However, Pang Furong was wearing a pair of sunglasses and lowered his head as if he was deliberately avoiding the gazes of passers-by. He hurriedly got into the car and left.
I told Lu Fei not to worry about them, they must have gone back to Ren Village. Wait for me for a while, and then come down after a few words with my brothers.
He was a former special forces soldier and squad leader. He was very smart. He turned his chair around, stared at me with strange eyes and asked, "Why, you are a private detective now?"
I immediately adjusted my hair and said, "Do you think I look like him?"
"Like a mole crawling out of a burrow!" the boy laughed.
I laughed along, it was a long-lost happy laugh, it felt especially warm. I walked back to my seat, took a few puffs of cigarette, and reminisced with him: "Thinking back to the days when we were in the army, I really miss it. I wonder where Lao Chu is now?" Lao Chu was a nickname. The three of us were best buddies in the army. Some people called us the Three Musketeers behind our backs. Why did they call us that? Actually, they called us the Three Jerks. Fuck him, I don't know who gave us that name, it makes me angry when I think about it.
"I heard that Lao Chu is doing well in Gansu now. He called me a few days ago and asked about you. But your phone number has changed, so we haven't been able to contact you."
"Oh, I changed my cell phone number after I returned to my hometown from the provincial capital, and later I lost your number." In fact, I was lying. In the three years since I opened the store, I felt that I was not a normal person, so I didn't interact with anyone, including Wang Zijun, who lived only a few steps away from me, and we hadn't seen each other for three years.
"You seem to have something on your mind, right? Is there anything you can't tell your brothers?" This kid had sharp eyes and could see that I was still thinking about Zhang Xiaochuan when I was talking to him.
Although I hadn't seen him for five years, I didn't feel any estrangement from him. We still talked freely like we did in the army. So my face darkened and I asked him, "Do you know a man named Zhang Xiaochuan?"
Chen Gulong immediately frowned, looking quite surprised: "How do you know him?"
When I saw his expression, I realized that he knew Zhang Xiaochuan. I thought Zhang Xiaochuan was not a good guy, and I knew him, so he must have misunderstood me.
Just as I was about to explain, I heard him suddenly smile: "Great, kid, you know the brother of the boss of Guiren Group, and you want to make a living here? Why don't you just go find your brother directly?"
I was stunned when I heard this. It turned out that Zhang Xiaochuan was the brother of the CEO of this group. No wonder it was easy for him to get in and out. I laughed dryly and said, "I don't know him in the way you think. I'm just curious, how can this ruffian get in and out of such a big group so easily." He paused and didn't wait for Chen Gulong to open his mouth, and then continued, "Who did he bring the fortune teller to tell fortunes today?"
This sentence surprised Chen Gulong. He opened his mouth and asked, "How did you know that someone in the group hired a fortune teller today?"
I pointed out the window and said, "I saw that fortune teller from the window just now. I know him."
Chen Gulong frowned again, looking suspicious, and asked me: "Brother Feng, I find that you are becoming more and more unfathomable. What are you doing now? What's the matter with you coming to Sanmenxia?"
When he asked me that, I really had no answer. It would be a lie to say that there is no gap between us now. Nostalgia is always beautiful, just like a dream, but when we return to reality, we find that we are no longer as innocent as we were in the army. We have been apart for too long, and the distance between our hearts has widened.
"I told you I was looking for someone."
"Who are you looking for?"
"My girlfriend. We had a few arguments a few days ago and she ran away in anger. I had to chase her here and look for her all over the world. Yesterday I saw Zhang Xiaochuan beating someone up in the suburbs, so I have a deep impression of him." I smiled but still lied to him.
Chen Gulong said "Oh", suddenly realized, and asked me: "Have you found your sister-in-law?" He didn't care about Zhang Xiaochuan's beating. It seemed that he knew this kid's bad nature and deliberately didn't mention it.
"Aren't you still looking for one? I have to go down quickly, my friends are waiting anxiously. Leave me your cell phone number, and when you find your girlfriend, we can have a good get-together." I said and stood up.
"You are being too polite. How can you find someone in Sanmenxia without my help? If you don't ask me for help, wouldn't that be a slap in my face?" The boy widened his eyes in anger.
This kid still has the same temper as when he was the squad leader. He hasn't changed at all. I was so excited that I wanted to tell him the truth. But when I looked up at this office, I thought, forget it. We are on different paths, so there is no need to drag him into it. I patted his shoulder and said with a smile, "I already have a clue. If it doesn't work, I will ask you for help. Just wait for you to treat us to dinner."
"Okay, here's my cell phone number..." Chen Gulong handed me a business card.
He personally escorted me out of the building, and gave me another warm hug when we parted. Back in the car, Lu Fei and the others surrounded me, all looking at me with strange eyes and asking who that was. Wang Zijun, that little bastard, actually asked me if I had an affair with that person? Damn it, I don't like that, and hurriedly explained that it was my comrade-in-arms who I hadn't seen for five years.
They then suddenly realized and said "oh", but that little monkey Wang Zijun still asked me a question in a low voice, which almost made me fall down.
"Did you sleep in the same bed with him in the army?"
It was evening when we returned to Gui Village. We took the food to Zhen Yuchun's house. The family was both happy and stunned. How could they open a small shop with so many things? Xiao Mao was very happy. Some snacks were not sold in the village, so he tasted something new. After dinner, we said we wanted to get in the car and go to bed early, so we quietly drove out of the village and headed straight to Ren Village.
When we were close to the village entrance, I asked them to turn off the headlights, so that the Japanese would enter the village without firing a gun. The car stopped one kilometer away from the village entrance. I asked Lu Fei, Wang Zijun and Ma Yunxi to guard Shen Bing in the car, and I went into the village with Qu Mo. They also knew that together they were no match for Qu Mo, so no one raised any objections.
Although the village is big, we have learned from previous lessons and will not act separately this time. If two of us run into trouble together, we can take care of each other in time.
After sneaking into the village, Qu Mo asked me in a low voice where to start. I lowered my voice and told her that these five families seemed to be scattered, but they lived on the same street and were not far from each other. Especially the family with the dog, which was right in the center of the village. No matter which direction we sneaked in from, in the quiet night, the dog would hear the sound. I felt vaguely that this situation seemed to be deliberately arranged.
So let Qu Mo transform and take down the dog first, so that we can search the village smoothly. It is not easy for a fox to knock out a dog. Qu Mo said nothing and transformed into the darkness. Then there was only a dog barking, and no other sound.
She ran back and gave me a thumbs up, indicating that the mission was accomplished. I gestured to start looking in the north first, and then return to the place where people live. The two of us quietly bypassed the old lady's house, entered an alley between Pang Furong's house, and quickly ran to the small street in the north.