Chapter 1053 The boss arrives
But before Wan Fa could figure it out, the waiter outside called him out. A batch of high-quality rice and flour from a rice store in the city had been delivered and were waiting for him to come out to receive the goods and settle the bill.
Wan Fa came to his senses, quickly put away his identity badge and put it back in the secret compartment under the bed, then left the room to receive the goods at the door of the store. This batch of high-quality rice was specially ordered by him to welcome Gong Shiqi's arrival. Normally, everyone in the store, including himself, was not so particular about food. Wan Fa basically worked hard on every detail that could be thought of, striving to allow Gong Shiqi to enjoy the best service during his stay at Chengfengxing.
Wanfa also knew that these measures might not be of obvious help to the business Gong Qi Qi came to Hangzhou to do, but his status in the security department was not high enough to directly participate in the operations commanded by Gong Qi Qi. , and can only be responsible for these logistical matters. Even if he wants to show off, he can only work more on these aspects for the time being. Of course, if Gong Shiqi can give him some opportunities to show his professional abilities this time, perhaps the tasks he will accept in the future will be more advanced.
After Wanfa inspected the goods, he paid the bill to the steward of the rice bank with cash, and then asked his men to move the linen bags containing rice in: "I will use the newly bought rice to cook in the evening, and I will not finish all the rice." I'll leave the rice for now. After moving the things, clean up the yard and water the flowers and plants...and you guys, please change into clean clothes later so you don't look dirty!"
A waiter asked cautiously: "Shopkeeper, this big boss demands so much, will it be difficult to serve him?"
Wan Fa said with a straight face: "This is not an order from the big boss, but a request from the shopkeeper! You can do everything well now. The big boss will feel comfortable when he moves in. By then, everyone will have a better life, and maybe you can get some money." Isn’t it better for you to pay some rewards than to be scolded for your faults?”
Wanfa's internal statement is that the distinguished guest this time is actually the real boss of Chengfeng Hong, but the boss is low-key and does not want to make public, so he claims to the outside world that it is a businessman from Lingnan who has contracted Chengfeng Hong. If any of the guys fails to do what they are responsible for and is found out by the big boss, don't expect Wanfa, the shopkeeper, to come forward to protect his job. Of course, Wanfa has also made a wish to the guys. As long as the big boss's trip to Hangzhou goes well, he will increase their wages by 10%. Although the guys felt a little uneasy about the arrival of the big boss, for the sake of increased pay, they still obeyed Wan Fa's instructions and completed the reception preparations with all their heart.
Seeing that it was already past noon, Wan Fa gave another warning and took a waiter out of the store and went straight to the dock area by the Qiantang River to wait. According to the notification he had received before, Gong Shiqi's ship would probably arrive in Hangzhou this afternoon, so he had to come to the riverside early to wait. Of course, coming to the riverside in advance didn't mean just standing there and blowing the wind. He had to first contact the berth for the ship, hire a sedan, and the laborers and carts needed to unload the goods. After arranging these things, you can rest in the tea shop by the dock and wait peacefully for the arrival of your boss.
"Shopkeeper, the ship has arrived, wake up!"
Just as Wan Fa fell asleep waiting in the tea shop, the waiter waiting outside came in and woke him up. Wan Fa opened his eyes and asked the waiter to get a hot towel to wipe his face. Then he got up, packed his luggage and walked out of the tea shop quickly. After all, it had been a year ago since he last saw Gong Qiqi. He hoped that he could appear in the best possible condition in front of his boss so that he could have a better impression of him.
A fortune ship worth about 400 yuan was slowly approaching on the river. There was a flag hanging on the mast with the three characters "Haifeng" written on it. Haifenghao is actually not Haihan's property, but a trading company in Huizhou, Guangdong. Of course, this company has a close relationship with Haihan. It was one of the shareholders of "Qiong Lianfa" as early as when "Qiong Lianfa" was established, and it was also Haihan's office in Huizhou. The main agent in the region. Gong Shiqi borrowed the name of Huizhou Haifeng as a cover this time. He was from Lingnan himself, so he was even more comfortable playing the role of a wealthy southern businessman.
When the ship docked, the laborers and bearers on the shore were already in place. Wan Fa and his men stood respectfully on the dock, waiting for Gong Shiqi to appear. However, it was not Gong Qi who got off the boat first, but several of his bodyguards. After going down to the shore and observing the surroundings, he signaled to the boat. Then Wan Fa saw his boss, whom he had not seen for a year. Appear on the gangplank and walk steadily onto the shore.
