Chapter 134: Zhou Xiaoming Arrested

Arriving at Zhou Xiaoming’s home, I saw a delicate young girl of thirteen or fourteen cooking outside the house. A closer look revealed a bowl of thin corn porridge, accompanied by a few steamed buns and some pickled vegetables.

This must be Zhou Xiaoming’s younger sister.

"Excuse me, is Zhou Xiaoming home? Did he go to work today?"

Zhou Xiaoqian looked up at the visitor. Since her brother’s trouble began, he was the first person to come looking for him.

"My brother was arrested for speculation and profiteering; he hasn't been back for two days." Zhou Xiaoqian lowered her head, saddened. Her brother was the absolute pillar of their family. Now that he had been taken, what would happen to her, her eight-year-old brother, and their paralyzed mother?

At this thought, Zhou Xiaoqian began to sob.

Arrested? How could that be? Was he really that unlucky? Xiao Weiguo felt a surge of surprise, followed quickly by worry: what if he had been implicated and given up?

Looking at the girl, Xiao Weiguo turned away and left, returning shortly after with a bag.

"Little sister, here is some food. Cook it as you see fit. Don't let yourself go hungry. I’m going to go find out what happened to Xiaoming. Don’t worry too much."

Before Zhou Xiaoqian could react, he was already gone.

Opening the bag, she found over ten pounds of flour, several pounds of pork, and a chicken. Who was this person, and why was he so generous?

Zhou Xiaoqian stood up, intending to chase after him to ask, but when she reached the courtyard gate, the street was empty.

The food eased some of her anxiety about her brother. There was even white flour—could she make dumpling soup for their next meal? No, no, she should trade the flour for cornmeal; that would provide so much more. The meat, too, should be traded for grain. But her brother usually handled such things—what was she to do?

She sat back down, looked at the corn porridge, and tossed in two handfuls of flour to make a makeshift dumpling soup, her heart once again heavy with worry for her brother.

***

After leaving, Xiao Weiguo headed straight to the Nanluoguxiang Police Station. At the very least, he had an acquaintance there, Lu Guangrong, and perhaps he could learn something.

He handed a cigarette to the elderly gatekeeper and asked for Lu Guangrong. The old man took the cigarette with a grin and shouted inside, "Old Lu, someone’s here for you!"

Lu Guangrong emerged, looking puzzled; he had been worked to the bone for the past two days. Two nights ago, a city-wide crackdown on the black market had been launched across Sijiucheng with great success. The local police stations were overflowing, and only today had they finally finished processing everyone. The amount of confiscated goods was immense, and he expected a healthy bonus this month.

Seeing Xiao Weiguo, Lu Guangrong greeted him warmly. "Weiguo! What brings you here today? It’s noon—let’s grab a bite to eat."

Networking required maintenance. Xiao Weiguo saw Lu as a valuable contact, and Lu viewed Xiao—a procurement officer—as someone worth keeping close. If he ever needed supplies, a word to Xiao could solve the problem instantly. With this in mind, Lu’s smile grew even more sincere.

"Brother Lu, I’d love to. Let’s go; I know a restaurant nearby with decent food."

"Sounds good. I was just thinking about lunch. I’m sick of the station canteen’s food. Let’s head out, but I’m paying today—don't you dare try to grab the bill."

Xiao Weiguo thought to himself that avoiding the bill would be impossible, especially since he had a favor to ask.

The two arrived at the August First State-Run Restaurant. It was peak lunch hour, and the dining hall was more than half full. Xiao Weiguo quickly found an empty table, told Lu to hold the spot, and went to the counter to check the menu.

Lu sat there, feeling awkward. He had promised to treat, but now he was stuck. He shooed away a few patrons asking if the seat was taken and decided he would just have to treat next time. *This little brother is quite sharp,* he thought. *I wonder what he wants today? If it’s something too difficult, I won’t be able to help.*

Xiao Weiguo scanned the menu and ordered sweet and sour pork, scallion-fried lamb, stir-fried winter melon, shredded radish, a bowl of egg soup, and eight large steamed buns.

A meal of four dishes and one soup—one had to show the proper attitude when asking for a favor. Besides, this was likely the last time he could order so freely; soon, everyone would have to tighten their belts.

After a brief chat, the lady at the counter shouted that the food was ready. Xiao was still not used to this, but seeing the banner on the wall—"Do not beat customers without cause"—he held his tongue. *Without cause?* he wondered. *Does that mean there's a reason for which you can?*

They began to eat heartily. Hungry from the morning, they focused on the meal first. It wasn't long before six of the buns disappeared.

Seeing Lu slow down, Xiao Weiguo asked in a measured tone, "Brother Lu, I heard you rounded up a bunch of black market traders over the last couple of days. How are you handling them?"

Xiao really didn't know how such matters were handled, having never encountered them before.

Lu Guangrong took a sip of soup to wash down the bun and replied, "What, did someone in your family get caught? Give me a name and address, and I can check later. This crackdown was huge—the whole city was involved. They say over a thousand people were caught. Most are just ordinary residents who went to the pigeon market to pick up a few things. Since the offenses aren't severe, the punishment won't be too harsh. Everyone has a family to feed, after all."

Xiao Weiguo put down his chopsticks. "And for those who bought or sold just a small amount?"

"After interrogation, if the offense is minor, we confiscate the goods, issue a fine, and have them write a self-criticism. If they're from the countryside, they're sent back to their home provinces. If they have jobs, we notify their unit leaders to come and collect them for 're-education.' The units themselves might impose secondary punishments. Honestly, our targets are the 'big fish'—the corrupt officials who steal from their own stores, or the black market organizers. Those people deserve hard labor or worse. Catching them is the only way to fundamentally stop the black market, and it’s a good way to earn merit. The small fry? We just educate them and let them go."

Xiao Weiguo calculated the situation. If that was the case, Zhou Xiaoming shouldn't be in too much trouble—the only concern now was the secondary punishment from the steel mill.