The deaths of Yanagawa Yasunumi, Hashimoto and myself were a heavy blow to the morale of the Japanese.
In April 1939, Kenji Doihara, then the head of the Japanese spy agency in Shanghai, issued an order that was actually very correct:
Stop launching offensive operations against military unification, and all ministries will stick to their existing interests.
This order can ensure that Japanese institutions in Shanghai will no longer suffer heavy losses, slowly recover, and then look for new opportunities.
In Shanghai, the Japanese army encircled the public concession. The public concession had long become an "isolated island". The military commanders inside and outside the concession could only fight alone. This was their biggest disadvantage.
Therefore, advancing slowly was a wise choice made by Kenji Doihara.
However, this caused strong dissatisfaction from the military.
This also became the last stone that crushed Kenji Doihara.
At this time, the military commander also stopped attacking.
Continuous fighting made them exhausted.
Military commanders also need to rest and adjust.
Meng Shaoyuan issued an order in early April:
Within this month, the Shanghai District of the Military Command Bureau entered a state of "hibernation". All departments were not allowed to conduct large-scale operations except to monitor the Japanese invaders.
This "hibernation" state will definitely not last long, because Wang Jingwei is coming to Shanghai soon.
At that time, the military commander will wake up from his short sleep, and it will be time for the bayonet to see red.
Meng Shaoyuan can take a good rest.
"I'm going to have a good rest for a few days. Unless you have an urgent mission, don't disturb me."
"okay, got it."
Meng Shaoyuan gave special instructions.
What a rare vacation.
From now until Kenji Doihara's successor arrives, there won't be any big news.
Wang Jingwei will not arrive in Shanghai until next month.
Taking advantage of this period, Tiantian and Sophia turned the world upside down...
Forget it, I can’t seem to keep up with my physical strength every day.
Or are there any other goals?
Yu Yanchu?
Don't dare to touch it, the teacher specially told me.
Qi Xuezhen?
My own apprentice can't do anything.
While she was thinking about it, Wu Jingyi suddenly came in with Xiao Zeng, a confidential officer.
Meng Shaoyuan was so excited that he poured the tea out unethically that day, and it all fell on Xiao Zeng. Not only Wu Jingyi betrayed her, Xiao Zeng came to seek revenge on him, right?
"District Chief Meng, Xiao Zeng has encountered something and wants to ask you for help." Wu Jingyi said as soon as she opened her mouth: "She is too embarrassed to tell you directly."
"What's the matter?" Meng Shaoyuan asked lazily.
Xiao Zeng quickly said: "Actually, it's not my business, it's my cousin's business..."
"Hey, don't make it too complicated." Meng Shaoyuan interrupted her: "I'm going to give myself a holiday now. Things that are too complicated will delay my rest."
"It's not too complicated, but I can't explain it for a while. How about letting my cousin explain it to you?"
This is also the rule of the Military Command. The district chief's office is equivalent to the Shanghai District Headquarters of the Military Command Bureau. No outsider is allowed to enter without approval.
Meng Shaoyuan checked the time: "Can we arrive within half an hour?"
"Yes, yes."
"Then let him come and don't delay my lunch."
…
Xiao Zeng's cousin is Chen Wanruo, who has just graduated from college and is working as an intern reporter in a newspaper.
He is not tall and looks very ordinary. He wears black-rimmed glasses and looks timid.
But there is a bracelet on her left wrist, which looks crystal clear and is quite beautiful.
"This is our District Chief Meng. If you have any problem, he will definitely be able to help you solve it."
Xiao Zeng said to his cousin.
Hey, how come you, the dignified district chief of the Military Command Bureau, are like Chinese cabbage? When it comes to wholesale, you can know him personally and ask for your help.
"I...I may have been deceived." Chen Wanruo opened her mouth and her eyes turned red.
"Cheated?" Meng Shaoyuan asked casually: "Cheating for money or sex?"
With a "swish", Chen Wanruo's eyes were not only red, but her entire face turned red.
Xiao Zeng knew his district chief too well: "I was defrauded of twenty-four yuan."
Twenty-four dollars?
It was not much for Meng Shaoyuan, but for a young reporter like him who had just graduated, it was a huge sum of money.
"Tell me, what's going on?" Meng Shaoyuan was idle.
Chen Wanruo then boldly said: "Our editor-in-chief heard that I was going to be interviewed, so he asked me to go to Luo Ji Valet to see if I could help buy a watch."
Redemption on behalf of customers?
Meng Shaoyuan seemed to understand what was going on.
As life becomes increasingly difficult, many people have to send their belongings to pawn shops and rely on a little "pawn money" to make ends meet. Businessmen with a keen sense of smell quickly smell out the "business opportunities".
Spend a few bucks to buy those pawned tickets, permanently separate them from their owners, and then resell them, wouldn't you be able to make a fortune!
As a result, many businesses, ranging from jewelry stores and goldsmiths to thrift stores, cigarette stalls, etc., and even ordinary homes have put up signs offering redemption for customers.
Sending items to a pawn shop will not cost you much. In name, it is "worth ten to five", that is, an item worth a hundred yuan can be pawned for fifty yuan. In fact, you can often only get thirty or forty yuan, or even less. some.
