Reborn in 78, I made my fortune by working in the mountains, supporting three families on my own.

Upon hearing that there was a lead on the musk, Qin Bowen's spirits immediately lifted, and he quickly asked, "Brother-in-law, shall we go to the state-run restaurant across from the Jinxiu Textile Factory now and wait for Cousin Dajun and the others?"

Zhao Lei thought for a moment and shook his head: "It's still early. Going too early might alert them. Let's go to Sanhe Township first and find Liu Yishou."

Qin Bowen was taken aback, then remembered the incident and said indignantly, "That's right! Brother-in-law, we gave him a lot of benefits before, and so much time has passed, but we haven't heard a word from him. We have to go and ask him, and if all else fails, we should take back what we gave him."

Zhao Lei was also seething with anger.

It's really unacceptable to accept someone's favor but then fail to deliver on your promise.

The two brothers each mounted their old-fashioned bicycles, and the wheels spun rapidly as they headed towards Sanhe Township.

This time, Qin Bowen was preoccupied with important matters and didn't bother to visit Zhou Qingqing on the way. Instead, he obediently followed Zhao Lei straight to Liu Yishou's house.

Liu Yishou saw the two young men barge in with great momentum, but his expression remained calm, as if he had expected them to come.

He smiled faintly and said, "Oh, you've arrived so early."

Before Zhao Lei could speak, Qin Bowen couldn't help but raise his voice, questioning, "Old Liu! What kind of logic is this? You took our things but didn't do anything. Do you even look like someone who's supposed to be in the underworld?"

Liu Yishou chuckled: "Young man, why be so impatient? You've come looking for trouble, haven't you?"

Zhao Lei was filled with doubt: "What do you mean by that?"

"I received the news a long time ago. I'm old and disabled, so I can't possibly walk several miles of mountain road just to your house to deliver the message, can I? I figured you would come looking for me sooner or later."

Zhao Lei was speechless.

That old fellow clearly received the news a long time ago, but he refused to take the initiative to deliver the message.

On second thought, the other person has difficulty walking, and traveling such a long distance would indeed be difficult. But is he so certain that I would come on my own initiative?

With time of the essence, Zhao Lei didn't want to get bogged down in details and went straight to ask, "Uncle Liu, it seems you already had information. Have you found out who did it?"

Liu Yishou smiled and nodded: "Of course we found out. This is a small matter, not difficult to handle."

Qin Bowen's anger flared up at his pretentious and suspenseful manner.

Just as he was about to speak, Zhao Lei stopped him with a stern look.

Zhao Lei patiently asked in a calm tone, "Uncle Liu, since you seem to know the answer, please tell me more."

Liu Yishou glanced at the few packs of cigarettes and half a bottle of liquor left on the table, all gifts that Zhao Lei had given him last time.

Thinking of this favor, he slowly said, "Indeed, there is a group of people who have top-quality musk deer pods in their hands and have been looking for ways to sell them."

Zhao Lei was overjoyed: "Great! This must be the stuff I stole! Who is selling it?"

Liu Yishou shook his head: "I can't say who it is. That's the rule of the underworld, and we can't break it."

Qin Bowen immediately exploded, unable to hold back his curses: "Old man, what are you pretending to be so profound about? You know the inside story but won't tell, what kind of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the code of conduct among gangsters) are you spouting!"

Liu Yishou merely glanced at him indifferently, completely ignoring him.

Zhao Lei immediately reprimanded in a stern voice: "Bowen, shut up, don't talk nonsense."

Qin Bowen shut his mouth in frustration, his face full of resentment.

Zhao Lei knew perfectly well that this old guy intended to make a living from the information.

Following up on the other person's question, he asked, "So, Mr. Liu, how much are you planning to ask for this information?"

Liu Yishou's eyes revealed a look of aptitude for teaching, and he secretly praised the kid for being quick-witted.

"I can't reveal the specific name, but I can give you a key clue."

Zhao Lei knew that the old man was alone and disabled, and was afraid of being retaliated against, so he dared not reveal the other party's identity directly, but he still wanted to make this money.

The investigation into the musk pods has reached a critical point, and he has no reason to give up halfway.

He immediately gestured to Qin Bowen, who took out twenty yuan and gently placed it on the table.

"Okay, Uncle Liu, I'll buy this message for twenty yuan."

Liu stretched out his hand, missing three fingers, picked up the banknotes, rubbed them together, and finalized the deal: "Alright, you seem sensible, I'll do the deal. There are two people involved, they've been loitering around the black market and the Jinxiu Textile Factory area lately, waiting for the herbal medicine dealers from the county town to pick up the goods."

Zhao Lei pressed further, "Any other details?"

Liu Yishou shook his head: "That's all. I don't know anything more."

"Thank you, Uncle Liu."

Zhao Lei cupped his hands in greeting and then got up to leave with Qin Bowen.

The two men mounted the old-fashioned bicycle, and the wheels spun rapidly as they headed towards Qingfeng Town.

On the way, Qin Bowen couldn't help but complain: "Brother-in-law, this old man is too greedy. He squeezed twenty yuan out of us with just a few words, and he was being secretive and wouldn't tell the truth."

Zhao Lei slowed down and comforted him, "He also has his concerns. He's an elderly person living alone with mobility issues. If he reveals the other person's background, he might face retaliation, and his own safety wouldn't be guaranteed. It's understandable that he doesn't dare to speak out."

"But I just can't stand him."

"It's fine if we don't like him. He used to be a thief. Once this musk pouch incident is over, we don't need to have anything to do with him anymore."

Qin Bowen asked, "Brother-in-law, where are we going now?"

"First, find my uncle Su Minggui, tell him the news, and ask him to be more careful."

Zhao Lei felt a surge of excitement. After days of investigation, he had finally found the thief's trail.

He secretly speculated that the other party dared to sneak into his home to steal things, so they probably knew there were valuables in the house, and were very likely Chen Pangzi's men.

But then he thought about it again and realized something was wrong. Fatty Chen already had distribution channels through the supply and marketing cooperative, so he could have disposed of the stolen goods quietly without having to go to great lengths to find buyers on the black market.

This question lingered in Zhao Lei's mind, and since he couldn't figure it out for the time being, he stopped worrying about it.

The two rushed to Qingfeng Town, with the agreed time fast approaching.

Zhao Lei arranged for Qin Bowen to go to the state-run restaurant opposite the Jinxiu Textile Factory to wait for Qin Dajun and his party.

He then went straight to the black market, found Su Minggui, and told him all the clues about the two men that Liu Yishou had revealed.

After listening, Su Minggui immediately devised a plan: "You go back to the state-run hotel and keep watch while I make contact about the transaction. Once the other party comes to negotiate the price, I will immediately send someone to inform you. At that time, we will cooperate from both inside and outside to catch them red-handed."

With everything in place, Zhao Lei turned around and rushed back to the state-run hotel, quietly waiting for the right moment to close the net.

Zhao Lei and Qin Bowen entered the state-run restaurant, found a prominent spot by the window, ordered two cups of tea, and waited quietly for news.

It was getting closer to noon.

More and more people are coming and going in the restaurant, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.

But they waited and waited, and neither Qin's army nor Su Minggui's message came.