Cao Bin was no fool. No one who could hold down a foreman's position at Shiliupu Wharf was an idiot.
"Go on."
"I have a shipment sitting in Warehouse Three in Zone D. Customs seized it."
Chen Fan tossed a peanut into his mouth and said quietly, "If I don't get it out before the day after tomorrow, they'll open the crates for inspection."
"This stuff can't see the light of day. I want to get it out."
Cao Bin studied Chen Fan for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Your goods? Or are you running them for someone else?"
Chen Fan hid nothing. "Someone else. Only after this shipment gets out can I do the business that comes next."
Cao Bin picked up his bowl and took a large gulp of liquor. After a moment's hesitation, he suddenly asked, "Right, I haven't asked you yet. It's been so long. What have you been doing?"
Chen Fan looked a little sorrowful. "After we were driven out of Shanghai back then, my father and I went to Jinling. He passed away not long after."
"I was a homeless wanderer. All I could do was roam around, scraping together a living."
"Scraping together a living?" Cao Bin chuckled. "That mouth of yours is just like your father's. Ask you anything, and you won't say a word."
After saying that, he seemed to remember something else. He sighed, picked up a pack of Hatamen from the table, and put a cigarette between his lips...
Chen Fan quickly struck a match and lit it for him.
Cao Bin took a drag and said slowly, "Zone D isn't my territory."
"That's Old Qiu's turf. He and I don't get along."
"The year before last, we fought over the unloading rights for a shipment of British cotton yarn. I took my men up against his. I brought twenty-odd men, and seven or eight got hurt. That settled the feud."
"If my men show up in Zone D, Old Qiu will know in less than half an hour."
"Your job would be sure to fall through!"
Chen Fan's brow creased slightly. He hadn't been back long and genuinely hadn't known about this!
"Then is there anyone in Zone D you trust?"
Cao Bin took a couple of drags and said slowly, "There's one man, but he's not a dock foreman."
"Who?"
"Brother Bao."
"Brother Bao?" Chen Fan felt as though he'd heard the name somewhere, but couldn't place it.
"No surprise if you haven't heard of him. He only came over from Jiangbei in the last couple of years."
"He has a bit of a background. His real name is Bao Chang. He used to be a leader under one of the salt smugglers in Jiangbei, in charge of the salt transport crews."
"After the Japanese occupied Jiangbei, the salt smugglers couldn't keep their business going, so he came to Shiliupu Wharf to make a living."
Chen Fan asked gravely, "Can he be trusted?"
Cao Bin hesitated, then gave a very honest answer. "I can't say for sure."
"I've dealt with him a few times. He works efficiently, never asks who owns the goods, and never takes a penny extra."
"But he has one problem!"
"What problem?"
"A violent temper." Cao Bin gave a wry smile. "Why else would they call him Brother Bao? Say a few things he doesn't agree with, and he'll turn on you. Once he does, he starts swinging."
"Last year, he fought Old Qiu's men at the wharf. Took down six burly fellows single-handedly and broke two men's arms."
"Old Qiu was so furious he wanted someone to kill him, but in the end, he didn't dare make a move. This man really can fight."
"Later, Chen Fusheng, a senior member of the Green Gang's Wu generation, stepped in to mediate. Only then did Old Qiu agree to give him a patch of turf to make a living!"
After hearing him out, Chen Fan fell silent for a few seconds before asking, "If I go into Old Qiu's territory to get my goods, would he stab me in the back?"
Cao Bin waved a hand. "Don't worry. He and Old Qiu don't see eye to eye. Besides, he only cares about money!"
"Pay enough, and he'll take any job!"
Chen Fan considered it. "Where is he now?"
"Datong Inn. He spends his days there and goes back to the shantytown at night."
"If you want to find him, I'll have someone take you." As he spoke, Cao Bin dug a crumpled sheet of paper out of a drawer. An address was scrawled across it in handwriting like chicken scratches!
"This is where he lives. But a word of advice: he cares about money, not people. If you want him to do something, have the money ready first."
Chen Fan took the paper, glanced at it, folded it, and slipped it into his pocket. "How much?"
"Depends on the job. Last time, someone hired him to get a shipment out of a Japanese warehouse in Wusongkou. He only charged eighty silver dollars."
At that, Cao Bin suddenly stared into Chen Fan's eyes. "Brother, tell me the truth. Is this shipment of yours dirty?"
Chen Fan smiled, so sincerely that it was impossible to refuse him. "Second Brother, if it were clean, would I need to go to all this trouble?"
Cao Bin froze for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You've got a point..."
