Volume 4 Chapter 8 The new gang

Pan Zi frowned and said, “How come I don’t know? Did Third Master come back? When did he order it?”

The man looked at the two of us and thought Pan Zi was teasing him. He shrugged and smiled, “Don’t pretend to be stupid with me. The stuff is for you. Can’t you tell?”

Pan Zi was angry and shouted, “Why would I lie to you? What did Third Master say and when?”

The man looked at the two of us and realized that we really didn’t know. He also felt strange and said, “I don’t know the details either. I also heard the boss of the money exchange, Chu, explain it. He’s right behind you. You can ask him.”

Pan Zi grunted and led me through this narrow passage. At the end was an iron gate, unlocked. I saw a bald, middle-aged man with a full head of oiled hair smoking on the sofa. When he saw us come in, he threw the cigarette butt on the ground, stepped on it out, and stood up.

Pan Zi greeted him, “Brother Chu.” His attitude suddenly became respectful. I immediately realized that this person was the one who brought the message to me from Uncle San.

He looked at Pan Zi and then at me and said, “Why are you only here now? I’ve been waiting for you for two days.”

Pan Zi told him what had happened on the way, and before he could respond, he asked him anxiously, “Brother Chu, what’s going on? What have we done to offend the people in prison?”

Brother Chu said slowly, “Don’t panic. Nothing has happened. This is your third uncle’s idea. He asked me to release some information about some of the deals he made a few years ago. To give the prison a little excitement, a task force has been set up in the hall to investigate. I don’t know what his intentions are, but it seems that he is setting obstacles for another group of people.

“Another group of people?”

“Yes, because of this move, the entire antique market is now implicated. Anyone who has business ties with your third uncle is all under surveillance. In this way, it is difficult for those who have not prepared in advance to carry out activities. Your third uncle is buying you time.

I looked at Pan Zi and didn’t quite understand what the bald guy was saying. “What time?”

The bald guy shrugged his shoulders, indicating that he didn’t know either. “Your third uncle is an old hand at this. I can’t figure out his tricks.”

Pan Zi asked him, “Then just now I heard Jiushi outside say that the equipment was ready, saying that you had arranged it. What’s going on?”

Chu Ge said, “As I just said, as soon as I release the news, it will be difficult for anyone in this line of work to carry out any activities. So your third uncle told me to do everything we should do before releasing the news, so I went out early to buy the equipment. If I go now, no one on the street will dare to make a move, and I won’t even be able to buy a shovel.

I asked, “But what are we going to do with all this equipment? We’re not planning to do any work.”

Chu Ge said, “This is why your uncle wanted to give you a message.” He asked us to sit down. “Actually, your uncle didn’t count you in when he was preparing the equipment. In other words, he prepared five sets of equipment, one of which was for himself.”

He paused and continued, “But when he called me, he also said that what he was doing was not something he was doing alone. There were other people who were ‘stealing’ from him, and they were no pushovers either. So if he couldn’t come back, this equipment would be for you to use. In any case, you have to continue his work and not let another group get ahead.”

Another group? I suddenly thought of the company that Ning belonged to. Could it be that Third Uncle had set them up in the sea battle because of this reason?

Pan Zi asked, “Did Third Uncle say who the other group was?”

The bald man shook his head and said, “No, but I think Third Uncle may have already fallen into their hands. Otherwise, he would have appeared long ago. Unfortunately, we don’t know anything now, otherwise I think no matter how big the other party is, we won’t be able to settle it.”

I let out a sigh of relief, and the bald man continued, “The place you are going to is the Hengshan Mountains in Changbai Mountain, Jilin. The exact location can only be marked with coordinates, but I have already prepared a local guide to take you there.”

Changbai Mountain? At this stage, all our memories of Changbai Mountain are related to Wang Zanghai’s Yunding Palace. There is no doubt that somewhere in the Hengshan Mountains is where Yunding Palace is located.

But why would I want to go to a place like that? There is no reason for me to go to such a strange place, especially in winter.

The bald man looked at my face, which had turned green, and sighed. He said, “To be honest, I am also very confused, but I have thought about it carefully. The only thing you can do now is to follow the plan that your third uncle has prepared, in order to find clues. Otherwise, I don’t think your third uncle can get through this.”

Pan Zi patted me on the shoulder and asked, “So, what should we do next in the third uncle’s plan?”

Bald head said, “There are five of you. First, get on the train to Jilin. We will send your luggage there by some means.

Pan Zi and I looked at each other. Jilin? It seems that we really have to climb the snow-capped mountains.

