Chapter 23: The Television is Ours!

Sunday, the only day off for high school seniors.

Outside the Changjing Road Police Station, amidst the heavy flow of traffic, two figures squatted on the opposite side of the street.

Zhai Da: "Wu Yue, how have I treated you?"

"Not that great, honestly?" Wu Yue's pants were a bit too tight, making it difficult for him to squat properly. "Ever since you fainted, I feel like you’ve been looking down on me."

"…That’s irrelevant. I have a task for you."

"Not doing it."

Zhai Da fished a large bottle of iced black tea from his pocket and offered it as an incentive.

Wu Yue: "Go ahead, brother. What is it?"

Zhai Da gestured toward the police station across the road: "It’s simple. Go in there in a moment and pick something up for me."

Wu Yue, who had just unscrewed the cap of the tea, screwed it back on.

What student isn't afraid of the police? Well, that wasn't entirely true. In Wu Yue’s eyes, a police station was a mysterious, dangerous place where no decent person would ever set foot. In school rumors, being taken to a police station was practically synonymous with going to jail, even if you’d just popped in to use the restroom. He had never stepped foot inside one in his entire life.

"No way. What if someone sees me?"

Zhai Da was prepared; he pulled a baseball cap from his backpack. "Put this on, pull it low. Remember, it’s best if even the police can’t see what you look like."

Wu Yue’s brain, dormant for years, began to whir: "Wait… what are you actually doing? What are you asking me to pick up?"

Zhai Da: "Money."

Wu Yue fell silent for a long moment, then grabbed Zhai Da’s hand. He stared at him with such burning intensity that Zhai Da had never seen such a serious expression on him before.

"Zhai Da, you can’t do this. You’d be better off robbing a bank than a police station. There isn't much money there anyway. Tell you what, let’s think this through. A baseball cap won't cut it; we need masks at the very least."

Zhai Da remained silent for a long time.

"Tell me the truth, have you been watching too many American blockbusters and reciting lines? Hurry! There's still time!"

Wu Yue’s expression returned to its usual state of blank simplicity: "…Yeah, I was."

Zhai Da withdrew the iced tea: "You talk too much. I don't think you're cut out for this."

Wu Yue grinned cheekily and snatched the tea back: "You’re the boss, just tell me what to do!"

You have to admit, a large, chilled bottle like this was a rare treat. High-quality stuff!

Worried about Wu Yue’s comprehension skills, Zhai Da explained everything in detail, including the general rules for claiming rewards for reporting gambling.

Wu Yue’s eyes lit up: "There’s a way to make money like this?!" He felt as if his horizons had been broadened.

Zhai Da nodded: "It's open to the public, but these leads aren't easy to find. It was pure coincidence that I stumbled upon it, and there is a certain amount of risk involved."

Wu Yue’s voice rose by an octave: "When has making money ever been without risk? The higher the risk, the easier the money!" If gambling was an option, then what about other things? He knew there was a street behind his house filled with small shops glowing with red lights every night.

"Your way of thinking is dangerous…"

Fifteen minutes later, Wu Yue, wearing the baseball cap, carrying an empty school bag, and holding the iced tea, walked into the police station.

As for how much money he would get, Zhai Da didn't know. He could only hope the gambling den hadn't been so pathetic that they couldn't even scrape together 70,000 yuan. Zhai Da waited at a small convenience store across the street. Half an hour passed, and when Wu Yue didn't emerge, Zhai Da began to grow anxious. What was going on with Wu Yue? Could he mess up a task even a machine could handle?

Finally, just as Zhai Da was about to go in himself, Wu Yue emerged. He looked dazed for a moment before saying: "I got the money. An old officer inside kept yapping on and on about a bunch of stuff."

"Give me the summary."

"I’ve already forgotten."

Zhai Da: …

Wu Yue handed a brown paper envelope to Zhai Da: "I basically just gave them the verification code, described the report I made, and the police officer said the case wasn't closed yet."

"And then?"

"I told him my boss said the money had to be collected today."

Zhai Da wiped his face hard. It was a miracle you made it out alive…

"He said the cash seized from that night was over 110,000 yuan. They could file a report to release this tier of the reward early, but it couldn't exceed 5,000 yuan, otherwise, the processing would be different."

Zhai Da nodded. 110,000 in gambling stakes was a decent amount. There were only about ten real gamblers there, so if they each brought 10,000, that was well beyond what a small gambling den in Dongyang County should have. Fat sheep weren't found every day. Those three Japanese men probably contributed quite a bit.

He opened the envelope; it contained 5,000 yuan. Usually, it was a 5% cut for anything over 100,000, but they only gave 5,000 this time. A television was now within reach.

"The gist of it was that there were non-cash gambling stakes involved, but the process is slow, and it's not certain if I'll ever get more. He told me to come back and ask in a while… Oh right, he said there’s a new verification code for next time. I didn't look at it."

There was a slip of paper in the envelope with a new string of numbers. Zhai Da nodded; things had gone smoother than expected. He wasn't greedy; he would have plenty left over after buying the television.

Zhai Da pulled out a bill and handed it to Wu Yue. A runner’s fee was necessary.

"Wu Yue, how have I treated you?"

Wu Yue held the hundred-yuan bill up to the sun and smiled sweetly: "You treat me really well!"

"I have one more thing for you to do."

***

At the Red Flag Shopping Mall, in a row of shops deep inside where even stray dogs wouldn't wander, a young man who didn't look particularly bright rode a tricycle and shouted: "Home appliance outreach, trade-in your old ones! Swap your old TV for a new one, a big 29-inch color TV!"

His voice was deafening, waking up several people taking their afternoon naps.

When he passed "Treasured Antiques," the tricycle seemed to break down, positioning the television directly in front of the shop entrance. Even in 2008, a 29-inch set wasn't exactly a huge TV, but the packaging was brand new, and it looked quite presentable.

The young man squatted at the entrance, trying to fix the tricycle for a long time to no avail, ending up with his hands covered in black grease. He gave up, sat on the tricycle with a large bottle of iced black tea, and continued shouting.

The shop owner inside was being bombarded at point-blank range and grew so annoyed he couldn't even focus on his favorite show, "MVP Lover." He walked out, waving a fan, and cursed: "What are you yelling for! Get lost!"

Wu Yue said: "Grandpa, it's a trade-in. Want to swap your TV?"

The old man glanced at the big box. It didn't look like any name brand; it was probably some cheap domestic knock-off.

"Go away, don't bother me."

Wu Yue scratched his head: "I’d like to go, but the chain broke. I can't fix it, so I'm waiting for a friend."

The old man knew how to fix it himself, but why would he bother? "Don't disturb my TV watching."

"Are you sure you don't want to check out the trade-in? A TV this big is only 300."

The old man, who had already turned around, spun back, stunned: "How much?"

"300."

"How could it be so cheap?"

Wu Yue recalled Zhai Da’s instructions and said, word for word: "A factory down south went bankrupt, and the manager ran off with his sister-in-law! Our boss went down there and hauled back a bunch of TVs, but they didn't sell and got stuck in his hands. They were originally 2,000, but the boss can't wait anymore; he wants to liquidate to recover capital and switch to selling mobile phones."

"But the goods are perfectly fine. If you don't believe me, I can install it for you to test."

The old man looked at the big box, feeling tempted. A 300-yuan TV—if the screen turned on, it was a bargain, especially at 29 inches.

The old man hesitated: "Open it up, let me see."

"Opening it and packing it back up is a huge hassle…"

"I'll fix your tricycle chain for you."

Wu Yue sighed and said reluctantly: "Fine."