In the morning, Ji Tang came. asked Ji Guang and Yao Tiehammer to carry a can of tripe soup, saying that they specially invited a Linqing master to boil it all night and brought it to Zhou Yizhi and Zhang Mingyuan to try it. Eating it with the eight batches of fruit (1) he just bought, it really has a unique flavor. Zhang Mingyuan recognized at a glance that Yao Tiehammer, the little man carrying the jar, was the person who was wandering at the mouth of the alley yesterday, and guessed that it might be sent by Ji Tang to monitor, and the target could be Zhou Yizhi or Gu Xinyi, or both.

After eating and drinking tea in the hall for a while, Ji Tang handed two pieces of paper with dense characters written on them to Zhang Mingyuan, and stood next to him to explain which inn was in what location, who the shopkeeper of the inn was, and when he copied the list. Zhang Mingyuan nodded while watching, feeling that this Ji Tang was quite meticulous in doing things. But after reading all the names and check-in information, he couldn't tell which one was Dai Lin. Because there are no women's names registered on it, there are seven or eight single men, all of whom are between thirty-five and sixty years old. If she was dressed in men's clothes, she would not be over thirty years old. Zhang Mingyuan was silent and stared at the list for a while. In the end, it was decided to look at the single guests one by one, and in her usual style, she would not bring an entourage.

These people went out in three waves. Xu Xudong, Luo Sanneng, Ji Guang, and Yao Tiehammer walked together, and they were all in the store. Cao Ying and her fourth sister-in-law walked together, and they bought vegetables. Zhou Yizhi, Ji Tang, and Xu Hu drove to the processing plant. Zhang Mingyuan went out alone, and when he arrived at the door, he met a man of thirty-five or sixteen, and both of them couldn't help but look at each other a few times. Zhang Mingyuan wore light gray trousers that day, a blue-gray cardigan vest over a white shirt, and round-toed black leather shoes. The man was in a navy blue tunic and blue gray trousers, a black top hat with a little dust on his head, a beige scarf around his neck, and a small bamboo suitcase.

"Excuse me, does this family have the surname Zhou?" The man took off his hat and smiled politely.

Zhang Mingyuan nodded and said, "Yes, I'm out." ”

"Can you tell me where to find him?" The man was still smiling, "My surname is Lu, and I am his wife's second brother." ”

"He's in the processing plant. You can go in and rest for a while, you can wait for him, or you can wait for Lao Cao to come back and take you over. ”

"Oh, thanks for the pointers! My name is Lu Jiaxun and I work in a newspaper, what do you call me? ”

"You're welcome. Mr. Lu has worked the journey, please go in and rest. I still have something to do here, so I won't accompany you. Zhang Mingyuan said and stretched his arm inside, walking north along the alley. When he heard the surname Lu, he knew that it was the elder brother of Zhou Yizhi's second wife, Lu Jiayu, and although the outfit was a little dusty, his restrained eyes seemed not to be an ordinary literati. In particular, the upper part of the right hip bone is slightly raised, and it is obvious that he is carrying a weapon with him. While walking, I thought that when I came to Liaocheng, I would either ride a horse or a car, or take a boat. It is rare for people to rush overnight on dry roads, because the Japanese puppet army is particularly strict with night pedestrians, and it is difficult to pass if you don't know each other. If he had come by night boat, his eyes would have been tired. Unless it was the first half of the night, I was embarrassed to disturb Zhou Yizhi's rest before I came over after dawn, but it was already more than ten o'clock in the morning, and the time was not right. The biggest possibility is that he arrived before last night, but why didn't he see Zhou Yizhi for the first time? Coincidentally, he also came to Liaocheng at this time, will he also rush to Ma Liang?

