Wang Yan made good on his word. That very night, he matched the fingerprints of those people, and by the next morning, he had brought Yang Shu to find Wang Shouyi and Gao Chao.
After breakfast, beside the flower bed in the rear courtyard, Wang Yan held a cigarette between his lips and briefly explained the situation. "Fingerprint comparison confirmed the identities of three people. They're all from Ping'an City—two from the city proper, one from a township below it. Taking all that into account, I believe..."
"There's a counterfeit money operation in Ping'an City," Gao Chao picked up, sounding certain.
"Old Gao really is sharp. That's exactly what I was thinking." Wang Yan chuckled and patted Yang Shu on the shoulder. "Yang Shu and I discovered this case together. Director, Old Gao, I won't follow up on it. Let Yang Shu tag along and earn himself some credit. I won't say a Third-Class Merit citation for sure, but he ought to at least get a commendation."
Although Wang Yan had given him a whole pile of messy reasoning before, hearing him speak so bluntly to the leaders now still made Yang Shu lower his head in embarrassment.
Seeing Yang Shu's reaction, Wang Shouyi and Gao Chao exchanged a glance, then nodded with smiles. "It was your case to begin with. Besides, we can handle it ourselves at this stage; there's no need to bring in the Economic Investigation Division yet. Let Yang Shu get some experience and carry a merit to his name—it'll help him advance later. Yang Shu, you'd better work hard. Once you get to the Municipal Bureau, chances to earn merit won't come easy. That's where there are too many wolves and too little meat."
"Yes, Director." Yang Shu stood at attention and saluted.
"All right,