wind in the dark night

Chapter 298 Before Negotiation

In front of the eight-immortals table.

Everyone sat in a circle.

"You two didn't eat?"

Old Chen asked Zhou Yi and Secretary Zhao.

Dachun stood up and said, "There are two steamed buns in the pot. I'll go heat them up..."

Officer Zhao said, "No need. Captain Zhou and I have already eaten in town."

Zhou Yi smiled and said, "This time when I came to Lianhua Town, I was able to completely satisfy my craving. I had a big bowl of braised pork, but Officer Zhao barely touched his chopsticks. I ate it all by myself, haha."

Officer Zhao also laughed: "Actually, I was just being polite, but I never thought you were really rude... Well, I'll treat you, Captain Zhou, to a meal. I don't have money for cigarettes this month."

"Okay, I'll treat you next time!"

Zhou Yi smiled and patted Secretary Zhao, then said: "No wonder those city people often go to teahouses to drink tea. It turns out that they really want to drink tea after eating too greasy food."

Lao Chen immediately said, "I have tea leaves."

"Old Chen, you should keep the tea dregs for yourself."

As he spoke, Secretary Zhao took out a tea paper bag from his bosom, poured out some tea leaves, and put them into the large teapot handed over by Dachun. As soon as hot water was poured, the room was immediately filled with the fragrance of tea.

"What kind of tea is this?"

Old Chen looked at the tea which was gradually getting darker in color.

Secretary Zhao said, "You haven't seen this before, right? This is called Pu'er, it's the best for removing greasiness... Hey, hey, hey, cover it, and let it soak for a while longer."

"Where were you arrested?"

Zhou Yi asked Ma Kai.

Ma Kai said: "I went to Mr. Jiang's house. I don't know what happened, but Qi Yue's men suddenly rushed out. Yuying tried to save me..."

"What are you doing at Mr. Jiang's house?"

"........."

"Captain Zhou, Ma Kai..."

"Let him speak for himself!"

Zhou Yi's face darkened.

Ma Kai hung his head and whispered, "Yingzi and I, Jiang Yuying and I knew each other before. Her husband died and she became a widow. After a while, we started to see each other again."

“Why don’t you report it?”

"They all know..."

Zhou Yi looked around at everyone: "Do you know about Ma Kai and Jiang Yuying's affairs?"

Officer Zhao said, “I don’t know.”

Old Chen said quickly, "I know a little bit... Captain Zhou, I think this is human nature. Ma Kai is unmarried and Jiang Yuying is a widow. As long as it does not affect work, it is allowed."

Zhou Yi was silent for a while: "Many things are defeated by details. You have to be extra careful when working behind enemy lines. Ma Kai escaped by luck this time. If he hadn't escaped, it would have had a substantial impact on the work team!"

Dachun asked, "What does substantiality mean?"

Zhou Yi said: "Ma Kai was arrested and you were forced to move. This is the substantial impact. Well, let's not talk about this for now. Tomorrow at noon, Secretary Zhao and I will go to the Dragon King Temple. Lao Chen and Ma Kai, you two will be responsible for the alert. Where are Xiao Wang and Xiao Wang?"

Lao Chen said, "We went to Shiqiao."

Zhou Yi said, "When he comes back, ask him to bring a few people to keep an eye on the situation in the town, especially the movements of the militia. If they block us in the Dragon King Temple, it will be troublesome... Secretary Zhao, do you have anything else to add?"

Officer Zhao said, "I want to emphasize one point. During this negotiation with Hong Tianlei, we must ensure Captain Zhou's safety no matter what. You may not know that Comrade Tiezhu, who was escorting Captain Zhou, was killed near the blockhouse."

Dachun was surprised: "Is Tiezhu dead?"

Zhou Yi nodded: "Actually, we arrived last night. The three of us stayed overnight at a fellow villager's home in Shiqiao Village, which is close to the Dragon King Temple. We had planned to go to the Dragon King Temple early this morning to check out the terrain, but we didn't expect an accident to happen."

"Have you checked the terrain?"

"I've seen it. I went there this morning." "Where's Tiezhu's body?"

"He was sent to the charity cemetery by the militia."

"Who could have done this..."

"The militia, the bandits, or the spies from Binjiang are all possible. I even suspect that there is a traitor among us."

Zhou Yi looked solemn.

Secretary Zhao said, "Dachun, tomorrow morning, take your camera and go to the funeral home, find Tiezhu's body, and take some photos. If you find something wrong, don't go."

Zhou Yi said: "When taking photos, focus on the subject. Don't take photos back, or you won't be able to see anything clearly."

Dachun said, “I understand.”

Ma Kai brought the rice bowls and poured tea for everyone.

Lao Chen took a sip.

Officer Zhao asked, "How is it?"

Lao Chen said, "Why does it smell like jujube?"

Secretary Zhao said, "Okay, I finally met someone who knows how to taste tea. Let me tell you, you can taste the jujube flavor. This is the characteristic of Pu'er tea. The longer the tea is stored, the stronger the jujube flavor will be."

Old Chen looked at the tea bag and said, "Tea from Yunnan is a specialty of western Yunnan. It's a long way to get here. Officer Zhao, where did you get it?"

Officer Zhao said with a smile: "Where did you get it from? Don't worry about it. I have to remind you that if you don't have oil in your stomach, don't drink it. The more you drink, the hungrier you will be."

Old Chen nodded: "I see, this is tea for rich people to drink. Poor people don't have much money to eat. It's good enough to have enough food."

"Save it for the New Year."

Secretary Zhao put the tea leaves into the drawer.

Zhou Yi picked up the bowl and took a sip of tea: "Also, Ma Kai's identity has been exposed, and he can't stay in Lianhua Town. After the mission is over, you don't have to come back, just follow me back to the team."

Ma Kai said, "I understand."

Officer Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Oh, there's something I almost forgot. Captain Zhou, I have to meet Li Yongxin early tomorrow morning."

Zhou Yi asked, "Li Shuli from the town government office?"

Secretary Zhao said, "Yes, that's him. Oh, it will only take an hour at most. It won't affect the negotiations with Hong Tianlei."

"Where is the meeting place?"

“It has not been finalized yet.”

……

10 o'clock at night.

All sounds are silent.

Officer Zhao tossed and turned.

Zhou Yi at the side said: "Are you making pancakes?"

Officer Zhao said, "You didn't sleep either?"

Zhou Yi sighed, "I can't sleep. When Tiezhu was fifteen, he followed Political Commissar Zhang and went through all the gunfire and hail of bullets. I didn't expect that he would die inexplicably after following me this time... Oh, how can I explain this to Political Commissar Zhang?"

Officer Zhao said, "This is an unexpected situation. Political Commissar Zhang understands... Hey, Captain Zhou, I always forgot to ask you, how did you get the sheep to drink the medicine? Didn't it find it bitter?"

Zhou Yi said: "You have to force it down your throat, even if it tastes bitter."

Officer Zhao laughed and said, "That's what I said. How could a sheep drink the medicine obediently? You really have a way. If it were me, I would just throw away the Chinese medicine if I knew it was poisoned."

"At the time, Political Commissar Zhang was very ill and had to use crutches to walk. I was at my wits' end, so I came up with this stupid idea: take a gamble. What if the intelligence was wrong and my treatment was delayed..."

Zhou Yi yawned and said, "Go to sleep. If you don't sleep now, it will be dawn soon."

(End of this chapter)