20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 883 Rumors
"Snapped!"

The chess piece slammed heavily onto the chessboard, causing the oil lamp to vibrate and make a crisp sound.

Guan Wei sat cross-legged in front of the kang table, his eyes gleaming. He took a deep breath and shouted, "General! Let's see what you can do to me!"

Gong Baonan held the chess pieces upside down in his hand, looked at them for a while, and then silently picked up a "red horse" and trampled a "black cannon" on the chessboard.

Guan Wei was stunned for a moment, looked at the other side, then at his own, and pondered for a long time before coming up with a solution.

However, when the pieces were moved again, the momentum from before was completely gone.

This cycle continued, with red and black exchanging blows for several more rounds, until Guan Wei's expression gradually became serious.

"Wow! Seventh Brother, I didn't expect your chess skills to have really improved after just a few years!"

"It's okay, I'll play two more games with you, and my skill level will have regressed."

"Damn it, even a country bumpkin can't curse as badly as you!"

"Alright, enough talk, let's log off!"

Gong Baonan placed a pawn on the chessboard, and then suddenly piled the black pieces in his hand on the kang table, as if the whole game was over.

Seeing this, Guan Wei sensed something was wrong and hurriedly stretched out his hand, grinning shamelessly, "I'm neither winning against heaven nor earth, every step I take will be a step I'll regret!"

Gong Baonan did not stop him, but his gaze kept drifting out the window.

Although the pieces have been retrieved, the situation is already set in stone, and it's not something that can be reversed by taking back a single move.

Guan Wei's brows furrowed deeper as he stared at the pawn on the chessboard, unable to find a solution. He muttered to himself, "Damn, I was careless! The pawn has crossed the river and is now faster than the chariot. This is really troublesome! It's infuriating!"

Gong Baonan asked impatiently, "Why are you talking so much nonsense when we're just playing a game of chess?"

Guan Wei ignored him, pondered for a long time, and then suddenly said with a grin, "Seventh Brother, let me back down a couple of times!"

"I'm not playing anymore, it's smelly and lazy!"

"Tsk, I was letting you win, and you're getting cocky! Come on, let's play another round, this time I'm serious!"

Gong Baonan waved his hand, looked out the window again, and said, "I'm really not playing anymore, I'm starving. Why isn't your wife back yet?"

Guan Wei set up the chess pieces as he pleased, still urging, "There's a market today, the last one before the New Year. It's normal to come back late. Why bother with her? You're just killing time anyway, play another game!"

Unexpectedly, just as they were talking, the sound of a door being pushed open came from the courtyard.

Gong Baonan craned his neck to look and saw Xiao Cui walking hurriedly. He couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "It seems like something has happened."

Sure enough, as soon as Xiao Cui entered the house, before she even had a chance to put down her vegetable basket, she shouted, "Oh no, oh no, something terrible has happened!"

The two brothers were stunned. They looked at each other, and Guan Wei immediately complained, "Seventh brother, with that mouth of yours, you'd better find a doctor to take a look at it tomorrow!"

Immediately afterwards, he hurriedly asked Xiao Cui what had happened.

Xiao Cui, usually quite capable and not one to be easily frightened, was now flustered, her eyes wide, and she exclaimed, "The master is dead!"

"What?" Gong Baonan immediately jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed).

Guan Wei jerked slightly, but couldn't stand up. He used his hands to support himself as he turned around and hurriedly asked, "You...you say it again, who died?"

"The master is dead!"

"How did you die?"

Xiao Cui took a breath, swallowed, and quickly replied, "I heard people on the street saying that the boss was holding some kind of lecture in Daxiguan today, but an assassin sneaked in and shot him twice. He fell down on the spot, and the stage was covered in blood."

Guan Wei flew into a rage, slammed his fist on the kang table, and shouted angrily, "Damn it, who did this?"

"How...how would I know?"

"Are they brothers from the Qin family?" Guan Wei immediately turned to look at Gong Baonan. "Hey, Seventh Brother, why are you being so clumsy with your work?"

Gong Baonan did not argue, but instead asked Xiao Cui, "Did you see it with your own eyes?"

Xiao Cui said, "That's what everyone's saying on the street: the boss was shot twice, once in the shoulder and once in the stomach..."

"I'm asking you if you saw it with your own eyes!" Gong Baonan interrupted sternly.

Xiao Cui stood there stunned for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No...no, but that's what they all say. The city gates are all sealed off now, and there are government officials everywhere on the streets, searching house to house. I've never seen the government make such a big fuss before!"

Where is that person now?

