The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 699 Factory No. 4!!!
Back then, Director Chen Wusheng took the criminal Gao Zhuoxian back for trial, leaving Liu Zhiye and his comrades to continue searching for the stolen money.

"Search carefully again, don't miss any place where the stolen money might be hidden!" Liu Zhiye instructed his comrades.

Zhang, Gao Zhuo's mother, who was sitting blankly to the side, had a calm expression that was even slightly relaxed. But as the task force was about to leave, Liu Zhiye's words made her expression serious again.

While Liu Zhiye appeared to be encouraging his comrades, he was actually keeping a close eye on the old lady Zhang out of the corner of his eye.

When Liu Zhiye noticed that the increasingly restless Old Lady Zhang was looking towards a pile of coal in the corner of the yard.

So, when Liu Zhiye deliberately walked up to the coal pile, Old Lady Zhang, who was not far away, looked terrified and uneasy.

"Hehehe..." Liu Zhiye was secretly delighted. He carefully observed the coal pile, which was more than half a person tall. The honeycomb briquettes on top were covered with a thick layer of dust, and there were even a few clumps of weeds growing in the corner of the coal pile.

At first glance, it looks like a coal pile that has been there for a long time.

However, the meticulous Liu Zhiye squatted down to examine the situation and found that there was no dust in the gaps between the stacks of honeycomb briquettes, indicating that they were newly stacked!

"found it!"

Sure enough, under Liu Zhiye's command, after the coal pile was moved, there was a layer of fresh soil underneath. From the soil, they dug out a large stack of cash wrapped in a felt cloth, which roughly counted to be more than 190,000 yuan.

Old Mrs. Zhang, who was standing to the side, turned ashen-faced, knowing that her son was finished.

After being caught red-handed, Gao Zhuo denied everything, but eventually confessed.

He confessed that he longed for a life of wealth and luxury, but his income was insufficient to support it.

In order to make money, Gao Zhuo began to think of all sorts of crooked and evil ways.

While working at the Ministry of Trade, Gao Zhuo saw that the approval slips could be used to withdraw money from the bank, so he came up with a plan.

In order to make a fortune by taking action, he decided to forge an approval slip from "so-and-so".

For this reason, Gao Zhuo painstakingly collected the handwriting of "so-and-so," from photos to newspapers, and saved them all to imitate them diligently.

Once he had practiced enough to make the forgery look real, Gao Zhuo began purchasing paper, ink, and colored pens. Taking advantage of his job at the Ministry of Trade, he easily obtained old envelopes with faded handwriting, patiently scraped off the writing with a blade, and reused them.

He's a real "talent," but unfortunately, he didn't use his talent for the right thing.

Liu Zhiye felt that someone like Gao Zhuo could imitate other people's handwriting so well that it was indistinguishable from the real thing, and that he was meticulous and thoughtful. If he used his hard work and dedication in the right way, how could he not stand out at work?

After defrauding 20 yuan in cash, Gao Zhuo began to regret his fraudulent act as the investigation intensified. In his haste to destroy evidence, he secretly burned the money at home.

Because they were worried about being discovered by their neighbors, they could only burn a small amount while cooking. After several days, their elderly mother helped them burn the money, and they burned more than 8000 yuan. Since they couldn't burn it all, they had to secretly bury it.

Gao Zhu buried the remaining stolen money in the soil under the old coal pile, thinking it was safe, but Liu Zhiye eventually noticed the flaw in his plan because of a small movement made by his panicked old mother.

After going through all this trouble without spending a single penny, hastily destroying evidence in an attempt to return to the time before the incident, what was the point of all this roundabout process?

A gentleman loves wealth, but he acquires it through proper means. If he goes astray and violates the law, he will inevitably be subject to a just trial.

You might escape punishment for a moment for making a mistake, but you can't hide it forever.

One day, the crimes he committed will be exposed.

On the very night that Liu Zhiye was having a long talk with his nephew, Liu Wu's "Striking the Heart" program reached a crucial step.

That night, Zhang Jincheng and his two companions, far away in Awa Mountain Village, were caught in a sudden fire and found themselves in danger.

……

Even without Zhang Jincheng's reminder, Michael guessed that there was a traitor among his men.

