Early that morning, a squad of constables arrived outside White Wave Village in Haiyu County. Spotting an old man taking a stroll at the village entrance, they walked over.
"Old man, does Li Laosan live in White Wave Village? Where's his house?"
The constable in charge asked the question, and the sight of them gave the old man a fright.
"Well, yes, Li Laosan lives in White Wave Village. May I ask what brings you here, officers?"
The constable made no effort to conceal their business.
"By order of the County Magistrate, we're here to request the cooperation of this village's fishermen. Take me to Li Laosan's house."
"Yes, yes... follow me."
Not daring to offend the constables, the old man led them into the village and all the way to Li Laosan's house. Along the way, villagers who saw them began talking among themselves, most already harboring suspicions.
Having come into a windfall just yesterday, Li Laosan's family had not gone out to sea today. Otherwise, even though the constables had arrived quite early, they would have found no one home.
The old man went ahead to the courtyard outside Li Laosan's house and called inside.
"Li Laosan, officers have come from the county town! They say they need to see you-"
Li Laosan, who was lazing in bed that morning, had actually been awake for some time; he simply had not wanted to get up. The call outside gave him a sudden fright. His wife, already up and cooking porridge in the kitchen, came out to look into the courtyard. Seeing that constables really had arrived, she too grew uneasy.
The lead constable pushed open the courtyard gate and walked in, with the others following behind.
They looked around the courtyard. Fishing gear and containers were piled in