Chapter 17: The Scoundrel and the Glass Marble

Seeing the ready cash, the last trace of worry in Ning Weidong's heart vanished.

It seemed that playing the card of Wang Jingsheng was indeed the right move.

"Thanks!" Ning Weidong said, reaching out to take the money.

They were all ten-yuan denomination Big Unity notes, ten in total, not a single one missing.

When it came to money, one couldn't be vague; otherwise, being one note too many or too few would be a hassle.

After confirming, Ning Weidong stuffed the money into his pocket, and neither of them mentioned the IOU.

That wasn't what Wang Jingsheng was truly concerned about.

Ning Weidong didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, starting to talk about the secret base of Qi Jiazui.

"You know how cautious and careful Brother Qi is; I only discovered this by accident..."

Wang Jingsheng nodded. He had been by Qi Jiazui's side longer than Ning Weidong and knew the other man's temperament—having lost his mother at a young age, he was indifferent to family affection and even more ruthless.

Ning Weidong continued: "Our families live close by, and I've seen Brother Qi pass Fuchengmen Street more than once to go to Minkang Hutong on the other side..."

"Minkang Hutong?" Wang Jingsheng couldn't help but widen his eyes, seemingly recalling something, and slapped his thigh: "So that's what it was!"

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "You've seen him too?"

Wang Jingsheng let out an "Oh": "You bet. It was either '73 or '74, I was going to my second aunt's place before the New Year and ran into him at the intersection there. I asked him what he was doing, and he said he was chasing a girl who lived nearby."

Ning Weidong felt a jolt, not expecting this detail, and hurriedly asked for the specific location.

Wang Jingsheng said: "Right at the intersection of Shijin Square Street and Minkang Hutong." After finishing, he frowned and stared at Ning Weidong: "Weidong, tell me the truth, do you really not know where that place of Brother Qi's is?"

Ning Weidong said: "Aren't you asking a stupid question? If I knew, I would have gone there myself. Would I need to go to your house in the dark of night just for a hundred yuan?"

Wang Jingsheng thought that was true. In fact, he knew he was asking a useless question, but people were just like that; many times, even knowing the result, they still had to ask.

Ning Weidong continued: "All I know is that it's roughly in the vicinity of Minkang Hutong."

Wang Jingsheng frowned: "That area is not small. How are we supposed to find it?"

Ning Weidong said candidly: "That's a funny thing to say. If it were easy to find, would I need to come to you?"

Wang Jingsheng understood. In this situation, anyone would want to keep the spoils for themselves. It made him feel a bit strange that Ning Weidong would share such important information just to borrow a hundred yuan from him.

Hearing his doubt, Ning Weidong said helplessly: "You didn't come by way of Fuchengmen Street, did you?"

Wang Jingsheng blinked: "Yeah, why? Does that matter?"

Ning Weidong said: "If you had come from that way, you wouldn't ask that. The First Light Industry Bureau is building staff housing, and they're currently demolishing the place."

"Damn it," Wang Jingsheng exclaimed, standing up abruptly as a realization dawned on him.

No wonder Ning Weidong had come to him in such a rush last night; no wonder Ning Weidong was willing to divulge such important information.

The root of it was here.

This information was about to expire and become useless.

Wang Jingsheng clenched his fists, nearly cursing under his breath.

It wasn't because of the hundred yuan he'd lent Ning Weidong; that money wouldn't be lost.

If they found Qi Jiazui's things, a hundred yuan was nothing; if they didn't, Ning Weiguo would cover the loss.

What truly annoyed Wang Jingsheng was that he had been backed into a corner by Ning Weidong the moment things started, with no room for any other options.

However, Wang Jingsheng was no ordinary person. He quickly adjusted his emotions and said in a low voice: "How many days are left?"

"Wait a second," Ning Weidong stood up, quickly went to the anti-seismic shed, and took a pink plastic-covered notebook from under his pillow.

He returned to the Upper Room, placed it on the Eight Immortals table, and opened it; it was a map of the area near Minkang Hutong he had drawn from memory after returning last night.

It wasn't very standard, but it was legible. Ning Weidong drew a circle on the map with a dashed line: "Based on my judgment, the place is likely within this range."

Wang Jingsheng looked at it carefully, his brow furrowing even deeper.

The area Ning Weidong circled encompassed about seven or eight Dazayuan, the largest of which had four courtyards deep.

This wasn't something Ning Weidong had drawn randomly; it was a comprehensive analysis based on the original owner's memories, though he wasn't certain—in the end, it would come down to luck.

Ning Weidong didn't give Wang Jingsheng a chance to question him, saying with a firm tone: "You have wide connections; find a way to sniff out if there are any houses in this area that have been left vacant since Brother Qi's incident."

Wang Jingsheng nodded; this was a relatively standard method.

But while it sounded simple, it wasn't easy to pull off. Officially, one needed people in the Street Office and the Neighborhood Committee; privately, one had to find all sorts of indirect connections.

In any case, one couldn't just go door-to-door and ask, "Hey mister, which house in your courtyard is unoccupied?"

If one actually did that, being chased away would be the least of it; being treated as a bad element with ulterior motives and dragged directly to the police station was entirely possible.

This was also a factor in why Ning Weidong decided to find Wang Jingsheng.

The original owner's stubborn-mule personality meant he had no useful connections at all.

If Ning Weidong had to do this himself, he wouldn't even know where to start.

When encountering such a situation, to solve the problem, one must bring in a collaborator.

Wang Jingsheng was that person.

Yet, at this point, Ning Weidong's chips were already on the table, which left him quite passive.

Now that Wang Jingsheng had the key information, he could completely ditch him and act alone.

There was no help for it; possessing too few resources meant having no cards to play.

At this moment, the demolition had actually become a factor in Ning Weidong's favor.

As the saying goes, urgency dictates expediency; the pressure of time made it difficult for Wang Jingsheng to harbor crooked thoughts.

At this time, finding the items quickly was the top priority.

After leaving Ning Weidong's house, Wang Jingsheng rode his bike and zipped back to his own place.

An Ning was waiting in the room, and as soon as he entered, he explained the situation.

An Ning listened carefully, and after Wang Jingsheng finished, she frowned slightly: "They're actually demolishing it! No wonder."

"What do we do now?" Wang Jingsheng asked, feeling somewhat anxious.

An Ning pondered and said, "What to do... let's do as he said first and see if there are any houses that have been empty for years."

Wang Jingsheng clicked his tongue twice and said worriedly, "I'm afraid this won't be that easy."

An Ning said, "Go ask your second aunt."

Wang Jingsheng's second aunt was in the Neighborhood Committee, which was just the right connection.

An Ning added, "And also... find Zhang Jinfa; his family is in that area, he knows everyone, and things will be easier to handle."

"Find Zhang Jinfa?" Wang Jingsheng hesitated, "That guy is a real piece of work, a slippery character; if he gets involved in this..."

An Ning was also a bit worried, but for the moment, she really couldn't think of anyone else.

Wang Jingsheng added, "Besides, we need a reason to approach him."

An Ning pursed her lips and said, "Just say we want to get an apartment and are looking for a place to settle down."

Wang Jingsheng nodded; that was indeed an excuse, and it was the only thing to do as a matter of urgency.

(End of chapter)