Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 130 Selection
"No rush, take your time choosing. I'm just letting you know today."

People like Gu Yansheng are not in a hurry to take up their posts immediately; the principle is to have fewer people than to have inferior ones.

"Anyway, whenever you find the right person, I'll just find a reason to replace the current one."

After saying goodbye to Shen Linshen, Gu Yansheng invited Gu Zhuxuan to dinner that evening.

"While I was in jail, Director Gu treated me to meals. Now that I'm out of jail, how could I let Director Gu treat me? Wouldn't that mean I got out for nothing? Hahahaha."

At the Linjiangxian restaurant in Zhabei Jiangbei, Gu Yansheng saw Gu Zhuxuan again, and her complexion was completely different.

"They say good things make people feel refreshed, it seems like you've had a lot of good things happen to you lately?" Gu Yansheng joked with a smile.

Gu Zhuxuan laughed loudly: "Compared to going to jail, what's a bad thing? I've figured it out after all this life. Take things easy and life will be endlessly joyful."

"So Huang Jinrong's matter is no longer a big deal?" Gu Yansheng asked.

“That still needs to be calculated,” Gu Zhuxuan said straightforwardly.

Gu Yansheng chuckled but remained silent.

Gu Zhuxuan said directly, "I know Director Gu is busy, so I brought the person with me. Let me make it clear beforehand, it was really hard to find someone for you. I put in a lot of effort. Only someone like you, Director Gu, would I have put in this much effort for. It's too much trouble."

"What do you mean it's hard to find someone for me? Is it that difficult?" Gu Yansheng asked curiously.

This time it was Gu Zhuxuan's turn to sneer: "Director Gu, don't you think about your noble status as a municipal government official? Would a good person be willing to work for a traitor? This isn't just ordinary work, it's being a servant."

Of course, I know you're not that bad, but other people don't understand, and I can't explain it to them, so it takes effort.
If I really found you a few die-hard traitors to be your servants, would you want them?

"I don't have that either."

"Alright, alright, I understand."

Gu Yansheng nodded repeatedly and smiled, "Just tell me, what kind of person did you find? If you put it that way, I'm really curious how you found someone who is willing to work for me and also has a good temperament."

"Please sit down, please sit down." Gu Zhuxuan said and sat down herself. She said frankly, "Today I'll show you whether the people I found are truly outstanding. Amao, bring Lao Jin in first, one by one."

"Yes." Gu Zhuxuan's subordinate quickly brought in a composed man who looked to be nearly forty years old.

Gu Yansheng's eyes widened slightly as he watched Old Jin walk in. "Well, Gu Zhuxuan, you actually found someone with a limp to come in."

His right leg was lame, not severely, just a little bit, but Gu Yansheng noticed it immediately upon closer inspection.

Gu Zhuxuan introduced him frankly: "Old Jin, Jin Desheng, 35 years old, used to be a maintenance worker for the British tram company in Shanghai. Don't let his limp fool you, he is very skilled at driving and repairing cars."

The important thing is that he is very familiar with all the streets and alleys in Shanghai. Director Gu, shouldn't you be worried about someone plotting against you?

That's what I thought of, so I searched for a long time before finally finding him. I can confidently say that even if you were ambushed, as long as you're still in the car and the car can still move, Lao Jin can find a way out for you. He can navigate through alleys and twists and turns and get you out of there.

Old Jin's skills have been tested and proven in my hands.

Dozens of men tried to rob him, but they couldn't intercept his goods. He completely outmaneuvered the other robbers, who were also from Shanghai.

"That's an interesting point." Gu Yansheng smiled, looking at Lao Jin with some curiosity. "Shanghai's roads are so complicated, how did you train? Did you have a naturally good memory?"

Gu Zhuxuan said for him, "No, because during the Battle of Shanghai, he got separated from his wife and son. He walked all over the hutongs of Shanghai, asking from house to house if anyone had seen his wife and son. He went back and forth several times, and he became familiar with them. He measured them out with his own feet."

