Chapter 226: Blockade Search
“Let’s go, it’s almost noon, Little Ear, call all the brothers, I’ll treat you all to a meal at Dongxing Tower, consider it a welcome for me!”
He has never been a stingy person; if the brothers treat him well, he naturally can’t be stingy either. With a wave of his big hand, countless silver dollars are thrown out.
Since everyone was right in front of him, there was no need for him to go back to the police station to notify.
“Cao Ye is mighty!”
“Cao Ye is generous!”
“Cao Ye, I love you!!”
Cao Weida was so scared he jumped back three zhang, terrified as he said: “You there, the one who said they love me, from now on, stay at least eight zhang away from me, no approaching allowed!”
“Hahaha~~”
These words made everyone burst into laughter, also showing their carefree brotherhood.
The dishes at Dongxing Tower go without saying; these patrolmen normally couldn’t afford even one meal a month, let alone a year.
Not for anything else, just because it’s too expensive. With their salary, how could they bear to spend it here? They still need to support their families.
Now that they finally get to eat one, they naturally eat until their mouths are dripping with oil, praising loudly that Dongxing Tower indeed lives up to its reputation.
After host and guests enjoyed themselves fully, Cao Weida let them disperse and took a rickshaw back to the police station.
Ten days passed, and Beiping’s strict checks were still ongoing, but they had loosened somewhat compared to before.
Especially at the city gates; although checks when leaving were still very strict, at least the city’s blockade had been lifted.
They had no choice but to lift it; if not, Beiping City’s supplies would be completely depleted!
Once a grain shortage happens, it would truly incite riots.
Just as Cao Weida leaned back in his seat with eyes closed resting, the rickshaw suddenly stopped.
“Why did we stop?” Cao Weida opened his eyes and asked.
The rickshaw puller respectfully replied: “Sir, the road ahead is blocked, can’t pass. Sit tight, I’ll take you another way, but the alleys might be bumpy, please bear with it.”
Looking ahead, sure enough, the road was tightly blocked by barricades, extending nearly a li.
Countless patrolmen were shouting at the people inside the cordon, holding rifles with imposing might.
The people inside the cordon were clearly panicked; many tried to leave but were forcibly stopped by the patrolmen.
“Everyone quiet down! It’s just a routine patrol, please go for questioning.”
“If there’s no problem, you’ll be released then.”
Routine patrol?
Cao Weida frowned; he didn’t believe this explanation.
Suddenly blockading an area definitely had a reason; something must have happened.
His mind turned, and he said:
“Alright, no need. Just stop here.”
He paid the rickshaw puller upfront and squeezed into the crowd of onlookers.
As soon as he squeezed in, he saw an old acquaintance.
“Yo, Patrol Officer Lu! Busy, huh!”
Patrol Officer Lu, Lu Ju, was the patrol officer who rushed out of the toilet shouting ‘don’t do it, absolutely don’t’ after Cao Weida shot Dong Xiaozhen.
“Ah, Cao Ye!”
Hearing someone call him, Lu Ju turned and immediately startled, “You… aren’t you…”
Before, when Cao Weida was taken by the Bamboo Agency from the patrol officer’s office, the entire police station saw it clearly.
Many privately guessed that Cao Weida might not die this time but would at least shed a layer of skin.
After all, in their eyes, Cao Weida was too intent on eradicating evil, quite different from them who were just doing their job for a living.
On the contrary, he resembled the style of certain others.
So, they guessed that after going in, he would at least face some interrogation.
And the interrogation methods there—could they be gentle?
Lu Ju agreed with this view in his heart.
But how long had it been? He suddenly saw Cao Weida here—how could he not be surprised?
Shortly after Cao Weida was taken away, Lu Ju left the police station and didn’t know that Cao Weida had called subordinates from the police station to eat.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be so surprised.
“Hm? What’s wrong with me? Oh~~ I get it. Hey, it was all a misunderstanding. I went there, explained, and was released.” Cao Weida chuckled and explained, not wanting to dwell on it. He looked inside the barricades and asked:
“Patrol Officer Lu, what’s the situation here?”
“Ah? Oh, Gendarmerie Headquarters sent word that there are resistance elements here; we’re conducting a search.” Lu Ju steadied himself, but the envy and jealousy in his heart couldn’t be suppressed.
They even alerted the Bamboo Agency to come to the police station and pick him up, yet he just strolled around there and came back?
How tough must his connections be!
He had already developed a sense of awe toward Cao Weida from before; now it was even stronger, and his attitude became humbly deferential.
“Arresting resistance elements? You sure?” Cao Weida scanned inside. “This place has paths everywhere, shops all around; they could slip into any nook and cranny. Are you just waiting here like guarding a stump for a rabbit?”
“No way, all the surrounding alleys have people blocking them.”
“I see.” Cao Weida’s gaze subtly swept the crowd, then suddenly a figure caught his eye, making his heart sink.
It turned out this person was Xu Jin’ge in disguise!
