Affected

The سلسلة of upheavals sparked by the false accusation case finally came to an end. Since the criminals included citizens of R Country, the relevant departments handled it as a special case, swiftly cracking it.

Brother Xiong, the human trafficker, had abducted and sold countless women and children over the years, selling them across the country and even abroad. Gradually, he had made a name for himself, which drew their attention.

The two men were members of a department in that country specializing in disease prevention and treatment. To continue a certain RT experiment, they had specifically contacted Brother Xiong, intending to transport those abducted people back to... and use them as test subjects.

However, when discussing cooperation with Brother Xiong, they claimed that the women and children would be sent to wealthy people in R Country for use.

For money, the utterly inhuman Brother Xiong not only agreed to cooperate, but also opened up several hideouts for them throughout L Province. One of them was deep in the forest behind the abandoned cannery.

Not only that, he often had people replenish supplies at those places, ensuring that whenever they came, they could live there without worry for two or three months.

What enraged people most was that officials large and small in many places had colluded with him, repeatedly facilitating these R Country nationals. Among them were relevant members of the city transportation team and the XX Department.

The higher-ups were furious, but they also attached great importance to the matter. They immediately ordered the relevant departments to handle it as a special case, and within two months, every black sheep poisoning the flock had finally been rooted out.

As for the two R Country nationals, because of their special identities, they believed the Z Country government could do nothing to them. They swaggered about all day, and even in handcuffs, they kept provoking the public security officers.

Unfortunately, they had underestimated the fire in Z Country's people. Once the investigation was complete, the two men were directly sentenced to death.

The R Embassy in Z repeatedly negotiated, but there was no room to turn things around. They wanted to minimize the impact of the matter, but how could Z Country's leaders let them get their way?

In the end, the matter reached international organizations. R Country was engulfed by public opinion, severely condemned from all sides, and required to deal with those within its borders involved in the case and compensate Z Country.

Unable to withstand the pressure, R Country could only drag out several principal offenders and execute them by firing squad, while making concessions in certain matters with Z Country to quell the public outrage. (The handling of R Country's criminals in this section is entirely the author's imagination. Please do not confuse it with reality or overthink it. Thank you.)

They had been punished, but the women and children trafficked overseas would never return. Thus, once the case was announced, the Women's Federation and many people of insight wrote letters one after another, demanding that buyers and sellers be punished equally and that sentences be increased.

After receiving the appeals, the relevant departments immediately responded: traffickers would be handled according to the principles of strict and severe punishment. Principal offenders and ringleaders would all be sentenced to death, while accomplices in trafficking rings would receive fixed-term imprisonment of more than ten years. (The case-handling and sentencing information about the 1970s in this novel comes from the internet. Please forgive any discrepancies.)

They also notified the relevant departments to launch another Strike Hard Campaign, with human trafficking crimes becoming the main target of this operation.

As a result, public security rapidly improved for a long period of time, while human trafficking crimes decreased significantly.

With the matter settled, all those involved received commendations. Among them, Bai Tiancheng and Li Zhong were praised repeatedly at city-level meetings.

Zhang Dayong was promoted to captain. As for Zhong Ning and the others, they had helped capture the criminals and not only received honorary banners, but Li Yan, Guan Peng, and Wu Xinghua—the three who had caught Brother Xiong—also had their household registration issues resolved.

It began when Bai Tiancheng learned that they were all unemployed youths and wanted to arrange jobs for them, only to discover that all three had no household registration.

After looking into it and learning that they had wandered outside ever since they could remember, leaving them without household registration, he immediately sought out the relevant units to issue proof and register them in Abundant Source Town.

The three had gone from unregistered people to registered citizens, and they were deeply satisfied. They therefore declined the jobs Bai Tiancheng had arranged for them.

The young men's thoughts were simple. They had never gone to school, and the few characters they could write had all been taught to them hand by hand by Zhong Ning.

If they truly went to a factory, they could not do technical work, while low-level jobs earned little money. They might as well follow Zhong Ning and Gu Yu, where they had more freedom and earned more.

Seeing how determined they were, Bai Tiancheng did not force them. At the same time, he developed a favorable impression of these children, feeling that they knew their limits and were unlike some insatiable people who seized every opportunity to milk others for all they were worth.

Where there were rewards, there were naturally punishments. The Militia Company Qin Guangtao belonged to, along with the Commune and Production Brigade cadres, were all implicated and punished accordingly.

Chaoyang Production Brigade, which had been implicated by Zhao Qiancheng, likewise did not escape disaster. Fortunately, Shen Jianan had reminded Zhao Gang at the time. The several cadres reacted swiftly and reported Zhao Qiancheng with the villagers' letters of accusation.

