Chapter 11: Helping Deliver the Codebook

The next day, Wang Li didn’t wake up until mid-morning. After freshening up, she planned to go out for a walk, but first decided to check inside her space—what exactly was that book the man shoved into her hands yesterday?

Something about it tugged at her instincts. She had a gut feeling the book was important. But why would that man give it to her? Did he somehow recognize that she wasn’t from this world? Heh.

No use overthinking it—better to take a look first. It was just a little notebook and didn’t appear particularly special.

“Ah?”

There was a slip of paper tucked inside. On it was a message:

(Zhonglou Street, Lin Xiang Zhai. Order a few dishes first. No point ordering too much if you’re alone. Spicy tofu, a bowl of noodles—make sure to ask for chili.)

Wang Li stared at it from every angle. Wasn’t this just instructions for eating out? What was that supposed to mean?

Confused but unwilling to dwell on it, she decided to head out and stroll around.

As soon as she stepped outside, she saw the others gathered by the front gate, discussing their plans for the day. Liu family’s son, being familiar with Taiyuan, wanted to take his mother to visit the Young Master’s residence.

Wang Li thought they were utterly foolish.

“Come inside first.”

Once everyone had gathered in the room and sat down, Wang Li looked at them seriously. “How could you forget everything I told you about coming into the city? Your Young Master—no one even knows if he’s alive or dead. We don’t know what happened or why. And you want to just walk up to his door without quietly investigating first? That’s basically asking to die! Did you forget how you escaped in the first place? Do you have a death wish? Seriously—why do you never listen?”

She was beyond exhausted. Why couldn’t these people use their heads?

Turning to the Liu family woman, she instructed, “Take your son and scout around near the Young Master’s residence first. See if the gatekeeper is someone you recognize. Don’t go directly to the house. Go across the street instead, buy something from a shop, and casually ask the clerks about the house opposite—pretend you’re asking about someone else’s home, not the Young Master’s. Understand what I mean?”

The mother and son pair shook their heads in unison and replied, “No.”

Wang Li pressed her fingers to her forehead. Fine. If they didn’t get it, they didn’t get it.

“You two—don’t say anything unnecessary. If anyone asks, just say you’re looking for relatives and haven’t found them yet, so you’re thinking of renting a place nearby to search slowly. Do not reveal that you know the Young Master. In times like these, if someone accuses you of being Communist, they’ll haul you away immediately. Got that?”

“Mm-hmm, we understand.”

“I’ll give each of you two silver coins. Buy whatever you want—food, snacks. I’ll get clothes for you myself. Sanniu, you take Han Ya with you, and don’t lose her. I’ve got more important matters to deal with, so I won’t be bringing her along today.”

“Madam, isn’t that a bit too much? Just staying at the inn yesterday and buying some things already cost thirteen silver coins. What if Laoye finds out—won’t he blame you?”

“It’s fine. Just go. Be careful. Watch the road when you’re outside. If you can’t find your way back, ask for directions to the Zhengda Restaurant.”

Two separate matters were now in motion…In the basement of a residential house on Qiaotou Street, a man sat with a gunshot wound in his arm and another in his leg. Neither wound was life-threatening. He had managed to escape yesterday and already removed the bullets, but today, impatience crept into his voice as he spoke to another team member.

“I wonder if Mingyu’s stepmother managed to deliver the codebook to the manager of Lin Xiang Zhai.”

The other man, Chen Liuzi, replied, “I heard his stepmother’s a rural woman. She can’t even read. You didn’t even tell her what the book was for. Can she really deliver it?”

“There was no other choice. The plan was to meet the contact from the tailor shop and hand over the codebook. But when I approached the place and saw plainclothes agents everywhere, I didn’t dare go in. I think someone betrayed us. Those agents had my photo—once they didn’t see me enter, they started hunting me down. I ran for my life and barely made it out. The shopkeeper is only to be activated in the most urgent of circumstances. But right now, we’ve been sold out and have no way out. We’re new here and don’t have any connections. This basement was one Mingyu bought in advance. Luckily, he brought me here once. Poor Mingyu’s big brother and father—they were captured and tortured to death just a few days after being taken.”

