Chapter 169: A Small Stratagem

Cheng Qianfan already had a fairly complete plan for how to induce Fang Muheng to rescue Yang Ximei.

However, after learning of an unexpected development from Li Hao and Pidan, he knew that his plan would have to be adjusted.

“You’re saying that this afternoon on McKee Road, you ran into He Guan and Liu Bo?” Cheng Qianfan asked in surprise.

“Yes. Officer He, Officer Liu, and another man. The three of them seemed to be looking for someone.”

Li Hao said.

“Who was the other person? Do you know him?”

Cheng Qianfan asked.

Li Hao shook his head.

But Pidan, standing beside him, suddenly spoke up.

“Brother Fan, I know. That’s the young master of the Fang family.”

“The young master of the Fang family?”

“Yes, Brother Fan, the eldest young master of the Fang family from Guohua Food Factory.”

Pidan said.

“I’ve even eaten steamed buns that he gave out.”

Cheng Qianfan was astonished.

Fang Muheng was actually together with He Guan and Liu Bo?

Especially Fang Muheng. That fellow harbored considerable prejudice against policemen.

He could not understand how those three had ended up together.

“He even gave you steamed buns to eat?”

Cheng Qianfan asked calmly.

He discovered that his understanding of Fang Muheng was still incomplete.

“Scabby Head normally didn’t dare beg food from Young Master Fang. One time he was starving...”

Pidan said.

As Pidan spoke, Cheng Qianfan gradually reconstructed the entire scene in his mind.

The little beggar normally did not dare approach someone like Fang Muheng, who dressed elegantly and was obviously the son of a wealthy family.

Such people were usually disgusted by filthy little beggars, and a beating might result from bothering them.

One day, Scabby Head was truly starving and finally worked up the courage to beg from a young gentleman on Honolulu Road.

He recognized him as the eldest son of the Fang family of Guohua Food Factory.

That person was Fang Muheng.

Fang Muheng happened to have no food on him.

Afterward, he personally went to a steamed bun shop nearby and bought two hot meat-filled buns for Scabby Head.

Scabby Head was starving and immediately reached out to eat them.

But he was stopped.

Under Scabby Head’s bewildered gaze:

Fang Muheng, without showing the slightest disgust, used a handkerchief to wipe Scabby Head’s hands clean.

He told him that one should wash one’s hands before eating, pay attention to hygiene, and be careful not to get a stomachache.

“You don’t have medicine. If you eat something bad and get sick, it could kill you.”

Fang Muheng said worriedly.

That day was the cleanest Scabby Head’s hands had ever been since he could remember.

The proud Scabby Head showed his clean hands to his companions.

His eyes sparkled with light.

Scabby Head did not keep the food to himself.

He told his companions about what had happened.

After that, word spread within the small circle of beggars to which Scabby Head belonged that the eldest young master of the Fang family from Guohua Food Factory was a good person who would buy steamed buns for little beggars.

More than a dozen little beggars even held internal meetings.

Each day, one person would take a turn going to beg steamed buns from Young Master Fang.

Scabby Head, who had brought this “benefit” to everyone, had no objections.

However, he insisted on one condition.

It was fine to ask Young Master Fang for steamed buns, but:

Your hands had to be washed clean.

Some of the little beggars disagreed.

But Scabby Head was absolutely insistent.

He firmly believed that only clean hands were worthy of eating the meat buns given by Young Master Fang.

Pidan said he remembered that when it was his turn, he washed his hands clean and went to beg from Fang Muheng.

Fang Muheng took one look at him and smiled.

Clearly, he had already grown accustomed to it.

He took Pidan to the steamed bun shop diagonally across from the Shen Bao building and bought him two meat buns.

He even carefully reminded Pidan to finish eating before leaving so that bigger beggars would not snatch the food away.

Cheng Qianfan’s feelings were extremely complicated.

Through Pidan’s account, he seemed to see an entirely new and much clearer Fang Muheng.

Yes, this man lacked revolutionary experience.

He was not cautious enough in his actions and could even be described as somewhat naïve.

So naïve, in fact, that he had been used as bait by the enemy multiple times without realizing it.

Yet Fang Muheng loved his country.

He loved this nation.

After the January 28 Incident, while still in America, Fang Muheng had immediately returned home to contribute his share to the resistance against Japan.

Fang Muheng possessed a heart full of passionate idealism.

What moved Cheng Qianfan the most was Fang Muheng’s kindness toward the poor.

Buying food for little beggars might not seem extraordinary.

But being completely unbothered by their dirtiness, taking out a handkerchief to wipe Scabby Head’s hands clean, and reminding him to pay attention to hygiene before eating, that was extremely rare.

