Chapter 388 - 388 355 Fake Money

Words : 1770 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

388: Chapter 355: Fake Money 388: Chapter 355: Fake Money Thud. Thud-thud-thud. The dull sound of gongs rang out precisely at 10:30 in the morning, right outside the gates of the Ningtai County Police Bureau. Corresponding to the sound of drums and gongs were dozens of community members, holding brocade banners in formation, carrying offering tables with fruits displayed, all set up as if preparing offerings for an ancestral matriarch. Director Guan Xi, in the middle of a meeting, frowned slightly and stood by the window to take a closer look before asking in a soft voice, “What’s happening?” “They’re presenting Jiang Yuan with brocade banners.” Huang Qiangmin, who had received news of this in advance, was also somewhat surprised and chuckled, “They asked me about it, and I told them presenting banners is a good thing. I didn’t expect they would go to this extent, making it quite the spectacle.” “There seems to be quite a crowd,” said the director who wasn’t afraid of heaven or earth, but the thing he feared most was not handling public stability well, which currently was his greatest vulnerability. Huang Qiangmin explained, “Because parents who have lost children join a lot of groups, many are acquainted with each other. This time Jiang Yuan went out to bust human trafficking rings and rescued as many as 300 women and children, involving such a large number of families. Many are truly grateful to him and have repeatedly expressed their desire to present brocade banners. Since Jiang Yuan has consistently been working on trafficking cases, today was finally the chosen day.” “Oh, they didn’t go to Guqi City?” “Some did deliver banners to Guqi City, but after doing so twice, everyone knew that Jiang Yuan, the real official in charge of solving the cases, belongs to Ningtai County’s Criminal Police. The victims’ relatives communicate with each other and moreover, they have experience organizing such events.” “No wonder.” “That’s why they managed to assemble a group so easily. This number must already be after they’ve persuaded and filtered through the crowd.” “Are they all parents who’ve lost their children?” Guan Xi watched the procession below with a sense of reassurance. Huang Qiangmin nodded and added, “Some parents have been searching for their children for several years. There are also adult women who were lost and sold multiple times. Managing to successfully find them back is extremely difficult.” Guan Xi nodded slowly and said, “Alright, let’s head down then and provide Jiang Yuan with a backdrop of support.” Once the director spoke, everyone followed along, smiling as they headed out. The procession delivering the brocade banners had just arrived downstairs and was waiting for Jiang Yuan and others to appear, beating drums and gongs in the interim. Jiang Yuan quickly ran down, meeting up with Guan Xi and the others. The director nodded at Jiang Yuan and then gestured for him to step forward first. At the front of the building, the leading couples who had met Jiang Yuan were now so overwhelmed they couldn’t stop crying. The matter of delivering the banners was agreed upon, but their emotions were authentic. Like the couple at the front, holding a banner that read “Upholds justice and integrity,” who had searched for their child for four years, from one and a half years old to six, they finally found their dearly missed child with Jiang Yuan’s help in a small town 800 kilometers from home. The future was long and uncertain, but at this moment, emotions breached their dams, uncovering feelings that could not and need not be hidden. Upon seeing Jiang Yuan, both individuals knelt down and wailed in agony. They weren’t kneeling to Jiang Yuan, but rather, at the peak of their emotions, they couldn’t hold back their outpouring anymore. The couple, in their thirties, looked as if they were in their fifties from their crying spasms, their bodies convulsing so that no one nearby could help them up. In fact, under their lead, several other couples were also eager to join the wailing chorus. In this world, there are very few places where people can cry unrestrained. Even at home—assuming these parents, who have been constantly searching for their children in various places, still have a private home—they can hardly cry so unrestrained and hysterically. At home, there are recently recovered children who are apprehensive and lack a sense of security, curious neighbors who are equally emotionally unstable, and maybe even someone in the building across the street, using their smartphones to record a video in hopes of earning one more like. Jiang Yuan shifted his position and crouched down on one knee to the side. Over a month of relentless pursuit gave him a deep understanding of these victimized parents. Having a child abducted isn’t as simple as a property loss: beyond the loss itself is the ensuing worry about how well the child is being treated, where they might have been sold to, where they possibly could be, what should be done next, whether to persevere, and whether the child hopes for their persistence... It can be said, from the moment that their child was lost, the majority of