Chapter 48

Dong Ku sat at the cave entrance for hours until Liu Zhong woke up to take over, only then did he lie down for a peaceful sleep.

The next morning, as soon as he got up, Dong Ku gathered a few people and assigned tasks.

"Xiaoshanhu!"

"Here!"

Liu Zhong stepped forward and shouted loudly.

"You are responsible for finding several hidden and dry locations in the surrounding mountains to distribute these weapons and firearms."

"Yes!"

Liu Zhong loudly accepted the order.

"Zuoshanhu!"

"Here!"

Mangzi stepped forward and roared.

"Lanshanhu!"

"Here!"

Mengzi roared and stepped forward.

"Shangshanhu!"

"Here!"

Shunzi stepped forward and roared.

"Taoshanhu!"

"Here!"

Liu Hai stepped out of the formation.

"Zhishanhu!"

"Here!"

Sun Tao stood out of the formation in a very standard posture.

"You are responsible for transportation, follow Xiaoshanhu's orders!"

"Yes!"

The group shouted in unison, their voices echoing through the cave, creating a formidable presence.

"Taoshanhu!"

"Here!"

Dog Dan, with clear eyes, stepped forward loudly.

"Liaoshanhu!"

"Here!"

Shan Zi stepped forward steadily.

"You two continue to improve the bowstrings of the repeating crossbow, and prepare the items needed for traps and crossbow bolts, Taoshanhu is in charge."

"Yes!"

The two loudly accepted the order.

"Zuanshanhu!"

"Here!"

Huzi, who had been waiting excitedly, stepped forward.

"Follow me to Heizui Village."

"Yes!"

Huzi's still somewhat immature face lit up with excitement as he loudly accepted the order.

Dong Ku, looking at the group exuding a military aura, asked loudly, "Who am I?"

"Chishanhu!"

"Who are you?"

"Huya!"

"Who are you fighting for?"

For the people of China! For the rise of China!

"What is our belief in Huya?!"

"Huya! Huya! With me, invincible!"

Liu Zhong and the others shouted loudly, a sense of iron and blood emanating from them.

"Xiaoshanhu is in charge of the base's affairs, now dismissed!"

"Yes!"

The group loudly accepted the order and quickly dispersed...

Seeing these figures exuding a sense of iron and blood, Dong Ku knew that this Northeast Tiger had grown its fangs...

The next day, Dong Ku and Huzi hid their clothes and changed into city attire. Dong Ku carried a rare leather suitcase, while Huzi carried a bundle. The two walked towards Hulin.

"What are you doing here?"

A Japanese soldier stopped them and shouted.

"Sir, I am a businessman."

Dong Ku smiled and answered, quickly scanning the guard post. He noticed that the puppet soldiers were inside and not participating in the inspection, which gave him a clue.

"Businessman?"

The Japanese soldier pointed at the suitcase with his bayonet and asked, "What's in there?"

"Sir, I am returning to my shop, I am the owner of Guandong Old Restaurant."

Dong Ku put down the suitcase and said respectfully.

Huzi clung tightly to his side, looking at the Japanese soldier fearfully.

"Owner of the Old Restaurant?"

To his surprise, the Japanese soldier, upon hearing that Dong Ku was the owner of the Old Restaurant, put away his gun and turned to call inside, "Come here!"

A puppet soldier ran over, bowing and scraping, "Sir, what do you need?"

"He says he is the owner of Guandong Old Restaurant, do you know him?"

"Sir, I don't know..."

The puppet soldier looked at Dong Ku and answered.

"Damn!"

The Japanese soldier immediately raised his gun, the bayonet almost touching Dong Ku's clothes. The other three Japanese soldiers also raised their guns, ready to shoot if Dong Ku made any sudden moves.

"Sir, our captain might know..."

The puppet soldier's words were interrupted, but he continued.

"You, go call your captain."

The Japanese soldier did not relax, still pointing his gun at Dong Ku.

Dong Ku was ready to act, but seeing the puppet soldier's words temporarily defuse the situation, he swallowed his words, glanced at Huzi, and waited quietly.