They also made enormous contributions when several cases were investigated together. Thus, their merits offset their faults. Li Zhong merely made the cadres conduct self-criticisms at the assembly and canceled the year-end collective subsidy, without making things any harder for them.

However, good news did not leave the house, while bad news traveled a thousand miles. After Zhao Qiancheng's family received criminal penalties, Jiang Hongmei, Huang Qimei, and Zheng Lei happened to meet at the hospital and fought fiercely, resulting in the hospital calling the police to arrest them. The matter became known to everyone.

Now, people throughout Xinghe Town and even the surrounding towns knew that Chaoyang Production Brigade had produced not only a murderer and corrupt officials, but also shameless people who deliberately spread rumors to frame others, a woman disfigured by her future mother-in-law, and male and female educated youths hospitalized after being injured and disabled by illicit relations between men and women.

The three people's battle that day had been full of twists and turns, truly spectacular. It began when Jiang Hongmei, who had been in the hospital for a week without anyone looking after her, decided to leave. Yet the moment she went downstairs, she unexpectedly ran into Huang Qimei, who had come out to use the toilet.

Because of Zheng Lei's rough treatment, Huang Qimei's body had suffered irreparable damage. The doctor had already confirmed that she had completely lost her ability to bear children.

Thus, during her hospitalization, she had become hysterical and psychologically twisted to the extreme. The instant she saw Jiang Hongmei, certain images flashed through her mind. She immediately realized that Jiang Hongmei had set her up, and she rushed forward to grapple with her.

Zheng Lei, meanwhile, hated Huang Qimei because she had knocked out one of his..., impairing his reproductive ability. Worse still, he now had a psychological shadow over that sort of thing.

Therefore, every day he wandered over from his own ward, verbally tormenting Huang Qimei while spreading rumors through every ward that she had failed to seduce him and then maliciously harmed him.

At that moment, he happened to arrive. Seeing Jiang Hongmei being beaten, he immediately rushed up to help. The result was a three-way brawl. The commotion was so great that countless people gathered to watch. Unable to stop them, someone called the police.

Now, the people of Chaoyang Production Brigade faced discrimination whenever they went out, especially the several brigade cadres. Every time they went to the Commune or town for meetings and study sessions, people mocked them coldly. Even the educated youth reception work in the half month after Zhao Qiancheng's execution was affected.

Those assigned to Chaoyang Production Brigade kicked up an enormous fuss, all saying they refused to stay in a place with such bad morals. However, a young man named Zhang Qiao and his fellow townsman Qu Feng were very willing to go to Chaoyang Production Brigade.

Director Liu of the Educated Youth Office immediately breathed a sigh of relief. No matter how many there were, as long as someone was willing to go, it was a good thing. He approved it on the spot and had Zhao Gang and Zhao Hongjun take them back.

The two men also did not want to remain at the Educated Youth Station and be judged by others. They hurriedly thanked him, then left with Zhang Qiao and Qu Feng without looking back.

Yet they had not expected that something even more frustrating was waiting ahead. The moment those two educated youths arrived at the brigade, they said they wanted to live with Gu Yu.

Who was Gu Yu? What was his identity? No one understood it better than those cadres. Yet these two educated youths dressed like young masters said they wanted to live with him. It was hard not to read more into it.

But the two had already been assigned to Chaoyang Production Brigade. In the past, they could have sent them back, but now... Sigh! Forget it. They would turn a blind eye. As long as they kept a close watch and nothing happened, that would do.

Still, though Zhao Qiancheng's case had greatly affected the brigade, some people benefited from it. Zhao Gang, who had held a position without real authority for many years, finally turned his fortunes around overnight and became Brigade Secretary.

Zhao Hongjun, meanwhile, took over Zhao Gang's former position and became production team leader. As for his Recorder position, after discussion, the village wanted to recommend Cheng Hu for it, but he refused.

He stated outright that he would not accept compensation from anyone, in any form. Otherwise, it would amount to indirectly forgiving their years of indifference, humiliation, and bullying toward his family.

After hearing this, the brigade members all said that he held too much of a grudge. Shen Jianan could not listen any longer and retorted on the spot, "The stick hasn't landed on your backs, so you don't know pain, is that it?

"If I killed your parents, wife, and children, then knelt before you and begged forgiveness, would you do it?"

The youth glared angrily at the flushed-faced crowd and snorted disdainfully. "What kind of people are you!? You've done barely any good deeds and spoken barely any good words, yet you're awfully skilled at moral kidnapping, taking advantage, and preaching!"

"..."

The crowd had been scolded into not daring to refute him. They could only lower their heads in silence. Shen Jianan stopped while he was ahead, then turned around as if nothing had happened and asked Zhao Gang for leave, saying he was going into the city to deliver goods.

The more than three hundred sets of clothing he had previously custom-made for others caused another sensation after delivery, drawing another batch of customers who ordered over two hundred sets. Together with the more than sixty orders Gao Xiaofen had delivered afterward, more than half had already been completed.