ordinary people were as if covered by a veil of depression. Too much worry and pain that one dares not think about, yet can’t help contemplating. Jiang Yuan placed his hand on a rough, dark big hand holding a colorful flag and gently patted it twice as a gesture of comfort. This action quickly drew several other large hands, leading everyone to cry even more unrestrainedly. Police officers from a building all poked their heads out. Some, who had not been drawn out by the sound of gongs and drums, were now led astray in their thoughts by the weeping, whispering to each other. When they found out it was the parents of abducted children, they were lost for words. Any normal person, when confronted with such cases, would feel a deep sense of powerlessness. Especially in an era that prides itself on civilization, to treat humans as commodities for profit, with perpetrators receiving less punishment than those trafficking in wild animals, this sense of absurdity and the ethical disorder it brings are unbearable for most people. The couple who had been wailing the loudest gradually fell silent. The wife, convulsively, collapsed on the ground, her body and mind so exhausted she was somewhat dazed. The husband, Hao Tie, struggled to his feet and said, “Let’s not disturb the normal order of their place of work. The police comrades surely have a lot of work, many tasks to do, that, for the incense table, let’s line up again.” Hao Tie was the group admin for several groups, often organizing members to search for children in suspected locations, and had even truly helped a group member find their child, thus he had great influence. The grieving parents, who had cried almost to their hearts’ content, gradually stood up, set up the incense table they had brought over, placed fruits on it, and then resumed their clamorous drumming. Banners and streamers were raised again. “The People’s Police for the People, extending a helping hand in times of crisis” “Emotionally invested in the people, gratitude as heavy as a mountain” “Thousands of miles chase, swift case-solving” “Majestic police spirit, the bane of criminals” The excited Public Relations Office, having received advance news, photographed away. It was rare to have so many banners—a feather in everyone’s cap. Huang Qiangmin was also nodding with great satisfaction. By selling out Jiang Yuan, he had renovated the building, replaced vehicles, and bought new equipment, knowledge that was common in the department. But if he could also reap a bunch of honors, that would be even more appropriate. Gao Yuyan also stepped into the courtyard and saw people seriously holding banners and others pretending to be busy filming. She felt it was a bit funny yet poignant, and there was also a strong sense of envy. The kind of police career she wanted was just like this... Gao Yuyan moved closer to the crowd, listening as the noise rose and watching as the crowd dispersed. It was only when everyone had gradually left that she came to Jiang Yuan, still feeling unsatisfied, and whispered, “Captain Jiang, I’ve found a case.” “Hmm? Don’t you want to rest a bit more?” said Jiang Yuan, who was just calming down himself, “There’s no need to rush with the backlog, we can start working on it slowly later.” “It’s not a backlog,” said Gao Yuyan. “A current case?” Jiang Yuan looked at Gao Yuyan in surprise. Gao Yuyan, who was good at fighting, broad-shouldered and thick-necked, nodded earnestly, as if headbutting with her chin, and said, “I found it when I was reviewing cases. There’s a report from a small restaurant saying someone paid with counterfeit money after eating, a 20-yuan note. Then I remembered that in our Guqi City, a while back, there were also counterfeit 20-yuan notes...” “Counterfeit money would be an Economic Investigation case though,” replied Jiang Yuan. The Criminal Police Brigade and the Economic Investigation Brigade operated as two separate units. Gao Yuyan didn’t seem to mind and said, “Your boss has become Director Huang now, so why worry whether it’s a Criminal Police Brigade case? Anyway, if we solve the case, Director Huang will be happy, Director Guan will be happy, we would have solved a case, and social order will be stabilized. Everyone will be happy.” Jiang Yuan chuckled, “That’s not a reason to get involved in an Economic Investigation’s case.” “It could be a series of connected cases. The appearance of counterfeit 20-yuan notes in our Guqi City was only half a month ago. Considering this timeline, it’s very likely a new counterfeit currency gang has appeared. It’s best to crush such cases promptly; it minimizes the impact on society,” Gao Yuyan earnestly persuaded Jiang Yuan, eager to tackle a major case. Jiang Yuan was somewhat persuaded and thought for a moment before asking, “What’s the current status of this case?” “Someone might be investigating it, but there hasn’t been any progress.” “What’s the reason for their lack of progress?” “If you ask me, they’re not getting the resources they need,” Gao Yuyan said, spreading her hands and giving a look that said she was on board with Jiang Yuan. “I’ll ask around,” said Jiang Yuan, now somewhat interested.

Chapter 388 - 388 355 Fake Money

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