Chapter 166 Good People Have Good Fortune
When Fang Yingxia came out of Zheng Changkong's house, her eyes were still red, and she looked at Chen Mo with some resentment.
"Damn!"
Chen Mo felt a chill run down his spine and couldn't help but swear, "I don't even have enough merit points myself, where would I get extra to lend him?"
"Everyone here has just started, so we're all bound to be short on merit points." In the back seat, Liu Ruyan was both amused and exasperated, not expecting Fang Yingxia to still be thinking about this.
"Hey, Captain Zheng is a good person."
She sighed, looking listless.
"Okay, you two can come and help out more often when you have time," Chen Mo said casually as he drove.
"That's what I think too." Fang Yingxia wiped her eyes and forced a smile again. "Chen Mo, you're a good person too."
"..."
Liu Ruyan rolled her eyes. That guy only asked the two of them to help out, but he didn't mention going himself. How is he a good person?
At the front, Chen Mo twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't say anything.
This statement wasn't meant to be a compliment in my past life.
If possible, he also hopes that good people will be rewarded.
For example, he himself hoped that after destroying the Hou family, they would give him some gold coins in return.
Unfortunately, the Hou family's residence was located within the Japanese concession, which was too dangerous...
Chen Mo kept his eyes on the road ahead and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the steering wheel.
It's not the right time yet; we have to wait for the right opportunity.
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Inside the Japanese concession, the Hou family was also thinking about Chen Mo.
Hou Jianwen's funeral hall was set up quite respectably, with white banners and white curtains, incense, candles, and paper horses all in place.
Fruits and pastries were offered in front of the coffin, and the flame of the eternal lamp flickered slightly in the draft, making the gold characters on the memorial tablet glow and dim.
After a long and tiring journey, Hou Zhenshan lit an incense stick, stood silently before the memorial tablet for a moment, and then turned and walked towards the back hall.
He has been staying in Shanghai all these years, managing the Hou family's business in the south.
After receiving the telegram from Tianjin, I immediately booked an express ship from the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, and it only arrived home today.
In the back hall, Hou Jianwen's elder brother, Hou Jianwu, had already arrived, while the family head, Hou Zhenyue, sat in the main seat with a gloomy expression.
After Hou Zhenshan sat down, he lost all interest in tea and cut to the chase: "How exactly did Jianwen die?"
Hou Zhenyue picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slammed it down: "This happened when I went to the Chinese territory to find a kid from the Inspection Bureau."
"However, it wasn't a human who did it; it was an evil spirit. That evil spirit was later dealt with by the investigation bureau."
"The Inspection Bureau?" Hou Zhenshan frowned. "What does Jianwen want with the Inspection Bureau in the Chinese-controlled area?"
"The news from the foreign devils at Xikai Church says that the kid has a secret technique of shadow magic, very similar to the Hou family's methods." Hou Zhenyue's voice deepened. "I suspect that person is related to the disappearance of the third brother. I'll send Jianwen over to check it out."
Hou Zhenshan remained silent for a moment before raising his head to look at his elder brother. "The person died at the hands of an evil spirit, and the evil spirit has been killed. Is that considered revenge?"
"Evil spirits are evil spirits, and people are people."
Hou Zhenyue also looked up at him, his gaze cold and sharp. "If Jianwen hadn't gone to find that kid, how would he have run into that evil spirit?"
"Besides, the matter of the third brother's disappearance has not yet been fully investigated, so this matter is not over yet."
Hou Zhenshan nodded, asking no further questions, and simply said, "Before the seventh day after his death, offer the head of that kid from the Inspection Bureau as a sacrifice."
"It's already being arranged," Hou Jianwu replied. "We've had people keeping an eye on him these past few days, and we've pretty much figured out his route. We'll make our move in a couple of days."
Hou Zhenyue pondered for a moment: "That kid works in the Inspection Bureau, so he probably has something on him. To be on the safe side, I plan to borrow a team of gunmen from the Green Gang."
Hou Zhenshan picked up his teacup, the tea reflecting half of his face, obscuring his expression: "Since you're going to take action, don't leave any future troubles."
"Find out that kid's family and send them all away."
"Okay, Uncle is right, I'll go and do it right away." Hou Jianwu replied and got up to leave.
"Wait a minute."
Hou Zhenyue stopped him, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'll personally negotiate with the Green Gang. You keep a close eye on them and don't alert them."
Hou Jianwu nodded and sat down again.
Hou Zhenshan put down his teacup and suddenly asked, "What's that kid from the inspection bureau's name?"
"Chen Mo".
Hou Zhenyue uttered those two words with undisguised chill in his voice.
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"We've arrived. You guys go in first and train the new recruits. I'll go take a look around the site and see if I find anything else."
Chen Mo stopped the car in front of the inspection bureau and turned to the two women in the back seat, speaking calmly.
Upon hearing this, Fang Yingxia put her hand back down from the car door. "Then we'll go with you."
"No need," Chen Mo waved his hand.
"If we encounter any danger, we can look after each other." Fang Yingxia looked at him earnestly, her tone tinged with worry.
Chen Mo straightened his expression and said righteously, "There's no need. It's more convenient for me to act alone. If something happens, I'll be more flexible. If you come with me, I'll have to take care of things."
Fang Yingxia opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something.
Liu Ruyan tugged at her sleeve and gave Chen Mo a half-smile.
He remained expressionless, pretending not to see it.
"Alright, alright, let's go." Liu Ruyan opened the car door, pulled Fang Yingxia out of the car, and said, "Captain Chen has important business to attend to, so let's not cause any trouble."
Fang Yingxia glanced at Chen Mo in the driver's seat with some skepticism, but ultimately followed Liu Ruyan into the station.
After watching the two enter the gate, he slowly drove the car out of the gate.
A few minutes later, the black Ford came to a steady stop outside Willow Leaf Lane.
Chen Mo got out of the car, greeted a few neighbors, and walked slowly toward his home.
Old Sun, who sells tofu pudding, and Old Zhou, who sells sesame cakes, had already packed up their stalls in the morning, and the alley was quiet.
The afternoon sun shone down from above, casting interplay of light and shadow on the ground.
As Chen Mo passed by Lao Zheng's house, he unconsciously looked up and glanced inside.
The doors and windows were tightly shut, and the branches of the crooked jujube tree in the yard peeked out from over the wall, its leaves drooping listlessly, as if it had lost all its vitality.
Chen Mo withdrew his gaze and was about to enter his own courtyard when he paused slightly.
A gaze came from the opposite alleyway.
He didn't turn around, but glanced over there out of the corner of his eye and saw two unfamiliar faces.
A man squatted against the wall, with two bundles of scallions and a few bunches of green vegetables in front of him, looking like a vegetable vendor.
Another person was leaning against a nearby utility pole, holding a cigarette in his hand and smoking it intermittently.
The two seemed to be unrelated, but their eyes would occasionally drift towards him.
Chen Mo sneered inwardly.
He already knew.
Starting a few days ago, I started getting a few tails.
The method is quite sophisticated; they take turns using different people, and the faces change every half day, so it's not easy for the average person to notice.
Unfortunately, he was no ordinary person.
Chen Mo withdrew his gaze without changing his expression, inserted the key into the lock, and with a click, the courtyard gate opened.
He slipped inside, and before closing the door, his gaze drifted towards the alley entrance once more.
The two vendors remained in the same spot, one looking down as he fiddled with the scallions, the other tilting his head back and blowing a smoke ring, neither of them looking at him.
They've put on quite a convincing act.
Chen Mo closed the door, bolted it, and the calmness on his face gradually faded.