The thick beard's sable coat was indeed impressive, worth at least four silver dollars. The young clerk's words were clearly an attempt to help him, but ultimately, he couldn't sway the pawnshop owner.
The young clerk reluctantly accepted the pawn and issued a receipt, completing the transaction.
The bearded man had agreed to a thirty-five-day pawn period with the shop. Why thirty-five days? There was a method to this.
Pawnshops had a saying: "Past five, not six." This meant if a pawn was for one month, and the owner came to retrieve it on the 35th day, only one month's interest would be charged. However, if they came on the 36th day, two months' interest would apply.
But these were matters for later.
After all, within minutes of leaving the pawnshop, the bearded man had entered a small teahouse. When he reappeared, his hat was gone, his beard was gone, and his clothes had been changed.
He now had another identity: Luo Wenwu.
The young clerk he had seen earlier was Lu Jiao.
"He might still be the Lu Jiao you remember." Luo Wenwu held a degree of admiration for Lu Jiao.
The man was not ostentatious, conducted himself with integrity, did not engage in dishonest dealings, and possessed empathy. In simple terms, he had a good heart and was someone one could interact with.
"Alright, continue to observe. Ensure this person is trustworthy," Hu Jia said.
Though he had little to do recently, Lü Qingqing was surprisingly busy. The two couldn't see each other during the day, and at night, they had to rely on luck.
At the dinner table, Lü Duobao was greasy-faced, having just devoured nearly half a duck.
"Brother-in-law, you should eat too. It looks like sister won't be home early tonight," Lü Duobao insisted on ladling a bowl of rice for Hu Jia.
For the past few days, Hu Jia had been cooking and waiting for Lü Qingqing, wanting to share a meal with her.
However, aside from three days prior when his wish was granted, every subsequent night ended in disappointment.
Yesterday, Lü Duobao had already fallen asleep, and the bowl of rice before Hu Jia remained untouched.
Today was no different. Hu Jia had told Duobao to eat first so he wouldn't go hungry. Duobao had finished his meal, but Lü Qingqing had still not returned.
It seemed he wouldn't see her tonight either.
Under Lü Duobao's mixture of coaxing and insistence, Hu Jia finally picked up his chopsticks.
Just then, the sound of the lock turning echoed.
Lü Qingqing was back.
Hu Jia's face lit up with joy. He felt as though he hadn't seen her in a long time.
"Tired? Come sit, sit. The food has gone a bit cold; I'll warm it up for you."
Hu Jia immediately stood up to greet her.
Lü Qingqing, who had been utterly exhausted, felt her fatigue vanish upon seeing Hu Jia's enthusiasm.
"Today I investigated a theft case, ran to several places, my feet are almost ruined."
Hu Jia looked at her with concern. "If you're overwhelmed, send Tong Meng out. Don't have her sitting around doing nothing at the bureau."
Everyone was busy. Although Tong Meng had work, it was considerably lighter compared to others.
"Send her? What if she sabotages me behind my back? That would be more loss than gain," Lü Qingqing shook her head. "Forget it, let those who sincerely do their work handle it. Her slacking off would only delay our case progress."
Hu Jia thought for a moment. "You don't need to worry about her. Let me think of a way to deal with her."
"Okay." Lü Qingqing ate the food, finding it delicious. "By the way, how is your case coming along?"
"Lu Jiao has been located, and we are still observing him," Hu Jia replied.
"So, you haven't contacted him yet?" Lü Qingqing asked.
Hu Jia nodded. "It was a difficult decision back then, otherwise, I wouldn't have entrusted such important things to him. I hope he still remembers that promise."
Lü Qingqing sighed. "It's a shame you can't remember what's inside anymore; otherwise, it wouldn't have become so troublesome."
Hu Jia sighed. Amnesia was truly a nuisance.
...
Time flew by, and it was Friday. Hu Jia spent the entire day waiting by Qiao Huali's door, doing nothing else.
"Director Qiao... Director Qiao." He almost called him Uncle Qiao.
Qiao Huali was somewhat surprised to see Hu Jia, especially since the young man hadn't approached him since "that incident." He had even tried to invite Hu Jia out for meals, but Hu Jia had refused.
It wasn't just Hu Jia; Ouyang Wen was the same.
Qiao Huali knew that both brothers had marked him.
However, he showed no outward reaction, maintaining a cordial demeanor as if no rift had ever existed between them. "Xiao Jia, it's been a while since you came to see me."
"Busy lately," Hu Jia replied indifferently.
Qiao Huali detected the coolness in Hu Jia's tone but pretended not to notice. "What brings you here today?"
"I want to ask for someone."
"Someone? Who?"
"Tong Meng!"
Tong Meng? Qiao Huali's body stiffened slightly. He finally spoke.
Qiao Huali knew Hu Jia would eventually come for Tong Meng. Previously, he would have been eager to place Tong Meng by Hu Jia's side, not only to monitor him but also to get closer and extract information.
But now, he didn't think that way.
Hu Jia was too sharp, and with his existing suspicion towards Tong Meng, he would be cautious in his actions. Forget extracting information; even getting close to him would be difficult.
After all, he had Li Yang, Yu Yue, and others watching his back.
However, if Tong Meng remained with Lü Qingqing, it would be different. The people around Lü Qingqing had shallow roots, and several of them were inexperienced youths, making further contact much easier.
Moreover, and most importantly, these individuals were old members of the unit, and Tong Meng held leverage over them.
"Oh dear, this is difficult. Tong Meng is doing well in the First Unit; there's no reason to transfer her to another group." Qiao Huali certainly wouldn't agree.
"Reasons are made up by people. Is it because she's pretty? Is it because the First Unit lacks a female police officer?" If it were a normal personnel transfer, Hu Jia would never utter such an excuse.
But facing Qiao Huali, Hu Jia had no such reservations. They both knew Hu Jia's objective in requesting Tong Meng was to keep an eye on her, so the excuse was secondary; his agreement was what mattered.
Hearing Hu Jia's nonsensical words, Qiao Huali was so angered his eyebrows almost shot up. "Personnel transfers, you think this is a trivial matter? You need a legitimate reason. If you arbitrarily take Lü Qingqing's subordinate, wouldn't that embarrass her?"
"Heh heh, Qingqing wouldn't feel embarrassed. As for personnel transfers, it might be a big deal for some, but for you, it's a small matter, isn't it?" Hu Jia was unyielding.
"She's just an incompetent person. Why go to such lengths for someone useless?"
"A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant's nest. Tong Meng may not have much ability, but she has people behind her who do. Besides, would I be comfortable with a nail like that placed near me?"
"Hu Jia!" Qiao Huali was furious.
Their conversation had been veiled, but Hu Jia's last statement effectively brought certain matters into the open.
"Before, I called you Uncle Qiao. Now I call you Director Qiao. This matter is difficult to discuss, and difficult to ask about, but how easy or hard it is to handle depends entirely on you. I don't know the reason why you chose the other side, but I hope you understand my determination to eliminate this threat." Hu Jia had wanted to address this for a long time. Before, he had reservations, but now, he was ready to tear down their facade and start anew.
Qiao Huali looked at Hu Jia, and after a long silence, he sighed, "People are not their own masters."
Since you've misunderstood, I'll play along.