Chapter Thirty-One Borrowing Money

  Jade Dragon flew out of the 'Lihe' foreign firm's gate, pulled out his pocket watch and took a look. It was already four o'clock in the afternoon. He remembered Miao Yuanding's appointment and hurried home!

  He had just sat on a rickshaw, the most common means of transportation at that time. The rickshaw puller lifted the frame with both hands and was about to start when someone came up from the side, grabbed the shaft and said: "Young master, where are you going? Get down first, I have something to say to you!"

  The dragonfly flew sideways and took a look, it was his superior, also his cousin Xiao Cheng. Seeing that he looked slightly flustered, he knew there was something important, so he quickly got off the carriage, apologized to the rickshaw driver, then turned around and asked: "Cousin, what's going on?"

  On a winter afternoon, the light was already very dim. Zhang's originally darker complexion looked even more obscure at this time. He pulled Gu Longfei to one side, turned his head to look around, and seeing no one, he said in a low voice: "Cousin, I'm having a bit of trouble now, and I'd like to borrow some money from you!"

  He saw the faint scar on his face, and under the weak daylight, it actually emitted a hint of red light. He smiled and said: "Brother, how much do you need? I still have some money on me, if it's not enough, there's also some at home, just let me know!" Since he was his own relative, and seeing his urgent appearance, he must have encountered something difficult and urgently needed money.

  He glanced at the wallet in his hand and said, "This... this matter came suddenly, and it's also quite urgent. I... I couldn't raise the amount in time, so I came to find you! The amount I need is relatively large, I don't know if it's convenient for you!"

  When he saw his own wallet, he was unmoved and spoke hesitantly. Gu Longfei was shocked: the amount is quite large, how much is it? He only had that little family property, looking at his tone, it seemed far from enough, so he asked: "Brother, what happened? How much do you need, if not enough I can think of a way!"

  Xiao Cheng suddenly stopped speaking, and only stared at Gu Longfei with his eyes. His gaze suddenly became firm, and Gu Longfei didn't know what he meant, nor did he dare to ask. The two of them were stunned for a moment, neither of them spoke.

  Zhuo Cheng suddenly sighed and said, "I need a hundred gold bars. I have twenty or so myself, but I'm still short seventy-six. To be honest, I couldn't think of any other way, so I came to find you. I hope you can lend some!"

  "What? A hundred taels?" Gu Longfei's mouth was agape with astonishment, and it took him half a beat to close it. Gold bars at that time were not only made of pure gold but also circulated globally, especially during times of war, when their value and preciousness made them everyone's treasured possessions! Working for the foreign firm, despite Davis' high salary, his annual pay was less than half a gold bar. Now he was asking for dozens of bars - truly a lion's mouthful! Dozens of packs of cigarettes were no problem, but where could he find so many gold bars?

  Qiao Cheng saw the look of Gu Longfei and felt a bit dissatisfied, saying: "Actually, this is not what I want, but what the organization needs! Moreover... Moreover, this matter has a great deal to do with you!"

  "Is it necessary for the organization? Why did you get me involved in this?"

  He pulled his cotton robe tighter, pulling the ancient dragon to a corner of the street where he could avoid the wind and not be overheard. "I'll tell you the whole story so you know I'm not lying or trying to cheat you," he said. "This afternoon, I received a message from the organization that someone was selling the 'Missouri Plan' in Hankou for a high price!"

  "Ah! Someone is selling that plan?" For these days, Gu Longfei has been hearing someone mention the unknown 'Missouri' plan all the time. Moreover, his own misfortune and all the troubles he encountered are related to that plan. At this moment, when he heard that someone was actually selling the 'plan', he was naturally shocked: "Is it true? Is the news reliable?"

  Zuo nodded: "The news is absolutely reliable, this matter is true! The organization told me that the person who has the 'Missouri' plan found the first buyer in Hankou, and it was my superior! My superior said that the man's price was one hundred gold bars, not a single penny less, and he also said that the deadline was today. If it passes tomorrow, he will find the next buyer. The man knows that there are many people in Hankou who can afford to pay, so his attitude is so tough!"

  Jade Dragon furrowed his brow, feeling that something was off about this matter, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He asked, "Does the organization not have any money? You just said that this matter has a great deal to do with me, what do you mean by that?"

  The cicada presented the ancient dragon flying, still didn't understand, and replied: "You forgot, your previous character was looking for the 'Missouri' plan? Now, you don't need to go and make unnecessary investigations or thefts, that plan is right under your nose, and you say it has nothing to do with you?"

  "Ah!" Gu Long slapped his forehead, and suddenly reacted, but still had some doubts in his heart: "That 'Missouri' plan is so rare, how can it be bought so easily?"

  He frowned slightly, waving his hand somewhat impatiently, and said: "You can't believe me, but you can't not believe the organization! The organization has conducted a thorough investigation into this matter, confirming that it is absolutely true and reliable. Moreover, all the details of my meeting with that person on the street and the transaction have been arranged!"

