Chapter 72.2: Going Undercover
Jiang Xia glanced almost imperceptibly at the two men.
Without breaking stride, she followed Sister Lan to the courtyard gate.
“Take this duck home and eat it. And here’s twenty yuan. Consider it an advance on your wages.”
Sister Lan placed the roast duck, wrapped in newspaper, and two ten-yuan notes into Jiang Xia’s hands.
“Look, it’s already getting late. I can’t very well let you walk all the way home alone. How about this? Skinny Monkey, take your bicycle and give Xiaofang a ride home.”
As she spoke, she beckoned over a rather thin, small-framed man with remarkably shrewd eyes.
The man pushed his bicycle over and grinned at Jiang Xia, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
Jiang Xia clenched her fists slightly.
What they claimed was a kind offer to escort her home was actually another way of confirming her address, eliminating any suspicions about her, and making it easier to control her movements in the future.
Fortunately, she hadn’t tried to bluff her way through this earlier. She had prepared thoroughly enough.
Jiang Xia remained silent for several seconds before reluctantly nodding.
She climbed onto the back seat of the bicycle and put on her hat, hiding most of her face. After giving him her home address, she directed him to turn right.
The bicycle gradually picked up speed. As they passed the first alley, Jiang Xia spotted a middle-aged man who collected rubbish, sitting in the corner to rest. A bright red Young Pioneers’ scarf was wrapped around the carrying pole he used to sort through the garbage.
One of ours!
They had followed her here and had been keeping watch outside the entire time!
Jiang Xia’s heart beat a little faster. Even though she knew she wasn’t fighting this battle alone, seeing her comrades with her own eyes was far more reassuring and encouraging than merely knowing they were somewhere out there.
Skinny Monkey dropped Jiang Xia off at her home—or rather, at Ren Xuefang’s home.
Jiang Xia knocked on the door. A boy of around ten quickly came to open it. Before he could react, Jiang Xia took the initiative and called out, “Third Brother, I’m home!”
“Big Sis!”
The boy quickly caught on. There was a hint of anxiety on his face as he asked, “Why are you only getting back now?”
“I found a job. I got off work late.”
Jiang Xia gave a vague answer, then handed him the roast duck wrapped in newspaper.
“I brought you something delicious. Come on, let’s go eat.”
Smelling the delicious aroma, the boy couldn’t help swallowing.
Still talking, Jiang Xia stepped inside.
Skinny Monkey hadn’t noticed anything unusual. After memorizing the address, he turned around and left.
Jiang Xia latched the door.
She gave the boy a gentle push, telling him to go eat.
Only after watching Skinny Monkey actually leave did Feng Zhengming poke his head out from the side room. He beckoned Jiang Xia inside.
“How did things go this time? Were you safe?”
“Not bad. Those people are trying to lure me into their business, but they’re not moving too quickly. I think they can wait a few more days. I’d like to let all those ‘big brothers’ see my face first.”
As she spoke, Jiang Xia walked farther into the room.
“Have you prepared the paper and pens? Today, I spotted seven gang leaders in the casino, along with nineteen associated members, more than ten pickpockets, and two middlemen.”
“Good grief! That’s quite a haul!”
Feng Zhengming’s eyes lit up as though two flames had been ignited in them. He clenched his right fist and gave a forceful pump in the air.
“Just the gang leaders alone must account for about a third of the total, right?”
“The paper and pens are here.”
Inside the room, Lu Yixing was holding Jiang Xia’s usual notebook and pencil. He handed them, along with an eraser, to her.
“I sharpened a few extra pencils, too. If yours gets blunt, just switch to another one.”
Jiang Xia looked up at him and immediately saw the unmistakable worry in his eyes.
“Oh, right. Let me light the oil lamp.”
Outside the window, only a faint streak of red remained in the western sky. Inside the house, it was even darker. Under these conditions, drawing was practically impossible, especially since there were no electric lights installed in Ren Xuefang’s home.
Fortunately, Feng Zhengming had visited the place yesterday and knew about the situation. He had specifically rummaged through the warehouse and brought along an old-fashioned kerosene lamp.
In just a few quick movements, he lit it and turned the flame up to its maximum. Its brightness was no less than that of an electric light.
Without another word, Jiang Xia sat down beside the kerosene lamp and began drawing.
After finishing each portrait, she referred to the information recorded in the Book of Life and Death and began explaining.
“This is Brother Scar. He’s the vegetable-market gang leader on that street along West Fourth Road. Apart from the lackeys who collect protection money, he has two other brothers working under him. One is called “Big Brother”, and the other is “Pockmark”.”
