After Heizi left with the cow, Yan Fei began to discipline the people left behind. There was no need for fists and feet this time, Yan Fei spotted a straw rope on the ground, covered in cattle dung. Undeterred, he picked it up and use it as a whip, lashing out mercilessly at the men.
The men cried out in pain, begging for mercy, their pleas unceasing. He continued to whip them until the rope grew shorter and shorter, until it was too short to use, at that point, he stopped.
He then grabbed the one who seemed to be the leader, "What did you say just now? You work for Manager Li at the Meat Processing Factory? Are you the same purchasing manager who used to collude with Zhang Laosan?"
This man had blurted it out when he couldn’t bear the beating. He claimed that he also worked for someone, hoping that Yan Fei would spare him using the influence of his manager.
Yan Fei was right, this man was a complete coward. He appeared to be quite tough when he first showed up, but in reality, he was unbelievably weak.
He was the loudest when begging for mercy, and when Yan Fei asked him, he spilled everything like a spilt can of beans, explaining the entire situation clearly.
The story was simple, the so-called Manager Li indeed had colluded with Zhang Laosan. Zhang Laosan organized manpower and bought cows at a low price in the Cattle Market, then sold them at a high price to the Meat Processing Factory in partnership with Manager Li. The two would then split the difference. It wasn’t all—they were rumored to have bought stolen cattle too.
Zhang Laosan had ties with many shady characters, anyone who could source him cheap cattle, Manager Li was willing to cooperate. The Meat Processing Factory wasn’t privately owned, these stolen cows were often reported at a high cost, they made a significant profit from the scheme.
After Zhang Laosan’s death, Manager Li did restrain himself for a while. However, once a cat has tasted fish, how can he resist the temptation to get it again? It didn’t take long before he felt safe again and picked out this leader, and they resumed their crooked business.
If it weren’t for the assurance of selling at a high price, these cattle traders wouldn’t bother; if they didn’t have Manager Li providing them cover, they wouldn’t be so brazen.
After Yan Fei finished questioning, he started feeling around the man’s body for a bit, then seemed a little puzzled, "Why aren’t you carrying your ID? Tell me your name and where you live? Don’t worry, I won’t come after you, it’s just in case I’m retaliated against later and need to find you. Whisper it, don’t let them hear."
The coward, after hearing that Yan Fei wouldn’t come after him, double checked and then whispered his name and home address.
After hearing, Yan Fei threw him aside and pulled up another person to continue questioning, "Come on, tell me your name and address too. I need to be prepared in case you guys decide to take revenge!"
The Boss had already said it, so this man didn’t have anything to hide either, and honestly confessed.
After Yan Fei finished questioning this man, he was ready to move on to the next. However, an idea suddenly hit him, "Hold on, tell me more about your Boss. If you get it wrong and it doesn’t match what he said, one of you is going to be in trouble."
This man hesitated and got slapped a couple of times then, under Yan Fei’s threat, he had no choice but to reluctantly betray his own man.
Yan Fei enthusiastic again, "Keep talking, talk about him too."
Alright, this traitor almost cried—Yan Fei was pointing to another guy who hadn’t been questioned yet.
By the time Yan Fei had completed a round of questioning, each person had not only given their own details but also those of two or three companions. If there’s any inconsistency, Yan Fei pulled out a few more people to verify against each other. Only when he felt that he completely understood their circumstances did he finally let them go — during the final round of questioning, he even pulled a thin dark-skinned man aside and whispered something to him. God knows what else he said, but the man’s dark face got even darker.
As for whether these people would become enemies in the future after his relentless questioning, that no longer concerned Yan Fei.
After the interrogation, Yan Fei saw Heizi approaching happily with his pocket tightly held. He got up and urged, "What are you smiling about? Get a move on!"
Heizi was taken aback, "What’s the rush? Aren’t we in the right?"
He immediately realized after saying it. It doesn’t matter if they were right or wrong, who would want to wait for the police to arrive? From the perspective of most people, going to the police station would definitely not be a fun experience! Especially for Heizi, who hadn’t lived a very honest life, he was naturally fearful of the police station.
He quickly suggested, "Yes, yes, yes, it’s so troublesome to go to the police station. Since we’ve already explained everything and asked someone to help us report the case. Let’s go first! It’ll be easier to handle if there’s any issue when we get home."
Yan Fei was truly not interested in the trouble, even if the police station considers him right, he would have wasted the entire morning, and there were always unforeseen accidents! What if that manager at the Meat Processing Factory knows someone at the station?
As it was clear that they weren’t going to be able to purchase any cattle that morning, it was better to return first— Yan Fei was exceptionally familiar with the routine of fight and flight.
The two took the money, shouted at the onlookers that they were going to the bank to deposit the money and then to the police station to file a report, and went straight out of the Cattle Market, broke into a run, and laughed all the way.
It was like successfully stealing a watermelon from someone else’s field, the elation was immense.
Having run out of the county, Heizi quickly handed over the money to Yan Fei, and the two, without discussing taking a car, planned on taking a stroll along the trail back home.
On the road, Yan Fei thought for a while and said, "No way, I have to ask my Uncle Baoguo about this. Will the local police station investigate us if I fight ? And also, can these guys who force us to sell our cows be imprisoned for a few years?"
Heizi was puzzled, "Can this be a few days of imprisonment? They did offer a price after all, so it’s not robbery, and such cases of forced buying and selling are not rare at the Cattle Market, I’ve never heard of anyone being sentenced! Moreover, the Cattle Market is not in our Sancha River Town, by the time you go to your uncle, they would have long gone!"
Yan Fei smugly replied, "What do you think I was doing when you were selling the cattle? I even asked them their home addresses and names. If we want to catch them, I assure you none of them can escape!"
Heizi was immediately reinvigorated "Well, in that case! Let’s go to the police station in Sancha River and report the case. We were forced to sell our cattle at the Cattle Market here, though they didn’t succeed, many people saw."
As Heizi was thinking more about it, he realized an advantage, "Yeah! How come I didn’t think of that! We should make the first move and file a complaint, so we don’t have to wait for the police here to come looking for us and trouble us with a lot of questions. If someone comes looking for us later, we just need to have your uncle deal with it, it’s so much easier!"
After talking, he cracked himself up laughing, "Brother Fei, why does it feel like we’re criminals beating the authorities to the punch with our complaints?"
Yan Fei gave him a look of disdain, "Nonsense, we’ve always been the just party okay? Just because we’re complaining first doesn’t mean we’re not the good guys!"