Section 5: Joint Defense

  It wasn't until Zhao Guotang returned to his own office that he discovered it had already been thoroughly cleaned, a legacy left behind by the transferred civil police officer.

  An old-fashioned office desk is quite sturdy and spacious, next to it a wooden cabinet with carvings looks like an antique, but on the side there is still a red lacquer five-star logo, and the words "Jiang Miao Town Revolutionary Committee" are faintly visible. At first glance, it's obvious that this is something left over from * period, otherwise it would have been destroyed by the Four Olds long ago.

  Zhao Guotong's eyes lit up, and he walked forward to carefully examine the antique wooden cabinet that resembled Huanghuali wood. This thing looked like it was from the Ming dynasty no matter how you looked at it. Judging by the wear on the legs and corners of the cabinet, it was clear that this thing had been around for a long time, but it was still difficult to accurately determine its age for the time being.

  Primary and junior high school was a crucial period for Zhao Guozhu. Although the teaching level of the private school made it impossible for Zhao Guozhu's studies to reach a higher level, on the other hand, Zhao Guozhu met an eccentric Taoist named Gudao Ren at the Andu First Textile Mill, who changed his life.

  Apart from martial arts and combat skills, it was also at that time that I acquired knowledge of antiques, including old furniture, from the Taoist.

  He lived in a dilapidated Taoist temple one mile west of the factory's rear gate, and even local villagers couldn't recall when he started living there. However, by the time the First Cotton Mill began construction, he was already residing there. The Zhao brothers had also been hanging out with this somewhat eccentric old Taoist since their elementary school days.

  "Zhao Ge!" The voice outside the door stopped Zhao Guotang's intention to take a closer look at the wooden cabinet. He turned his head and nodded in greeting to the sturdy man who had just walked in, "Minggui, come on in, sit down, I was just about to go to your office."

  A robust man in his thirties, wearing a khaki summer uniform with no other insignia, walked in. His sharp facial features and angular jawline were striking as he strode across the room, creating a whirlwind of air around him. He was Hu Minggui, a member of the neighborhood joint defense team, who would also be Zhao Guodong's assistant.

  "Zhao Ge, Qiu said on Monday he wants me to go with you to Da Guan Kou for a look."

  "Uh, I'll go on Monday morning, I told Qiu, the first day, still have to pretend a bit, just ride a tricycle." Zhao Guotang nodded, "More than 10 miles, probably just over 10 minutes and we'll be there."

  "Ah, riding a motorcycle is about the same, but it takes more than half an hour by bike." Hu Minggui took over the Ashima thrown by Zhao Guotong, looked at it carefully, lit up and took a puff before saying: "Brother Zhao has been stationed in Daguan Kou and Tuling since he arrived, it seems that Qiu Suo values Brother Zhao very much."

  "Oh? What's going on?" Zhao Guozi heard a hint of something, but he didn't reveal any expression.

  These liaison officers are all old slippery fish who have mixed well in the police station. Before Zhao Guotang came to the police station, Liu's team had already given himself a reminder not to trust those liaison officers too much, and to make his own decisions on everything, so as not to be led by the nose by them.

  "Haha, for the past two years, Liao has been in charge of Da Guan Kou Township and Tu Ling Township. As the leader, he's getting older and his body isn't doing well, so he doesn't go to these two townships often. He only goes when there's something important, otherwise it's hard to see him even once a month. Anyway, both townships have their own security rooms, nothing big can happen." Hu Minggui replied while puffing on his cigarette and smacking his lips.

  "Oh? But I heard from Qiu that the two villages are not very quiet, and the village governments have some opinions." Zhao Guotang asked tentatively, sensing something.

  "There's no big deal, but there are certainly small things that can't be avoided. The people in the security room can handle ordinary thugs, but if they really encounter a tough guy or those wide-angle lenses, they won't be able to take them down. It's been like this for two or three years, and the countryside can't have no opinion?" Hu Minggui didn't hide anything either.

  "Minggui, you mean that Da Guan Kou and Tu Ling still have some tough guys left?" Zhao Guotang put on a disbelieving look.

