Chapter 192: Giving Captain Li a Fortune

"Why do you want to arrest your younger sister?" Wu Jingzhong asked, frowning.

"Teacher, my sister has been reading some pro-Red books lately and has been getting close to the young lady of the Yong family.

"She even follows them out to the streets to shout slogans.

"I really can't talk her out of it anymore; if she keeps playing around like this, I'm afraid something will happen.

"It would be better to bring her in first, let her face a life stained with blood, so she can study and read with peace of mind in the future."

Hong Zhiyou sighed and said.

"That's just having too much time on one's hands.

"With your connections, if she just studied peacefully, once she graduated, what kind of job couldn't she get in the whole of Jinmen?

"She has money if she wants money, and people if she wants people.

"She just has to walk down the wrong path."

Wu Jingzhong said, annoyed.

"That's why every family has its own troubles; I may seem carefree in front of others, but who knows what kind of bitter situation I have at home?

"If I beat her, I can't bear to.

"If I scold or persuade her, it's useless.

"Before Captain Li came, I could still let her be.

"Now, if I'm not careful and she gets caught, wouldn't I be finished?

"It's truly worrying."

Hong Zhiyou poured out his grievances.

"Arrest her.

"Arrest her and give her a scare!" Wu Jingzhong pointed his index finger and gave the order on the spot.

"Very well, thank you, Station Chief."

Hong Zhiyou walked quickly out of the office.

He arrived at the confidential room.

Yu Zecheng was talking to Section Chief Qin of the confidential room.

Seeing Hong Zhiyou, he waved for Section Chief Qin to go about his business first, then walked over to the sofa:

"Zhiyou, is something the matter?"

"Yes, in an hour, Yong Manzhu and my sister might be brought in.

"The Station Chief wants you to go to the Yong family tonight to extort them."

Hong Zhiyou said straight to the point.

"You're kidding, you really want to teach Xiaohui a lesson?" Yu Zecheng was very surprised.

"That girl is hopeless; this is the only way," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Fine.

"It just so happens I haven't seen Mr. Yong in a long time," Yu Zecheng nodded and said.

Operations Team office.

Li Ya leaned against the desk, rubbing his chin while listening to Song Fei's report:

"Last night, Secretary Hong from the station went to see Yong Jianqiu.

"As far as we know, this Yong Jianqiu has close ties with the Red agents; previously, Station Chief Wu's 'Poison Plan' was ruined by this very person.

"And Secretary Hong is still in contact with his daughter."

"Are you implying that Hong Zhiyou is a Red agent?" Li Ya asked, frowning.

"I am merely stating facts; I have no evidence," Song Fei replied very tactfully.

He was eating out of Li Ya's hand.

There were many things he had to do, but he would never say such foolish things as framing a favorite of the station without evidence.

"That shouldn't be.

"I heard that when Ma Kui was here, he was very active in investigating Red agents.

"Would he not have investigated Hong Zhiyou?"

Li Ya was somewhat confused.

"How should I put it?

"Captain Ma was considering his wife.

"He... was a broken man and wanted to entrust his wife to Hong Zhiyou.

"So, he turned a blind eye to many things regarding Hong Zhiyou and focused mainly on Yu Zecheng."

Song Fei replied.

"Heh, his way with women is a bit too good.

"Doing business is fine.

"But being a Red agent is absolutely not allowed. Keep an eye on him and the Yong family," Li Ya ordered.

After Song Fei left, Li Ya went to the Station Chief's office.

Wu Jingzhong was playing with a purple clay teapot.

"Station Chief, Hong Zhiyou went to see the Red agent and business associate Yong Jianqiu last night. Did you know about this?" Li Ya asked.

"I know.

"He is friends with Yong Jianqiu's daughter; it's perfectly normal for him to visit," Wu Jingzhong said.

"Aren't you afraid he's a Red agent?

"You must know that your 'Poison Plan' was ruined by the man surnamed Yong.

"Is there something fishy about Hong Zhiyou in the middle of all this?"

Li Ya glanced over, that sinister air rising again.