Bald head said that he would be responsible for all the details of our journey, so we didn’t have to worry. We just had to be careful not to get caught by the police. The schedule was very tight. We would rest in Changsha for one night, and then be sent directly to the train tomorrow. The tickets and toiletries were all packed and ready. The other three people knew all the details, so if we had any questions, we could just ask them tomorrow.

This bald guy’s administrative ability was surprisingly strong. Uncle San had entrusted him with the message, and I was afraid that he had planned this trip for a long time. I didn’t know what his real purpose was.

We asked him some more questions, but he only knew one part of the plan, not the other. However, from the way he spoke, it was clear that Uncle San had made a flawless plan.

We came out the same way we came in. I saw a lot of used computer monitors being delivered outside the store. Pan Zi told me that the Mingqi were hidden inside the monitors, and that this kind of packaging would not be detected by customs. The bald guy said that the equipment we were transporting to Jilin would probably be transported in this way.

Pan Zi is the local snake here. In the evening, I went with him to eat Changsha dumplings. I have been to Changsha more than once, so it’s not new. While we were eating, we discussed the news that Baldy gave us today. Pan Zi thought for a long time and said to me, “Xiaosan, I’ve thought about it and I always feel that what you told me, the resource company that you said you were going to Xisha to prepare for you is suspicious.

I said, “I already thought of that, but I don’t think the problem is with the company, but with the people behind it. We shouldn’t even think about it. Anyway, when we get there, we won’t go looking for them, and they’ll come looking for us. It’s just that, can we trust Brother Chu?”

Pan Zi said, “Little Master, don’t look at me as a soldier, I’m very good at judging people. You can definitely trust this person. I’m just worried that the other three people that person said were going with him are not what they seem.

I said, “Uncle San’s arrangements can’t be wrong.”

Pan Zi shook his head and said, “It’s hard to say. Uncle San often says that you have to look at people for 365 days, and you can’t look at them for one day less. People change. If you don’t see him for a week, he might already be thinking of harming you. Especially those in our line of work who are uneducated, to put it bluntly, his mother has a few debts of life in her hands, and she is so heartless that even her mother can be buried in the ground. Master San hasn’t been back for so long, and the staff here must have changed their minds.

I said that you are too demanding, but let’s take it one step at a time.

It was cold at night on the street, so after we finished eating, we went back to the house where Pan Zi used to live and went to bed. In the morning, after we had breakfast, the bald driver came to pick us up. I carried my personal luggage on my back and looked in the car. I found that there was already a person sitting in the seat.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was an old man. He looked familiar, as if I had seen him somewhere before, and not long ago.

I didn’t care, and joked with Pan Zi as we walked over. When I got closer, I suddenly froze.

The old man, judging by his body shape and strange attire, was none other than Chen Pi A Si, whom I had seen at the tea house in Hangzhou!

I opened my mouth wide, my neck stiff, wondering what he was doing in the car. Could it be that this old man was one of the five? It couldn’t be that ridiculous, could it?

Pan Zi also saw this at this time, and muttered in surprise.

Baldy greeted us to hurry up, and we got into the car in a daze. Pan Zi knew Chen Pi A Si, and greeted him. The old man closed his eyes to rest, and only nodded slightly. Pan Zi immediately turned to Baldy, who was driving, and asked him with his mouth what was going on?

Baldy smiled helplessly, and replied with his mouth that he didn’t know either.

No way, I thought to myself. This old guy is not blind, and he is older than Pan Zi and I put together. What kind of trick is Uncle San playing?

We arrived at the train station in a state of anxiety. I was calculating in my heart. The first person Uncle San arranged for us to work with was a nearly 100-year-old old man. It was really hard to estimate what the second person would be like. It was hard to guarantee that it wouldn’t be a pregnant woman with a big belly or a disabled person in a wheelchair.

Is Uncle San testing our love?

Fortunately, Chen Pi A Si was in good health, and he got off the train with his hands behind his back. Baldy was very respectful of him and helped him carry his luggage. We chose a relatively poor sleeper for the sake of flexibility.

We came to our room and I peeked inside. First I saw a fat man eating instant noodles. When he saw me, he raised his eyebrows in surprise and said, “Damn, it’s you again?”

I suddenly had a headache, and my heart sank. I thought to myself, how did Uncle San find him? Could it be that it was the same team as before? I immediately turned to the upper bunk of the fat man, and sure enough, a pair of indifferent eyes with no ripples at all were looking at me.

I breathed a sigh of relief. The stuffy oil bottle squinted at me and then turned over and fell asleep.