The nearest is the northeast corner of the archway entrance quadrangle inn. When Zhang Mingyuan arrived, he was just in time for Chen Xiaodan to go out, and happily asked him if he was not used to living in the Zhou family and wanted to stay in the inn. He smiled and said that it was possible, and he went in to see the shopkeeper when he was done. Chen Xiaodan happily led him to the lobby, and the shopkeeper Wang asked him enthusiastically how many rooms he wanted and how many days he would live. He took out 5,000 fiat coins and put it on the counter, saying that he would first look at the guest registration book and be satisfied before staying, and then go to another house if he was not satisfied. The shopkeeper asked him if he was sent by the public to check the room, and when he shook his head, he took out the notebook under the counter. He saw that there were only two single guests above, aged fifty-two and fifty-six, from Sanmenxia and Heze, obviously very different from Dai Lin. There is a Shanghai Mr. Qian who checked in and checked out in the morning yesterday, and the three words "turnkey" are a little tidal in ink, and he guesses that it may be Lu Jiaxun. Without any clues, he put away the five thousand pieces and replaced them with ten, turned and left the inn. Behind him, I heard the voice of the shopkeeper Wang: "Little Dan'er, what's the matter?" Is this untenable? ”

Coming out of the Sihe Inn, Zhang Mingyuan turned directly to Loudong Street, close to Wenyue Building, and the Jiafuyuan Inn was also recorded on the list. When you enter the door, this house is relatively small, and there is obviously some stinky smell of gutters in the backyard. He left decisively, presumably it was impossible for a woman like Dai Lin who loved cleanliness to live here. When he went out, he met Kimura Hirokawa and Lin Pu, who were walking in with a dozen of his subordinates, nodding their heads to say hello with a smile, and then sat down at the corner tea shop. Wait about twenty minutes and watch the men come out and walk east. He went in again and pretended to stay in the hotel, and asked the shopkeeper why a soldier came, and whether he would be harassed if he would not rest well. The shopkeeper said no, those who were soldiers just looked at the room, and there were probably official guests looking for a place to stay in the city. He said stupidly that he was worried about living with those people, so he had to change places. The shopkeeper hurriedly said don't worry, there is a courtyard on Wangyuan Street that is also his house, and if you want to be quiet, you can live there, but because it is rare, the external price is a bit high. Zhang Mingyuan thought it was interesting, so he asked him to take it over to see it first, and he would live in a good environment.

After walking a distance of about four or five hundred meters, I arrived at the remote alley at the north end of Weicang Street, and sure enough, there was a courtyard. The house is a ">" corner of six houses, and a wooden fence more than one meter high at the bend divides the six rooms into two small courtyards, sharing a common gate, and at the end of the door is a tall bean tree (2). The shopkeeper said that the north side rented 80 yuan a day to a grumpy southern guest, and the south side could charge him 10 yuan less, but at least once pay three days of room money and two days of deposit. The front mention should be quiet, so as not to make an unpleasant noise over there. He took out five hundred and was taken directly by the shopkeeper, smiled and said that the change would be returned when he checked out, took out a bunch of three keys and handed it to him and turned around.

Zhang Mingyuan didn't plan to live, so he opened the door and went in to have a look, but he just thought that Dai Lin might live in this kind of house if he encountered it. The room is simply divided into three rooms, which are the bedroom, the living room, and the study. The bedding, tables and chairs, tea sets, water urns, bookshelves and chessboards are clean and clean. There is a stove and an aluminum kettle in the corner of the wall, which are cold, and there are briquettes in the corner of the cabinet, which are purely decorations. He sat cross-legged and listened intently for a while, but there was no one next to him moving or moving. He was going to leave, go to other inns, and come back in the evening.

When they returned to Zhou's house, it was almost evening, dinner had been prepared, and Zhou Yizhi and the others were standing and talking at the door of the side hall, and they were also waiting for Zhang Mingyuan to have dinner together. He said hello to everyone and went back to the room to wash, but found that someone had touched the gift box, and there were no items worth being careful in it, but it was not a good phenomenon to be turned over in broad daylight. I can't help but think of meeting Lu Jiaxun when I went out, and guessed that nine times out of ten it has something to do with him, Lao Cao will definitely put it next to the box if he wants to pack up his clothes, and he will probably be him, Lao Cao, the fourth sister-in-law, and the four nursing homes that never enter the guest room during the day today.

