Chapter 65: Can You Handle It, Little Brother?
Dongxing Tower, private room.
“Captain Cao, this is the reward promised to you.” ‘Wang Fugui’ pushed a small bag in front of Cao Weida.
“Thanks.” Cao Weida didn’t even look at it and directly tucked it into his pocket. “You called me over today; it shouldn’t just be to give me the reward, right?”
“Captain Cao has sharp eyes,” ‘Wang Fugui’ said with a forced smile. “Our master is very satisfied with the news you provided.”
“Hold on.” Cao Weida frowned deeply and interrupted him, his face visibly turning unhappy. “What do you mean? You told your superiors about my affairs?”
“Mr. Xu, isn’t this a bit not on the level?”
“Captain Cao, don’t… I… wait, what did you call me?”
“Xu Jin’ge, Mr. Xu, do I need to say it more clearly?” Cao Weida said with a stern face. At this moment, his heart was filled with dissatisfaction, and he was too lazy to pretend not to know him anymore. Was he really planning to have him over a barrel?!
Xu Jin’ge opened his mouth, but in the end, he shook his head with a bitter smile. “I thought my disguise was flawless, but Captain Cao already knew my true identity.”
“Forgive me; this was something I had no choice but to do. Please understand.”
“Let me reintroduce myself. I am Xu Jin’ge, Kuomintang Military Statistics Bureau major, serving as the action department director of the Beiping special agent office at the Military Statistics Bureau Station.”
“I know. Your name and photo are in the police station file room. Your feat of assassinating Director Shen Wansan at Wanhua Tower last time is still being talked about.”
Cao Weida waved his hand impatiently. “I greatly admire what you do regardless of life and death, but reporting my affairs to your superiors without my consent—isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”
“I’m just a little patrolman, timid, afraid of trouble, greedy for life and fearful of death. I don’t want to get involved with you special agents.”
“Today, pretend I never came, and we’ve never met. Goodbye.”
With that, he stood up to leave.
“Captain Cao, please wait,” Xu Jin’ge hurriedly stopped him and said with a bitter smile, “It was my fault for not explaining clearly. Forgive me.”
“It’s not what you think. After Captain Cao rejected me last time, I knew your ambitions lay elsewhere.”
“This intelligence, I told the superiors that I bought it from an intelligence peddler and didn’t reveal any information about you.”
“Oh? Really?” Cao Weida was half-believing, but he didn’t insist on leaving and sat back down.
“Of course it’s true. I, Xu Jin’ge, wouldn’t stoop to lying.” Seeing Cao Weida sit back down, Xu Jin’ge finally relaxed and cupped his hands apologetically.
“Thanks for the intelligence you provided. This action was very successful; we eliminated the traitor in the station. The boss is very pleased. After this, I should get quite a few benefits.”
At this point, he continued with a regretful expression, “If you were one of us, with this merit alone, you’d at least get promoted a rank, and maybe even receive the Yunhui Medal.”
“Don’t even think about it. I think things are just fine as they are,” Cao Weida patted his slightly bulging chest.
“I’m not helping for free. Haven’t you already paid the reward? I’m very satisfied with this kind of cooperation.”
“Alright, to each their own.” Xu Jin’ge smiled and didn’t dwell on the topic.
He had a good impression of Cao Weida. What the other had done as a patrolman—what could be found on the surface（）—had given him quite a favorable view, especially since he had helped him so much this time. He had taken a big advantage.
He was someone who knew gratitude; his attitude and behavior toward Wen San in the original work showed that.
“This time, besides delivering the reward, I also want to talk business with you.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.”
“I want you to help me find a Japanese woman.”
“Japanese woman?”
Cao Weida was stunned, his eyes narrowing as he said unpleasantly:
“Hey, Officer Xu, I’m a proper patrol captain, responsible for public order and stability in a whole district. And you’re asking me to find a woman for you? What do you take me for, a pimp?”
His voice carried strong dissatisfaction, but his gaze was fixed on the other, with no displeasure in his eyes, but full of gossip.
Xu Jin’ge clearly understood, and because he understood, the corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily a few times.
“What do you take me, Xu Jin’ge, for? Would I ask you to help me find a woman?”
Xu Jin’ge was speechless. He had to explain clearly, or else his lifetime reputation would be ruined!
But before he could explain, he saw Cao Weida leaning forward slightly, a teasing smirk on his face.
“No need to explain; I get it~~”
“Men always can’t control their lower halves. Wanting a Japanese woman is still doing the country proud; nothing to be ashamed of.”
Rubbing his chin with his fingers, his narrowed eyes conveyed an ‘I get it’ signal:
“If you really want a Japanese woman, there’s no need to go to such trouble. The Japanese restaurants opened by those little devils basically all have hostesses. They’re a bit pricey, but the service is truly attentive—every trick in the book, guaranteed to make you comfortable.”
