"You two, I understand the rules of handing in a certificate of surrender, but I don't have the guts to kill a Japanese!"
Chen Baoxiang immediately gave in and held his head in his hands, motionless.
"You fucking traitor, do you still have any sense? The Japanese took over Jinan and killed so many people. I don't believe it. You don't even have the courage? Get up and follow us!"
The person behind him slapped Chen Baoxiang on the back of his head, and the pain made stars pop out in front of Chen Baoxiang's eyes.
"You two, I'm just a cook. Don't torment me. Just be generous and give me a way to survive!"
Another person flew up and kicked Chen Baoxiang into the crook of his leg.
"What the hell, where did all this nonsense come from? I have been in the world for so many years, and I have a sharp eye for identifying people and thieves. You just don't tell the truth and are playing tricks on me. Let's go, let's go!"
Chen Baoxiang took the opportunity to fall to the ground, rolled over, and pressed the button in his left sleeve with his right hand.
It's a pity that it's most of the day now. If he kills someone in the street, he will be completely exposed and will be targeted by Japanese spies immediately.
If it had been a dark night, he would have drawn a knife to seal his throat and let these two gangsters from nowhere go to hell.
He stood up slowly and was sandwiched by two people one behind the other. He arrived at the north end of Yanchasi Street and turned into Miaojia Lane.
"Old Sun, is it here?"
"Yes, my boss told me, it's right here. Their bids are not high, but they are very trustworthy. Each person has a headcount of fifty yuan, and they get everything they need."
Chen Baoxiang sat down on the spot and put his hands in his sleeves.
As he listened to these two people talking, he became more and more frightened.
When the Japs first entered the city, they posted notices at the four gates stating that as long as they caught any deserters from the Confederate Army, their heads would be sent to the ocean. At that time, many people were buying heads on the black market and using them to claim credit, which caused a storm in the city.
Now, listening to the conversation between these two people, it seems that they want to sell Chen Baoxiang for fifty yuan.
Chen Baoxiang lowered his head and sat blankly, ready to kill.
"Heaven and earth are unkind and treat all things like shit. Since they are unkind, I can be unjust as well. Damn it, I'm a bully. Is there any law for catching Jinan people in Jinan city and selling them for money?"
"Hey, Mr. Chen, I'm just going to leave you here. A friend will come over soon and take you to kill the Japanese and hand over your name. As for you, just do as we say. From now on, you will be part of your own family, and our brothers will protect you.
Do you understand?"
Chen Baoxiang raised his head and looked at the two of them dullly.
The two people laughed loudly: "This kid is so honest. He was sold and had to help count the money. Hahahaha... The boss said he was a spy of the Eighth Front Army. That's bullshit! If this kid can be a spy, so can a dog. Let's do it.
After finishing the work here, I can write a letter and throw it to the rice shop, and then I can defraud a few hundred yuan, no problem, but a bunch of fools, who will they do if not him?"
Chen Baoxiang's face was blank, his eyes could not move, as if he was frightened.
He had decided to attack the tall man seven steps away first, stabbing him in the heart. Then he would draw the knife and stab the short man five steps away in the throat. Then he would draw the knife and stab the tall man in the throat again.
After three moves, he immediately ran eastward, turned right out of Miaojia Lane, and headed south.
He didn't want to kill anyone, but the other party bullied him too much. Not only did he want to sell him to the ocean, he also wanted to blackmail the rice shop.
Which is tolerable and which is unbearable? Since it is unbearable, there is no need to bear it any more.
"Not coming yet?"
The tall man stood on tiptoes and looked toward the east end of Miaojia Lane.
"They are a big banker and are very busy. It is said that they collect dozens of heads a day. It's not like us, who worked all night and just got one. Alas, it's getting harder and harder to make some extra money. It's better to go out of the city and join the gang in Nanshan
, rob the house, rob the house, have fun...it's coming, it's coming!"
At the east end of Miaojia Lane, a man wearing a large cotton-padded jacket and a gray felt hat walked over quickly.
"Hey, are you the brother sent by the boss of Huanghe Beijin?"