Wu Jingzhong put down the teapot and looked at him coldly: "The 'Poison Plan' was caused by Ma Kui's mistake, and it was he, the 'Mount Emei' mole, who leaked the intelligence; hasn't that case already been closed?

"Why bring it up again?"

Having said this, he advised with a dissatisfied tone:

"Captain Li, Hong Zhiyou just finished cleaning up your mess, and now you want to investigate him? Isn't that going a bit too far?

"I still trust Hong Zhiyou.

"He is very well-connected with the Americans in Jinmen; if you send him in, many things will be difficult to handle."

Li Ya curled his lips and said blandly:

"Station Chief, one thing at a time.

"He helped me, and I'll keep that in mind.

"But if he is a Red agent, he must be investigated; this is also the most important mission Jiang Jianfeng has entrusted to me.

"Besides, this world belongs to the Party and the State.

"He is merely a secretary; whether things are easy to handle or not, isn't that up to you?"

"You investigated Yu Zecheng, and now you're investigating Hong Zhiyou; are you going to investigate everyone in the Jinmen station?" Wu Jingzhong asked unhappily.

"Station Chief.

"I'm not targeting anyone. To be honest, I admire Yu Zecheng; he assassinated Li Haifeng all by himself.

"I am also very grateful to Hong Zhiyou and would like to be friends with him.

"But the premise is that they must be clean.

"Investigating them is also part of my duty."

Li Ya insisted on his view.

"Besides, I heard that Hong Zhiyou is very close to your daughter; investigating him is also good for your reputation and safety, Teacher," he continued.

"Since you've said as much, what else can I say?

"If you want to investigate, go ahead.

"If you end up causing trouble, you'll have to bear the consequences yourself," Wu Jingzhong replied indifferently, his gaze returning to the purple clay teapot.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful and won't cause you any trouble." Li Ya put his hands in his pockets and left.

Wu Jingzhong tilted his head slightly, watching Li Ya walk away from the corner of his eye:

"Making friends? Is that how the hell you make friends?"

Putting down the teapot, he called Yu Zecheng's office: "Put Secretary Hong on the phone.

"Be careful, Li Ya wants to 'make friends' with you."

With just that one sentence, he hung up and continued playing with the teapot.

Wu Jingzhong still had confidence in the methods and mind of his future son-in-law.

"An ungrateful wolf; he's starting to investigate me," Hong Zhiyou said, putting down the phone and looking at Yu Zecheng.

"Sigh.

"He really is Liu Xiong's 'godson'; this temperament and character are truly something else.

"And you just helped him out in a big way.

"This..."

Yu Zecheng was also speechless.

"Go ahead and play."

"Accompany him for a few rounds." Hong Zhiyou was just fretting over being bored lately, and it was the perfect time to trade blows with Li Ya.

Hong Zhiyou returned to his office and dialed a number:

"Hello, is this Mobile Corps Commander Zhang of the Security Brigade?"

"Old brother, it's me, Hong Zhiyou."

"Could you please help me find Kong Fang, the second-in-command up on Qingfeng Mountain?"

"Thanks."

"By the way, Staff Officer Pang of the garrison is going to Baoding for a meeting tomorrow; I had him bring some fine silk fabric for your wife."

"Don't mention it, we're all our own people."

"That's all then. Come to Jinhai another day, and I'll host you at the Naval Club."

Just as he hung up the phone, Xiao Guohua walked in:

"Secretary Hong, the person has been caught and is locked in the interrogation room."

"How should we arrange it?"

"I recall, are Wu Taixun and Zhu Jiu inside?" Hong Zhiyou asked.

"They are," Xiao Guohua nodded and said.

"Take them and my younger sister inside."

"Didn't Kou Zhengguo bite on a few corrupt elements?"

"Call Old Wu to use the harsh methods."

"Let those three watch from the side to scare them first."

Hong Zhiyou thought for a moment and said.

"Understood, I'll go arrange it right now," Xiao Guohua said, accepting the order.

"Old Xiao, Duoduo's surgery was very successful."

"However, she needs to recuperate in Xiangdao for a month or two. There are specialized medical staff there, so don't worry too much."

Seeing the hesitation on his face, Hong Zhiyou immediately understood and smiled as he said this.

"That's great."

