Chapter 15: Instantly Penniless
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A sly smile crept across Li Haibo’s lips. “Of course it was the Japanese! And the kind who don’t even ask for IOUs!”
Captain Li, upon hearing this, suddenly understood and gave a thumbs-up. “You’re awesome!”
Commissioner Chen furrowed his brow, pondering aloud, “Such a large shipment of urgently needed medicines... how much would that be worth? It’s hard to estimate.”
Li Haibo waved his hand casually. “Just make a guess and write it down!”
After a moment’s thought, Commissioner Chen said, “Ah! Then I guess... it must be... fifteen small goldfish!?”
Li Haibo didn’t even bat an eye and readily agreed, “Alright! Let’s say fifteen small goldfish.”
Happy, Commissioner Chen bent down to write the IOU: “This is to certify that patriotic comrade Li Haibo has lent a batch of medicines and medical equipment, valued at fifteen small goldfish...”
Suddenly, Li Haibo added, “And one thousand silver dollars!”
Commissioner Chen looked up sharply, astonished. “Ah! And silver dollars too?”
Before he finished speaking, there was a loud thud as a package was thrown to the ground, the silver coins inside ringing out with a crisp, melodious clink.
Swallowing hard, Commissioner Chen continued writing, “One thousand silver dollars on hand...”
A faint smile played at Li Haibo’s mouth as he added, “Also twenty-five small goldfish bars and seven large goldfish bars!”
Commissioner Chen was completely stunned, his eyes wide. “Ah... this...!”
With another thud, a second package fell open, revealing gleaming gold bars that dazzled everyone’s eyes.
His hand trembling slightly, Commissioner Chen wrote: “Also twenty-five small goldfish bars and seven large goldfish bars. All materials are to be used in the fight against Japanese invasion and to aid the anti-Japanese military and civilians. They shall be returned in full after victory in the war.
Anti-Japanese Guerrilla Brigade of Jiading County
Brigade Commander: Li Dong (signature)
Political Commissar: Chen Gang (signature)
Witness: Zhou Zhengguo (signature)
November 10, Year 27 of the Republic.”
Signatures, fingerprints, and a stamp followed.
Pocketing the IOU, Li Haibo patted the captain’s shoulder. “Brother, the debts just keep piling up!”
Everyone laughed heartily.
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Waving goodbye to the jubilant guerrilla team, Li Haibo’s smile gradually stiffened. He slapped himself on the face. “You had to show off, huh? Showing off feels good for a moment, but you turn into a pauper in an instant! At least I’ve got another lucky charm now.”
He stared silently at the more than thirty silver dollars in his infinite space. “My wife’s dowry! I’ve got to figure out how to make money—big money! If not, I’ll just hand this cash over to my mother when I get back. Otherwise, who knows when it’ll be gone again?”
Dejected, Li Haibo returned the ox cart to Old Ding Nian, giving him one silver dollar for rent.
Old Ding Nian had refused to take it at first, so annoyed, Haibo pulled out his pistol.
“Do you think I care about this one silver dollar? I gave away a thousand silver dollars without even blinking!”
…
Meanwhile, Mitsui Pharmaceutical in Zhabei was in complete chaos.
Two Chinese employees arrived early to work, not daring to be late since the irritable manager might hit them.
But after waiting ages, the doors remained shut. They didn’t dare knock because the manager was an injured veteran with many comrades in Shanghai who often went out drinking and getting into trouble.
The two employees could only wait outside the shop, shivering in the cold winter wind.
Yet even at eleven o’clock, nothing had changed. After discussing it, they called the head office in the Japanese concession. The head office sent a deputy manager, who borrowed a ladder and broke a window to get inside.
When the door was finally opened, everyone was dumbfounded: upstairs and downstairs were completely empty—only four bare walls remained; even the counters and shelves were gone.
This was strange. They called the police and the military police.
After ten minutes, the police and MPs left, concluding it was either embezzlement or inside theft; otherwise, no explanation fit.
…
When Li Haibo returned home, it was already dark.
Having missed lunch, he was starving. He realized his mistake—next time he must prepare some dry food and water in his space ahead of time. No experience yet; having a treasure trove but still going hungry!
“Brother! You’re back! Work must have been tough!”
“No money!”
“You little brat!”
…
Early the next morning, Li Haibo handed thirty silver dollars to his mother. Seeing her son bring money home again, she was overjoyed and declared she would save it up to help him find a wife.
Li Haibo quickly ate breakfast, then used the last few silver dollars and some legal tender to buy over a hundred big meat buns, over a hundred pan-fried buns, over a hundred steamed buns, and dozens of fried dough sticks. He also went to a deli to purchase more than ten roast chickens and a large quantity of cooked meats.
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To avoid arousing suspicion, Li Haibo ran four or five blocks, buying from a dozen different shops, spreading out his purchases.
Finally, he went to the train station and bought dozens of tea eggs from Old Monkey with the severed finger.
Looking at the mountain of food in his space, Li Haibo finally breathed a sigh of relief—he wouldn’t go hungry anymore.
Of course, the direct consequence of this shopping spree was—he was completely out of money.
…
Work, studying Japanese, patrolling…
In Little Park, Hou Yong stood among several people, enthusiastically demonstrating pickpocketing techniques.
Hou Yong boasted, “In our line of work, you need sharp eyes, quick hands, and a steady heart. First, sharp eyes—quickly and accurately spotting targets in a crowd.”
He puckered his lips, pointing to a nearby street vendor where a middle-aged woman was focused on selecting goods. “See that? People whose attention is fully on the goods have the lowest vigilance. They’re the best targets.”
He then pointed to a group watching a juggling act on the other side. “And those watching the performance.”
At this, Bear Bear excitedly jumped up. “I know! I know! And that sleazy guy by the roadside wearing glasses—his eyes never leave the women’s chests. Ha ha ha...”
Everyone burst into laughter, and Monkey also chuckled, “Exactly, these people are all prime targets!”
Then Monkey began to demonstrate the technique. “When you make your move, use your index and middle fingers to lightly pinch. The motion must be natural, like you accidentally bumped into someone in a crowd.”
Hou Yong talked nonstop as he demonstrated smoothly.
His fingers moved like lightning, swiftly brushing over Li Haibo’s jacket pocket in a fluid, seamless motion, without the slightest hesitation or delay.
Amazingly, Li Haibo remained completely unaware, as if nothing had happened.
One had to say, Hou Yong seemed to have a natural talent for pickpocketing—his speed was unmatched.
Even under everyone’s watchful eyes, stealing from someone’s pocket right in front of them, his movements were so fast that no one could even catch a glimpse.
“And once you get what you want, don’t panic. Stay calm and leave without raising suspicion. Even if you’re caught, act as if nothing’s wrong and find a chance to escape.”
Xiong Kui and Yang Chun watched eagerly. Following Hou Yong’s demonstration, they cautiously tried to pick each other’s pockets but ended up making a mess.