The driver moved two large bags of rice noodles into the front hall of Fang's house, and according to Ming Lou's instructions, he said to Xie Peidong, who came to thank him: "Deputy Director Ming asked me to send it, he won't come in to disturb, please stay." ”

Xie Peidong naturally refused, took off his apron, and followed the driver out.

In the evening, he received a call from Ming Lou, saying that he had been short of food recently, and he was afraid that the Fang family would not have enough food to send some, but he didn't expect it to be so much at that time.

It was dark, Ming Lou was waiting in the car, and when he saw Xie Peidong coming out, he rolled down the window and nodded at him, which was a hello.

Xie Peidong came over and pulled the car door directly, not only thanked him, but also said that dinner was almost over, and insisted on inviting Minglou to come in and sit down.

Minglou excused: "How can there be a reason to eat just after sending food?" ”

Xie Peidong said: "There is no more food to eat, the ceremony always has to be said, you send such some food, we don't invite you to drink a sip of tea, it can't be said." ”

Minglou didn't want to "excuse himself" anymore, got out of the car and let the driver go home for dinner, saying that he could go back by himself in a while.

Entering the courtyard, Xie Peidong did not take Ming Lou into the small building of the Fang family, and the two went straight to the small bamboo forest.

Only a little light could be seen in the bamboo forest, and the bamboo shadows were dullly connected.

Xie Peidong took Minglou to stand still in a hidden place, and said, "While the governor and Meng Wei haven't come back yet, I'll make a long story short." Comrade Minglou, what is your relationship with Comrade Cui Zhongshi? ”

Ming Lou thought that Xie Peidong was looking for him with something important, but he didn't want to wait for him to inquire about himself, he was slightly stunned, and asked, "Did something happen?" ”

"He asked me to deliver a letter to you." Although Xie Peidong said this, he didn't take the letter, just looked at Minglou motionlessly. His gaze is very determined, and most people who are unstable will show their feet under such a gaze.

Fortunately, Minglou is not that kind of person, even if he has all kinds of thoughts in his heart, the surface is still faint.

He said, "Yes, we're old acquaintances. ”

"It's a violation of discipline to be on different fronts and to liaise with each other." Xie Peidong reiterated.

Ming Lou nodded and said, "But you still brought the letter." ”

Seeing through by Ming Lou, Xie Peidong couldn't hide it anymore, took out a folded note from his pocket, but still didn't hand it to Ming Lou, and insisted: "I have already told Cui Zhongshi about discipline, but he is my subordinate, I need to know your relationship before I write to you." ”

Hearing this, Minglou could conclude that Fang Mengwei had helped him keep the secret that Cui Zhongshi was Mingtai. Of course, Mingtai will not be stupid enough to expose himself, he is very good.

But Ming Lou still asked knowingly: "What did he say?" ”

"He didn't say anything."

"Well, I'll tell you." Ming Lou paused for a moment and said solemnly, "He used to be my subordinate, in an earlier time. ”

Xie Peidong was stunned, he had never thought of this answer - it was obviously he who developed Cui Zhongshi into a member of the Communist Party in the first place.

He asked incredulously, "How?" Before I developed him, he was—"

"It's that the previous front is no longer suitable for him." Ming Lou took over meaningfully.

Xie Peidong stopped talking.

When Cui Zhongshi had an accident, the organization asked him to find Minglou, and since then, he has been suspicious. Because with Minglou's identity, he should not easily expose his identity to other comrades on the line for the sake of such a level of situation.

Now that I think about it, it seems that all the doubts have been answered.

It's just that if Cui Zhongshi is a subordinate of Minglou, then his skills are not just a little bit of dealing with people and cheating on the accounts, and he has not even noticed it at all for so many years. Even he hid it, it seems that not only Cui Zhongshi is capable, but the wisdom of the organization is also unfathomable.

"He didn't have the surname Cui originally." Xie Peidong is not stupid.

Ming Lou smiled: "Does this matter?" ”

Xie Peidong nodded approvingly: "You did the right thing, you don't have to tell me, and I don't need to know." He had no intention of inquiring, so he handed over the letter in his hand.