The two of them clenched their pistols tightly, as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
The man in the felt hat nodded, opened his felt hat, and held it in his hand.
"Where's the money?"
"Look at the goods first."
The man in the felt hat walked around Chen Baoxiang and nodded slowly: "It's not bad."
The tall man breathed a sigh of relief: "Give me money, give me money -"
Suddenly, the man in the felt hat raised his hand, and there was a "crack" sound from under the hat, the machine spring rang, and a short arrow shot out, instantly piercing the tall man's throat.
The force of the machine spring was astonishing, and the short arrow passed through the tall man's throat and nailed into the big tree behind him.
The short man had no chance to shoot. The man in the felt hat jumped up on the spot and hit his chest with his right knee. With two clicks, the sternum was completely shattered. He fell to the ground and died without saying a word.
This man's moves were strange and unpredictable, urgent and heavy, leaving no room for change. Chen Baoxiang was stunned.
"Let's go, this matter has nothing to do with you, be stricter, you haven't seen anything, do you understand?"
Chen Baoxiang cupped his fists and raised his hands: "Thank you hero for saving your life."
The man in the felt hat curled his lips: "Hero? How do you know that I am a hero? In the world of troubled times, all heroes are dead. I just wander around the world and play some tricks to take advantage of others -"
He squatted down, felt in the pockets of the two dead bodies, found two gold bars, and dozens of oceans, and put them all into his pockets.
Then, he skillfully stroked their wrists, took off two gold watches, and put them on his own wrists.
"If you dare to ask the hero his name, I will definitely reward him generously in the future."
"You want to know my name so much? Are you planning to report to the government? Go, go, go, I'm just annoying you Jinan people, you are so tired, you have no ability, you have no brains, go away, go away..."
Chen Baoxiang was shocked, turned around quickly, and ran out of Miaojia Lane.
The two thunder blows from the man in the felt hat just now made him feel ashamed.
If he had just assassinated two people by himself, it would have been very difficult. He might have missed and left the other party with a chance to shoot, and it would have been all over.
When he reached the middle of Yanchasi Street, he saw that no one was following him, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief and slowed down to avoid going home out of breath and frightening Liu Yuee.
As he walked, he secretly looked around.
There are people hiding secretly at every commanding height. The killers are trying to assassinate the Japanese, which is tantamount to throwing themselves into a trap.
"Bi Gong is really amazing. He actually used the Japanese as bait, made a perfect layout, and waited for the enemy. In this kind of battle, no matter how many killers there are, they will just lay dead on the street, and they can't even touch the threshold of the rice shop."
Chen Baoxiang was frightened and only hoped that after seeing the piece of paper, Gu Lanchun would completely give up and not participate in the assassination of the Japanese.
Entering the rice shop, Liu Yue'e was sweeping the floor.
On the ground in front of the counter, there were four neat wooden boxes, three feet square and two feet high.
"Master, these are sent from the shop on Furong Street. Teapots, tea bowls, vinegar saucers, wine glasses, spoons, chopsticks... They said that they were afraid that the Japanese distinguished guests would dislike the rice shop's improper eating utensils, so they specially sent them unopened.
Eight sets of gold-painted porcelain from Jingdezhen, Jiangxi."
Chen Baoxiang opened the wooden box, and every piece of porcelain inside was wrapped in soft paper, exuding a faint fragrance of red sandalwood.
"Master, these old restaurants are so particular. I have opened my eyes this time. When our Grand View Garden restaurant opens, we will have to buy Jingdezhen porcelain. We can't let people make irresponsible remarks on these facade decorations."
Chen Baoxiang smiled and closed the lid of the box.
When Liu Yue'e saw dust on Chen Baoxiang's sleeves, she quickly picked up a clean rag and patted it for him.
Liu Yue'e was not from Jianghu, but she already felt that this banquet was unusual.
She finished sweeping the floor and made tea for Chen Baoxiang.
"Boss and old customers no longer dare to come to our house. When they pass by our door, they always walk against the south wall. Alas, our rice shop is probably open to the end. The old ones are not coming, and the new ones are not coming. When we go to the Grand View Garden
Go ahead and beat the gongs and drums again and open another business!"
