Chapter 26

Yu Congyi stayed at the Military Police Headquarters for five days. That evening, he packed his things and prepared to go home. When he left the Military Police Headquarters, he did not ask the driver to take him.

As winter approached, Tianjin grew increasingly cold, and darkness fell exceptionally early. By the time Yu Congyi walked out of Daoming Street, it was already getting dark. An old woman on a bicycle hurried along the main road, her basket loaded with groceries, turning a corner as if rushing home to cook. Yu Congyi thought for a moment and decided to take a detour as well. He figured that Jiang Fengming must be worried about him not being home for so many days, so he decided to go to Liu's shop and buy some of Jiang's favorite fried cakes to appease him; although the matter with Yang Shucai still bothered him… Yu Congyi thought that Jiang Fengming was still young, and it was understandable that he made mistakes. As the older brother, he should guide him to prevent him from repeating the same errors.

Yu Congyi was out of luck; the first batch of fried cakes had just sold out, and they were about to change the oil and add more filling to fry the next batch. The glutinous rice skin and red bean filling were fragrant and oily, the outer skin coated with a dark soy sauce and flattened into a circle shape. When they came out of the fryer, they were golden and hot, looking incredibly tempting. He stood in the wind for more than ten minutes, bought two portions, wrapped them in a box, put them in a paper bag, and carried them in his hand. Suddenly, he felt a little more confident, and his heart was at peace after not going home to face Jiang Fengming for so many days.

Yu Congyi walked down the street and sensed he was being followed at the street corner. He had an unusually strong intuition in this regard, and besides, the follower's technique was rather clumsy. Yu Congyi deliberately slowed his pace and headed in the opposite direction.

Going to the bustling city center, with its crowds and chaotic streets, would offer a better chance to shake off the other party. Although he didn't know who it was, Yu Congyi was unwilling to cause trouble at the moment. He might have many enemies lurking in the shadows, and he didn't want to guess which one the other party was right now.

As he turned onto the main road, the footsteps behind him suddenly grew louder. Perhaps guessing what Yu Congyi was thinking, the person seemed to be gradually approaching, reaching out to touch the tips of Yu Congyi's hair.

Yu Congyi wouldn't give him that chance. Taking a large step forward, he quickly moved into the darkness hidden by the house. His well-trained rhythm allowed him to calmly create a considerable distance between himself and his opponent. He bent down and drew the dagger from his leg, then nimbly turned his gaze to the newcomer.

A very tall man wearing an excessively low-brimmed black top hat stood three steps away. A chilly wind blew through the narrow alley in winter, and the man pulled his coat tighter around himself and adjusted his hat brim. Yu Congyi recognized him immediately.

"Be careful, someone's been following you lately." Tang Zefei's eyes peered through the shadows under her hat, calmly watching Yu Congyi a few steps away. Yu Congyi was leaning against the wall. Upon seeing him, he didn't slow down at all, glancing around a few times before his gaze returned to Tang Zefei. He chuckled mockingly, "Are you one of them too?"

Tang Zefei didn't know how to explain, because those who had followed Yu Congyi in order to kill Zhan Chu had recently reported to him that others were also following him. Tang Zefei knew that Yu Congyi's actions were always unpredictable and he was no pushover, so he couldn't help but worry about him, wondering who he had offended.

Today, Tang Zefei finally found an opportunity to wait for him to leave the military police headquarters and act alone. She just wanted to remind him, but when the car was parked on the side of the road, he followed her back and looked at her, but he still followed her for a long time and was unwilling to stop.

He knew his behavior was strange, and even more so to Yu Congyi. Yu Congyi surely had a way to handle this, perhaps without needing his reminder, but he simply wanted to see him, to look at him, and to say a few words.

Tang Zefei remained silent. Yu Congyi glanced at the half-room-wide distance between them and shook his head helplessly. "Go back, I know." The last rays of the setting sun faded, and a pale blue mist gradually spread through the alleyway in the winter night. Through this pale light, he saw Tang Zefei's eyes. Deep chestnut color, so deep, and so far away, that his expression was obscured. But he seemed to feel that gaze. He understood Tang Zefei's meaning; for some reason, he suddenly believed that perhaps the other person really had just come to remind him.

Tang Zefei, with his hands in his pockets, nodded upon hearing Yu Congyi's words. He didn't know what to say next, but unwilling to leave, he struggled to say, "You go first, I'll watch you leave."

