Chapter 85: The Funeral of Lao Jia

Liu Rusi walked with hurried steps into Shen Shichang's office and asked urgently: "Father, I heard as soon as I returned that you were attacked yesterday! What exactly happened?"

Shen Shichang took off his reading glasses, rubbed his throbbing brow, and his voice revealed lingering fear: "Yesterday was truly extremely dangerous. The assassin threw a hand grenade toward the podium, but who would have thought it would hit a pillar and bounce back, ultimately landing among a group of workers, killing one. If it had truly landed on the stage..." He paused, shook his head, and continued, "The few of us would likely have been wiped out."

"How was the security at the scene arranged?" Liu Rusi's tone rose sharply, "To think someone could carry a hand grenade inside."

"The one who threw the grenade was an old worker from that Japanese Steel Factory; the checks were very loose. We couldn't exactly make thousands of workers strip, could we!"

"Who exactly did it?"

His gaze grew cold, and he mused: "Nine times out of ten, it's the remnants left behind when the Japanese retreated. Did you come here for something?"

"The investigation into the explosion at Liu Xiaohua's residence is complete. This is the investigation report."

Shen Shichang put on his reading glasses and picked up the investigation report with his fingertips; the paper made a faint rustling sound in his hands.

He focused on the few key conclusions, closed his eyes to ponder for a moment, then suddenly looked up, his gaze behind the reading glasses piercing straight at Liu Rusi.

"Can you be certain—that Liu Xiaohua is dead?" Shen Shichang's voice was very low, yet every word carried great weight.

Liu Rusi met his gaze and nodded gently: "Judging from the fragments of the femur and tibia, the expert estimates that the corpse was about 1.7 meters tall, which perfectly matches Liu Xiaohua's height."

Shen Shichang took off his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and said with certainty: "Based on my many years of experience, this person is definitely not Liu Xiaohua."

Outside the window, the north wind howled, and the window lattice rattled, as if something were eagerly trying to break in.

"I don't want to believe it either, but the evidence is right here. If it isn't Liu Xiaohua, then who is the corpse? And where is Liu Xiaohua? Over a hundred people were watching that residence closely; if a 'civet cat was swapped for a crown prince' really happened, who could bear this responsibility!" Liu Rusi's voice was filled with deep helplessness.

Shen Shichang smiled faintly: "That's fine too; it's a decent enough explanation for those above. Whoever wants to investigate, let them investigate! But I always feel that this Liu Xiaohua will still cause us big trouble!"

"Are you saying... he is a Communist Party member?" Liu Rusi asked hesitantly.

Shen Shichang stood up and paced to the window, looking at the snowflakes swirling outside: "After Liu Xiaohua returned to the country, he was extremely high-profile at first, publishing articles and associating with celebrities. He wanted the whole world to know how capable he was, but when we truly needed him, he made all sorts of excuses. There must be more to this."

"That's not hard to understand. After driving away the devils, everyone was looking forward to a good life, feeling a sense of relief. But now... many people have smeared the Party and State, chilling the hearts of so many," Liu Rusi said meaningfully, her fingertips turning slightly white.

Shen Shichang suddenly turned around, clearly unwilling to continue this topic: "You must take extra care of the supplies being shipped to Nanjing, and be sure to notify the garrisons in all areas in advance. If anything happens to this batch of supplies, you and I will be in big trouble."

"I have already sent Zhuzi, so there shouldn't be any mishaps."

"Is that Zhuzi really as capable as you say?" Shen Shichang raised an eyebrow and asked.

Liu Rusi's lips curled slightly: "I fear I may have even underestimated him! This time... I'm afraid I offended him. He originally didn't want to escort this cargo; it was I who forced him to go. I don't know if he will still acknowledge me as his sister when he returns."

"Was it him who stopped you from contacting Liu Xiaohua? Did he see early on that Liu Xiaohua wasn't simple?" Shen Shichang pressed.

Liu Rusi nodded solemnly: "It was his warning. He said Liu Xiaohua is not easy to deal with and that we cannot use force."

"He is a talent," Shen Shichang cast his gaze toward the sky full of snow outside the window, "When he returns, let me see him."

In a private room at He Ji Restaurant, steam rose, and the aroma of food and wine filled the air.

Jin Hai, Tie Lin, and Xu Tian sat around a table, which was covered with signature dishes. This was a gathering Jin Hai had specially organized to help Tie Lin calm his nerves.

Tie Lin opened his shirt, revealing a chest wrapped in bandages, and along with the wound on his head, it seemed there wasn't a single intact spot on him.

Jin Hai shook his head as he looked: "Tie Lin, you really have a lucky life this time. How did you think to run at that moment?"

Tie Lin's hands trembled slightly: "My heart was beating so hard, it felt like it was going to jump out, and then I smelled a strange odor, so I ran without even thinking!"

Xu Tian patted his shoulder: "Second Brother, no matter what, you managed to save your life; you must be more careful in the future."

"I don't want to keep working at the Military Statistics Bureau Beiping Station," Tie Lin gulped down a mouthful of wine, "In less than a month, three out of four Action Groups have been wiped out; if I stay any longer, it will be my turn sooner or later!"

"If you don't do this, what else can you do?" Jin Hai asked.