He instructed his eldest son, Mi Yuan, "You personally select a few people to be responsible for the safety of Mr. Zhang and the other two."

If Mr. Zhang and his group suffer any further mishap, execute them all!

"Father, don't worry, I promise nothing will happen again!" Mi Yuan said firmly.

Michael then said to Zhang Jin, "Mr. Zhang, please come and stay at my house. We'll eat and live together, and then I'll see who has the chance to harm you."

Zhang Jin said he understood what Michael meant, that he was thinking of them, but in fact, Michael was thinking of his own safety.

Michael knew that with Zhang Jincheng and the other two experts around, no one could harm him, and he sensed the threat around him.

At this moment, Zhuang Yan, who had gone into the woods to track them, returned and shook his head at Zhang Jincheng.

Zhang Jin said he knew he had no results. It is very difficult to track someone down in a forest at night, especially when the other party is prepared.

The next day.

Last night, something happened, and Migo's concubine, Li Yuan, used the excuse of having business to attend to and hurriedly left with several bodyguards.

Li Yuan left in a hurry because Zhang Jincheng's words terrified her.

Among her bodyguards were people arranged by Lang San, and they were the ones who started the fire.

Previously, Li Yuan was unaware of this matter, but after the incident occurred, she guessed that it was the work of those individuals.

Through Michael's words, Li Yuan gained a deeper understanding of Zhang Jincheng and the other two, learning that they had once been special forces soldiers "over there," but had been sentenced for accidentally killing someone and had later escaped.

All three were top-notch experts, and they overcame all obstacles along the way, with nothing able to stop them.

Li Yuan was worried that staying in the mountain stronghold for too long would expose her, so she quickly left this place of trouble.

Li Yuan's sudden departure did not initially attract Zhang Jincheng's attention. Although he found some of the woman's actions strange, he did not suspect her because she was Michael's most beloved concubine.

In order to win over Zhang Jincheng and his two companions as quickly as possible, Michael really went all out, wanting to pay them the three million US dollars he had promised as soon as possible.

The village of Awa keeps tens of millions of US dollars in cash year-round for emergencies.

This amount of money is nothing to Michael.

Zhang Jin said that the three of them were invited to Michael's living room. As soon as they entered, they were stunned to see several large boxes on the floor, containing stacks of hundred-dollar bills with Benjamin's portrait on them.

“Brother Zhang, each of these boxes contains three million, which is what I promised you. Please inspect them.”

Zhang Jin glanced at him, then laughed and said, "Does Boss Mi own a bank? He keeps so much cash!"

"Hahaha... It's nothing. It's inconvenient for us in this remote mountain area, so we keep some cash on hand for emergencies," Michael said nonchalantly.

He was telling the truth, because the "flour" transactions were all done in cash.

Moreover, there are no banks here, so you can only keep your money at home.

Zhang Jin appeared overjoyed, but inwardly he was cursing, thinking that all this money was earned by trading "flour," and he didn't know how many people it had harmed.

"Hehe, then we brothers thank Boss Mi for his generosity."

But you can't expect us to carry such a big box all over the mountain, can you?

"It won't be long before my brothers die because of this pile of money."

Michael thought for a moment and said, "Indeed, it's inconvenient to carry so much money."

So, Boss Zhang will arrange for someone to go to Bangkok, and I will also arrange for someone to go.

There's a Swiss bank there; you can open an account there and I'll deposit your money in it for you.

I guarantee you can use it in any country you go to in the future, how about that?

“Boss Mi’s idea is good,” Zhang Jin said to Zhuang Yan, “Go and go with Boss Mi’s men.”

Zhuang Yan nodded and said, "No problem."

When Michael saw that Zhang Jincheng had agreed, he smiled and said, "He'll be back soon, in two or three days if all goes well."

You just need to remember your account password, no need to carry money all over the mountain, hahaha..."

On the third day after arriving at Awa Village, Zhuang Yan went to Bangkok with Mi Laoda's confidant.

Zhang Jincheng and Lei Jun will remain in Awa Mountain Village.

When the two talked about Zhuang Yan's trip to Bangkok, Lei Jun said, "It's unbelievable. We made several million US dollars in just a few days, which is tens of millions of RMB. I never dared to dream of that before."

Zhang Jin joked, "After we complete our mission, we'll use this money to add some high-tech equipment to our squadron."

