bookcurios Chapter 1148 The Changes in Zhu Zhiming's Family
Chapter 1148 The Changes in Zhu Zhiming's Family
But Zhu Zhiming's life was not easy. He couldn't remember many things from the past, and his body was often dizzy from the impact. He couldn't do heavy or strenuous work and could only make a living by pawning household items. The silver candlestick he took out today was his sister-in-law's dowry.
Gui'er's eyes were already red as she listened. She took out all the money she had, banknotes and silver dollars, and stuffed it into Zhu Zhiming's hand: "Brother Zhu, take these first, and buy some food for the child."
Zhu Zhiming quickly declined, saying, "How can I accept this? I can't take your money..."
"Take it!" Gui'er pressed the money into his arms. "You're having a hard time taking care of your family right now, so consider this my way of helping you on behalf of Mr. Chen." She turned to Acheng at the door and said, "Brother Acheng, you should go with Brother Zhu to pick up his family right away, find a quiet courtyard to settle them down, and hire a reliable doctor to check his head. Put all the expenses on my tab."
Acheng nodded: "Don't worry, Miss."
Zhu Zhiming looked at the money in his hand, then at Gui'er's reddened eyes. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he could only manage a choked "thank you."
Gui'er waved her hand, feeling both bittersweet and warm inside.
After Wu Mingqiang finished making the arrangements, he returned to Gui'er and said, "Miss, everything is arranged. Since the place where he was staying at Brother Qiang's house has probably been exposed, I found another house that is a little more private for him, his brother's widow, and children to live in. But to be honest, Miss, there are rumors everywhere that the Japanese are coming soon. We can hardly protect ourselves, so even if we want to protect them, we probably can't do it for very long."
Gui'er sighed and said worriedly, "What you said makes sense, but I can't just ignore him. They're in dire straits now. If we don't help them, we'll just be heading for death. Let's just take it one step at a time."
She thought to herself: The Japanese invasion of Hong Kong is inevitable. I wonder if it would be possible to have Wu Mingqiang take Zhu Zhiming and his family to Macau first, and then ask Wu Mingqiang's friend to help Zhu Zhiming find a job, so that he would be safe.
The only regret is that Zhu Zhiming's memory is so confused now that he probably doesn't remember anything about the organization anymore. As a result, not only him, but also his own hope of contacting the organization has been completely cut off.
Afterwards, Gui'er personally visited Zhu Zhiming and his family. When Zhu Zhiming and Zhu Zhiqiang's wife found out that it was Gui'er and the others who had buried Zhu Zhiqiang, they were very grateful.
Zhu Ziqiang's wife quickly told her son to kowtow to Gui'er.
Gui'er quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't be so formal. We're all comrades. I actually have an idea. Everyone's saying that the Japanese are planning to invade Hong Kong. We're not a wealthy family, so we probably can't keep looking after you. I have an idea to arrange for you to live in Macau so you can avoid your enemies."
Zhu Zhiqiang's wife hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhu Zhiming and said, "Brother, do you think this is okay?"
Zhu Zhiming hesitated for a moment, then rubbed his hands and said, "Miss Gui'er has made such good plans for us, we are truly grateful. However, could you please arrange for my nephew and sister-in-law to go there first? I myself would like to stay here for a while longer."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Zhiqiang's wife said, "Brother, you still can't let go? What murderer do you still want to chase? Forget it, we can't fight them. We've already lost our family. Can you bear to see me and your nephew, a widow and orphan, all alone?"
Zhu Zhiming sighed and said, "I was only thinking about finding the murderers who hurt my comrades. I never expected that these people would target my family. Now it's a blood feud, but I have no idea who they are. How can I let this go? You guys go ahead. I'm a man, so I can do whatever I want."
Zhu Zhiqiang's wife wiped away her tears while trying to persuade him.
Gui'er quickly said, "Sister-in-law, I have to wait for our Steward Wu to come back before I can make arrangements. Maybe Brother Zhu has already remembered who it is by now. We will find a way then. Brother Zhu, you are not in good health right now, and it is dangerous for you to travel alone. Just stay at home and take care of yourself. When you go to Macau, it will be easier for you to do your job and take care of the family."
Two days later, Wu Mingqiang returned from Macau. As soon as he entered the door, he took off his coat, which was damp from the sea breeze. His face was much darker than when he left, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes, indicating that he hadn't rested much during the journey.
Just as Gui'er was about to speak about Zhu Zhiming, he waved his hand first, his voice carrying a hint of weariness and gravity: "Gui'er, there's something I need to tell you first."
Gui'er noticed his strange expression and her heart skipped a beat: "What's wrong? Is there a problem in Macau?"
“It’s not Macau.” Wu Mingqiang sat down on the sofa, picked up the hot tea that Dingxiang handed him and took a big gulp before slowly saying, “Don’t be afraid when I tell you, Detective Feng… is gone.”
"What?" Gui'er stood up in shock. "Detective Feng? How could he..."
“The whole family is gone.” Wu Mingqiang’s voice was very low. “I received a message from the police station in Macau that his house was burgled the night before last, and all three members of the family were murdered. The scene was horrific.”
Gui'er felt a chill run down her spine, her handkerchief clenched tightly in her hand: "Was...was she murdered? Have they found the killer?"
“Many migrants come to Hong Kong now. Some of them are penniless and can’t survive, so they might resort to petty theft or even murder. These are very difficult to investigate.” Wu Mingqiang sneered. “But I don’t think things are that simple. He investigated Liu Tiecheng’s background and he must have something he shouldn’t have. I guess either he was silenced by the Liu family or he was dealt with by the Japanese to prevent future troubles.”
He looked at Gui'er's pale face and softened his tone: "This case has not been made public. I originally planned to return to Hong Kong a few days later, but when I received the news, I felt something was wrong and rushed back overnight. The situation is too tense these days, and anything dirty could happen. I was afraid something might go wrong on your end."
Gui'er stood there, stunned, her mind buzzing. Although Detective Feng was mercenary, he was still a living, breathing human being, with his innocent wife and children... The blades of this chaotic world were so swift that there was no time to react.
"Did the police investigate?" she asked in a trembling voice.
“Investigate? With the current situation, the police station is too busy to handle anything else. Most cases like this will just be dropped.” Wu Mingqiang shook his head. “To put it bluntly, whoever is ruthless will survive. Gui’er, listen to this: from now on, never get involved with anyone unrelated to you, especially people like Detective Feng who have been involved in the Liu family’s affairs, understand?”