I used the Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) to fight the Japanese.

The crowd gathered at the entrance was cursing incessantly, clearly enjoying the spectacle. Mancang and his companion blended into the crowd, searching for the reporter, but all they saw were ordinary people; they had no recollection of anyone carrying a camera and notebook.

Well, maybe we arrived too late and they had already figured out what was going on and left. The newspaper couldn't possibly miss out on a story like this.

After watching the commotion at the entrance for a while without finding anything, I left the crowd and wandered around the spinning mill. Since I was already there, I figured I might as well broaden my horizons. Most of the workshops in the yard had collapsed, and the rest was smoky and burned, with traces of fire everywhere, and a faint smell of burning still lingered in the air.

"Brother, where are the reporters you mentioned? What do reporters look like?" Manxiang asked, looking around.

"I don't know either, let's just try our luck! If we can't find it, we'll just watch the show! What do you think we should do if we want to deal with this spinning mill?" Since they couldn't find the reporter, they just watched and chatted with Manxiang.

"Huh? Why are we targeting the spinning mill? If we're going to do something, we should just take out that traitorous dog and everything will be solved! Catching a factory is just venting our anger, while that traitorous dog is still out there living a carefree life!"

"No, brother, we're talking about reporters, how did you bring up the spinning mill?" Manxiang was still preoccupied with the matter of reporting to the authorities.

"A reporter? At least they need a camera, a notebook and a pen, so they can take it out anytime, anywhere to record things, and follow the person they want to interview..." Mancang didn't know how reporters conducted interviews in this era, but that's how it was portrayed on TV.

“Brother, look over there, isn’t that the guy wearing the baseball cap?” Manxiang said, pulling on his arm.

"Huh?..." Mancang looked in the direction he was pointing. Across the street, a man wearing a baseball cap and carrying a camera was following two middle-aged women, who were quickly taking notes with pens and notebooks in their hands...

Wow! This is incredible luck! To run into something like this!

"Let's go take a look!" Mancang said excitedly.

"Why won't you listen to advice, girl? We told you it was the foreman who accidentally threw his cigarette butt onto the cotton wadding and that's how the fire started! What special discovery did you make? You dare to spout nonsense about Boss Wu? If you want to ask, go ask Boss Wu. We don't know anything!" one of the middle-aged women said impatiently.

“Girl, don’t ask about this! We’re counting on that little bit of salary to make a living, who dares to talk about the boss!” another woman chimed in.

"But how could a cigarette butt cause such a big fire? Sisters, just tell me! Didn't someone just shout something? Was it a man or a woman? What did they shout? Don't be afraid, Mr. Wu, this is freedom of the press!" The man in the baseball cap persisted, looking like he wouldn't give up until he figured it out.

"We don't know, we don't know anything!"

"Yes, I don't know anything! Get out of the way, I need to get back to the factory!"

As they spoke, the two women quickened their pace and crossed the road toward the factory. The woman in the baseball cap chased after them for a couple of steps, but when she couldn't catch up, she stamped her feet in frustration.

“You won’t get the truth from interviewing ordinary workers. They’ve clearly been warned and wouldn’t dare to say anything!” Mancang and the other man had already arrived at the woman in the baseball cap’s side and reminded her when they saw her looking furious.

"Hmm?...You're also workers at the yarn factory?" The man in the baseball cap turned around and looked at the two of them with hopeful eyes, his big eyes blinking with youthful energy.

"Uh...no, no, we were just passing by. You can think of us as helpful bystanders!" Man Cang didn't know what to say for a moment, so he just blurted out the term "helpful bystanders" that he often heard in the news in his previous life.

"Enthusiastic citizens? You guys are quite enthusiastic! May I ask you a few questions?" The man in the baseball cap was clearly interested and opened his notebook as if to take notes.

"Huh?..." Is this reporter a dog? What's wrong with him? He bites anyone he can get his hands on, and once he bites, he won't let go!

“Okay, go ahead and ask!” Mancang also became interested and wanted to see what the reporter could get out of him.

"What do you think about this huge fire at the spinning mill, as a concerned citizen?" the man in the baseball cap asked earnestly.

"Huh?...I saw it with my eyes! Isn't it clear enough?" Mancang blurted out.

"Oh? Tell me what you've figured out? Was it arson?" the reporter asked, unperturbed.

"Hmm? Well, that's just speculation! Judging from the burn marks on the half of the factory that didn't collapse, the fire started from the inside, and the fact that the east side was the most severely burned indicates that the fire started at the east end. That's where the factory gate is, making it very convenient to enter and exit; if someone set the fire, they could easily escape!" Mancang said, pointing to a pile of ash at the east end of the factory.

"Huh?..." The guy in the baseball cap clearly hadn't expected this guy to make such a professional analysis.

"Of course, these are all speculations. Why don't you report the facts and include the opinions of the parties involved, letting everyone judge for themselves? ... And add a sentence at the end that the matter is under investigation and we will continue to follow up on the progress. Once the truth comes out, wouldn't that add another article to the story?" Mancang explained the common news reporting techniques used in later generations.

The baseball cap's eyes lit up, and he looked at the enthusiastic crowd in front of him with astonishment!

"It seems you, this helpful bystander, know a lot about our industry! I've learned a lot and will seriously consider your suggestions!" The man in the baseball cap closed his notebook and looked at the other person with a half-smile, asking, "Are you two truly helpful bystanders?"

"Does Miss have any suspicions?" Mancang asked in return.

"Hehehe, to be honest, you two are the most enthusiastic citizens I've ever met. Hmm, enthusiastic citizens is quite fitting! This is my business card. Welcome to provide us with news leads!" He said, taking out a business card from his backpack and handing it to Mancang.

"Haha, great! I'm sure you'll like it!" The Mancang brothers exchanged a glance, took the business card, looked at it, and carefully put it away.

The business card was very simple, containing only a name and an email address—not an online one, but a real address.

Zhang Jingya, a very elegant name!

"Really? I'm looking forward to your clues! Goodbye!" With that, the girl waved goodbye, leaving the two brothers standing there bewildered!

"Brother! I've decided that when I look for a wife, I'll find one who's cultured! Stylish! She speaks so well! She's so pleasing to the eye!" Manxiang was stunned by what he saw.

"Haha, good luck! This kind of woman is not easy to handle!"

"It's alright! We won't let them get away if we encounter them! We're not afraid of those Japanese devils, so why would we be afraid of a weak woman?"

"Hahaha, let's go write something! If you'd like, you can write a love letter and send it in too!"

"Sure! How do you want to write a love letter..."