"Boss, you've had a hard journey!" Wan Fa quickly walked over to help him knowingly. Although his body may not be as strong as Gong Qiqi's, he still had to make this gesture.
Gong Shiqi nodded and said: "You work hard too, are you always good?"
"Everything is fine, everything is fine!" Wan Fa knew that this was not the place to talk at the moment, so he quickly asked for instructions: "Boss, do you want to go back to the store to stay first?"
After receiving a positive answer, Wan Fa waved the sedan to come over, and then ordered the waiter to watch the laborers unloading the goods, while he followed the sedan and trotted all the way back to Chengfengxing. Fortunately, Chengfengxing is only two to three hundred meters away from the pier, so it doesn't take much effort.
Back at the store, Wan Fa personally took Gong Shiqi to the third room and stayed in the prepared wing in the yard. Gong Shiqi washed his face, drank tea, and then turned away from others, leaving Wan Fa alone.
"You've done a good job taking care of this place! It seems you've put a lot of thought into it, not bad, not bad!" Gong Shiqi praised Wan Fa as soon as he opened his mouth.
Wan Fa responded quickly: "It is your humble duty and responsibility. You don't dare to neglect it. You should do your best."
Gong Shiqi nodded slowly and said: "You have been here for a year. You are more familiar with the situation in Hangzhou City than I am. Have you done what I sent someone to tell you before?"
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Wan Fa responded: "Go back to the boss. After receiving the order four days ago, I immediately went to the city to find a suitable house. However, I am short of time. So far, I have only found two houses that meet your requirements. One is in the north of the city, and the other is in the south of the city. , If the boss is interested, he can go see the place tomorrow.”
Gong Shiqi said: "Please tell me about the conditions of these two houses first. Once I have a clear idea, I can make a decision sooner."
Wan Fa said: "The house in the south of the city is an old house. It is said to have been built during the Longqing period. Like Cheng Feng Xing, it also has a three-in courtyard, but the area is much larger. The owner who built the house at that time He is the supervising eunuch of the Hangzhou Weaving Bureau. This house is not far from the Weaving Yamen. Later, a businessman bought this house fifty years ago. Now the family is in trouble and plans to sell the house to raise money. , the asking price is 8,000 taels. The house in the east of the city is newer, built in the late Wanli period, but the house is a bit larger, with a six-yard courtyard, and the price is much higher. 30,000 taels a penny is quite a lot for these two houses. The transportation is quite convenient and the surroundings are quite peaceful.”
Gong Shiqi asked: "How far is it from that house in the north to the pier where the boat was parked just now?"
Wan Fa thought for a while and said: "About three miles."
"What about the south?" Gong Shiqi continued to ask. "It's almost twice the distance from here to the dock."
"Okay, let's go check out this house in the south tomorrow. If it's suitable, we'll make a decision." Gong Shiqi made a decision quickly.
Since there were only two houses to choose from, the main factor he considered was the distance to the riverside dock in the south of the city, because the main way for Hangzhou to maintain contact with Zhoushan Island during this operation was through the shortwave radio hidden on the lucky ship. . If the action team's location in the city is too far from the riverside pier, then the time spent transmitting intelligence along this route will increase each time, and the risk will increase accordingly.
From the house in the north to the pier here, you need to cross almost the entire city of Hangzhou. In Gong Shiqi's opinion, the risks during this period can be completely avoided. As for the price of the house, this will not be the main factor considered by the Ministry of Security. As long as it can facilitate the smooth implementation of the operation, both He Xi and Hao Wanqing will be generous with the necessary expenses.
However, Wanfa did not understand the real purpose of the Ministry of Security's eagerness to buy a house in Hangzhou. The instruction he received was to search for houses in the city that were eager to sell recently. The house should not be too new, the area should not be too small, and the area should not be too small. The good thing is a house that is more than thirty years old and has three courtyards. In addition, it can be delivered immediately after purchase, so there is no need to wait for the owner to move slowly.
This kind of order obviously has a strong purpose. Wanfa guessed that Gong Shiqi was planning some kind of action that was about to be implemented in Hangzhou, so he needed to temporarily purchase such a house as a base and command center. Just now Seeing that many of the people around Gong Qiqi at the dock were familiar faces from the field team, this confirmed his suspicion. However, he did not dare to ask Gong Shiqi for the inside story, because this was already beyond his authority.
