Speaking of today's events, Jiang Qiao didn't know where to begin. "We didn't get anything out of it. I'm so anxious. The New Year is almost here, and we can't all stay out here like this, can we? Grandpa must be so worried. I really hope we can catch all those people as soon as possible. We're busy dealing with these bastards all day long."
"That's right. Logically speaking, this is not something we people can handle, but if we let the police handle it, you'll still have endless trouble. If I had a gun, I would like to shoot all these bad guys to stop them from causing harm to people."
So what should we do next?
Jiang Qiao shook her head. "We can only wait, wait for Uncle Song to bring people over, so that we will have more manpower."
Actually, she was also thinking about how to test Shen Ruifang and the others. She really couldn't do anything else until she figured out their identities, because these two were currently the biggest suspects.
In the afternoon, Jiang Qiao took Gu Zhixuan to a department store and a bookstore to look around. If they found something suitable, they would buy some for the New Year.
After dinner, Jiang Qiao sent Gu Zhixuan back to his room to rest, while she changed her clothes and headed towards Shen Ruifang's house.
During the coldest days of winter, the days are short. When you go out, it's already dark, and there aren't many pedestrians on the road. Even if there are, they're all rushing home.
Jiang Qiao originally planned to go over that night to play tricks on the couple and scare them, but coincidentally, when she arrived, Shen Ruifang was sneaking out of the house with something in her pocket.
Jiang Qiao couldn't help but overthink her actions. Why would that girl be out at night instead of staying at home on her warm kang (heated brick bed)? Sending a telegram? Or meeting with someone?
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but follow, but Jiang Qiao was a little confused about where Shen Ruifang went.
There's a ditch south of Shen Ruifang's house, which is already frozen over in the dead of winter. Jiang Qiao wondered, "What is this guy doing here? Sending a telegram? But is this a suitable location?"
A rendezvous? Why come here of all places? Have they lost their mind?
Jiang Qiao didn't know if Shen Ruifang was getting old or hadn't been back to her old ways for many years, but her intuition told her that this guy's vigilance had decreased a lot. When she followed him, he didn't react at all.
When Jiang Qiao saw Shen Ruifang lighting the paper money on the riverbed, she suddenly realized that it was just burning paper money and there was really no need to be wary.
Given Shen Ruifang's age, even if someone had malicious intentions, they probably wouldn't target someone as old as her.
Hiding behind a tree, Jiang Qiao couldn't help but sigh. This guy, after all these years, there are some things she really hasn't taken seriously.
You know, when people burn paper money for others, they usually do it at a crossroads. But she went and came to a place like this. I wonder if the people below will even receive it. She's so inconsiderate. Her personality really hasn't changed.
After watching Shen Ruifang light the paper money and incense, Jiang Qiao heard her chanting.
"Jiang Qiao, are you short of money over there? Let me burn some for you. Sigh, I was careless before. How could I not have thought of that? There's no one left in your family. You know, no one burns this for you during holidays. I'll burn a lot this time so you can share it with your dad and the others."
I don't know if you saw your father and nephew down there. They're both gone. When we rushed over, those bastards had already thrown their bodies into the river. We wanted to build a grave for your father and nephew, but we couldn't find their bodies.
It wasn't until three days later that someone saw your body and we found you. Old Zhou, my colleagues, and I buried you in the place you told me you liked.
Your departure really affected me deeply. At the time, I was wondering why this happened. You had clearly returned safely, so how could you have died in the Kuomintang-controlled area? And the intelligence you had was also gone.
Old Zhou and I suspected at the time that there was a mole inside. The enemy couldn't possibly know so much detail, nor could they let you go to the appointment with such peace of mind. Unfortunately, we had no basis for our suspicions, let alone any way of knowing who the mole was.
Later, I was seriously injured during a secret mission. It was a very, very serious injury, and because of it, I was unable to have children.
But we were lucky. Our whole group was ambushed by the Japanese, but thankfully my husband, Lao Zhou, pulled me out of the pile of corpses.
Jiang Qiao, do you know what those officers were doing while we were falling one by one under the enemy's guns? They were throwing a big banquet to celebrate the birthday of the child born to their concubines.
When Lao Zhou called them to report our situation, do you know what they said? Just a simple "I know." That one sentence chilled me to the bone.
It's clear someone leaked information about our situation, but the higher-ups didn't even bother to ask a single question, especially about your case. They just gave it a cursory investigation and brushed it off. I don't know who we're all fighting for—the 400 million compatriots, those corrupt officials, or those traitors?
Shen Ruifang stared at the fire and gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, I'm not afraid of death, but at that moment, I had a thought of backing down. I didn't want to end up like you. I was afraid of dying without knowing why, without even knowing who betrayed me."
So, I figured it out and made up my mind. I decided not to play with them anymore. Under Lao Zhou's cover, I faked my death.
Later, Lao Zhou also retired. He didn't look down on me, and we got married. We changed our names and came here because we didn't want to live that dangerous life anymore. Although our life is a bit ordinary, we are a harmonious couple.
It's such a pity you left so long ago. If you were still alive, the three of us could at least chat together and share our feelings. You don't know that without you, I can never find anyone I can talk to again.
But now things are about to get turbulent again. A woman keeps bringing her mother-in-law to see a doctor every few days, and she keeps testing me and Lao Zhou. I don't care who sent her, she can forget about trying to pull us onto the boat.
Jiang Qiao, I really miss the carefree days we spent together...
Hiding behind the tree, Jiang Qiao was already in tears. She had no idea that her companion had done so much for her back then, even burying her body. For that alone, she couldn't disturb their peaceful life.
Shen Ruifang and Zhou Yu have already had a very good outcome. Few people like them can have a peaceful end.
She had originally wanted to ask this friend for help, but now she chose to give up. It wasn't easy for the couple to have lived to this day, and it was even harder to have the life they had now. She couldn't bring herself to destroy their happiness.
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