To throw out a brick to start a jade
In the commander's office, Gao Junxiao and Chen Yao saluted Commander Xiong. Commander Xiong was very pleased to see his two junior colleagues and smiled as he asked them to sit on the sofa to report on the latest situation of the bandit suppression.
Gao Junxiao and Chen Yao exchanged glances, and Gao Junxiao handed over a notebook with a kraft paper cover. It looked like it had been read many times, and the corners were even curled up. Commander Xiong flipped through it while Chen Yao explained the notebook's origin.
This notebook originally belonged to the bandit Lei Huozi. After Lei Huozi was captured by the bandit suppression team, the notebook fell into our hands. However, because Lei Huozi had a low level of education, he replaced many Chinese characters with simple symbols or numbers, which meant that no one could understand this cryptic book at the time.
Later, a minor bandit surrendered and revealed the truth: the symbol was an identifier created by Old Man Lei, and this book was actually an account book of collusion between the bandits of Mangshan and the officials.
For example, a cross on a circle represents a security regiment, and the number of petals on the flower behind it corresponds to the rank of the officers and soldiers in the security regiment. Other key symbols such as unit numbers and names are yet to be verified.
Commander Xiong listened expressionlessly from the sofa, not responding to a single word. After the report was finished, the two young men held their breath, and a tense atmosphere filled the air, as if the commander would angrily tear up the ledger and throw it all over the floor at any moment.
Snap!
The ledger was slammed onto the coffee table. Commander Xiong rubbed his temples with trembling hands, and with his eyes closed, he squeezed out his first question from his dry throat: "Do you know why I specifically transferred you two here from Nanjing and Hangzhou respectively?"
Gao and Chen didn't answer as if they had agreed beforehand, remaining seated upright and motionless. Commander Xiong knew the gravity of the situation; how could he clean someone else's house when he hadn't even cleaned his own? Frustrated, he gestured to the guards to get out and instructed them not to let anyone in.
The guards gently closed the door, but the people outside could still hear Commander Xiong's roar. They were all stunned and confused at first, then they quickly hurried away, no one wanting to be the target of their leader's anger.
This matter became a topic of conversation, and rumors quickly spread that someone in headquarters was colluding with bandits. Everyone speculated wildly, pointing the finger at the General Staff, since they offered the least lucrative position. However, those who participated in the discussion were all given a major demerit by Commander Xiong for allegedly disrupting morale. For a time, no one dared to discuss it anymore.
Gao Junxiao and Chen Yao continued training and holding meetings as usual, completely unaffected by the gossip around them. After training, Gao Junxiao and Chen Yao went to the barracks separately to check the cleanliness and hygiene of their soldiers' quarters.
The squad leader led his soldiers in a neat line outside. Shan Hai stood at the end of the line, peeking furtively into the room. When he saw his superior counting the scores with a satisfied look on his face, he quickly withdrew his head.
Inside the barracks, blankets and clothes were neatly folded on two rows of bunk beds, and other personal belongings were also arranged in an orderly fashion. The floor was dust-free, and the cobwebs and windows were so clean that one could see their face reflected in them. The room had clearly been cleaned in advance.
People learn from their mistakes, and even the most seasoned soldier was brought to his knees by Gao Junxiao's ruthless methods. He seemed to remember everyone's preferences and weaknesses, tailoring his approach to each individual. It's a mystery how he could remember so many people's characteristics.
Initially, everyone came to the same conclusion: openly confronting him would definitely not end well; once he was gone, they could do whatever they wanted.
But later everyone gradually realized what made this officer different. First of all, he paid salaries in full. Every time someone was called, that person would sign their name or put their fingerprint on the document to receive their salary, and he never withheld any.
Secondly, seeing that too many people were leaving their fingerprints, Superintendent Gao even started a training course, teaching them ten characters each day to understand the war and why they were fighting. Those who came in first place in the course received an extra silver dollar as a reward. Then everyone came to a new conclusion: following Superintendent Gao would lead to success sooner or later!