After delivering these goods, he planned to begin mass-producing clothing for autumn and winter, no longer accepting summer clothing commissions. Autumn had already arrived, and he could not delay any longer. Otherwise, he would not earn money this winter.

What could Zhao Gang say? This was the brigade's god of wealth, and he had made a name for himself with Li Zhong and the Public Security Bureau. Nowadays, when people from Chaoyang Production Brigade went out, only Shen Jianan could earn a few scraps of respect from others.

If they did not properly cater to him, and he got upset enough to apply to transfer somewhere else to carry out development work, they would be finished.

At that thought, Zhao Gang felt a wave of fear. He quickly put on a smile and said ingratiatingly, "Go on! Go on! Today, I'll record full work points for you both in the fields and for the handicraft work."

"Alright, thank you, Secretary."

Shen Jianan courteously thanked him. Then, after greeting Gu Yu, he borrowed the brigade's donkey cart and hauled the goods into the city.

On Gu Yu's side, after finishing his work, he used his space ability to sneak off again to the neighboring town. The goods previously shipped over from Capital City had already been successfully distributed by Zhong Ning and the others.

In less than half a month, four thousand yuan worth of goods had earned them more than triple the profit. Setting aside the four thousand yuan in principal he had advanced at the start, he could still receive over eight thousand yuan. He was going there today to collect the money and, incidentally, see whether Zheng Lingyun had sent a telegram.

"Heh!"

At the thought of that person, Gu Yu suddenly laughed, recalling the blank expressions on Zhong Ning and the others' faces when they had met that day.

Half a month ago, the people from Capital City had successfully delivered the goods. Gu Yu had originally not wanted to show himself, but because it was his first time cooperating with Zhong Ning, he could not quite set his mind at ease and still made a trip to Abundant Source Town.

Unexpectedly, the moment he appeared, he startled all the people from Capital City. No one had imagined that the once aloof and noble young master, who had made Capital City's underworld tremble at the mere mention of his name, would disguise himself like this just to make a living.

Still, they were people who had seen the world. Everyone was merely stunned for a moment before immediately recovering. They then stood in a row and solemnly bowed to him. "Greetings, Young Master."

Gu Yu's mouth twitched slightly. Zhong Ning, Lin Qi, and Fang Chen, however, were so shocked that their mouths hung wide open. They did not even notice when the cigarettes in their mouths fell. Several children picked them up and stuffed them back between their lips, and only when the three tasted grit and dirt in their mouths did they snap back to their senses.

"Go play somewhere else."

Zhong Ning patted the children on the heads and wiped his mouth. Then he tipped his chin toward Gu Yu. "Young Master Gu, impressive!"

Gu Yu chuckled and shook his head. He waved toward the people from Capital City. Their leader, Zheng Lingyun, immediately straightened up and instructed his subordinates to help unload the goods. He then went inside with Gu Yu to discuss the varieties and quantities needed for their next shipment.

"In a few months, it'll be New Year. By then, order volumes everywhere will increase greatly. Young Master, you should make preparations early, lest there not be enough to sell."

"Mhm."

Gu Yu answered, then looked at Zheng Lingyun. "But Zhong Ning and I are a little short on funds.

"When you go back, tell him to ship fifty thousand yuan worth of goods over first. I'll give him ten thousand now, and I'll pay the rest together with the next purchase."

Zhong Ning's mouth twitched wildly, and his face reddened in embarrassment. How was Yu Gu even more shameless than him? No matter how familiar they were, he could not rip someone off like that!

Yet Zheng Lingyun's expression did not change in the slightest. He simply nodded. "Alright. I'll tell Sir when I return."

A crack appeared in Zhong Ning's expression as he heard Zheng Lingyun continue, "Before I came, Sir said that if you have no money, just say the word. He can send you some."

"No."

Gu Yu shook his head in refusal. "I don't spend much here. Besides, that husband and wife often send me money too, though they're spending my family's money."

His voice suddenly turned cold. Everyone in the room sensed something was wrong immediately and straightened unconsciously. Zheng Lingyun did not dare say another word, merely nodding and saying, "Yes."

Gu Yu waved a hand. "Alright. Once the goods are unloaded, leave early. If anything urgent happens, contact me by telegram."

He then stood and walked toward the door. Zheng Lingyun hurriedly rose to see him out. Zhong Ning also stood up, but after thinking it over, he sat back down. They had not seen each other in so long and surely had things to say. Better not disturb them.

Just as he expected, after they went outside, Gu Yu instructed Zheng Lingyun that when they went to Hai City to discuss business, they should find someone to deal with Shen Congwen.

