Chapter 26: Fang Muheng

Chapter 26: Fang Muheng

“I’ve long heard that Brother Muheng is a refined gentleman. This is our first meeting, and I came to visit you out of kindness, yet you greet me with insults. That is not the conduct of a gentleman,” Cheng Qianfan said, shaking his head.

He paid no attention to Fang Muheng’s coldness.

He pulled over the shabby table in the cell, placed the food box on it, opened it, took out the two pairs of chopsticks tied to the lid, and set them in place. Then he uncorked the bottle of liquor tucked under his arm, took two small wine cups from his pocket, and placed one on each side.

Fang Muheng watched Cheng Qianfan’s busy movements coldly.

He had already made up his mind that he would not eat a single bite of food nor drink a single drop of wine.

Grrr.

Cheng Qianfan looked up and saw Fang Muheng’s face redden.

With a cold snort, Fang Muheng turned his head away, refusing to look at the food and drink on the table.

“Brother Muheng, please.” Cheng Qianfan paid no mind to the filthy floor. He gathered some dry straw, sat down cross-legged, and gestured.

“A gentleman does not eat food thrown at him in contempt.”

“This was paid for. Xiaoye gave me money for the meal.” Cheng Qianfan chuckled. “Brother Muheng, please.”

Upon hearing this, Fang Muheng immediately bent down, picked up the food container, walked to one side by himself, grabbed a chicken leg, and began eating heartily.

Cheng Qianfan suppressed a laugh.

He felt he was beginning to understand the eldest son of the Fang family somewhat.

He was a passionate patriot, proud and somewhat childish at the same time.

His actions probably meant that since his family had paid for the food, naturally he would eat it, and Cheng Qianfan would not get any.

Of course, it was also possible that Fang Muheng was simply hungry and had been given an excuse to relent.

“Brother Muheng, I don’t know much about your situation, nor do I wish to know too much,” Cheng Qianfan said. “However, I have one sentence for you. Don’t continue to be misled by certain twisted doctrines. If you return from the wrong path, there is no greater virtue.”

“Get out!”

Fang Muheng hurled a chicken bone over.

It landed directly on Cheng Qianfan’s head.

Cheng Qianfan removed the bone and casually tossed it to the floor. Unangered, he bent down, picked up a wine cup, and said, “Since Brother Muheng wishes to drink alone, I won’t disturb you.”

Then he drained the cup in one gulp.

“I’ll drink first as a sign of respect. Enjoy yourself. Farewell.”

Crash!

Just as Cheng Qianfan turned to leave, Fang Muheng kicked the liquor bottle and wine cups to pieces.

“A grown man standing tall in the world, yet instead of fighting the enemy on the battlefield and defending the nation, you choose to be a foreigner’s lackey. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself?” Fang Muheng pointed at him and cursed.

Cheng Qianfan abruptly stopped.

Turning around, he stared coldly at Fang Muheng.

The gaze was so chilling that Fang Muheng was momentarily startled.

“What are you going to do? Hit me? Come on! Come on, coward!”

“Brother Muheng, do you have any message you want me to pass on to Sister Xiaoye?” Cheng Qianfan suddenly asked as he frowned at the hysterical man.

“I forbid you from calling my sister that. Get out! I’m warning you, stay away from my sister!” Fang Muheng roared. “You’re not worthy of calling her that.”

“It seems Brother Muheng’s prejudice against me runs very deep.” Cheng Qianfan sighed and shook his head. “Farewell.”

After stepping outside, he turned around and locked the cell door.

Looking through the bars at the man inside, he said, “I just paid your meal fees. Starting tonight, you’ll get one extra meat bun and two bowls of porridge.”

Fang Muheng had only just let out a cold snort when Cheng Qianfan suddenly smiled mysteriously.

“Oh, right. I advanced the meal fees myself. You don’t have to eat the food, but remember to pay me back.”

“Shameless! Despicable villain!”

Watching Cheng Qianfan’s departing back, Fang Muheng cursed furiously.

In his view, the man was utterly hateful.

He had deliberately said those words to force him to stare at food he could not eat while remaining hungry.

“Even if you beat me to death, I won’t eat it.”

“Remember to repay the money.”

