Chapter 9: Meter Reader
"Where should I go to earn my first pot of gold?"
Chen Pingan was still thinking about making money while riding his bike.
"What are you thinking about?" Zhang Yong asked curiously, seeing how distracted Chen Pingan was.
"Thinking about how to make money," Chen Pingan replied casually.
Zhang Yong chuckled and said, "It's easy to get money. Didn't cement king Zou Wanhao's son disappear? His family offered a 300,000 reward. If we can find his son, we'll be rich."
"cement king Zou Wanhao's son disappeared?" Chen Pingan repeated, feeling that those words sounded very familiar.
Suddenly, Chen Pingan remembered.
He had heard of the case regarding the disappearance of cement king Zou Wanhao's son.
It was just that too much time had passed, so he hadn't thought of it right away.
But now that Zhang Yong had reminded him, it came back to him.
In reality, cement king Zou Wanhao's son hadn't disappeared; he had been abducted by human traffickers.
Chen Pingan remembered that the child's grandparents had taken their three-year-old grandson to play in the park.
Then the two elderly people ran into acquaintances and started chatting with them while the three-year-old played nearby.
As he played, the child vanished.
Since there was no surveillance at the time, there were no clues about the missing child.
Zou Wanhao immediately offered a 300,000 reward to find his son, but the boy was never found until more than twenty years later.
Later, based on the child's recollection, everyone learned that he had been taken by human traffickers in the park.
He was later sold deep into the mountains in the Northwest and was only found twenty years later.
Due to a moment of negligence by the two elderly people, it could be said that the child's entire life was ruined.
Twenty years later, the human traffickers were also found. They confessed to the process of abducting the child that year and said they had taken the boy to Guanmaozi Hutong, where they stayed for three days.
They originally planned to leave the same day, but because of Zou Wanhao's reward, the heat was intense, so they hid for three days before leaving with the child.
As for why they didn't hand over the child, it was simple: they didn't dare to, nor did they believe they could actually receive the 300,000.
Later, the child was sold in the mountains for only 20,000 yuan.
20,000 yuan in 1998 was also not a small sum.
Selling someone else's child just for 20,000 yuan—these human traffickers were truly inhuman.
"Do you have a picture of the child? Show me, maybe I've seen him," Chen Pingan said half-jokingly.
"Isn't it on the wall?" Zhang Yong pointed to the wall.
Sure enough, a missing person notice was posted on the wall, featuring a photo of a three-year-old child.
Chen Pingan looked closely. It indeed stated a 300,000 reward; anyone who could find the child would receive 300,000.
300,000 yuan in 1998 was definitely a huge fortune.
Countless people wanted to find this child.
Unfortunately, two days had passed, and no one had found the child yet.
Of course, they wouldn't be able to find the child, since the boy had already been taken by human traffickers.
"Oh, it's this child. I know him."
"Zhang Yong, come with me, our chance to get rich has arrived," Chen Pingan said excitedly to Zhang Yong.
His excitement was half feigned and half real.
Because his opportunity to make money had genuinely arrived.
Because Chen Pingan knew where the human traffickers were currently living. Twenty years later, the human trafficker had confessed to his residence.
The human trafficker's current residence was at Yanhe Road 888.
Because the house number was conspicuous, Chen Pingan remembered it clearly.
The reason Chen Pingan wanted to bring Zhang Yong along was partly to give Zhang Yong a chance to earn money, and partly to make the situation seem more plausible.
Two high school seniors finding a clue about the child and rescuing him together—that would be much more impressive.
If Chen Pingan went alone and rescued the person, it would seem somewhat unreasonable.
"You really have a lead on that child?" Zhang Yong asked, equally excited.
"Of course I do. Why would I be so excited otherwise?"
"But Zhang Yong, even close brothers settle accounts clearly. So let's agree now: I found the lead first, so I'll take the lion's share. I'll take 250,000, and the remaining 50,000 is yours."
Chen Pingan stated.
Chen Pingan needed money now, so it was best to clarify this matter beforehand.
"No problem! Forget 50,000, even 10,000 or 5,000—I'd be perfectly happy with just 5,000," Zhang Yong said with a goofy grin.
His mind was already imagining the scenes of himself spending 5,000 yuan lavishly.
As for tens of thousands of yuan, he didn't dare to think about it.
"I'll give you 50,000. If I said 50,000, it's 50,000."
"As long as I receive the 300,000 reward, I will give you 50,000," Chen Pingan said decisively.
"Heh heh, thank you then." Zhang Yong said cheerfully, seemingly taking Chen Pingan's words seriously and not considering whether Chen Pingan was joking with him.
This was normal, given their years of brotherhood and mutual understanding.
Zhang Yong certainly knew that Chen Pingan wouldn't joke about such matters.
"The child is on Yanhe Road. Let's go take a look," Chen Pingan said.
The two quickly rode their bikes toward Yanhe Road.
Yanhe Road was three kilometers away, and the ride took a little time.
But it didn't take long before they arrived at Yanhe Road.
Chen Pingan glanced at the nearest house number, 165, which wasn't far from 888.
The two proceeded along the street, and before long, they reached number 888.
Zhang Yong still didn't know the destination, he was just following Chen Pingan.
Chen Pingan suddenly stopped his bike and whispered, "We're here. I saw that child here before."
"I'll keep watch here. You go call the Hat Uncles over."
Zhang Yong hesitated for a moment but agreed decisively. However, before leaving, Zhang Yong still said, "Be careful. Don't act rashly. I'll be right back."
"Don't worry, I won't be rash," Chen Pingan said with a smile.
Zhang Yong nodded and quickly rode away on his bike.
As soon as Zhang Yong left, a smile curled up on Chen Pingan's lips.
Bringing Zhang Yong was for plausibility, but sending him away was to make the subsequent actions easier.
That 300,000 wasn't so easy to get. Merely providing a clue probably wouldn't secure the full 300,000.
Therefore, Chen Pingan planned to act personally and retrieve the child.
After parking his bike, Chen Pingan walked straight up and knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" A middle-aged woman's voice sounded from behind the door.
"Meter reader," Chen Pingan called out casually.