ebookland Chapter 1057 The comrade from Guangxi has been found
Chapter 1057 The comrade from Guangxi has been found
Chen Zhongyu shook his head and said, "A few days ago, didn't he do something for Mo Gansheng? Mo Gansheng invited him to his office for tea to express his gratitude. I tested him at the time, and he clearly stated that he would not join any faction."
Gui'er wasn't surprised at all. She felt that Wu Mingqiang was the kind of person who was good at assessing the situation and always considered which side had a better chance of winning. He wouldn't easily take sides. This was due to the limitations of his era and his personality.
"Does Brother Chen really want him to join us? Should I go and try to persuade him?" Gui'er said.
"Forget it, we should unite all forces that can be united, but we must never force others, as that would bring great hidden dangers."
Gui'er also thought it made sense.
The next day when she returned from school, Wu Mingqiang told her that the supplies had been loaded onto the ship. The two escorting comrades were also disguised as crew members. They would wait there for the supplies, and then they would set off with the ship and return together. He believed everything would go smoothly.
Gui'er was very happy, as this would make transporting supplies much more reliable in the future. However, she still had no news of Sha Yanxiao and Song Xichen, which made her very uneasy.
That day at school, Lin Peishan grabbed her as soon as she entered the classroom and said, "I have news."
"Really? Is my brother safe?" Gui'er asked excitedly, grabbing Lin Peishan's hand.
"Oh. That's not the news. It's about the comrade from Guangxi who went missing while you were transporting supplies back, as you mentioned before."
Gui'er was a little disappointed, but she was also very concerned about her comrade's safety, so she quickly asked, "How is it? Did you find him?"
"Found him. He and Comrade Deng Jun split up to lure the Japanese away. The Japanese chose to chase him. He ran to a mountain where there was nowhere to go. He didn't want to be captured by the Japanese. So he jumped off a steep cliff. The Japanese saw how steep it was and didn't chase him down. They just fired a few shots in his direction and left."
"He had multiple grazes from bullets and was shot in the calf. He didn't come out until the Japanese left, and he was still injured. Later, he met a doctor who was collecting herbs in the mountains and rescued him. The doctor took him to his home. When the doctor heard that he was wounded by the Japanese while transporting supplies for the revolutionary army, he hid him in his woodshed and treated his wounds with Chinese herbal medicine. It is said that he used a knife to disinfect the wound with alcohol and pried the bullet out of his calf."
Gui'er gasped. As a medical student herself, she knew how painful it was, and there was also the risk of infection.
"Where is he now?"
“He stayed at the doctor’s house for a while, pretending to be a relative visiting his family. Later, when his injuries had healed a bit, he returned to the team. At that time, he had gotten separated from his comrades and was penniless. Although he had been recuperating for a while, he was still very weak. He walked all the way back to Guangxi by begging. He told us all these things himself.”
Gui'er breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that he had returned to the team: "That's truly a blessing from heaven. I hope my brother and Brother Song will also have such good luck."
“It definitely will,” Lin Peishan said.
Two days later, Gui'er estimated that the merchant ships carrying supplies should have already set sail, so she asked Wu Mingqiang, "Brother Wu, that batch of goods from last time should have arrived in Guangzhou by now, right?"
Wu Mingqiang nodded and said, "Yes, as soon as A Guang arrived in Guangzhou, he asked a smuggler he knew to send a message back saying that he had arrived safely and that the supplies had been taken away by their people. He was waiting to hand over the rice to the buyer, get the money, and then come back."
Gui'er felt much relieved upon hearing this, but noticing that Wu Mingqiang's expression was not good, she asked curiously, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"
Wu Mingqiang's fingers, gripping the teacup, turned white, and the lid tapped softly against the rim: "It's safe, but something went wrong on the way."
"What went wrong?" Gui'er asked anxiously upon hearing this.
“Ah Guang said that when the ship reached the Lion Ocean, it was spotted by the Japanese patrol boats and chased for a full half hour.” He put down his teacup, a fierce glint in his eyes. “Our ship is familiar with the waterways and managed to shake them off by using the reefs. But how could the patrol boats suddenly appear in that area? Normally, you wouldn’t see any Japanese soldiers there for ten days or half a month.”
Gui'er's heart tightened: "Is it a coincidence?"
“Coincidence?” Wu Mingqiang sneered. “I think someone deliberately tipped us off. Do you remember the Zhou family I told you about? They’re the smugglers who’re competing with us for business.”
Gui'er nodded, recalling how he had schemed to break up the Zhou family's young master and Mo Gansheng's daughter.
“A few days ago, I ran into the Zhou family’s manager at the dock. The way he looked at me was off, sinister.” Wu Mingqiang traced lines on the table with his finger. “They have connections in Guangzhou. They probably already found out that I ruined their plans. This is deliberate revenge. They want to use the Japanese to sabotage our ship. I’ve staked everything on this shipment. These bastards dared to ruin my plans. I’ll see how I kill them.”
Gui'er usually saw Wu Mingqiang as kind and gentle, like a spring breeze. Hearing him speak so harshly today made her uncomfortable, and she quickly advised, "The matter hasn't been fully investigated yet, and we can't be sure if it really was the Zhou family's doing, right? Besides, you mentioned them yourself. Although they started in smuggling, they've become wealthy now, and they even dared to target Moganshan's daughter. They're clearly not simple people. We should be careful and wait until this happens."
“Endure?” Wu Mingqiang raised his eyes, his gaze filled with an undeniable ruthlessness. “We were lucky this time, but what about next time? If they dare to have any crooked ideas, we’ll make them feel the pain.” He paused, his tone softening slightly. “Don’t worry, Miss, I won’t do it openly. The Zhou family also has shops in Hong Kong, and I have my own ways to make them suffer in silence.”
Looking at his tense profile, Gui'er knew that once he made up his mind, it was difficult to change it. She sighed, "Even if we have to take action, we have to find out the truth first, so as not to wrongly accuse anyone. The Zhou family has deep roots in Hong Kong. If things really get out of hand, it might alarm Detective Long, and then it will be difficult to handle."
Wu Mingqiang remained silent for a moment, which was taken as tacit agreement with her words: "I will find out. But if it really is them..." He didn't finish his sentence, but the coldness in his eyes said it all.
Looking at his gloomy face, Gui'er said with some concern, "Brother Wu, we have no power or influence in Hong Kong. Even if you find out it's the Zhou family, you must be careful and prioritize harmony. After all, there's no loss. If this matter blows up, I'm afraid Detective Long will blame you. Although you were favored by Mo Gansheng before, these rich people are the most hypocritical. They turn their backs faster than flipping a book. No matter how you fight, he definitely won't help you."