During the meal, there were only Zhou Yizhi, Zhang Mingyuan, Xu Xudong, Lu Jiaxun, and Lao Cao in the side hall. Zhou Yizhi introduced Lu Jiaxun, and everyone sat down. Zhang Mingyuan deliberately asked Lao Cao if he had moved his suitcase, saying that the money had been on him recently, and he would ask for it directly if he needed it. After finishing it, he asked Zhou Yizhi if he felt unwell today, and while eating, he said that he went to Loudong Street and the vicinity of the City God Temple today, and saw the military police and puppet soldiers inspecting the inns. Xiao said with interest that there might be some big people coming, and Liaocheng might be lively for a few days. Xu Xudong said that more than ten days later, it will be the annual March 18 Grandma Temple Temple Fair, which will be more lively. Several people chatted while eating, talking about interesting stories about temple fairs in various places, but Zhou Yizhi's face looked a little unhappy.

Not long after returning to the guest room, Zhang Mingyuan heard Zhou Yizhi lose his temper in the study: "Lack of money, right?" Take the money and go! Don't mess around with me! After a slight pause, he said, "I don't care about my political stance, and I won't participate." Sir is my friend and my benefactor, and this silver ring also knows. I don't allow anyone to use his brains, not anyone! Then there was a sound of footsteps, Xu Xudong and Xu Hu arrived in the study, and a few people whispered something, and the courtyard returned to calm.

Looking at his watch at nearly ten o'clock, Zhang Mingyuan gently came out of the room. In order not to disturb the rest of others, he jumped out of the back wall and walked north along Dongkou South Street. It didn't take long to come to the small alley north of Weicang on Dongkou North Street, and still climbed over the wall to enter the courtyard during the day, so as not to open the door and scare away the people inside. He stood under the bean tree and listened for a while, but when he didn't hear any movement inside, he approached the door gently. When he was still more than two meters away from the door, he suddenly felt the wind behind him, and he was just about to turn around when he heard someone shouting: "Don't move!" If I move again, I'll shoot! ”

He suddenly heard that it was Dai Lin's voice, and his heart instantly blossomed, and he stood still motionless.

"Who are you? What to do here? Dai Lin touched the back of his heart with the muzzle of his gun.

"Who are you? What to do in my house? He deliberately used her tone.

"What's your house? You're a bastard! Zhang Mingyuan! Why do you always cling to me? ”

"Huh? Sound so familiar? He pretended to hear her voice and turned slowly, "Yo! Isn't this Miss Dai Lin of the Military Command Bureau? ”

"Load! Keep loading! Look how I beat you to death! ”

"Hehehe, then let's fight. You've already been killed once on Petain Road anyway. ”

"Why do you have to haunt me? You're a jerk! Bummer! How many times have I told you? I'm not the one you're looking for! ”

"Yes, I know you're not Xiaoxiao, I knew when you fired that shot. But—" he wanted to say that he loved her all the same whoever she was, but it was too early to say so, so he shifted the subject, "do you know how much you resemble her?" It's so beautiful, so simple, how can you be willing to be a killing tool? ”

"It's my business, it's none of your business!"

"Who's to say no? How many good things do you have to be a killer? You look the same as Xiaoxiao, I don't want to see you exposed to the streets! Suddenly felt that it should not be said so cruelly, and changed his tone, "I know you didn't have a choice before, but now that I have me, I can take you away." Even if you still don't like me, it's better than dying. ”

"Shut up! Zhang Mingyuan, do you know what you're talking about? You and I are soldiers, and we have sworn allegiance to the party-state! Her tone was so cold that she was a little panicked.

"No, I've never been loyal to anyone! You don't need it either! We are flesh and blood men and women with feelings, and we can have ideals and ambitions, but we cannot become tools for others to compete for power. What's more, the old man you are loyal to will retire to the island in a few years, and this is a result that no one can change. ”

"You-nonsense!"

"I'm not talking nonsense, as long as you are willing to listen to me, I will tell you in detail about the situation in a few years or even decades." At this time, he sensed that there was someone outside the door, but he was worried that Dai Lin would run away when he went out to catch that person.

"Don't mess around, okay? I know you're trying to entangle me, but I really have a mission, and if I can't complete it, I'll die! ”

"No, you will never die if you listen to me. I can also help you kill the traitor Ma Liang, as long as you are willing to submit your resignation to Boss Dai when you are done. ”

"He won't agree, and I won't go with you!"

