On the evening of February 24, in Suzhou, the private residence of a former salt merchant is now the place where the Golden Dragon Golden House hides Jiaojiao. Walking into a black lacquered gate, inside is a small garden that covers an area of not much, only more than two acres of land, but it took a little effort and financial resources to build a unique garden. Flowers and trees are sparse, rockeries are standing, and ancient trees are towering. The winding paths are paved with stones and are made of various patterns such as the joy of the eyebrows and the wealth of the jade hall. The main house behind the rockery is a three-bay open hall built entirely of nanmu. Walking through this open hall, the backyard is three main rooms, hanging a black lacquer gold plaque written by the Ming Dynasty calligrapher Wen Zhengming: Listen to Yuxuan.

In the west room of the main room, the record player played Suzhou Pingdan's "Jade Dragonfly", and on the couch, there was a chubby man in his fifties, wearing a moon-white cardigan, with gray hair neatly pulled back, except for the occasional anger in his eyes, he looked like a rich man in the land of fish and rice in Suzhou and Hangzhou.

On the other side of the Luodian gold kang table, on the other side is a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, whose skin is better than snow, her eyes are like autumn water, and her eyebrows are like spring mountains. If it weren't for the heavy makeup on his face and the overly gaudy pink brocade cheongsam, it would be very beautiful. The young girl skillfully burned opium smoke.

An apprentice tiptoed in and said, "Master, someone is asking to see you outside." ”

The golden dragon frowned impatiently and waved his hand: "No see, no see." Can't you keep me clean for a few days? Who is so powerful, how did they find this place again? ”

"Master, I'm back to that person, you don't see the guest for a long time. But the man said please look at this, and you will see him. ”

Boss Huang had no choice but to put down the cigarette gun and take the note handed over by the apprentice, on which there was only the last four sentences of Du Fu's five-character poem "Ascending Yueyang Tower": "Relatives and friends have no words, and the old and sick have a lonely boat!" Rongmaguan Mountain North, with Xuan Si Liu! ”

He was taken aback, this was the last four lines of a poem in a secret letter he wrote to Du Yuesheng in Chongqing a few days ago, and he only quoted the first four sentences at that time. Who's coming? He could only order quietly: "You invite the guests to the open hall in front of you, and say that I will go immediately." ”

Zhou Chengbin calmly followed the apprentice who greeted the guest into the three open halls in the garden, his steps were not hurried or slow, and his demeanor was calm and leisurely.

The apprentice offered tea and invited Zhou Chengbin to sit down. Zhou Chengbin picked up the cloisonne lid cup in the Kangxi period of the Qing Dynasty and took a sip. After a while, Boss Huang, who had changed into a gray tribute satin robe and a black tuanhua facsimile satin jacket, walked out with square steps. He looked at the visitor: he was in his early thirties, with a Chinese face, a tall figure, wearing a high-end suit, and he was handsome. Under the gentle and polite appearance, the golden dragon, who had read countless people, saw the sharpness and determination that could not be concealed in the eyes of the visitors. He smiled slightly and said, "Sir, your surname?" We've never met, haven't we? ”

Zhou Chengbin met his gaze, smiled indifferently, and replied: "Your surname is Zhou, Zhou Chengbin, the head of the Shanghai Station of the Military Command Bureau of the National Government." ”

Zhou Chengbin?! It is the most wanted criminal of the imperial army in the Songhu area, the legendary Zhou Chengbin who is passed on by Shanghai citizens! Although he knew that the comer was not good, Boss Huang was still surprised!

Zhou Chengbin, who was calm and relaxed, compared with the golden dragon who was slightly panicked when he heard the identity of the visitor at first glance, he had a great tendency to dominate the guests. Boss Huang quickly adjusted his mentality and sneered: "Shanghai is the world of the Japanese, and so is the area around Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Yangjia, since you have arrived here, do you still want to have a chance to get out?" Now that the military, police, and gendarmes are chasing you, what do you want to do by throwing yourself into the net? Don't forget, I am a Japan-China goodwill ambassador personally appointed by General Okamura Ninji, and I am a good friend of the Imperial Army. ”

Zhou Chengbin's smile was still unfazed: "It's also a pleasure for guests to come on a cold night." Boss Huang's hospitality is really not flattering. In the face of a senior like Boss Huang, Cheng Bin didn't dare to come empty-handed, and had two meeting gifts to give away. Would Boss Huang like to take a look? ”

Boss Huang was stunned for a moment, so he had to say, "Okay, I'll see what you brought?" Forgive you for not having the ability to go to heaven and earth. ”

Zhou Chengbin unhurriedly handed over a piece of rice paper, a white newspaper, and two photos. There are a few lines written on the rice paper, and a Su style character, which is charming and strong. Boss Huang didn't care about appreciating it, and was surprised when he took a closer look.

In July last year, an apprentice in Guò, a golden dragon tong, sold a large quantity of Western medicine at a high price, and the buyer was a Korean who claimed to be from Manchukuo. These lines are exactly the price, quantity, place of delivery, payment method, etc., which are not so detailed that the person who handles it will never know. The white paper contained a testimony written by a man named Cheng Bo, proving that the business was indeed handled by himself.

Boss Huang picked up the photo, and one photo was a photo of himself and Cheng Bo. The two sat opposite each other, and the place was the current golden house of the Tibetan Jiaojiao - Tingyuxuan!

