The total amount of gold bars, French currency, and foreign currencies in the suitcase was nearly 30% more than the amount of goods on the "gift list" that Tang Xiaoye handed over to his friend.
Cheng Qianfan naturally understood the trick. This was to first give an expectation and then give a surprise. In this case, the 'money-greedy' Mr. Cheng would naturally be more satisfied.
Then here comes the problem.
The Red Party is very poor and does not have so much money.
Cheng Qianfan rubbed his chin and shook his head.
Comrade Huo Miao has a certain understanding of the economic situation of the Shanghai Red Party. It is very difficult for the organization to come up with such a large sum of money.
To take a step back, if the organization can really spend such a large amount of money to save people, then this comrade must be extremely important.
Then, Comrade "Charterer" or "Dandelion" will contact him secretly and ask him to urgently borrow a sum of funds.
The importance and particularity of the 'Flame' determines that he does not need to take on the task of providing funds to the organization, but when there is an urgent matter, Cheng Qianfan naturally has to lend a hand to help.
With Mr. Xiao Cheng's current wealth, it would not be a problem to occasionally help secretly. Of course, both Comrade 'Bao Zhu Gong' and Comrade 'Dandelion' pay great attention to matters involving money. So far, they have only
I spoke to him once.
The only time he opened his mouth was that the "Charterer" had prepared for a rainy day and specially borrowed some gold bars and foreign currencies from Comrade "Huo Miao". This was a fund that had been prepared to be used in an emergency.
The amount is almost twice the amount of money in the suitcase sent by Tang Xiaoye's friend today. For Cheng Qianfan, this money is not worth mentioning at all, but it is the life-saving help of the entire Shanghai Party organization in an emergency.
money'.
Such emergencies include spending money to clear the way and rescue party comrades.
Objectively speaking, judging from the considerable amount of money in the suitcase, if the rescue of Bai Feiyu is really an organizational rescue operation, there is a high probability that the source of funds will come from that money.
Cheng Qianfan's heart moved.
He held the cat in one hand, bent down, and carefully checked the pounds and foreign currency in the suitcase.
He specially provided Fang Jinghua with unconsecutive, used British pounds foreign currency.
Cheng Qianfan sniffed the pounds one by one.
It's not that he left a mark in advance, it would be a violation of organizational discipline.
It's just that the pounds were not stored properly at that time and became slightly moldy due to exposure to water. When Cheng Qianfan gave the banknotes to Fang Jinghua, he specifically reminded Fang Jinghua to dry them in the sun to remove the musty smell.
At that time, Fang Jinghua also joked that many comrades were hungry for revolution, and the money in your little Mr. Cheng's family was all moldy. He wanted to overthrow the counterrevolutionary Cheng Qianfan.
After the banknotes have been exposed to the sun, the musty smell will dissipate a lot.
However, if someone with a sensitive sense of smell deliberately smells it, they can still smell the slightest trace of residual musty smell.
No musty smell.
Cheng Qianfan frowned.
Of course, this does not mean that the rescue of Bai Feiyu can be completely ruled out as an action of our party. After all, there is also a possibility that the organization has other funding sources and did not use the money he provided.
And this possibility is not low. Cheng Qianfan had previously learned from Comrade Peng Yuou that our party has comrades in Shanghai who specialize in doing business and making money.
However, no matter what, deep down in Cheng Qianfan's heart, there was already a little more doubt.
…
"Comrade Tang Xiaoye, you must perform well." After listening to Tang Xiaoye's report on the process and details of his meeting with Cheng Qianfan in Yandeli, Wen Guoran was full of praise for the little girl.
"The response was appropriate and the response was timely." He pushed up the frame of his glasses and said happily.
"Teacher Wen, please stop praising me." Tang Xiaoye said with a smile, "You don't know how nervous I was at that time. Fortunately, I have a strong psychological quality and did not reveal my secret."
"It seems that I am very accurate in reading people." Wen Guoran said with a smile, "You are a young girl. You may look delicate and weak, but you are actually bold, careful, and calm."
He was really very satisfied.
From the April 12th counter-revolutionary coup, when the Kuomintang reactionaries massacred the Reds, to the second cooperation between the two parties, party organizations throughout Shanghai, or to be precise, across the country, suffered heavy losses.
Especially in Shanghai, the national government and the French Concession jointly launched large-scale raids every once in a while.
So many comrades sacrificed their lives.
After Guohong cooperated for the second time, Comrade Xiangwu came to Shanghai and secretly met with comrades in Shanghai. At that time, the list of comrades that the organization could control was only more than 170 people.
