wind in the dark night

Chapter 248 Return to Kaoshantun

at dusk.

The sky gradually darkened.

Li Changgong complained, "It's so hard to go back. I can't see the road..."

Qi Yue said: "We will stay in Xingwangtun tonight and go back tomorrow."

"Okay, it's up to you."

Li Changgong was happy. As a farmhand, he was usually very busy and wished to go back as late as possible. Before leaving, Liu Wanchun also told him to follow Qi Yue's arrangements.

At this time, the fire in Zhang San's house was burning brightly and the kettle was bubbling with steam.

Zhang San sat cross-legged on the kang, preparing to eat dinner: five or six cornmeal buns, a plate of peanuts, a plate of pork head, a bowl of cabbage stewed with vermicelli, and a bottle of Shaodaozi wine.

"Is Brother Zhang home?"

Li Changgong asked outside the house.

Zhang San put down his chopsticks, put on his shoes and went downstairs.

Li Changgong entered the room and said with a smile, "Brother Zhang, it's me."

Qi Yue brushed the snow off his body and looked at Zhang San. Zhang San was about 40 years old, with a stocky build, a dark red face, thick eyebrows and big eyes. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be an honest and decent person.

The light in the room was dim, and Li Changgong was wearing a cotton hat, so Zhang San didn't recognize him.

Li Changgong took off his hat and tried to get closer to the kerosene lamp: "I'm from Liujiabao. Two years ago, you went to the city to buy pots, pans, and utensils. I drove a cart to deliver them to your home. Have you forgotten?"

Zhang San remembered: "It's Brother Li... Why are you here? What's the matter?"

Li Changgong grinned and said, "What am I doing here if I have nothing to do? Brother Zhang, let me introduce you. This is Boss Qi. Our boss introduced him to Xingwangtun to collect mountain products. Oh, you are the one who helps collect the products. I will give you a commission when the time comes..."

Zhang San stole 15 kilograms of gold from the Jiapigou Gold Mine. He was worried that his secret would be exposed, and he was a bachelor with no ties, so he simply left and ran to Binjiang to avoid the limelight.

Zhang San had a habit of smoking opium. He had spent almost all the money from selling the gold in the past two years. He was very happy to have the opportunity to make money right at his doorstep, and quickly asked Qi Yue to sit down.

Qi Yue said, "We will stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning, please go door to door and ask if anyone has mountain products. Please bring them to us. The price I offer is absolutely fair!"

Zhang San patted his chest and said, "Boss Qi, don't worry, I'll take care of this matter. I promise to do it clearly for you. Um, you haven't eaten yet... I don't have any good food at home. If you don't mind, let's eat together?"

Qi Yue smiled and said, "People like us collect mountain products from everywhere and eat wherever we go."

Li Changgong also laughed: "Brother Zhang, you have wine and meat, and you still say there is no good food."

"You guys sit down first, I'll get the chopsticks."

Zhang San went to the kitchen in the back room. After a while, he took out bowls and chopsticks and a bottle of Shaodaozi wine and said with a smile, "The food is not good, but there is plenty of wine."

Qi Yue claimed that he could not drink, but Zhang San and Li Changgong usually liked to drink, and they were in a relaxed mood, so Qi Yue kept urging them to drink intentionally or unintentionally, and the two bottles of Shaodaozi were soon empty.

Qi Yue took out a bag of tea from his pocket and said, "You guys have drunk a lot. I have some good tea here. I brought it from Peking. It's just right for you to sober up. Brother Zhang, do you have a teapot at home?"

"There is no teapot, but there is a teacup..."

Zhang San was drunk.

Qi Yue found the teacup, turned his back to the two of them, put the tea leaves and the powdered sleeping pills into it, and then poured in boiling hot water. The tea leaves and sleeping pills were prepared in advance.

When the tea was warm and the powder was fully dissolved, Qi Yue divided it into two large bowls and placed them on the kang table: "I have asked about the best Mingqian Longjing tea. It costs two yuan a pot in the teahouse on Binjiang."

He knew that country folk had no habit of drinking tea, and persuading them to do so would seem a bit too deliberate. After he said this, the two of them would definitely rush to drink it out of the mentality of not wanting to miss out on a good thing.

As expected, upon hearing that the tea was so expensive, the two men became excited, picked up the bowls and drank them all in one gulp. About half an hour later, they fell on the kang and fell into a deep sleep.

