After Meng Sanyuan left, Wang Xu hurriedly used his feet to scrub the ground repeatedly.
The Jinwei City of today was quite different from later generations; the alleys and lanes were paved with bluestone in the more upscale areas, while the lower-end ones were still dirt roads.
Qingyu Street was a street for the poor with few wealthy residents, so it didn't have the luxury of brick paving, only some pebbles laid down.
By the moonlight, Wang Xu busied himself on the street until the bloodstains were no longer visible, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Ga Zi, what are you doing?"
An angry shout rang out, and Wang Xu quickly turned to look.
A small figure came into view, leaping out of the window like a nimble monkey, scaling the courtyard wall in a few swift moves before vanishing into the night.
Startled, Wang Xu quickly closed the main gate.
A moment later, Yu Zecheng rushed out of the room with a gun in his hand, his anger still visible. He spoke urgently, "Ga Zi... he took advantage of me not paying attention and ran... ran away!"
Yu Zecheng didn't usually stutter, but he was so infuriated by Ga Zi that he couldn't even speak properly.
Just now in the room, he had been holding his pistol, intending to rush out and save someone if anything went wrong.
He hadn't expected that with such a slight lapse in attention, the seemingly quiet Ga Zi would slip out the window and disappear in the blink of an eye.
Thinking about how he had tried everything to persuade him but Ga Zi still insisted on seeking revenge, Yu Zecheng cursed in exasperation, "What kind of people is the White Yang Lake area sending? One Special Commissioner was a fake, and this young soldier is like a blockhead. What on earth are they doing!"
Even as Yu Zecheng spoke, he didn't stop for a second and rushed straight toward the door.
Wang Xu grabbed him, a warning on his face, and hissed, "What are you doing?"
"What am I doing? It's what he is doing!" Yu Zecheng hid his pistol and said excitedly, "I'm going to bring him back. The Puppet Army is everywhere outside. What if he gets caught?"
Although Ga Zi was impulsive, it didn't mean Yu Zecheng would give up on him.
In Yu Zecheng's eyes, no matter how troublesome Ga Zi was, he was still a comrade. It was fine to criticize him, but watching him go to his death was absolutely out of the question.
"Are you crazy? The Puppet Army is all over the place. Aren't you afraid of being caught by them?" Wang Xu had a poor impression of Ga Zi and didn't want Yu Zecheng to take risks. He whispered, "Just leave him be. His heart isn't here. Even if you find him, what then? Is it worth risking yourself for him?"
"Old Wang!" Yu Zecheng's hand stopped on the door bolt. He looked back at Wang Xu and said decisively, "If you were in danger, I would go to save you just like this."
Hearing those words, Wang Xu's grip loosened, and Yu Zecheng broke free.
Yu Zecheng pulled back the bolt and rushed into the night without looking back, disappearing down the street.
Watching Yu Zecheng disappear into the distance, Wang Xu didn't move for a long time. Only after a while did he shake his head and say, "What a fool. Truly a fool... so foolish he's almost endearing..."
Closing the door again, Wang Xu returned to the room.
Yu Zecheng might act foolishly, but he wouldn't. Right now, the Puppet Army was searching the entire city; getting caught was no laughing matter.
"Boss Wang, did Little Yu chase after him?" Shopkeeper Qiu, who was recovering from his injuries in the room, struggled to walk out.
Wang Xu didn't look back as he slid the bolt back into place. "Yeah, he went after him. Who knows if he'll be able to come back!"
"Little Yu is a man of principle. Once he sets his mind on something, even nine oxen couldn't pull him back. I didn't stop him because I know that if I hadn't let him go today and something happened to Ga Zi, he would be riddled with guilt for half his life." Shopkeeper Qiu's tone was melancholy, but Wang Xu knew he was right.
Yu Zecheng had a resolute character; he was willing to sacrifice his life for his comrades.
Thinking of the words Yu Zecheng said before leaving, even Wang Xu felt a surge of warmth in his heart, as if he had been moved.