After Inspector Gao left the barracks with the scorebook, Shan Hai quickly followed him while everyone else dispersed. Gao Junxiao noticed Shan Hai sneaking around and led him to a secluded spot before stopping.
Seeing that no one was around, Shan Hai pulled an envelope from his pocket and quickly stuffed it into Gao Junxiao's side pocket, with a bright smile that said, "Praise me!"
"Not bad, quite clever, you finished writing it so quickly." Gao Junxiao smiled and patted his pocket, giving high praise.
"Absolutely, I don't like dragging things out. But do you really think this will catch fleas?" Shan Hai shook his leg, somewhat skeptical.
“In summer, you have to be careful to prevent insects and mosquitoes, and especially avoid stagnant water.” Gao Junxiao replied meaningfully. Seeing that Shan Hai was scratching his head and didn’t understand, he turned to him and instructed, “Recently, someone will come to inquire about your background. You know what to do, right?”
"I am the son of a hunter, born in the Year of the Dog, from Xuzhou. My home is on the mountainside of Mazigou. I have five younger brothers and sisters. At the beginning of last year, I went to Nanjing to make a living and enlisted when I saw the recruitment notice." Shan Hai recited the information on the enlistment application form in a mechanical tone.
"You recited it quite well. Remember to be adaptable. Go back and rest early." Gao Junxiao patted Shan Hai on the shoulder to encourage him.
"By the way, what's your little girl's name again?" Shan Hai asked, rubbing his neck.
"He Qingcheng. Why are you thinking about her again? You're really getting into this now, aren't you?" Gao Junxiao turned his head away helplessly, wondering what kind of trouble this kid was going to cause this time.
Shan Hai rubbed his nose and said matter-of-factly, "Of course I'm worried. You're messing with An Fu today and Xu Xun tomorrow. Anyone with eyes can see that you've declared war on the General Staff. I have to protect her. Last time it was a draw and there was no winner. I want to have another match with her."
"I understand. I thank you for your concern on her behalf. Go back now." Gao Junxiao began to shoo them away.
Watching Shan Hai's departing figure, Gao Junxiao's smile gradually faded, and his expression grew increasingly serious. Those scumbags had no bottom line when it came to despicable acts; he needed to find He Qingcheng two bodyguards to prevent her from being implicated. The CC agent from that night suddenly flashed through his mind, but only for a moment before Gao Junxiao dismissed it.
He Qingcheng was just a weak woman who couldn't even kill a chicken!
A fine drizzle was falling outside the window, the raindrops dripping from the eaves. Inside, the curtains were drawn, and it was already dark and everyone was asleep. Just as the homeowner was drifting off to sleep, a loud knocking sounded at the door.
The knocking wasn't loud, as it came from behind a bedroom door. But to the homeowner who had just fallen asleep, it was like ten alarm clocks ringing at once, calling out: "Miss He, wake up, it's time to get up."
Miss He didn't not want to get up, but the bedding was too sticky, so she buried her head tightly under the covers. A rainy day is the best sleeping pill. However, the knocking on the door persisted. The girl struggled to get out of bed, clutching the corner of the blanket, looking like a silkworm swaying on a green mulberry leaf.
Finally, with a determination to sacrifice herself for the greater good, the girl kicked off the covers and jumped out of bed. As she put on her pajamas, she opened the door and said, "Who is it? What's all the noise about in the middle of the night?"
A boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old was standing at the door. He was forced to take a few steps back by the girl's violent opening of the door. When he saw the girl's unfriendly expression, he immediately explained his purpose. He was a shop assistant at Liu's Watch Shop on Sanma Road. His manager said that the parts for the gold pocket watch that Miss He wanted to repair had been found, and she could bring the watch in to get it repaired now.