Once the time limit expires and there is no way to redeem it, the original item belongs to the merchant. In this case, many people know that they are unable to redeem the original items and are willing to sell pawn tickets to reduce losses.
Others don't have much money. After buying the pawn tickets from the pawn valet, they redeem the items from the pawn shop. Although they are older, they are much cheaper than new ones. Why not?
Chen Wanruo, who accepted the editor's request, found Luo Ji after completing the interview task.
They also bought a pawn ticket from Luo Ji that they accepted. It said on the ticket was a "double riding horse with fifteen diamonds rectangular watch". The price was 12 oceans, and the pawn ticket cost 10 oceans.
After bargaining, the price was reduced to 8 yuan. Chen Wanruo thought to herself that it was quite cost-effective to buy a watch worth fifty or sixty yuan for 20 yuan. After paying the money, she took the pawn ticket and excitedly went to the pawn shop marked on the ticket.
After a lot of trouble, I finally found the pawn shop in a remote alley.
The so-called "pawn shop" was also converted from a house, with only the word "pawn" painted in black on the closed door. Knocking on the door, a forty-year-old man came out. He was probably dozing off. After stretching, he struggled to open his sleepy eyes and asked coldly: "What's the matter?"
"Pawn." After Chen Wanruo answered calmly, she couldn't help but sigh secretly. From your expression, we can also infer that when the owner came to ask for the object in embarrassment, you didn't know what was wrong with your face. How it looks.
The accountant sitting at the counter looked at the pawn ticket that Chen Wanruo presented for a while, then ticked the abacus for a while, then raised his head and said: "The interest is 3 yuan, and the storage fee is 1 yuan. …”
Chen Wanruo never expected that the owner took 12 yuan as deposit from the other party, and after 5 months, he would have to pay 3 yuan interest plus 1 yuan storage fee.
However, now that we have reached this point, we have to hand over 16 yuan to the gentleman.
After a full quarter of an hour, the waiter came out with a small white paper bag and handed it to Chen Wanruo. Chen Wanruo opened it and saw that it was indeed a rectangular watch.
However, there is a lot of yellow rust around the watch case, there is a crack in the glass on the surface, and the strap is so old that it is almost broken...
In short, when I see this watch, I immediately think of the damaged pavement at the entrance of the alley. It is far from the beautiful watch I imagined!
Chen Wanruo negotiated with the clerk and said that I had spent so much money, how could the watch be so broken?
The clerk immediately scolded with a straight face: "Nonsense! How can there be any misplaced items in a pawn shop? If you don't take good care of it yourself, how can you rely on others?"
Now that the money and pawn tickets have been sent, what else is there to say?
Chen Wanruo had no choice but to admit that she was unlucky, and then she comforted herself silently. The case and glass were not good, but as long as the internal parts were good, it would be the same. Suddenly, new hope arose in her heart, but she held the watch to her ear. listen……
There was no sound at all! I panicked, and turned the small screw that set the spring a few times, but still nothing; turned it a few more times, and still the same thing.
But the waiter was already impatient and shouted at the top of his voice: "Go! Why are you still staying there?"
Chen Wanruo had no choice but to turn around and walk out. Standing on the uneven road, with a glimmer of hope, she opened the watch case at the back.
As soon as this gadget slipped, the scattered small screws, small gear teeth, small copper blocks, etc. hidden inside immediately fell over to the ground. Only the broken spring was dragged outside like a small snake. One end was still nailed to the gear teeth, shaking and shaking constantly.
Those many small parts are embedded in the cracks of the cracked road, making it difficult to clean up...
…
Hearing this, Meng Shaoyuan laughed and said: "This is the most common scam in Shanghai. Luo Ji and that pawnshop are from the same family. They colluded to defraud you people who want to take advantage of it... huh?"
Meng Shaoyuan suddenly remembered something: "Chen Wanruo, are you at the small newspaper office at home?"
"Yeah, there are only four of us in total."
"That's right."
Meng Shaoyuan shook his head: "Let me guess again, the money you redeemed was also given to you by your editor-in-chief, and it is almost the same as what you spent, right?"
"Yes, yes." Chen Wanruo said repeatedly: "The editor-in-chief gave me a total of twenty-five dollars."
"What kind of bullshit newspaper is this?" Meng Shaoyuan said with a smile: "They are just here to deceive you people. Twenty-four dollars is divided among you, the editor-in-chief, Luo Ji, and the pawn shop. Then, you failed to accomplish anything. , and you have to compensate the editor-in-chief twenty-four yuan. But you have no money, what should you do? Don’t you have a bracelet on your hand? I think it’s quite valuable. The editor-in-chief will definitely let you take this bracelet as compensation. , I guess he was already keeping an eye on you when you applied for the job."
"My mother gave this to me." Chen Wanruo burst into tears.
"Don't cry, don't cry." Meng Shaoyuan said hurriedly: "Wu Jingyi, send two people to go with this little girl and resolve this matter."
Whenever the military commander wants to carry out such a personal mission, he must get permission from his superiors.
Chen Wanruo thanked her repeatedly.
But at this time, Meng Shaoyuan would never have dreamed that the small favor he helped today would be a huge help to him in the future from this little girl with an unassuming appearance!