  "Hey, Zhao Ge, you're from the criminal police team, of course, you wouldn't be afraid of anyone. But these guys are local, and as the saying goes, 'even a strong dragon cannot suppress a snake in its own lair.' These guys usually don't bother you, but at critical moments, they pop up." Hu Minggui seemed to feel that he had said too much, and his words became evasive.

  It seems that both Daguan Kou and Tuling towns still have some trouble, no wonder Qiu Yuanfeng attaches so much importance to himself. It seems that he wants to test himself. Zhao Guo Zhuang thought about how to open this topic, it seems that Hu Minggui should be a more straightforward person, carefully set up a relationship, and also can learn more things.

  Another cigarette was thrown away by A Si Ma, Zhao Guo Dun felt a little heartache, one cigarette was almost three cents, and the cigarettes in the cigarette case were almost gone.

  "Min Gui, Qiu Suo has already decided to let me take charge of Da Guan Kou and Tu Ling. You and Tan Kai will have to follow me to these two towns. You also know that the work in these two towns hasn't been going well for the past two years, and the town governments have some opinions about it. They often complain to the district working committee, and Qiu Suo is under pressure too. I'm still new here and don't know much about the situation, so I'll have to rely on you and Tan Kai to help me get things started."

  "Zhao, don't worry, as long as you can hold on, I, Hu, won't say anything. At Da Guan Kou, I still have a few words to say." Hu Minggui tucked the cigarette behind his ear, reluctant to smoke, and swore solemnly.

  "Hmm, that's good. Then tell me, what's going on with the Da Guan Kou area?" Zhao Guodong asked intently.

  "Alas, Zhao Ge, it's hard to explain at this moment. Let's just go a few more times and you'll understand." Hu Minggui stood up and shook his head, "By the way, let's call Tan Kai on Monday morning too. The three of us can go together. Anyway, Tan Kai and I will be following you around later."

  As he watched Hu Minggui disappear into the doorway, Zhao Guotang sat in his rattan chair, pondering that these guys seemed to be slippery on both ends and had a hint of ridicule.

  Da Guan Kou Township is the southernmost township in Jiangkou County, and further south is the border of Pingchuan County. It is also the second largest township in Jiangmiao District, after Jiangmiao Town, with a population of over 20,000 people. There is also a market town, which holds a fair on the 2nd, 5th, and 8th days of each month. I heard that during the fair, it's also crowded with people, even comparable to the crowds in Jiangmiao Street Fair.

  Borrowing Hu Minggui's bicycle, Zhao Guowen mounted it and sped straight to the textile mill. The Phoenix brand bicycle pedaled by Zhao Guowen whirred like a windmill, bringing him endless joy with its whooshing sound.

  In just a few minutes, the five or six li distance was left behind, and as he climbed up the hemp bridge, a large area of buildings came into view. The most striking were two large water towers, one in the south and one in the north, standing tall at the highest point. They were the iconic buildings of the textile mill's southern and northern living quarters. However, in Zhao Guodong's eyes at this moment, they seemed to have gained a few more years of vicissitudes, but lost some of the majesty of his middle school days.

  Under the water tower is a large area of buildings of varying heights, but compared to Jiangmiao Town, the textile mill's building complex is obviously several grades higher.

  As soon as he entered the factory area, Zhao Guotang could feel a completely different atmosphere from Jiangmiao Town. If Jiangmiao Town gave him a rustic and wild village girl with a mountain flavor, then the living quarters of the textile mill were like a slightly shy little jade, with a few more gentle and delicate touches but less wildness.

  The textile mill has always been a typical example of yin and yang, Zhao Guotang narrowed his eyes to patrol the crowd, at this time it was the peak period for the white shift to get off work in the factory, a large number of female workers hurriedly walked out of the factory gate and returned to their dormitories, then took their clean clothes to the public bathhouse, the main road that divides the production area and living area into two halves is crowded with people.

  The vegetable market also welcomed the last wave of the day, and the aroma from the braised dish and cold dish stalls made Zhao Guozong realize that his stomach seemed to be a little empty.

  For nearly half a year, Zhao Guocong has been busy with the criminal police team and has hardly had time to go home. In the past year, he has only returned home four or five times, all of which were in the evening, and he would leave early the next morning to catch the first bus from Jiangmiao to the county seat to return to the team. He hasn't even been in touch with his classmates. Now it seems that he finally has time to relax a bit.