Upon hearing "Liu's Watch Shop," Qingcheng immediately snapped out of her daze. That was their secret communication point, a place they rarely used for regular contact. Why would they suddenly contact her? Whatever the reason, He Qingcheng dismissed the shop assistant and, without a moment's delay, prepared to leave.
As soon as she went downstairs, she felt two pairs of eyes watching her from behind. She didn't know what was going on with these two people. They had been keeping watch over her from the time she went to work until she went to sleep. Were all the little spies these days so dedicated? She had been in hibernation for several weeks. Was it related to the urgent summons tonight? She decided to shake them off first.
Liu's Watch Shop was located in the middle of Sanma Road; it was the only shop on the entire street with its lights on, making it easy to find, but this also carried a significant risk of being questioned. Qingcheng folded her umbrella and stepped into the shop, full of doubt. The young shop assistant wasn't there. The plump, middle-aged owner cheerfully came out to greet her. She had never repaired a pocket watch before, so it was still used for communication.
"Boss, I need my gold pocket watch repaired. The clerk said they have the parts." Qingcheng said, taking out the pocket watch and getting straight to the point.
This watch was temporarily given to her by Section Chief Li during their last meeting. The original watch that Wang Renyong gave her had a fine-brush butterfly and peony pattern, but this one has a fine-brush swallowtail butterfly and peony pattern. You can't tell the difference unless you look closely.
"Yes, this watch is very precious and cannot be exposed to dust. Please come with me to the back room, I'll take it apart and have a look." After saying that, the shopkeeper walked out from behind the counter and led Qingcheng into the back room.
After carefully closing the door, the shopkeeper shook hands with Qingcheng and addressed her as "comrade." Qingcheng was even more confused. This shopkeeper clearly didn't know her, yet he knew her home address and that she had a gold pocket watch for communication.
"It's not him looking for you, it's me." Li Sheng, the head of the publicity department, dressed in a blue long gown, walked out of the inner room with a smile. The shopkeeper, seeing that the person in charge had arrived, wisely went out to pour tea.
"So it's Comrade Mudan. I've developed all the map film you gave me last time and handed it over to the organization intact." Qingcheng said, yawning widely.
Seeing Qingcheng yawn several more times, Li Sheng sighed and joked, "Comrade He, you were chosen by Wang Renyong, how could I doubt your abilities? If it weren't for the big battle we've been fighting recently, I wouldn't want to bother you so late."
"It's alright, let's get down to business. What kind of big battle is it?" Qingcheng looked at Li Sheng curiously.
Li Sheng's expression changed from serious to serious as he said, "Actually, our Party has a major event coming up soon. Two international representatives of the Soviets will be coming to China from the Soviet Union to preside over the Fifth Joint Conference of Soviets in Shanghai."
"This is a big deal, but I'm currently in hibernation. I can't participate in any organizational activities without being woken up by my superiors." Qingcheng thought, resting her chin on her hand: International representatives must have had a lot of people protecting them on their way to Shanghai, and their arrival time and route must be kept secret. There's not much she can do.
Li Sheng slapped his thigh and said helplessly, "I was actually in hibernation too, but it was extremely urgent. The news of the meeting leaked out in advance. Commander Xiong received orders from his superiors to sabotage the meeting. He has already dispatched many secret investigators to set up surveillance at various stations and key roads. They will arrest anyone who makes a move. Wang Renyong is not in Shanghai, so I can only turn to you."
"What do you mean?" Seeing Li Sheng like this, Qingcheng realized that the matter was quite urgent, otherwise he would not have risked being exposed to find her.
“Many important leaders of our Party will be present at the conference, but the matter is urgent and they are all on their way. There is no time to notify them one by one. This is a map showing the distribution of secret agents. Please submit it to my superiors. We must avoid these locations. Otherwise, it will be a major loss for our Party.” Li Sheng pulled a thin map from his pocket.
Li Sheng has already volunteered to be the captain of the secret reconnaissance team. He pointed to a place marked on the map, saying that he would leave a few openings on the map to let our people leave.