Gong Shiqi said: "Are there any hidden dangers in these guys under you?"
Wan Fa shook his head and said: "They are all locals, and they are quite honest and obedient. The situation I explained to them was in accordance with the prescribed terms, so these guys want to work hard to show their performance and win your favor, boss."
Gong Shiqi smiled and said: "Forget it, for safety reasons, from now on, your guys should not enter this yard, so as not to leak the news. Go and see if all the people I brought are here. There are seventeen in total. Everyone, get ready for dinner when everyone is here!”
Wan Fa responded and immediately left. The laborers he hired at the dock have already delivered all the luggage of Gong Shiqi and his party on carts. Two carts full of wooden boxes are being delivered to the yard one by one by Gong Shiqi's men. When counting the number of people, I noticed that except for a few familiar faces from the field team, most of the people who came this time were actually people I had never seen before, and they were all strong young men. I couldn't help but I'm also a little confused as to why the Security Department, which has always been short on manpower, suddenly has so many extra manpower. As far as he knew about the Ministry of Security's establishment in Zhejiang, the field team did not have so many manpower.
However, Wan Fa didn't care to inquire about these details at the moment. He sent all his men to the front yard to prepare dinner, and then helped deliver these wooden boxes. There are two wing rooms on the east and west sides of the courtyard. Gong Shiqi lived in one. The remaining three rooms are probably a bit crowded to accommodate more than a dozen people. It may be necessary to temporarily add a few more beds in the main hall. .
After dinner, Wan Fa went back to his room to get Cheng Fengxing's account books, and then went to the backyard to ask for an audience with Gong Shiqi. Although his boss has not mentioned checking the accounts, Wanfa thinks it is better to be more conscious about this kind of thing. Anyway, the operating conditions of this place are not bad, and there are no shady problems in the accounts. Wanfa thinks this can be used as a channel to do so. It should be beneficial to you to communicate more with your boss.
Gong Shiqi is actually not very interested in the operating conditions of Chengfeng Bank, but his subordinates have taken out the account books themselves, so he still has to look through them out of responsibility. Gong Shiqi saw that the accounts were well organized, and judging from the account figures, Chengfeng Bank had made a slight profit in this year's operation, and had recovered nearly half of the fee paid to the previous owner to take over the business. It also shows Wanfa’s intentions during the operation of this place.
After reading it, Gong Shiqi closed the account book and said to Wan Fa pleasantly: "You did a good job. I will truthfully report the situation on your side to Minister Hao when I return to Zhoushan."
Wan Fa responded in surprise: "So Minister Hao has also arrived in Zhoushan?"
Gong Shiqi had no intention of concealing the news. He nodded and said, "Minister Hao is here to supervise important matters in person. He will probably stay for a month or two before leaving."
Wan Fagu murmured: "This is a humble position... I wonder if I am lucky... to be able to go back to Zhoushan to see Minister Hao?"
Gong Shiqi could roughly guess what Wan Fa was thinking, and nodded and said: "I will consider this matter. You first help me handle the matter in Hangzhou properly. If it is done well, then I will arrange for you to go back to Zhoushan to report to Hao The minister reported the work in person. ”
"Thank you, boss!" Wan Fa responded quickly. A lower-level intelligence officer like him may not get this opportunity to meet the big boss in a few years. If he can meet him once and get a few words of praise, then his promotion in the future will definitely be much smoother. .
Gong Shiqi said: "You are here just in time. I have a map of Hangzhou City. Please point me to the important places in the city first."
After saying that, Gong Shiqi took out a map and spread it on the table. The map showed the general distribution of neighborhoods in Hangzhou City. It was drawn according to the top, north, south, left, east, right and west. The ten outer city gates were marked on it. It passes through the main water veins in the city and is the location of some of the main government offices in the city.
Although this map was not drawn by Wan Fa, he has lived here for a year and visited Hangzhou City at least fifty or sixty times. The general distribution of neighborhoods in the city is relatively clear. At that moment, he slowly recalled and explained to Gong Qiqi the names and environmental characteristics of the city's neighborhoods. Gong Shiqi took a pen and paper and wrote down the key points he said one by one, and added notes on the map from time to time.
(End of chapter)