Knowing exactly how wide a place is and how big a vehicle can be is ingrained in their very being.

That leg was cut by debris from a tram that was bombed during the Battle of Shanghai.

It's not serious; he can run, jump, and drive.

They were still living in downtown Shanghai at that time. Later, the war became too severe, and the tram company stopped operating due to the war, laying off all the Chinese employees. Then the Kuomintang troops withdrew, and a large number of people fled to the concessions for refuge.

But the concession was only so big, and it didn't accept just anyone. You needed a note or connections. When Lao Jin went to the concession to beg that British company to give him a note to let his family in, he got separated from them.

Later he came to me and helped me drive my truck, hoping that all the rickshaw pullers under my command could help him find people. If they couldn't find them in Shanghai, he would go to Jiangsu. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to help him find them yet.

He had a tough life, but he was definitely a man of principle.

Gu Yansheng looked at Lao Jin and nodded, "He's a loyal and righteous person, a good one."

Moreover, the fact that it was valued by a British company suggests that its technology must indeed be outstanding.

Gu Zhuxuan continued, "When I found him and told him you wanted him, he also had a request. Lao Jin, you tell me yourself."

Old Jin looked calm but not dull. He seemed to have a good attitude towards the past and said with a smile, "I am very grateful to Fourth Master Gu for helping me. It was just bad luck that I couldn't find it. It has nothing to do with Fourth Master Gu."

I'm here to meet with Director Gu today because I have a favor to ask. I'd like to try to find a wife and children for you. I know you're very capable, so I'd like to ask you if you could help me inquire about them when it's convenient for you.

I know I'm not qualified to make any demands of you, and I have nothing to offer. All I can say is that I will do my job well to ensure your safe and smooth journey.

After he finished speaking, Gu Zhuxuan chimed in, "Director Gu, he is definitely a capable person, and there is indeed something to be done. I came to him because I think you can be of use, and also because I wanted to get rid of a worry of mine. I've been thinking about this matter for a long time, and I also want to know the result. If you can, could you help me out? Just consider it an act of charity."

"Easy to say."

Gu Yansheng looked at Lao Jin and said thoughtfully, "During the Battle of Shanghai, many families must have been separated. To put it nicely, some families were separated; to put it bluntly, some people may no longer be alive. How did you determine that your wife and children are still alive?"

Old Jin said with absolute certainty, "They are definitely still alive, because someone has seen them, and I have photos."

Old Jin took out a photo from his wallet, stepped forward and handed it to Gu Yansheng: "Director Gu, please take a look. Although it was a time of war and chaos, my wife's features were very clear. She was seven months pregnant and had a nine-year-old boy and a seven-year-old girl with her. After I repeatedly questioned people with the photo, some recalled seeing them on the way to the concession, and more than one person saw them."

This characteristic is indeed quite obvious. Gu Yansheng nodded, "That means as long as they are still alive, the boys are ten years old, the girls are eight years old, and the youngest should be one year old."

"correct."

"Can't such obvious information be found in Shanghai?" Gu Yansheng looked at Gu Zhuxuan with a puzzled expression. A pregnant woman has to give birth eventually.

Gu Zhuxuan shook her head: "Anyway, I've searched all the places I need to go. Logically speaking, even if a pregnant woman doesn't go to the hospital, she should still find a midwife. The midwife circle in Shanghai isn't very big, and I asked people to look but they couldn't find one."

I even spent money to ask people to contact the household registration departments in the concession and Shanghai city to check the list of newly registered personnel after the Battle of Shanghai, but his children's and wife's names were not on it.

I was worried something might happen to his wife, so I even asked around among the beggar groups, but there was nothing there.

Logically speaking, as long as they were still in Shanghai at the time, they couldn't have left.

At that time, tickets for boats departing from Shanghai were extremely difficult to obtain. Unless they took a small boat along the Suzhou River to Jiangsu, there was really no reason for them not to stay in Shanghai.

But if you say that they, a widow and her children, were so desperate that they insisted on charging into the Suzhou River against the Japanese patrol boats, I find that impossible.

