Chapter 139: The Burlap Sack Business

"Do you have any other properties?" Chen Wenqi asked after the car pulled out of West Fuxing Road.

"Yes, an apartment I used to live in when I was stationed at the Military Statistics Shanghai Station last year, but that place isn't suitable for us to go to right now."

"Unsuitable or not, we have to go. We can't use the safe houses for the time being, and we need somewhere to put people."

Guided by Li Wensheng, the car approached the vicinity of Corbeil Road at around one o'clock.

Corbeil Road was of great importance to the French Concession.

Banks, trading firms, and chambers of commerce lined the street, all of substantial scale. If all the businesses on this road were to go bankrupt, the economy of the French Concession would plummet by at least a third.

Under Li Wensheng's direction, the car turned into Corbeil Third Lane, rounded a corner, drove for a few minutes along a road wide enough for two compact cars to pass side by side, and parked in a secluded corner.

"I used to live in that apartment building over there."

Li Wensheng pointed toward the front left, at a six-story Western-style apartment building.

Most of the residents in that building were senior executives from the major companies on Corbeil Road.

With generous compensation and families who didn't need to work, people were constantly coming and going from the apartment building even at midday.

Chen Wenqi looked at the pedestrians coming and going in front of the building and frowned, saying, "What made you think of living here in the first place? This place is completely unsuitable for an operative's residence."

"It's precisely because it's unsuitable that I lived here."

Chen Wenqi turned to look at Li Wensheng. "Doing the complete opposite—ordinary people would never guess you'd live here. But now we have a problem; the traffic in and out of this place practically never stops."

Li Wensheng pondered for a moment, then took a key from inside his coat—or rather, retrieved it from the system space—and handed it to Chen Wenqi.

"You go up first, Room 506. I haven't been back here since I returned from Japan, and there are still plenty of clothes inside. Help me bring a set down. As for how to get the captives up, let me change my clothes first."

"Alright." Chen Wenqi took the key, got out of the car, and walked toward the apartment building ahead.

A moment later, Chen Wenqi emerged from the apartment carrying a suitcase.

"Here." After getting back into the car, Chen Wenqi handed the case to Li Wensheng, then opened the door and stepped out, pressing her back against the car window to keep watch on the surroundings.

Li Wensheng opened the suitcase and changed into a suit that smelled faintly of mildew.

Once he had changed his clothes and shoes, Li Wensheng used an unstained part of his discarded garments to wipe the blood from his face and hair.

Then, he stuffed the blood-stained clothes and shoes into the suitcase and got out of the car.

Walking over to Chen Wenqi, Li Wensheng said in a low voice, "Get in the car and keep watch. I'll carry Liu Liping up and test the waters."

Chen Wenqi thought for a moment and handed the key to Li Wensheng. "Be careful. If anything feels wrong, turn back immediately. Don't harbor any wishful thinking. There are plenty of foreigners living here, and once a foreigner calls the police, the police station won't dare drag their feet. One search could easily lead them right to Room 506 and straight to you."

"Don't worry."

Li Wensheng took the key, opened the rear door, lifted the burlap sack containing Liu Liping from beneath Chen Wennan, and walked toward the apartment building.

The layout of this apartment building was similar to a primary or secondary school teaching building from the twenty-first century—a row of rooms fronted by a straight, well-lit corridor.

The staircase leading upward was located right at the main entrance.

Just as Li Wensheng reached the stairway, a foreign woman in her twenties was walking down from upstairs.

When the foreign woman saw Li Wensheng, she immediately stopped in her tracks and gazed in astonishment at the burlap sack in his hands.

It wasn't that she could tell there was a person inside; rather, she was shocked by the mere fact that it was a burlap sack.

Though the residents here might not belong to the absolute upper class, they were all upper-middle class. Who would ever use such crude burlap sacks?

Noticing this, Li Wensheng hoisted the sack in his hand and smiled at the foreign woman. "Madam, have you never seen a bag like this?"

"Excuse me." The woman quickly withdrew her gaze and apologized.

Then, with an awkward smile, she said, "I've seen them, but only on the streets and at the docks."