Qi Yue locked the door and jumped out of the window. He tied a flashlight to the handlebars of his bicycle to illuminate the room. He rode out of Xingwangtun and followed the markings on the map, taking a small road to Kaoshantun.

……

Eight o'clock in the evening.

It is still snowing lightly.

Outside the gate of a courtyard in Kaoshan Village, Guan Dazhi wrapped himself in a cotton coat, hissed and prepared to go to the toilet.

Qi Yue stepped forward and whispered, "Don't make any noise, just follow me."

Guan Dazhi was very surprised when he saw that the person coming was Officer Qi from the Police Department, but he didn't dare to ask more questions and just followed Qi Yue happily.

The two men came to the Binjiang Detachment headquarters, one in front and one behind. The gate was sealed with the police department's seal, and only half of it was left fluttering in the wind.

Qi Yue pushed the door and entered the yard.

In fact, the reason why Guan Dazhi was asked to come to the team headquarters to speak was because he didn't want to be seen.

Guan Dazhi followed behind and said hurriedly: "Officer Qi, a few days ago, I saw with my own eyes that the second daughter of the Huang family in the east of the village took advantage of no one's attention and tore off the seal and ran away. Although the little girl was only eight years old, she was very bad. I have already recorded this incident in my notebook, and there are other situations..."

Qi Yue asked: "Have you been to the Moon Bubble?"

"I've been there."

"I need a trustworthy person to deliver a letter to the Anguo Army stationed in Yueliang Bubble. After much thought, you are the most suitable person."

"........."

Qi Yue said, "We received a secret report that the anti-bandit leader Zhang Zhaolin is suffering from unbearable pain from arthritis. Tonight, he will go down the mountain with a dozen guards. They plan to stay in Kaoshan Village for one night and go to Binjiang for treatment early tomorrow morning."

Guan Dazhi looked around but didn't see any other policemen: "Are you going to arrest Zhang Zhaolin?"

"Correct."

"But, you are alone..."

"The people I brought with me are lying in ambush all around, waiting for Zhang Zhaolin to fall into the trap!"

"Oh, I see……"

"I just thought about it and I feel it's still not safe. Zhang Zhaolin's men are likely to be carrying heavy weapons. My men are all armed with rifles, so we will be at a disadvantage in a fight... If you can run a trip for me and send a letter to the An Guo Army to ask them to come and encircle and suppress the anti-bandit forces, I promise that the reward will be at least 2,000 yuan!"

"Two thousand dollars?"

Guan Dazhi's eyes lit up.

Qi Yue said: "It's at least two thousand. Speaking of which, this is also your blessing. My men don't know the way, so I have to let you go."

Guan Dazhi asked: "But, can the commander of the Anguo Army trust me?"

Qi Yue said: "During the last punitive operation, all parties shared intelligence. The An Guojun already knew that you were a spy from the National Police Agency."

Guan Dazhi had no reason not to go. In today's Manchukuo, the average person earned 20 to 30 yuan a month. Unskilled servants who did laundry and cooking could be hired for seven or eight yuan. Two thousand yuan was enough to change a person's destiny.

"Okay, I'll go right away!"

Guan Dazhi made up his mind.

Qi Yue said, "Remember, after that, you must not mention that anyone from the police department was there, and you must not mention my name. From the beginning to the end, just treat this as something you discovered yourself."

"What?"

Guan Dazhi was puzzled.

Qi Yue explained, "If someone else told you, you're just an errand boy. You can't even get 200 yuan, let alone 2,000 yuan. If they ask you where the information came from, just say you found it by accident while hunting in the mountains."

Guan Dazhi was still very wise. He frowned and thought for a while, then asked tentatively, "Officer Qi, to be honest, you are not planning to take a cut from my bounty, are you?"

Qi Yue smiled slightly: "Smart. But don't worry, I will only take 20%. In addition, if I catch Zhang Zhaolin, there will also be a 2,000 yuan reward, and I will give you 20% at that time. I don't let you mention the police department for this reason!"

Guan Dazhi suddenly realized: "I understand, you are blocking both ends, and neither end is empty. Officer Qi, you are so young, but I didn't expect that you have more ways to make money than those old foxes!"

"Mr. Guan, you know it all, but don't say it out loud. It's obvious. In our line of work, we have to keep our heads on the line. If we don't make more money from this opportunity, we'll be sorry to the ghosts when we die!"

Qi Yue had an expression as if he had seen through life.

(End of this chapter)