Like Nanjing, Shanghai is also wet and cold in December. According to solar terms, December has already entered winter, but in some places in the south, rainfall will still occur. Shanghai, known as the Pearl of the Orient, has already experienced several moderate rainfalls in the winter of 1936. This morning's rain has even cast a layer of mist over the city after the onset of winter.
Since the 1920s, coffee shops have appeared in large numbers on the streets of Shanghai. After more than ten years of development, Shanghai, known as the Little Paris of the East, is full of coffee shops. On a rainy and foggy morning like this, go to a coffee shop to drink a hot cup of coffee. Coffee seems to be the choice of many people. In a very ordinary-looking coffee shop, there are some customers sitting here and there. Tang Cheng, dressed as a kid from a rich family, is sitting in the corner of the coffee shop, looking out at something through the street window.
Tang Cheng had been in Shanghai for two days. After seeing off his family in Nanjing that day, Tang Cheng took the train straight to Shanghai. When he came to Shanghai, he did not go to the hospital to visit Zhang Jianghe, because he knew that according to Zhang Jianghe's temperament, if he knew that he came to Shanghai to retaliate against the Shanghai Extra High School, he would definitely stop him with words. Zhang Jianghe is still a wounded patient. Tang Cheng doesn't want him to worry about this and affect his recovery, so he chooses to take time to get familiar with the metropolis of Shanghai.
In two days, Tang Cheng rode his bicycle almost throughout the entire concession, whether it was the French Concession or the public concession. Even the Hongkou District, which was actually controlled by the Japanese, Tang Cheng also pretended to be a Japanese expatriate. Familiarity with the terrain is naturally what an assassin must do before taking action. Except for some places that are too sensitive, Tang Cheng has planned to visit the entire Shanghai, including some opium dens and casinos.
After looking out the window for a while, Tang Cheng lit a cigarette and started smoking slowly. There were not many single customers in the cafe. Counting Tang Cheng, there were only three people. Apart from Tang Cheng, there was also a man. One woman and two separate guests. Tang Cheng was smoking a cigarette, but he was paying attention to the actions of the man and the woman from the corner of his eye. Ever since Tang Cheng stayed briefly outside the hospital where Zhang Jianghe was staying yesterday, he had vaguely noticed that someone was following him behind him.
The man and woman in the coffee shop came from behind Tang Cheng. Although the two came in alone, Tang Cheng discovered from some subtle details that the two must have known each other. Two people who knew each other not only entered the coffee shop separately, but also deliberately sat in two separate seats. If Tang Cheng had not discovered some details, it might not have been possible to discover the secret connection between the two people.
Tang Cheng always remembers that this is Shanghai, not Nanjing, so he will be vigilant to any abnormality around him. Tang Cheng was not sure whether the man and woman were the people who were secretly following him. Even if they were confirmed to be the other party, Tang Cheng actually didn't care very much. After smoking a cigarette, Tang Cheng took out his wallet and asked the waiter to hand over a few bills, then stood up and left the cafe.
After leaving the coffee shop, Tang Cheng walked slowly along the street. With the help of the glass of the street shop windows, Tang Cheng kept paying attention to what was behind him. Following the street, they were almost at the intersection, but Tang Cheng didn't notice anything strange behind him. But just when Tang Cheng was secretly relieved, a shout suddenly came from the direction behind him, and then... There were two gunshots, and passers-by instantly panicked.
Tang Cheng, who had almost reached the corner of the street, followed a few passers-by and hid in a bakery on the street. Through the street window, Tang Cheng could clearly see the man and woman who had appeared in the cafe earlier. A woman was being chased across the street by several men in black. "Bang!" The man in the dark coat turned around and fired a shot. While the men in black were hiding, the woman in the fox-collared coat ran a few steps to the intersection.
The man and the woman protected each other and soon crossed the street. However, they could not escape because a man in black also appeared on the other side of the street. In the bakery, Tang Cheng watched with interest through the street window. Regardless of whether the other party was an underground party member or someone else, none of this had anything to do with Tang Cheng's purpose of coming to Shanghai. Therefore, he just wanted to be a spectator, but he had no intention of doing so. participate.
Although the man and woman had already rushed across the street, they were still surrounded by a dozen men in black who appeared later because they ran out of bullets. Tang Cheng in the bakery smacked his lips secretly, thinking that two pistols were no match for a group of people using cold weapons. This man and woman were really tough! The man and woman who were surrounded by men in black were quickly taken away. , the chaos in the street quickly subsided, and Tang Cheng walked through the street carrying the two loaves of bread he had just bought, and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Huh? You finally showed up again! After about a cup of tea, Tang Cheng, who was about to take a rickshaw, seemed to feel the feeling of being watched again. Tang Cheng, who was laughing secretly in his heart, then pretended to be unconscious, got into the rickshaw, and started wandering aimlessly again. Throughout the morning, Tangcheng took rickshaws and trams, but never stopped in one place for too long. It was not until lunch that Tangcheng finally stopped at the door of a Western restaurant.
