Upon hearing the assignment, Qiu Jingwen felt annoyed and somewhat nervous.
In his mind, Liu Han, as his superior, certainly wouldn't have any good missions; they would either be to steal intelligence or to cause sabotage.
Qiu Jingwen then looked at Liu Han and gave a cold laugh.
"Liu Han, what kind of bullshit mission is this? Just tell me right here so I can think about it and give you an answer. Let me make it clear first, I will absolutely not agree to anything that damages the Hongqi Factory or the interests of the country."
Liu Han thought for a moment, then smiled at Qiu Jingwen.
"Qiu Jingwen, don't be nervous. I won't ask you to cause damage, much less to blow up the explosives depot at your Red Flag Factory. This mission is very simple for you."
"Simple? Tell me about it?"
"Please, as the workshop director, raise three thousand yuan for our incubation group's operating expenses."
Activity funds?
Three thousand yuan?
Moreover, Liu Han even used the word "please"?
It's fair to say that this was something Qiu Jingwen never even dreamed of.
Relatively speaking, he breathed a sigh of relief and almost burst out laughing.
After all, Liu Han hadn't assigned him any tasks like stealing military secrets from the Red Flag Factory, or committing murder, arson, or bombing.
But,
After calming down, Qiu Jingwen thought about it again and was startled once more.
Three thousand yuan is a considerable sum for him, if not an astronomical figure.
After realizing what was happening, Qiu Jingwen looked at Liu Han and repeated a sentence.
"What did you say? Three thousand yuan? Activity expenses?"
"Yes, three thousand yuan. You could say it's a loan from the Hidden Group. We'll pay you back once the funds for the operation come through, with high interest."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Jingwen's brain began to work at high speed.
He needed to process Liu Han's words and information in a short period of time.
He even quickly concluded that Liu Han's claim that the activity funds would be returned to him with interest after they were allocated was likely a scam and a lie.
If things go wrong, Liu Han might try to pocket the three thousand yuan himself.
After all, in the 1970s, the economy had not yet been revitalized, and many families were still struggling below the poverty line.
Qiu Jingwen, who had received training, could tell that Liu Han's sudden appearance did not seem like someone who came from the Taiwan Strait. Judging from his clothes and accent, he should have always lived in the Duliang area. As for how Liu Han discovered him, he did not know.
For decades, we haven't received a single penny of operating funds. When will the higher authorities allocate funds?
Thinking of all this, he shook his head and mocked Liu Han.
"Hehe, Liu Han, just like you tricked me into joining the Military Intelligence Bureau back then, you can keep trying to fool me. This money isn't something some lousy organization wants to borrow; you're probably just trying to pocket it yourself, aren't you?"
Liu Han reached out and patted Qiu Jingwen on the shoulder.
"Cobra, I'm Liu Han, a major in the Kuomintang army. Do you think I'm short of money?"
The mention of the Party and the State intensified Qiu Jingwen's mockery of Liu Han.
"Liu Han, don't mention Cobra. What era are we living in? You still keep talking about the Party and the country. That place is just an island, just a province of our country. Don't you find it ridiculous to say these things in front of me? Besides, it's been twenty or thirty years, and not a single penny of funding has been allocated from above. Do you think funding will be allocated now? Do you think I'm a three-year-old child, so easy to fool?"
Liu Han, however, said in a very serious tone:
“Qiu Jingwen, the higher-ups have called and the funding has been approved, but it needs to be wired through other overseas channels. I am the head of the Hidden Team, and I assure you that this three thousand yuan is a loan from you. As soon as the funding arrives, I will repay you with interest.”
Qiu Jingwen looked at Liu Han and shook his head, indicating his disbelief.
"Old Liu, do you really think I'm a fool? Here's what we'll do: show me the telegram, and then I'll consider the three thousand yuan."
Liu Han was greatly displeased upon hearing this and raised his voice.
"Qiu Jingwen, you are also a trained agent. Do you think I would carry such an important document on my person? I am your superior. You have to carry out my orders whether you like it or not. I'm giving you three days. If you don't hand over three thousand yuan to me, you can consider the consequences yourself. I guarantee you'll regret it for the rest of your life."
Qiu Jingwen also raised his voice loudly at the other party, seemingly trying to suppress him.
"Liu Han, are you crazy? Do you know that my wife and I together don't even make a hundred yuan a month? Where am I supposed to find three thousand yuan to scrape together for you in three days?!"
After hearing this, Liu Han shook his head and smiled.
"Qiu Jingwen, of course I know, but I don't care about that. I'm only giving you three days. Otherwise, I swear to God, your identity as a spy will be known to the political department and all the leaders of your factory immediately, and even to all the employees of your Hongqi Factory, and to the public security organs as well."
"Liu Han, are you threatening me?"
Even if it's a threat.
"What kind of spy am I? I've been in the Military Intelligence Bureau and your so-called dormant group for over twenty years, and I haven't received a single penny of operating funds. Now you're asking me for three thousand yuan? You old Liu, what's the difference between this and extortion? Do you have any humanity left? Do you expect my whole family to starve and have their mouths sealed shut?"
Before Liu Han could respond, Qiu Jingwen shouted loudly at him again:
"Liu Han, I have no money. You can go to the political department of our factory and expose my identity as a spy. Anyway, I haven't done anything bad all these years. At worst, I'll just quit being the workshop director and be fired from the factory."
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