  "Even if what you say is true, I don't have that many gold bars," he said. He had previously received a salary from the foreign firm and had left some of it for miscellaneous expenses, but most of it had been given to Lin Qiaorui. Now that she was dead, he hadn't even gone to look for the money at home and didn't know how much there was, but one thing was certain: it was far short of the amount Zuo Cheng proposed.

  Who would have thought that Xiao Cheng heard this and looked displeased, saying: "You say you don't have money? Others may not know, but can you still deceive me? I ask you, after so many years in Hankou, selling so much information, where did the money go?"

  "Ah!" Gu Longfei had regained his memory, but his mind was still stuck in the past. If Xiang Cheng hadn't brought it up, he really wouldn't have thought of this matter. He hastily knocked on his head a few times and laughed: "Brother-in-law, don't mind me, I really forgot about this! Let's go to the bank now and see how much money I have!"

  The two arrived at Citibank, and a manager came out to greet them. This manager was also a foreigner with a high nose. Seeing Gu and Xiao, he slightly bowed and asked: "Welcome, are you here to deposit or withdraw money? Or do you have other business to attend to?"

  "Take the money!" Gu Longfei saw that the bank manager was humble and courteous, and he couldn't help but sigh with admiration. This was still decades ago, look at their attitude back then, they really treated customers like gods. Unlike those officials in later generations, each and every one of them had a frosty face, as if you were their arch-nemesis. Not only did they ignore your inquiries, but if you asked a few more questions, they would glare at you with wide eyes, almost as if they wanted to jump over the counter and knock you to the ground!

  "Is this a withdrawal or are you using your password?" The manager's smile, although somewhat professional in nature, still conveyed a sense of respect.

  Jiulong Fei patted his pockets and found nothing on him. He turned out all his pockets, but couldn't find a single piece of paper, let alone a ticket or deposit slip! He awkwardly spread his hands and looked at Zha Cheng helplessly, as if to say "what can we do?"

  Qiao presented a faint smile and said, "How can you be so muddled that you've forgotten everything? What's that?" After finishing speaking, he nodded his head slightly, his gaze shooting towards the nape of Gu Longfei's neck.

  Gu Long Fei was taken aback for a moment, then thought of the necklace on his neck, hurriedly took it off, and placed the heart-shaped pendant in his palm. On a small button, he lightly pressed it, and with a soft 'click', the pendant opened, and a pleasant music floated out. On one side of the pendant was a photo of himself and Lin Qiao Ru together, while on the other side was a picture of Fei Fei's 100th day celebration!

  Seeing the photo of the mother and daughter, Gu Long's heart ached, his eyes reddened, and he almost shed tears.

  Zhuo Cheng rushed forward and patted Gu Longfei's shoulder, saying: "Cousin, we have important business to attend to!"

  Gulong Fei listened and immediately gathered his thoughts, flipping over the photo of Fei Fei to reveal a string of Arabic numerals written on it. He then said to the foreign manager: "I'll use the password to withdraw!"

  The manager smiled slightly: "Alright, follow me!"

  He led Gu and Xiao into a small house next to the bank's main hall, walked up to a row of large iron cabinets, scanned several rows of drawers, stopped in front of one with the letter "G" written on it, stretched out his hand towards Gu Longfei, and said: "Please!" Then he slightly bowed his head, turned around to face the wall, implying that he wouldn't peek at the customer's secrets.

  The ancient dragon flew up close and saw that the drawer with a "g" on it was connected to the iron cabinet as one body. If you want to pull out the drawer, you need to open the password lock on the drawer first. And this password is written on the back of Feifei's photo.

  After entering the password, Gu Longfei only heard a light 'click' sound, and the lock opened. He pulled out the drawer handle, lightly pulling it outward, feeling unusually heavy, adding some strength, and finally pulled out the drawer.

  Seeing the things in the drawer, Gu Longfei suddenly felt a great sense of relief. Inside the drawer were neatly stacked gold bars and US dollars, as well as a small notebook, a small scroll with a painting on it, and some miscellaneous items.

  Gu Long took out the gold bars one by one and handed them over to Xiao Cheng. After carefully counting, the total number of gold bars was ninety-five. Xiao Cheng returned the extra nine gold bars to Gu Long and said: "That's enough, you can keep these!"

  Gu Long Fei had previously heard that he himself had gathered over 20 gold bars, estimated to be his entire family's savings. He forcibly stuffed two of them into his hands and said: "Your family's savings are running out, what will you do when you need money in the future? Take it, it can be used as a backup in case of an emergency!"

  Xiao Cheng looked at Gu Longfei with gratitude, nodded and put the gold bar into another pocket, then turned around and left. Seeing Xiao Cheng's back getting farther away, Gu Longfei's heart skipped a beat as he suddenly remembered something and chased after him, but by the time he got out of the door, Xiao Cheng was already gone!