Zheng Lingyun asked how severely he wanted Shen Congwen dealt with. Killing intent flashed through Gu Yu's eyes as he murmured coldly, "Make him wish he were dead. Only one thing: don't implicate his younger brother Shen Congfeng's family. If possible, have someone look after them."

"Understood, Young Master."

The moment Zheng Lingyun saw his young master's expression, he knew Shen Congwen must have touched his reverse scale. By then, he had already thought of seventeen or eighteen ways to deal with the man.

Seeing that Zheng Lingyun understood, Gu Yu said nothing further. He only told him to bring more fashionable, attractive fabrics and a human-powered tricycle the next time he delivered goods, putting the bill on his account. Then he turned and left the scrap collection station.

After unloading the goods and receiving the ten-thousand-yuan deposit and goods list from Zhong Ning, Zheng Lingyun took the convoy and swiftly left Abundant Source Town.

Gu Yu returned to the present. Looking at the scrap collection station right in front of him, he immediately changed his appearance inside his space. Then, finding a deserted spot, he flashed out and quickly darted inside.

Unexpectedly, there was a stranger inside. His face immediately darkened as he asked Zhong Ning what was going on. Hearing his tone, Zhong Ning inwardly sighed that things were going badly and was about to explain.

But the man beat him to it and apologized to Gu Yu first. "Big Brother, please don't be angry. This has nothing to do with Zhong Ning. I came here on my own initiative."

Without waiting for Gu Yu to respond, he explained his purpose. "My name is Li Hao, and I'm in charge of the black market in Xinghe Town. Recently... business over there has gotten much worse. After asking around several times, I learned that my brothers here had brought in a lot of good goods, so..."

"So you wanted a share of the pie!?"

Gu Yu sneered, lowering himself into a chair. He looked up at Li Hao, his voice as cold as ice freshly tempered.

"Li Hao, right? I know you. You helped Zhong Ning investigate quite a few things before, which indirectly helped me too. By rights... I should thank you. But..."

His voice suddenly rose, and his gaze sharpened with a hint of reproach. "You came charging over here to find someone like this. Do you know you could get Zhong Ning and every brother in this room killed?"

Li Hao's face went pale. Seeming to understand Gu Yu's meaning, he hurriedly stammered, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I..."

"Enough!"

Gu Yu raised a hand to stop him, somewhat impatient. "Now I understand why your Li Family has so many connections, yet can only circle around Xinghe Town."

He spoke without the slightest politeness. Li Hao's face burned crimson with shame, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Zhong Ning opened his mouth with a complicated expression, but ultimately did not speak for him.

After all, Yu Gu was right. Li Hao might not have meant harm, but acting without using his brain and being so easily driven by profit would sooner or later harm the people around him.

Li Hao had indeed done Zhong Ning a favor, but that did not mean he and his brothers were willing to be dragged into danger by Li Hao's reckless actions.

The Li Family's circumstances were complicated. For several generations, the family had been involved in all sorts of messy connections and had ties with people from every "dock."

His family appeared influential, and people gave them some face whenever they went out. But behind the scenes, they were actually nothing more than money-making tools for certain people.

Li Hao's father had some ability, but in his youth, he had been too promiscuous and had also used..., leaving his body hollowed out. How could he still have the energy to fight those people?

Li Hao, meanwhile, was simply too young and no match for those old foxes. His family's businesses, both open and hidden, appeared profitable, but after the profits were divided, very little remained.

That was why, when he saw the thriving business in Abundant Source Town, he wanted to take a share. But he had forgotten that so many pairs of eyes were watching him from behind. If the negotiations failed, those people might very well move against them.

When Gu Yu saw that Zhong Ning had not spoken up for Li Hao, he finally became less angry. He said, "It's not impossible for you to cooperate with me, but I like 'clean' partners.

"If you can settle those people dragging you down, I can provide you with one hundred or even two hundred thousand yuan worth of goods at a time."

Li Hao froze. He had never expected Gu Yu to give him another chance. But regardless, the outcome was good. He smiled and nodded repeatedly. "Alright, alright! I'll settle it as soon as possible. Big Brother, don't worry."

"Mhm. Then that's that."

Gu Yu held out his hand to Zhong Ning. Understanding immediately, Zhong Ning handed over the money he had prepared in advance. Gu Yu counted the cash and vouchers in front of both men, then pulled out five ten-yuan notes and gave them to the children sitting on the straw mat. "Have your big brother take you to buy something tasty."

He then turned and left the scrap collection station. Only then did Li Hao relax, leaning back against the bench and releasing a long breath of foul air. "Zhong Ning, I'm sorry. This time, I nearly dragged you down with me."

"Hmph!"

Zhong Ning smiled but said little, only remarking, "Let me know when you make your move."

From his tone, Li Hao knew that Zhong Ning was not angry. He immediately smiled and agreed.