The guard post was usually quiet, and with the tension, people stopped in their tracks, afraid to move and cause trouble.

A minute later, the puppet soldier ran over with another figure.

Dong Ku felt relieved, recognizing the man as the one with the pockmarks.

"Sir, what do you need?"

The man with the pockmarks bowed and asked.

"He says he is the owner of Guandong Old Restaurant, do you know him?"

"Sir, I don't know..."

The puppet soldier looked at Dong Ku and answered.

"Damn!"

The Japanese soldier immediately raised his gun, the bayonet almost touching Dong Ku's clothes. The other three Japanese soldiers also raised their guns, ready to shoot if Dong Ku made any sudden moves.

"Sir, our captain might know..."

The puppet soldier's words were interrupted, but he continued.

"You, go call your captain."

The Japanese soldier did not relax, still pointing his gun at Dong Ku.

Dong Ku was ready to act, but seeing the puppet soldier's words temporarily defuse the situation, he swallowed his words, glanced at Huzi, and waited quietly.

The guard post was usually quiet, and with the tension, people stopped in their tracks, afraid to move and cause trouble.

A minute later, the puppet soldier ran over with another figure.

Dong Ku felt relieved, recognizing the man as the one with the pockmarks.

"Sir, what do you need?"

The man with the pockmarks bowed and asked.

"He says he is the owner of Guandong Old Restaurant, do you know him?"

The Japanese soldier shouted.

Looking at Dong Ku, the man with the pockmarks bowed and said, "Sir, this gentleman is the owner of the Old Restaurant."

"Good!"

The Japanese soldier put away his gun, stood at attention, and said, "Please don't mind the security, sir."

The other three Japanese soldiers also put away their guns, standing straight and clearing the way.

"Don't mind, don't mind, thank you, sir."

Dong Ku bowed, his face full of flattery, his mustache curling high.

"Sir, you are returning to the Old Restaurant..."

The man with the pockmarks eagerly offered to help carry the suitcase.

"Yes, I've been away for a few days."

Dong Ku subtly picked up the suitcase and, under the envious gazes of those waiting to leave the city, walked into the guard post.

The man with the pockmarks eagerly escorted Dong Ku into the guard post and then turned to leave.

Before reaching the Old Restaurant, Dong Ku noticed changes.

The front of the Old Restaurant hadn't changed, but the windows of the shops on both sides had been replaced, matching the style of the front, making it clear that it was one store.

The waiter at the door, as always, had sharp eyes and saw Dong Ku from afar, running over and saying, "Sir, you're here!"

"En."

Dong Ku reached into his pocket, took out a few Manchurian five-jiao coins, and gave them to the waiter.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

The waiter thanked him repeatedly, leading Dong Ku to the door.

As soon as Dong Ku entered, he noticed the changes. The counter was in the same place, but a Japanese woman in a kimono stood by the stairs, and while the room on the left was still decorated in a Chinese style, it also had many Korean characteristics, looking a bit messy but also fresh.

Liu Rujie works fast.

Dong Ku nodded to himself.

After a brief pause, Dong Ku walked to the counter, bowed, and said, "Uncle Cheng, is the boss available now?"

Uncle Cheng had already seen Dong Ku but did not leave the counter to greet him. Only when Dong Ku spoke did he smile and say, "Sir, the boss is free now, please come in." He then lifted the counter board.

Dong Ku turned to Huzi and said, "Come, follow me in." Then he stepped into the counter.

Huzi followed behind, responding and entering the counter.

As soon as they entered the small courtyard, Iron Uncle, like a door god, stood guard at the door. Seeing Dong Ku, he bowed coldly and said, "The boss is inside, sir, please come in." Then he turned and knocked on the door.

Yan'er opened the door and stood aside.

Dong Ku did not say much, stepped into the room, took off his shoes, and saw Liu Rujie sitting at the table, so he carried the suitcase over.

Huzi timidly followed, took off his shoes, and carried his bundle, following Dong Ku.

