Ning Zhiheng hadn't eaten at Huang Xianzheng's house for a long time. This time, he only visited Huang's house late at night and had been so busy that he hadn't had a chance to pay his respects properly.
He first prepared some gifts before heading to Huang Xianzheng's house.
Upon arriving at Huang Xianzheng's home, Ning Zhiheng and his wife were waiting for him. After exchanging greetings with Mrs. Huang, Ning Zhiheng handed the gifts to Huang Xianzheng's secretary, Yu Guangyou. Ning Zhiheng and Huang Xianzheng then went to the study to talk.
The two sat facing each other. Huang Xianzheng smiled and spoke first, "I know you haven't had a proper rest since you came back. I just called the Second Division and they said you went out to investigate the air raid case again. You've really worked hard!"
Ning Zhiheng said nonchalantly, "I'm sorry to have troubled you. It's not that it's hard work, but I just felt that time was tight, so I was working a bit harder."
Huang Xianzheng waved his hand and said, "There's no need to put pressure on yourself. To be honest, the situation in Chongqing is complicated. They've been working on it for so long without any results, but you solved the leak case as soon as you came back. That speaks volumes. Even if we take it slow, they won't be able to say anything."
The "they" Huang Xianzheng was referring to were, of course, the bureau chief and his men. He then asked, "So, are you confident about this case?"
Ning Zhiheng said with a smile, "I have officially taken over the air raid case. Yesterday afternoon, Yu Cheng from the intelligence department reported the situation to me. I was too busy to go over it at the moment, and I only had time to take a look today. So far, everything is fine. We have initially selected the suspected target, and the next step is to track and monitor it. However, we should have results within the next day or two."
Seeing Ning Zhiheng's nonchalant tone, as if he didn't take the air raid case too seriously, Huang Xianzheng frowned and said, "You've already chosen a target today? Zhiheng, I'll say it again: don't rush things, and don't be careless. Headquarters still attaches great importance to the air raid case. You've solved the leak case as soon as you came back, which is a good start, but you still need to proceed steadily and surely. Don't slack off, and don't let them find fault with you."
Upon hearing Huang Xianzheng's instructions, Ning Zhiheng hurriedly nodded and smiled, "Yes, don't worry, I will handle it carefully. I am confident in this operation and will not let you down."
"It's good that you know what's going on. I know your abilities; dealing with these Japanese spies isn't difficult. But you need to be careful. The Director can share hardship but not prosperity. He'll be compliant now that he needs us, but he'll show his true colors when he doesn't. If it weren't for the immense pressure from above this time, I wouldn't have let you risk coming back."
"Zhiheng understands!"
Huang Xianzheng then asked, "Did you go to Wuhan some time ago?"
Ning Zhiheng suddenly looked up and looked at Huang Xianzheng in surprise. He had not informed headquarters or the Second Operations Division about his trip to Wuhan. Chongqing should not know about it. Moreover, he had only been away from Shanghai for about twenty days. Not many people around him knew about it, and even fewer people outside knew about it. After all, given his status in Shanghai, no one dared to question or inquire about his whereabouts.
"How did you know, Director?" Ning Zhiheng asked. He didn't hide anything, after all, it wasn't a big deal. "In Shanghai, the Shanghai Station and No. 76 are fighting fiercely. I have a special identity and was caught in the middle, so I was afraid of being implicated. I had to hide in Wuhan, but I didn't stay there for long, only about twenty days."
Huang Xianzheng waved his hand and said with a smile, "Don't overthink it. This morning, Liu Ruichang, who was transporting supplies, brought over a box of antiques, including a warm jade Guanyin statue. It's a rare treasure. I've seen this warm jade Guanyin before; it's the prized possession of the Sanbaozhai store in Wuchang. During the Wuhan government era, I wanted to buy it many times, but they asked for too high a price, so I had to give up. After leaving Wuhan, I never had the chance to go back. I regret it now. Seeing this jade Guanyin this morning is like finding something I'd lost. I'm so happy. I still want to thank you!"
Upon hearing this, Ning Zhiheng realized that Huang Xianzheng had tricked him. He relaxed and said with a smile, "I was in too much of a hurry when I came back, so I only brought two pieces of clothing with me. The other gifts I prepared for you were transported by logistics channels and have finally arrived today. However, Director, many of the antiques I sent back before have unclear origins, especially this warm jade Guanyin. I bought it under the guise of being a Japanese person. Please do not show it to anyone to avoid any problems."
Ning Zhiheng then took the opportunity to remind Huang Xianzheng not to let anything slip about these antiques.
“I know that. It wasn’t easy for you to collect these treasures. You must have used all sorts of methods. You don’t know, I’ve also collected quite a few treasures in the past two years. Including the ones you gave me, this basement and air-raid shelter are full. I just don’t dare to display them. First, their origins are hard to say. Second, the Japanese are bombing every day. I’m afraid that if I’m unlucky, all my years of hard work will be destroyed. Sigh, it’s so boring to be so self-absorbed.”
At this point, Huang Xianzheng wore a wry smile and said helplessly, while Ning Zhiheng smiled and said, "After the victory of the War of Resistance, you can put your collection out there, and then it will be fine."
Huang Xianzheng laughed and said, "That's the only way. By the way, how long will you be able to stay in Chongqing this time? Will your long absence from Shanghai affect our transportation channels?"
Ning Zhiheng had already planned for this, and replied, "At most three months. Although everything is on track, I still won't feel at ease unless I'm in Shanghai keeping an eye on things."
Huang Xianzheng considered it in his mind for a moment, and finally nodded and said, "That's good. You need to keep that in mind that no matter how far the cleanup operation goes, you must return to Shanghai in time to take charge of the overall situation. With Shanghai as a base, we can walk on two legs and be more reliable."
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