The next day, at eight in the evening.
Chen Fan arrived early at Shiliupu Wharf with Brother Bao's men-Fuzai, Menhulu, Old Qian, and a few others.
These men were all Brother Bao's brothers. They had worked under him on Old Qiu's turf before and knew a little of everything.
Since Chen Fan knew Old Knife Handle was planning to make him the fall guy tonight, he certainly would not sit around waiting for it!...
At eight, the river was pitch-black. There was no moon in the sky, and only a thin layer of mist drifted just above the water ahead.
Near the Zone D berths at the eastern end of the wharf, a dim electric light hung from a lamppost...
At eight forty, Fuzai ran back from the other side of the wharf and told Chen Fan between heavy breaths, "Boss Chen, over there, the boat's here..."
Chen Fan looked in the direction Fuzai pointed and saw a wooden boat slowly approaching from upstream, riding low on the water.
It was a small boat, the sort of river craft commonly used for both freight and passengers on Shanghai's outskirts. A diesel engine mounted at the stern chugged away, its sound especially clear in the dark.
Chen Fan focused his gaze. Sure enough, two red lanterns hung from the bow, turning gently in the river breeze like a pair of bloodshot eyes.
The boat slowly pulled into berth seven.
A boatman jumped down from the bow, looped a mooring rope around a bollard, then turned back to set up the gangplank.
Chen Fan was in no hurry to board. He first gestured to the boatman. "Call out whoever's in charge."
Before long, a man emerged from the cabin in a somewhat worn short wool coat, with a weapon bulging at his waist.
Chen Fan recognized him at once.
He was Agen, the guard stationed outside Old Knife Handle's door. Chen Fan had gone to see Old Knife Handle several times, and every time he had to pass this man...
"Boss Chen, the goods are here." Standing at the bow, Agen cupped his hands toward Chen Fan. "Have the brothers get them over there quickly. Don't worry, Miss Jin has made all the arrangements. Once the boat reaches its destination, someone will unload it. Your brothers won't have to lift a finger."
Chen Fan glanced at Agen. "When I took the job, we agreed that once you reached my turf, both the men and the goods would be under my command."
"Get all your cargo escorts off the boat. I call the shots on this boat now!"
The smile on Agen's face stiffened. "Boss Chen, that's against the rules."
"The way we've always done things, the brothers escorting the cargo have to stay aboard until it reaches its destination. They can't get off halfway."
"If you drive us off as soon as you arrive, I'm afraid you'll have trouble explaining yourself..."
"Explaining myself?" Chen Fan snorted. "Who do I need to explain myself to?"
"We made it perfectly clear when I took the job. Once the boat reaches Shiliupu Wharf, everything aboard is under my command."
"If you insist on staying aboard, this cargo can go straight back where it came from!"
"No, no, no," Agen said hastily. "Boss Chen, I'm only following orders. Before we came, Miss Jin told us to do as you said."
"If you want us off the boat, we'll get off right now."
"But when Miss Jin asks about it later, what should I tell her?"
"What you tell her is your business, not mine," Chen Fan said bluntly. "I have only one demand right now: don't get in my way."
"Enough talk. I'm pressed for time. Either you leave, or I do. Take your pick..."
The flesh on Agen's face twitched twice, but in the end, he did not dare lash out.
He turned and spoke quietly in dialect to the other three cargo escorts in the cabin. They exchanged glances, then reluctantly emerged and ducked down as they left the boat.
Chen Fan waved Fuzai and the others aboard with him.
Chen Fan walked to the stern and tipped his chin toward the skipper sitting beside the engine. "Get moving."
The skipper was an old man in his sixties, with half a hand-rolled cigarette clenched between his lips.
He glanced at the shore, then at Chen Fan. In the end, he asked no questions. He gave a hard pull, and the diesel engine at the stern began chugging.
The wooden boat slowly left the shore, trailing a white wake as it headed toward the mouth of Suzhou Creek.
Watching the boat disappear into the darkness, Agen spat viciously in its direction.
"Pah..."
The apprentice beside him asked, "Brother Agen, what do we do?"
Agen waved a hand. "It's fine. That Chen fellow is dead for sure this time. The boss has already made the arrangements."
"It's just that we won't get to see his fate with our own eyes."
The underling asked hesitantly, "Brother Agen, are we going back now?"
"No rush." Agen lit a cigarette and said slowly, "Head to warehouse three. The boss knows that Chen fellow is careful. Before we came, he told us to wait at warehouse three if we couldn't stay aboard."
"We'll go back with the goods when the time comes. Let's go..."
"Yes, Brother Agen..."
The cargo boat moved slowly away from the wharf. The river wind blew straight into Chen Fan's face, feeling colder than it had on shore and making him unconsciously pull his clothes tighter.
The cargo in the cabin behind him was stacked neatly and covered tightly with tarpaulins, giving no indication of what it was.
Chen Fan did not rummage through it. Of course, it was not yet time to inspect the cargo.
After the boat passed Laobaidu, the river opened up.
On the southern bank lay Yangshupu, its lights sparse, while stretches of warehouses and homes lined the northern bank.
Dongjiadu lay just ahead. Normally, the boat would slow down here, then flash a light signal and wait for the people on shore to receive it.
Just as the skipper was about to follow the usual procedure, Chen Fan suddenly walked over beside the helm and told him, "Hard to port. Take the Yangshupu Waterway. Don't enter Dongjiadu."
"Yangshupu? That's Japanese territory. Boss, this is against the rules..."
"If a Japanese river patrol boat spots us, this whole cargo is finished."
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Fan drew a pistol from behind his waist and pressed it against the skipper's head.
"I've already said it once. If you know what's good for you, do as I say, or I'll shoot you dead."
"Don't, don't!" The skipper trembled like a leaf in fright. "I'll do it, I'll do it."
The wooden boat slowly angled its bow toward the Yangshupu Waterway.
The river narrowed here, with dark silhouettes of trees and the bases of warehouse walls on both banks enclosing the water in a gloomy corridor.
Following the waterway, the boat soon reached a small wharf. Two lamps were lit on it, seemingly to provide illumination.
As soon as the boat approached, a large group of men immediately came forward and greeted Chen Fan, who stood by the side.
Fuzai jumped ashore and quickly secured the mooring rope. Old Qian and Menhulu went over and lifted the tarpaulins, revealing tightly packed crates of supplies beneath...
Old Qian pried open a crate on top. The upper layer held blocks of salt, but when he dug beneath them, there were blocks wrapped in kraft paper.
Sure enough, it was opium.
Chen Fan waved a hand. Fuzai led men in loading similarly shaped crates aboard, while Old Qian led the brothers in carrying the boat's crates ashore.
Chen Fan had prepared thoroughly well in advance. In less than fifteen minutes, the boat's entire cargo had been swapped out.
The skipper watched everything Chen Fan did, utterly dumbfounded.
When he saw Chen Fan coming toward him, the skipper immediately began trembling. "B-b-boss, I-I, my family..."
"C-c-c-calm down..." Chen Fan stepped forward and patted the skipper's shoulder, reassuring him. "I know you still have an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old grandson at home."
"So don't be afraid. We don't slaughter innocent people."
The skipper swallowed, thinking, There's been a saying since ancient times: carters, boatmen, innkeepers, porters, and brokers deserve killing even if they're innocent.
But he was no fool either, and he hurriedly tried to please him. "Don't worry, boss. I'll take everything that happened today to my grave. I won't breathe a word of it."
Chen Fan waved a hand. "No need. If someone really asks, tell them whatever you saw. Don't hide a single word..."
"Huh?" The skipper was dumbfounded. Boss, you're not messing with me, are you?