Chapter 70: My name is Zhao Hua, alias Cai Shugen

Shazhu overestimated himself.

He also underestimated the people of this era.

He thought he was doing what he was capable of.

But in some people's eyes, Shazhu's filming behavior was extremely suspicious!

On one hand, people of this era have experienced much hardship; their vigilance is innate, far stronger than that of later generations' masses.

On the other hand, Shazhu, lugging a camera around, turned himself into a monkey; in an age when everyone went to photo studios, he held a brand‑new camera and photographed seemingly lifeless buildings, completely exposing himself to the public.

Shazhu returning from the police station.

He had just finished putting away the cooking utensils.

Director Wang then brought the Red Star Police Station's officers to the door.

The official statement.

It was about dealing with Long Laotaitai.

Just a simple sentence.

It instantly extinguished the thoughts of those who wanted to watch the excitement.

For fear of bringing trouble upon themselves, everyone hurried back indoors, including Shazhu's good neighbor and elder, Comrade Yi Zhonghai.

Some people even silently cursed Shazhu to a bad end.

The Jia family was a typical example of this.

Yi Zhonghai, acting as a matchmaker, set Qin Huairu up with Jia Dongxu as his wife; this ultimately promoted Jia Zhangshi to a shrew, who muttered curses at Shazhu.

Qin Huairu's move into the siheyuan marked a turning point in the careers of some residents; Jia Dongxu embarked on the road to death, while Jia Zhangshi embarked on a path even dogs would despise.

The drama in the siheyuan also formally entered an age of beasts.

Jia Zhangshi did not accept Qin Huairu as her daughter‑in‑law; her suggestion that Qin Huairu go to the hospital for a checkup was meant to make things difficult for her.

But Yi Zhonghai, having borrowed Shazhu's bicycle, let Jia Dongxu take Qin Huairu to the hospital for a checkup, and then rode the bicycle himself to the countryside to visit Qin Huairu's parents.

While Jia Zhangshi cursed Shazhu, she also cursed Jia Dongxu, hoping he would lose his bicycle.

Strange ideas were at work.

Since it was Yi Zhonghai's borrowed bike, if it were lost he'd have to pay; the Jia family could also use this to threaten Qin Huairu severely and cancel the betrothal money.

No betrothal money.

Qin Huairu could still marry into the Jia family!

Laoqianpo stared coldly at Shazhu's house across the way, wondering when he would be dragged out.

Many people held this view.

Who let Shazhu, over the past two months, become the siheyuan's lost cause?

Shazhu thought so too.

Seeing Director Wang and the police come again and again, he wondered whether he should restrain himself a bit in the future.

"Director Wang, comrades in public security."

"He mainly wants to talk with you; I'll go next door to Yi Zhonghai's place."

Shazhu's head felt as big as a bucket.

He suddenly realized the situation seemed to be getting out of hand.

Even the street's Director Wang made excuses to slip away.

This person, about the same age as He Daqing, gave Shazhu a sense of urgency.

"Comrade, could it be that I've done something wrong?"

Shazhu didn't wait for them to ask; he poured out the whole story like beans from a bamboo tube.

There was also the reason that this camera was hard to buy.

To obtain this camera, Shazhu first went to the mall to ask about the purchase conditions, then went to the street office to get an introduction letter, and then to the scrap station to get a certificate; with both documents in hand, he finally bought the camera.

He also specially filed a report, stating why he was shooting and what he wanted to shoot, and obtained the certificate!

Don't think they came under the pretense of handling Long Laotaitai's affair.

In fact, Shazhu didn't believe it.

If they really were there for Long Laotaitai's matter, why didn't they stop him at the Red Star Police Station just now?

After thinking it over.

It was this camera that caused the trouble.

"Comrade, I mean nothing else; I just heard my sister Yushui say that the Chunfeng Building is to be demolished, which seems a pity, so I wanted to use this camera to photograph everything. I truly didn't know photography was forbidden; I just thought it a shame to lose these sights and wanted to keep a memory, so that when I'm old I can tell my children about the pavilions and towers around us, and the police station gave me a permit."

The more Shazhu reported.

The more agitated his mood became.

He realized he was somewhat in a mess.

He could not explain it clearly either way.

"I came just for this matter."

One sentence.

It gave Shazhu a feeling of impending disaster, making his hairs stand on end.

This was the 1950s.

Not the later 1990s.

"Comrade, these are the film rolls I shot."

Shazhu took out today's film rolls from his bag and pushed them toward the public‑security officer.

Save your life first, then talk.

The public security comrade backhanded the film roll to Shazhu again.

"We don't want your things, just like you said when you bought the bicycle earlier—these things are symbols of the people's prosperous life."

Shazhu wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand.

In that short time.

He broke out in a sweat from fright.

"Take it easy."

"I'll do my best."

"He Yuzhu, father He Daqing, sister He Yushui, two months ago, because father He Daqing ran off with a widow surnamed Bai to Baocheng, you, in anger, wrote an application to sever ties with He Daqing, filed it with the street office and left a record at the police station; on the third day after cutting ties, you started work at the Red Star Scrap Station; the next day after starting work, you bought a bicycle; in the following two months, you spent money lavishly, basically living paycheck to paycheck each month."

Shazhu felt as if everyone had seen through him.

In other words, his secret wasn't a secret to others.

"Today I bought a camera, photographed the Spring Wind Pavilion, Front City and other places; while shooting at the Clear Wind Pavilion, I met Heiteng Guisan and Jia Gui, and I reported this incident to the comrades at the Red Star Police Station."

Shazhu nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

Now the only way forward is to keep nodding.

"I came just for this matter."

Shazhu collapsed onto the stool.

He wasn't pretending.

He was really frightened.

Heiteng Guisan—this is the little devil's name.

"Don't be afraid, we won't arrest you—we've checked your records; you've hated the Japanese puppet regime since childhood, selling buns, and when the puppet regime came to buy buns you refused to sell, even getting slapped twice." The public security comrade shifted tone, speaking solemnly: "Let me introduce myself properly—I'm Zhao Hua, also known as Cai Shuigen."

"Comrade Zhao Hua, no no no, Comrade Cai Shuigen, hello."

"Call me Zhao Hua; this name Cai Shuigen carries too much helplessness. Over the years I've been investigating the truth behind Shi Qingshan's death. The stone at your scrap station was originally named Wang Shuhuai, and I once partnered with him in Anqiu."

"Just that Heiteng Guisan?"

Cai Shuigen nodded and briefly explained his purpose.

Shazhu's heart.

It landed.

As long as they're not here to arrest him.

It was Cai Shuigen who found a breakthrough from Shazhu's photo incident.