"My beautiful lady, let me tell you, this kind of bag is called a burlap sack. It's very durable, and during wartime in ancient China, supplies were transported using these. Foreign countries have burlap sacks too, but Chinese burlap sacks are much cheaper to produce. If Chinese burlap sacks were introduced to Britain, America, or even the rest of the world, someone could make a fortune. You live here, so your family must be in either trade or banking. If you're in trade, we could cooperate. I'll handle the goods, and you can introduce Chinese burlap sacks to the world. By then, we'll make a huge fortune."

The more Li Wensheng talked, the more excited he became, stepping closer and closer until the foreign woman was thoroughly frightened.

"If your family isn't in trade, that's fine too. As long as you know foreign merchants, we can cooperate. You—"

"No, no, I don't do business, thank you."

Terrified, the foreign woman cut Li Wensheng off, turned around, and hurried up the stairs.

Watching the flustered foreign woman retreat, Li Wensheng smiled, then strode after her, shouting, "My beautiful lady, this business venture is guaranteed to make a huge profit! Think about it!"

Hearing Li Wensheng give chase, the foreign woman panicked even more and ran faster.

Perhaps the heavens were helping Li Wensheng; the foreign woman actually lived on the sixth floor.

The foreign woman ran upward while Li Wensheng pursued her from behind, still shouting at the top of his lungs, "My beautiful lady, think about it! This is a great business opportunity!"

The people he passed on the way upstairs assumed Li Wensheng was earnestly trying to pitch a business partnership to the foreign woman ahead, so they didn't find his behavior particularly strange. Chinese people asking foreigners for business opportunities was a common occurrence in this apartment building; it was just that Li Wensheng's approach was a bit unusual—bringing a burlap sack along to pitch a partnership.

Reaching the fifth floor, Li Wensheng stopped and called out to the foreign woman, who was continuing her ascent to the upper floor, "My beautiful lady, which apartment on the sixth floor do you live in? I'd like to drop by for a visit."

Patter, patter, patter. Li Wensheng's words only made the foreign woman run faster, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished from his sight.

Listening to the hurried footsteps fading away, Li Wensheng wore a triumphant, mischievous smile on his face, then walked toward Room 506.

He unlocked the door and stepped into the dust-filled room.

Carrying Liu Liping into the bedroom, he tipped him out of the burlap sack, then walked out with the empty sack in hand.

Leaving the apartment and returning to the car, Li Wensheng said to Chen Wenqi—who had stepped out the moment she saw him emerge—"It's all clear."

All clear? Chen Wenqi was deeply curious, but this wasn't the time to ask such questions. She nodded, stepped up to assist Li Wensheng, and resumed watching the surroundings.

Opening the back door of the car, Li Wensheng delivered a sharp chop to the back of Feng Jingyun's neck, knocking him unconscious.

After bundling Feng Jingyun up, Li Wensheng picked up another burlap sack previously confiscated from Liu Liping's home and stuffed Chen Wennan inside.

With a burlap sack in each hand, Li Wensheng and Chen Wenqi walked toward the apartment building together.

The commotion Li Wensheng had caused earlier while chasing the foreign woman had already started spreading.

The people they encountered on the way upstairs saw Li Wensheng carrying two burlap sacks and mostly wondered if he was a fool—who delivered gifts using burlap sacks?

Some felt it was strange, but before they could look too closely, Li Wensheng scared them off with his spiel about the burlap sack business.

Arriving at the fifth floor and entering Room 506, Li Wensheng shut the door behind them, and Chen Wenqi finally burst into giggles, unable to hold back any longer.

Seeing Chen Wenqi laugh continuously—even when he came out from the bedroom, she was still there, squatting and chuckling—Li Wensheng said helplessly, "Is it really that funny?"

Chen Wenqi's laughter gradually subsided, but perhaps she had laughed a bit too hard; as she stood up, she found herself slightly out of breath.

After catching her breath, she smiled brightly and said, "No, how on earth did you come up with the idea of scaring people with a burlap sack business?"

"Improvisation. Let's go, let's head out for a meal. Once we're done eating, we still have to go kidnap Wang Qingming."