146: Taoyuan Vegetable Market, Come and Have a Fish

"The fishy smell, 4 AM is too late."

"Who do you think it could be?" Ye Lin asked.

Qi Shan tilted her head, raised her hand, and said, "Someone who sells fish, or someone who sells vegetables in the market, near the fish sellers."

"Yes, yes, it must be," Wang Longxin echoed, as if he had thought of it himself.

Ye Lin smiled, "No, it definitely isn't someone who sells fish or vegetables."

"How is that possible? Fish sellers have to set up their stalls early in the morning, which fits what you said," Qi Shan questioned.

"It fits. But have you considered the time of the crime?"

"Vendors in the market all get their wholesale vegetables and set up their stalls by four or five in the morning, then close up around 5 PM. When would they have time to commit a crime?"

"Also, this perpetrator is so familiar with the surveillance cameras at the university and the hospital. Do you think someone who spends all day in the market would have time to observe these things?"

Ye Lin's barrage of questions stumped the two of them.

"Then, Brother, who do you think it is?" Wang Longxin gave up immediately.

Ye Lin: "Someone who has contact with fish, doesn't need to be in the market every day, and still has to get up early in the morning. I think there's only one type of person: the upstream supplier for the market's fish vendors."

Qi Shan responded, "You mean the person who delivers fish to the market in the morning?"

Wang Longxin clearly didn't understand this. "What delivery? Don't fish sellers get their own fish to sell?"

"Where do the fish come from then?" Ye Lin said, annoyed.

"Uh... the fish are bought?" Wang Longxin said casually.

"You, ah, you should visit the market more often. According to current sales theory, markets are the final sales terminals. They have suppliers above them. They order goods from their suppliers, and the suppliers either deliver or they pick them up themselves."

"Vegetable vendors have already arranged the vegetables they're selling today by 6 AM. What time do you think they'd pick up their goods?"

"What time do their upstream suppliers have to wake up?"

"Look at Xiao Qi, her common sense is richer than yours," Ye Lin said, annoyed.

"I've been going to the market with my grandma since I was little, so I should have gone more than Brother Wang," Qi Shan said with a smile.

Wang Longxin, beside her, gave a simple-minded laugh. "My mom doesn't take me grocery shopping; she says I mess with other people's stuff."

"Serves you right."

After a joking scolding, Ye Lin said seriously, "Alright, we've set the general direction. According to the clue from the hotel owner, the fraudster should be working in the Yunshan Hospital area. So, we'll center on Yunshan Hospital and expand 5 kilometers outward, find all the markets, interview the fish vendors, and see who their upstream suppliers are."

"Let's go!"

With that, Ye Lin, Wang Longxin, and Qi Shan energetically rushed out, leaving Yu Haifeng in the office stunned. "These three, they're quite enthusiastic about a fraud case."

...Within a 5-kilometer radius of Yunshan Hospital, there were five markets, plus some scattered along the streets. Ye Lin thought those would likely share the same suppliers as the market stalls, so he headed straight for the markets.

Taoyuan Market was the largest market nearby, with four stalls selling fish and seafood. As soon as they approached, there was a pungent fishy smell.

Ye Lin was wearing plain clothes. Before he transmigrated in his previous life, he often followed his grandmother to the market when he was a child. The market back then was much dirtier than it is now. All the vegetables were placed on the ground, and the vendors squatted on the ground. By the time you reached the fish section, the ground was all wet, and your shoes would get soaked with one step.

The market now had changed a lot. At least every vendor had a cement counter, and there were no more puddles on the ground. It looked cleaner, though it lacked the old childhood scent.

"Boss, are these fish fresh?" Ye Lin casually asked as he approached the first stall.

"What are you saying? They were all delivered this morning, so of course they're fresh. Look, they're all still swimming lively."

"How about a perch? It's excellent," the boss enthusiastically greeted him.

Ye Lin squatted down and poked at the fish with his hand. The fish in the tank suddenly flicked its tail, splashing water.

"Whoa, they are fresh, aren't they?" Ye Lin teased.

"So, one?" The boss grabbed a net, ready to scoop.

"No, I'm just asking about something." Ye Lin's expression changed. He pulled out his ID and said seriously.

The fish boss's eyes narrowed. Although he couldn't see the words clearly, the national emblem on it was very clear, and his expression instantly became awkward.

"Comrade, I'm just a fish seller; I haven't done anything bad."

"I'm not talking about you. I'm just asking, are all your fish delivered by others?" Ye Lin asked.

"Ah, yes, they all are. All four of us here have them delivered. Everyone's the same," the boss said, pointing to the other fish stalls behind him.

"What time are they usually delivered?"

"Hmm, usually around 5 AM, more or less around that time."

"Delivered by a driver?"

"Ah, they're brought in those trucks to the underground garage, and we pull them back from there."

"Are they always delivered by the same driver?" Ye Lin pressed.

"This..." The boss thought for a moment, then looked at his wife next to him. "It seems pretty consistent. Today, Xiao Chen delivered."

The boss's wife looked up impatiently and said, "It used to be Old Wang, now it's Xiao Chen. Officer, are you done asking questions? We still have business to do."

Ye Lin smiled slightly, "Then I'll take a perch, a big one."

Upon hearing this, the boss's wife immediately beamed, pushed her husband aside, and said, "Oh, our fish are excellent! I'll pick out a big one for you."

With that, her hand reached for the almost-dead fish. Ye Lin didn't expose her, letting her weigh it and paying the money.

Holding the cleaned fish, Ye Lin looked at the boss's wife and asked, "Madam, are all four of your stalls supplied by the same person?"

"No, we each have our own suppliers, but further up, it's pretty much the same; they're all big companies."

"Then, do you recognize this person as Xiao Chen, who delivers goods to you?" Ye Lin pulled out the fraudster's surveillance photo.

The boss's wife glanced at it, shook her head, "Xiao Chen is a young man, tall and thin; that's not him."

"Then, was it Old Wang, who used to deliver?" Ye Lin pressed.

"I can't say for sure about that. The height looks similar, but I can't see his face, so how would I know?"

"Um, Comrade Officer, welcome to buy fish next time! I won't entertain you further this time." The boss's wife had sold her fish and no longer wanted to deal with Ye Lin.

Ye Lin went to the next few fish stalls, asking the same questions. They basically said the same thing as the first one: the fish were delivered in the morning. As for the delivery person, Ye Lin showed them the photo, but none of them thought it looked like him.

So, only Old Wang had a slight suspicion. Ye Lin then visited a few more markets, getting largely similar information.