Espionage: You're tasked with spying, but you'll blow up the Special Higher Police?

It was past 11 p.m. when Zhou Hongyi got home, and he couldn't escape his sister's nagging again.

“Zhongliang, why are you coming home later and later every day lately? Work is important, but you also need to think about your health. You're still young and don't feel it yet, but in two years you'll be full of illnesses.”

Zhou Hongyi sighed softly and said, "Sister, I know, but if we don't make more money while we're young, what will we do when we get older? You've seen how chaotic the world is now. There are the Kuomintang, the Communist Party, the Nationalists, and those foreigners in the concessions. Everyone is calculating and fighting each other. Who can say what will happen in the future?"

So we should still save more money. By the way, sister, I recently saw a shop I like. The owner is French and is moving his family back to France, so he gave me a discount. I'm thinking of buying it from him. After all, with my meager salary, I don't know when I'll be able to earn enough to buy a house and get married.

Zhou Pan'er reached out and poked her younger brother on the head, saying, "You always have so many excuses. Tell me, which shop have you got your eye on?"

"It's a shop that sells Western ornaments. I can collect some old items from our market and sell them to foreigners at high prices, and then sell the old items from the foreigners to wealthy people here at high prices. It's a very profitable business. Sister, do you want to get involved?"

Zhou Pan'er rolled her eyes, sat on the sofa, and took a sip of flower tea from the gold-rimmed teacup with two fingers.

"You don't want me to take a stake, you want me to give up everything, right? I knew what you were up to from the very first thing you said when you got back. All you want is money."

Zhou Hongyi, all smiles, went over and started massaging his sister's legs.

"Hehe~~~ That's why I always have to say it's my sister. You know what I'm up to the moment I wag my tail."

"You little rascal, did you find out that your brother-in-law gave you some money for household expenses when he came back yesterday, and that's why you're already thinking about it? But it's fine if you want to take over a shop. You can't make much money at the police station. Don't think that I'm still your brother-in-law's darling. In a few years, when I'm old and faded, or when he has a new love to replace me, our family's source of income will become a problem... We should start planning ahead."

"Sis~~~ You're being a bit pessimistic. Your husband said he'll be coming over to sleep tonight, probably for only two hours. With my sister's charm, she can keep him wrapped around her little finger for another ten years or so!"

Zhou Pan'er slapped her younger brother's hand and stood up irritably, saying, "Alright, do you even believe this lie yourself? Wait here, I'll go get you the money."

Watching his sister walk gracefully into the bedroom, Zhou Hongyi shook his head and cursed himself inwardly.

Zhou Hongyi, Zhou Hongyi, even though she's your older sister, you can't keep living off her like this. You need to find a sustainable way to make money quickly. Tomorrow, go and learn from Captain Xu and the others how they make their money.

Just as Zhou Hongyi was thinking this, Zhou Pan'er came out carrying her mother-of-pearl inlaid jewelry box. This time, when she opened the jewelry box again, Zhou Hongyi's eyes widened.

Originally, the place was filled with neatly stacked Yuan Shikai silver dollars, but today it has been replaced with gold leaves of the same size and shape.

"What are you looking at? Your eyes are practically glued to it. Your brother-in-law said that in prosperous times, people hoard antiques, and in chaotic times, they hoard gold. He told me to exchange all my money for gold. He also sent some over. If you're going to buy a shop, remember to exchange as much paper money as possible for gold, or silver dollars. I heard from them that the currency in the leased country has depreciated drastically, and the paper money issued by the provisional government is practically like toilet paper. Avoid it if you can."

As Zhou Pan'er gave instructions, she took out a few gold leaves from the jewelry box and placed them in Zhou Hongyi's hand.

"Zhongliang, we are siblings. If anything happens, remember not to hide it from your sister. I will always be on your side and have your heart set on it. Do you understand?"

Zhou Hongyi was deeply moved. He rested his head on his sister's shoulder and nuzzled her a few times in a spoiled manner, saying, "I understand, sis~~~~ I wouldn't dare to hide it from you, even from anyone else~~"

"Alright, alright, you're a grown man now. If the servants see you like this, they'll laugh at you. If you have nothing else to do, go wash up and go to bed. I'll wait for your brother-in-law a little longer."