This Western restaurant is called Qiangwei Restaurant, which is not very famous in the French Concession. Tang Cheng comes here not only to eat, but mainly to meet people. When leaving Nanjing, Joseph gave Tang Cheng this address, but Tang Cheng did not know at the time that this address would be a Western restaurant. When he walked into this Western restaurant, Tang Cheng was stunned because the layout of this Western restaurant was more like a bar than a restaurant. According to what Joseph told him, Tang Cheng sat down at a table against the wall. When the waitress in the restaurant walked towards him, Tang Cheng placed the box of matches on the table upright on his left side.
The Western restaurant that Joseph introduced to Tangcheng was actually a place where many foreign black market brokers in the French Concession met privately. Similarly, the Western restaurant named Qiangwei was also a place where many black market goods were distributed. The box of matches deliberately placed on each table in the restaurant is a trick that only black market brokers know. Just stand the box of matches on the table on the left hand side, and the waiters in the restaurant will know that they are coming to buy from the boss. Black market goods.
Seeing the match standing on the left side of Tang Cheng, the blond foreign waitress immediately brought Tang Cheng a cup of coffee, and then whispered to Tang Cheng to wait for a while. The waitress left, and Tang Cheng looked around the entire restaurant. However, when he was observing other people in the restaurant, those people were also secretly observing Tang Cheng. After entering the restaurant, Tang Cheng's feeling of being watched finally disappeared, but Tang Cheng did not relax. Tang Cheng calmly sipped his coffee, but his eyes would occasionally glance at the window facing the street and the main entrance of the restaurant.
Only half of the cup of coffee was drunk when the foreign waitress walked over again, followed by a middle-aged foreign man behind her. "Are you looking for me? But I don't know you." The middle-aged foreign man sat down opposite Tangcheng. He looked at Tangcheng with a scrutinizing expression for a while. When he spoke, he spoke fluently. Mandarin.
Tang Cheng didn't care about the other party's expression on him. He just reached out and took out a pen from his pocket and handed it to the other party, "Joseph is my friend. He told me this address, but I didn't know this was a family home." Western restaurant. Joseph told me that if I encounter something when I come to Shanghai, I can come here to find the boss for help." After the other party took the pen, Tang Cheng slowly explained.
After seeing the pen handed over by Tang Cheng, the restaurant owner looked at Tang Cheng again, but this time, his eyes were less probing, replaced by relaxation and memories. "Joseph is not only my friend, but also my college classmate. This pen was a gift I gave him when he graduated from college. Since Joseph can hand this pen to you, it shows his relationship with you. Very good, you can tell me what kind of help you need now."
Since he was here to seek help, Tang Cheng didn't hide it. He first handed the other party a few photos, and then two large yellow croaker gold bars. "I need a legal identity document that allows me to freely enter and leave the concession. It would be better if you could help me get an identity document for Japanese expatriates in Hongkou District." Tang Cheng's words made the restaurant owner jump. Tang Cheng What he just said contained a lot of information, and he couldn't handle it carelessly.
Tang Cheng did not seek help from the other party to find a temporary residence because he did not want his whereabouts to be known by the other party. After all, this person was Joseph's friend, but he was not someone he could trust. Just getting an identity that allows you to freely come and go in the Shanghai Concession is nothing to a restaurant owner, but Tangcheng also needs a Japanese expatriate identity in Hongkou District, which is a bit of a joke.
It was just their first meeting. The restaurant owner did not tell Tang Cheng his name, and Tang Cheng did not reveal his identity or name to the other party. The two just sat together and drank half a cup of coffee like ordinary people. Then they left separately. After leaving Qiangwei Restaurant, the feeling of being watched reappeared. Tang Cheng couldn't help but feel angry. He immediately gave up the idea of taking a rickshaw and walked along the street on foot.
Passing by a small alley on the street, Tang Cheng's heart moved, and he immediately ducked into the alley, then stretched out his hand to climb on the wall and exerted upward force, and jumped up the wall. Tang Cheng squatted quietly on the wall. After more than ten breaths, a figure appeared in the alleyway and appeared in Tang Cheng's sight. Tang Cheng on the wall could not help but widen his eyes. He did not expect that the person following him was actually a woman.