Tie Lin shook his head: "I haven't thought about it yet."

"How about the three of us partner up to open a restaurant? Let Tie Lin be the Manager," Jin Hai suggested.

"But we don't know anything about that!" Xu Tian frowned.

"We can partner with He Yuzhu. Look at his restaurant; it's been so popular after only a month that people have to queue at mealtimes, and business is even better than Quanjude," Jin Hai said with increasing enthusiasm.

"His business is so good and he isn't short on money, why would he partner with us?" Xu Tian was still hesitant.

"A strong dragon doesn't suppress the local snake. In Nancheng, we have some influence. Although He Yuzhu is young, he does things with great style. Besides, he has a good relationship with Dayingzi. If I go to talk to him, he should give me this face," Jin Hai analyzed.

As soon as Tie Lin heard the name Dayingzi, he hurriedly waved his hands: "Big Brother, I'll say this first: I cannot work with Dayingzi; she only knows how to bully me."

"I agree. What about you, Second Brother?" Xu Tian asked.

"Let me think about it," Tie Lin sighed.

January 12, 1946, the north wind swirled with snowflakes dancing across the sky.

Lao Jia was being buried today, and He Daqing had gone to great pains to organize this funeral well.

After Jia Zhangshi received the pension, she refused to take out a single cent.

He Daqing had no choice but to use the twenty-five Big Ocean left over after buying the coffin to manage the funeral.

In this cold winter with severe shortages of supplies, meat prices were shockingly expensive.

In order not to make the scene look too shabby, he invited several of his fellow apprentices.

These fellow apprentices, with their superb culinary skills, used their connections to obtain a large amount of cheap pork offal and, relying on their masterful cooking, prepared several highly praised dishes.

Near noon, many people from the Steel Factory arrived; Lao Jia's coworkers all came to pay their respects, and even Lou Gang came on behalf of Lou Bancheng to offer condolences.

With so many people from the Steel Factory, they needed to be hosted and looked after, so the people in the Siheyuan all came out to help, busy for the whole morning.

He Daqing specially prepared a few extra tables of simple food, and he subsidized most of the items himself.

He had good intentions; he didn't want the people in the courtyard to help for nothing and wanted to treat everyone to a simple meal.

Seeing that more tables were being opened and that the people sitting at the tables were all from the Siheyuan, with two or three from every household eating at the banquet, Jia Zhangshi immediately became anxious.

"He Daqing! Our family is already so miserable, and you are still using my family's things to act generous! What is your intention? Do you have a conscience toward Lao Jia?" Jia Zhangshi pointed at He Daqing's nose and cursed.

He Daqing was filled with suppressed anger: "Yan Bugui is the one managing the accounts; ask him if I have touched a single cent of your family's money? These rice, flour, radishes, and cabbage all came from my own home!"

Yan Bugui hurriedly testified: "Sister-in-law Jia, Daqing hasn't touched a single coin from the account! The items were all provided by him personally; I can testify to that."

While the two were arguing, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly pulled Jia Zhangshi into the room: "Sister-in-law, you are 'killing the donkey after the millstone is done.' If you keep making a scene like this, who will carry the coffin for Lao Jia later?"

Jia Dongxu also walked over and said in a low voice: "Mother, Uncle He really did take a lot of things from his own home."

Only then did Jia Zhangshi realize she had gone too far, but she still remained stubborn: "You go and invite him back; anyway, I'm not going."

In the end, after Yi Zhonghai and Jia Dongxu pleaded with him, He Daqing finally returned to continue managing the arrangements.

Although there was this unpleasant interlude in the middle, overall, the funeral was held quite decently, and everyone who attended the banquet said the food was delicious.

Even Lou Gang from the Rolling Mill praised Master He for having the ability to turn stones into gold.

Workshop Director Bai Jingli took He Daqing's hand and said, "Brother Daqing, this funeral was organized in perfect order, truly impeccable. With money so tight, it really was hard on you. In the future, if my family has any business, you mustn't refuse to help."

"Director Bai, as long as you give me a heads-up in advance, I will never refuse!" He Daqing promised readily.

Today, he was undoubtedly the most eye-catching person at the funeral.

Other guests at the banquet, upon learning that this funeral only cost a little over forty Big Ocean, also came over one after another to strike up a conversation, hoping to ask for his help when managing weddings or funerals in the future.

He Daqing did not turn anyone away and agreed to each one.

Just as Lao Jia's coffin was about to be carried out of the courtyard gate, Jia Zhangshi suddenly blocked Lou Gang and wailed, "Manager Lou, my son Dongxu wants to start work immediately; otherwise, our whole family will be eating through our savings, and how are we to live?" As she spoke, she began to sob again, putting on a stance that if Lou Gang didn't agree, the funeral procession wouldn't be leaving today.

"Sister-in-law Jia, our Boss Lou keeps his word. What he promised you, he will never go back on. In three days, have Yi Zhonghai bring your son directly to the factory to report for duty."

"Thank you!" Jia Zhangshi offered a rare word of thanks.

At 5 Gongxian Hutong, there was no sign hanging here, but in reality, it was the office location for the Military Statistics Bureau Beiping Station!

An old man wearing an old cotton-padded jacket, leading a Camel, had walked back and forth in the hutong twice already!