UCS Chapter 19

The phone call to Kong Miao still couldn’t get through, but there was good news from Father Gao.

 

The Taoist had been found.

 

When the lost Taoist was found, the police had just busted a pyramid scheme den. Lu Xingzhi was laughing so hard he was banging on the table while calling Gao Shi to vent.

 

“You have no idea how hilarious it was! Our undercover agents were originally infiltrating for the A City case, but while selling pancakes, they saw a group of people suspiciously moving out in the middle of the night. Our agents immediately felt something was off.”

 

“Who moves house in the dead of night? These people didn’t even hire a moving company, just three or five people carrying bedding and such. It was so hot they were about to die from the heat.”

 

“Coincidentally, the streetlight in that section was broken, making the alley pitch black. The person carrying books tripped and fell flat on their face, right at the alley entrance. One of the books landed right at our agent’s feet, and when they saw the title—wow!”

 

“‘Misunderstandings About Pyramid Schemes—Ten Reasons Why Pyramid Schemes Are Not Criminal Acts’!”

 

Lu Xingzhi was banging the table so hard it went “bang bang.”

 

“How could we let this slide?! Our undercover agent threw aside their pancake with five holes and pounced on the group, arresting them all.”

 

“We pulled out the radish and brought up the mud with it, uprooting the entire den!”

 

“Now here’s the kicker. Why were these people sneaking out in the middle of the night? It’s because they had abducted a mentally challenged citizen. This person had an enormous appetite. Reportedly, he could eat more than all the leaders combined in one meal. Plus, he got hungry quickly, eating at least five meals a day. If he wasn’t full, he’d start demolishing the house.”

 

“That’s right! Demolishing the house! He tore down the front door, bed frames, floorboards, window frames. After a few days, only the kitchen was left intact in the building.”

 

“Because this citizen had some intellectual challenges, he couldn’t understand their brainwashing. Yet he was incredibly strong, and no one could overpower him. He was abducted for just a week, but he ate the den into a loss. What could they do? They couldn’t beat him, couldn’t brainwash him, and he’d start demolishing the house when he wasn’t full, specifically targeting the leaders’ rooms.”

 

“After all the beds and sofas in the entire den were torn apart, the leaders couldn’t take it anymore. They had to move the entire den in the middle of the night while that citizen was asleep.”

 

Lu Xingzhi was almost dying of laughter on the other end of the phone. “Later, we went to check out the original den. A 150 square meter house, with both north and south sides completely opened up, not a single door left. Pitiful sight. The leader’s room was stripped back to bare walls. The leader had to sleep on newspapers at night.”

 

“And all the window screens in his room were torn off. When the windows were opened, mosquitoes flew in like they hadn’t eaten for years. When the leader was arrested, his face was swollen like a pig’s head. Even facial recognition couldn’t identify him. We had to resort to manual identification in the end.”

 

Lu Xingzhi was laughing so hard he was bending over. “Serves them right! These criminal scum should all be locked up. It’s truly a case of one thing conquering another! Hahaha… Huh? Why aren’t you laughing? Not funny?”

 

Gao Shi covered his face and said in a muffled voice, “No, it’s very funny.”

 

Lu Xingzhi stroked his chin, “It’s a pity that the talented individual who ate a pyramid scheme den into bankruptcy was later taken away. No chance to meet him again. Don’t even know his name.”

 

Gao Shi was silent for a moment, then said, “His surname is Ying.”

 

Lu Xingzhi asked curiously, “How do you know?”

 

Based on years of case-solving experience, Lu Xingzhi was surprised, “It couldn’t be…”

 

“That’s right.” Gao Shi wiped his face, “He was taken in by my family.”

 

These days, Gao Shi was worried that Gao Gusheng might get into trouble again, so he decided to use up the vacation days he had saved for a long time to stay at home and keep his unlucky son company. Initially, the two were happily playing basketball, but then Father Gao called, seeming hesitant to speak.

 

“Son, you were right. That Taoist priest Ying seems to be not very bright…”

 

Hearing this, Gao Shi had a bad feeling.

 

Then, he learned the whole story from his father.