“Yeah… thank goodness Mingyu wasn’t home—he was out on a mission.”

“This afternoon, change your clothes and go take a look across from Lin Xiang Zhai. Be cautious—check your surroundings before and after. Don’t let anyone tail you. If Mingyu’s stepmother shows up, make sure those agents don’t recognize her.”

“Got it.”

Meanwhile, Wang Li had gone to check out a small two-story house on Qiaotou Street. It was registered under the name of the First Madam. Since no one had been able to contact Laoye and the First Madam had died long ago, there shouldn’t be any problem selling it, right?

She stopped to eat a basket of dumplings and a bowl of soup first.

“This dumpling shop is pretty famous—even in modern times, it’s well-known,” she murmured.

She figured she should get rid of that hot potato of a notebook before continuing to shop—something about it made her uneasy.

Wang Li ducked into a small alley, entered her space, and pulled out a gray robe from the pile of clothes she had bought before transmigrating. She changed into it, put on a wig, a formal hat, dabbed some yellowish wax makeup on her face, stuck on a small mustache, donned a pair of glasses, and picked up a black leather briefcase from the 1940s—perfect disguise.

After confirming the coast was clear, she stepped out and hailed a rickshaw to head toward Lin Xiang Zhai. Despite the wartime chaos, Taiyuan’s city center remained lively. Zhonglou Street was bustling—snack vendors, cigarette sellers shouting, “Cigarettes, cigarettes, Meili brand cigarettes!”—it was impossible to tell who might be a plainclothes agent.

What now? No use hesitating—she decided to go in and eat first. Maybe something would come to her.

As soon as she sat down, a waiter approached for her order.

Wang Li said, “Bring me some of your lighter dishes first, and a pot of tea.”

She glanced around. The shopkeeper hadn’t shown up yet. She finished an entire dish, but still saw no sign of the manager—nor any suspicious people. What now?

Maybe it would be safer to rent a place across the street from Lin Xiang Zhai. No matter what, her life mattered most. It wasn’t easy to survive this long.

Just as she was about to pay the bill and leave, the shopkeeper hurried in, panting. She heard the waiter call out, “Shopkeeper?” That confirmed it.

Wang Li hesitated. The man didn’t look like a bad person. But now that she’d already eaten, bringing up the codebook would seem strange. Then again, if she didn’t say anything, how would she hand it over?

She thought quickly and said in a man’s voice, “Excuse me—sorry for the rudeness—I was just wondering, could you take me to the lavatory?”

She glanced around and, seeing no one nearby, added meaningfully, “When I come out, I’d like to order spicy tofu and a bowl of noodles—make sure it’s extra spicy.”

The shopkeeper gave her a look and said, “You’re eating all that alone?”

After glancing around, he quietly led Wang Li to the back. As soon as they entered a room, the man became visibly excited.

“Comrade, are you new to the area?”

Wang Li responded, “Shopkeeper comrade, I’m not one of you. I don’t even know that man—no idea why he gave this to me.” She quickly pulled out the notebook and slip of paper, handing them over. “I just arrived in Taiyuan yesterday. I saw the Japanese troops arresting people in the street. A man ran past me and shoved this into my hands. I was so scared I nearly threw it away, but I stuffed it into my bag before anyone could see. I couldn’t sleep all night. I wasn’t sure if it was meant for you, so I came to check. Anyway, I’m handing this over now—I’m done here. Goodbye.”

Before the shopkeeper could react, Wang Li had already fled. She wandered the streets for a while, buying two full sets of clothing—inside and out—for everyone. She figured, since they hadn’t found Laoye yet, they’d probably have to take the train. Better to dress decently so no one would mess with them. After buying lots of snacks, she headed back to the restaurant.