Spy Wars: Red Shopkeeper

Chapter 131 Searching for someone
"This will be where you work and live from now on."

Gu Yansheng led them to the villa area.

For ordinary people, coming here is no different from Grandma Liu visiting the Grand View Garden; they are amazed by the beauty of the scenery all the way.

This area was heavily guarded by the Japanese military, and ordinary people simply couldn't get in; it was far more rare than the villa complexes in the concessions.

"What a beautiful house!" Ah Xiang, being younger and more lively, immediately fell in love with the environment and exclaimed with a heartfelt smile.

Zhou Ma was usually composed, but she couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "It really is big. I used to work for the Portuguese, and even their consul's residence wasn't as big as this villa. When Mr. Gu has children, this lot in front of the house will be enough for the kids to play in to their heart's content."

And look at this lawn, if we tidy it up and plant flowers and grass, it will definitely look beautiful when they bloom.

Mr. Gu, what kinds of trees and flowers do you like?

Gu Yansheng wasn't too particular: "You can just mix and match."

Stepping inside the house, it was Gu Yansheng's first time seeing the interior. Now that it had been cleaned, it looked very new and clean.

It was built for high-ranking Japanese officers, and all the materials used were of very high quality. Now it's a bargain for him.

Gu Yansheng took out his wallet, took out 300 yuan and handed it over, "Take a look and buy whatever you need. Keep track of the bill. Ask me if you don't have enough money. Don't worry about the amount of food the guards need, they don't eat here."

"Ok."

"You can choose any room on the first floor. We'll start calculating your wages today."

There is a room for the nannies on the first floor, which is reserved for them to live in.

As for the guards, they work in shifts, so there's no chance for them to sleep.

While the guards were still strolling in the garden, Gu Yansheng went out and explained the remaining matters to A Meng. Accommodation was not included, but meals should be provided.

Set a fixed number each month and let them handle it themselves, so we don't have to hire two more cooks.

They wouldn't object if the meal standards were set a little higher.

"The food for the group on duty must be purchased from two different stores; not everyone can eat from the same store."

Gu Yansheng wanted to make this clear in advance: the show still needed to be put on a good show.

As they were talking, a car honked its horn at the door.

Gu Yansheng looked over and saw Ling Xianwen sitting in the back seat of the car, smiling.

"Secretary-General." Gu Yansheng quickened his pace.

Ling Xianwen got out of the car, walked in, looked around at the guards, and said, "Good, you're efficient enough. You've recruited quite a few people."

Gu Yansheng chuckled and sighed, "Well, we have to set up the framework first, otherwise this place is so empty, I won't be able to sleep well at night. And I've discovered that living here costs money like water."

When a traitor lives in a villa, how can he not embezzle?

Just supporting these dozens of people is a huge expense every month. With the city government's meager salaries, they wouldn't even have enough to eat!
Ling Xianwen laughed heartily, “Spending money has its advantages, it’s better than eating moldy rice at the municipal government, right? Besides, we live here for our own safety. We have no choice, sometimes we have to accept some gifts from others to survive.”

“Yes, that makes perfect sense. You really can’t understand it until you’re in that position.” Gu Yansheng nodded. They were all corrupt officials. Ling Xianwen had to support his large family, so he must have been corrupt as well.

"Do you need any help? I have some extra people. If you need help cleaning or moving things, I can call them over."

"No need, let them pack up at their own pace. I'm not that picky, I just need a place to sleep. Secretary-General, why are you getting off work so late today?"

"I saw the servants off; Vice Chairman Wang's special envoy has returned to Hanoi."

Ling Xianwen leaned closer and said, "We've talked about it pretty much, and I estimate that this matter will be officially put on the agenda soon."

"Setting up various institutions, right?" Gu Yansheng asked.

The establishment of a new regime is like a big feast; there are too many things involved.

Ling Xianwen nodded: "With the establishment of the new government, various departments have drafted their personnel. One of the clauses in their agreement is to integrate government departments from other provinces. There will be negotiations involved. I estimate that important figures from Vice Chairman Wang's side will arrive in a few days."

"Change is imminent, and who knows what the future holds?" Gu Yansheng murmured with a sigh.

"Will it stop you from living in your big villa?" Ling Xianwen smiled. "Shanghai is still our territory. At most, the person in charge will be changed. Things still need to be done."

"Of course." Gu Yansheng nodded.

"So don't worry, just wait and see."

"I know."

When are you going to have your housewarming party?

"Do I need to do it? I haven't even thought about it."