Yu Congyi suddenly smiled, a knowing smile, and nodded. Without hesitation, he turned and left the alley, never to look back, heading towards the main road. He always turned like this; Tang Zefei was used to it. But the fact that he never hesitated or looked back made him a little lost in thought. A sharp chill seeped into his coat. At the end of the alley, Tang Zefei saw Yu Congyi walking away, shivered, and told himself to go back.

Yu Congyi returned by the same route and soon encountered Yang Xiang.

Yang Xiang and his men surrounded him at the entrance of a secluded alley. They had indeed been following Yu Congyi for some time, and ever since they learned from the servants that their most beloved godson might have died at Yu Congyi's hands, Yang Xiang had harbored deep hatred for him.

Yu Congyi sighed and looked indifferently at Yang Xiang, who was standing at the front. "It's getting late, let's talk now." He paused, "My family is waiting for me to get home."

"Is that Jiang Fengming?" Yang Xiang sneered. He was rather short and didn't seem particularly imposing in front of Yu Congyi, but his fierce eyes gave him some authority. "I've wanted to deal with that kid for a long time. I really want to chop you and him up together!"

Yu Congyi's eyes flashed with a fierce light, "If you dare to touch Jiang Fengming, I can kill you right now."

"Hehehe," Yang Xiang suddenly laughed, hands on his hips. A large group of people emerged from behind him, their black shadows disappearing into the intersection, loitering freely. Yu Congyi ignored the group, staring only at Yang Xiang. "Want to fight?"

“I wouldn’t dare touch Brother Jiang,” Yang Xiang cracked his neck and whistled, “You see, do you think I dare to touch you?”

Yu Congyi didn't say anything, but simply stuffed what he was carrying into his pocket and raised a gun at the same time.

"A sergeant major killing someone in the street?" Yang Xiang shook his head with a smile. "Brother, don't be so hasty. Let me ask you something: I heard you killed Xiao Lian?"

“I don’t know who that is,” Yu Congyi said.

“If you killed Xiaolian,” Yang Xiang approached him and tapped his shoulder, “I’m going to take your life.”

"Do as you please," Yu Congyi said coldly. "Is that all? If not, I'm leaving."

Yang Xiang looked at his face, then suddenly gave a strange smile. He walked closer to Yu Congyi and silently squinted at him.

Yu Congyi lowered his eyes and turned to leave.

"Wait a minute." Yang Xiang stretched out a hand, blocking his path. Yu Congyi stared at the hand, then turned his gaze back to the man, frowning.

“Once upon a time, there was a bandit named Hong Shubao,” Yang Xiang said suddenly, looking at his face.

"Huh?" Yu Congyi was puzzled.

"He was a talented man, but unfortunately, he was born in the wrong era. In the Qing Dynasty, he would definitely have been a great general commanding a region. He had a very bad birth, becoming a bandit at the age of ten, but before he was twenty, he became the leader of a bandit gang in the Beijing-Tianjin area," Yang Xiang said to himself, still looking at Yu Congyi, "Under his leadership, this gang was extremely prosperous, and it could be said that it was famous far and wide. Everyone who heard his name would tremble. Would you say he could be considered a prodigy?"

Yu Congyi looked at him, puzzled and confused. "What do you mean by telling me all this?"

"Hong Shubao is a man of wisdom. Although he's a bandit leader, he has a kind heart and hates his men for killing innocent people. Moreover, as he's grown older, he seems to have begun to repent for his life of killing and has started to worship Buddha, eating vegetarian meals one day every ten days. He has a sworn brother who is the complete opposite of him, committing all sorts of atrocities, including burning, killing, and looting, and is exceptionally ruthless. Because of this, he and his brother often quarrel and have gradually drifted apart." Yang Xiang looked at Yu Congyi. "Do you think he's a fool? He always spouts nonsense about how innocent all living beings are and how suffering the common people are, but isn't he himself a bandit abandoned by this world?"

Yu Congyi said, "What exactly are you trying to say? Why do you know so much about this Hong Shubao?"

"Later, his brother betrayed him and burned down the bandit camp, killing him in the process." Yang Xiang suddenly chuckled. "If bandits talk about benevolence and righteousness, are they still bandits? He doesn't deserve to be a leader."