"You already know about the transportation stations, wouldn't it be faster to have them relay the message for you?" Kiyosumi looked around; the organization's transportation stations could relay messages within the same city in less than a day.
Li Sheng resolutely refused, saying, "No way! This top-secret information has been leaked. I don't know where things went wrong, but I suspect it's an internal problem."
Upon hearing this, Kiyosumi's head began to buzz. She cautiously confirmed again, "Internal? Are you sure it was intercepted by our insiders and not by them from the outside?"
“Yes, so you are the only person I can trust right now. Please make sure you personally hand over the deployment map to the highest leader you can reach, and the fewer nodes, the better.” Li Sheng carefully reassembled the deployment map and solemnly handed it to Qingcheng.
"...Okay." After hesitating for a while, Kiyosumi finally agreed.
This is a tricky matter. It's easy for superiors to contact subordinates within an organization, but it's very difficult for subordinates to contact superiors. There's only one way: "Our newspaper office is just across the intersection. I'll go find the colleague on duty in a bit and place a public notice to contact the superiors."
"Okay, be careful, and you need to be wary of your boyfriend. I feel like he's starting to suspect you." Li Sheng looked at Qingcheng with concern.
"He's been busier than me lately, he doesn't have time to worry about me." Qingcheng's eyes flickered, and she asked with her head down, "Do you know what he's been up to lately?"
“All I know is that Gao Junxiao recently obtained a codebook and deciphered a list of collusion between officials and bandits. If I’m not mistaken, he’s also manipulating public opinion in the headquarters.” Li Shenglue raised his eyes and said in a deep voice, “His situation is very dangerous, so he sent people to follow you. Whether it’s protection or surveillance, you can decide for yourself.”
It turns out they were from Gao Junxiao's faction. But rather than being monitored, Kiyosumi trusted Gao Junxiao's honest character more.
"I believe he was just protecting me!" Qingcheng replied firmly. Ever since he was assassinated in the city, he had realized that suppressing bandits was not only about eliminating external enemies but also about eliminating internal troubles.
Now that the organization is facing internal problems, she can empathize with his internal and external troubles. The only thing that bothers her is that she has become his weakness, distracting him.
This time it was Li Sheng's turn to be surprised. He had arranged to meet Qingcheng at the store at 3 p.m. this Sunday. The two politely said goodbye at the store, and Li Sheng left first.
The clock on the customs building rang, startling flocks of white pigeons that flew across the square, breaking the rare tranquility of the evening. Qingcheng opened a black umbrella and hurried towards the declaration building. The light rain continued to fall, showing no signs of stopping.
The sky was overcast, obscuring a thin moon. Gao Junxiao came out of the bathroom after washing up and saw several open poetry collections spread out on the sofa, with the owner of the books, Chen Yao, hunched over his desk under the lamp, writing furiously.
Those who didn't know better would think he was studying something seriously. Gao Junxiao quietly approached Chen Yao. Perhaps he was too engrossed in writing, because even when Gao Junxiao was almost pressed against his back, Chen Yao still didn't react.
Seeing that Chen Yao didn't react, Gao Junxiao suddenly slapped him on the shoulder with his book. Chen Yao was startled and cried out. Looking closely, he saw that it was Gao Junxiao holding his copy of Shelley's poetry with a malicious grin. Chen Yao snorted coldly and snatched his book back.
"My dear sister, please don't worry, don't think about it, and definitely don't cry. I'm sending you a sweet kiss. If you don't listen to me, then you'll have to send me the sweet kiss back. Tsk tsk tsk, could you be any more cheesy?" Gao Junxiao read aloud the love letter he had only glanced at, while admiring Chen Yao's wonderful expression. "Hey, how do you know it's a girl on the other end and not a guy?"
"Shut up! You have a sister, but you won't let others have one. She must be a lovely sister." Chen Yao angrily threw Shelley's poetry collection at Gao Junxiao, blaming him for killing the conversation.