Ling Xianwen clicked his tongue and his face darkened: "Look at you, you're so clueless. If you don't do it, how can others openly give you gifts? You have to recoup your expenses for staying here, right? If someone complains later, and the Japanese gossip, you'll just have to sell the gifts they gave you to get the money back. It's a matter of reciprocity, and the money will have a source. Wouldn't it be much better for everyone to save face?"

Gu Yansheng said admiringly, "The Secretary-General is right."

Ling Xianwen scoffed: "Don't play dumb. You, Attorney Gu, must have seen plenty of cases. How could you not understand this kind of thing?"
However, there is one thing that is absolutely necessary: ​​those people surnamed Wang are coming. We need to stabilize our base in Shanghai. You need to give them more opportunities to communicate so that they will open up to you.

Otherwise, what if someone gets planted in the city government, and all those businessmen get abducted?

"Okay, I understand. I'll ask someone to check if there are any auspicious days in the next couple of days, and I'll pick a good day to send out the invitations."

Ling Xianwen had previously mentioned believing in feng shui, so Gu Yansheng went along with his preference.

"I'll pick one for you; I've done my research on this." Sure enough, this touched on Ling Xianwen's sweet spot, and he volunteered.

"Really? Then I'll leave it to the Secretary-General."

"It's no big deal. I'll go back and study it right now, and I'll definitely give you a proper calculation."

After Ling Xianwen left, Gu Yansheng still had to give Zhou Ma some instructions.

Ask her to buy some wine. Zhou Ma has experience hosting banquets for the Portuguese and knows exactly what kind of wine is high-class. As for the food, Zhou Ma said she could find some pastry chefs to help, so that she would not lose face.

The money spent had an immediate effect.

That evening, Gu Yansheng packed his luggage from the municipal government dormitory and moved into the villa area.

You can enjoy the services of a professional butler the next morning.

The water was boiled, the suit was ironed, and breakfast consisted of one Chinese dish and one Western dish.

Finally, I don't have to go to the cafeteria to eat porridge made with moldy rice and pickled vegetables.

As soon as the person appeared at the door, Lao Jin opened the back door of the car and waited.

Gu Yansheng got into the car, next to him was a copy of the declaration that Lao Jin had bought.

"Old Jin, where are your wife and children's records?"

"Yes, it's here." Old Jin took a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it over: "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Gu."

Gu Yansheng smiled, took the paper, and glanced at it.

There was a lot of content, and ordinary people wouldn't have much to record, but Lao Jin meticulously wrote down a great deal of traceable information.

Old Jin's wife is named He Xiu, his son is named Jin You'an, and his daughter is named Jin Youning.

At the time, Lao Jin worked for a British company and earned a decent income. He had two small gold locks made; the boy's lock was engraved with "Peace and Joy," and the girl's lock was engraved with "Tranquility Leads to Far-Reaching Vision." The boy had a burn scar on his right arm, caused by a kettle of hot water falling over the table during a Japanese bombing raid.

The girl has a small birthmark behind her left ear.

Gu Yansheng found it strange; with so many clues to be found, the chances of finding anything were indeed slim.

"Was it published in the newspaper?"

“We’ve posted this a few times and contacted several people, but none of their accounts are correct. Even though the child is still young, he should still have some memories of things that happened when he was little.”

"Don't worry, I'll find a way to help you find it."

As long as a person has faith, they can survive. Gu Yansheng couldn't possibly say he couldn't find a way to break Lao Jin's spirit.

Old Jin smiled and said, "I'm not in a hurry. I've already come to terms with it. If I can't find them, I'll just keep looking. But people still have to live. Otherwise, if I find them one day and I'm destitute and don't even have money to buy them candy, wouldn't that be a huge failure?"

Okay, as long as you have a good attitude.

Back to city hall.

Gu Yansheng intends to investigate this matter.

The subordinate came in first to report the situation.

The court's verdict was issued yesterday, and the municipal government has officially begun compensating businesses that suffered losses in the vandalism incident.

"Hurry up and get them to finish as soon as possible. The Japanese are keeping a close eye on the economy, so we can't afford to waste time here."

"Yes."

Liu Xiaolou came in to report, "The mayor is holding a press conference to announce that the new military currency has begun to be exchanged."

"How did the reporters react?"

"There wasn't much of an emotional reaction. They probably wanted to see how the market would react. The court's compensation was a good start, so foreign companies should still have confidence."

"understood."

Just a minute later, Zhang Xiaolin called again.

"Director Gu, we've discussed it, and since we've decided to launch, let's launch. We'll first capture the markets in Suzhou and Hangzhou. We've prepared the supplies. If you think there are no problems, then let's get started."

