Cao Yang got dressed and took Xia Dongdong to eat at the hotel. During the meal, he wore a dark expression and looked at her strangely.
Xia Dongdong felt uneasy. Everything she had said was true, so why didn't he believe her? What kind of mental image had he conjured about her? She didn't dare think further.
After dinner, night had just fallen. Cao Yang held Xia Dongdong close and strolled through the county town. When she tried to resist, he pinched her waist.
"Someone's following us."
Glancing back, Xia Dongdong saw two people lurking suspiciously. Helpless, she allowed Cao Yang to hold her.
…
Two days passed quickly. Chen Jun, sent by Chen Yao Dong to gather intelligence, returned to Tashe Village.
"East Uncle, after asking around these two days, it seems that Cao Yang really is helping Tang Shaojie."
Chen Yao Dong nodded.
Chen Jun continued, "Cao Yang has a murder case in Guangzhou, which Tang Shaojie suppressed. He cannot be a police officer."
Chen Hao, nearby, said, "Then it seems the kid's words are true."
Chen Yao Dong thought for a moment. "Still, we must be cautious. Contact him and discuss the price and payment method."
"That kid is stubborn. He's only offering seven yuan. How do we negotiate?"
Chen Yao Dong smiled. "He's inexperienced with business. You just need to hold our bottom line."
Chen Hao asked, "What's our bottom line?"
"Fifteen yuan," Chen Yao Dong said, rolling his eyes.
Chen Hao left to negotiate. Chen Yao Dong and Chen Jun then left the ancestral hall and went to a printing factory in the village — Tashe Printing, named after their village.
Guards at the gate greeted them respectfully. Inside, ten or so workers busily produced stacks of counterfeit bills.
"East Uncle, what brings you here?" a young manager, Chen Chao, asked nervously.
"I came to take a look," Chen Yao Dong replied. He scanned the finished goods area, noticing piles of fake bills, roughly worth two to three hundred million.
"Chen Chao, let everyone have a break after work today," he said.
"What? Why?" Chen Chao was confused — business was booming.
"The market is saturated, and the police have been stricter lately. Once this batch is done, we stop."
Chen Chao and Chen Jun exchanged grim looks. Their village had been poor for decades. Finally discovering a path to wealth, they were about to enjoy a good life, and now they were told to stop.
Chen Yao Dong ignored them and left. He took out his phone and dialed.
"Lao Zhang, long time no see."
"Old Chen, you never call for nothing. What's up?"
"Do you know Tang Shaojie in Guangzhou?"
"Yes, but not very well. Why? Did you offend him?"
"No, I just want to confirm something — could he be working with the police?"
"That… that's hard to say."
"I want you to visit him to verify something."
After hanging up, Chen Yao Dong glanced once more at Tashe Printing Factory.
Originally, he never wanted to make counterfeit bills. Circumstances forced him.
Over the years, neighboring counties and cities like Shenzhen and Guangzhou developed rapidly, and many young people left for work. Local officials wanted to revitalize the county economy, so they attracted investment.
Through introductions, he met a Taiwanese executive from a well-known international company. Chen Yao Dong tried to attract investment for his village. The executive inspected the village but deemed it too remote.
Not wanting to give up, Chen Yao Dong offered bribes and suggested alternative plans. The executive pointed a way: set up their own printing factory and handle printing business for his company — for a fee.
Chen Yao Dong paid a one million bribe and took out loans using village assets to build the factory and roads, hoping to improve villagers' livelihoods.
Later, he discovered the executive was a fraud from Fujian, only after pocketing the bribe. Devastated, he didn't know how to explain to the villagers or repay the bank loans.
Feeling lost, he visited his third uncle's house and saw his uncle's paintings. A thought sparked — his uncle's paintings were beautiful, lifelike, but underappreciated. Now, his uncle was teaching village children to paint.
Chen Yao Dong didn't dare disturb him — his uncle hated interruptions, and no matter his title as village head, in his uncle's eyes, he was still "Little Dongzi."