"Secretary Hong, thank you," Xiao Guohua said, bowing ninety degrees.

"There you go again, go get busy."

Hong Zhiyou waved his hand with a smile.

After waiting a little while, he walked toward the underground interrogation room.

Just as he reached the entrance of the corridor, he ran into Li Ya.

"Brother Hong, why did you even have your own sister arrested?" Li Ya asked.

"Reading red books, wouldn't listen, so I dragged her in to gain some perspective," Hong Zhiyou said.

"She's just a child, don't take it seriously."

"Just scare her a bit, I'll let her go in a moment," Li Ya said with a smile.

"Thank you, Brother Li," Hong Zhiyou said with a bright, grateful smile.

Brother Li?

Since arriving in Jinhai, Lu Qiaoshan had been tripping him up, and the attempt to capture Yu Zecheng had also been botched.

He could be said to be extremely frustrated.

This address of "brother" made Li Ya feel warm inside.

"It's just noon, shall we go to the cafeteria to eat something together?" Li Ya asked, tilting his head.

"No."

"You action team leaders are all ascetics."

"When Ma Kui was here, he just ate at the cafeteria."

"How come you, the red-hot favorite sent by Jianfeng, are also eating at the cafeteria?"

Hong Zhiyou feigned astonishment.

"Sigh, it's all because of that lack of money," Li Ya said with a bitter smile.

"Let's go."

"I know a Western restaurant that's quite good. I'll host, and we'll celebrate your success, old brother," Hong Zhiyou said.

"Celebrate my success?"

While surprised, Li Ya subconsciously followed Hong Zhiyou as he walked outside.

"You captured Zhong Wangguo."

"Corruption, trafficking in tickets—you've plucked a malignant tumor for the Party-State."

"I reckon Director Mao and Jianfeng's commendations are already being drafted."

"Just wait to be credited for your service."

Hong Zhiyou said with a smile.

"Ye Xiufeng is biting at me; it'll be good enough if I'm not convicted, I don't dare think about credit."

"Take your car, or mine?"

Li Ya walked to the car and asked.

"That would naturally be yours, old brother."

"An action team leader, the famous Buddha Niche, acting as my driver—if I don't take that, I'd be a fool."

Hong Zhiyou said with a flattering smile.

"Brother, you really speak well; no wonder everyone in the station likes to revolve around you," Li Ya said, feeling quite comfortable.

"They revolve around me not because I speak well."

"But because..."

Hong Zhiyou smiled and didn't continue.

They arrived at the Western restaurant.

The two chatted while dining.

Li Ya whispered: "Brother, they all call you the Jinhai Expert; I actually have something I'd like to ask your advice on."

"Brother Li, go ahead," Hong Zhiyou said, sipping his rich coffee.

"I participated in the Jinshanwei battle back then, and afterwards, I was always executing undercover missions in various places."

"To tell you the truth, I haven't really had much contact with money."

"I don't really understand the ways of it either."

"Take Lu Qiaoshan, for instance—a single watch costs hundreds of US dollars, and his clothes and leather shoes are all worth a fortune."

"And that's not even mentioning Lu Qiaoshan."

"Just look at his subordinates, that group led by Sheng Xiang; every one of them is fat with wealth."

"You tell me, the station only pays such a meager salary, where do they get so much money?"

Li Ya asked, very puzzled.

"So that's what you don't understand."

"Power is money, and money follows power. As long as you have power, are you afraid of not having money?"

"Let me give you an example."

"Just a hypothetical."

"Someone's son gets caught for hitting someone, and he doesn't want his son to serve time, so he wants to find you for help."

"As long as it's not murder for money, you can step in and mediate privately."

"The other party will give you money to show their gratitude."

"Also, some people want to get ahead, to get into the Waterway Inspection Office, the Postal Bureau, the City Defense Bureau—these connections don't require you, a dignified Lieutenant Colonel, to do anything; a little Lieutenant can handle it with just a word."

"Arranging a clerk position for someone is easy as pie."

"That's at least one or two gold bars in the pocket, wouldn't you say?"

"If you rely on your fixed salary and want to save up that kind of money, who knows how long that would take?"

Hong Zhiyou taught him bit by bit.

