A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1016 Arranging the Transportation of Supplies

Wu Mingqiang raised an eyebrow and said, "Does Chief Escort Zheng know me?"

Zheng Huaichang nodded and said, "A couple of years ago, Mr. Wu was quite a powerful figure in Jiangcheng, wasn't he? We haven't had any contact, but I've heard of your name. I haven't heard from you in the last two years. So you've come to Hong Kong to develop your career. I wonder if you're here to ask us for some favors?" As he spoke, he glanced at Gui'er.

Wu Mingqiang laughed, thoroughly enjoying the flattery: "Since you know me, you should also know this young lady. She is Commander Sha's sister. I was there to protect her as she sought refuge in Hong Kong, and of course, I also took the opportunity to develop my career here."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Huaichang bowed to Gui'er and said, "So it's Miss Sha. I was there when Jiangcheng fell. I heard that the commander-in-chief led his troops to fight the Japanese invaders in Fengcheng, but unfortunately they were defeated. Afterwards, he retreated to the mountains and forests to continue his maneuvering. I, Zheng, have great admiration for him."

Gui'er was overjoyed to hear her fellow villager's positive evaluation of Sha Yanxiao for the first time, and quickly said, "Chief Zheng, you flatter me. Actually, I haven't seen my brother for a long time. I wonder how things are back home now?"

Zheng Huaichang sighed and said, "The scene is devastated, and all industries are in decline. Our escort agency has been helping merchants in Jiangcheng and Fengcheng for many years. Now, many of our clients have gone bankrupt. Those who haven't gone bankrupt have moved here in advance, like Ren'an Hall. The Ren'an Hall that stayed in Jiangcheng is also on the verge of bankruptcy. We only open once in a long while. Although we've always been doing a job that involves braving wind and rain and licking blood from the edge of a knife, the danger has increased many times over. On our way here, when we reached Wuchang, we encountered a traitorous collaborator who was harassing women. One of our brothers spoke up to help him, and as a result, he was shot dead in the street. They even wanted to detain our entire caravan of goods and people. In the end, we had to plead with them and bribe them with money before they let us go. We couldn't even get our brother's body back."

Chen Zhongyu frowned upon hearing this and said, "Is the situation really that dangerous now? I thought that as long as I had the travel permit and completed all the necessary customs procedures, there shouldn't be any major problems."

Zheng Huaichang said with a wry smile, "Now you need a permit to travel, but there's no guarantee of a safe arrival. Along the way, there are Japanese devils, traitors, bandits, highwaymen, and robbers. Every trip is a life-or-death struggle. What, sir, do you have a shipment to Jiangcheng? I don't recognize your face."

Chen Zhongyu said with a smile, "I do have some goods to transport to the mainland, not just in Jiangcheng, but in several other places. I'm worried about problems along the way, so I'd like to ask Chief Escort Zheng for help."

Zheng Huaichang, assuming it was just ordinary cargo transportation, asked earnestly, "I wonder what kind of goods this boss wants to transport? There's something unpleasant to say upfront. As you know, the current situation is extremely turbulent, so many rules can't be followed as before. I, Zheng, have always earned my money through reputation, and I will do my utmost to protect you. For example, this time, I helped Young Master Lin transport medicinal herbs. Although there were some mishaps along the way, and one of our brothers died, we still managed to deliver the herbs safely, even though we didn't care about the body. However, a previous batch was damaged by Japanese bombing, resulting in half of the goods being lost. The owner of that batch wouldn't let us compensate them. I wonder if you can accept that?"

Chen Zhongyu tapped his fingertips lightly on the table and pondered, "I understand Chief Escort Zheng's difficulties, but this batch of goods is no small matter. I really need to go back and discuss it with my colleagues." He looked up at Zheng Huaichang with sincere eyes, "Please grant me a few more days, three days at most, and I will give you a definite answer."

Zheng Huaichang nodded in agreement: "Alright, our men will be loading the goods the day after tomorrow and will set off early the day after that. If you've decided, please find me at the Yuelai Inn on the street near Ren'an Hall before then." After saying this, he cupped his hands in farewell and hurriedly left with several bodyguards.

After everyone had gone some distance, Gui'er asked Chen Zhongyu, "Brother Chen, are you worried about him?"

Chen Zhongyu looked around and lowered his voice: "This time the supplies weigh over ten tons and need to be distributed to several teams. The comrades in Hong Kong have been saving up for almost half a year to gather them all. If something goes wrong on the way, it will probably take a long time to gather another batch in a short period of time..." He didn't finish his sentence, his brows furrowed.

After leaving the teahouse and returning to the car, Wu Mingqiang turned to Gui'er and asked, "Miss, tell me the truth. Mr. Chen is just an editor, now a bookstore owner. He's also planning to become Mo Gansheng's assistant, but he doesn't have the resources to procure such a large quantity of supplies. Ouyang Bao arrested them because of their involvement in domestic anti-Japanese activities. Could these goods be...?"

Gui'er knew she couldn't hide it from him, so she simply said frankly, "Brother Wu, I won't hide it from you anymore. Brother Chen and I are indeed doing some anti-Japanese work. The supplies that Second Brother is using to fight the Japanese in Jiangcheng are being transported to him. I'm doing my part for Second Brother."

Wu Mingqiang was stunned for a moment, then sighed, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, took out a cigarette, and was about to light it when he glanced at Gui'er and stopped: "I noticed it a long time ago. Miss has been running around these days, and she doesn't seem to be only thinking about the pawnshop business."

He said with a wry smile, "Well, the young master is risking his life on the front lines, and the young lady wants to do something, how can I stop her? But..." He changed the subject, "If we want that batch of goods to get into the mainland smoothly, we'll have to use some methods."

"What's your idea?" Gui'er's eyes lit up.

“Find a Japanese trading company to issue a travel permit, and say that this batch of goods is for the troops stationed in Wuhan.” Wu Mingqiang sniffed the cigarette but still didn’t light it. “The Japanese are now less strict in checking their own people’s supplies. If you really encounter a check, just show them the travel permit, and they won’t dare to touch it. In fact, some people doing black market business are doing it this way.”

The next day, Gui'er hurriedly told Chen Zhongyu about the idea, but Chen Zhongyu was stumped: "How would we know anyone from the Japanese trading company?"

“My dad knows him!” Lin Peishan quickly said, “My dad has dealt with the section chief of Mitsui & Co., I’ll talk to him, it should work out.”

Sure enough, two days later Lin Peishan brought good news: the shipping permit was ready, stamped with the red seal of Mitsui & Co., and the bill of lading read "medical gauze, disinfectant, medicine, cotton cloth, and grain." The recipient was "Jiangcheng Imperial Army Hospital."

Chen Zhongyu held the travel permit, his eyes shining: "Great! And I just received news from the organization that the higher-ups said they would send someone to meet us on the way to ensure the safety of the goods. However, we still need to hire people from the escort agency, and we will also arrange for comrades to travel with the goods. This way, we have an extra layer of insurance." After saying that, he looked at Gui'er, his tone smiling, "I heard that the person in charge of the meeting is your second brother, Sha Yanxiao."