The prayer hall was empty, except for a man in a black tweed coat and a black tweed hat in his left hand sitting in the third row.

As soon as he entered the hall, Chu Yun recognized this person as Chen Zhiyuan. She looked up at Ouyang Fu, Ouyang Fu's eyes calmly fixed on the holy icon in front of her, stretched out his hand to wrap his arms around her waist, led her to the seat in the fifth row and sat down, folded his hands, and prayed sincerely.

After a while, Chen Zhiyuan stood up, drew a cross on his chest, and walked towards a small door behind the small altar on the right. Three minutes later, Ouyang Fu stood up and said very softly, "Follow me." Then he made a cross on his chest and walked unhurriedly to the small door. Chu Yun followed closely behind and stepped into the small door, inside the door was a narrow corridor, through the black corridor, turning a small corner, facing a thick wooden door. Ouyang Fu stood sideways by the door, motioned for Chu Yun to stand behind him, raised his hand and knocked lightly on the door, the wooden door creaked open, and a faint light poured out of the door.

Chen Zhiyuan stood at the door with a smile and said, "Come in." ”

Chu Yun walked in after Ouyang Fu and found that this was a confessional room, and in the dim light stood a foreign priest in a black robe, it seemed that this was Father Leopold.

The priest nodded slightly, "Please follow me." ”

Turning to the back of the cubicle, he pushed open a smaller door and stepped inside.

Ouyang Fu, Chu Yun, and Chen Zhiyuan then rushed in, followed Father Leopold up a narrow staircase for about twenty steps, and came to a room that looked like a storage room. Chu Yun walked to the only window in the room, looked down, and found that this was the attic of the church, just behind the spire of the church, very hidden.

Father Leopold stood in the middle of the room and watched them with a calm expression, and Chen Zhiyuan introduced him: "Father Leopold, these two are Mr. and Mrs. Yehnara Qiyan. ”

Father Leopold nodded knowingly, smiled and said, "Mr. Yehnara is dignified and extraordinary, and his wife is even more graceful, and they are truly a pair of immortals. ”

Ouyang Fu smiled slightly: "I have heard that Father Leopold is kind and helpful, and we are deeply honored to have Father Leopold's great help this time." ”

Father Leopold was a kind-faced middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a black robe with a cross on his chest. He had been talking to them quietly, softly, but clearly.

"Me and Jean? Mr. Louis is a good friend, and Mr. Chan is also a good friend, but I am not friends with the Japanese, and I despise the Japanese aggression very much. I am a man who serves the Lord, I love my Chinese parishioners very much, I cannot tolerate such cruelty of the Japanese on Chinese soil, I am willing to help you, in the name of the Lord, Amen! ”

Ouyang Fu said sincerely and firmly: "I am very grateful for your friendship and help to the Chinese people, although our country is still in a very difficult period, but we will not be overwhelmed by the temporary tyranny of the Japanese, we will continue to resist until the Japanese invaders are completely driven out of China's territory." Father Leopold, we need the help of friends like you, your help is very important to us. ”

"I will do my best to help you, Mr. Ouyang, if there is anything you need me to do, please tell me directly." Father Leopold's eyes lit up.

Ouyang Fu and Chen Zhiyuan glanced at each other, and Ouyang Fu said to Father Leopold, "You introduced us to Jean?" Mr. Louis, it has been a great help to us, and we are here today to thank you and to learn a little more about Masao Takahashi. ”

The priest pondered for a moment and said, "There is very little information I can provide about Masao Takahashi, and I have not met him either. I just heard from Mr. Louis that he was also very interested in Chinese calligraphy and painting, and that he had visited the Plum Garden several times since he came to Tianjin, but each time it was very secret, and no one knew about it beforehand. ”

"Does he bring a lot of entourage with him every time he comes to the plum garden?"

"Yes, I heard Louis say that he has to bring a lot of gendarmes with him every time."

"Do you want to bring it into the plum garden?"

"No, most of them are outside the gate. Jean was a Frenchman, and this was the French Concession, and he would not welcome so many Japanese military police into his house. But I once heard him say that Masao Takahashi had two personal guards, and it was said that they were very powerful, and they never left Takahashi's side, and every time Takahashi Masao came, everyone else stayed outside, and only these two people stayed with him.

"Thank you, Father, thank you so much for helping us so much!"

"Mr. Ouyang, please don't be so polite, there's only so much I can do. Tomorrow night I will send you to the Plum Garden to introduce you to Monsieur Louis in person, but I cannot accompany you to the evening in the Plum Garden, because tomorrow night is Christmas Eve, and many parishioners will come to the church for the event. ”

"I understand that we don't want you to stay in Plum Garden either, it's safer for you."

"In addition, Mr. Ouyang, I have a private request, I don't know if I should talk about it or not?"

"Tell me."

"Me and Jean? Mr. Louis has been an old friend for many years, and I know him well. He was just a collector of Chinese culture, and he didn't have any political leanings himself. He met Masao Takahashi when he was in Beiping, and at that time Masao Takahashi was still an ordinary Japanese businessman, and they only had a common language in liking Chinese calligraphy and painting, and did not have any political contacts.

Although I don't know what will happen in the plum garden tomorrow night, I would like to ask Mr. Ouyang, please don't hurt Jean? Mr. Louis. I vouch in the name of the Lord that He is a good man. ”

"Please rest assured that we will never hurt Mr. Louis, we will ensure his personal safety, and I believe that the Japanese will not hurt him either."

"Thank you!"