Ming Lou intended to enliven the atmosphere, took the letter and exaggerated: "I haven't seen you for many years, and he didn't even cover an envelope?" ”

Comrades send messages to each other in coded language, so there is no difference whether there is an envelope or not. Xie Peidong knew that it was Minglou's joke, and smiled cooperatively.

"You've seen him lately, how is he?" Ming Lou seemed to ask casually.

"I've been to see it once, it's been boring for too long." Xie Peidong shook his head, "The spirit is not very good. ”

The two couldn't help but fall silent again.

Yu Minglou, Mingtai is a soldier who can even draw a gun against his eldest brother for the sake of national righteousness, and he is his dearest and beloved younger brother.

As for Xie Peidong, Cui Zhongshi is a brave man who would rather die than transfer the embezzled money to the organization's account, and he is a comrade who has been with him for many years.

So they know best that he is not a person who can ignore the chaos of the outside world and be willing to hide in a square inch and steal peace, which tortures him more than death.

Ming Lou gently shook off the letter, took out the lighter and lit the fire, and looked at the words on it in the light of the fire, and couldn't help but laugh without looking at two lines.

I thought it was some complicated code word, but it turned out to be his original crossword puzzle game.

Mingtai was addicted to playing for a while when he was a child, and he refused to speak well, and he was forced to take a small book to convey his meaning in words, and there was an extra note on the desk in the study from time to time, and the core meaning conveyed was nothing more than three words - "I want to buy".

This kid has grown so big, and he still comes with him, but he is sure of him.

It's just that...... What he asked for this time, can he give it himself?

Minglou's smile faded and he frowned lightly. He put a corner of the letter into the flame, and watched as the whole sheet of paper burned to ashes little by little.

Fang Mengwei approached the living room briskly, still maintaining the good mood when he broke up with Ming Lou in the afternoon.

Later, after going to the hospital, he went to the garrison headquarters and asked about the follow-up treatment of the grain truck blocked at Zhushikou.

Xie Peidong sent dinner to Fang Buting early, Cheng Xiaoyun was cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks in the restaurant, when he heard the sound and came out, he saw the gauze on Fang Mengwei's forehead, and exclaimed: "Meng Wei, are you injured?" What's going on? ”

Fang Mengwei touched his forehead and smiled: "It's okay, Aunt Cheng." I accidentally touched it, and it will be fine in two days. ”

Cheng Xiaoyun looked at Fang Mengwei and was skeptical, but when the child was older, if he didn't want to say it, he couldn't ask, so he didn't delve into it anymore, and asked instead: "Have you had dinner?" ”

As soon as he heard this, Fang Mengwei's stomach immediately cooperated with the call twice, but he made up his mind not to hear it, and said, "I have eaten it, and I ate it at the garrison headquarters." As he spoke, he was about to go upstairs.

This lying Cheng Xiaoyun can't turn a blind eye anymore. How can you eat dinner at the police station at the garrison headquarters for a week? I had never seen the yamen so generous before.

"No," Cheng Xiaoyun didn't pierce it, but just stopped him, "Eat some more, and make new white noodles and green onion cakes in the evening." ”

"White noodles?" Fang Mengwei was stunned, "When will there be white noodles at home again?" ”

Recently, food has been tight, and their family can barely eat cornmeal for more than half a month, although it is much better than other families.

"Deputy Director Ming sent a lot of them in the evening, and you can eat for a while."

"He sent it?"

Cheng Xiaoyun nodded.

I thought that Fang Mengwei would be happy, but who knew that he asked with a suspicious and worried face: "Where did he get the grain?" ”

Cheng Xiaoyun naturally didn't know: "He gave it to my aunt, why don't you come and eat something first, and ask him when my aunt comes back." ”

Fang Mengwei seemed to be able to smell the fragrance of the green onion cake, but he still couldn't eat it with peace of mind immediately, he swallowed his saliva: "You wait for me, I'll come down immediately!" With that, he quickly turned around and went up to the second floor.

When he returned to the room, he immediately dialed Ming Lou's home, waited for a few seconds, and heard Ming Lou's voice from the earpiece as he wished.