That was genuine kindness.

He had even reminded Pidan to finish the buns before leaving so that others would not steal them.

That level of thoughtfulness was remarkable.

Cheng Qianfan found himself doubting whether such a thoughtful person could really be Fang Muheng.

Kind-hearted Fang Muheng.

Inexperienced and “naïve” Fang Muheng.

Cheng Qianfan sighed emotionally.

He suddenly felt that the place Fang Muheng most deserved to go was the Northwest, to the capital of the Red cause.

There, Fang Muheng would likely grow very quickly into an exceptionally outstanding revolutionary fighter, passionate as fire, pure-hearted, and kind.

Cheng Qianfan’s impression of Fang Muheng improved considerably.

However, that did not prevent him from continuing to regard Fang Muheng as a fool.

In the vast city of Shanghai, on a hidden front filled with danger at every turn, Fang Muheng’s kindness, naïveté, and passionate idealism were worthy of admiration.

But they were unquestionably a double-edged sword.

After all, he had already been exploited by the enemy twice without even realizing it.

Liu Bo, He Guan, and Fang Muheng.

Those three fellows had somehow become entangled together.

One was Liu Bo, a Japanese spy.

One was the impulsive and thoughtless He Guan.

The last was Fang Muheng, who acted without sufficient consideration, was “naïve,” and was equally impulsive.

Just thinking about the combination gave Cheng Qianfan a headache.

The cunning Liu Bo could easily manipulate those two fools into running circles around him.

They were looking for someone?

Who?

Ah Hai!

Cheng Qianfan immediately arrived at his conclusion.

Ah Hai had been wounded by gunfire and escaped.

Now he was being hunted by the agents.

Based on the intelligence currently available, Ah Hai was the comrade working at Shen Bao who had introduced Fang Muheng to revolutionary activities and guided him along that path.

He was probably also the only Party comrade known personally to Fang Muheng.

Now Ah Hai was in trouble.

Fang Muheng was surely anxious and worried.

He wanted to find Ah Hai.

He would definitely fail to find him.

Therefore, Fang Muheng had asked He Guan and Liu Bo to help search.

The matter seemed to return to its starting point.

How had these three people ended up together?

Why had Fang Muheng, who held deep prejudices against policemen, become friends with He Guan and Liu Bo?

No, to be precise, their relationship had already gone beyond mere friendship.

Although Fang Muheng lacked revolutionary experience and was somewhat “naïve,” naïve did not mean stupid.

He would never casually reveal information about Ah Hai to ordinary friends.

This meant that He Guan and Liu Bo had earned Fang Muheng’s trust and approval.

Were the three of them a group united by shared ideals?

This possibility occurred to Cheng Qianfan.

He was shocked inside.

His expression likewise reflected astonishment.

What kind of absurd situation was this?

Learning that those three had become entangled together produced one immediate consequence.

Cheng Qianfan had no choice but to abandon his original plan to lure Fang Muheng into a trap.

The reason for abandoning the plan was very simple:

Because of Liu Bo.

Cheng Qianfan remained especially vigilant toward, and deeply wary of, Liu Bo, the Japanese spy hidden within the police station.

After all, Liu Bo had always maintained a fairly good relationship with him.

Ever since Cheng Qianfan entered the police station, Liu Bo had looked after him quite a bit.

In Cheng Qianfan’s eyes, Liu Bo was an enthusiastic policeman with a certain sense of justice.

Among policemen, that was exceptionally rare.

Had Cheng Qianfan not strictly adhered to the organizational discipline required of a covert operative, never displaying his political leanings in front of outsiders and never considering recruiting colleagues around him into revolutionary activities, his Communist identity might well have been exposed long ago.

A Japanese man had concealed himself behind a Chinese identity, become a veteran policeman, and even won the goodwill of an undercover Communist operative.

Even now, the thought sent chills down Cheng Qianfan’s spine.

With such a cunning Japanese spy as Liu Bo involved, the plan he had previously designed for Fang Muheng simply could not be used.

It was a highly ingenious scheme when applied to Fang Muheng, one that would never have been exposed.

But in the eyes of a Japanese spy like Liu Bo, the likelihood of exposure increased enormously.

Liu Bo.

A Japanese.

A Japanese, Liu Bo.

How could Liu Bo be diverted and prevented from becoming involved?

Suddenly, Cheng Qianfan’s heart stirred.

Why was he so focused on finding a way to divert Liu Bo?

He had been thinking all along about how to handle and deal with Liu Bo.

Yet now...

Perhaps this was precisely the opportunity he had been waiting for?