"It must have been at Shi Hospital. Many people saw the Jiang family's car drive in that direction."

"I'm going out to check. You two stay home and wait for me."

Gong Baonan acted immediately, putting on his cotton boots and cotton robe. Just as he was about to leave the room, he suddenly remembered something and quickly turned around to remind him, "Sixth Brother, be careful, don't let me slip out."

Guan Wei nodded in response, immediately gathered up the chessboard from the table, dumped it all into his trunk, then grabbed his cane, and, supported by Xiao Cui, hurriedly followed behind Gong Baonan all the way to the gate of the courtyard, giving him urgent instructions:
"Seventh Brother, hurry up! Once you get to the hospital, come back and tell me as soon as you have any news!"

"I probably won't be back tonight, let's talk about it tomorrow morning!"

"Huh?" Guan Wei quickly asked, "It's the Lunar New Year, all the inns should be closed. If you don't come back, where will you stay?"

Gong Baonan waved his hand: "Oh, don't worry about this trivial matter!"

Before he could finish speaking, he walked out of the courtyard without looking back.

Guan Wei leaned against the door, watching Lao Qi's figure gradually disappear into the distance. Then he lowered his head, looked at his two crippled legs, and sighed softly, "Alas! There's... there's nothing I can do to help!"

Xiao Cui said, "Alright, what's the use of nagging about this now? Go back to your room and rest!"

"How about... you go through the trouble of going to the Jiang family again and asking about the situation?"

"what?"

Xiao Cui gazed at the pitch-black night outside the door, seemingly hesitant: "But it's so late, there's not a soul in sight except for the officials, and there just was a shooting..."

"Hey! There are government officials all over the streets, what are you afraid of?"

"What I fear most are them. The police and criminals are in cahoots; who wouldn't be afraid?" These days, the fear of officials is deeply ingrained in the people.

Let alone today's scene, even under normal circumstances, law-abiding citizens would tremble with fear and quickly detour to avoid the officials when they encountered them on the street.

Xiao Cui was, after all, a woman, and Guan Wei couldn't force her. After thinking it over, he had no choice but to go back inside and hope that Lao Qi would return soon.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the two entered the house, a loud banging sound came from the yard.

Xiao Cui thought that Seventh Master had left something behind, so she hurriedly turned around and went to answer the door.

When the gate opened, two men in peaked caps and uniforms stood outside.

The two men had batons strapped to their waists and rifles slung over their shoulders; the older one was also holding a household registration roster in his hand.

Xiao Cui instinctively took a step back and asked in a low voice, "Sirs, what is it?"

The two old men didn't answer, but walked into the courtyard as if no one else was there. They glanced at Xiao Cui, sneered, and asked, "What's your name?"

"Jiang Cuicui".

It is only natural for a slave to take his master's surname.

By the dim light, the two old men checked the roster for a moment, then asked, "Isn't there another person named Guan Wei in this household?"

Xiao Cui nodded and said, "Yes, he's inside."

Upon hearing this, the two old men immediately strode towards the main house without saying a word.

Xiao Cui followed beside her, not daring to stop them, but timidly smiled and said, "Officers, are you sure you've made a mistake? This courtyard belongs to the Jiang family. It's all their relatives living here, and there are no outsiders."

"Ha, so you know I'm here to investigate the shooting?" the older Chai said. "What do you know, you old woman? This is called 'the darkest place is under your own nose'! You can guard against anything day or night, but it's hard to guard against a thief within your own family. The government is handling a case, what are you wasting your breath talking about!"

Young Lao Chai was skeptical, but said, "The Jiang family's relatives are all rich people. Would rich people live in a shabby little courtyard like yours?"

As they spoke, they arrived at the entrance of the main house.

Hearing the commotion, Guan Wei hurried out to greet them and said a few polite, flattering words.

The young man, Old Chai, looked at him—almost fifty, leaning on a cane—and knew perfectly well that this man couldn't possibly be the assassin. Yet, he still asked with feigned seriousness, "Are you Guan Wei? Were you home around 10:30 this morning? You didn't go for a stroll in Da Xi Guan, did you?"

"Daxiguan?" Guan Wei shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Sir, look at my legs. I can barely get into bed all day. Why would I run from the east side of the city to the west side? There are markets around here. What's the point of running so far?"

"Don't try to talk your way out of this, or you'll regret it!"

Young Old Chai smirked, exuding an air of authority, and then asked, "Have any strangers visited our home recently?"

After saying that, without waiting for the host's reply, he forced his way into the inner room and pretended to look around.

Once inside, the light was much brighter.

