wind in the dark night

Chapter 247 The Secret of the Gold Mine

After listening to the recording, Liu Wanchun had a complicated expression and his face was gloomy and uncertain.

"It's a good deal to spend money to avoid disaster."

Qi Yue persuaded from the side.

Liu Wanchun asked: "Where did you get the information about the gold mine?"

Qi Yue said: "Is this important?"

"I just find it strange..."

Liu Wanchun suddenly changed his tone when he was halfway through his words: "Actually, this is a misunderstanding. Where did the gold mine come from? If there was, the Japanese would have dug it up long ago. How could it be my turn?"

Qi Yue said: "Someone saw you sell 15 kilograms of gold to the gold shop."

Liu Wanchun was stunned for a while and sighed softly: "I thought that rumors would stop at wise people. I didn't expect that someone as wise as Section Chief Gao would be deceived by rumors..."

Qi Yue didn't respond, waiting for him to continue.

Liu Wanchun said: "Deputy Captain Qi, before I explain this matter, I want to know, if there is no gold mine, what are you going to do?"

"I have to ask Chief Gao for instructions."

Qi Yue told the truth.

Liu Wanchun puffed on his hookah for a while, and then said in silence, "Do you know the Jiapigou gold mine?"

Qi Yue nodded: "I know."

Liu Wanchun said: "Two years ago, a stranger came to the village. His name was Zhang San. He said that his family was robbed by bandits. He had nowhere else to go, so he had to come to Binjiang to seek refuge with his relatives. Oh, his relatives were from our village. But unexpectedly, the relatives had long since left here, and no one knew where they had moved to. One night, Zhang San suddenly found me and said that he had 15 kilograms of gold ore and wanted to sell it at a low price..."

Zhang San was originally a miner at the Jiapigou gold mine. There was no need to guess the ins and outs of the matter. The gold was most likely stolen.

"So, you bought the gold?"

Qi Yue asked.

Liu Wanchun said as if it was a matter of course: "The price is low, the gold is of good quality, and I can make ten times the profit by reselling it. Anyone would buy it."

"Earn ten times more?"

"When Liu was young, he worked as an apprentice in a gold shop, so he does have some ability to distinguish."

“Why doesn’t he just sell it to the gold shop?”

"I guess that the origin of the gold is unknown, so he doesn't dare to sell it in the gold shop. Not to mention him, I don't dare to do that either. In order to sell this batch of gold, I went to Xinjing and asked Xiaochen to sell it through his connections. Haha, I thought I did it very secretly, but I didn't expect that it still didn't escape the eyes of Chief Gao."

Liu Wanchun smiled self-deprecatingly.

Qi Yue asked: "How do you prove that what you said is true?"

Liu Wanchun said, "You can ask Zhang San. If you still don't believe me...you can look around in my house and in the abandoned mines on the mountain. Refining gold requires equipment. Even if I want to hide it, there's nowhere to hide it, right?"

"Where are the three Zhangs?"

"Xingwang Village. It's twenty miles away. If you want to go, I'll send someone to lead the way for you."

"If the gold mine doesn't exist, why would you buy the barren mountain and move your family here?"

"To farm."

"........."

Liu Wanchun explained, "In our Liujiabao Village, the land is very good. Everything can grow there. I have estimated that if this barren mountain is taken care of, it will produce more grain than the entire village! In addition, I consulted a Feng Shui master, who said that this is a precious land. If we move here, our people will prosper and our wealth will be prosperous..."

"Collaborating with the Communists is a serious crime. You have to give an explanation."

Qi Yue interrupted him.

Liu Wanchun said: "I admit that the anti-bandit group did come to borrow food, but I had no choice. They had guns and cannons, so how could I refuse to lend them food?"

Qi Yue said: "You have guards at home. If the anti-bandits dare to rob openly, the nearby militia will also help you." Liu Wanchun smiled bitterly: "Well, don't make fun of me. The guards at my home, plus the militia, have only 70 to 80 people in total. They can deal with ordinary small gangs, but how can they beat the anti-bandits..."

Qi Yue could see that although Liu Wanchun seemed harmless on the surface, he actually had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. He could answer any question that was unfavorable to him without changing his expression.

Liu Wanchun continued, "Please go back and tell Chief Gao that although I don't have the gold mine, I can use something else as a substitute... I have some antiques and calligraphy and paintings at home, including Zheng Banqiao's "Orchid and Bamboo", which I can give to Chief Gao for appreciation. I only ask that he be kind and spare my life."

Qi Yue thought for a moment and said, "I can convey what you said. But I have to confirm whether the gold mine is true or not. How about this, after lunch, send someone to go to Xingwang Village with me. I want to meet Zhang San."

"no problem."

"Do you have a bicycle at home?"

"some."

"I'll go there by bike this afternoon."

"Okay okay."

"I want to take a look at your house, too."

"You can look at it at will."

……

Accompanied by Liu Wanchun, Qi Yue took a quick look at each room.

In fact, this was just a formality. The focus of the search was the mine. Liu Wanchun was right. The smelting equipment could not be hidden. If there really was a gold mine, there would definitely be traces of mining in the mine. With Qi Yue's keen eyes, he would definitely not be able to hide it.

……

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Qi Yue and Liu Wanchun sent a farmhand named Li to lead the way and rushed to Xingwangtun.

Qi Yue rides a bicycle.

Li Changgong rides a donkey.

Qi Yue had informed Liu Wanchun in advance not to reveal his identity as a special agent to anyone else, and to tell others that he was a foreign merchant who came to collect mountain products, and went to Xingwangtun to find Zhang San to check out the goods.

"From your accent, you're not from here, right?"

Li Changgong asked Qi Yue.

Qi Yue said: "I am from Peking."

Li Changgong's eyes widened: "You are from Beijing? Have you ever been to the Forbidden City?"

"Been there."

"What does the Forbidden City look like?"

"What is it like... Anyway, it is quite big, with many palaces, magnificent and golden."

Qi Yue spoke casually.

Before coming to Liujiabao, he looked at the topographic map and found that there was a small road nearby that led to Kaoshantun. The journey was not too far and could be reached in no more than an hour by bicycle.

Li Changgong was fascinated by Qi Yue's description. He looked forward to it for a long time and sighed, "Boss Qi, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but my biggest wish in life is to ride a brand new bicycle and take a stroll around the Forbidden City!"

Qi Yue smiled and said, "If you have a bicycle, your wish will be easily fulfilled. I suggest you increase the difficulty of your wish and change the bicycle into a car."

Li Changgong shook his head like a rattle: "Please don't tease me. I can't even afford a bicycle, let alone a car."

"These days, anything is possible."

Qi Yue carefully observed the terrain.

Li Changgong said: "I dare not even dream of driving a car to the Forbidden City. I am a long-term laborer who sells hard labor. It is good enough for me to have enough food and warm clothes. I will wait for the next life. If I am lucky in the next life, I will be reborn into the family of those high-ranking officials, haha..."

(End of this chapter)