A Long River Myth

Back in the shop, Yao cried her heart out.

Li Hong dismissed the onlookers and boarded up the shop doors.

After everyone had left, he pulled Yao into the backyard and asked in a low, solemn voice:

"Mother, tell me the truth, is Grandpa really connected to that Hao Laoliu?"

Although he already had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on, he still had to ask for clarification.

Time was of the essence, but Yao kept crying, so Li Hong had no choice but to raise his voice a little.

"Mother! Don't cry. Let's talk this out, and I can still think of a way!"

Yao stopped sobbing, nodded, and whispered:

"When your grandfather went to buy materials for you that time, he also picked up some goods from Hao Laoliu. He got dozens of kilograms of dried salted fish... I only found out a few days ago."

"Who knew he used smuggled salt to preserve them? The dried salted fish is all sold out, and the constables didn't find it earlier."

"Hong'er, you must find a way to save your grandfather. He's so old; he can't stay in jail for more than a few days..."

Ms. Yao cried helplessly.

But deep down she knew that although Li Hong had become an external martial artist, it was only a short time and he was still young.

The Inspection Bureau is not a place where an ordinary militiaman can get along.

"Why don't you go and ask your aunt for help? He's her father too!"

Yao stopped crying. She had been so flustered that she had only just remembered that she had such a relative who could solve the problem.

Li Hong didn't say anything.

That uncle-in-law, he had no doubt that he had the ability to resolve this matter.

But the problem is... that previous encounter, and the scene at the entrance of the martial arts hall not long ago.

It makes it difficult for him to have the confidence to lower himself and beg the other party.

If Zhou Tingshan is on duty on the river, it will be too late to ask for help.

After pacing around in place for a while, he could only consider asking his aunt's family for help as an alternative.

"Mother, stay home and don't go anywhere. Leave this to me."

Li Hong then dug out all his savings, including twenty taels of silver, from his cellar.

Although it was getting late, the sun had not yet set.

He hurriedly left the house from the backyard.

..........

Outside the gate of the patrol and inspection office.

Before Li Hong could finish brewing a cup of tea, he had already rushed over in a flurry of activity.

The two guards on duty at the gate, before they could even carry out their duties, saw that someone was moving extremely fast and was a martial artist, so they drew their swords in advance.

The two men shouted angrily from afar, "Who dares to trespass at the gate of the patrol office?"

Coincidentally.

The constable on the left, who was holding a knife, looked familiar. Li Hong looked up and saw that it was one of the people he had worked with on a case in Yanghua Street last time.

"Hmm? Li... Brother Li?"

The man frowned and scrutinized him. Although he couldn't remember Li Hong's name, he recognized him and couldn't help but smile reassuringly at his colleague:

"Third brother, sheathe your knife! This is an acquaintance! He's the young man who personally caught the Smiling Wolf, hehe, he's ruthless!"

The unfamiliar inspector beside him raised an eyebrow, sheathing his sword with some disbelief and scrutinizing him, asking, "Is it him?"

The familiar-looking constable chuckled and looked at Li Hong, saying, "Brother Li, the sun is about to set. What brings you to the patrol office?"

Li Hong wasn't very familiar with him, so he didn't try to establish a connection directly, but instead spoke respectfully:

"Sir, please inform him that I have something to discuss with Brother Wang Hu."

The man noticed something amiss in his expression and knew something urgent had happened, so he immediately said:

"Oh...come in, I'll take you to him!"

........

Inside the duty room.

Wang Hu had already recovered from his previous injury and smiled broadly when he saw Li Hong.

"Brother Li, what's wrong? Did something happen?"

After Li Hong finished his prayers, he immediately recounted Li Fulin's affair without hiding anything.

He knew that to ask for help, he had to let the other person know all the details of the matter so that they could work on it for him.

Hiding something like this is just asking for trouble.

Moreover, the Inspection Division and the Patrol Division, these two government offices in the outer city, belonged to the same system.

They just have different functions.

I imagine the people here should be quite influential in the Inspection Department.

Therefore, he immediately thought of Wang Hu and Liu Ming.

As an inspector, Liu Ming's status and position were different, so Li Hong wasn't confident about going directly to him.

Although he had only known Wang Hu for a short time, they had a very close relationship. In any case, they had gone through thick and thin together.

Together, the two faced the smiling wolf Cheng Jiu, narrowly managing to stop and capture him alive, ultimately achieving a successful victory.

This kind of experience is enough to leave a lasting impression on your heart.

"Brother Tiger, don't think it's too little. This is all I have left, consider it..."

After saying this, Li Hong presented twenty taels of silver. Asking for favors always requires bribing officials, and even if you have a good relationship, you still have to show your attitude at this time.

"Don't pull this stunt, we're all brothers."

Wang Hu waved the silver back and interrupted him with a frown.

If it were an ordinary person who came today, he would have certainly made a profit for Liu.

But it was Li Hong who came, and that made a difference.

He had already taken a liking to this young man; the character a person reveals in the face of life-or-death terror cannot be faked.

What did the other two of the three martial arts hall disciples that Wang Hu led to assist in the last pursuit of Cheng Jiu look like?

Only Li Hong dared to step forward in the face of the ruthless and powerful bandits, turning the tide of the battle.

This is one of the reasons why Wang Hu thinks highly of Li Hong.

Why would Wang Hu accept money for doing things for him? He said seriously:

"The Inspection Department... To be honest, my brother-in-law used to be the head of the Inspection Department, but he passed away from illness two years ago. When he's gone, so are the relationships... It's not safe for me to go and ask him for help in this matter."

"But don't worry, brother. Even if I can't solve this myself, I can find someone to help you. Come with me!"

He led Li Hong out of the duty room and went straight to the side hall.

Li Hong followed Wang Hu into the room and saw Liu Ming dozing off behind the desk with his legs crossed.

It was clear that Tiger Brother had a good relationship with Liu Ming; he clapped his hands without any pretense, startling the latter awake, and said:

"Boss Liu, Brother Li... he's run into some trouble at home."

Liu Ming opened his eyes and looked up. He couldn't help but stand up and sized up the hero who had captured Cheng Jiu last time.

After catching his breath, a slight smile finally appeared on his lips:

"Hehehe, you've improved quite quickly, kid... What is it? Speak up."

Li Hong then clasped his hands in a fist and began to speak, while Wang Hu added to his points.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a bowl of tea, the case was explained again.

However, Liu Ming's eyes kept glancing at Li Hong during this time, as if he hadn't listened to anything at all.

After recounting the whole story, he crossed his arms, remained silent for a moment, and then said something completely unrelated to the matter:

"Li Hong, how about you take a temporary position under me in the Patrol and Inspection Division? I'll give you five taels of silver a month, and you'll have to come in every day to report for duty."

This statement startled both Wang Hu and Li Hong, who were unable to keep up with Liu Ming's pace.

"Inspector, I'll do any job for free as long as you can get my grandfather out!"

Li Hong's answer was resolute.

"Working for free?"

Liu Ming chuckled upon hearing this, a grin spreading across his face. "Go ahead, you don't need to worry about this."

Li Hong looked up at Wang Hu, but saw that he only nodded slightly, secretly gesturing for him to thank him quickly.

It immediately dawned on him that Liu Ming seemed to have a powerful background in the Inspection Department.

That's why you spoke so calmly?

"Thank you, Inspector Liu!"

Realizing what had happened, Li Hong breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly thanked him.

Then, he took out twenty taels of silver and said, "To be honest, Inspector, I have all my money..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Ming lay down, closed his eyes, and interrupted with a pursed lip:

"Remember to report in the day after tomorrow."

.........