“This is Brother Wang. Judging from the conversation, he seems to be the gang leader controlling the vegetable stalls on Ping’an Road.”
“This is Brother Li. His influence is much greater. He oversees the gang leaders controlling several streets, including Fuxing Road, Xiangyang Road, and Guta Road. These are some of his associates…”
“This is Dalong…”
“Old Shi, the train pickpocket.”
“Baldy, the middleman responsible for disposing of stolen goods for the pickpockets…”
One clear half-body portrait after another appeared before Feng Zhengming. Each was accompanied by the person’s nickname, territory, and estimated number of gang members. Some even included an approximate residential area.
The information was so comprehensive that it was enough to make anyone shudder.
“No wonder Old Liang said you’d be suited for undercover work.”
Holding the thick stack of portraits, Feng Zhengming’s hands trembled slightly with excitement. He couldn’t help exclaiming, “We’ve been working on this for so long, and we haven’t even confirmed half as many core members as you’ve identified! If you go back for a few more days, you might be able to recognize every single one of them. We’d practically be able to arrest the whole lot in one go!”
After saying that, Feng Zhengming immediately realized that his words had been inappropriate. He hurriedly added:
“I was getting ahead of myself. Not all these gang leaders necessarily enjoy gambling, so even if you go back several times, you might not be able to recognize them all. Jiang Xia, your personal safety must come first. If the situation becomes dangerous, withdraw immediately. Don’t push yourself under any circumstances. After all, these vegetable-market bosses have to regularly visit their territories to keep an eye on things. We can catch them by staking out those places, too. At worst, we can arrest the middlemen first and interrogate them to identify the people in your portraits.”
“I understand. I’ll go for two more days at most, then pull out.”
Jiang Xia nodded.
“From what I heard the gang leaders discussing today, there’s someone called Brother Hu who commands a great deal of respect. He should be their ‘boss.’ I heard someone say he might come to the casino tomorrow or the day after. It would be great if I could run into him.”
“We’ll just do everything we can and leave the rest to fate.”
Feng Zhengming did his best not to put any pressure on Jiang Xia. Still, he couldn’t help asking another question.
“How about taking something else for self-defense?”
“I already have this.”
Jiang Xia took a pair of scissors out of her pocket.
They were small, only about fourteen centimeters long in total, with red handles. At first glance, they looked like an ordinary pair of women’s household scissors. The only difference was that their tips were exceptionally sharp and had been carefully sharpened.
These scissors were every bit as lethal as a dagger, yet they were far less conspicuous. Unlike a dagger, they wouldn’t immediately put people on their guard.
Even if someone searched her and realized Jiang Xia was carrying them for self-defense, they generally wouldn’t confiscate them.
After all, they were just a small pair of scissors. What could she possibly do with them? Kill someone?
Feng Zhengming was fooled as well. Looking at the scissors, which were smaller than his palm, he hesitated.
“Are you sure something this small will do the job?”
“They’ll do just fine.”
Seeing Jiang Xia take out the scissors, much of the worry in Lu Yixing’s heart immediately dissipated. He remarked in a rather deadpan tone,
“When we encountered robbers on the train, Jiang Xia used a pair of scissors just like these to stab the strongest one to death.”
As he spoke, Lu Yixing pointed at Feng Zhengming’s chest.
“One thrust, straight into the heart. He died on the spot.”
“Gasp—!”
Hearing the details of how Jiang Xia had dealt with the robbers, Feng Zhengming drew in a sharp breath. He felt as though the sight of those scissors had nearly flattened his brain.
Well, now he really had nothing to worry about.
…
The next day, Jiang Xia returned to the casino.
There were still very few people in the morning. Starting around noon, gamblers gradually began arriving, with a small number of unfamiliar faces mixed in among the regulars.
As usual, Jiang Xia busied herself with cleaning while keeping her ears open for their conversations.
“These cards are giving me terrible luck today!”
After throwing down his final card, Brother Ji turned to look at Jiang Xia.
“Xiaofang, come over here and sit beside me. Help your big brother draw a few cards.”
Jiang Xia stopped what she was doing.
She didn’t show too much fear. In situations like this, it was much like a cat playing with a mouse. The more frightened the mouse was, the more desperately it tried to flee, and the more excited the cat became.
So she refused in a perfectly ordinary tone.
“Big Brother, I don’t know how to play cards.”
“That’s all right.”
Brother Ji replied nonchalantly. “Just draw the cards. If you bring me good luck and we win, all the money we make is yours.”
The minimum bet at this table was still ten yuan. Winning a single round could earn her at least thirty yuan.