Gao Junxiao put the book back on the shelf and said smugly, "Is your pen pal reliable? Every time you send it to the magazine's editorial department and then forward it, who knows who's handling it. But mine is a real person, you can see and touch him, and he can even make soup."
"Yeah, you won't share the soup with your brothers. Eating it all by yourself, how can you not be poisoned? Even Qingcheng said she made enough for two people." Chen Yao gestured with his little finger. "Gao Junxiao, you're so petty, you see how petty you are?"
"My life is here, but there's no soup. They're just being polite; they really think highly of themselves." Gao Junxiao patted his chest, demonstrating to Chen Yao that he could be even more stingy.
"Don't be so stubborn. After you get married, I'll move into your house and have Qingcheng cook for me every day," Chen Yao said, pouting.
"Get lost, believe me or not I'll shoot you dead." Gao Junxiao rolled his eyes. Is this never going to end? "Please settle things with your wife as soon as possible. Make sure you get compensation. You can't keep dragging this on."
"It's not that simple. She doesn't want a divorce and even threatens suicide. So, if we divorce her, that would be forcing her to die. We are both victims of feudal ethics. How can I be a murderer and persecute her together? So I would rather support her and give her the dignity of being the eldest wife." Chen Yao's smile faded.
"She still wants a child, can you give it to her?" Gao Junxiao knew that Chen Yao had been sleeping in separate rooms from his wife ever since he was tricked into going home at the age of thirteen and forced to go through a wedding ceremony.
“No, our values are completely different, we can’t communicate at all. When I asked her to untie her feet, she said she dared not. When I asked her to read and write, she said her family was forcing her because she was incompetent. When I wanted to give up my appointment in Beiyang and go south to join the revolution, she burned all my books and scolded me for being stupid from reading those revolutionary books. Now that no one is forcing her, she’s become very bold.” Chen Yao’s eyes could not hide his disgust for his first wife.
Ignorance and foolishness were not her fault. Gao Junxiao felt some sympathy for his wife, but he would never blame Chen Yao. They were just strangers bound together by a marriage contract. If it were a feudal dynasty, they could at least treat each other with respect. Unfortunately, they were born in an era of clash between the old and the new.
In this era, traditional women were destined for tragedy regardless of whether they married or not; she did nothing wrong, yet everything she did was wrong.
She hoped Chen Yao would be a dutiful and obedient feudal husband, but Chen Yao hoped she would awaken and become a progressive and independent woman. The two were like two parallel lines, one new and one old.
Both wanted the other to change, but they couldn't. Those who had been poisoned and brainwashed by the dregs of traditional female morality education from childhood would likely never learn to resist, even until death. Those who had been exposed to progressive education, of course, were unwilling to abide by such corrupt and nauseating rules.
Alas, feudal ethics have done a great deal of harm. He didn't want to stand on a moral high ground and be generous with other people's money. He didn't feel the pain until the needle pricked him. He asked himself honestly, he couldn't be as kind as Chen Yao.
"Your rebellion means giving up your own happiness to serve the country, so why do you still want to have a spiritual relationship with a pen pal who is nothing more than a figment of your imagination?" Gao Junxiao tidied up the poetry collection on the sofa and made room for himself.
"Actually, I don't know either. I just found a pen pal to vent my frustrations. It didn't matter if she was male or female. At first, I only talked to her about politics, ideals, and ideologies. When I received her replies, I felt for the first time how precious spiritual connection is." Chen Yao gently blew on the still wet words on the paper. "Until one day I got sick, she took good care of me and even drew me some heartwarming little comics. I only realized she was a girl because of her cute drawing style."
"If you put it that way, she might be a young girl who's just started school and has ideals all over her head. What grown-up girl would want to talk about ideologies with someone? And she'd be all over a blockhead who only talks about ideologies." Gao Junxiao poured himself a glass of water and teased Chen Yao.
