The entire week passed relatively smoothly. As there was nothing much going on, Li Yang specifically organized a team movie outing for Saturday afternoon.
A typical instance of shirking work for entertainment.
“A movie?” Lü Qingqing was somewhat curious. She had heard of such things but had never seen one.
“Mm, a new cinema just opened recently. We'll go check it out,” Li Yang said, showing off the movie tickets in his hand with pride.
Chongqing had its first cinema in 1918. Although several more opened in the city over the following years, few were fully functional.
The newly opened one was located in Mupai Fang, not far from the Special Operations Team.
“Boss, tonight, follow my lead. Don’t be so reserved,” Li Yang was still tirelessly trying to set up Hu Jia and Lü Qingqing.
“Speaking of which, I’ve done quite a bit these past few days, but I feel she doesn’t have any special feelings for me,” Hu Jia was puzzled by this.
“Sigh!” Li Yang waved his hand. “That’s just your perception. After all, girls need to be a bit reserved.”
Was Lü Qingqing reserved?
Hu Jia didn’t think so.
Seeing Hu Jia’s continued doubts, Li Yang dropped a bombshell: “Think about it, if she didn’t have feelings for you, would she go bathing in the river with you late at night?”
Well, that was true!
“So, it must be that you overlooked her that night due to your amnesia,” Li Yang analyzed with feigned seriousness. “Girls need to be coaxed.”
Hu Jia agreed with Li Yang’s assessment.
Meanwhile, Yu Yue sneakily pulled Lü Qingqing aside. “In two more days, it will be Monday. What are you thinking?”
Lü Qingqing looked confused. “What do you mean, what am I thinking?”
Yu Yue rolled her eyes. “Boss, he’s about to enter his next amnesia cycle.”
Lü Qingqing suddenly realized. “What else can I think? I’ll just keep stealing memo pads.”
A couple of days prior, Lü Qingqing had tried again to explain the sham marriage to Hu Jia, but Hu Jia didn’t believe her at all and misunderstood her as throwing a tantrum.
Lü Qingqing hadn’t expected Hu Jia to be so stubborn on this matter.
Of course, if she knew that Li Yang was fanning the flames behind the scenes, Yu Yue reckoned she might actually dare to set Li Yang’s house on fire.
“Aren’t you going to consider giving him a try? You’ve seen it yourself these past couple of days; he’s been caring and attentive towards you. He’s a really good man.” Yu Yue felt it would be a waste if these two didn’t become a couple.
“Forget it. I don’t want to have to introduce myself to my fiancé every seven days,” Lü Qingqing shook her head repeatedly.
Yu Yue saw this and could only sigh.
She and Li Yang were different. Li Yang purely wanted to play matchmaker, but Yu Yue wanted to foster an emotional connection between them.
“I understand. If you need anything, you can always come to me.” Yu Yue’s mood was a bit complex at this moment. She felt Lü Qingqing would be an excellent marriage prospect, but unfortunately, the king was foolish and the goddess was unfeeling.
…
On the movie screen, a man and a woman were confessing their love for each other. Many couples in the audience were also being affectionate. The maiden’s yearning, the young man’s boldness, filled the entire cinema with a romantic atmosphere.
Of course, there were exceptions.
Of the five movie tickets, two were for the third row, occupied by Li Yang and Yu Yue. Behind them were two more tickets, occupied by Hu Jia and Lü Qingqing.
As for Luo Wenwu, he was like a stray dog, arranged in a secluded corner. He was like a nail stuck between several couples; it was unknown if he felt awkward.
However, just as the movie was halfway through, the cinema lights suddenly turned on.
A commotion erupted in the audience.
Four or five police officers rushed in. “Excuse us, everyone. Police business. Please cooperate.”
It turned out to be Zhan Ruoxuan.
Lü Qingqing quickly went up to greet him. She was very curious about what had been lost that would alarm so many police officers.
