Chapter 272: Nowhere to be found after wearing iron shoes

"Wow! What a great singing skill! This is the famous actor who is going to sing on the stage!" Zheng Chaoyang deliberately praised the actor in front of "Big Teapot".

"Could it be that Boss Mei has come in person?" Liu Zhiye also said deliberately.

The big teapot was amused when he heard this. "Comrade, please don't be ridiculous. If Boss Mei wants to perform here with such a big bowl, he must inform the audience in advance."

"This is a young girl who just debuted in our [Minghua Peking Opera Troupe], her name is..."

Zheng Chaoyang and Liu Zhiye smiled at each other, pretending to be enlightened, "This girl sings well and has a high level! If Mr. Wang was here, he would definitely like it. He likes girls who have just debuted the most..."

Liu Zhiye said in agreement, "Isn't it? Why do I feel like I haven't seen Mr. Wang for a while?" He then asked, "Have you seen him recently?"

Zheng Chaoyang: "Hey! I haven't seen you for a while. Could it be that you have stopped hanging out on the streets and gone home to enjoy a peaceful life?"

"Can't you?"

"It's hard to say, anyway, we'll see each other someday..."

While Big Teapot was making tea for them, he listened to the two of them talking about Wang Ba Ye. Wang Ba Ye had been hanging around for decades, and few people in the area didn't know him.

Now, when he heard the two customers talking about Wang Ba Ye, he couldn't help but say, "Are you two Wang Ba Ye's friends?"

Zheng Chaoyang pretended to be surprised and asked, "Ah! What's going on?"

The Big Teapot smiled and said, "I really didn't mean anything else. I just saw you two talking about him and couldn't help but say something."

Liu Zhiye smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. From your tone, you know the whereabouts of Master Wang Ba, right?"

The "Big Teapot" shook his head and said, "I don't know that. You know Mr. Wang is also a well-known figure. I am just a waiter. I can't pee in the same pot with him."

"However, I overheard two customers who came to the opera talking about him a few days ago. One of them said that Mr. Wang Ba had gone to his place to look for him a dozen days ago, but he refused and said that he wanted to stay at their house for a few days to avoid debt."

Liu Zhiye's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he said calmly, "What happened next?"

The Big Teapot responded: "Later, I didn't pay attention and was busy with my own business."

Zheng Chaoyang pretended to be regretful and said, "I finally got news about him, but it's a pity that the story didn't continue. Do you remember who these two customers were?"

"Oh! I know that. One of them is Shopkeeper Qian, who is over 50 years old. He is an old Beijinger and lives in Xiaoweiying Hutong, Zhushikou. He has a family of six, including his wife and children, and a mother who is over 70 years old. He is a frugal person who likes to give to others. He is the shopkeeper of Hongxing Dumpling Restaurant, Mr. Qian."

Liu Zhiye and Zheng Chaoyang looked at each other and said calmly, "Oh, thank you! Go and get busy!"

The Big Teapot nodded to the two of them and said, "Okay! Please enjoy your meal. If you need anything, just call me."

After the big teapot left, Zheng Chaoyang and Liu Zhiye could no longer hide their joy. They smiled at each other, as if they were in sync.

The originally anxious mood slowly dissipated with the departure of the big teapot.

"Old Zheng, shall we go find Manager Qian now?" Liu Zhiye suggested.

Zheng Chaoyang said calmly, "Let's first find out the details of Shopkeeper Qian to prevent him from being in cahoots with Mr. Wang Ba. If we rush in and find him, we might alert the enemy."

Liu Zhiye agreed, "Okay, then let's send someone to investigate this shopkeeper Qian first."

So they sent some people to conduct a visit and investigation to ensure that they had a deeper understanding of the situation of Manager Qian.

This is obviously necessary because they want to understand more accurately the true identity of Manager Qian and his interpersonal relationships, and determine the specific relationship between him and Mr. Wang.

While they were sending people to investigate, they were not idle. They continued to wander around here, like waiting for a rabbit by a tree, hoping to find Mr. Wang Ba or some information about him.

Not only do they take action proactively, they also wait patiently, showing great patience and determination.

They waited until the evening, but still no other news came. Liu Zhiye and his companions had no choice but to return home, ending their investigation for the day.

After returning, each group reported their progress. It turned out that the results of Zheng Chaoyang and Liu Zhiye's group were the most significant.

Although other groups have not made any progress, they are not discouraged. After all, this is just the beginning, and they are ready for a protracted battle.

…………

In the next few days, they repeatedly searched the area around the overpass, but did not find any trace of Mr. Wang, nor did they hear any news about him.

During this period, Wang Baye obviously did not come to the overpass again. It was really strange, where did he go?

