Chapter 35: The Prodigal Son! Careless with Wealth!

Jiang Yaru watched her father’s excitement, offering only a slight nod without further comment. She understood clearly that in these turbulent times, with checkpoints and dangers lurking everywhere, transporting a large shipment of grain was no simple task. That her father could ensure the grain reached the orphanage without seeking a profit was already a rare and commendable feat.

...

The next morning, Li Haibo, refreshed after a good night’s sleep, headed to work in high spirits. Upon arriving at the police station, he went through his routine of collecting his service weapon before setting out on his patrol. Shortly after, he found an excuse to slip away.

After disguising himself, he hurried along, traveling as quickly as he could until he reached the small grove beside the tiny Earth Temple before noon. Li Haibo activated his "Super Hearing" to confirm that, aside from the mice in their burrows, there were no living souls nearby. He then began retrieving items from his portable infinite storage space.

The volume of supplies was substantial—too much for Ding Lao-nian’s ox cart to handle. Left with no choice, Li Haibo decided to leave the goods temporarily in the grove while he proceeded alone to meet the guerrillas at the Earth Temple.

By the time he arrived, the guerrilla captain, Li Dong, and the political commissar, Chen Gang, were already waiting anxiously in front of the temple with only two guards, while the main force remained concealed in the woods fifty meters to the rear.

As Li Haibo approached, he scanned the surroundings cautiously with his "Super Hearing." He keenly noted that the number of guerrillas had increased significantly since his last visit, and they were all new faces. It seemed the previous group of comrades had been sent to the main force, though he wondered if they had joined the Fourth or the Eighth Route Army.

Li Haibo pulled down his felt hat and adjusted his mask before walking toward the temple, thinking, "Excellent! The fewer people who know me, the better. Currently, only Captain Li Dong and Commissar Chen Gang have seen my true face."

Looking at the nearly three hundred men, he mused that with fewer than fifty rifles, they were in a sorry state. This shipment of arms was certainly arriving at the right time.

"Hahaha, comrades! I’ve missed you all so much!" Li Haibo greeted them warmly.

The captain and the commissar watched the lone figure approach, momentarily stunned. They instinctively glanced behind him, puzzled: "Why has he come empty-handed this time?"

"Don't look back there! There’s too much stuff; I’ve left it in the grove. Come with me to get it!" Li Haibo called out with a laugh.

The two men snapped back to reality and, filled with curiosity, followed Li Haibo to the grove. When they laid eyes on the mountain of supplies, they were struck dumb.

"How much is all this?" someone exclaimed in awe.

Captain Li Dong picked up a Hanyang rifle and worked the bolt. "This is a fine piece!"

Of course it was fine. Although these rifles were a bit old, they hadn't seen much use at the police station; they had hardly fired any rounds, and the rifling in the barrels was still fresh.

"One thousand and eighty bolts of foreign cloth, ninety-six long guns, eighty-five handguns, and a bit of ammunition. Commissar, write up the IOU!" Li Haibo said with composure.

...

"Ah! Oh!" The commissar quickly produced the paper and pen he had prepared, beginning to write: "Received today from Comrade Li Haibo: one thousand and eighty bolts of foreign cloth, ninety-six long guns, eighty-five handguns, and nine thousand rounds of assorted ammunition..."

"And ninety large gold bars, plus one hundred and thirty-two small ones," Li Haibo added. He bent down and opened a heavy wooden chest. The moment the lid lifted, the dazzling brilliance of the gold bars burst forth, packed neatly in full rows.

Seeing this, the commissar gasped, finding it hard to breathe. He swallowed hard, struggling to calm his racing heart, his hands trembling so much he could barely hold the pen. With great difficulty, he wrote: "Ninety large gold bars, one hundred and thirty-two small gold bars. The above assets are to be used for resisting the Japanese invaders and shall be returned in full after victory. Jiading County Guerrilla Detachment. Captain Li Dong (signed), Commissar Chen Gang (signed). (Zhou Zheng-guo was absent). November 22, 1938."

He then solemnly took out his official seal and pressed it down firmly.

Li Haibo carefully tucked the IOU away, waved his hand, and said nonchalantly, "I'm off!"

Once Li Haibo was out of sight, Captain Li Dong walked slowly toward the commissar. He swallowed again and asked nervously, "Commissar, do you think he’ll really make us pay it back once we win the war?"

Commissar Chen Gang glanced at him helplessly. "What do you think?"

Captain Li Dong gave an awkward laugh and scratched his head. "Heh, heh."

"I have already reported Comrade Li Haibo’s situation to the organization. Their intention is to win him over, perhaps by forming a working group around him. We must have Comrade Zheng-guo work on him; let’s get that group established as soon as possible!"

"Forget it for now—get the comrades from the woods over here to move the supplies!"

...

On his way home, Li Haibo suddenly felt a wave of regret. He raised his hand and gave his own cheek a sharp slap, muttering, "You spendthrift! You can’t hold onto wealth!"

Li Haibo felt a literal ache in his liver as he looked at his infinite storage space. Those gleaming gold bars—he hadn't kept a single one! If he had known they were so beautiful, he really should have kept one to play with. And the foreign cloth was gone, too—all of it given to the guerrillas.

Fortunately, he had kept some firearms. Aside from his usual C96 pistol, 98K, and submachine gun, he had set aside five relatively well-preserved handguns and five long guns just in case. He still had over two thousand silver dollars and plenty of legal tender.

As he ate a pan-fried bun from his storage, Li Haibo calculated his net worth. "Well, not bad—there's progress. I didn't bankrupt myself this time! And I’ve exchanged it for such a powerful talisman; that should be enough to save my skin in the future. Next time I get my hands on money, I’ll keep it for myself even if it kills me—even if I don't use it, I can bury it for my descendants!" At this thought, his spirits lifted, and he skipped all the way home.

The night passed, and the next day, while heading out, Li Haibo stopped by the "dead drop." He pulled out a note, read it, and grumbled, "Fatty Liu wants an emergency meeting? What’s he cooking up now?"

He went to work and patrolled as usual, then found a moment to slip away to the small park. Li Haibo stood across the street, watching Fatty Liu on the bench, and activated his "Super Hearing." Everything was safe; no suspicious individuals were nearby.

Just as he prepared to walk over, Fatty Liu looked up. Upon seeing him, he waved his arms vigorously, grinning like an idiot.

"You dog," Li Haibo thought. "One glance and you spot me—that sixth sense of yours is invincible!"

He walked over. Fatty Liu was all smiles, looking delighted. "Headquarters sent a commendation for the mission to eliminate Wu Yi!"

"Is there a cash bonus?" Li Haibo asked bluntly.

"Uh, wasn't the bonus given to you in advance?" Fatty Liu blinked, confused.

"Goodbye then!" Li Haibo turned on his heel without another word.

"Wait, wait! I haven't finished!" Fatty Liu quickly grabbed the departing Li Haibo, speaking urgently. "You’ve been promoted! You’re a second lieutenant now! This is a great thing."

"So what?" Li Haibo paused, still looking indifferent.

"Your salary has doubled!"

"Fifty pieces of legal tender! Goodbye then!"

"Wait, wait! There’s something more important—Headquarters is summoning me back to the mountain city to report!" Fatty Liu was sweating, not daring to speak too loudly.

"You’re being promoted?" Li Haibo stopped again, turning his head to look at Fatty Liu with a flicker of curiosity.