The first to be apprehended was the Zhang Jing family of four, who were out on vacation.
As a low-level employee, Zhang Jing heard from some channel that he could buy counterfeit 20-RMB notes that were virtually indistinguishable from real ones, at just a fraction of their value, and the thought haunted him. When his boss happened to go out of business, he decided to take his wife, mother, and mother-in-law on a trip.
Zhang Jing owned a small car suited for getting around, which wouldn't sell for much, but it was perfectly fine for a road trip. In fact, for many years, he and his wife always planned to travel, trying to do the things seen in various short videos, but they never managed to make it happen.
The main obstacle was, naturally, money. Zhang Jing's monthly income was only three to four thousand yuan, and his wife often quit jobs after a short period, getting fired by her employers was a common occurrence, but bringing money home was rare.