Holding the household registration roster, Old Chai finally saw Guan Wei's face clearly. His brows furrowed instantly, as if he had suddenly remembered something. He would glance at Guan Wei every now and then, looking somewhat surprised, but he remained silent.

In contrast, the young Lao Chai was quite boastful, talking a lot of nonsense and asking a whole bunch of questions, and he kept asking the same question over and over again, as if he had to find something wrong with it.

Guan Wei is a seasoned veteran; how could he not guess what he was thinking?
Even when Lao Chai is serious about handling cases, he doesn't stop extorting money and favors. Once you're inside, if you don't offer him some bribes, he'll definitely stay there and refuse to leave.

Seeing this, Guan Wei quickly took out some banknotes and stuffed them into the official's pocket with a smile: "You two officers have worked so hard, coming out to handle cases even during the New Year. Here's a small token of my appreciation, please take it and use it to buy yourself a couple of packs of cigarettes later."

After giving to the young people, they went on to give to the older ones, using the same excuses.

Old Chai didn't stand on ceremony with him and accepted the food offered as a sign of respect. However, after receiving the money, his eyes remained fixed on Guan Wei's face.

"Hmm! Why do I feel like you look familiar?"

"Is it?"

Guan Wei chuckled and flattered, "Perhaps we've met before. Please forgive my poor eyesight, but I really didn't recognize you. But you can't blame me for this. You're a police officer, handling cases on the streets and seeing countless people, yet you have a photographic memory. I'm just an ordinary citizen; I really don't have your abilities."

"No!" Old Chai said, "Don't flatter me like that. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before, and I remember you quite well... Where was it again? Hey, I always mention it! This is the Jiang family's courtyard, and you're a relative of the Jiang family... Hey, more than twenty years ago, there was a really arrogant sea owl in Fengtian. What's your relationship with him?"

A person's name, the shadow of a tree.

In Fengtian today, although no one mentions the sea owl anymore and young people have never heard of it, the older generation still has a vague impression of it.

Guan Wei was surprised that anyone would recognize him. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Never heard of him. I'm just a poor, distant relative of the Jiang family. I'm not worth mentioning. I came to Fengtian for help, and it just so happened that Boss Jiang had a small courtyard that was empty, so he let me stay there. I wouldn't dare to presume to do so!"

Old Chai said, "Impossible! I'm sure I've seen you before. Although I don't know your name, I remember you so vividly back then, I can't possibly be wrong! The Sea Owl, you're not very tall, and you always have that scarred guy by your side. You were always following them around! I saw you guys several times in Huifang Lane. You were so impressive. I was still in school back then, and I was so envious of you!"

Upon hearing this, his companion exclaimed in surprise, "My goodness! You went to Huifangli when you were in school? Dude, you started your education really early!"

Old Chai ignored him. Mentioning the sea owl brought back a clear image of the creature that had been fading from his mind. He said firmly, "You were definitely there back then. If you don't believe me, let's ask the old folks in the city. They'll definitely know you. What was your rank again?"

Seeing this, Guan Wei denied it a few more times, but when he realized he couldn't hide it any longer, he nodded and said, "I'm sixth in line."

"See? I told you so!"

Old Chai was very proud and, in front of his companions, began to talk about how the sea owl had lived back then. Then, he suddenly remembered something, frowned, and said, "That's not right. I heard those seniors say that you died in the year of the Xinhai Revolution, didn't you?"

"Uh... I cancelled, I cancelled!"

"Faking death to survive, retiring from the life of a criminal, and living out one's old age in peace—what great wisdom!"

Old Chai, seeing the person he had admired in his youth, was also filled with emotion. He looked around for a moment and then said, "It's just that the conditions here are a bit poor... Hey, since you're Sixth Master, you must be a close relative of Boss Jiang. He's so rich, why didn't he get you a better house?"

Guan Wei looked very uncomfortable and quickly said, "Sir, I'm quite comfortable here. Let's not bring up the past anymore!"

"Hey, let's chat!" Old Chai suddenly suggested. "Sixth Master, I know a few retired seniors who are still alive. Should I help you get in touch with them sometime and arrange a drinking party for you old guys?"

"No, no, no, thank you for your kindness, sir! But look at me, I've finally retired, and I'm quite old. I don't want to get involved in any more trouble. I just want to live out my days in this little courtyard. I hope you'll grant my wish!"

"Oh... I understand! It's not easy to escape unscathed in this world. Don't worry, this matter is settled with me!"

Old Chai solemnly promised that he would keep his mouth shut and would never reveal anything about Sixth Master's affairs—but that's a lie.

(End of this chapter)