"There are no such things as absolute ones! It's just a matter of looking at the opportunity to become immature. There was a burst of sadness in his heart, the same as when he was shot in the face by her, the desolate feeling of brushing shoulders with death really didn't want to have a next time. Even if you kill me ten thousand times, I will look for you again ten thousand and one more, ten thousand and two times. ”

"Y-you scoundrel!"

"Yes, I'm a scoundrel! Can you give me a chance? Give yourself a chance to get to know this scoundrel as well. This scoundrel has been doomed to everything since he first saw you in Daming Palace (3), this scoundrel has loved you for more than ten years, and this scoundrel has traveled more than nine hundred times for you——" He was a little emotional, and inadvertently regarded her as Mu Xiaoxiao and Yu Wei.

"Stop talking crazy! I don't understand what you're talking about! ”

"Then let's sit down and talk slowly, until you understand."

"You're going to delay my mission!" She paused as she spoke, her tone was still so cold, "Zhang Mingyuan, let's go!" I'll think about it. ”

"Okay then, I'll go back to my room to rest first, and call me at any time when you think about it." He didn't know if her pause was moved by him or if he was worried that he would affect the plan. Turned around the bean tree, planning not to return to Zhou's house tonight.

"What are you doing? I'll let you go back to the front! Shouldn't your troops be in Jiangxi? ”

"Jiangxi is done. The nail of my left thumb was split, and Chief Wang gave me a month's vacation. ”

"That's—pure nonsense! You can't be here, you're going to influence me to do things! ”

"How big of a deal is it to kill Ma Liang? Believe it or not, I'll solve him for you in minutes? ”

"Don't mess around!"

"What? Is there really something going on inside? ”

"Do you want to care? It has nothing to do with your combat troops! ”

"Then you promise to have a good chat with me when you're done, and I'll leave."

"You dare to threaten me? Bummer! ”

"Whatever you scold, I'll sleep." As he spoke, he still walked towards the door of the house in the south courtyard. "Anyway, the room fee has been paid."

"Zhang Mingyuan!" She screamed, and when she saw him stop and turn around, she said lightly, "Okay, okay, you can go." ”

"Agreed?" He walked over to the fence and raised his left palm, "Then give a high-five." I'll change places to live again, and we'll go back to the capital together when we're done (4). ”

"You!" Although she looked very angry, she walked over and stretched out her right palm to smack him gently, and turned back to the room with a stumbling face, her mouth still not sparing him, "Scoundrel! Rogue! Bastard! ”

Although he saw that she was angry, his heart was much more stable, and he turned around and walked to the gate, but suddenly swept out from the side of the gatehouse. At this time, the person outside the door was gone. He jumped up and down a few times on the ridge of the next Weicang, and saw a figure running south along the side of the road in the distance. continued to jump south along the ridge of the house, and when he got closer, he could see that the person was Xu Hu by his figure, so he didn't chase him.

On the ninth day of the third lunar month, Zhou Yizhi planned to meet the seller of the land in Qilipu again, and wanted to ask Zhang Mingyuan's opinion before breakfast. Before he could speak, Zhang Mingyuan spoke first. Ask him if Xu Hu has reported anything, it is an important task related to his friends, and it is best not to pass it on. He was confused, Xu Hu hadn't said anything so far, so he shook his head at Zhang Mingyuan. Zhang Mingyuan looked at him puzzled, then looked at Xu Xudong next to him, and then asked Cao Ying to call Xu Hu over.

Xu Hu entered the house and walked to Zhang Mingyuan first and called "sir", and then stood beside Zhou Yizhi with his hands down.

Zhang Mingyuan took out five hundred fiat currency from his trouser pocket and gently patted it on the table. looked at Xu Hu and said lightly: "Xu Hu, it's no good to hear something that shouldn't be heard, if it is spread out and delays other people's things, it will definitely be harmful." ”

"Yes, yes, sir, Xu Hu knows." Xu Hu lowered his head.

"It's good to know, don't hurt others for a momentary curiosity, when the time comes, it will hurt yourself and hurt me and your young master. Just like this money, the value depends on who owns it. You see. Zhang Mingyuan said and blew lightly on the table, and the money turned into powder and flew out and scattered on the ground.