Yu Congyi suddenly felt a tightness in his chest, and felt inexplicably uncomfortable. He didn't want to hear any more from the other person, so he pushed his arm away and was about to leave when Yang Xiang suddenly stepped in front of him and raised his head.

"Wait a minute." He said, his provocative gaze sweeping over, meeting Yu Congyi's eyes directly. Yu Congyi was puzzled and even more confused. He composed himself, his eyebrows lowering. "What do you mean?"

“Hong Shubao once went down the mountain and had an affair with a prostitute. After their encounter, he had an illegitimate child,” Yang Xiang’s gaze was fixed on Yu Congyi. “Unfortunately, he was burned to death by me just two days later.”

Yu Congyi's eyebrows twitched twice, and he instantly looked at Yang Xiang, "You?"

“He looks a lot like you.” Yang Xiang’s lips suddenly curled into an enigmatic smile. “For so many years, I’ve been searching for Hong San’s orphan. I think I’ve found him.”

Yu Congyi was stunned by his words. He paused in disbelief and said, "Why should I believe you?"

"So just consider this a story I told." Yang Xiang shook his head, his provocative expression resurfacing.

Yu Congyi suddenly felt a sense of confusion. He had never seen his father since birth, and no one had ever mentioned him to him what his father was. Now, what Yang Xiang was saying suddenly made him feel inexplicably agitated. He recalled some things Jiang Fengming had told him before, if Hong Shubao really was his father, and Yang Xiang was the so-called "Two-Knife Tiger"...

Why was he telling him so much? Yu Congyi wondered. Was it just to tell him that his miserable childhood was actually thanks to him?

Yu Congyi's gaze towards Yang Xiang carried a hint of hatred. However, both he and Yang Xiang were well aware that appearance alone could not prove anything.

"Brother, let's wait and see," Yang Xiang whistled, turning to face his group. It was completely dark, and Yu Congyi, though his eyes were wide, couldn't quite make out how many people were in the darkness. He gripped the gun at his waist, suddenly drew it, and aimed it at the back of Yang Xiang's head.

“You can’t kill me today.” Yang Xiang still had his back to him, showing no fear. “I know your skills, but I also know how many eyes I have on you in this darkness.”

Yu Congyi suddenly spoke up, "How did Jiang Jiejie die?"

Yang Xiang paused for a moment, then turned around to look at Yu Congyi.

"Why do you all have to ask that woman?" he asked, puzzled. "She's dead, she's dead. Do you think asking her will bring her back to life?"

Yu Congyi grew increasingly impatient. "Tell me! How exactly did she die?"

Yang Xiang stopped talking, returned to the crowd with his gun pointed at him, put his hands in his pockets, and walked towards the alley entrance without looking back. His men immediately swarmed around him and followed. Yu Congyi stood still, realizing that there were far more people than he had imagined.

"The dead cannot be brought back to life!" Not far away, Yang Xiang was swaying slowly when he suddenly exclaimed loudly.

Yu Congyi finally arrived home. Standing in the hallway, he heard Jiang Fengming instructing the servants to prepare the dishes. It turned out that Jiang Fengming had heard him say that he would be home today, so he had specially ordered the kitchen to buy Western food from the National Hotel in the evening, and the table was already full.

A servant opened the hall door, and Jiang Fengming ran and jumped from the dining room to him, giving him a hug. Yu Congyi's clothes were cold, and Jiang Fengming pressed his face against his shoulder, hissing softly, before grinning and hugging him again, "Big brother, you're finally back!" Yu Congyi smiled at him and also wrapped his arms around his back. He handed him the fried cake, then stood outside the hall and began to take off his shoes and coat.

Jiang Fengming happily opened the paper bag. The fried cakes were already a little cold. He picked one up and put it in his mouth. It still tasted like he was from his childhood. He turned to Yu Congyi and asked, "Brother, is this Liu's Fried Cakes?"

"Yeah, they just happened to be open today," Yu Congyi said. "Is it still good? Is it cold?"

Jiang Fengming shook his head. "It's alright, not too cold." He put the bag aside, pulled Yu Congyi's arm, swallowed the fried cake in his mouth in a few bites, and quickly led the other to the restaurant. "Big brother, I ordered Western food from the National Hotel today. Wash your hands and let's sit down and eat. I've been waiting for you to come back since this afternoon, I'm starving!" When he spoke to Yu Congyi, he always had a bit of a coquettish, boyish tone, and was rather noisy and clingy, but Yu Congyi was used to it and didn't mind.

