Chapter Thirty-Four: Yuan Jianfeng's Betrayal

  Li Shiqun and Zhang Xiaolin's team left in a hurry. Wan Mulin also sneered, turned around and got into the car to leave. The gate of Wang Gongguan did not close, more than a dozen workers were cleaning up in an orderly manner, big bags of garbage were loaded onto carts, and in a short while, six or seven carts were filled.

  The foreman shouted to the workers, pushing them onto the truck and heading towards the garbage dump outside the wealthy district. As usual, there were police and people from No. 76 checking along the way, but they were clearly distracted, casually flipping through the trash bags and glancing at everyone's faces before waving their hands to let them pass.

  A group of people arrived at the garbage dump, finished unloading the trash bags, and the person in charge let out a sigh of relief, pulled out cigarettes to distribute to the workers. As everyone was smoking, several cars suddenly drove up and a few dark figures quickly emerged, disappearing into the night.

  The manager turned around and looked back, with an unchanged expression.

  Those few black shadows were the two important people that Lin Xiaotang, Da Tou and Wan Mulin had requested to escort, one with the surname Gao and the other with the surname Tao. There was also another who was Du Yuesheng's door guest, sent by Wan Mulin as a guide.

  Looking at the lazy young man with small eyes, Lin Xiaotang felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Du Yuesheng was known as "Three thousand guests under Spring Gate, Little Du's five-foot sky in the south of the city", and he was famous for liking to recruit talented people. His subordinates included scholars, politicians, and even thieves and robbers, but this person was obviously not favored by Wan Mulin. If it weren't for the fact that no one else was available, it seemed unlikely that he would be sent to assist him. But Lin Xiaotang felt that he was absolutely not simple.

  His name is Huo Yan, and his real name is known only to Du Yuesheng.

  When they set out, Lin Xiaotang found some materials in the Wan Gongguan to help Gao Tao and others perform a simple disguise. From that time on, Huo Yan's eyes had been fixed on Lin Xiaotang without letting go. While Wan Moline and others were amazed at Lin Xiaotang's craftsmanship, Huo Yan's eyes showed more unspoken curiosity and excitement. Since then, Lin Xiaotang has secretly paid attention to this person.

  As for escorting Gao Tao, Lin Xiaotang had a large part of private thoughts in it. Although he very much agreed with the methods of Wan Moline and others, more was to use this opportunity to benefit himself.

  Lin Xiaotang, Da Tou and Huo Yan each had a Mauser M1932 pistol with a magazine and a dagger. Even Gao Tao and the other two each carried a revolver for self-defense.

  Half an hour later, five people appeared in Hongkou, which was already a Japanese-occupied area. Since it was approaching the New Year, the Japanese organized large crowds to celebrate on the streets in order to put up a show of peace and prosperity, celebrating the first holiday after occupying Shanghai. On the surface, this place seemed even more prosperous and lively than the concession areas.

  Yuan Jianfeng sat with his wife Xia Zhiping at a small food stall by the road, pouring himself a small pot of wine to drink alone. Originally, he was not qualified to attend Wan Mulin's banquet today, but because the boss of the Military Affairs Bureau, Zhuang Chongxian, was a low-key person who disliked socializing, he handed over the invitation to him.

  Yuan Jianfeng was overjoyed to attend the banquet with his wife, hoping to make connections with some high-ranking officials and find an opportunity to transfer out of the Military Affairs Bureau, a cold and unimportant department.

  Yuan Jianfeng's family was originally quite famous in Shanghai, with elders holding positions in the municipal government, and could be considered as a child of an official. However, after the outbreak of the Songhu Anti-Japanese War, the situation became chaotic, and his family gradually lost power. Now he can only hold a low-ranking position in the military affairs office.

  But it wasn't until the banquet that he realized the upper class was far beyond his reach, and many people who knew him now kept a respectful distance, not to mention those foreigners and newly emerged nobles.

  There was also Lin Xiaotang, who he occasionally met. During school days, if it weren't for Xia Zhiping, he wouldn't even bother to care about him, that's how pathetic and poor he was. Yet, there was Ma Qixiang who came to make excuses for him, showing that the relationship between the two wasn't ordinary.

  Yuan Jianfeng's heart was filled with both jealousy and resentment, as he gulped down the wine in big mouthfuls. Xia Zhiping noticed her husband's gloominess and gently patted his arm, "Jianfeng, don't drink anymore. We're now at least well-off, and our setbacks are only temporary. With your talent, I believe you'll definitely stand out. If all else fails, we can scrape together some money to go to Hong Kong, where the British rule, perhaps there will be more opportunities, it's better than being stuck here relying on others."

  Xia Zhipeng's words made Yuan Jianfeng feel even more annoyed, he pushed away his wife's hand, picked up the wine cup and was about to drink when he caught sight of a familiar figure.

  Yu Jianfeng's hand froze in mid-air, his eyes fixed intently on Lin Xiaotang, who was looking around nervously in the crowd. There were a few people following him, and their movements seemed cautious and inexplicable.

  Yuan Jianfeng's heart suddenly moved, and he thought of something he had heard from Zhuang Chongxian. "What is the connection between Wan Moline, Ma Qixiang, and Lin Xiaotang? Could it be related to that matter?"

  Yuan Jianfeng suddenly became excited, realizing that he might be facing a rare opportunity for promotion. In this world, who cares about friends and classmates? As long as you have money and power, Yuan Jianfeng can do anything.

  He hastily got up and hailed a yellow cab on the street, unceremoniously pushing Xia Zhiping onto it, while he himself followed in the direction of Lin Xiaotang and others.