“If you want something more stimulating, go to the large dance halls in Beiping. Yellow, white, black—they’ve got everything. Good in bed and not clingy; you deserve it~~”
“Uh…” Xu Jin’ge’s mouth twitched, and the corner of his eye followed suit. What the hell was this? Are you sure we’re talking about the same thing?!
What was originally a serious matter sounded so off when coming out of this guy’s mouth—pah, not right!
Xu Jin’ge was silent for a long time before looking up righteously. “You misunderstood. I’m quite conservative and not interested in those foreign women!”
“Cut the crap. We’re all men; you think you can fool me?” Cao Weida rolled his eyes. Did you think he was blind? Hadn’t he seen that eager look just now?
“Cough cough~~”
Xu Jin’ge coughed twice to cover his dirty thoughts. Seeing Cao Weida looking at him with contempt, he said somewhat annoyed:
“I’m a proper Whampoa graduate. What do you take me for? Would I do something like finding a Japanese woman just for my lower half?!”
Cao Weida didn’t speak, but the contempt in his eyes deepened.
Xu Jin’ge felt uncomfortable being stared at. “What do you mean? You don’t believe me?!”
“What do you think?” Cao Weida chuckled. “As far as I know, quite a few of your Kuomintang Whampoa graduates pursue fashion, with one concubine after another.”
“All of them righteous and moral on the surface, but which one isn’t raking it in behind the scenes? Go ask around—how many don’t have a bunch of concubines? Putting on airs here—burning paper horses on Qingming Festival; you think you can fool a ghost?”
Xu Jin’ge was left speechless by the retort; he really didn’t know how to respond because it was all facts.
Not to mention others, just their Military Statistics Bureau boss Dai Chunfeng—his messy private life was basically known to all.
Even the boss couldn’t set an example, so naturally the subordinates followed suit, which tormented staunch War of Resistance members.
Many times, he also felt ashamed of the actions of certain people within the Kuomintang.
Taking a deep breath to suppress his inner irritation, as a subordinate, it wasn’t good to discuss his party and country’s officers’ private lives with an outsider. He changed the subject:
“We got intelligence that a Japanese woman came from Nanjing last night. Her right arm was shot through, and she fled to Beiping. She might be hiding in the outer Second District.”
“You have wide connections; help keep an eye on hospitals, black clinics, and such. See if you can find information on her!”
Upon hearing this, Cao Weida’s face immediately turned unhappy.
“Hey, are you kidding? So the business you mentioned is this?”
“You really think I’m one of your special agents? Where would I get that kind of ability?”
“Don’t worry; I’m just asking for your help. The reward is negotiable.” Xu Jin’ge held up one finger. “This intel is worth ten gold bars. If you can find a lead on her, ten gold bars, yours with both hands!”
Cao Weida looked at him in full surprise, propping his chin and staring straight at him.
Xu Jin’ge felt his hair stand on end from the stare. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Man, your Beiping special agents are loaded. This is little devil occupied territory, and you’re throwing around ten small gold bars, ten large gold bars like nothing. Got a gold mine at home?”
Good grief, he remembered in the TV series Infiltration《, Chen Ming and his wife were so poor before the War of Resistance victory that even their underpants were torn, and they couldn’t even afford new ones.
Beiping was also occupied territory, so why were they so generous?!
Xu Jin’ge smiled bitterly. “Even if there’s a gold mine, it’s the party and country’s, what does it have to do with us small fries.”
“These two funds were specially allocated from above, for specific use, and have nothing to do with our Beiping Station. They don’t even go into the public accounts.”
Cao Weida understood. “Got it. So this money was specially approved from Nanjing, huh? Looks like this woman is no simple matter, to make certain people go to such lengths.”
Xu Jin’ge said nothing. Wasn’t that obvious? If she were simple, why offer a full ten gold bars for intel?
“I can’t tell you the specifics.”
Whatever, you don’t want to say, and I don’t want to hear.
Cao Weida rolled his eyes. “Since she’s a Japanese woman, after coming back, she’d definitely go to the little devil camp. What am I supposed to investigate? Where do I even start?”
“Even if I find her, then what? You planning to snatch her? Even if you have that idea, do you have the strength?”
Although the little devils were on their last legs now, it was still occupied territory. Cao Weida wasn’t looking down on him, but even if they had a hundred infiltrators, they couldn’t just kill her in the little devil camp; it’d be more like delivering themselves on a platter.
“That’s not for me to worry about. I only handle finding her whereabouts.”
Cao Weida was surprised. “Didn’t you say you’re in the action department? How come you’re not handling the action? Can you even do the job, little brother? Were you sidelined or something?”
“I…” Xu Jin’ge was furious. Who are you calling little brother? I’m older than you anyway!
Talking to him, a couple sentences and he’d be pissed off to death.
Forget it, forget it. Getting mad at him wasn’t worth it.
“I can’t tell you the specifics. For the sake of us both being Chinese, can you just help out?”
