The news of Wu Laizi's appearance excited not only Afeng but also Anan and Junjun, who immediately stood up.
They all knew how much Yang Jian hated Wu Laizi, offering a hundred thousand reward for his capture. Now that Yang Jian was in trouble, Wu Laizi had actually returned.
Since Yang Jian was absent, the task of dealing with Wu Laizi fell upon them.
"Yongli, arrange a car for us. We're heading to Chengguan."
Afeng and the others' cars had all been impounded during the last gambling raid, leaving them without transportation.
Jing Yongli waved his hand. "Brother Feng, Anan, Junjun, please sit down. There's no need to rush. They're currently arranging for a lawyer to negotiate with Sister Hui, and Wu Laizi's whereabouts are still unknown. Going to Chengguan now would be pointless."
"Then when should we go?"
"We'll wait for Sister Hui's call. If anyone else contacts her for negotiations, you can go then. The immediate priority is to resolve the aquatic product acquisition issue. Tomorrow, two fish ponds will be harvested. Our company's vehicles need to be on-site for weighing and purchasing. If nothing unexpected happens, someone will surely try to interfere."
"Alright, we'll put Wu Laizi's matter aside for now and focus on settling this first. Tomorrow, we'll go to the fish ponds and see who dares to cause trouble. Also, give me the information on those middlemen who delivered the rice. We'll go directly to their homes."
"Don't move against the middlemen for now. They're just petty thugs. Once Xu Zheng is dealt with, these people will naturally behave."
"Okay, then we'll start working tomorrow."
Afeng had been cooped up for three months and was eager to get out and stretch his legs.
As the twelfth lunar month began, a festive atmosphere started to permeate the countryside.
Every household was busy preparing for the New Year, making rice cakes, cured meat, fish cakes, fish balls, and cured fish.
The rice cakes here were also called ciba. Cooked glutinous rice was pounded and pressed repeatedly in a stone mortar by two to four people using specialized wooden mallets until it formed a paste. This paste was then spread evenly on a clean wooden board to a thickness of two to three centimeters. After cooling, it was cut into square pieces with a knife.
Alternatively, after the glutinous rice turned into a paste, it was shaped by hand into flat, round ciba, which were more aesthetically pleasing and could be given as gifts. They could be steamed, boiled, fried, or roasted, offering a soft, fragrant, and sweet taste, a unique snack of the Han River plain.
Cured meat was made from prime pork belly, marinated with salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and other seasonings, then air-dried outdoors for about ten days.
This type of cured meat could only be produced under the climatic conditions of the twelfth lunar month. Like the smoked meats of the southwest, it could be preserved for a long time, had a unique flavor, and was an essential food for locals during the New Year.
However, the most distinctive feature of the Han River plain was its various fish products. The Han River plain was crisscrossed by waterways and dotted with numerous lakes, making it a renowned land of fish and rice since ancient times.
Han City could claim to be the best in the country when it came to preparing freshwater fish. Besides the common methods found in restaurants and eateries, rural areas also had unique and delicious ways of preparing fish cakes, fish balls, fish noodles, and cured fish, which were the everyday favorites of the common people.
Therefore, Han Hua Warehousing also included these processed local specialties in its acquisition of agricultural and sideline products from Yangli Village.
Jing Yongli assigned two tasks to Afeng and the other two. First, they were to supervise the production process at the contracted farmers' homes, primarily ensuring hygiene, as this was the first batch of supply, and centralized production might be required in the future.
Second, they were to oversee the purchase of fresh fish. Yangli Village had over twenty fish ponds, ranging from large ones of twenty mu to small ones of two to three mu, all privately contracted.
These contractors had signed agreements with the trading company for the purchase of all four major types of fish weighing over two jin at prices slightly above market value.
Afeng and Junjun rode their motorcycles to a fish pond in the fifth group of Yangli Village early in the morning. Two fish ponds were scheduled for harvest today, one twenty mu and the other four to five mu.
The company had arranged three specialized transport vehicles for fresh fish to purchase on-site.
When Afeng and Junjun arrived, the twenty-mu fish pond was already being netted with drag nets tens of meters long. Besides the ten or so workers in the pond, there were also about ten onlookers on the bank.
Among the onlookers were four or five fashionably dressed young people. One young man in a full denim outfit held a pen and notebook, seemingly prepared to record something.
The only person Afeng recognized was the village head, Yang Huailin. Afeng walked up, offered him a cigarette, and stood beside him silently watching the fishing process.
Yang Huailin also understood the unspoken message. He was the person in charge of liaising with farmers for aquatic product acquisition for the trading company. He had been threatened by Xu Zheng before, and Afeng's presence today was to support him.
A fishing net was slowly moved through the pond by people on both banks, pulling it. In the submerged part of the net, seven or eight people wearing waders walked along the bottom edge of the net, preventing the fish from escaping from beneath.
After about an hour of pulling, the net was finally brought to the shore, and the fish began to be harvested and weighed.
The fish in this pond were mainly grass carp, with some silver carp and bighead carp, and a few black carp. They had to be separated during weighing because their prices differed, with black carp being the highest and silver carp the cheapest.
During the weighing, Yang Huailin took out his pen and notebook to record the transactions.
At the same time, the young man in the denim outfit also followed along, taking notes.
After more than two hours, twelve thousand jin of fish catch were loaded into transport vehicles equipped with water tanks and aerators.
Yang Huailin settled the payment in cash with the fish pond owner, completing the transaction. As the transport vehicles prepared to depart, they were stopped.
"Director Yang, we haven't received our money yet. Why are you leaving?"
The young man in the denim outfit stood in front of Yang Huailin.
"What money are you talking about? Why should our company pay you for buying fish?"
Yang Huailin feigned ignorance, as they had extorted fifteen hundred yuan from them during the first purchase two days ago. If they were to follow their standard today, they would demand six thousand yuan.
Upon hearing this, the other four young men surrounded them.
The fish pond owner and the fishermen nearby dispersed, fearing they would get into trouble. They couldn't afford to mess with these thugs.
"Director Yang, are you pretending to be confused or deliberately trying to humiliate us? Don't you know that all the fish in Xinqiao have to pass through us? Stop the nonsense. Today, it's twelve thousand jin of fish, and the handling fee is fifty cents per jin. You pay six thousand yuan, and you can leave."
The young man in denim stuffed his pen and notebook into his bag, acting very arrogantly.
Before Yang Huailin could speak, Afeng pushed him aside, inserted his voice recorder into his jacket pocket, and asked with a smile, "Tell me, what is this six thousand yuan for? Why do we have to pay you? Are you from the tax department?"
"Who the hell are you to butt in? Hand over the voice recorder, or you won't be leaving today."
The young man in denim knew his words had been recorded. If this evidence were handed over to the police, it would be considered extortion. Six thousand yuan was enough to warrant a prison sentence.