"Pah, that's prejudice. My sister Manli is already working, and your man's editorials are notoriously sharp. Try talking to her about politics and ideologies, and you'll be amazed," Chen Yao retorted, carefully folding the letter. "I think it's just that you're unwilling to have in-depth conversations with her."
Gao Junxiao, having his thoughts exposed, silently opened the newspaper, and sure enough, Jin Xiaoyin's editorial, "On the Municipal Government's Reduction of Education Funding: Is it a Blessing or a Curse?", came into view.
Furthermore, her previous article on the importance of military industry development to the country, despite not being a military scholar, was able to summarize our shortcomings from documents and materials. Her editorial was so well-reasoned and supported by evidence that even he, a military scholar, felt somewhat ashamed.
In addition, the education feature in the Shenbao newspaper featured extensive publicity for Principal Wu's free school, which successfully secured social funding for the school, enabling it to recruit full-time teachers, while the part-time teachers like them could retire gracefully.
Her editorials are unsparing, directly addressing the deep-seated problems of current affairs, using her pen as a scalpel, each blow drawing blood. No wonder people call Jin Xiaoyin the Mu Guiying of the media world; her pen is indeed worth three thousand Mauser rifles.
Gao Junxiao thought to himself with a smug smile: If all women in the world were as thoughtful and talented as He Qingcheng, then the future of our motherland would be bright! Haha, wasn't his expectation too high? After all, He Qingcheng was the biggest anomaly of this era.
Before long, Chen Yao had changed his clothes and was holding an envelope with a stamp already affixed to it. He was dressed like this to mail a letter.
"Don't you see what time it is? It's raining. You can mail it tomorrow. The postman needs to rest too." Gao Junxiao thought Chen Yao's infatuation was quite frightening.
"No, my letter must be collected immediately, otherwise my dear sister will be anxiously waiting." Chen Yao insisted on sending it.
"Even if they're collected early, they'll still be piling up at the post office waiting to be sorted," Gao Junxiao said realistically.
"I don't care, what if the postman is lazy and late tomorrow?" Chen Yao voiced his unnecessary worry.
As the two were still arguing, the overhead light flickered a few times before finally going out. The entire room was plunged into darkness, and the hallway was equally pitch black.
Unlike Chen Yao, who stood in the corridor looking around, Gao Junxiao leaned against the windowsill, pulled back the curtains a little, and carefully observed everything outside the window. A white construction truck was parked on the wide, straight road, and shadowy figures seemed to be moving under the streetlights.
"Chen Yao, put away your love letters first, we're having guests coming over soon," Gao Junxiao said with a half-smile.
"Damn, they really know how to pick their timing. Why not earlier or later?" Chen Yao put away the envelope with a bit of a sigh, then groped for the pistol and silencer in the drawer by the last bit of moonlight.
The sound of footsteps approached on the stairs; they had been waiting for a long time.
As luck would have it, the phone rang again. Gao Junxiao gestured to Chen Yao, about to pick up the receiver, when a spark flashed and splinters of wood flew everywhere. A small corner of the table where the phone was placed was knocked off.
Forced behind the sofa, Gao and Chen counted heads by the sound of footsteps. Chen Yao quickly counted eight, and the two of them tacitly leaned out from either side of the sofa and fired at the enemy. Swish, swish, swish, swish, both sides had silencers. Compared to the sound of rain outside the window, the faint gunshots sounded more like stones being thrown at each other in the wind.
After wounding several people, the enemy simply hid behind cover and fired randomly, seemingly unconcerned about accuracy. This was clearly different from their relentless attack on the road last time. Having figured this out, Gao Junxiao gave Chen Yao a knowing look, then quickly picked up a cushion and threw it forward.
Taking advantage of the enemy's attention being drawn to the cushions and Gao Junxiao's cover fire, Chen Yao leaped and quickly subdued one person. When the person next to him tried to shoot, he twisted his hand, and a scream echoed in the living room...
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