You're supposed to be a security officer, what case are you solving?

Chapter 318 The Opera Troupe!

Late October, the second day of the lunar calendar.

Guangwu County, which includes Hekou Town.

The stage on the south side of the town has been hosting a grand opera for two days, and today is the last performance.

The opera troupe came from Tongguan and performs local Qinqiang opera, also known as Bangzi opera. Today they are performing the well-known "Wudianpo".

Starting in the morning, people from the town would bring their small stools and head to the stage.

At 10 a.m., several hundred people gathered below the stage, some sitting and some standing, watching the performance and eating sunflower seeds.

After a burst of rapid gong and drum sounds and the melody of the erhu, the actors dressed in their costumes took to the stage.

The crowd erupted in enthusiastic applause, and then the actress dressed as Wang Baochuan began to sing.

"Father, please don't say that. We have a son of modest means, not a top scholar. Several generations of ancient people have said this to you, Father, please listen patiently. Jiang Ziya fished on the Wei River, and Confucius once ran out of food in Chenzhou..."

The lyrics were simple and easy to understand, and Wang Baochuan's singing style was excellent. In addition, the opera was set in Shaanxi Province, which immediately drew a lot of applause.

Some parents lift their children up so that their children can see them too.

After watching for a while, the child found it less interesting than rolling hoops or playing in the mud, and started clamoring to come down.

The father put the child on the ground and let him play somewhere else.

At this moment, a voice instructed, "Keep a close eye on the child and don't let him run around."

The father glanced to the side and retorted, "What's it to you?"

While eating sunflower seeds, the cat said, "With so many people, what if someone gets lost?"

"Hey, aren't you boring? I live right here, where else would I go? Who do you think you are?"

"I am nobody."

Cat ignored him and stepped out of the crowd. Taking advantage of the other person's inattention, he grabbed the boy who was about to run away and said, "Go back. If you dare to run, I'll break your legs."

The boy was frightened and took a few steps back, clinging tightly to his father's trouser leg.

Maozi squeezed to the side, next to an old man smoking a pipe, and asked loudly, "Grandpa, when did this opera troupe arrive?"

"The day before yesterday."

The old man didn't even glance at him, his eyes fixed on Wang Baochuan on the stage, grinning broadly.

He muttered to himself, "Of all the roles—male, female, painted-face, old man, and clown—I like this leading lady the most."

"Yes, I like it too." Cat nodded, then asked, "How many people are in this opera troupe?"

"Including those who went on stage, there were eight people in total." The old man's eyes still didn't leave Wang Baochuan.

"There are only five people. Two are opera singers, and the other three are erhu players, suona players, and jujube wood clapper players."

"What do you know? Who cares how many people there are, as long as they sing well."

"How many people were there exactly?"

"Eight, eight!" The old man glared at him: "Get out of my way, don't disturb me while I'm watching Wang Baochuan."

"Okay." The cat walked away with a grin.

He squeezed through the crowd, specifically looking for the elderly men who were watching with great interest. After some inquiries, he confirmed that the troupe, including the troupe leader, consisted of eight people and had indeed come from Tongguan.

Cat ran to the outer perimeter, hid behind a big tree, took out a walkie-talkie, and spoke into it: "Boss, we've found out. The people came the day before yesterday. There were eight of them in total, and they drove two cars, a small truck and a van."

There are only five people singing and playing instruments right now; the whereabouts of the other three are unknown.

A moment later, a voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Old Yao and Xiao Qi, keep an eye on their car and see if anyone is inside. Be careful not to let them spot you."

"Okay," Yao Weihua replied.

Behind the stage, a group of teenagers were playing in the mud. Not far away, there was a bamboo shed with plastic sheeting hanging outside, which was probably a place for storing things.

There was a small truck and a van parked outside, both with their rear ends facing the shed.

Standing next to the utility pole, Yao Weihua was wearing a blue coat with the collar turned up. The weather wasn't cold, and he was also wearing a woolen hat.

Looking at him like this, he doesn't seem like a respectable person.

He nodded to Qi Bin in the distance, looked left and right, and then reached the side of the van.

He glanced through the car window twice, but couldn't see what was inside.

A cream-colored cloth curtain hung inside the window, completely obscuring the view.

Yao Weihua walked around the front of the car and peered through the windshield. There was still a curtain hanging behind the driver's seat.

He tried to push open the side door, but couldn't.

So he looked around and walked around to the side of the small truck.

The semi-trailer truck was carrying a military green tarpaulin, and its rear was facing the shed, making it completely invisible.

Yao Weihua wanted to lift the curtain in front of the shed to take a look, when suddenly a man walked out from inside.

"What are you doing?"

"Excuse me, you've come to the wrong place."

The other party glared at Yao Weihua menacingly, saying, "You daytime devil!"

"Bai Ri Gui" means burglar who breaks into a house during the day.

Yao Weihua bowed and scraped, saying, "Brother, I really went to the wrong place. I thought this was the toilet. I really need to pee."

Without letting him explain, the man reached out and grabbed his collar.

"Damn it, you're clearly a thief, trying to fool me. I'm going to beat you up today."

Qi Bin, who was some distance away, couldn't resist coming over, but Yao Weihua quickly gave him a look, signaling him not to make any rash moves. When Yao Weihua turned his face back, he received a slap across the face.

