Chapter 15: A Bystander in the World of Espionage during the Republic of China Era
When Chen Yue returned to Safe House No. 2, the neighbors, not seeing Aunt Fang, asked where they had gone. Jiang Yue smiled and said, "We went back to our hometown."
"Oh, you went back to your hometown? Isn't it good to stay here? You don't even want your son anymore, haha."
Jiang Yue chuckled and said, "I have some business to attend to back home, so I might be back anytime."
Jiang Yue went back to her room, put on makeup, changed her clothes, put on a hat and pulled the brim down before going out. The first thing she did was to report that a message had been posted, which basically said that she should wait for her at safe house number three every afternoon from three to five for the next seven days.
Jiang Yue checked the time and saw that it was still early. Chen Xin wouldn't see the registered information until tomorrow at the latest. Jiang Yue originally wanted to go to the Chen family's place, but she was afraid that there might be spies there and she would walk into a trap. She didn't dare to go to her own home or shop either. After thinking about it, Jiang Yue decided to go to Safe House No. 3 instead.
Safe House No. 3 is a department store, and some of its best-selling items are sourced from Chen's Trading Company. Jiang Yue had previously considered how to gather information without leaving a trace should something happen to Chen Yue and her.
In the end, Jiang Yue also opened a trading company using a fake identity. This identity was that he was always away at sea, only returning to Shanghai a few times a year. It was normal that he couldn't be contacted sometimes, and the shopkeeper wouldn't suspect anything. Moreover, he didn't need to go to the shop at a fixed time.
In that case, if something happens, Chen Family Trading Company will definitely be in a state of stagnation or even go bankrupt for a period of time, and the supply of goods in the shops will also be problematic. The shopkeeper will definitely find out what happened, and then he will have an excuse to ask for some information.
"Guests, you've arrived!"
While Jiang Yue was resting with her eyes closed, the rickshaw stopped. Jiang Yue opened her eyes, got off the rickshaw, paid the fare, and walked towards the shop. Just as she opened the door, the shopkeeper was about to speak when he saw Jiang Yue: "Boss, you've arrived!"
"Well, I finally got back to rest, so I came to check on how business is going and if there have been any problems."
"There's nothing major wrong. It's just that Chen Family Trading Company, which supplies us, has been shut down, and we haven't had a few of our best-selling items in stock for a few days. But I'm looking for other suppliers, so I expect it will be resolved soon."
Jiang Yue feigned surprise and said, "Chen Family Trading Company? Isn't it the old trading company? What happened?"
Manager Zhang looked around, then leaned closer to Jiang Yue and whispered, "I don't know the specifics, but I heard that their head was a Communist, and the business was shut down by the Japanese."
"Huh? That won't affect us, will it?"
"It's not a problem. I've already found a new supplier, and the stock will be replenished in the next few days."
Jiang Yue nodded and looked at Manager Zhang: "That's good. Is Chen Tianxiang's daughter managing the Chen Family Trading Company? How can a woman become a member of the Communist Party?"
Manager Zhang was a little indignant: "I don't know about that. Maybe they just have their eyes on the business. What kind of people are the Japanese? How many businesses have been forced to close down in recent years? Many families have been torn apart."
There was a reason why Manager Zhang said that. When Jiang Yue was looking for him, the Japanese had taken notice of Manager Zhang's business and imprisoned everyone on trumped-up charges. The boss died under mysterious circumstances. It was because of this that Jiang Yue chose Manager Zhang to be the manager.
Jiang Yue whispered a reminder: "Manager Zhang, keep your voice down. Don't mention this when we get out."
Manager Zhang glanced around, nodded a little embarrassed, and Jiang Yue walked around the shop and said, "Manager Zhang, I'll come over tomorrow to check the accounts. After that, I'll be going out to sea again, so I won't be able to come back until next year."
Manager Zhang said he would prepare the account books, because it has always been like this since the store opened. He only comes a few times a year and doesn't care about anything else except checking the accounts every year.
After leaving the house, Jiang Yue did not return to the safe house. Instead, she found a hotel nearby and stayed there. She was thinking about Chen Xin's situation and wondered how she was doing. Was she arrested or injured? Why didn't she come to meet him after she sent the signal?
Jiang Yue secretly hoped that Chen Xin was injured rather than arrested. She thought that if she didn't come to meet him within seven days, she couldn't wait any longer. Even now, it was too risky. Although Chen Xin was the protagonist, she wasn't necessarily the good guy. What if she was a villain? She would be walking right into a trap. Now, Jiang Yue could only take a gamble and trust Chen Xin's loyalty to the Party after two lifetimes. However, Jiang Yue also made the worst-case scenario plan: if things went wrong, she would commit suicide to suffer less and end the mission so that No. 8888 could take her away.
The next afternoon, Jiang Yue wore a loose robe, carried a grenade and a gun. When it was almost time, she went to the shop. When she arrived, the shopkeeper had already made arrangements, set up a table for her, and made her a cup of tea. Jiang Yue nodded to the shopkeeper, indicating that he should go about his business and not worry about her.
Jiang Yue sipped her tea, seemingly leisurely looking at the account book, but in reality, she was observing everyone who entered the shop. Because Jiang Yue knew that Chen Xin could also disguise herself, she had also placed a copy of Water Margin on her table and agreed on a secret code for meeting. Now, there was no other way but to wait for Chen Xin to show herself.
Jiang Yue ostensibly got up to stretch her body after sitting for a long time, but in reality, she was observing whether there were any enemies outside, whether she was being followed or surrounded. After observing for a while and finding nothing unusual, she went back to continue looking at the account books.
By 5 p.m., Jiang Yue hadn't seen Chen Xin. She spoke with the innkeeper and left. Today was another fruitless day. Jiang Yue returned to the inn, entered her room, and observed the street outside, but didn't notice anything unusual.
After waiting for Chen Xin for three consecutive days without success, Jiang Yue's heart sank. Even if Chen Xin hadn't been arrested but was just injured, the injury must have been quite serious. Another possibility was that Chen Xin had already left Shanghai and had been urgently evacuated, leaving no time to contact Jiang Yue. However, this possibility was also unlikely. The two had agreed to register a missing person notice with specific details, but Jiang Yue hadn't seen it in the past two days.
By the fifth day, Jiang Yue had given up hope. She had considered the worst-case scenario: that Chen Xin was no longer alive. Jiang Yue had asked 8888, but 8888 didn't know either. He only knew the general plot of the story, and that even if the female protagonist Chen Xin died in the real world, the story would continue to unfold.
On the sixth day, Jiang Yue had already bought her train ticket for the day after tomorrow. She had given up hope of Chen Xin's appearance. At five o'clock in the afternoon, Jiang Yue greeted the innkeeper as usual, picked up her copy of Water Margin, and planned to return to the hotel.
Jiang Yue was a little absent-minded when she went out. As soon as she stepped out, she bumped into someone, and the Water Margin she was holding fell to the ground. Before Jiang Yue could even see who she bumped into, she said sorry and bent down to pick up the book that had fallen to the ground. Unexpectedly, the person opposite her was faster and picked it up first.
He patted the book in his hand and said, "You like reading Water Margin too? I like it too! Who's your favorite character?"
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