  Lin Xiaotang's strategy was simple: the crowd would enter Zhabei from Hongkou, then turn back to the International Settlement, making a big circle before rushing to the Hongyun Wharf. If everything went smoothly, within three hours, they could safely send everyone onto the ship.

  Just as they were walking, Lin Xiaotang suddenly stopped in her tracks and stood still at the entrance of a narrow alley. The crowd was stunned, but Lin Xiaotang calmly took out a cigarette, lit it beside the stone warehouse door (note 1), and gestured for the others to continue on their way.

  Yu Jianfeng saw this and immediately hid behind a grocery stall.

  Soon after, Yuan Jianfeng poked his head out and looked at the backs of several people, then followed them again.

  Just as he walked to the entrance of the alley, a hand stretched out from the darkness and dragged him in.

  Lin Xiaotang punched Yuan Jianfeng's abdomen, and Yuan Jianfeng immediately let out a muffled groan and bent down, the pedestrians on the street saw this and quickly retreated far away, afraid of getting into trouble.

  Lin Xiaotang grabbed Yuan Jianfeng's hair and lifted his head up, suddenly stunned, "It's you!"

  Yuan Jianfeng covered his stomach and chuckled twice, "Why are you so excited? I just came over to say hello to you."

  Lin Xiaotang loosened her grip and looked at him, "Are you following me?"

  Yu Jianfeng straightened his waist and said, "You're thinking crookedly!"

  Lin Xiaotang pointed at his nose with her finger, "The two of us are old news, no need to bring it up again. Since Zhi Ping married you, I have nothing to say. I just want to remind you one thing, stop meddling in other people's business and go home to live your life well. You can't play this game!" After finishing speaking, she turned around and left.

  Yu Jianfeng angrily spat out a mouthful of saliva, walked to the entrance of the alley, but found that Lin Xiaotang and others had all disappeared without a trace. He could only awkwardly turn around and walk back.

  Duan Baohu was in a bad mood today. Tonight's big event had nothing to do with him, that Wu Sibao guy, who had just arrived at No. 76 for a few days, had already gained Li Shiqun's trust, and when it came to such a big action, he was only allowed to follow him, wasn't this clearly meant to promote Wu Sibao? Would there still be a place for him, the Shanghai Tiger, in the future?

  Several followers saw Du Baihu's face was not good, so they all hid far away, afraid of touching the sore spot.

  Duan Baohu held the teapot in his hand, staring at the crowd coming and going from the tea house with a stern gaze. This was Hongkou, the old nest of the Japanese, guarding here could catch nothing!

  Duan Baizhu suddenly saw Yuan Jianfeng walking over from a distance with a lack of energy, and immediately became furious. "You few, bring that Yuan guy upstairs for me."

  Yu Jianfeng's face turned pale the moment he saw Duan Baohu sitting upright in the room, his legs softened and almost knelt on the floor.

  Duan Baizhu sneered with a smile, "Young Master Yuan, when are you planning to pay back the 100,000 yuan you owe our casino?"

  Yu Jianfeng hastily made a bow, "Tiger Ye, please give me a few more days, this is not a small amount, give me a week's time, I will definitely return it to you with interest!"

  Duan Baihu rolled his eyes at him, the frown lines on his forehead clearly visible. "Yu Gongzi, is your brain a bit unclear? Do you think it's still the time when your uncle was a high-ranking government official? Yes, you're also an official, a military affairs official, but in the eyes of our Special Operations Headquarters, that's nothing. You dare to talk conditions with me, are you tired of living?"

  Duan Baohu smiled, "Actually it's simple, no money is fine too. Your wife looks good, come to my dance hall as a guest performer, I guarantee she'll be famous all over Shanghai within a month. How about that? Within a year you'll definitely pay off your gambling debt and might even make a small profit?"

  Yu Jianfeng immediately knelt down and cried out for mercy.

  "This won't work, that won't work, what do you suggest? If you can't come up with a solution today, don't think about leaving this teahouse alive!"

  Yu Jianfeng's sword flashed horizontally, "Tiger Ye, I can tell you something big, but you have to agree to write off my debt!"

  Duan Baohu flew into a rage, "I see you won't shed tears until you see the coffin! At this time, you still dare to mention conditions!"

  Yuan Jianfeng raised his hands in surrender, and one by one, he explained everything that had happened at the wine party and earlier with Ma Qixiang and Lin Xiaotang.

  Duan Baohu's eyes deepened, his palms tightly grasping the armrests of the red wooden chair, "Are you certain?"

  "That's right, that kid and Ma Qixiang have been in close contact recently, and now he appears here with a furtive look, there must be something unusual going on."

  "Alright!", Duan Baohu patted the armrest and stood up, "If what you said is true, I can consider wiping the slate clean and even reward you for your merit. But if..., humph, you'd better prepare your own coffin!"

  His face turned as white as paper.

  Duan Baihu took immediate action, ordering his subordinates to thoroughly investigate the streets of Hongkou, big and small, and must find the people Yuan Jianfeng mentioned. At the same time, in order to prevent others from getting wind of it and stealing credit, he strictly ordered his subordinates to keep the news tightly sealed until these people were caught.

  Note 1: Shikumen. In the early 20th century, social unrest led to a massive influx of people into the relatively stable Shanghai Concession, resulting in a housing shortage. The British designed this type of residential building, which was similar to European row houses but incorporated Chinese courtyard architecture. The high-density land use solved the problem of finding a place to live, and because the entrance gates were made of stone, they were called "Shikumen". This Sino-foreign architectural style left a deep impression on China's modern architectural history, and its emergence was an inevitable product of Shanghai's unique urban lifestyle. To this day, many Shanghai residents still live in these Shikumen buildings with over a century of history.