Without turning around, Cheng Qianfan waved a hand.

Cheng Qianfan felt much more relaxed.

In his view, Fang Muheng was simply a hot-blooded patriot.

Perhaps he sympathized with the Reds.

Perhaps he was merely enraged by Japanese aggression and thus displayed somewhat “extreme” words and actions.

At this point, Cheng Qianfan was certain that Fang Muheng was not one of their Party comrades.

He had already reached that conclusion the first time Fang Muheng mocked him.

Cheng Qianfan believed that among comrades there existed a kind of mutual familiarity, an aura.

It was an extraordinarily strange feeling.

There was no evidence, yet one somehow knew the answer.

This was precisely why the Special Branch had established the Red Team to eliminate traitors in the first place.

Those traitors understood their former comrades far too well.

One traitor whom Cheng Qianfan had personally eliminated once said:

“As long as I smell them or take one look, I’ll know whether they’re Communists.”

He admired Fang Muheng’s patriotic fervor.

But he did not agree with such intense confrontational attitudes.

He lacked an understanding of struggle strategy.

Immature.

Childish.

In Cheng Qianfan’s view, if Fang Muheng occupied his position and held his identity, he would be exposed within half a day.

Not long after Cheng Qianfan left following a brief exchange with Constable Zheng, a detailed written report appeared on Chief Inspector Qin Detai’s desk.

The report meticulously described every word, action, expression, and gesture Cheng Qianfan had displayed during the prison visit.

“Interesting.”

Qin Detai put on his reading glasses and carefully read the report.

He even marked several details and pondered them for quite some time before shaking his head and smiling.

“Brother Fang, honestly. You didn’t even bother to call me about your nephew’s matter.”

Qin Detai placed a call to the Fang residence.

“If my subordinates hadn’t reported it, I wouldn’t have known it was Nephew Muheng.”

“Oh, it’s fine. The investigation is basically complete. Nephew Muheng wasn’t deeply involved. He can be released in a couple of days. Of course, if you’re in a hurry, Brother Fang, you can come pick him up tomorrow.”

“Good. What Brother Fang wants is exactly what Qin wants as well. We’ll have to let Nephew Muheng suffer a little injustice. Let him reflect inside for a while, so you won’t have even greater worries in the future.”

After hanging up, Qin Detai glanced through the report a few more times.

Then he picked up the telephone.

“Send Cheng Qianfan from Third Patrol over here.”

Inside the Third Patrol duty room.

“Big! Big! Big!”

“Small! Small! Small!”

A crowd of constables was gambling with dice.

He Guan had lost money and was sweating profusely.

The buttons of his uniform jacket were undone, and his eyes were fixed on the dice rolling inside the bowl. His eyes had practically turned red.

“Brother Lu.”

Cheng Qianfan called Big-Head Lu over and handed him a cigarette.

“Little Cheng, what’s up?”

“I heard Sister-in-law can get American ginseng.”

“You want some? I can’t guarantee large quantities, but a small amount isn’t a problem.”

“Listen to you. It’s not like I’m reselling it. I just want to buy some.” Cheng Qianfan smiled, glanced around, and lowered his voice. “Get me some lower-quality stuff, but package it nicely. I’m going to visit Old Mo.”

Big-Head Lu blinked twice and instantly understood.

“Haha, I get it. Leave it to Brother Lu.”

At that moment, Deputy Inspector Ma Yishou entered.

He hurried over to Cheng Qianfan.

“Qianfan, Chief Qin is looking for you. Get up there quickly.”

Everyone gambling enthusiastically turned to look, each wearing a different expression.

“Got it. Thanks, Master.”

Cheng Qianfan nodded, winked at Big-Head Lu again, and then hurried off at a trot toward the Chief Inspector’s office on the third floor.

Third-floor corridor.

More than thirty meters from the Chief Inspector’s office, Cheng Qianfan walked with vigorous strides.

His riding boots struck the floor with loud thumps.

When he was only three to five meters from the door, however, he slowed down and lightened his footsteps.

This was giving his superior time to prepare.

Who knew whether one had arrived at an inconvenient moment?

It was a reminder to Qin Detai:

Your subordinate is about to knock. Are you ready?