"Their local forces will definitely resist then, so I hope Director Gu can help contact headquarters to help us suppress them."

“Sure.” Gu Yansheng said, then thought for a moment and said, “When you get to a place, find the local people who do this business first, and inform them that the Japanese have this policy. If they are willing to return the goods, you can take them and let them leave.”

If they don't want to back down, then we'll fight again. We can't just call for the military police as soon as we start fighting; if we call them too often, the Japanese will get annoyed, right?

How can we force them to resist the Japanese if we don't publicize the fact that the Japanese are taking their jobs? If the locals think it's just the Shanghai Green Gang coming to seize territory, the effect will be far less effective.

"Okay, I understand. I'll send people out today."

I wish you every success!

Just as Gu Yansheng was about to hang up, he remembered something else: "By the way, the Japanese are implementing a new military currency, shouldn't we settle the old bill?"

The conversation wasn't very clear over the phone, but Zhang Xiaolin understood: "It's time to settle things. I'll go find him and settle things properly."

It's time to settle accounts with the money on the black market in Sassoon's area.

"Well, that's it for now."

Gu Yansheng put down the phone and picked up the note.

Ding-ling-ling. Ding-ling-ling.

"Hey."

Ling Xianwen's laughter came through the phone, "Yansheng, it's me. I studied it carefully for you yesterday. Five days from now is an auspicious day for a housewarming banquet, a wonderful day."

Is it accurate or not? Don't just talk nonsense with half-baked knowledge. "If the Secretary-General says so, then it must be. Okay, then I'll set it for five days from now. I'll have someone print the invitations today. If the Secretary-General's family is available then, please come and help me out."

"Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Gu Yansheng waited for a while, and this time it finally quieted down; the phone stopped ringing.

The municipal government is unlikely to have any major issues in the near future. The Japanese are genuinely committed to boosting the economy, and Shanghai's economy will definitely recover somewhat in the short term.

The reconstruction of the Military Intelligence Bureau's Shanghai branch was hampered by a lack of medical supplies and resources, so they were unlikely to cause much of a stir.

Chen Mo will also take a break for now, and we'll deal with the waiter issue once it's settled.

The intelligence headquarters is keeping an eye on Wan Molin, who has just been released. If Wan Molin isn't stupid, he'll know he's being watched and will probably back down.

Even the Japanese won't make a move, since the most important thing right now is for the traitor Wang to establish a new regime.

Therefore, there won't be any major fluctuations in Shanghai recently, and everyone can take a few days off.

Gu Yansheng picked up the note Lao Jin had given him, looked at it, then opened the folder, tucked in a blank sheet of paper, and began to write and draw.

Old Jin's wife is the simplest case. She's an adult, and if she were still in Shanghai, there's no reason she wouldn't have noticed Old Jin's several newspaper ads searching for her. So either she's dead, or she's already left Shanghai.

However, it was difficult to leave Shanghai at that time. She was pregnant and had no delivery record, so she either had left Shanghai within the next three months or had already died.

If she dies, what remains are two toddlers.

The boy is ten years old, and the girl is eight years old.

Gu Zhuxuan said she had checked the household registration department, but whether she had checked it thoroughly was unknown. Given Gu Zhuxuan's capabilities, the police station might not have gone all out and could have just done a half-hearted job. This is a clue that can be verified again.

Children of this age, if their mothers are gone, will either become beggars or be adopted.

If they are adopted and cared for by an adult, they should be in school.

If no one adopts them, they will either become beggars or child laborers.

With Gu Zhuxuan's abilities, she should be able to investigate these two aspects thoroughly. No matter where there are the most beggars or child laborers, they should all be within Gu Zhuxuan's purview.

Therefore, if a person is still in Shanghai and alive, the chances of them being adopted are relatively high.

This explains why the person cannot be found on the household registration book.

It's very likely that someone changed the person's name.

Having figured out this line of thought, a new problem arises.

If a name is changed, how can we determine what name was changed for a child unless we identify all the children in Shanghai?
Gu Yansheng thought for a moment and decided to ask a professional.

Call Police Chief Lu Ying.

"Hello, Director Lu, this is Gu Yansheng. I have something to say. I'm looking for two children." Gu Yansheng explained the situation.

Do you think there's any way to find it?

Since this matter didn't involve any financial interests, Lu Ying did help to think about it seriously. "If the name has been changed, it will be really difficult to find it. The simplest way is to find all the children who were registered at that age back then and compare them one by one. That's the only way."

(End of this chapter)