Though he wasn’t too familiar with Xu Jin’ge, and current Xu Jin’ge looked completely different from his original appearance, having met a few times, he understood him; the other’s gestures, actions, and eyes couldn’t fool him!
Xu Jin’ge wore clothes made of black coarse cloth, paired with trousers of the same material, trouser legs tied with straps.
The clothes were patched over patches, clearly ones he couldn’t bear to throw away daily.
On his feet were cloth shoes with even the big toe sticking out, and on his head a black round-top gua pi mao.
His skin was covered with some pigment to look rough from years of wind and sun. From the disguise alone, if not for spotting clues in his actions and eyes, Cao Weida wouldn’t recognize him.
At this moment, Xu Jin’ge really had a shoulder pole on his shoulder, with two baskets of vegetables hanging from each end, being shoved by patrolmen to the sides.
And on the sides, armed patrolmen were checking one by one and taking them away.
“No, absolutely can’t let him be taken for checking.”
This was Cao Weida’s first thought.
Though Xu Jin’ge’s disguise was good and others couldn’t tell from appearance, fake is fake and won’t hold up to scrutiny.
Once checked, he’d definitely be exposed!
And once discovered to be disguised, no need to say, 100% arrested and tortured.
Why?
Nonsense, who disguises themselves on the street if they’re decent?
They might not even need torture; wash off the disguise and he’d be exposed immediately.
After all, Xu Jin’ge had acted in Beiping more than once; his portrait wasn’t unfamiliar.
Of course, that’s not the main issue; the worst is that Xu Jin’ge is one of those who knows his identity!
He admits he doesn’t doubt Xu Jin’ge’s anti-Japanese resolve and steadfast will.
But he knows even better how cruel the torture in the interrogation room is, and that a person’s willpower has limits!
If Xu Jin’ge can’t withstand the torture and gives him up, he’d truly be in deep trouble!
In the blockade area, Xu Jin’ge was anxious inside, struggling verbally: “What are you doing, don’t push me! I still need to deliver these vegetables!”
“Deliver what vegetables, be good! Dare say more and watch this old man beat you to death!” the shoving patrolman impatiently cursed.
For the blockade and search, they hadn’t even eaten lunch yet, harboring a belly full of fire, so their attitude was naturally worse.
While thinking of a way, Cao Weida’s ears twitched; he pretended to lightly ‘eh’ and drew attention over.
“You there, Liu Laosi!”
“Hm?”
Xu Jin’ge, probing with his eyes everywhere and nearly despairing inside, suddenly heard a familiar voice, immediately looked toward it, and his heart surged with joy.
“Ah, Cao Ye, Cao Ye!”
“What are you looking at, come here quick!”
“Coming, coming!”
Responding excitedly, he picked up the two baskets of vegetables and moved toward Cao Weida.
As Xu Jin’ge approached Cao Weida, the surrounding patrolmen, previously full of impatience, immediately dropped it upon seeing Cao Weida, first showing ghostly expressions, then fawningly bowing and nodding; no one dared stop Xu Jin’ge.
“Cao Ye, Cao Ye!” Seeing Cao Weida, Xu Jin’ge was extremely excited inside—this was truly timely help!
He had nearly despaired before, thinking calamity was inevitable today!
“What are you doing here?”
“I… I got some vegetables, was preparing to send to your residence, but then…”
Nearby Lu Ju seemed to catch on and asked: “Cao Ye, you know him?”
“Ah, yes, he delivers vegetables to my residence.” Cao Weida was somewhat angry, his tone harsher, scolding Xu Jin’ge: “My residence is almost out of vegetables, and you deliver today?!”
Xu Jin’ge knew to cooperate, bitterly saying: “Cao Ye, don’t blame me, it’s not my fault. Taijun blockaded the city; even if I wanted to deliver, I needed vegetables to deliver…”
“Only today it’s slightly lifted; dragged a lot of relationships to find a place to buy vegetables, who would’ve thought…”
Saying this, he glanced at the surrounding patrolmen, especially Lu Ju, the meaning self-evident.
Lu Ju cautiously asked: “Sending vegetables to Cao Ye’s home?”
Cao Weida: “Isn’t it?”
“Come in, come in!” Hearing it was delivering to Cao Weida’s home, Lu Ju’s heart stirred, and he immediately waved him out.
“Ah?”
“What ‘ah’, still standing there? Come in!” Cao Weida irritably scolded.
“Oh, okay, okay.” Xu Jin’ge seemed to just come to his senses, hurriedly carrying the vegetable baskets toward the gap in the middle of the barricades.
Lu Ju shouted to the checking patrolmen: “Let him through, let him through, this way!”
“Uh, boss, Cao Ye…”
Before he could speak, Cao Weida glared: “Still standing there for what, hurry and deliver the vegetables! You want my residence to go hungry tonight?!”
“I tell you, if you delay my residence’s vegetables, this old man will beat you to death, believe it or not!”
