Chapter 14: A Bystander in the World of Espionage during the Republic of China Era
After traveling a while longer, Jiang Yue waved for a rickshaw to stop and sped off toward Safe House No. 2.
Safe House No. 2 is located near the traditional Chinese medicine school that Jiang Yue originally planned to attend. After the situation became serious, Jiang Yue forged several identities. Here, his identity is a teacher. He usually lives at the school to teach students, occasionally goes home to stay for a few days, and also treats the neighbors.
Even Aunt Fang became his mother, and his apprentice became his daughter. After Jiang Yue divorced his wife, his child lived with his wife. When he had a holiday, his mother would pick up the child and come to stay with him for a few days.
When they arrived at the safe house, Aunt Fang was chatting and laughing with her neighbors. When she saw Jiang Yue in the rickshaw, Aunt Fang said with a big smile, "You're back! Did you pick up the child?"
Jiang Yue helped her apprentice out of the car and said, "I've picked you up. This holiday is long, so you should stay a few more days, Mom."
Aunt Fang hugged the child and looked him up and down, saying, "Okay, with my grandson here, I'll stay a few more days. My grandson has lost weight."
Jiang Yue carried her suitcase, and Aunt Fang held her apprentice's hand. Neighbors along the roadside greeted them, "Hello, Teacher Sun, you're on holiday again?"
"Hello, Aunt Li. Yes, this time we'll leave it for a few more days. How's your grandson's asthma? Did the medicine I prescribed last time work?"
"It works! It works! I didn't have a relapse at all last winter. You're amazing! I saw so many doctors and nothing worked, but you cured me with just one dose of your medicine."
"Haha, that's good. Bring your grandson to my house tomorrow so I can take his pulse again and see if we need to change the dressing."
"Okay! Thank you so much."
As Jiang Yue walked, she greeted her neighbors. Only after entering the house did she feel relieved. Aunt Fang poured Jiang Yue a glass of water and asked, "Did something happen to Xiao Xin?"
Jiang Yue nodded without saying anything. Aunt Fang watched as Jiang Yue took the child downstairs, leaving Jiang Yue alone in the room, thinking about what had happened.
The other side arrived too quickly. It must have been Chen Xin and my side who acted together. It shouldn't be that something happened to Chen Xin, otherwise she would have been arrested long ago, and there would be no way she would have notified me. So what could be the reason?
Jiang Yue considered various possibilities, but the most likely one was that someone had betrayed her. This person had seen both her and Chen Xin, but she had always disguised herself. It seemed that it was the time when Chen Xin was injured. She was too anxious during the day and went there without disguising herself. It seemed that she was eventually arrested and failed the test, so she betrayed her. The stranger who appeared near her home a few days ago must also be looking for her.
We don't know what Chen Xin's situation is right now, or whether she's safe or not. We talked to Chen Xin about this safe house before, and now we can only stay here for a few days and see what happens before making any further plans.
Just as Jiang Yue had gathered her thoughts, Aunt Fang had already prepared the meal. The group wasn't in the mood for much, so they quickly ate a few bites and went to rest.
The next day, Jiang Yue examined the neighbors who came to her door at home, while Aunt Fang went to the market to buy groceries and inquire about the situation. She learned that they were wanted throughout the city and it seemed that they couldn't stay in Shanghai anymore. Otherwise, with the abilities of the three of them, they wouldn't have survived until next week.
Jiang Yue left Aunt Fang to take care of the child at home. She went to different stations and bought three train tickets to Hangzhou. She also went to the State Council to publish a missing person notice, which basically said that Jiang Yue would be leaving Shanghai within three days and that if Chen Xin saw it, she should go to Safe House No. 2.
When buying the train tickets, Jiang Yue saw that the station was closed and people traveling were being checked very strictly. After returning home, Jiang Yue packed the things she needed for the trip and checked the disguise tools and clothes in the safe house. Jiang Yue and her group would only stay in this place for three days at most before leaving. If they couldn't wait for Chen Xin during that time, there was nothing they could do.
