[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji":3,"chapter-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-36":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Siheyuan: Food, Love, and Family in 1960s Beijing",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2314086,4526,"Chapter 36: Assemble～～～","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-36",36,"\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu simply couldn’t hold out any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His thighs cramped, his neck cramped, he was hungry and cold, and he stared at the food box on Li Xuewu’s desk, swallowing saliva.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu and Liu Fusheng sat behind the desk, while Wei Tong stood behind Hu Jinbu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Fusheng opened the interrogation record.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu tapped his fingers on the desk, making a “bang bang” sound, and said, “Speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu reluctantly said, “I took the parts...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu slammed the desk—“Bang!”—cutting him off: “Who the hell asked you about that? If you don’t want to talk, don’t waste my sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began to rise; Liu Fusheng cooperatively moved to close the notebook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu panicked and shouted, “I’ll talk, I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything—but what am I supposed to say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu pointed at Hu Jinbu and said, “I’m Li Xuewu, head of the Public Security Squad. Before I retired, I caught spies. On my first day here, I caught you—and now I’m interrogating you. What do you think you need to say? Do they really need to interrogate you at midnight just for stealing parts?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu, aggrieved, said, “I just stole a few parts—I’m not a spy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu stared coldly at Hu Jinbu: “Do you even know what those parts were? Who they were meant for? What they’re tied to? How can you be so sure you’re not a spy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more Li Xuewu spoke, the more terrified Hu Jinbu became. When Li Xuewu uttered the word “spy” again, he blurted out, “It’s not my fault! I just handled transport! My uncle told me to take the parts out and deliver them to a small warehouse beside the East Zhimen repair shop. He pays me monthly—I didn’t know these were classified parts!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu already knew what those copper parts were. Since he suspected a connection to Gu Ke, he wanted to bluff—see if anything stuck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu, face still cold, said, “If you’re told it’s classified, does that still count as classified? Who else is involved? You couldn’t move this alone—could the gate guards really let you pass?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu, desperate to clear himself and drag others down, rushed to say, “There are five of us who smuggle parts out—every day at lunch and after shift. My uncle said we don’t need to worry about anything else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a nest case—could still be stretched further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu pressed further: “You’re just taking the fall for him. Five of you? You couldn’t move even a fraction of what’s missing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu still sounded aggrieved: “We usually hide the parts in wood shavings. My uncle got us permits to take wood shavings home for firewood. We always transport them on tricycles. This time, the tricycle broke down, so I luckily rode my bicycle out with them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu asked, “Didn’t the gate guards check?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu shouted, “My uncle paid them off! Wang Jindong even shares the money—I’ve seen him go to the warehouse to inspect the parts! He said he didn’t trust my uncle, but my uncle said he kept records every time—how could he lie? This time, we’d already said the tricycle was broken and wouldn’t be moving anything, so the guard stood there asking why I wasn’t using the tricycle. Fuck his fucking ass—if it weren’t for...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu tapped the desk: “Where exactly is the warehouse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu kept talking: “It’s in a row of brick houses outside the east wall of the repair shop. My uncle arranged it under the factory’s name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu pressed harder: “Where’s the profit ledger?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu, eager to let his uncle take the full blame and drag in more big figures to lighten his own sentence, answered frankly: “It’s in the drawer of my uncle’s desk at home. Once, when he was on a business trip, I helped him record it—but it doesn’t mention any traitorous dealings!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu sneered at Hu Jinbu: “Do you write traitorous acts in your diary? Do traitors keep ledgers? Answer what I ask—confess fully, understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu nodded: “I understand. I’ve seen captured enemy agents—I truly didn’t know my uncle was a traitor. Three of the security guards at the Security Office were selected by Wang Jindong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu softened his tone: “Who else knows?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu spoke quickly: “I know. I know. My uncle organized us to eat pork together at his place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu narrowed his eyes: “Anyone else involved?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu shook his head: “No one else. My uncle prepares the parts in wood-shaving bags at the warehouse. We pick them up after shift, haul them to the repair shop’s small warehouse, unload them, then head home. How my uncle delivers them to the enemy—I don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu asked again: “How long has this been going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu hesitated, glanced at Li Xuewu’s piercing gaze, and stammered: “About two years. At first I refused, but my uncle forced me. You have to help me—I really didn’t know he was a traitor!” He started crying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu was half-amused, half-annoyed. He forced a stern face: “Anything else to confess?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu shook his head, still crying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu looked at the names on the interrogation record: Gu Ke, plus the five transporters, Wang Jindong, and the three guards—that made ten people. A major case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu spoke casually: “Alright, case cleared. You’re free. Stealing isn’t serious, especially since you were unaware. Come here, sign, put your fingerprint, then go sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hu Jinbu stopped crying, signed willingly, and pressed his fingerprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu collected the record, told Wei Tong to take Hu Jinbu back to the holding room, and ordered: “Don’t remove the handcuffs. Keep them locked to the bedpost. Watch him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu went out, went upstairs, picked up the phone, and dialed Dong Wenxue’s home number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was past midnight. Dong Wenxue, annoyed, trudged to the living room to answer the ringing phone. When he heard it was Li Xuewu, then heard the report, he asked in shock: “Certain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu replied firmly: “Interrogation record signed and fingerprinted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dong Wenxue snapped awake, paced once, paused for a few seconds, then said: “Call Fu Bin’s office. I’m heading to the factory now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu hung up and called Fu Bin’s home. He explained the situation. Fu Bin said nothing else, only: “Wait for my call.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>《High Above the Heavens》\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>About five minutes later, Fu Bin called back. He told Li Xuewu to follow procedure and prepare to make arrests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu hung up and called the affiliated branch office listed in his directory. The office responded promptly, asked for the names, and said they’d wait for them there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu went downstairs to the factory guard barracks and shouted, “Assemble!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards immediately got up, dressed, and lined up before their bunks—though confused, they moved swiftly and efficiently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu, satisfied that they obeyed despite their confusion, said: “Following factory leadership orders and Comrade Fu Bin’s directive from the Security Department, I will lead you to arrest the suspects in the major 11×18 theft case. Do you have the will to complete this mission?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The guards responded automatically: “Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Xuewu: “Good! Training for a thousand days, used in one moment. Go to the weapons depot and draw your rifles!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rifles were rampant now—Wang Jindong, head of the Security Department, definitely had some.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Play it safe. Never rush in unprepared.\u003C\u002Fp>",1237,"2026-06-20T13:46:54.288Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a260c7cef3b38afb2e44664b993c75be1e603365195236b1825edf0087a86819","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-37","the-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-chapter-35",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-siheyuan-food-love-and-family-in-1960s-beiji-cover.jpg"]