Let's make our company the best in the entire army!

"Brother, do you think Boss Liu might skimp on our pay?"

"Of course, replacing equipment requires the battalion commander's approval. We'd be lucky to get half of it," Zhuang Yan said with a smile. "In that case, we need to make more money and try to squeeze as much money as possible out of them."

"Why does this sound so jarring? Don't get it backwards, what are we here for?"
Our main task is to investigate the situation of flour dealers in the Kim Jong-un area, not to ask for funding!

"Hehe, we're just doing some side hustles. Besides, this is for our unit, not for our own pockets," Lei Jun said with a grin. He then added, "By the way, didn't Michael's aunt ask us to go on a delivery mission?"
Why did she leave without saying a word?

"Several million US dollars, enough for our squadron's expenses for several years."

Lei Jun's words reminded Zhang Jin that if Li Yuan really wanted them to escort goods, then they could legitimately provide equipment, especially communication tools.

With these, we can contact the command center; the commander-in-chief is surely waiting for news from here.

The two were talking when they heard footsteps and immediately stopped talking.

Mi Yuan walked over and said to Zhang Jin with a smile, "My father was afraid that Mr. Zhang would be bored, so he specially asked me to come and keep you two company."

"Haha, thank you for your kindness, Boss Mi. We're all people who like to be active and don't like to stay still. We were just thinking of going out for a walk," Zhang Jin said.

“Alright, I’ll accompany you two out for a stroll so you can familiarize yourselves with the situation in our mountain stronghold,” Mi Yuan nodded.

After leaving the stilted house, Mi Yuan asked with a smile, "Where would Mr. Zhang like to go?"

"Anywhere is fine, I'm just wandering around. Everything's new here and new to me," Zhang Jin said casually.

Mi Yuan thought for a moment and said, "How about I take you to the factory behind the mountain? I suppose you two have never seen how 'Number Four' is produced?"

This was exactly what Zhang Jincheng wanted.

He wanted to take this opportunity to learn about the "flour factory" situation, as he was not yet familiar with the production process of "No. 4".

So Zhang Jin said to Mi Yuan, "Sure, I've been to many factories before, but I've never seen a factory that produces 'flour' before."

"Is this the only place in the whole world where you can freely watch a flour mill?"

Upon hearing this, Mi Yuan laughed heartily and said, "Hahaha, not really. There are many factories in the Jinsan area, but they are not places you can just look at."

"Why? Producing 'flour' isn't exactly a secret here, is it?" Zhang Jin asked curiously.

As Mi Yuan walked, he said, "In fact, the 'Jin San Flour Mill' is hidden in the mountains and is very well defended."

This is not because of a 'ban on fans,' but to prevent people from snatching up the goods.

Some small armed groups rob other people's goods to make money.

In addition, the final step in producing 'Number Four' is kept secret.

Each family has its own unique process to prevent others from finding out.

"Oh, I see!" Zhang Jincheng exclaimed in sudden realization.

As they talked, the three of them arrived at the main street in the center of the village.

Zhang Jin suddenly noticed that there were many more people here than usual, and he casually asked, "Young Master Mi, there seem to be a lot more people on the street than usual today?"

"Oh, it's market day today. There will be even more people in another hour or two."

Because it takes a lot of time for people from the mountains to get here, the busiest time is around noon.

"We won't be staying here long, it will be dangerous to go back after dark..." Mi Yuan explained.

Zhang Jin noticed groups of people walking in from the gate, and he deliberately slowed down to observe these mountain people in the market.

Suddenly, Lei Jun tugged at Zhang Jincheng's clothes, gesturing for him to look at a group of women walking towards them. They were a group of young women in their twenties and thirties, their bodies exposed... walking naturally through the market.

Mi Yuan noticed the two women's awkward expressions and said with a smile, "They are women from the Akha tribe, a mountain people from the Indochina Peninsula. They mostly value fertility and are relatively free about sex, so they don't shy away from exposing their bodies..."

Zhang Jin said somewhat embarrassedly, "We so-called modern people always have very complicated thoughts, which seem very dark compared to these simple mountain peoples."

"Hahaha... Mr. Zhang, please don't say that. These people from the mountains are really open-minded. They really like outsiders."