"Mr. Dong, have you seen the renovations in the shop?"

Liu Rujie gestured and asked familiarly.

"I have, the boss works fast!"

Dong Ku said as he sat down.

"Here, Mr. Dong, please have some tea."

Liu Rujie picked up a teacup and handed it to Dong Ku, then gave another to Huzi, who was sitting beside him.

Huzi, flattered, quickly took the teacup but did not drink, placing it on the table and not moving forward.

"Boss Liu, please give these to Mr. Shao."

Dong Ku pushed the suitcase and Huzi's bundle across the table to Liu Rujie.

Liu Rujie looked at the suitcase and bundle, her finely carved face wearing a charming smile, "Mr. Dong, I will pass them on to Uncle Shao." Then, her expression turned serious, and she changed the subject, "The road is not safe recently, Mr. Dong, please be careful. I heard that the bodies hang along the Baoqing River, even crows dare not land, it's very tragic."

Huzi suddenly tensed up when Liu Rujie finished speaking, his hands clenching tightly.

Dong Ku's heart tightened, but he picked up the teacup and said, "In these times, business is hard, thank you, Boss Liu. I will be careful, and in the future, it's more convenient to deposit money in the bank."

Liu Rujie did not continue the topic, looking at Dong Ku and saying, "By the way, Mr. Dong, did you encounter any trouble entering the city?"

"Ha ha, I did encounter some trouble, but fortunately, I am the owner of the Old Restaurant, so I managed to get through."

Dong Ku laughed heartily and said.

"Mr. Dong, you may not know, the city is now under military control. The new capital has ordered that everyone must have a good citizen certificate for the Japanese army to manage security. I assumed Mr. Dong might not know, so I took the liberty of getting a good citizen certificate for you." She then handed Dong Ku a paper bag.

Dong Ku was about to thank her when Liu Rujie picked up a piece of paper and a small, intricate seal and handed them to him.

"This is..."

Dong Ku took them, puzzled.

"It's like this, the road is not safe, so I had Uncle Iron set up an account for you at the Citibank in Harbin. This is the account number, and this is the seal for withdrawals. This way, I can deposit the monthly dividends into this account, saving you the trouble of traveling back and forth."

Dong Ku looked at the seal and paper bag in his hand. He understood that the clever Liu Rujie was subtly refusing his return to the Old Restaurant, clearly to avoid implicating herself or to protect him.

In a flash, Dong Ku felt relieved. After all, it was just a business relationship, and she knew his special status and her close ties with the Japanese, yet she still adhered to the principles of a businessman and did not reveal these matters.

Thinking of this, Dong Ku laughed and said, "Thank you, Boss Liu. I am going to Harbin and possibly Fengtian next, so this is actually more convenient."

"Mr. Dong is going on a long trip?" Liu Rujie smiled and said, "Uncle Shao taught me how to use the radio in my early years. This is our own code. My radio frequency is not high, but I sometimes tinker with it in the middle and end of each month in the afternoon. If it's inconvenient to call, you can contact me by radio."

"Good idea, thank you." Dong Ku took the codebook, praised it, and then asked, "By the way, Boss Liu, what did you mean by the bodies hanging along the Baoqing River?"

"Ah..."

Liu Rujie sighed, a hint of worry in her eyes, and said softly, "I heard that the Japanese settlers in Baoqing were all killed. Colonel Hebian Hosi of the Japanese army arrived in Baoqing, caught the civilians who had fled into the mountains, and killed them all, and..."

"Hebian Hosi? It's him!"

Dong Ku's heart raced. This man was not a good person. Before taking charge of the aircraft, Hebian Hosi was a notorious cold-blooded executioner.

It seems the bloodshed is not enough!

Dong Ku's eyes dimmed, muttering to himself.

"War inevitably brings death, it's just a matter of how much and in what way."

Dong Ku said expressionlessly, his voice tinged with a hint of contempt for life.

PS: Bowing to thank Chen Daojun for the support, thank you, thank you!!

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