Yu Congyi had not told him that he had gone to see Yang Xiang. He had only said that he had something to do at the ministry when he had not returned these days. Jiang Fengming sat opposite him at the dining table, staring at the large table of Western dishes.

Knowing that he had returned late, Yu Congyi realized that Jiang Fengming had waited for him until now, so he took his bowl and served him a bowl of lamb rib soup. "Eat up."

When Jiang Fengming ate with him, they simply ate and never said anything else. Yu Congyi thought this was thanks to the good upbringing he received from his godfather when he was young, which led him to develop the habit of not talking while eating.

The Military Police Department has been dealing with a lot of trivial matters lately. Two days ago, a fire broke out in the Italian-owned Wells Building. The fire brigade was inefficient and slow to respond, resulting in the destruction of two Western-style buildings. Orders from above have been issued to investigate and hold those responsible accountable. Various departments are unwilling to take responsibility and are passing the buck. In the end, the blame fell squarely on the Military Police Department, who were accused of inadequate patrols and security. Upon inspection, the checkpoint was found to be completely empty. Sergeant Major Yu Congyi admitted to some oversight and was willing to review the matter. Fortunately, no one was killed in the incident, so Yu Congyi sent his deputy, Li Ming, with a team to the scene to investigate and submit a report. Such incidents are countless… While they are bothersome, they are superficial, and Yu Congyi didn't want to dwell on them. Jiang Fengming kept saying that the steak was exceptionally well-cooked today, so he decided to try it.

His concerns lay elsewhere. Yu Congyi recalled being followed by Tang Zefei and Yang Xiang earlier that day, especially the things Yang Xiang inexplicably said to him. While not particularly bothersome, they served as a reminder. He already knew that many eyes might be watching him from the shadows, and he wouldn't always try to hide from people; he preferred to strike first.

Lost in thought, he picked up the white porcelain bowl in front of him, nearly scalding himself. Some of the thick soup spilled, but not everywhere. Jiang Fengming, engrossed in his meal, glanced up at him. "Brother, are you alright?" Yu Congyi was usually very composed and wouldn't spill soup so easily. Jiang Fengming sensed something was wrong with his brother. A servant quickly wiped up the spilled soup, and Yu Congyi's expression returned to normal.

"How's everything at home lately?" Yu Congyi asked casually.

“Very good.” Jiang Fengming glanced at Yu Congyi’s expression but found nothing unusual. “Brother, things have been very busy at the ministry lately, haven’t they?”

"It's alright," Yu Congyi said.

"Big brother, do you remember what I told you before?" Jiang Fengming picked up a fork and took a piece of milk cake.

Jiang Fengming had told Yu Congyi more than once that he felt his work in the military police was too arduous and wanted him to resign and only help with family matters. Family affairs were far less demanding than those of a sergeant major in the military police; as long as Jiang Fengming was alive, he could easily eliminate a few thorns in his side. Even if he were to retire, the Jiang family's business was enough to support him for generations. However, Yu Congyi refused. He hadn't forgotten how he had struggled to graduate from military school and how he had climbed the ranks to earn his current position. He was intimately familiar with the power struggles within the military; he was no longer a young man in his early twenties and knew how hard-won everything had been. Moreover, it was Jiang's father who had guided him onto this path, and he didn't want to disappoint his father.

Therefore, Yu Congyi never agreed. Fortunately, Jiang Fengming was not insistent, but he just told Yu Congyi to keep his younger brother in mind.

Yu Congyi nodded and said, "Feng Ming, I'm in the Military Police Department, so I can help you a lot more."

Jiang Fengming neither confirmed nor denied, but simply stopped what he was doing.

Yu Congyi was cautious, at least in the military police department. He was always careful and on edge. But lately, he felt more and more that his hands were losing strength and becoming somewhat out of control.

Jiang Fengming had no idea that Yu Congyi was considering these things. He nodded with a slight sense of loss, "Then, brother, you'll sleep with me tonight. I haven't seen you for five days."

Yu Congyi nodded and agreed, "Okay."

Just then, the butler came up and stood in front of the table, reporting in a low voice, "Young Master, Master Yu, there is someone outside the door who says they are looking for you, Master Yu."