The Republic of China: I, Xiangzi, a Hero in a Chaotic Era

Zhang Kui understood immediately, and a deeper smile spread across his face.

"Yes, Chief. Don't worry, I'll handle this perfectly for you. I guarantee I'll find you a truly respectable and well-mannered old nanny."

Liu Jiaxiang nodded slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Zhang Kui's statement.

He turned his gaze back to Xiao Fuzi and her mother on the ground, his voice softening slightly:

"Get up. The ground is cold."

The mother and daughter, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, helped each other up with difficulty from the cold floor tiles.

Their knees were still throbbing from the sudden kneeling, but they dared not rub them. They simply stood with their hands hanging down, their bodies still tense.

Liu Jiaxiang's gaze lingered briefly on them, as if assessing them, before shifting to the layout of the main room. He hesitated for a moment, then spoke:

"You and your daughter will live in the side room on the south side of the west wing. It's not big, but it'll be enough."

He instructed it as if it were a trivial matter, then took out two silver dollars from his pocket and placed them on the edge of the octagonal table, making a crisp sound.

"Take this money. Go back to the street and buy some everyday items like bedding, bowls, chopsticks, soap, and other odds and ends."

"If you need anything, just buy it yourself. I'll have someone deliver rice, flour, grains, oil, vegetables, and meat to the house regularly."

The two large, white silver dollars stood out starkly against the dark tabletop.

Xiao Fuzi and Wang Xiue felt dizzy as they looked at the silver dollar.

Money again. The master not only gave them wages, but also money to buy things? This huge, one-after-one "blessing" did not make them happy; instead, it made their hearts heavy, as if a heavier stone was pressing down on them.

They owe the director a debt they'll probably never be able to repay in this lifetime or the next.

"Thank you... thank you, sir..."

The mother and daughter's voices were still trembling, filled with immense fear and unease.

Liu Jiaxiang waved his hand, seemingly unwilling to say anything more.

He stood up, his tall figure casting a shadow in the main room.

He straightened the hem of his crisp police uniform with a swift and decisive movement, and said to Zhang Kui:

"Let's go back to the station."

"Yes, Director."

Zhang Kui immediately responded and stepped aside to make way.

Liu Jiaxiang strode towards the outside of the main room, his steps steady, without glancing at Xiao Fuzi and her daughter again.

Zhang Kui followed closely behind, glancing back quickly at Xiao Fuzi and her daughter before stepping out the door.

Fifteen minutes later, in the office of the chief of Xisi North Police Station

Zhang Kui stood in front of Liu Jiaxiang's large mahogany desk, his brand-new patrol officer uniform making him look straight and tall.

He bowed slightly, a hint of relief on his face as if he had completed his task, and his voice, though deliberately low, was clear enough.

"Chief, Hai Gouzi's territory has been set up again. It's right here in our Xisi North area. As you instructed, the brothers are all on high alert and will take extra care of it. Everything will be fine."

Zhang Kui paused, observed Liu Jiaxiang's reaction, and then reported.

"Also, Hai Gouzi has taken care of the matter concerning the coachman Zhao San."

"Tomorrow morning, the complaint that Zhao San has signed with his fingerprint will be delivered to the Second Police Station on the right."

Liu Jiaxiang was looking down at a file when he heard this. He looked up from the page and his gaze fell on Zhang Kui's face.

His eyes were calm and expressionless.

"How is Zhao San now?"

"Don't worry,"

Zhang Kui answered immediately, his tone confident.

"Sea Dog has hidden him very well. It's a godforsaken place; no one but Sea Dog and his two henchmen can find him. It's absolutely foolproof and won't mess up your plans."

Liu Jiaxiang tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the file, making a soft tapping sound. He nodded slightly.

"very good."

He put down the file and leaned back in the wide chair.

"Go call me a car. I'm going to the police station now."

"Yes, Director."

Zhang Kui answered decisively, bowed to Liu Jiaxiang again, then turned around, walked briskly out of the office, and gently closed the door behind him.

Silence returned to the office. Liu Jiaxiang's gaze fell back on the case file, but he didn't look at it closely; his fingers simply continued to tap unconsciously on the smooth desktop.

A moment later, he stood up, straightened the hem of his crisp black police uniform, and the epaulettes gleamed coldly in the indoor light.

Soon, a rickshaw stopped at the gate of the courtyard.

Zhang Kui jogged in to report.

Liu Jiaxiang didn't delay any longer. He picked up the police cap from the table, put it on, and walked steadily out of the office and across the courtyard.

He got into the rickshaw, the driver pulled the handle, and the wheels creaked as they rolled over the cobblestones, heading towards the Second District Police Station.

At this moment, in the office of the police chief of the Second District Police Station, Chief Zhang Tiancheng was leaning back in his large mahogany office chair. His well-maintained face was glowing with excitement, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes had smoothed out considerably.

He had just hung up the phone, his fingertips still trembling slightly.

The message from the other end of the phone was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting all his ambitions—his patron, Sun Wenlin, the Vice Minister of the Interior, had clearly informed him that the position of Director of the General Affairs Department of the Beijing Police Department would soon be vacant, and that he should "prepare in advance."

Zhang Tiancheng knew perfectly well what was going on.

Given his seniority and his strong connection with Vice Minister Sun, securing this position was not out of the question.

The essence of "preparation" can be summed up in just one word:

Money. Lots of silver dollars.

His mind raced, calculating rapidly.

As long as Vice Minister Sun nominates someone, the Minister of the Interior will naturally agree. However, the "gift" must be substantial; that's the rule.

Secondly, the benefactor, Vice Minister Sun, also needs a tribute commensurate with the weight of this "ladder to heaven."

Then there's the Chief of the Capital Police Department. Even if Vice Minister Sun vouched for him and got him the position of Director of General Affairs, if he couldn't be appeased, his future days in the Police Department would definitely be difficult and he would be hindered at every turn.

Add to that the inevitable welcoming and farewell ceremonies before and after a promotion, the banquets and favors to smooth things over... Zhang Tiancheng quickly estimated in his mind, and a heavy number appeared in his mind.

Without at least 20,000 to 30,000 silver dollars, you absolutely cannot get past this hurdle.

A surge of heat and an accompanying sense of urgency rushed to his head.

Money. He needs money, he needs quick money!

Almost instinctively, Zhang Tiancheng reached out to grab the phone and dial the number that held the most weight in his heart at that moment—Liu Jiaxiang, the director of the Xisi North Police Station.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the cold, black bakelite receiver, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Zhang Tiancheng withdrew his hand and tried to calm his rapid breathing.

The door was pushed open, and a clerk respectfully poked his head in.

"Reporting to the Director, Liu Jiaxiang, the head of Xisi North Police Station, requests an audience."