Xiaoli, who had been sitting beside him, immediately turned sour at those words. She leaned her upper body against Brother Ji and complained pitifully,
“Brother Ji, why don’t you ask me anymore? Have you gotten tired of me?”
Brother Ji shoved Xiaoli away.
“Spring’s already over. Stop acting like a slut.”
The blatant humiliation made Xiaoli’s expression stiffen. She didn’t dare look at the people around her. Instead, she shot Jiang Xia a vicious glare.
“Well, Xiaofang?”
Brother Ji pulled over a rattan chair, clearly certain that Jiang Xia would agree.
“Come on, sit down.”
It was becoming difficult to refuse.
Jiang Xia hesitated for a few seconds and was just about to agree when someone at the next table suddenly let out a furious roar. He grabbed a beer bottle and smashed it against the man sitting opposite him.
“Damn it! You actually dared to cheat?!”
CRASH!
The loud impact rang out. Blood immediately began pouring from the forehead of the gambler who had been caught cheating. The red blood mingled with the foaming beer as it streamed downward, gradually becoming lighter in color until it turned pink.
The sudden burst of violence made Xiaoyue, who was sitting opposite them, scream in terror.
“Ahhh!”
“Shut up!”
The man who had smashed the bottle cursed impatiently. Then he pulled a dagger from behind his waist.
“I’ve never seen anyone dare to cheat right under my nose! You’re leaving your hand here today!”
The cheating gambler immediately dropped to his knees.
“Big Brother! Big Brother, please spare me! I didn’t mean to do it!”
“You cheated to win my money, and you’re telling me you didn’t mean to? Who the hell do you think you’re fooling?!”
At first, everyone glared angrily at the cheating gambler. But the moment they saw the man pull out a dagger, their expressions changed instantly. Someone immediately demanded,
“Da Mengzi, why did you bring a knife with you?!”
“Put the knife down!”
“Damn it, who the hell do you think you are? You think you can tell me what to do? All of you shut the hell up!”
“Da Mengzi, don’t you know the rules?”
“My word is the rules!”
“Oh? Looks like you could use a lesson!”
This was about to turn into a fight!
Seeing that the situation was taking a turn for the worse, Jiang Xia hurriedly retreated toward the corner of the wall, keeping everyone between herself and the trouble.
A middle-aged pickpocket noticed that everyone’s attention was elsewhere. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he swiftly snatched some money from the nearby tables, stuffed it into his pocket, and moved over to stand beside Jiang Xia.
“Nobody’s ever dared talk to me like that!”
Someone grabbed a beer bottle and shouted, “Teach him a lesson! Show him what the rules are!”
A full-blown brawl was about to erupt.
Just as the fighting was about to begin, a deep voice suddenly rang out from outside.
“Everyone, stop!”
The moment those words were spoken, every head turned toward the entrance.
A tall, broad-shouldered man who looked to be around thirty walked inside.
He had a fierce, intimidating presence. There was an unmistakable viciousness in his eyes, as though he might ask whether a watermelon was ripe enough to eat and expect someone to answer correctly—or else.
“Brother Hu?”
“Brother Hu, what brings you here?”
“Brother Hu, this guy has absolutely no respect for the rules!”
…
So this is Brother Hu?
Jiang Xia immediately looked up, carefully memorizing his appearance as well as the people accompanying him.
Excellent! Today’s trip had definitely been worthwhile!
Seeing the fellow pickpocket standing beside her, Jiang Xia immediately pretended not to know anything and asked, “Who’s that guy? Why is everyone so afraid of him?”
“Brother Hu! You don’t even know that?”
The middle-aged pickpocket immediately explained, “The big vegetable markets on Dengfeng Road, Old Street, People’s Hospital Road, and Hongxing Middle School Road are all his territory. He’s got thirty or forty men working under him. Who would dare mess with him?”
“Oh. So all those people following him are his underlings?”
“No, they’re his own brothers and friends he’s known since childhood.”
The middle-aged pickpocket watched the commotion with amusement. As he explained who everyone was, he added gleefully, “Da Mengzi is going to get beaten up. Everyone agreed beforehand that nobody was allowed to bring weapons, but he actually dared to sneak that thing in! Still, the one who’s really going to suffer is the guy who cheated. Doesn’t he know how much everyone hates cheaters? He’s going to lose at least one finger today!”
“They’re really going to chop off his finger?”
Jiang Xia carefully committed everything the man said to memory. Looking over at the other side, where the cheating gambler had already been pinned down, she saw him covering his face with his hands in terror.
“I… I don’t dare stay here anymore!”
Pretending to be frightened, Jiang Xia hurriedly slipped out of the main room.