"So that's how it is."

"But the problem is, I'm in the action team every day, and no one comes to me to get things done."

"I can't exactly go shouting in the streets, can I?"

Li Ya bit his lip and frowned in confusion.

"That requires connections."

"The people who get things done are all at the Military Families Association or a few foreign clubs; it's an old tradition."

"Over there, it's all people referring people. Once you get involved, you can pull in connections from Jinhai, or even Shanghu or Jingling."

"Just look at Sheng Xiang."

"He's unremarkable, right? Just a small section chief in the archives."

"But he knows Secretary-General Kuang in Jingling."

"If you are willing to spend money, you can even get some matters delivered right to the ears of the Chairman; that's just how the game is played."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Military dependents' associations, clubs, dealing with women," Li Ya said, feeling a bit troubled.

"Old brother, aren't you just looking to rake in some money?"

"I'll solicit the jobs for you."

"The prerequisite is that you have to be able to handle it." Hong Zhiyou wanted exactly this opportunity.

"Give me one example, let me try," Li Ya said.

"Chen Wengong from Hexi, his son wants to get into the Secret Service Bureau and is willing to offer five gold bars; you can make the call on a job like that, right?" Hong Zhiyou leaned in and whispered.

"Five gold bars!" Li Ya's eyes went wide.

"That's right."

"The status of the Secret Service Bureau is valuable; once you flash your credentials outside, who isn't panicked?"

"Especially for these business people, the Secret Service Bureau is a sign that guarantees you won't be robbed or inspected."

"If you're a policeman or a local thug, do you dare offend the family members of a Secret Service Bureau employee?"

"In the past, this would be the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

"Who wouldn't be three parts afraid upon seeing them?"

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Seems like there's some truth to that."

"Teach me how to operate it," Li Ya asked with great interest.

"Captain Li, you are a man of integrity; it might not be good for you to do this kind of thing," Hong Zhiyou stopped his train of thought and asked with a dry laugh.

"Heh."

"Integrity can't be eaten as a meal."

"Little brother, you haven't stayed in Yancheng; every day the ration was fixed—cracked corn porridge, big steamed buns—and you could only eat a few slices of meat during the New Year."

"If you endure that life for three or five years."

"Even if the Buddha himself went there, he would shed tears."

"When I was over there, do you know what I was thinking about at the time?"

Whenever Li Ya mentioned this past, his eyes were full of bitterness and hatred.

"I thought, the first thing I'd do upon returning to Shancheng is buy half a pig and have a damn good meal of pork stew."

"Even now, I'll unconsciously swallow my saliva when I see meat."

"Waiter, bring another steak."

As he spoke, Li Ya shouted at the waiter again.

"So, I don't have any aversion to some of the things and people at the station; those who haven't been hungry won't know the value of money, milk, and bread," he sighed with deep feeling.

"Understood."

"Only after being caught in the rain do you know the importance of an umbrella."

"Brother Li, if you don't mind, I will be your umbrella."

"This job is yours."

Hong Zhiyou laughed and echoed.

"Teach me, how do I operate it?" Li Ya was still a bit inexperienced.

"It's simple."

"You just find any reason to lay someone off, then recruit this person to fill the vacancy."

"If he has ability and is a sharp person, put him straight to work."

"If he lacks common sense, just arrange for him to run errands, handle contacts, or set up a stall on the street."

"Isn't it just that simple?"

Hong Zhiyou said very casually.

"Then, won't the Station Chief, Lu Qiaoshan, and the others ask about it?" Li Ya was very worried about this.

"The Station Chief never bothers with these things."

"Lu Qiaoshan himself has made plenty of side money in the Secret Service Bureau; he knows the rules, so who would dare smash the pot?"

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Understood, I'll take this job," Li Ya said readily.

"Good."

"Tonight, go to the Fuyun Tea House and meet this father and son."

"Inspect the goods; if it's suitable, collect the money yourself."

"Consider the commission for this job a little opening bonus for you, old brother."

Hong Zhiyou said.

"Thanks."

"Zhiyou, I've definitely made a friend in you," Li Ya said with a grateful smile.

"You are a high-ranking official and a capable administrator."

