Verification

Early in the morning, Li Jiabao set off in his beat-up minivan.

This van was bought by Li Jiabao when he opened his supermarket for delivery purposes; it's an old car that's been owned by who-knows-how-many people.

It looks dirty on the outside and is also broken inside; it's almost ready to be scrapped.

This minivan is even more well-known in Stone Ridge than the Rolls-Royce owned by the county's richest man.

Li Jiabao drove this car all over Stone Ridge County, acting as a generous giver for over a year, handing out two hundred yuan to everyone he met.

This matter has caused a huge uproar online.

Although there is controversy, the comments are mostly positive.

Unfortunately, some unforeseen circumstances later forced Li Jiabao to stop his lavish spending spree.

After leaving Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard, we soon got onto the national highway.

There was a traffic police checkpoint at the entrance.

Several police cars were parked nearby.

Li Jiabao is now a celebrity in Stone Ridge and has the right to use his face for publicity.

The veteran policeman leading the team saw Li Jiabao and greeted him with a chuckle, "Mr. Li, out in the countryside recruiting workers again?"

"Hmm." Li Jiabao peeked inside and asked curiously, "Such a big fuss?! It's not even the end of the year yet, is the county already short of money?"

Since the coal mines were depleted, Stone Ridge County has been short of money.

Especially during holidays, fines must be levied first to generate revenue before there is money to pay holiday bonuses.

The veteran policeman knew that the man before him not only had a mysterious background but was also a major taxpayer in the county, so he dared not offend him. Since it involved a major case, he couldn't say much. He could only give an awkward smile and explain, "Mr. Li, you're joking. This is a special operation to crack down on overloading, for the safety of the people, not for issuing fines."

After a moment's thought, Li Jiabao said, "If the bureau is short of money, Rejuvenation Valley Pharmaceutical can donate 500,000 yuan. Let's stop making things difficult for ordinary people."

The veteran policeman ignored the second half of the sentence and nodded with delight, saying, "Thank you, Mr. Li! I will report this to my superiors!"

"That's settled then." Li Jiabao waved his hand, started the van, and urged, "I have other things to do, hurry up."

The veteran policeman, naturally, wouldn't offend the "god of wealth," so he simply waved and let him pass without inspection.

The young policeman standing nearby frowned. "Who is this guy, so arrogant?!"

"Arrogant?!" The old policeman scoffed, "If you were the owner of Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard, you could be just as arrogant!"

"Oh, it was him!" The young policeman exclaimed in surprise, then asked in confusion, "If he's so rich, why does he drive a minivan?! And why is he personally going to the countryside to recruit workers?"

"What do you know? This is called staying true to your original aspiration." The old policeman was getting on in years and had long been slacking off, waiting for retirement. He was happy to chat idly to pass the time. "Before, when Boss Li drove to the countryside, he would give two hundred yuan in cash to any poor people he met."

"Later, the video was uploaded online, and the higher-ups were very unhappy, so they sent someone to our door to have a talk."

"Now that General Manager Li can't pay wages, he can only recruit workers in the countryside and bring them back to do day jobs."

"However, some disabled or elderly people don't have to work; they just get two hundred yuan for lunch and send it back home."

The young police officers were confused. "Isn't this doing a good deed?! Why are we being summoned for questioning?!"

It's hard to be a good person, and it's hard to do good deeds.

At first, Li Jiabao was quite happy giving away money.

Later, things gradually took a turn for the worse.

Whenever Li Jiabao's van appears, there are bound to be many people rummaging through trash cans on the roadside.

Sometimes, a group of people would gather around a trash can, pretending to be pitiful, which made Li Jiabao laugh in exasperation.

Finally, some people didn't even bother to pretend anymore and went straight to stopping cars and demanding money.

On one occasion, an elderly woman with hemiplegia lay in front of the car, insisting that Li Jiabao help her pay the bride price for her beloved grandson. She wouldn't let him leave without the money, and even calling the police didn't help.

It was only after Hu Shihao arrived with a group of his henchmen that Li Jiabao was rescued.

These events were later filmed and uploaded online.

Li Jiabao was summoned for questioning multiple times.

