wind in the dark night

Chapter 262 Liu Wanchun's Visit

"What do you do?"

The fat black man - Lao Kai became alert.

Qi Yue said: "Liu Ming introduced me here."

"Which Liu Ming?"

"Liu Ming from Fujia Dian will go with you."

Lao Kai relaxed. "Oh, Liu Yidao introduced you here. You look unfamiliar, so I thought you were from the Anti-Smuggling Office... That's right, I'm Lao Kai, who has everything you need. Tell me what you want to buy. For Liu Yidao's sake, I'll give you a discount."

Qi Yue looked around and said, "You don't have much in your store."

Lao Kai laughed and said, "Brother, you are an outsider in this regard. In our line of work, we cannot put good stuff out in the open. If it is contraband, then it will be seized by the Anti-Smuggling Bureau."

"Do you have a pressure relief valve on a coffee machine? The one I have at home is broken."

"Wait a moment."

Lao Kai got up and went into the inner room. He searched through the boxes and cabinets for a long time, then took out a metal object and put it on the counter. "The one you had before must have been cast iron, which is easy to break. Mine is pure copper, and it won't break even in a hundred years."

"My coffee machine is made in England..."

"It's the same thing, universal."

"how much is it?"

"Uh, give it to me as you see fit."

Lao Kai didn't take it seriously, as the pressure relief valve itself was not worth much money.

——A thief broke into a house and found the coffee machine inconvenient to carry, so he removed a few brass parts and sold them at a flea market as scrap.

Qi Yue took out his wallet, took out a 10-yuan bill and handed it over: "Is that enough?"

Lao Kai immediately said, "There is another handle, which I have no use for, so I'll give it to you."

Qi Yue smiled and said, "You are quite generous."

Lao Kai said: "Every family has its own rules, every industry has its own regulations. We don't cheat people. Selling you a pressure relief valve for 10 yuan is too unfair. Besides, you were introduced by Liu Yidao, so you are not an outsider."

Qi Yue put away the pressure relief valve: "I don't want the handle, I'll buy it when I need it... I heard from Liu Ming that you have a complete range of medicines."

Lao Kai said proudly: "I am not bragging. When it comes to medicines, I am the only one in Binjiang City, including all the black market dealers. I have everything you want. I have what others have, and I also have what others don't have!"

"Is there any morphine?"

"It must be available. However, this needs to be ordered in advance and picked up in a few days."

"Do you know this person?"

Qi Yue took out Jiang Bin's photo.

Lao Kai looked at it carefully for a while, frowned and said, "Brother, what do you mean? I'm a businessman, not a gossip. Whether you are looking for someone or something, I won't get involved."

Qi Yue handed over another 10 yuan: "After receiving the money, it's business."

Lao Kai hesitated for a while, but still put the money in his pocket: "He came to me to buy medicine several times. I don't know his name, so I won't ask. It's like you. I won't ask your last name or your name."

"Bought the morphine?"

"Yes."

"Has he been here lately?"

"He came here once the day before yesterday, limping. He said he accidentally sprained his ankle."

"If he comes again, call this number."

Qi Yue took out a pen and left his phone number on the paper: "Do things for me, I won't treat you unfairly, the money just now is considered a deposit."

Lao Kai said, "Brother, no, sir, what do you do?"

Qi Yue said: "From the Special Agent Department."

Lao Kai's face changed, and he forced a smile: "You are not kidding, are you?"

Qi Yue showed his ID and said calmly, "To tell you the truth, the man in the photo is involved in a kidnapping case and we are looking for him. Anyone who knows about this but doesn't report it, or tipped him off, and I find out, will bear the consequences themselves."

“………” “How many days’ supply does he buy at a time?”

"Five days."

“Why doesn’t he buy more?”

"Morphine is an illegal drug. I can only get a small box at a time."

Qi Yue said: "That means he will come to see you again in five days."

Lao Kai said: "Not necessarily. I guess he can buy morphine from others. Some time ago, he didn't have his period for more than half a month. If he didn't have the medicine, he wouldn't be able to hold on."

Qi Yue said: "Well, that makes sense."

"Officer, my small shop..."

Lao Kai looked embarrassed.

Qi Yue said, "Don't worry, I'm not from the Anti-Smuggling Department, so I don't care about your business. When he came, he thought about calling. My last name is Qi."

……

evening.

The martial law in Xiangfang District was lifted. Although the martial law was lifted, the number of police officers increased significantly and people were stopped and questioned at any time.

"Extra, Extra, the director of the Security Bureau has been assassinated, and the murderer is on the run!"

"I've read the newspaper. I've read the newspaper. Director Kitahara is out of danger and has been transferred to the general ward!"

The assassination of Kitahara Masao was undoubtedly the biggest news today. Various newspapers printed extra editions and competed to report this sensational event.

Qi Yue was driving slowly on the street, feeling strange. The puppet Manchukuo authorities always reported good news but not bad news, and negative news could not pass censorship. The content that appeared in the newspapers was generally about the chaos in the Kuomintang-controlled areas and the prosperity and stability of the puppet Manchukuo.

Today, contrary to normal practice, the Ministry of Culture did not exercise any control over this type of vicious case which is very likely to inspire imitation, and allowed newspapers to report and publicize it. I always feel like something is not right.

Back in Huaihua Lane, Qi Yue was sitting in the car and saw two figures wandering at the gate of the courtyard from a distance. He observed them secretly for a while and found nothing unusual, so he stepped into the lane.

Only when I got closer could I see clearly that the two figures were Liu Wanchun and Li Changgong. Li Changgong was carrying a large rattan box in his hand.

"Boss Qi, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Liu Wanchun clasped his fists and bowed.

Qi Yue was surprised: "Mr. Liu?"

Liu Wanchun smiled and explained, "After you left last time, I was thinking about how to get Boss Qi to make another trip. It snowed heavily a few days ago, and the roads were not easy to travel on, so I hired a car to deliver the goods."

Li Changgong said, "Boss Qi, our boss is so sincere. He has been waiting here for more than half an hour in such a cold weather. I advised him to go back to the hotel to rest, but he refused. Fortunately, he waited for you to come back, otherwise he would have been frozen."

Qi Yue looked at Liu Wanchun and said, "You were able to keep your mouth shut about my situation and not tell anyone else. This alone is rare."

Liu Wanchun said: "We should be honest and keep our promises."

"If you have anything to say, come inside and talk."

Qi Yue let the two of them into his house.

The entire Binjiang urban area, such as Central Avenue, Xinmin Avenue, some multi-story buildings, including the bungalow military area, have central heating facilities.

In ordinary residences like Huaihua Lane, people have to burn coal in their stoves for heating.

Qi Yue said, "Please sit down for a while. I will go light the stove."

Liu Wanchun said, "How can we let Boss Qi do this kind of rough work? Li Zi, you go. Oh, I see some wood piled in the yard, it should be firewood, right? You can help chop it all."

Li Changgong agreed to light the stove, then picked up an axe and went to the yard to chop firewood.

After more than ten minutes, the heater slowly heated up and the room became warm.

Qi Yue did not stop him. He knew very well that Liu Wanchun sent Li Changgong away to discuss the matter of giving a gift to Gao Kejian. He also had something to ask Liu Wanchun, which involved the internal security of the Anti-Japanese United Army and he could not let a third person hear it.

Liu Wanchun said, "Officer Qi, given your status, you should hire a servant to do rough work like washing clothes, cooking, and lighting the stove. You can't do everything yourself, right?"

Qi Yue smiled and said, "Do it yourself, I will have enough food and clothing. I am not that delicate."

(End of this chapter)