In the evening, I solemnly returned home and saw that it was brand new inside and out. I couldn't help but give a thumbs up and said, "Siqi, you are really the one who kept the house so clean."
Xu Siqi said: "If you were more diligent, your home wouldn't be like a pig's nest."
He chuckled solemnly and said: "It seems that I have made a lot of money by letting you live in my house. It is equivalent to hiring a servant for free."
Xu Siqi smiled: "As long as you are satisfied."
He solemnly threw the briefcase on the sofa and said: "Let's go, celebrate that you found a satisfactory job, let's go out for a big dinner!"
"Where to go? Is it far?"
"nearby."
"Oh, by the way, I almost forgot, someone came to see you this afternoon."
"who?"
"A Yuan on the dock."
After thinking seriously, he said, "Siqi, please wait for me at home for a while. I'll go out and make a phone call and I'll be right back."
Xu Siqi picked up his coat and said, "I'll go out with you. After making the phone call, I'm going to eat."
"Uh... ok."
"Why are you so reluctant... If it's inconvenient, then I'll wait at home."
He smiled solemnly and punched Xu Siqi: "What's the inconvenience! Why are you so mean-spirited? I'm not doing this for your own good. On a cold day, I'm making calls in a phone booth while you're freezing outside. I
I feel so unbearable."
"I'm not that delicate yet."
"Don't say that, who are you? A young master from a wealthy family. He has been pampered since he was a child. He has clothes to put on, food to eat, and mouth to open..."
"That's almost it. How about I give you a few sentences?"
"Okay, let's just talk about cross talk..."
The two chatted and laughed, and left the house one after another.
There was a public phone booth on the street. I opened the door solemnly and walked in. I turned around and looked at Xu Siqi and said, "How about you come in too?"
Xu Siqi turned up the collar of his windbreaker and pointed to the grocery store on the roadside: "I'm going to buy a pack of cigarettes."
Watching Xu Siqi walk away, he breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the phone, put in a coin, and then dialed a series of numbers.
"Hey, it's me."
"He's back, tomorrow at 11 noon, Chunfengdeyilou."
"Does the boss know?"
"The boss will personally take action tomorrow."
"okay, I get it."
After hanging up the phone, he solemnly lit a cigarette and walked out of the phone booth.
At this time, Xu Siqi also came out of the grocery store with two packs of cigarettes in his hand. He walked over to Zheng Zheng and said, "If you had cigarettes, why didn't you tell me earlier? I'll buy you a pack too."
He solemnly reached out and took the cigarette and looked at it: "Hey, great hero, it's such a good smoke. One pack is worth three packs to me."
"Did you finish the call?"
"It's over. Regarding business matters, there is a problem with a batch of goods at the dock. I have to deal with it tomorrow."
"oh……"
"Let's go and eat, I'm starving... Hey, Siqi, you will officially go to work tomorrow, right?"
"yes."
"Siqi, let me tell you, if you are not familiar with the place, don't wander around, especially around the City God's Temple."
"Why?"
"In the area around the City God's Temple, there are cats, dogs, and petty thieves everywhere. I'm worried that something will happen to you."
"No, I heard that the security in the concession is very good?"
"You know I heard it. I have been in Shanghai for five or six years. I have the best say in whether the public security is good or not. In short, try not to go to the Chenghuang Temple. If you really want to go, wait until you are free.
, I’ll go with you.”
Xu Siqi said: "Don't worry blindly. It's my first day at work tomorrow. I have to get familiar with the working environment first. Even if I want to go out for a walk, I probably won't have time."
He nodded solemnly and said: "Siqi, as time goes by, you will know that Shanghai is far from what you see!"
…………
The next day, Xu Siqi came to Ito Trading Company early. After all, it was his first day at work. He tried his best to leave a good impression on his boss as a diligent person.
Arriving at the president's room on the second floor, Xu Siqi reached out and knocked on the door.
"Please come in." Masahiro Ito's voice came from inside the room.
"Mr. Ito, I'm here."
"Oh, it's Mr. Xu, please sit down."
After sitting down, Ito Masako pondered for a moment and said: "Mr. Xu, unfortunately, because there are other arrangements for the translator, so... you were not hired."
Xu Siqi was surprised: "Not hired? We had already negotiated yesterday. Mr. Ito, can you explain?"
"I'm sorry, it's an internal matter of the trading company. There's no need for me to explain it to an outsider. Of course, this matter is my fault and it has wasted Mr. Xu's precious time. I will compensate you for some travel expenses."
As he spoke, Ito opened the drawer, took out a silver dollar, and placed it gently on the table.
Xu Siqi thought for a moment, reached for the silver dollar, put it into his pocket, and said lightly: "Thank you, goodbye, Mr. Ito."
"Mr. Xu, walk slowly." Ito stood up and bowed slightly.
After Xu Siqi left, a man wearing a light blue striped suit and a sinister expression came to the president's office. He was Hikobayashi Kobayashi, the executive director of Ito Trading Company.
"Mr. Ito, these are the goods that will be sent to Manchuria tonight. Please take a look." Kobayashi Hikoro handed over a stack of delivery notes.
Masa Ito glanced over it briefly, nodded with satisfaction, picked up a pen and signed his name on the delivery note, and said: "Xiaolin-kun, you came just in time. Liu Cheng, who applied for the translation job two days ago,
Can we still find him?"
"Yes, he left his phone number."
"Inform him to come to work tomorrow."
Kobayashi Hikoro hesitated and said: "Mr. Ito, I think Xu Siqi is more suitable. He is not only proficient in Japanese, but also can drive a car..."
Ito Masaugang shook his head: "This Xu Siqi can't be used."
"But, yesterday you also praised him very much..."
"Do you know why he was expelled from school?"
"Why?"
"During the school New Year dinner party, Xu Siqi had a conflict with Asano Hidejo because senior Asano Hidejo said that the Chinese are the lowest and inferior race."
"what do you mean?"
"We need obedient Chinese, not a patriot with national pride! Do you know what I mean?"
"Understood."
In fact, Ito Trading Company was an intelligence point set up by the Mei Agency in the public concession, and Ito Masako was the person in charge of the intelligence point.
The main purpose of setting up an intelligence point was not only to collect military intelligence, but also to use trading companies as a cover to plunder all materials they considered valuable.
For such an important spy agency to hire a Chinese as a translator, of course it must conduct an identity check.
Last night, Masahiro Ito sent a report overnight asking about Xu Siqi's situation in Japan.
After learning about Xu Siqi's experience at Etajima Military Academy, Masago Ito immediately made a decision. He would rather choose Liu Cheng, who was relatively inferior, than keep someone like Xu Siqi by his side!
…………
ps: In 1932, the American Shanghai Telephone Company established a public telephone booth. The coin-operated telephone at that time used a "westernelectric" No. 553a telephone with a fixed back-supported power transmitter and a gray No. 8a coin box.
This kind of coin-operated public telephone is connected to the company's manual switching center by a line. After the user dials the number, the operator will then connect the call.
By 1936, the total number of installed public telephones reached 207, and users in the same area could be transferred without manual transfer.
Therefore, please do not make the mistake of thinking that coin-operated telephones were only invented in the 1990s.