Another photo shows a man wearing the uniform of a lieutenant colonel of the National Army of the Republic of China, and this person is Cheng Bo.

Zhou Chengbin said: "Commander Yan of the Fifth War Zone asked me to convey my gratitude to Boss Huang for him. The batch of Western medicine provided by Lieutenant Colonel Guò Cheng has been used in the Battle of Taiyuan. ”

Boss Huang's heart tightened for a while, if these things are put in front of the Japanese, they will be out-and-out enemies! In fact, when doing this business, he did not suspect Cheng Bo's identity, but the surname Cheng was generous, and the price was 20% higher than that on the market at that time. Since ancient times, wealth has been rescued in danger. He pretended to be ignorant and allowed his eldest apprentice to close the deal. I was a little worried afterwards. It's been more than half a year, and when he finally thought that this considerable profit could be safely pocketed, Zhou Chengbin, the plague god, came to the door!

Not to be outdone, Boss Huang said coldly: "You want to coerce me?!" My surname Huang has never been coerced in my life! You ask. Hum! When I ran the rivers and lakes and hit the docks, you still ate milk! Young man, the people in the rivers and lakes are talking about the word 'righteousness', and Huang doesn't want to do things to the end. Let's go, I'll treat you as if I haven't seen you today! ”

These words were soft and hard, but Zhou Chengbin still had a faint smile: "Boss Huang is serious." Cheng Bin came here because he had heard that Boss Huang was righteous and came to ask for advice. How do you mention the word 'coercion'? Boss Huang put the national righteousness first and assisted Lieutenant Colonel Cheng in providing medicines for the anti-Japanese national army, which was a benevolent and wise move. Cheng Bin admired. ”

"You don't talk to me! It's a big deal that I confessed to the Imperial Army that I was being used by someone, and I made a big mistake without investigation. With my Huang someone's friendship with the imperial army, I may not lose my head! And you, huh! There is no hiding place for death! Don't think you're great if you have two hits. I'm not afraid to tell you clearly: this Tingyuxuan seems to be a rich and gentle town, but it is actually a land of tigers and wolves! I dare not say that there are more than two dozen masters. I'm afraid you won't be able to come or go! Besides, wouldn't it be a great achievement for me to hand you over to the imperial army? Just a Western medicine business, are you still afraid that the imperial army will not understand? ”

Zhou Chengbin smiled and replied: "Boss Huang, don't forget: China is not dead!" ”

"So what? I only know that the current Songhu and Hangzhou are the world of the Japanese! ”

"In the 21st year of the Republic of China, the Songhu War of Resistance, the Japanese devils shouted for three months to destroy China, nine years have passed, and China has not perished; After the July 7 Incident, the Japanese devils were ashamed and once again clamored for the destruction of China within a year, and it has been almost four years now, and China is still not dead! I advise you to leave a way back for yourself, yourself, your family, and your disciples! ”

The Sino-Japanese war has fallen into a protracted stalemate, and it is not yet known who will die, Boss Huang is not worried about his future fate, otherwise he would not have written a letter to Du Yuesheng in Chongqing to test it. But what is this person doing in front of him? Does he have what it takes to protect himself? How could he trust this man's sincerity?

Zhou Chengbin saw the hesitation of the golden dragon, slowed down his tone and continued: "I heard Dongting water in the past, and now I go to Yueyang Tower. Wu Chu is in the southeast, and Qiankun floats day and night. Boss Dai was very moved when he heard that Boss Huang quoted these poems in his letter. said to Boss Du: Who can avoid vulgarity in the thoughts of the old people? As long as Boss Huang still remembers that he is a Chinese, we will not forget that when we arrived in Shanghai at the beginning of the year, Boss Huang should take care of him. Boss Dai ordered Cheng Bin to hand this over to you. The four lines of poetry recited by Zhou Chengbin are the poems of Saint Du Fu, a poem written by Boss Huang to Du Yuesheng to express his remembrance of his old man and his depressed mood.

Zhou Chengbin took out a double-folded certificate from the inner pocket of his suit and put it on the coffee table. Boss Huang took it, opened it, and couldn't help but be happy in his heart, this was exactly an amnesty order that he had been thinking about for a long time, and the issuer was actually Jiang Zhongzheng, the supreme commander of the Chinese Theater of Operations, and the countersigned was a three-word handwritten letter that he was very familiar with: Dai Yunong.

With this amnesty order, Huang Jinlong hesitated again and again, how could Zhou Chengbin not see it? I didn't urge, so I took the time to pick up the lid cup and taste the tea. Finally, Boss Huang asked, "What do you need me to do?" ”

"Cheng Bin wants to borrow Boss Huang's Far East cruise ship. Zhou has always admired Boss Huang and will never put his friends in danger. I promise that I will never let the Japanese know about this. Afterwards, it was all over again. This is my prepaid boat fare. Zhou Chengbin took out five gold bars.

Just a few gold bars, the golden dragon doesn't pay attention to it, what he needs is his own safety, now and in the future, he needs it. He pondered for a long time and asked, "How can I trust your sincerity?" ”

Zhou Chengbin said word by word: "My sincerity is not important. What is important is the sincerity of Boss Dai. ”

The golden dragon hesitated again and again, in the troubled times, the left and right sources are the way to survive, and finally nodded and agreed: "Okay, I, Huang, have made a friend of Stationmaster Zhou." ”

This novel is from Reading Rim