After Chen Lan and Uncle Fu finalized the arrangements for donating the shop the next day, she noticed it was getting late and told everyone to disperse.
By then, the two little babies were fast asleep, and the two younger brothers were dozing against Mother Liu and Wen Rou Niang.
Just as Chen Lan was about to wake the brothers, Xiang Xi stopped her. He and Xiang Dong each carried one of the younger brothers back to their room.
Wen Rou Niang and Mother Liu each carried a baby back to Chen Lan’s room.
Chen Lan urged them to go back and rest, as they had been busy all day.
Chen Lan settled the two babies and, feeling exhausted herself, went to sleep early.
The next day, everyone except the two babies woke up very early. After a quick breakfast, as they were about to head out, they realized they had overlooked a significant matter: two important individuals had been forgotten by everyone.
After some discussion, the women decided that Xiang Xi would be responsible for hosting these two important guests, Jia Yao and Jia Hui, with Wen Kai and Wen Qi assisting, and Xiao Shi overseeing the arrangements. Since Wen Kai and Wen Qi were very familiar with the hosting procedures, they had assisted Mother Liu and Wen Rou Niang when they hosted important guests before.
No way? No way? I don’t want to? I don’t…
Xiang Xi, Wen Kai, and Wen Qi wailed in unison!
Amidst their laments, the women quickly dashed out of the house and, once outside, could no longer contain themselves, erupting into hearty laughter.
The group boarded two cars and followed the itinerary discussed the previous night. Their first stop was the fabric shop. Upon arrival, the shop was just opening, and Shopkeeper Zhou and his assistant were cleaning. Seeing them enter, they immediately dropped their work to welcome them.
Uncle Fu called Shopkeeper Zhou and his assistant aside and explained the donation of the shop, also sincerely apologizing to them.
Shopkeeper Zhou and his assistant were shocked and couldn't recover for a long time.
Uncle Fu then discussed the matter of their wages. Upon hearing that they would receive an extra month and a half of wages, the two men breathed a sigh of relief, remarking on the owner's generosity.
Uncle Fu quickly settled their wages and asked if they wanted the damaged fabric goods stored in the warehouse. Both readily agreed.
After Uncle Fu gave each of them two bolts of fabric, they expressed their gratitude repeatedly.
Once the two men left and the shop door was closed, everyone immediately headed towards the fabrics they desired.
Chen Lan asked Uncle Fu to show her the storeroom first. Upon entering, Chen Lan saw that the inventory on the shelves was indeed dwindling.
She told Uncle Fu that the household would only take enough for each person's annual needs, and a small amount of fine fabric for gifts, with the rest to be donated.
After setting aside four bolts of damaged fabric for the shopkeepers and assistants of the other two shops, the rest was taken home.
By the time they finished their discussions and emerged, Wen Rou Niang, Mother Liu, and Hu Yu Zhen had already made their selections!
Uncle Fu said, "Consider carefully if this is enough for our family's annual use, and also set aside some good quality fabric for gifts."
The three women deliberated again and finally finalized their choices.
Xiang Dong, having rented a car, was waiting outside the shop. Everyone busily loaded the fabric they were taking home onto the car, with Xiang Dong responsible for delivering it.
Uncle Fu locked the fabric shop and took Mother Liu and Hu Yu Zhen to the silver shop, while Chen Lan and Wen Rou Niang went to their own pawnshop. The two groups parted ways at the entrance of the fabric shop.
Chen Lan and Wen Rou Niang strolled along, heading towards their pawnshop.
Chen Lan spotted a hawker selling candied hawthorns ahead and quickened her pace to catch up, shouting as she went, "Hey, candied hawthorn seller, wait… someone wants to buy candied hawthorns!"
However, the hawker seemed not to hear her. This was strange. Chen Lan walked up to him, handing over money and subtly observing him. She felt he looked familiar, as if she had seen him before, but searching the original owner's memories yielded no information about him.
Chen Lan walked back, pondering.
Could it be someone she knew? That would be even stranger. She had only been in this world for a few days, and had only arrived in the capital yesterday afternoon; it was impossible for her to know this person.
Even stranger, he didn't seem like a merchant. At this time, merchants, regardless of the size of their business, were polite and amiable when receiving customers.
Chen Lan thought for a while but couldn't come up with an answer, so she put the matter aside and stood by the roadside waiting for Wen Rou Niang. After a while, Wen Rou Niang approached, looking rather wistful.
Chen Lan, finding it strange, casually asked, "Mother, what's wrong?"
Wen Rou Niang replied, "I just heard from the disciplinary team that there are many spies lurking in the capital, and they've asked all the neighbors to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity."
Spies? In a flash, Chen Lan finally understood the puzzle that had been bothering her. The candied hawthorn seller was Duan Yun Hai, a Kuomintang secret agent she had seen in a video in her previous life.
That particular video had focused on the rampant spy activities in the early days of liberation, the constant creation of chaos. At that time, the capital's public security cadres and soldiers numbered only a little over a thousand, with severely insufficient police force. Between February 1949 and January 1951, over a 21-month period, they solved more than ten major and important cases and arrested over 16,000 hidden spies.
The video had specifically detailed the Kuomintang agent Duan Yun Hai, accompanied by a clear photograph.
Duan Yun Hai, a Kuomintang agent, was the mastermind behind the bombing incident at Mayor He Jiayuan's residence on January 18, 1949.
He Jiayuan was a wise and benevolent official who loved his people dearly. He placed the interests of the country and its people above all else, working tirelessly to facilitate the peaceful liberation of the capital and actively supporting it.
"Lan'er, what's wrong?" Wen Rou Niang asked Chen Lan, who was in a daze.
Chen Lan took Wen Rou Niang's hand and said, "Let's go to the pawnshop and wait for Brother Xiang Dong to arrive."
Chen Lan decided to have Brother Xiang Dong report Duan Yun Hai. In her previous life, Duan Yun Hai had committed many wicked deeds and was only apprehended in 1954. This time, Chen Lan was determined to report him, cutting off his evil hand prematurely.
The mother and daughter walked hand in hand into the pawnshop, and the assistant immediately came forward to greet them. He asked if they were redeeming or pawning items and informed Chen Lan and her mother that the shop was currently not accepting new pawns, apologizing for the inconvenience.
Chen Lan was very satisfied with the entire reception process.
At this point, the shopkeeper also saw Chen Lan and her mother and hurried from behind the counter to greet them, "Owner, Miss."
Wen Rou Niang waved her hand, "Shopkeeper Tong, no need to be so formal!"
"Owner, what brings you here?" Shopkeeper Tong asked awkwardly.
Wen Rou Niang replied, "We're just visiting the shop today. Shopkeeper Tong, please show us the items that have been permanently pawned, and we'll select a few to give as gifts."
"Owner, all the permanently pawned items have been put into the storeroom by Steward Fu. I don't have the key, so we'll have to wait for the steward. Please wait a moment," Shopkeeper Tong replied.
"Are there any old items whose redemption period is approaching but haven't been collected? Please bring them out for me to see."
"Yes, I'll get them for you right away. Please wait a moment."
Shopkeeper Tong and the assistant quickly brought out a pile of scrap metal.
Wen Rou Niang asked doubtfully, "This is it?"