Wang Xu wondered to himself: if it hadn't been Ga Zi but him who ran out today, would Yu Zecheng have gone to save him?
Recalling the solemn expression on Yu Zecheng's face as he left, he believed that this was a man who lived up to his word.
"Yu Zecheng... he is a great man!" Wang Xu said after a long silence.
Shopkeeper Qiu was momentarily stunned, thinking Wang Xu was joking, but upon closer inspection, he didn't seem to be.
Wang Xu didn't give Shopkeeper Qiu much time to think and quickly changed the subject, asking, "How do you plan to leave the city tomorrow?"
"We have our own ways. If it wasn't for this incident, I should have already met with the contact and moved to the countryside." Turning to serious matters, Shopkeeper Qiu adopted a solemn expression and continued, "We played the Japanese today, and they won't take it lying down. I'll be lying low outside for a while. If anything comes up, Yu Zecheng will contact you."
At this point, Shopkeeper Qiu thought about how Yu Zecheng might be in danger while chasing Ga Zi, so he added, "If Old Yu isn't around, we'll have someone else contact you. We've already verified the medicine you brought this time; the results are excellent. Let's continue our cooperation in the future."
"I hope Old Yu is alright; I can't trust anyone else." Wang Xu didn't mince words with Shopkeeper Qiu. Doing business in this world, he prioritized safety above all else.
He trusted Yu Zecheng's character, but he couldn't say the same for others.
Although the overall quality of Our Party was very high during this period, it didn't mean there were no flaws.
If the contact person was changed and turned out to be from the Bureau of Investigation and Statistics, the Central Statistics Bureau, or even a Japanese lurker, wouldn't he be left with no one to turn to?
"Old Yu is very experienced; he'll be fine." Since Wang Xu had put it that way, Shopkeeper Qiu didn't know what else to say.
He could only pray that Yu Zecheng wouldn't fail unexpectedly; otherwise, the loss to the organization would be immense.
Shopkeeper Qiu hadn't spent much time with Wang Xu, but he knew that this was a very capable Smuggler in Tianjin.
The reason he said this was because Shopkeeper Qiu had someone test the medicine called penicillin, and its effects were better than any other medicine.
Furthermore, judging by Wang Xu's intentions, he could provide a steady supply of medicine. This was undoubtedly a godsend for the Central Hebei Base Area, which suffered from a lack of medical supplies.
Time passed, and the wait continued.
By midnight, Yu Zecheng and Ga Zi still hadn't returned, and Wang Xu was starting to lose his stamina.
In this republic of china era without the internet, mobile phones, or entertainment, he didn't have the ability to stay wide-eyed and keep watch all night.
"You should sleep for a while. I'll keep watch and wake you when Old Yu and the others return." Seeing Wang Xu's state, Shopkeeper Qiu offered.
Wang Xu didn't object. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. "I'll sleep for a bit and then take over for you in the second half of the night."
Because he was already exhausted, Wang Xu quickly fell into a deep sleep.
After an unknown amount of time, a toss and turn woke him from his slumber.
Drowsily, he looked outside. The sky was beginning to turn pale, and the clock in the room pointed to four o'clock.
"Shopkeeper Qiu, I'll take over for you." Having only slept for three or four hours, Wang Xu was still a bit lethargic.
A few seconds passed, but there was no answer. Shopkeeper Qiu was leaning against the window with his eyes wide open, motionless.
"Shopkeeper Qiu, go get some sleep!"
Wang Xu spoke again, but Shopkeeper Qiu still didn't react, his eyes staring blankly ahead.
Seeing this, his heart skipped a beat, and he wondered if Shopkeeper Qiu had died.
"Wheeze... wheeze..."
Before Wang Xu could even check, the sound of nasal snoring came from Shopkeeper Qiu's direction.
At this, Wang Xu was completely stunned. He stared at Shopkeeper Qiu for a long while before it finally clicked: "Holy crap, you're sleeping with your eyes open..."