickened, his body began to tremble slightly, and even his form of address changed: "Leader, are you here to investigate the case of Hou Guiping?"

"Hou Guiping? Who is Hou Guiping?" Zhao Yang played dumb.

"You were talking about Hou Guiping! He was the teacher who came to our school to teach!"

Zhao Yang said "Oh," and waved his hand: "I didn't notice that. I just mean that Li Jianguo's way of handling cases is too damn sloppy, and it's not even convincing. If he were in the capital, he'd be in jail in less than a month."

Teacher Ma grabbed Zhao Yang and dragged him into a mud-brick house nearby, which was his office. He closed the door and lowered his voice: "Leader, Teacher Hou Guiping was definitely framed!"

Zhao Yang raised an eyebrow, remaining calm: "Oh? Do you know some inside information? Or do you have some evidence?"

"Before Teacher Hou died, he was investigating something—regarding the female students in his class being assaulted." Teacher Ma immediately recounted the process of how Hou Guiping discovered the yellow-haired man assaulting female students and reported it everywhere, finally saying with red-rimmed eyes, "Teacher Hou was upright, and his girlfriend was beautiful. Saying he assaulted Ding Chunmei is definitely a frame-up!"

"Did Teacher Hou leave anything behind?"

Teacher Ma shook his head: "A police officer surnamed Luo took away all of Hou Guiping's belongings. I suspect nothing is left."

Zhao Yang nodded: "Alright, I know about this now. Regardless, the fact that Li Jianguo handled the case sloppily cannot be denied. Don't go telling anyone else—by the way, have any of the girls in your school been acting abnormally recently? When we have lunch in a while, point them out to me."

"Alright!"

The two came out of the mud-brick house, and the smell of stewed fish was already wafting outside. Zhao Yang told Teacher Ma to go get busy while he wandered around the school, occasionally picking up his portable DV to film segments of the classrooms, the mud-brick houses, and the dilapidated playground.

Just before lunch, the yellow-haired man ran into the school excitedly. Seeing Zhao Yang filming, he immediately came over: "Brother Zhao, what are you filming?"

Zhao Yang pointed the DV at him: "Don't move. Your outfit looks pretty sharp, better than this morning's. Let me take a picture of you."

The yellow-haired man was stunned, and the lens had already flashed several times. He quickly waved his hand: "Brother Zhao, delete it. There's nothing worth filming about me."

Zhao Yang put down the DV and looked at him indifferently: "You didn't do anything guilty, so why are you so nervous? I just like filming local customs; won't you give me this Face? Hmm?"

His gaze suddenly turned cold, becoming sinister and violent, nailing into the yellow-haired man's Face like a knife.

The yellow-haired man shuddered, and the corner of his mouth twitched. How could this person change his Face just like that? He was even more terrifying than Hu Yilang. Someone from the capital was truly not ordinary.

By this time, the morning classes had ended. The students knew there was stewed fish for lunch, and everyone was very happy. Teacher Ma brought them to thank Zhao Yang.

But when everyone saw the yellow-haired man, many students stopped in their tracks, their gazes becoming fearful. Especially a few girls, whose whole bodies began to tremble.

Zhao Yang glanced at this scene, the corner of his mouth slightly curling up.

He grabbed the yellow-haired man's arm: "Let's go, time to eat."