When he finished laughing, he stood, took a cloth bundle from a tin chest in the corner, and opened it. Inside were several small gold bars and a stack of silver dollars.
He counted out fifty silver dollars and two small gold bars, wrapped them in a rag, and pressed them into Chen Fan's hands.
"What's this?"
"You can't short Brother Bao. Otherwise, you'll be the first one he deals with!"
Cao Bin patted Chen Fan's shoulder. "You've only just come back. Money must be tight. Take this for now. Pay me back once you've finished this deal."
Chen Fan waved his hand. "Second Brother, there's no need. I have money!"
"Don't stand on ceremony with me." Cao Bin waved him off, cutting him short. "Back then, someone set my father up at the docks. He nearly lost his life."
"If you and Uncle Huo hadn't stepped in, my father would've been thrown into the Huangpu River to feed the fish. Where would I be today?"
"If you treat me like an outsider, you're looking down on me."
With things put that way, Chen Fan declined no further.
He tucked the bundle inside his clothes, stood, and cupped his hands toward Cao Bin. "Second Brother, thanks."
"What are you thanking me for?" Cao Bin waved a hand, went to the doorway, and shouted outside, "Xiao Liuzi! Get over here!"
A boy of fifteen or sixteen darted out from the side. He was so skinny and wiry that he looked like a monkey at first glance.
He ran up to Cao Bin and asked respectfully, "Brother Bin, what can I do for you?"
Cao Bin pointed at Chen Fan. "Take this gentleman to Brother Bao. Keep your wits about you on the way. Don't let anyone follow you."
Xiao Liuzi nodded vigorously, turned, and headed out.
Chen Fan followed him. They left the tin shed one behind the other, crossed the chaotic docks, and headed toward the residential area of Shiliupu Wharf.
After a few steps, Chen Fan glanced back.
Cao Bin stood in the shed's doorway and waved, signaling him to be careful, then turned and went inside.
Chen Fan waved back and followed Xiao Liuzi, quickly leaving the docks.
Half a li east of Shiliupu Wharf lay a crooked little street...
Shantytowns lined both sides, with houses propped up on bamboo poles and roofed with tar felt.
Houses built from bamboo poles and felt were everywhere, a distinctive feature of this shantytown!
Several small eateries stood at the street entrance. Their storefronts were barely wide enough for two people to stand abreast, and their stoves were set up right in the doorways!
Offal soup bubbled in steaming pots, its aroma drifting far down the street and making the passing laborers swallow hard.
Standing in a doorway, Xiao Liuzi pointed inside. "Sir, Brother Bao often eats here. Sit down and wait. It's mealtime already. He'll be here within a quarter of an hour!"
"And he's easy to recognize. Tall and strong, like an iron tower."
"Thanks for your trouble." Chen Fan took twenty cents from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Liuzi. "Go back and tell Brother Bin I'll come drink with him once I've finished my business here."
Xiao Liuzi took the money and ran off cheerfully.
Chen Fan entered the shop and looked around.
Five or six greasy square tables stood inside, with baskets of radishes and cabbages piled in a corner and a kerosene lamp hanging from the ceiling. It was an ordinary eatery for the poor.
The stove was at the back. A plump man in his fifties stood before it, wearing an apron whose original color was impossible to tell and stirring a pot of soup with a large ladle.
"A bowl of plain noodles." Chen Fan sat down at a table against the wall, then added, "Extra chopped scallions."
The noodles arrived in a cloudy broth, a little overcooked, but they certainly smelled good.
Chen Fan picked up a mouthful with his chopsticks and ate slowly, occasionally looking up at the light screen before him!
The built-in script's most basic functions were a panoramic map, voice synchronization, information deduction, and identification of friendly and hostile forces!
After he had waited about as long as it took an incense stick to burn, a man came through the door.
He was in his early thirties, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, tall and broad-shouldered as a door panel. He wore a patched black cotton-padded jacket with a thick hemp rope tied around his waist.
He instinctively ducked as he entered, not out of politeness, but because the doorframe simply wasn't high enough.
Xiao Liuzi hadn't described his face, but with that height, he really was easy to recognize!
"Old Gu, the usual." The man casually sat down at an empty table, his voice ringing like a bell.
The owner answered, deftly sliced a heaping plate of pig's head meat, and brought over a jar of rice wine.
The man wasted no time. He grabbed a piece of meat and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing until his lips shone with grease.
Carrying his bowl of noodles, Chen Fan walked over and sat opposite him.
The man raised his head, swept his gaze over Chen Fan's face, and continued eating without a word.
"Brother Bao?" Chen Fan asked with a smile.
The man swallowed the meat and took a gulp of rice wine. "Who are you?"