Time passed slowly, and it was already the afternoon of the next day. Chen Xin still hadn't come. Jiang Yue and Aunt Fang were anxiously waiting for news from Chen Xin. They waited until evening, but still hadn't received any news. Jiang Yue decided not to wait any longer, otherwise, if the rest of them were arrested, they might not be able to survive the interrogation.
Late at night, Jiang Yue carefully applied makeup to Aunt Jiang and her apprentice, and then gave the apprentice the prepared potion to drink. People can disguise their voices, but not theirs. This potion could make their voices hoarse, like they had a cold, thus reducing the chances of being discovered.
They were dressed in camouflage clothes, and the contents of the boxes were arranged to match the pre-prepared reasons. Tonight, they were to sleep in their clothes, and then they were to put on makeup in front of the mirror. By the time everything was ready, it was already midnight. After resting for a few hours, it was already the early hours of the morning, and it was time to take action.
Jiang Yue took the tram with Aunt Fang and her apprentice to the station they had chosen over the past three days. This station was relatively lax, and Jiang Yue planned to have Aunt Fang and her apprentice take this train first so they could meet up in Hangzhou. Seeing that the train had already started checking tickets, Jiang Yue nervously led Aunt Fang and her apprentice to queue. When it was their turn, the person at the checkpoint asked, "Where are you going?"
Aunt Fang said with a hint of nervousness, "Back to Hangzhou."
"Documents! Why did you come to Shanghai?"
Aunt Fang handed him the documents and rubbed her handkerchief: "My daughter-in-law is dead. I brought the child to see his father."
Why not stay in Shanghai?
Jiang Yue then said with a wry smile, "Sir, I have to go to work and don't have time to take care of my child. My parents have been taking care of him. He caught a cold after only a few days in Shanghai, and he's just getting a little better and we have to go home now."
At this moment, the apprentice coughed a few times as if it were part of the occasion. The person at the checkpoint looked at the ID and then at the apprentice, asking, "What's your name?" Jiang Yue was about to answer when he waved his hand to interrupt her, indicating that the apprentice should answer himself.
Aunt Fang patted her apprentice on the shoulder, and the apprentice said, "Sun Xiaoyu."
Because he had taken medicine beforehand, his voice was hoarse. Unexpectedly, the officer was still worried and asked again, "Why don't you wait until the child is better before going back?"
Jiang Yue gave a bitter smile: "Sir, medical treatment in Shanghai is too expensive." Jiang Yue's face showed a hint of difficulty: "Moreover, ordinary people like us can't even buy cold medicine now. We can only go back to our hometown and think of a solution."
Whether the inspector knew or not, he asked Jiang Yue to open the two boxes. Jiang Yue quickly opened the boxes and put them on the table. He looked inside and found only some clothes and snacks that Jiang Yue had bought in advance. He then opened the small box and found only a few picture books and some toys inside. Only then did he wave his hand and tell Aunt Fang and her apprentice to hurry over.
Jiang Yue closed the suitcase and handed it to Aunt Fang. Seeing that the officer was still glancing at them out of the corner of his eye, Jiang Yue quickly said, "Mother, please be careful on your journey. Remember to send me a telegram when you get home. I'll come back to see you as soon as I'm done with this busy period."
"Alright, alright, Mom remembers. Take care of yourself here. If you can't take it, go back to your hometown. You can't earn much money here, so it's better to go home. The children can't be without their father."
The two gave each other instructions for a long time. When the train was about to depart, Aunt Fang boarded the train with her apprentice. Jiang Yue looked reluctant to leave. She stood there for a moment after the train started moving before walking out.
The inspector there didn't notice anything unusual and stopped paying attention to them. Jiang Yue walked out of the station and onto the road. She was supposed to go straight to the next station to leave, but she was really worried about Chen Xin. In the end, she decided to wait a little longer and see if she could see her again. Otherwise, this parting might be a final farewell.
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