"What Mr. taught me is that Xu Hu understands, Xu Hu understands." Xu Hu was so frightened that his scalp exploded, and he didn't see how the money was torn apart.

"Adong, you went to see Sun Zhixiang after dinner, the one on the right side of the Japanese when we had dinner together last time. Ask him to meet him in the evening, and the place will be determined by him. After Zhang Mingyuan finished speaking, he smiled and looked at Zhou Yizhi, "Yizhi, what did you just want to say?" Let's eat and talk, shall we? Hehe, a little hungry. ”

"Okay, let's go to the side hall." Zhou Yizhi smiled and stood up to the side and said, "I want to ask Mr. to take a look at the land in Qilipu, 950,000 yuan?" ”

"I'm really not good at business. Why don't we see? Zhang Mingyuan said and walked out.

Zhou Yizhi and Zhang Mingyuan walked in front, and Cao Ying, Xu Xudong, and Xu Hu followed.

In the morning, Xu Xudong first went to the military camp in the north of the city, and said that he would meet Yueju in Houcaishi Street in the evening. Then go to the processing plant to pick up Ji Tang, and after returning to the city, pick up Zhou Yizhi and Zhang Mingyuan, and a few people rushed to Beiqilipu. In the car, Zhang Mingyuan asked Ji Tang, it seems that he hasn't seen Black Friday for a few days, if there is anything he needs help with. Ji Tang smiled and said that there was something wrong with the third aunt's house in Wuxi, and if he couldn't leave, he asked Black Friday to help for a few days, and it was estimated that he should come back in three or five days. He also asked Zhang Mingyuan how he was going, and whether he was optimistic about where to invest in the shops, and he could find someone to help. Zhang Mingyuan shook his head and asked them about local customs.

The seller saw that Zhou Yizhi liked the land very much, so he pulled the price harder, and refused to give up a dime. Zhou Yizhi asked him what the two of them thought, and Ji Tang felt that it was necessary to do it as soon as possible, and if someone else took the lead, he would be passive. Zhang Mingyuan noticed that the person was always inadvertently aiming at Ji Tang, feeling that there was something famous in it, and asked him to think about the exam again.

Seeing that it was already noon, Zhou Yizhi proposed to have a meal first, and then see if there was any other suitable place to set up a factory, he really didn't want to wait any longer. Ji Tang said that he would just eat casually in the north of the city, and go back to talk to the person in Qilipu, where it is more convenient to be close to the small canal for sewage discharge. Zhang Mingyuan didn't speak, and listening to their conversation, he felt that Ji Tang was selfish and selfish, and it was too unseemly to discharge sewage into the river. It's just that he didn't know it if he wasn't familiar with it, and he didn't want Zhou Yizhi to listen to him. When he was about to arrive at the north gate, Zhang Mingyuan suddenly saw Lu Jiaxun, coming from Sun Zhixiang's military camp, and asked Zhou Yizhi what he was doing. Zhou Yizhi hesitated slightly, saying that he might be doing chores at a newspaper office, and asked Xu Xudong to stop and call him to eat together.

It's quite interesting for these people to eat together, Ji Tang is busy greeting others like the master, and he almost doesn't stop pouring wine and food. Zhou Yi's heart was full of things, and he was always interrupted by Lu Jiaxun. The Lu family asked Zhang Mingyuan about the details of the matter, and Zhang Mingyuan said what kind of dishes were delicious, and asked Zhou Yizhi from time to time if he was right. Coming out of the hotel, Zhou Yizhi asked Lu Jiaxun whether to go back or look at the house together, Lu Jiaxun knew that they were going to find land to build a factory, and asked him why he didn't look for it near the city, and it was convenient to use electricity and water. Zhang Mingyuan thought that what Lu Jiaxun said was reasonable, and smiled and agreed. He looked at Ji Tang again, and Ji Tang said that the cost would increase, and it would be inconvenient for trucks to enter and exit. Lu Jiaxun said that there is a piece of land next to the Beilin Forest, which is very close to the canal wharf and the city gate, and it is only a few steps to the grain company, and there is no need to set up a separate store.

