The other rickshaw pullers, who were a bit slower, grimaced in exasperation and sat back down, waiting for their next customer.
"Sir, would you like a ride? My rickshaw is all brand new, the seats and linings are spotless, I guarantee you'll be satisfied!" the rickshaw driver greeted him solicitously.
Liang Shi'an looked at the rickshaw driver in front of him. His face was tanned dark by the sun, and deep wrinkles were etched on his forehead. His large hands had prominent knuckles, and he looked at Liang Shi'an with a simple and honest smile.
"Alright, Huiqian Road!" Liang Shi'an rarely rode in a rickshaw himself, but looking at this rickshaw driver, he decided to patronize his business. These laborers had a hard life too!
The rickshaw driver was quite skilled; he pulled the rickshaw quickly and steadily, smoothly taking Liang Shi'an all the way to Huiqian Road. After getting off the rickshaw, Liang Shi'an gave him a few extra copper coins and then turned and left.
The rickshaw driver stuffed the copper coins into his pocket, but his eyes never left Liang Shi'an's back. At this moment, two rickshaws followed behind him.
The rickshaw driver gave a slight nod and whispered, "Enter the second intersection on the left!"
Two men in gray clothes got out of each of the two rickshaws and followed the rickshaw drivers down the street. A short while later, Wang Shucheng arrived with his men!
Liang Shi'an returned home and saw his wife chatting with a neighbor in the yard as soon as he entered. Upon seeing Liang Shi'an, the woman politely took her leave, nodded respectfully to Liang Shi'an, and went home.
"You're back. Did you get the money back? Uncle San and the others came to borrow money again just now, saying they're starving! They were crying their eyes out, and I didn't dare agree, so I persuaded them to go back first!" His wife said helplessly to Liang Shi'an.
Liang Shi'an handed over the briefcase in his hand and said in a deep voice, "I've retrieved it. As before, go buy rice and flour first. Only lend grain, not money, otherwise who knows where it will end up!"
His wife nodded in agreement, took the briefcase, opened it, and said happily, "This is quite a lot! You soldiers and officials really know how to make money. You're just a staff officer, and you've already made so much! If it weren't for you supporting us, this whole family wouldn't have anything to eat!"
Liang Shi'an didn't reply. He found a stool and sat down in the yard to rest. His wife continued to nag, saying that the price of grain in the market had gone up again, that the neighbor's husband was having a hard time earning a salary, and that life was getting harder and harder, and so on. Seeing that Liang Shi'an didn't say anything, she knew he was in a bad mood, so she stopped talking, got up and went out to buy grain.
Liang Shi'an sat quietly by himself. He knew that this money was not a source of profit at all; it was just an excuse he used to deceive his wife!
I am just a lowly staff officer in the General Staff Headquarters of the Military Commission, with no power whatsoever. Nowadays, staff officers are everywhere in the army, and there are as many clerks as dogs!
It's a sinecure, so they give you the title of staff officer, which sounds good, but you don't have any real power. It's a dead-end job, and you can't find any extra income. You just have to support your whole family on that salary.
If life hadn't been so hard, he wouldn't have succumbed to temptation and been dragged into this mess. Now, it's easy to get on board but hard to get off; he's stuck!
"Captain, the target entered No. 26 Huiqian Road and hasn't come out since!" the tracking team member reported back.
"Find this person. Don't ask around, it'll be easy for the news to leak out. Go directly to the local police station's household registration office to retrieve the information!" Wang Shucheng instructed.
Meanwhile, Wang Shucheng had already begun setting up surveillance points near Liang Shi'an's home in order to monitor him comprehensively.
Soon, Zhao Jiang placed the information of the residents of No. 26 Huiqian Road in front of him.
A staff officer in the Military Commission's Conscription Department? This unassuming figure is actually a staff member of the Military Commission?
Wang Shucheng said to Zhao Jiang, "You keep watch here. I'll report to the team leader immediately. Like the team leader said, it's better to lose sight of him than to wake him up!"
Zhao Jiang nodded and accepted the order. Wang Shucheng rushed back to the Military Intelligence Investigation Department and Ning Zhiheng's office.
Wang Shucheng placed the documents in his hand on Ning Zhiheng's desk: "Team leader, the first target has been found!"
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