First of all, the incident of stopping cars to demand bride price has generated a lot of public attention and had a very negative impact, seriously damaging Stone Ridge's online reputation.

Then, the province had just held a commendation conference for poverty alleviation, and the county received an award.

The videos Li Jiabao made are too negative and seriously deviate from the current propaganda tone.

Finally, providing disaster relief privately was a serious crime in ancient times.

It is strongly recommended that Li Jiabao hand over the money to a qualified and experienced department or charitable organization.

Li Jiabao stopped paying wages and started driving people around to do day jobs.

The van headed west, passing through villages and towns that relied on coal mines for their livelihood.

It now appears dilapidated, as if it has remained frozen in time for ten years.

Li Jiabao turned into a small town and wandered around aimlessly. When he saw people raising their hands to flag down a car, he ignored them and pretended not to see them.

Hu Shihao was quite diligent and found out a lot of things.

For example, the county appeared relaxed on the surface but was actually on high alert, with most of its personnel deployed to search the mountains.

For example, that poor child once attended the middle school in this small town.

After his parents passed away, he was left with no relatives or friends. A kind teacher took him in and let him stay in the school's teachers' dormitory for a few months.

Li Jiabao parked his car at the school gate and got out to observe.

The town has suffered severe population loss, with only the primary school barely surviving. By the time children reach junior high school, parents prefer to send them to schools in the county.

This middle school in front of us has been abandoned for several years.

"If he really did hide in the abandoned mines in the mountains, then that's his fate!" Although things are different now, Li Jiabao still has some sense of reason. He didn't think about going to the mountains to join the fun, and decided to try his luck at the school instead.

Li Jiabao wandered around holding his phone, like a nostalgic video blogger.

Unfortunately, after wandering around the teaching building and the playground for a while, I didn't find anything.

After a moment's thought, Li Jiabao climbed over the wall and entered the teachers' dormitory next to the school cafeteria.

A figure flashed past the window.

Li Jiabao felt no joy; instead, he was startled, and his heart raced.

A few years ago, Li Jiabao would never have gotten involved in such troublesome matters; even if he did, he would have turned away immediately.

Now, Li Jiabao is asking for trouble.

When did this change begin?

It probably started with Duanmu Ren explaining his dust theory.

The original Li Jiabao was ashes, that poor young man was ashes, and the couple who were beaten to death were even more ashes.

From birth to death, it all happened silently, and no one cared.

Li Jiabao was unwilling to become dust; he wanted to live like a human being and leave a mark on the world. He reached for the stun gun he carried for self-defense and stepped forward.

The figure in the teachers' dormitory did not hide; instead, he came out on his own. He looked young but very capable, with a distinct military bearing. He looked at Li Jiabao calmly, without any sign of ferocity, but rather with a relieved and composed expression.

"That should be him." Li Jiabao stopped and slowly said, "Young man, you're not that young, it's not good to just give up and lie around. I'm hiring day laborers, all manual labor, two hundred a day, lunch included. Interested?"

The sharp-looking young man was clearly taken aback, opened his mouth, but hesitated to speak.

"If you're interested, pack up and meet me at the school gate." Li Jiabao lit a cigarette, which he held in his mouth with a bossy air, and said indistinctly, "My Li Jiabao, and I have some influence in Stone Ridge County. You can also search for my short video account; I have over two million followers. I won't rip you off!"

The young man's eyes flickered, and he nodded slightly.

"Remember, meet at the school gate in one hour." Li Jiabao said, then turned and left.

Then I drove around town a few times, found some honest-looking day laborers, and delivered them to the middle school gate.

The sharp-looking young man had changed his clothes and was now inconspicuously blending into the crowd.

Li Jiabao filled the van to the brim and returned the way he came.

The veteran policeman leading the team glanced over, chuckled, and congratulated them, "Wow, Mr. Li, you've had a great day!"

Li Jiabao casually handed him a cigarette, jokingly saying, "You won't fine me for overloading, will you?!"

"How could that be?!" The veteran policeman leading the team took the cigarette and shook his head repeatedly, explaining solemnly, "Our bureau chief specifically instructed us to ensure the smooth operation and production of the county's key enterprises!"

The young policeman next to him peered into the car, frowned, and said, "So many people... we need to get out and check their identities."