According to statistics, in Shanghai as a whole, under the white terror, the survival rate of comrades with party membership of more than three years was even less than 10%!
How tragic!
How tragic!
He once heard a remark from a leader of the municipal party committee, said to be an old comrade from the secret front, criticizing today's young comrades for having no experience in struggle and being very immature.
The 'old comrade' also strongly demanded that a certain young comrade be sent out of Shanghai to the base area.
Wen Guoran had some opinions about this 'old comrade'.
This "old comrade" is naturally a proven comrade who has emerged from the bloody white terror. Naturally, he should be aware of the sacrifices and hardships our party has made over the years.
If there are many experienced old comrades, how can the organization bear to let young and inexperienced comrades show up to face the danger?
It really doesn’t hurt to stand and talk!
What's more, among young comrades, there are also comrades who perform very well, have good abilities, and make rapid progress.
In Wen Guoran's opinion, Comrade Tang Xiaoye is one of the best.
…
Cheng Qianfan thought of Tang Xiaoye again.
In the eyes of other comrades, the younger sister's performance in front of him should be considered acceptable or even good.
After all, facing the notorious counter-revolutionary "Mr. Xiao Cheng", it is extremely difficult to be able to not be nervous, make no obvious mistakes, speak reasonably well, and be adaptable.
However, in Huo Miao's eyes, Tang Xiaoye is still a little immature.
…
"However, it's not like I didn't make some mistakes." Tang Xiaoye said, "The Cheng family in Yandli was where I often went when I was a kid. Maybe because of this, I had some subconscious reactions when I was a kid."
Tang Xiaoye then said that when she and Cheng Qianfan had an argument, she subconsciously looked in the direction of the window, but was "caught" by Cheng Qianfan, who directly pointed out the incident.
"As the saying goes, one learns from one's mistakes." Wen Guoran nodded and said, "Fortunately, Cheng Qianfan is not a professional agent, and he is close to your family. There is no doubt about it. Please be careful next time."
…
"I'm still immature, and I'm not fully prepared mentally and spiritually, otherwise I wouldn't have made such a mistake." Cheng Qianfan said in his heart.
Perhaps it was because she had returned to a familiar environment from her childhood that the younger sister's subconscious reaction actually revealed some details.
He deliberately pretended to be angry and quarreled with Tang Xiaoye, secretly reminding Tang Xiaoye to pay attention to this kind of subconscious detailed reaction.
…
"What should I do with this pair of jade bracelets?" Tang Xiaoye opened the jewelry box, placed it on the table, and pushed it to Wen Guoran.
"Let me take a look." Wen Guoran pushed up his glasses and took out a magnifying glass from the desk drawer. He looked at it carefully and nodded frequently, "What a good item!"
"Then I'll donate it, sell it or pawn it to raise funds for the organization." Tang Xiaoye said.
"It's good that you have this intention." Wen Guoran said, "However, I don't agree."
…
"I hope this crying bag can wake up." Cheng Qianfan lay on the bed, and the cat lay on his belly, purring softly.
Tang Xiaoye didn't want 'intermediary fees', so he deliberately pretended to be angry and forced Tang Xiaoye to accept the pair of jade bracelets.
On the surface, this is a sign that the elder brother is doing favors to his younger sister, but the younger sister does not appreciate it, and the older brother is angry with her.
In fact, he secretly warned Tang Xiaoye that this intermediary fee must be paid.
Not to mention that this is to cover up her act of saving people, and if your brother gives it to you and you take it, this is also a sign of "closeness".
He understood that Tang Xiaoye despised him in his heart, even had a certain hostility, and even hated him as a counter-revolutionary senior police officer. However, since he took the initiative to visit and asked for his help, he had to act to the end, even if he hated the person no matter how much he hated him. , you should also smile at this time and get closer to each other.
Of course, Cheng Qianfan was determined to give the "intermediary benefit fee" to Tang Xiaoye because "Mr. Xiao Cheng" needed an explanation for this matter:
His sister, a family friend of the Cheng family, came to him to help recruit people. She was very sincere and he naturally couldn't refuse.
Tang Xiaoye received intermediary fees, which in itself is evidence for this explanation.
At the same time, this is also a protection for Tang Xiaoye - she is kind and hard to refuse, and she only helps find connections and recruit people when she sees benefits.
All in all, when it comes to this specific matter, given Mr. Cheng's reputation, it is not difficult to rescue Bai Feiyu. The important thing is how to deal with the aftermath without arousing suspicion.
Cheng Qianfan was extremely sure that after learning that Bai Feiyu was released, Wang Kangnian would be extremely angry, and besides being angry, he would be excited——
How was Bai Feiyu rescued?