"Snapped!"

"Damn it, you dare to lay a hand on me? I'm a local, and I'm not done with you today!"

Yao Weihua suddenly became famous. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?
The man raised his hand to strike again, cursing, "I'll fuck you to death!"

At this moment, two other people came out of the shed, presumably having heard the commotion.

The leader, a man in his forties dressed in a Tang suit, shouted, "Gangzi, stop!"

The man shouted, "Master, this son of a bitch is a 'daytime devil'!"

The troupe leader frowned and looked at Yao Weihua carefully.

"I just need to find a restroom..."

He let the man grab his collar, patted his shirt pockets with both hands, and complained, "Look in my pockets, what did I steal?"

The troupe leader glanced at the small truck next to him and asked, "What did you see?"

Yao Weihua frowned: "What do you mean?"

"It's nothing." The troupe leader nodded and said to the man, "Let him go."

The man reluctantly let go. Yao Weihua took a couple of breaths, ran a few steps away, and shouted, "You son of a bitch, I just told you I'm a local. Just you wait, I'm calling people over. This isn't the end of it since you slapped me!"

The troupe leader immediately smiled apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, brother, don't be angry. We've encountered too many thieves while doing business all over the country. I've wronged you. Here's what I'll do: I'll compensate you with some money, and we'll let it go."

"Hey, I've got plenty of money! I'm telling you right now, you're not leaving here! I'm sending men right now!"

Yao Weihua was used to seeing fights and people calling for backup. He knew that the other side had more people, so he had to retreat while shouting back to save face, creating a certain distance before he could turn around and run. That's how people in the underworld always do it.

If you run before you've created enough distance, the other person might smash your head open with a brick or a wrench.

Seeing his nonchalant attitude, the troupe leader quickly took out his wallet, pulled out two hundred yuan, and handed it to him.

“We’re all men of the martial world. Brother, it’s not that serious. Take this money; consider it your medical expenses.”

Yao Weihua raised an eyebrow: "You said 'this little bit of money,' but I got slapped by this bastard, my head hurts, I need to pay more!"

The man said indignantly, "Master, don't waste your breath on him!"

He and another person started moving, preparing to go forward and attack Yao Weihua.

Yao Weihua quickly stepped back and shouted, "Fine, I love your stubbornness! Just you wait, you just wait! Damn it, all the people watching outside are my brothers!"

The troupe leader quickly stopped them, took out another three hundred yuan, making a total of five hundred yuan, and gritted his teeth as he handed it over.

"Bro, is this alright? Five hundred yuan is a lot, stop messing around, okay?"

Yao Weihua squinted, trying to calm down, but he couldn't bring himself to relax.

The troupe leader continued, "How about we become friends?"

"Alright then." Yao Weihua clapped his hands. "Then throw the money over here."

Without saying a word, the troupe leader crumpled the money into a ball and tossed it over.

Yao Weihua caught it with both hands and said with a smile, "Since your boss is so righteous, then I will be magnanimous and not hold a grudge."

"Next time you come to perform here, if anyone bullies you, just mention my name, it'll work."

The troupe leader narrowed his eyes: "May I ask your surname, brother?"

"Chai Tao." Yao Weihua nodded, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Until we meet again!"

Yao Weihua took a few steps back, then turned and ran towards the front of the stage.

After the man disappeared, the man from before said, "Master, are we just going to let this old guy off so easily?"

"Don't cause trouble." The troupe leader glanced at him, then looked at the small truck.

"Gangzi, go ahead and tell them to stop singing the second half. Let's pack up and leave right away."

The man said, "Master, what are you afraid of that guy for? We can take him down in no time."

"Damn it, are you stupid? Don't you know what I'm afraid of? Hurry up and stop talking nonsense."

"Okay."

The troupe leader looked at another person and said, "Jun'er, pack your things. Remember, don't suffocate the sheep like last time."

"I know."

Front desk.

As soon as the erhu and gongs stopped, the two actors on the stage bowed to the audience.

"Dear fellow villagers, thank you all for your enthusiasm. Due to health reasons, the Wudianpo performance, which was originally scheduled to last until midnight, has to end now. I am truly sorry... Baochuan apologizes to you all..."

The men in the audience were not disappointed; on the contrary, they enjoyed the performance, especially Wang Baochuan's performance.

Some people were throwing money around, others were giving eggs, and still others were throwing Wahaha drinks.

One-yuan, two-yuan, ten-yuan, and twenty-yuan banknotes were thrown onto the stage.

The two actors bowed and thanked everyone, kneeling on the stage, picking up money and other items with baskets in hand.

At this moment, Yang Jinwen, standing in the crowd, stared intently at Wang Baochuan on the stage. He couldn't see the woman's face clearly, nor could he tell her age.

However, every time this opera troupe went on tour, children would go missing in the places they passed through. This was a clue that Yang Jinwen found after investigating for more than half a month.

Taking advantage of the cheers from the audience, Yao Weihua put his hands in his pockets, squeezed next to Yang Jinwen, and whispered, "There's a problem. It must be these people."

Yang Jinwen nodded slightly: "Call someone."

(End of this chapter)