Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

Let's go back to the third quarter of midnight on the twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month.

The official road outside the south city was deserted. On the snow, two sets of footprints of varying depths branched off from the official road onto a deserted country dirt road, which was soon covered by fresh snow.

Old Wu and Xiao Wu both disguised themselves today, making them completely unrecognizable.

Old Wu wrapped his worn sheepskin coat tighter around himself, his left hand still tucked into his sleeve, the gunshot wound throbbing painfully in the cold. Little Wu followed three steps behind him, also bundled up tightly, only his eyes showing as he warily scanned his surroundings.

"Uncle Wu, it's just ahead." Xiao Wu lowered his voice and pointed to the outline of a group of buildings that could be vaguely seen in the distance. "Warehouse No. 3 is at the very end, next to the river."

Old Wu nodded without saying a word. The two squatted down in the withered grass by the roadside. Xiao Wu took out a pocket watch wrapped in black cloth from his pocket and glanced at it in the reflection of the snow. It was two o'clock in the morning, the time when people are most tired.

"Where is Hu Chou Chou tonight?" Old Wu asked.

"Our men are watching him at Ruyi Casino," Xiao Wu said, putting away his pocket watch. "Given his usual habits, he won't come out until he's lost every last penny in his pocket, at least until five o'clock."

"It takes half an hour to ride a horse from the gambling den to the warehouse," Old Wu squinted. "We have at most two and a half hours left."

This is a pattern that other comrades have figured out. Hu Chou Chou's real name is Hu Shou Cai. He was born in the Fengtian Army. He got this nickname because he had bad luck at the card table and would twitch the corner of his mouth when he lost.

This person is greedy, addicted to gambling, and suspicious, but it must be said that he has excellent sportsmanship when it comes to gambling! He accepts his losses and will actually keep his word if you beat him at the card table.

When Zhou Zhengnan handed the task over to them, Lao Wu knew that a direct assault was the worst possible strategy. Although the warehouse in the southern suburbs was not a regular military camp, the soldiers in Hu Chou Chou's company were all veterans who had followed him. Their marksmanship might not be accurate, but they were ruthless killers. The warehouse's only entrance had sandbags, an old-fashioned Maxim gun, and searchlights on both sides, which would scan the area every fifteen minutes at night.

"We have to make him willingly sell the goods to us," Old Wu said, pointing to the warehouse sketch.

And so this situation came about.

At 10 p.m. on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, Xiao Wu disguised himself as a shop assistant of a fur merchant from outside the pass, and with ten silver dollars in his pocket, he walked into the Ruyi Gambling House. Hu Chou Chou was playing Pai Gow with several local merchants at the card table, but his luck was bad and he had almost run out of silver dollars.

Xiao Wu didn't rush forward. He first took a stroll around the gambling den and tried his luck at the dice table. He won three rounds in a row. He was loud and laughed ostentatiously, which quickly caught Hu Chou Chou's attention.

"Kid, you've got good luck." Hu Chou Chou walked over with a bowl of wine, his triangular eyes sizing up Xiao Wu. "Unfamiliar face, from beyond the Great Wall?"

"Reporting to you, sir, I came from Fengtian with the shopkeeper to collect some hides." Xiao Wu nodded and bowed.

Do you know me?

"Who doesn't know Commander Hu?" Xiao Wu said, stuffing five silver dollars into Hu Chuchu's hand.

Hu Chou Chou took the money with a slight smile on his face: "You get things done. What does your boss want?"

"I just want to get a few top-quality mink furs from the warehouse. It's almost the end of the year, and the gentlemen in the capital like them." Xiao Wu rubbed his hands together, looking ingratiating. "The price is negotiable, as long as they're genuine."

Hu Chou Chou narrowed his eyes: "The goods in the warehouse are all military supplies."

"Yes, yes, I understand." Xiao Wu leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Our boss said to add 30% to the market price, and settle in silver dollars now. Also..." He pulled out a small cloth bag from his sleeve and gently pushed it over. "The money you just gave me for gambling is for your tea."

Hu Chou Chou opened the cloth bag, inside were five more shiny Yuan Shikai silver dollars. His lips twitched slightly, a sign that he was tempted.

"At the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), bring your boss to inspect the goods." Hu Chou Chou stuffed the silver dollars into his pocket. "Only two people are allowed. If there's even one more, I'll have a machine gun."

At this moment, Lao Wu and Xiao Wu were squatting in the snow, waiting for this very appointment.

"Uncle Wu, is it possible?" Xiao Wu asked in a low voice. "What if Hu Chou Chou goes back on his word?"

"Hu Chou Chou is a madman, with an extremely shameless medical history. He's only honest at the gambling table," Old Wu said, flexing his frozen fingers. "Let's wait and see."

This is a lesson Lao Wu learned at the pawnshop in Shanxi: Some people, if you talk to them about business, they'll act like thugs; if you act like thugs, they'll start talking about rules. Scoundrels like Hu Chou Chou are most susceptible to this.

At 1:15 AM, the snow fell even harder.

The two got up and continued along the dirt road. After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, they saw lights ahead – searchlights on the warehouse watchtower.

The two walked one after the other through the snow toward the warehouse gate.

"Halt! What are you doing!" came a shout from the guard tower, followed by the sound of a gun being cocked.

Xiao Wu raised his hand and shouted, "Sir! We're fur merchants from Fengtian, invited by Commander Hu to inspect the goods!"

There was a moment of silence on the watchtower, then someone poked their head out, looked around, and shouted, "Wait!"

After a while, the side door of the warehouse opened a crack, and a soldier wearing a military overcoat poked his head out, holding a lantern: "Just the two of you?"

"Just the two of us," Old Wu said in a thick Shanxi accent from beyond the Great Wall. "Where's Commander Hu?"

"The commander has something to discuss. He instructed you to inspect the goods first." The soldier glanced at them a few times, then stepped aside. "Come in, but don't look around."

Old Wu and Xiao Wu exchanged a glance. Sure enough, Hu Chou Chou wasn't there. This was both a good thing and a bad thing.

The good thing is that without the main figure, the subordinates are easier to fool; the bad thing is that if something goes wrong, these soldiers might deny responsibility.

It was colder inside the warehouse than outside. In the dim light, you could see dozens of wooden crates of different sizes piled against the wall. Some were sealed, while others had been opened, revealing the furs inside.

"Is that all?" Old Wu pushed up his glasses and walked closer to take a closer look.

"What you want to see is still inside." The soldier led them around a pile of boxes to the deepest part of the warehouse, where a separate area was separated by a canvas. When the canvas was lifted, thirty long wooden crates were neatly stacked inside, each numbered from one to thirty in red paint.

Old Wu frowned and shook his head: "This isn't mink fur."

The soldier was taken aback: "What?"

"Commander Hu said it would be top-quality mink fur, but these boxes," Old Wu tapped one of the wooden boxes, making a dull sound, "sound like they're filled with hard goods, not fur."

The soldier's expression changed: "Our commander said this is all we have. Do you want it?"

Old Wu pondered for a moment: "Sir, we value integrity in business. If Commander Hu is truly in trouble, and this batch of goods isn't just leather, just say so, and we can discuss the price. But if you try to fool us like this," he took a deep breath, "we've come all the way from Fengtian, not to be taken advantage of."

The soldier stared at Old Wu, his hand stealthily reaching for the holster at his waist.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves and a commotion came from outside the warehouse.

"The commander is back!"

Old Wu immediately gave Xiao Wu a wink, and Xiao Wu understood. He quietly took a half step back and secretly reached for the lining of his cotton-padded jacket with his right hand.