I'm quite puzzled by this. Right now, since we can't find anyone in Shanghai, we have no choice but to turn our attention to Jiangsu.

"It is a bit strange." Gu Yansheng felt that their method of finding people was not wrong.

He glanced at the family photo in his hand and handed it back to Lao Jin: "Keep it, I can help you find the people."

"Thank you, Mr. Gu, thank you, Mr. Gu." Old Jin bowed deeply, almost bursting into tears of joy.

"That's good." Gu Zhuxuan was overjoyed that this was accomplished and clapped her hands: "Director Gu is looking for people. As long as they are still in Shanghai, we will definitely find them. Old Jin, you are lucky. Do your job well, and you will find your wife and children."

"I will, thank you Fourth Master, thank you Mr. Gu."

"Write down detailed information about your wife and children for me later."

"Okay, okay." Gu Yansheng was helping him not just out of kindness, but also because this person's skills must be excellent, and because if he could help him find a wife and children, given his loyal and righteous character, it wouldn't be difficult for him to work wholeheartedly for him.

His background is clean, and the favor he needs to do wouldn't be difficult for him, so there's no reason for him not to accept it.

But while I'm helping, I still need to warn you: "You can focus on your work now, but let me make this clear: don't be half-hearted while you're working. I can find someone faster than you. If you delay my work, I won't help you anymore."

"Of course, I know. Please rest assured, Mr. Gu. Otherwise, Fourth Master wouldn't have kept me here for so long." Old Jin smiled.

"Old Jin, you go and wait first."

"Ok."

"There's another one, the captain of the guards I found for you." Gu Zhuxuan turned to Gu Yansheng and said this, then had her subordinates bring the man in.

The person who came in this time was young, around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a robust and tall build, and in excellent spirits.

"A Meng is from a martial arts family in Cangzhou, Hebei. He is a genuine ninth-generation inheritor of Chen-style Bajiquan. I know him a bit. I met his father when I was trading goods in Cangzhou. We became friends after a fight. Later, the war broke out and his family fell into decline. He came to Shanghai to make a living and that's when he met me."

He's fine in every other way, except he eats a lot. I can't afford to feed him. I'll see if Director Gu is willing to take him.

Gu Yansheng wanted to laugh, "Isn't that an exaggeration? How much money could they possibly spend if they could eat so much?"

"I can eat two pounds of beef in the morning."

"That's quite a big eater."

Gu Yansheng's smile faded slightly, replaced by a look of deep respect. Beef! Even the municipal government canteen didn't have a ration of beef; they didn't get to eat it even once a month.

Canned beef belonging to Japanese soldiers was a highly sought-after commodity on the black market.

"How much does beef cost per pound now?" Gu Yansheng asked.

Gu Zhuxuan replied, "About one silver dollar."

That means someone who spends at least 60 yuan a month just on meat, and their food expenses alone would be over 100 yuan. It's no wonder that people like that have a hard time finding jobs.

Gu Zhuxuan explained, "Although he eats a lot, his skills are indeed excellent. Director Gu, although he may not be a sharpshooter, he is more suited to guarding your yard and is more about vigilance and close combat. Martial artists have both of these qualities, so I think he is suitable."

"It is quite suitable." Gu Yansheng nodded in agreement.

Even if it's not a good fit, Gu Yansheng is prepared to accept him.

"If you doubt someone, don't use them; if you use someone, don't doubt them." Gu Yansheng felt at ease letting Gu Zhuxuan find the person.

Gu Zhuxuan had a relative who was the commander of the Third War Zone. At that time, Huang Jinrong told the Japanese that he was being framed for colluding with the Military Intelligence Bureau. Although there was no evidence to support this claim, it was not impossible in private.

If true, Gu Zhuxuan's connection leads to the commander of the Third War Zone, and then possibly to Boss Dai of the Military Intelligence Bureau.

Gu Zhuxuan didn't know his identity, but as long as the matter of infiltrating the home of a high-ranking official of the puppet government was reported, Boss Dai would definitely find out. Once Boss Dai found out, this bodyguard who was recommended, even if he had selfish motives at first, would eventually become a loyal subject.