Brother Hu was currently at odds with the municipal public security bureau. Heaven knew whether any of his men might recognize her. It was better to keep her distance.
She already had enough leads. Time to make herself scarce. There was no point staying any longer. She needed to find a way to get out.
Xiaoli, who had retreated toward the back, noticed her leaving.
Her eyes shifted as a sudden idea occurred to her. She followed Jiang Xia outside.
Jiang Xia ducked into the west room, and Xiaoli followed close behind.
Seeing Jiang Xia looking somewhat flustered, Xiaoli snorted.
“Hey, newcomer. What are you so scared of? They beat people up like that all the time.”
Hmm?
Jiang Xia’s heart stirred. She turned to look at Xiaoli, her lips trembling slightly.
“What do you mean, beat people up? They’re actually going to cut off his finger!”
“Of course they are! They stab people to death outside, too. Did you think they’d suddenly stop beating people up just because they’re here?”
Xiaoli approached Jiang Xia with exaggerated, threatening gestures.
“That’s nothing compared to what they’ve done before. Once, they got drunk and went on a rampage. They beat people up even worse. There was blood all over the floor!”
“Oh, did you think they wouldn’t hit women? Think again. They’ll beat women just the same.”
Xiaoli first put on an expression of sudden realization, then let out a mocking laugh and raised her arm to show Jiang Xia the scars left by cigarette burns.
“They did all this.”
“And these, too. They beat me.”
As she spoke, Xiaoli lifted her skirt, showing Jiang Xia the bruises scattered across her waist, abdomen, and legs.
Jiang Xia fell silent for a few seconds.
She knew perfectly well that Xiaoli’s thinking had become twisted. She hadn’t approached her out of kindness, either. She was simply trying to frighten Jiang Xia into leaving, eliminating a rival and preserving her own position. Still, seeing the injuries covering the other woman’s body left Jiang Xia feeling rather heavy-hearted.
‘Well, whatever. I suppose I should thank you for handing me such a perfect excuse.’
‘I’m out of here. Do whatever you like!’
Pretending to be terrified, Jiang Xia took another two steps backward.
“I-I don’t want to stay here anymore!”
With that, she turned and ran straight for the door.
Watching Jiang Xia flee in such a panic, Xiaoli planted her hands on her hips, looking as pleased with herself as if she’d just won a battle.
She’d finally gotten rid of that woman who’d been stealing her business!
More than half an hour later, Sister Lan came over after finishing up all the mess left behind by the earlier commotion.
She looked around in confusion. Spotting Xiaoli in the room, she asked outright, “Where’s Xiaofang? Where did she go?”
Xiaoli toyed with her fingers. “How should I know?”
“Hm?”
Sister Lan immediately sensed something was wrong. Her brows drew together as she demanded, “Did you say something to her?”
“What? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Da Pang!”
Sister Lan shouted toward the entrance. “Did you see where Xiaofang went?”
“Sister Lan, I saw Xiaofang leave just now.”
Da Pang, who was guarding the door, hurried over. He was still holding twenty yuan in his hand.
“She said you had something for her to do outside. She also gave me this twenty yuan and said it was for you.”
“She left?”
Sister Lan’s expression instantly darkened. She turned toward Xiaoli and grabbed her.
“I saw you go into the west room! What exactly did you say to her?!”
“I told her they could beat her to death!”
Xiaoli dropped the pretense, too, and clawed at Sister Lan.
“Isn’t it enough that Xiaoyue and I bring in customers for you? You still want to recruit more girls? Dream on!”
“You dare mess with my business? You’re asking for trouble!”
“You’ve taken so much of my money and still want to bring in more girls? You’re the one asking for trouble!”
The two women quickly devolved into a full-blown scuffle, clawing and shouting insults at each other.
Hearing the commotion, Brother Hu glanced toward the door and asked, “What’s going on?”
“Looks like all that commotion just now scared off the new girl.”
Brother Snake, the casino owner, wiped the sweat from his forehead. “I’ll go over and make them shut up.”
“Oh.”
After hearing the explanation, Brother Hu didn’t give the matter another thought. He waved a hand, turned around, and settled back down at the table where a finger had just been chopped off, bloodstains still visible on its surface.
“Enough of this unpleasantness. Let’s keep playing.”
Someone brought over a rag and quickly wiped away the blood. The playing cards were gathered up again, and soon the room was lively with gambling once more.
Meanwhile, in a small alley not far outside the casino, Jiang Xia crouched beside Chen Dong and slowly let out a breath of relief.
She’d finally made it out of that den of horrors!
<< _ >>