"Okay, sis, but don't wait too long. Your husband is very busy with work and doesn't have much time."

With money in hand, Zhou Hongyi's mind immediately became active, and he lay on the bed devising his next plan.

First, tomorrow I'll go to the dock to pay off the blind man's debt, and while I'm at it, I'll get in touch with the Axe Gang. I'll invite that Little Knife guy out for drinks every now and then to build a closer relationship.

Secondly, take over a shop and have Ah Gui watch over it; it can serve as a contact point and a safe house.

Finally, I managed to contact the Red Party liaison and pass on the identity of the traitor "Fireworks." Then it was my turn to deal with the situation myself: I'd go to the Paramount Ballroom that night to see if I could find Miss Manyu's private dressing room.

As Zhou Hongyi was thinking, he heard dogs barking downstairs and the sound of a car engine.

It seems that his traitorous brother-in-law, Ding Mocun, has arrived.

Zhou Hongyi didn't get up, pretending to be asleep. After the traitor finished washing up and returned to the bedroom with Zhou Pan'er, he quietly got out of bed, picked up a cup from the coffee table, put it upside down on the wall, and put his ear close to try to eavesdrop on their pillow talk.

It wasn't that Zhou Hongyi was a pervert; he just wanted to hear if Ding Mocun would reveal any useful information after letting his guard down.

Ignoring the phase where Zhou Pan'er was managing her husband and collecting public grain, Ding Mocun leaned against the headboard, smoking a cigarette while lost in thought.

Zhou Pan'er nestled obediently in his arms, drawing circles on his chest with her hand, and said coquettishly, "Darling, what Zhongliang said is not without reason. The world is so chaotic, how much money can you make in the police station? It's only natural that he wants to take over a shop. He's my brother, which means he's your brother too, so you have to help him with this."

Ding Mocun exhaled a puff of smoke, affectionately stroking Zhou Pan'er's long hair, and smiled, "Help, of course we have to help. Zhongliang is a very clever and capable young man. He can easily take over a shop if he wants to. You don't need to worry about the money. Didn't we just put some gold here with you yesterday? Give it to him first, and I'll make up the difference later. Also, don't underestimate the police officers in the police station. They have many ways to skim money, but Zhongliang hasn't figured it out yet. The more chaotic a place is, the more loopholes there are, and the easier it is to make money. As the saying goes, the bold get rich, and the timid starve."

"You're a director, after all. If all else fails, transfer my brother to your side. That way, you can keep an eye on him, and I'll feel more at ease."

"Transfer him to my side? Oh dear, you don't know, Zhongliang is much safer in the police station than in our 76th Division. I'm sure you've heard about the shootout on Suzhou Road a few days ago, where seven of my men were killed. Those were men who lived on the edge of a knife every day, never to return. Are you really willing to let your brother follow me?"

"Is it that dangerous? Then let's forget about it... But you could transfer Zhongliang to an administrative position, like a government employee or something."

“Didn’t I initially intend to transfer him to the bank? Maybe the kid insisted on going to the police station instead, but his choice was right. Banks aren’t necessarily as safe as they seem, and the police aren’t necessarily dangerous. The situation is very delicate right now, with various forces vying for power. Staying away from the core level will prevent you from becoming a victim of the power struggle. Zhongliang’s move was quite clever.”

Zhou Pan'er got up and stared intently at the man in front of her, saying, "Darling, since it's so dangerous, why do you still want to be the director? Why don't we save up enough money and hide somewhere else, away from this chaotic world? Then, I'll have a few more children for you, buy some land, hire some workers, and we can be rich, wouldn't that be great?"

Ding Mocun pinched Zhou Pan'er's nose and chuckled, "Naive, women are so naive. How could someone in my position just walk away like that? I have too many powerful forces behind me... And now is the time for me to make my mark. I control a defected Red Party liaison, and I've already discovered an internal escape route for them. As long as I can capture the core members of the guerrillas, I'll be the one calling the shots at No. 76. Even Li Shiqun won't be able to order me around anymore."

"My man, Zhou Pan'er's man, can definitely do it~~"