"In my view, with Jiang Jianfeng as your great tree, the position of Deputy Station Chief is surely yours."

"I hope you will continue to look after me, Brother Li."

"Once you become Deputy Station Chief, jobs worth tens of thousands of US dollars will be a piece of cake."

Hong Zhiyou raised his glass in a toast.

"I'll take your auspicious words, little brother; if I become Deputy Station Chief, I certainly won't treat you poorly," Li Ya raised his glass and clinked it with his.

After finishing the meal.

The two returned to the station, laughing and talking.

They happened to run into Lu Qiaoshan.

Old Lu curled his lip and walked into his office with a gloomy face.

"Brother Hong, thanks for the hospitality," Li Ya deliberately raised his voice by a notch.

"Don't mention it."

Hong Zhiyou accepted it all and walked into his office with a light step.

Before long, Lu Qiaoshan walked in and said with a low, mocking laugh:

"Little brother, you've become thick as thieves quite quickly."

"Hey, the Station Chief instructed me to take good care of him."

"He's one of Jiang Jianfeng's people, after all; I have to give him that much face," Hong Zhiyou laughed.

"He came to you to solicit business, didn't he?" Lu Qiaoshan asked, hitting the nail on the head.

"Nothing can be hidden from you, old brother," Hong Zhiyou said.

"How much money, what kind of job?" Lu Qiaoshan asked.

"Five gold bars, an external position in the Action Team," Hong Zhiyou said.

"An external position, five gold bars—the big ones or the small ones?" Lu Qiaoshan's eyes rounded, and he asked hurriedly.

"The big ones."

"Chen Wengong from Hexi; a landlord and wealthy man who isn't short on cash."

"His son just wants to show off the prestige of the Secret Service Bureau."

"To people like them, five gold bars is just a drizzle, isn't it?"

Hong Zhiyou said with a casual expression.

"Five big fish!"

"Little brother, didn't you say you'd give this job to me last time?" Lu Qiaoshan was anxious.

"Department Chief Lu."

"At that time, you were concurrently heading the Action Team."

"Now that the Action Team has a new person, if you try to arrange someone in there, Li Ya won't stand for it," Hong Zhiyou said with a helpless look.

"Ai!"

"What a pity."

"Damn it, I shouldn't have let Station Chief Hou from Shaanxi go to pick him up in the first place."

"It would have been better to just let him starve to death."

Lu Qiaoshan gritted his teeth in hatred.

"Old Lu, I still have to go to the Marine Corps, so I won't keep you company."

Hong Zhiyou smiled, stood up, and walked out.

"Old Lu?"

"Is 'Old Lu' something you can call me?"

"The world is fickle, and people's hearts aren't what they used to be."

"Li Ya, you really are a jinx to me; we'll see about this."

Lu Qiaoshan said coldly.

Hong Zhiyou did it on purpose.

He never expected that calling Lu Qiao "Brother Shan" a few times would make Lu Qiao truly treat him like a brother.

There are no brothers in this world.

There is only money.

Right now, he was putting on the act of a snob who fawns over the powerful and tramples the weak, all to provoke Lu Qiao and intensify the conflict between those two, thereby winning more room for his own survival.

……

Evening.

Li Ya walked out of the Fuyun Teahouse, feeling the five heavy gold bars in his pocket, feeling a bit like he was dreaming.

It was just a matter of one sentence.

Arranging for someone to be placed, yet he could rake in so much money.

It was simply like a pie falling from the sky, hard to believe.

It seems he really needs to put in some effort to climb higher in the future.

He heard that Lu Qiao managed two lucrative posts: the Police Department and the Waterway Inspection Department.

No.

He must snatch one of them over.

"Captain Li, Hong Zhiyou is meeting someone in secret at the Hongsheng Teahouse," a subordinate approached and whispered while he was feeling pleased.

"Who?" Li Ya asked.

"Kong Fang."

"He used to be an underground transport agent for the Red Ticket," the subordinate said.

"Red Ticket."

"Watch him closely for me, investigate strictly."

Li Ya instantly cast thoughts of wealth to the back of his mind and entered his ruthless mode.

……

(End of chapter)