Therefore, Gu Yansheng didn't care at all whether the people Gu Zhuxuan was recommending had ulterior motives.

The final result is the same.

If the allegation of collusion with the Military Intelligence Bureau is false, and Gu Zhuxuan is not connected to the Third War Zone, then he is simply a tycoon from Jiangbei.

That makes things even simpler. Gu Zhuxuan and he are just business partners. Gu Zhuxuan is simply recommending him to use her services, and at most, she might also want to find out some of the city government's intentions.

We also need to arrange for a big eater to take advantage of him, but that's a minor issue.

"The people who recommended me are all quite unique," Gu Yansheng chuckled.

Gu Zhuxuan sighed, "There's really no way. There are too many things to consider when recommending someone to you. I can't just bring a street thug with such low moral character to your door, can I?"

"Is it okay if we don't eat beef?" Gu Yansheng joked.

A Meng shook his head: "Bajiquan is a powerful and fierce martial art. If a martial artist doesn't eat enough, he won't have any strength."

I'm asking if pork is allowed?

Ah Meng's eyes lit up slightly. "Pork is fine, but it's more expensive than beef, so you'll be at a disadvantage."

Pork is indeed more expensive because it contains more oil.

Gu Yansheng laughed heartily, "How much salary do you want?"

Old Jin didn't ask earlier because he had something to ask for, but Gu Yansheng definitely needs to pay this person a salary.

Ah Meng honestly replied, "We'll provide enough to eat, and Director Gu can give us whatever he thinks is appropriate for the rest."

“The food expenses alone amount to 100 yuan a month, which is more than my salary.” Gu Yansheng posed this difficult question to Gu Zhuxuan, “How much do you think is appropriate?”

"Just give me twenty or thirty yuan. We've already eaten so much. Only Director Gu can afford to feed us."

"Then thirty?"

“Okay, I’m fine with it.” A-Meng nodded.

"The two more important figures have been chosen. As for the remaining guards, that's easy. I've arranged twenty Green Gang disciples for you to use first. These are my men. If you don't like any of them later, you can replace them."

Gu Yansheng had no objections. This was the only way to select traitors. Those with backgrounds in the Nationalist army were not allowed. Among the remaining people, only those who had been involved in gangs were willing to fight and were not so wary of being traitors. They were willing to pay money and were just trying to make a living.

However, using just one group of people is definitely not enough, lest they unite and cause trouble. We'll see if we can recruit some more people from the underground party or elsewhere to replace half of them and create a check and balance.

For now, we can have someone from the inspection department take over the shift.

With bodyguards and drivers secured, the remaining tasks are selecting nannies, cooks, and the like.

There are countless candidates, but the market is sluggish, and many people can't find jobs.

Gu Zhuxuan asked two people from employment agencies to make recommendations.

However, Gu Yansheng didn't accept any of them. The employment agency recommended that he work for wealthy and powerful families, which was likely to involve some shady dealings.

I inquired about the current state of the job market.

After finishing dinner with Gu Zhuxuan, we'll take a stroll to digest our food.

I randomly picked two people who looked kind and approachable.

A young maid, Ah Xiang, 20 years old, is an orphan girl who fled from northern Jiangsu. She has a job during the day and also looks for odd jobs at night. She is hardworking and quick, so she was hired directly.

An elderly woman named Zhou Ma, 43 years old, had worked in the home of the Portuguese consul before the Battle of Shanghai. She left after the consul's departure and was skilled in making Ningbo cuisine and Western pastries.

Her husband was hit by a stray bullet during the Battle of Shanghai, and she supported her family of five.

Life is stressful, and I want to find a wealthy employer, but big-name families in the market generally don't change their cooks easily, and the market competition is already fierce, so I haven't been able to find a stable employer.

She was lucky to run into Gu Yansheng this time.

They are all people with clean backgrounds, so Gu Yansheng feels at ease using them.

(End of this chapter)