So, everyone rushed to the east gate outside the city wall next door to the stele forest, the geographical location is indeed very advantageous, although the place is a little smaller, the office area should not be a problem to compress appropriately. Zhou Yizhi immediately decided to sell here, and went to the county party headquarters to inquire about the ownership of the land while the iron was hot. When he arrived at the entrance of the county party department, Lu Jiaxun said that there was something else to do, took a step in advance, got out of the car and left. It just so happened that Dong Hua was there, and it didn't take long to find out that the land belonged to the public, so he arranged for someone to measure and go through the formalities. After getting things done in the dark, Zhou Yizhi directly arranged for everyone to go to Sanqingyuan next to him for dinner. Zhou Yizhi was happy, the matter that had been troubled for several months was finally solved, and he frequently toasted Zhang Mingyuan and Dong Hua, and gave each person five percent of the shares. Dong Hua didn't expect such a big benefit, and immediately said that all the procedures would be handled by him, and pulled Zhou Yizhi and Zhang Mingyuan to say that they were their own people several times, and they were smiling all night. Zhang Mingyuan remembered that he had made an appointment with Sun Zhixiang, and he left halfway through the banquet. Ji Tang also smiled all night, his face was obviously a little unnatural, and he drank a little too much. When everyone left, Ji Tang insisted on not letting him go, and wanted to go by himself. Zhou Yizhi had no choice but to send Dong Hua first, and then go home to rest.

It is not a big teahouse for the moon residence, but the furnishings are exquisite and elegant. Sun Zhixiang arrived early, and sat in a conspicuous place in the hall with the adjutant, with two guards behind him. Zhang Mingyuan went over and sat down on the opposite side with a few polite words, his eyes deliberately scanning the guards behind him. He coughed dryly twice, and the adjutant and the guards went out. Zhang Mingyuan got up and asked the waiter to change the pot of hot tea, and after the two of them were full, they took out the prepared 100,000 fiat coins and put them in front of him, and then sat down and looked at him. He glanced at Qian and asked lightly, "What does Mr. Jiang mean by this?" Sun doesn't know how to do tea business! ”

"Don't talk in secret in front of the Ming, there is news that a commissioner named Ma Liang from Nanjing will come to Liaocheng recently, and I want to know the specific schedule and the list of entourage." Zhang Mingyuan said bluntly.

"Why are you looking for me? Is Mr. Jiang a military commander or a central commander? ”

"It doesn't matter. It is reported that these people may turn Liaocheng into a battlefield again, presumably Commander Sun doesn't want to see the lives ruined, right? If Head Sun can help verify the accuracy of the news, someone will naturally intervene at that time. If this really quells a military disaster, I believe that many people will thank Commander Sun for his righteous deeds. ”

"Well—" Sun Zhixiang pondered for a moment, then smiled, and reached out to put the money on the table into the inner pocket of his jacket, "Although Sun is a reckless man, he is also patriotic." ”

"That's, that's natural. The opportunity is fleeting, please ask Head Sun to arrange it as soon as possible. If there is news, send someone to Donggujia Hutong to tell you below. ”

"Well, Sun will start this matter when he returns to the camp. Dare to ask Mr. Jiang if there is another arrangement? Jiang Jun's name should be a pseudonym, right? ”

"Hehehe, yo, this tea is really fragrant. Head Sun, please have tea. The name of this pair of Yueju teahouses ......"

Leaving the Yueju Residence, Zhang Mingyuan went to the courtyard on Weicang Street again and met Dai Lin. Naturally, she inevitably scolded her coldly, and complained that he shouldn't let outsiders get involved in her affairs. He had no choice but to say with a hippie smile that he would put the news next door, and gave her a key, deliberately explaining to help her complete the task, but in fact, he waited for her to finish her business early so that he could chat with him. It makes sense to say this, but it also causes her to be coquettish again.

Note: (1) is a similar fried pasta, named because it is divided into eight sticks. (2) Neem tree, the fruit is oval or nearly spherical, yellow when ripe. (3) The main hall in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty is known as the palace of a thousand palaces. The text refers to an area in the northern suburbs of Xi'an. (4) A sub-capital other than the capital, also known as a secondary capital. This refers to Chongqing.