"Mr. Ming, it's me." Fang Mengwei's tone unconsciously brought intimacy, "I heard about the grain, thank you." ”

"You're welcome." Ming Lou's voice was faint, "What did your injury doctor say?" ”

"Don't worry, it's fine." Fang Mengwei hurriedly responded, caring about the matter of food, "It's you, where did you get so much food, you gave all the food to our family, do you have enough to eat yourself?" ”

Hearing this unabashed concern, Ming Lou smiled silently on the other end of the phone and said, "I just have one mouth, and I can't eat too much." As for the grain, I bought it from the black market, and your father is in charge of the Beiping branch, so I guess most of them want to lead by example, and would rather cut off the grain than trade with the black market. ”

Minglou was right, but Fang Mengwei was still a little embarrassed: "Also...... It's not as exaggerated as running out of food. ”

"There's a mirror in the room, right?" Ming Lou asked.

"Yes, what's wrong?"

"Go and take care of it, and see how much your face has lost weight."

In the face of Ming Lou's ruthless penetration, Fang Mengwei raised his hand to touch his cheeks, which were indeed much thinner, the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose, and he laughed stupidly.

When Ming Lou heard this laughter, his expression became subtle and complicated, and he breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Don't thank me too much, I won't give you food in vain, and I have to work for you to run errands, and send some to Cui's house." ”

When Fang Mengwei heard this, Zhengse said: "Well, that's for sure, you can leave it to me." "Even if Minglou doesn't say it, he will do it.

"Okay," at this point, Ming Lou was very relieved, "I'm sorry for you." ”

Fang Mengwei nodded, and couldn't help but smirk: "What are you polite to me." ”

I thought I would be teased, but who knew that Minglou then said: "Is there anything else?" Listening to the tone, it seems that there is no intention to talk too much.

Fang Mengwei was stunned for a moment, and hurriedly said, "Oh, no, it's okay." ”

"Okay, goodbye." After Ming Lou finished speaking, he hung up the phone without hesitation.

Fang Mengwei pinched the microphone and listened to the short busy sound in a daze, feeling a loss in his heart. He knew that Minglou was busy and didn't plan to pester him all the time, but he always wanted to gossip a few more words, or two.

He has never been a person who likes to chat about idle days, but somehow, when he came to Minglou, he was reluctant to talk about things, and Minglou's decisive act of hanging up the phone seemed to be pulling up an invisible boundary, which he didn't like.

But Minglou still cares about him, and the phone is answered, everything is what he wants.

So what's not to be satisfied with?

yes, what's not to be satisfied with......

Fang Mengwei asked himself incomprehensibly, forgetting that he was even hungry for a while.

On the other side, Ming Lou hung up the phone and pressed the waves in his heart together. There are too many things waiting ahead, and he rarely stops on what has already been decided.

What needs to be decided urgently at this moment is Mingtai's request. Although Minglou knew that his younger brother was uncontrolled and was not a subordinate of a good leader, he never expected that Mingtai would take the initiative to open his mouth to him, and he did not hesitate to play the emotional card in order to ask for a task.

Mingtai clearly knew that the organization would not arrange any tasks for him for the time being.

Helplessly, he knew that what he wanted, his eldest brother would always give him.

Ming Lou struggled for a long time in his heart, and finally sighed, locked the doors and windows, took out the secret radio station that had not been used for a long time, and sent a report to his superior, Secretary Dong.

After that day, Fang Mengwei found that Minglou had lost contact again, and he could hardly see anyone, and I heard that it was because of the arrival of Director Ji that Minglou was able to unload the burden of the General Economic Department, and the focus of his work shifted to the Beiping Station of the Secret Bureau.

Recently, the activities of the city's spies have become more and more rampant, the search for the Communist Party has been put on the surface, and there have been several assassination bombings against democrats, all of which are the masterpieces of the Beiping station.

Fang Mengwei had no right to intervene in the actions of the Secret Bureau, and only once did he help clean up the aftermath of the explosion and witness the tragic situation of the dead and wounded, so he hated the assassination even more.

If you want to say that there is the "credit" of Minglou here, Fang Mengwei doesn't believe it, but after all, what kind of situation is also necessary to ask clearly.

But he went to Minglou's house to look for it, and the next person always said that Mr. was not there.

Fang Mengwei realized that something was wrong, it seemed that others could know Ming Lou's whereabouts, but he couldn't catch him at all, why was this?