Let him go because of his connections?
Whose relationship did you rely on?
Who trusted the relationship?
Is there any middleman?
Who is the middleman?
These are all details. If any of them are not done well, in the eyes of Wang Kangnian, who is cunning and has extensive experience in hunting down and arresting red party members, he may be targeted as a suspect.
Cheng Qianfan hoped that after Tang Xiaoye returned, he could think carefully about today's words and deeds, reflect on them, accumulate experience, and avoid learning lessons.
For underground workers, learning a lesson often means death and sacrifice!
…
"This pair of jade bracelets was given to you by Cheng Qianfan." Wen Guoran said, "Cheng Qianfan himself is extremely greedy for money. In his opinion, if you are willing to help run a relationship to redeem someone, you must be greedy for benefits. At least you have this aspect. reason."
He lit a cigarette, took a puff, and said, "So, not only can you not donate and sell these jade bracelets, you should also keep them. It is best to wear them next time you go to see Cheng Qianfan."
"Wouldn't that make Cheng Qianfan misunderstand me as a woman who doesn't mean what I say and is greedy for money?" Tang Xiaoye said.
"What's the point?" Wen Guoran smiled and shook his head, "Young girls are thin-skinned and are embarrassed to ask for gifts in person. In fact, they are extremely happy inside."
After hearing Wen Guoran's words, Tang Xiaoye fell into thinking and nodded.
"Besides, as for being greedy for money, what's wrong with being greedy for a little money?" Wen Guoran said, "Speaking of this, I just thought of a very serious question."
Seeing Wen Guoran's serious expression, Tang Xiaoye also had a solemn expression, "Did I make a mistake somewhere?"
"It can't be said that it was a mistake, it's just that we didn't handle it better." Wen Guoran said.
"When Cheng Qianfan gives you a jade bracelet as a gift, you can tweak it a little and then accept it." He continued, "In this case, it will show that you like jewelry and are greedy for small money, which can also explain your help in making money. Bai Feiyu came out not only to help his friends, but also to benefit from it."
"Teacher Wen, it's just that I'm not usually like this." Tang Xiaoye said.
"It's not usually the case. That's because you don't usually have the opportunity to 'show it off.'" Wen Guoran said, "This is not inconsistent with your usual personality and performance."
"You are not unprincipled and greedy for money." Wen Guoran said, "Isn't it normal to do things for friends and get some benefits?"
Wen Guoran said jokingly, "I don't like to take advantage of others. This is not the style of Shanghai girls."
When Tang Xiaoye heard this, he also burst into laughter. Teacher Wen himself was from Shanghai, so he was joking.
The teacher’s wife always likes to take advantage, but after September 18, every time the school organized anti-Japanese donations, the teacher’s wife responded positively. It is said that she even sold the dowry and donated it all.
Also, for example, my mother’s family is rich and she lacks everything. However, if there is a discount in a department store, my mother will be the first to go there, as if she can make a big deal.
In addition, it is common for some of my mother's poker friends to help each other and receive some small gifts.
"Teacher, I didn't think carefully." Tang Xiaoye said with a red face.
"I don't blame you, you've done a good enough job." Wen Guoran waved his hand and said, "I didn't think carefully. The responsibility lies with me."
As he said that, he breathed a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, you are facing Cheng Qianfan. He should not have any doubts about you, and there won't be any bad consequences. However, we must all learn from this. Learn from experience and lessons, and we must be more careful next time and make adequate preparations and precautions."
"I will pay attention." Tang Xiaoye nodded.
…
Cheng Qianfan turned on the bedside lamp and took out the jewelry box given to him by Comrade Feiyu from the official document.
He looked at it carefully and studied it carefully.
But still couldn't find anything unusual in it.
Perhaps, as his colleague Comrade Lu Dazhang analyzed and described, only the person involved knows the special features of this jewelry box, and it is actually of little use to outsiders.
While Cheng Qianfan was tossing and turning, Bai Ruolan also fell asleep.
She guessed that her husband was engaged in secret work, that he was a patriot, and that this secret work was very dangerous.
Although Cheng Qianfan had been shot and injured before, there was also a thrilling incident when Li Hao suddenly came to the house to pick her and Xiaobao up for emergency evacuation.
However, none of this was as powerful as the visual impact she had today when she witnessed her husband facing the suitcase with great nervousness.
She knew that this was just the tip of the iceberg. Beyond her sight, her husband must often experience more dangerous and cruel things.
She is not afraid.
She just felt sorry for Cheng Qianfan.
…
At this moment.
On a rainy night, Shanghai Station was heavily guarded, and a train from Hangzhou to Shanghai entered the station.