On the other hand, the person who conducted a secret investigation on Shopkeeper Qian reported the information he had to Zheng Chaoyang. Shopkeeper Qian was in his fifties and was an old Beijinger. He lived in Xiaoweiying Hutong, Zhushikou. He had a family of six, including his wife and children, and a mother in her seventies.

He was thrifty, charitable, and honest at work. He had been the shopkeeper of "Hongxing Dumpling Restaurant" for 20 years and was highly valued by his employer.

Investigators followed him for several days and did not find any abnormal behavior from him.

Shopkeeper Qian leads a relatively regular life, going to and from get off work on time and taking the same route.

Afterwards, investigators disguised themselves as people from the Electricity Bureau and went to their home to check the lines. After a search in their yard, they did not find the hiding Wang Ba Ye.

After a rigorous analysis, Zheng Chaoyang and others came to the conclusion that the problem with Shopkeeper Qian was not serious. They decided to talk to Shopkeeper Qian directly and ask him about the news about Master Wang Ba.

On this day, Liu Zhiye and his group came to the "Hongxinglou Dumpling Restaurant".

"Hongxing Dumpling Restaurant", one of the "Eight Big Buildings" in Beijing, is the earliest restaurant in Beijing that mainly sells dumplings.

The original name of "Hongxing Dumpling Restaurant" was "Hongxing Building". Its original location was in Caishikou, Xuanwu District. Later it moved to Tianqiao and is located on the east side of the road south of the Wanguoxuan Theater.

During those years, a popular saying was popular in the capital: "If you want to eat steamed buns, go to Duyichu; if you want to eat dumplings, go to Hongxinglou." Soon after Hongxinglou moved to Tianqiao, it was crowded with customers. It sold about 100 bags of dumplings every day, but still could not keep up with the demand.

There are dumplings stuffed with meat and seafood. When a steaming hot plate of dumplings is placed on the table, the aroma is fragrant, and the oil is juicy and delicious. It is really "nothing is more comfortable than lying down, and nothing is more delicious than dumplings."

It was just after 3pm, and the restaurant was still deserted, with no customers. Only a few busy waiters were cleaning up, wiping tables, and sweeping the floor. When Liu Zhiye and his group showed up, they seemed a little surprised.

An enthusiastic waiter took the initiative to greet them: "Hey! Comrades, you are here early! It's not even time for dinner yet!"

"What's up? What would you like to eat?"

Liu Zhiye smiled and waved his hand, "Hey! We are not here to eat. Excuse me, is your shopkeeper Qian here?"

The waiter looked at them suspiciously. These comrades in front of him did not look like ordinary people. He asked respectfully, "Are you looking for our manager Qian?"

"That's right, I'm looking for your Manager Qian." Liu Zhiye immediately changed his words. Now that it has become a public-private partnership, the shopkeepers have been renamed private managers.

"Please wait a moment, I will go to the kitchen to invite him for you." The waiter said and went to the kitchen. Not long after, he brought out an old comrade in his fifties. He wore black-rimmed glasses and looked very steady.

Shopkeeper Qian looked at Liu Zhiye and others in confusion. He found that he didn't know these people and didn't understand why they were looking for him by name.

"How many comrades are there?"

Liu Zhiye handed Qian a certificate. Qian looked at it and his face changed drastically. It turned out that these people were plainclothes police. He was immediately panicked and didn't understand why the police wanted to find him.

Liu Zhiye immediately comforted Manager Qian: "Manager Qian, don't be afraid. We are here today to ask you some questions."

"How about we find a quiet place to chat slowly?" he added.

Shopkeeper Qian nodded immediately and said, "Comrades, please follow me to the office to explain!"

After entering Qian's office, he found some tea and brewed it for everyone. "Please have some tea. This is the new tea that Zhang Yiyuan just served..."

"Thank you! Thank you for your help!"

After Liu Zhiye sat down, he began to explain the purpose of their visit.

"Manager Qian, are you familiar with Mr. Wang Ba?" he asked, staring at Manager Qian's facial expression.

Shopkeeper Qian was silent for a while, as if thinking. He nodded and said, "Well, you are talking about the old gangster who has been hanging around in this area for many years, Mr. Wang Ba?"

"If it's Mr. Wang Ba, I'm quite familiar with him. We have a good relationship." He answered concisely.

Liu Zhiye nodded and said seriously: "Can you tell me how you two met?"

Manager Qian said: "It's a long story. It was during the Japanese occupation. One day, my wife and I were walking at night. Unexpectedly, we ran into a few drunk Japanese wanderers who stopped us and tried to do something illegal..."

“I just happened to be bumped into by Lord Wang Ba.

He used to come to our store often to eat and drink for free, and the boss also told us not to make a fuss with him.

So he knew me, and maybe because of the friendship between us, he chose to help me.

He brought a bunch of beggars with him, first gave the drunk bastards a good beating, and then threw them into the Lotus River.

(End of this chapter)