Chen Baoxiang was speechless. More and more masters gathered together. If those gangsters like little fishes and shrimps dared to act rashly, they would be looking for death.
"I have prepared snacks and incense candles, and will go to Guandi Temple to pay my respects later. It seems like a good thing to be treated here, but why is my heart beating more and more violently?"
Chen Baoxiang looked at the banner above the small stage. The more he looked at it, the more dazzling it became. He wanted to tear it off, stuff it into the stove, and burn it.
"Welcome the Japanese devils? The Japanese have already occupied Jinan, trampled the people of Jinan under their feet, and trampled them wantonly... Now they still have to welcome the Japanese. What a fucking joke!"
Someone came in at the door, a middle-aged woman with oily hair and pink face.
"Oh, Boss Chen, I haven't seen you for a long time. You have been to Mingxinchi a few times. I stood beside you and wanted to say hello to you, but I just didn't get the chance. Hehehe, today, I finally got the chance. Congratulations.
Make a fortune, congratulations on making a fortune..."
Chen Baoxiang looked at that woman and felt very unfamiliar.
"May I ask who you are?"
"A good friend of Mr. Feng in Mingxinchi, everyone calls me Sister Mei. I opened a small shop across from Mingxinchi, specializing in rouge and gouache. It also has a small name, Peony Pavilion."
Chen Baoxiang suddenly understood that Peony Pavilion was a well-known brothel in Jinan City, and the women it recruited were all educated people who had studied in famous universities. They fell into prostitution because of their poor family background or unkind people.
The reputation and scale of Peony Pavilion cannot be compared with Bagua Lu, but the women here are proficient in multiple languages, and the guests who come here to play are all foreigners and Japanese, so the quality is naturally high and unique.
"Long time admiration, long time admiration."
Chen Baoxiang's mind couldn't turn around for a while. He didn't know why Sister Mei, the madam of Peony Pavilion, came to the door.
"Boss Chen, Mr. Bi said, let me come and see the venue first. My sisters in Peony Pavilion are all well-educated and good at playing musical instruments. I told Mr. Bi that since Japanese friends love Chinese culture, it will be easy to handle
Yes, the sisters are proficient in playing, playing and singing, especially——"
Sister Mei sat down, took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, and wiped the fine beads of sweat on the tip of her nose.
She only spoke half of what she said. She looked around the store, curled her lips subconsciously, and shook her head.
Chen Baoxiang knew that the stage was simple and crude, but this was a rice shop, not the first theater in the Grand View Garden, so he had to make do with it.
"Boss Chen, all the sisters in Peony Pavilion are smart and studious, especially the four sisters Feng, Hua, Xue and Yue. One is good at pipa, one is good at guzheng, one is good at erhu, and one is good at suona. Youdao is - Wanban
The musical instrument, the suona, is the king. It is either sent to the funeral or worshiped in the hall. The pipa is played for thousands of years, the zither is played for ten thousand years, and the erhu is played for a lifetime. When the suona sounds, all the four elements are empty..."
Sister Mei kept chattering, but Chen Baoxiang couldn't get a word in, so he could only listen.
"Mr. Bi said, let me bring a few sisters over to chat with my Japanese friends about musical instruments and romance. Alas, your old place is too simple and doesn't even have a microphone. Singing in a rich person's house is not as good as here.
So thoughtful!”
Chen Baoxiang kept his smile and let Sister Mei scold him.
"Boss Chen, let me be the first to say something. The sisters in Peony Pavilion are artists, not themselves. They don't even need a single coin to accompany them to the people they like, and they are willing to accompany them without any regrets. The people they don't like are just covered in gold bars.
Don’t even try to buy them a smile even if they don’t have a bed.”
Liu Yue'e came out from behind and stood beside Chen Baoxiang, glaring at Sister Mei with a cold face.
She is a child of a serious family, and she hates the prostitutes in Fireworks Willow Lane most in her life. She knows that Chen Baoxiang has nothing to do with Sister Mei, but she is still furious.