Zhan Ruoxuan was also pleasantly surprised to see Lü Qingqing. “You’re here to watch a movie too?”
He then thought about where they were and a mischievous grin spread across his face. “Tell me, who did you come with? It’s not a boyfriend, is it?”
As he spoke, he deliberately lifted his head and scanned the surroundings, as if looking to identify the man.
Uh…
It wasn’t until his gaze accidentally met Hu Jia’s.
Good heavens, they hadn’t settled the matter of the robbery last time, and now they met again so soon.
“What’s going on?” Hu Jia and the others walked over.
“Heh heh, Captain Hu!” Zhan Ruoxuan said obsequiously. “Someone pried open the cinema’s safe.”
The safe?
“Was there a lot of money inside?” Yu Yue asked.
“They say it was over 700 in cash, plus ten thousand silver dollars.” Although he didn’t recognize the woman in front of him, Zhan Ruoxuan didn’t dare to underestimate someone walking with Hu Jia.
Over 700 in cash was already a considerable sum. In the early Republic of China, currency was relatively unified, but as time went on, various provinces, warlords, and separatist regimes began issuing their own currencies, leading to a very complex monetary system.
In the early Republic of China, the price of a shi of rice was 6 silver dollars. Because Guizhou’s Anshun region was relatively remote, the same quality of rice only cost 3-4 silver dollars.
However, by the 1920s, the price of rice had increased. In Shanghai during this period, a shi of rice sold for 10 silver dollars.
By the time of the Anti-Japanese War, severe inflation had occurred in society, and at this point, 10 silver dollars could not buy much.
Later, in the 1940s, people living in Shanghai couldn’t even buy a pound of rice with 100 silver dollars.
Alright, let’s get back on track.
We are only talking about the present.
The 700 in cash and ten thousand silver dollars at this time were enough to buy several buildings in the bustling area of Chongqing. Hu Jia himself, as the captain of the Special Operations Team, only earned 150 silver dollars a month.
Therefore, when Zhan Ruoxuan mentioned this figure, everyone frowned.
“Take me to the scene,” Hu Jia said as the case was about to begin.
Everyone was accustomed to this. Soon, the group arrived at the cinema's accounting office.
The accounting office was on the second floor of the cinema, located at the very back, but also the most hidden. Especially when the cinema lights dimmed, no one would notice it.
The person who reported the incident was Yue Hongling, the head of the accounting office. She said that since the cinema was newly opened, much of the interior decoration was still incomplete, so the accounting office was temporarily arranged here.
The money was intended for the cinema’s new office building construction. It had been placed in the safe the previous afternoon, and she discovered all the money missing when she came to work today.
“Who else knew there was money here?”
“Manager Zhang, myself, and the accountant Xiang Xia.”
“Where are they?”
“Manager Zhang was here just now and is currently throwing a tantrum next door. As for Xiang Xia, she should be on her way.”
Within a few brief sentences, Hu Jia had a grasp of the entire case.
Hu Jia carefully examined the scene. It was clean and tidy. There were no signs of struggle or searching.
The safe was also not damaged by external force, and the key was on the desk.
The door and windows were intact. Hu Jia tried to push the window glass, discovering that the window was still secured by a latch.
It was clear that the thief did not enter or exit through the window; they used the main door.
Below the windowpane, about a dozen folders were piled up.
“What was here before?” Hu Jia immediately noticed something was amiss. The entire accounting office was tidy, so why were the folders piled on the floor?
“There was originally a cardboard box containing those documents,” Yue Hongling said.
“Could the thief have put the silver dollars in the box and carried it out?” Lü Qingqing guessed.
“Go ask if anyone saw someone carrying a cardboard box in or out these past two days,” Hu Jia instructed Li Yang and Luo Wenwu.
If they could find the person carrying the box, perhaps all the problems could be solved.
Shortly after Li Yang and the others left, Zhan Ruoxuan entered. “Captain Hu, we just received news that Xiang Xia is missing.”