If you feel lonely, I'll find you a few to play with. If you like any of them, you can marry them. You can marry as many as you want.

Zhang Jincheng shook his head and said with a wry smile, "Let's forget about it. We're risking our lives right now, and who knows when we'll be out of a job. Marrying her would be like harming someone."

Seeing that Zhang Jincheng and his companion were unfamiliar with the local customs, Mi Yuan took the initiative to introduce them to the local customs.

The Akha and Hmong people are the most numerous here. The Akha people wear brightly colored clothes, while the Hmong people wear simpler clothes. The rabbit people wear feathers on their heads.

The mountain people who come to the market mainly sell mountain products and tropical fruits, and some also sell raw materials for opium.

The three of them walked through the bustling market, climbed up the hillside behind it, and then went into the forest.

In the dense woods, there is a path that has been worn down by people.

Without someone to guide you, it's easy to get lost while walking through this forest.

Zhang Jin said that the three of them walked with difficulty for more than an hour. The forest became darker and darker, and the trees were so big that two people could not hug them. Even the midday sun could not penetrate the dense leaves.

Suddenly, two men carrying "Aka" jumped out from under a big tree and blocked the way.

They were about to reprimand him when they saw it was Young Master Mi, and immediately put down their weapons.

One of them immediately bowed and scraped, saying, "Young Master, you've come in person!"

"Hmm, you guys are pretty quick-witted. Don't let someone sneak past without you noticing." Mi Yuan was fairly satisfied with the two guards' performance.

“No way, not even a fly can get past us brothers,” the other quickly interjected.

Mi Yuan said to Zhang Jin, "It's just ahead. Very few people can get here."

The three walked forward for about a hundred meters, and a clearing appeared in the woods.

There were some wooden houses and stilted buildings built around the area, and a stream flowed through the open space.

The aquatic plants on both sides of the stream have withered, which is obviously due to chemical pollution.

Zhang Jin looked around and saw that simple guard towers had been built on the trees on both sides of the open space, with armed guards patrolling on them.

Upon seeing them arrive, a middle-aged man, who seemed to be in charge, ran over and said, "Young Master, what brings you here?"

Mi Yuan waved his hand and said, "I came with two friends to take a look. You go ahead and do your work. I'll call you if I need anything."

After saying that, Mi Yuan led Zhang Jincheng into a factory building. The wooden building was emitting heat and had a pungent smell.

The three entered the open wooden house and saw several large iron pots inside, each containing a large iron bucket. The pots were filled with boiling water, and the buckets were steaming, as if something was being cooked.

Beside each large iron pot stood a shirtless person, stirring the contents of the pot with a wooden stick.

They were all drenched in sweat, but they kept shaking the wooden sticks in their hands.

When Mi Yuan entered, the people inside kept bowing and scraping to greet him.

"Young Master!" "The Young Master has arrived..."

Mi Yuan waved to them, signaling them not to stop what they were doing.

Zhang Jin walked closer to a large iron pot and looked into it. He saw a thick, black liquid churning inside, with an indescribable smell.

At this moment, a man walked up to the iron buckets. He was holding a thermometer and inserted it into each of the iron pots. He looked like a technician.

Zhang Jin asked softly, "Young Master Mi, what's going on with them?"

“Hehe, this is the first step in producing ‘Number Four’.” Mi Yuan pointed to a corner of the wooden house where a pile of black things the size of footballs was stacked, and said, “First, you have to cut the raw tobacco into small pieces and then put it into an iron bucket to heat and melt it.”

Because the water temperature for dissolving opium cannot exceed 85 degrees Celsius, otherwise it will affect the quality of the flour, this water bath heating method is used.

Zhang Jincheng nodded, surprised that the conditions for producing "flour" were so primitive and simple. Who would have thought that "No. 4," which was more expensive than gold, was produced under such conditions?

Several large iron pots were burning fiercely under them, and with the steam rising from the pots, the temperature inside the wooden house was at least forty degrees Celsius.

Within minutes, the three of them were soaked through.

After the three of them came out, they stood in the open space for a few minutes to cool off, and then walked towards another wooden house.

As Mi Yuan walked, he said, "This is the purification... place. The first batch of extracts is yellowish-black because it's not a pure product..."

As they walked into the wooden house, the environment there was much better and cleaner.

(End of this chapter)