Fang Mengwei panicked for a while. He used to always think that Minglou lived nearby, and he could find it at any time if he wanted to find it, but now he realized that as long as Minglou didn't go home, he would not be able to find it, not to mention that Minglou came to Beiping alone, without worry, if he left quietly one day, he might not know anything.

He would never allow that to happen. As a result, Fang Mengwei began to pay special attention to the movements of Minglou's house, asked almost every day, and even found out the exact time when the old mother commuted to and from work, and finally one night, he found that the window of Minglou's house was lit for a long time, Fang Mengwei was so excited that he didn't even care about dinner, and when he went home, he stopped the car and hurriedly ran to the door of Minglou's house to ring the doorbell.

The old mother soon answered the door, and Fang Mengwei pointed to the window with the light on: "I'm always at home today, right?" ”

The old mother looked embarrassed, asked him to wait, and said that she would go and report it.

Fang Mengwei keenly caught the ambiguity in the other party's expression, but he stubbornly turned a blind eye and urged her to go quickly.

The first thing he wanted to say when they met had already been thought out, and he wanted to ask where Minglou had been hiding these days, and he couldn't find it alive or dead, and how he planned to pay for it.

If he was going to prevaricate with another meal, he would ask him to cash in on what he owed first.

As for the matter of the Secret Bureau, let's ask later, in case it is not good to ask too much and make Minglou unhappy.

Fang Mengwei pondered, expecting to make his face glow.

Seeing the old mother coming out of the house, he couldn't even wait for her to get closer, Fang Mengwei raised his feet and entered the courtyard.

The old mother hurriedly walked up to stop him: "Deputy Director Fang, I'm really sorry, I just went in, and Mr. Ming is busy ......"

"Busy?" Fang Mengwei smiled, "It doesn't matter, I'll go in and wait for him." ”

The old mother had no choice but to tell the truth: "Mr. Ming said, please go back, it is inconvenient for him to see you." ”

"Inconvenient?" Fang Mengwei's eyes couldn't help but widen in disbelief: "Are you sure, he really said that?" ”

The old mother nodded: "It's the original words, you see that you come every day, and I don't dare to talk nonsense." ”

Fang Mengwei couldn't hold back his smile: "Then did he say when it was convenient?" ”

The old mother lowered her head and became more and more cautious: "Mr. said, it's been too messy recently, let you ...... in the future Don't come. ”

Too messy? Oh, it's a good reason why Beiping City won't be chaotic one day.

Fang Mengwei had nothing to say, he only felt ridiculous, snorted coldly, turned his head and left, but the moment he stepped out of the door, the coldness on his face instantly turned into grievances.

The suspicions and uneasiness in his heart, those things he insisted on refusing to believe, were all confirmed at this moment. Ming Lou is indeed avoiding him, no, not hiding, but not wanting to see him at all.

What is so glad to know him in Peking, and the same as before - it's all a lie.

When I thought that Ming Lou had probably planned it a long time ago, first coaxed him, and then found a way to get out, my heart felt cold.

I used to see Minglou deceiving others, but I only felt that it was amazing, and finally it was my turn to be deceived one day.

Why did this to him? Did he do something wrong after all?

Fang Mengwei aimlessly found a flower bed and sat down, he didn't know what was wrong with him, but he was not allowed to enter the door, and he had also experienced a more impersonal refusal than this, why this time it was like being drunk as a slap in the face, and he didn't even have the strength to walk home.

Together with that little bit of rejection anger, it also dissipated with his strength, as if the pride, self-esteem, and spirit that he had relied on for more than twenty years to survive, the shell that had been born to follow him and protect him, and which he had never been aware of before, suddenly shattered at this moment, shedding a self that he did not know at all.

This man was new and fragile, creating an irrational surge of heartache that overwhelmed him, leaving him with nothing to do but let the tears pour out.

The wind at the end of November was blowing like a knife, Fang Mengwei was originally young, and he only wore a thin coat to run around all day, but at this time, it was so cold that he couldn't stop shivering.

But he didn't even want to raise his hand with the simple act of tightening his coat, and let the dry cold wind whirl in his ears, and looked at the weeds by the roadside steadily.

Looking at it, he suddenly realized that since the day he met Minglou in the summer, he had walked through countless boulevards, and unconsciously, the lush greenery had faded one after another.

It turns out that summer has long passed like a dream, and winter in Beiping is here.