Chen Fan smiled. "My surname is Chen. Someone told me Brother Bao at the docks works efficiently and never asks who owns the goods. I came specifically to pay you a visit."
Brother Bao set down his wine bowl and looked Chen Fan up and down. "Who sent you?"
"You don't need to worry about that. I'm here because I have a business proposition for you!" Chen Fan stated his purpose directly!
You had to tailor your way of talking to the person you were dealing with!
With someone like Brother Bao, beating around the bush could easily rub him the wrong way!
Brother Bao picked up his bowl, took another drink, and slowly set it down.
"Business propositions, whatever. I'm a rough sort. I don't understand that stuff!"
"Put simply, you want me to do something for you, right?"
"Tell me what it is. Pay enough, and I'll do it. Once it's done, we go our separate ways."
Chen Fan smiled and raised a thumb. "Straightforward. I like dealing with people like you, Brother Bao. No dragging things out."
"I have a shipment that's been seized by the customs anti-smuggling squad."
"Now I want to get it out, and I'd like your help."
"Once it's done, you'll be well paid."
Brother Bao picked up the coarse porcelain bowl, drained the remaining rice wine, casually wiped his mouth, and named his price indifferently. "One hundred dollars."
Chen Fan didn't bargain. He took the bundle beside him, removed the two small gold bars, and placed the remaining fifty silver dollars on the table, pushing them over. "Here's a fifty-dollar deposit. You'll get the other half once I have the goods."
Brother Bao hefted the bundle as though checking the amount inside, then casually set it aside. "Tell me. Where are the goods? What do you want me to do?"
Chen Fan lowered his voice. "The shipment is in Zone D right now, at tonnage berth seventeen in Warehouse C-3."
"The warehouse keeper on guard has already been paid off, but the men outside answer to customs. I can't get a bribe through."
"Where?" Brother Bao set down his chopsticks and frowned. "Zone D? That's Old Qiu's turf."
"Don't you know I make my living on his territory, Boss Chen?"
"Haha, I've long heard that Brother Bao cares about money, not people." Chen Fan gave a mocking smile. "What? Does a man like you care about that?"
"You misunderstand, Boss Chen. I make my living on Old Qiu's turf. He's the one who puts food on my table..." The corner of Brother Bao's mouth twitched. "That'll cost extra..."
Chen Fan paused, then said without hesitation, "Fine. Two hundred. Once it's done, we exchange the goods and money, and we're square..."
Only then did Brother Bao show that same honest-looking smile from before. "You're generous, Boss Chen. A toast to you..."
After leaving Old Gu's Eatery, Brother Bao was in no hurry to go.
He squatted on a stone by the street, took a cigarette from his waist, and put it between his lips. He struck several matches before getting it lit.
The night breeze buffeted the flame. Cupping his hands around it, he finally managed to light the cigarette.
Chen Fan stood beside him, waiting quietly.
Brother Bao took a couple of drags, then suddenly said, "Boss Chen, there's something I need to make clear beforehand."
"Old Qiu's place is tightly guarded. Even if you can handle the customs men, you'll still need someone keeping watch outside. If you really want this to be foolproof, I think you'll need one more man."
Chen Fan's eyebrows shifted slightly. "Who?"
"Xiao Ma." Brother Bao put the cigarette back between his lips, stood, and brushed the dust from his trousers.
He was huge. Chen Fan was around 1.78 meters tall, but standing straight, he towered over Chen Fan by more than half a head. At a glance, he was at least 1.9 meters, a typical burly Shandong man.
"His real name is Ma Xiaotian. His family used to run an escort agency in Hebei. He's got a background traveling all over the country."
"Later, when the Zhili Clique and the Fengtian Clique went to war, he joined the army and served as a scout. He's just come off the Shanghai battlefield."
"His fighting skills are beyond question. He's seen blood on the battlefield."
"Most importantly, he's got good ears."
"How good? I drank with him at the docks once. With a wall between us and the other side, he could make out every sound behind it."
"A man like that is a born lookout. With him there, while we're moving goods inside the warehouse, he'll hear a night watchman coming from twenty paces away."
"Where is he?" Chen Fan couldn't help being tempted by what he heard.
"Yangshupu, in the shantytown. His place is even more run-down than mine. But he isn't easy to hire."
"He's not the sort who'll work just because you pay him. He judges the person. If he thinks you're not decent, he won't work for you no matter how much you offer."
"You know him well?"
"Not well. We're acquainted. Last time, I fended off someone who was picking trouble with him. You could say he owes me half a favor."
"When you go see him, tell him I sent you! Whether you can get him on board will depend on your luck, Boss Chen!"