 

“…That leader promised Taoist Ying all the steamed buns he could eat, so he followed him with half a steamed bun in hand.”

 

“Later, Old Chen said that when he went to identify him, the Taoist didn’t recognize him and wouldn’t follow. Old Chen thought for a moment, then had a bright idea. He told the Taoist he’d take him to eat, and the Taoist followed him.”

 

After hearing this, Gao Shi remembered how Taoist Ying had eaten five bowls of rice, and fell silent.

 

At this moment, father and son’s feelings were in perfect harmony.

 

Neither had expected that the other two characteristics wouldn’t be needed at all, and instead, the “not very bright” trait they hadn’t paid much attention to would be the one to identify him.

 

Father Gao tried his best to save face for Taoist Ying, “But Taoist Ying is still very rigorous. He only got angry because that leader didn’t keep his promise. You can’t blame him for demolishing the house.”

 

Clearly not good at praising others, Father Gao wracked his brains and squeezed out a sentence, “The Taoist’s craftsmanship isn’t bad. He demolished the house very cleanly. Even my friend who has five Huskies at home hasn’t had his house demolished so thoroughly.”

 

Gao Shi: “…Dad, if you’re not good at praising, don’t force it.”

 

Father Gao, showing self-awareness, closed his mouth.

 

Shortly after, Gao Shi received a call from Lu Xingzhi.

 

After hearing the story, Lu Xingzhi laughed dryly, “Ha, haha, your friend has quite a personality. Maybe we can ask him later if he’d like to cooperate with us.”

 

Gao Shi: “…Xingzi, if you’re not good at praising, don’t force it.”

 

Lu Xingzhi, also showing self-awareness, closed his mouth.

 

Gao Shi looked at his son holding the basketball, casually ruffled his sweaty head, making Gao Gusheng grimace, before finally withdrawing his hand contentedly. “Let’s go change clothes. Taoist Ying will be here soon.”

 

While showering, Gao Shi received a call from Yin Ling, saying that the Gao family had already sent the person over and confirmed that the Taoist robe belonged to Ying Bujie.

 

Actually, Gao Shi had already confirmed the Taoist’s identity, but out of years of cultivated caution, he habitually ensured there would be no unexpected incidents around Gao Gusheng.

 

Now that it was confirmed, although expected, it still made Gao Shi breathe a sigh of relief.

 

If they were to invite someone to help Gao Gusheng, Ying Bujie was the most suitable person in the world.

 

His lungs were not fully functional, he had no desires or demands, and wouldn’t develop any inappropriate thoughts about Gao Gusheng.

 

…

 

The Gao family moved quickly. Just as Gao Shi finished showering and changing clothes, there was a knock at the door.

 

When he opened it, a pair of familiar eyes greeted him.

 

Old Chen, with graying hair but still spirited, smiled and said, “Young Master, this is a letter from the Master for you.” He handed over an envelope.

 

The envelope was sealed with gold and red wax, and its texture was exquisite. One touch revealed its high value. On it were written four large characters:

 

“To Gao Shi Personally”

 

The writing was so forceful it could be felt through the paper.

 

Gao Shi accepted the letter, thanked Uncle Chen, but had no intention of reading it.

 

Uncle Chen smiled and asked, “Young Master, won’t you take a look?”

 

Gao Shi paused for a moment, then said, “Uncle Chen, next time tell my father to send a WeChat message if he has something to say. Every time he wants me to come home, he writes a wax-sealed letter and has you deliver it. I keep thinking the family must be going bankrupt.”

 

Uncle Chen, dressed in a formal black suit, smiled without saying a word.

 

After seeing Uncle Chen off, Gao Shi welcomed Ying Bujie inside.

 

Ying Bujie seemed to have some recollection of him. When he looked at Gao Shi, there appeared to be tiny specks of light in his eyes, perhaps remembering the only full meal he had after coming down from the mountain.

 

Gao Shi was most defenseless against this kind of animal-like gaze. The words he was about to say took a detour at the tip of his tongue. He sighed and finally asked, “Are you hungry?”

 

Ying Bujie’s eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly.

 

In that moment, Gao Shi had the illusion of seeing a large tail wagging like an electric fan.

 

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