Chapter 2: This peddler is not simple

Chen Zikun started his journey alone, and he first went to the barber stall next to Lincheng Railway Station to get his hair.

It was early May, and the weather was getting warmer, and the business of shaving the heads was good. A barber in his fifties was busy shaving his head and shaving his face and greeting guests. He was very quick and he was an expert at first glance. In the shade next to him, there were seven or eight idle men squatting, waiting to shave their heads while talking nonsense.

Everyone suddenly saw an officer in a well-equipped military uniform coming and suddenly remained silent. Chen Zikun was very kind, took out a cigarette and dispersed it, and said in the Lu Nan accent she had just learned, "Master, are you shaving your head."

Everyone held the cigarette roll under their noses and sniffed it, nodding in a hurry. The foreign cigarette is still rare in Lincheng, and they are reluctant to smoke it.

"Sir, do you want to shave your head or shave your face?" asked the barber politely. The chief has a raw face and his military uniform is different from that of the local officers and soldiers. It seems that he has just come from the capital. The master dares not neglect it. The guest sitting on the chair is also very sensible and wants to let him get up, but Chen Zikun stopped him: "I'm not busy shave my head. There will always be someone who comes first and then. I'll wait, it's okay."

Seeing that the chief was so kind, everyone relaxed. Someone used foreign fire to help Chen Zikun light a cigarette. The atmosphere was much more harmonious. Chen Zikun squatted at the base of the wall, his movements were naturally unpretentious. He started chatting with these idle men, and naturally involved the big robbery that had just happened. Although he did not get a clear clue, he also gained a lot of information, such as the attitude of the local people towards bandits and officers and soldiers, and their position on the big robbery.

Finally it was Chen Zikun's turn to shave his head. The barber looked at his shiny, slim head and didn't dare to put the scissors, and hesitated: "Sir, do you really want to shave it?"

"It's cool and easy to shaved." Chen Zikun said with a smile.

As the knife cuts wandered, Chen Zikun's hair fell down in a ball. It was easy to shave his head, it was enough in minutes. The master took a sharp razor and rubbed it twice on the shiny leather strip, preparing to shave his scalp, but Chen Zikun said, "That's it, there's no need to shave it." After that, he untied the cloth, shook it twice, took out a big son and handed it over: "Thank you."

"Oh, sir, you are so polite. I should thank you." The master was at a loss by his polite behavior. The local military master was never so polite. He would not say that he had shave his head in vain, and he might have to extort money.

"Master, let's go." Chen Zikun bowed and said goodbye to the idle men. The idle men also greeted him one by one, all of whom were complacent and could speak to the high-ranking officials in the capital, and that this kind of cowhide could be bragged for half a year.

Chen Zikun shaved his head and wandered around the street. Lincheng was no more than Beijing. It was a very small place. There were only a few houses on the street, plus a train station, which was the whole town. However, he really found the person he wanted to find.

He was a peddler walking around the streets and alleys, carrying a carry and strolling around the streets and alleys in Lincheng, with a rumor in his mouth. Shandong people are tall. Although this kid is not as tall as Chen Zikun, he is still a big man. Chen Zikun was overjoyed when he saw this, it was him.

Chen Zikun brought the peddler back to the hotel where he stayed. This hotel was run by Zhongxing Coal Mine. The best hotels in Lincheng are counted here. When the peddler saw that the military and police were densely packed in the hotel, he was scared and shivered when he walked. Chen Zikun took him back to his room, took out a few silver dollars and threw it over: "I have bought all the things in your pick."

The peddler's eyes lit up, picked up Yinyang, blew it, put it in his ears and listened. This was the real Yuan Datou, buzzing crisply.

"Zhong, Zhong, is not worth so much." The peddler was a honest man. He only took two dollars and handed the rest back. It was no wonder that he jumped in. Although he didn't look at the many things in his jump, he was all gadgets such as needles, threads, brains, and small round mirrors, fire, wax, candy, and other gadgets. Three cents are not worth two cents, and he relied on ants to make a living by making a small profit from moving.

Chen Zikun didn't accept the money and said, "I also want to buy your clothes, pickups, and rattles."

The peddler thought for a while, then gritted his teeth and agreed: "Zhong!"

"Also, please report the price of these things and sing the rumor that just now." Chen Zikun took out a few copper coins and handed them over.

Half an hour later, a brand new peddler took a load and went straight to the northeast. The peddler was naturally pretended to be Chen Zikun. He shaved his head, put a piece of plaster on his face, and black mud was covered in the cracks of his fingers. He walked vigorously with a shoulder pole and hummed the little widow's grave. He looked happy and energetic, and he was like a hawker wandering in the countryside.

Although there were already storms and the atmosphere was so tense that it was breathless, the countryside of southern Shandong was still a peaceful and peaceful pastoral scenery. Apart from the soldiers carrying guns from time to time, it was impossible to believe that a robbery that had just happened here that shocked the world.

Chen Zikun advanced along the route of the officers and soldiers' pursuit, and his ability to track it came in handy again. Although the scene had almost been destroyed, he still found some useful traces, some barefoot prints of particularly large sizes. Usually, the Chinese footprints were not so big, and the feet were wider and thicker, so these footprints should be left by Western hostages.

Outside a forest, Chen Zikun also found traces of fighting. There were a small number of shells left on the ground, including the shells of the Hanyang Type 79 rifle made by the officers and soldiers, as well as the left traces of the bandits. What is puzzling is that the shells left by the bandits were shells of the 6.5-caliber Tomosaka bullet made in Japan, and there were a large number.

It seems that the people in the Sixth Mixed Brigade are right. The bandits' firepower is even more fierce than that of the officers and soldiers. Chen Zikun used a Japanese-made gold hook rifle when he was in Kanto. The Japanese's weapons are highly accurate, with small bullet diameters and small recoils. They can be considered good guns. However, where did the bandits come from so many Japanese-made rifles? Shandong is not Kanto, so they can't get Japanese weapons. Could it be that the bandits robbed them from the Japanese army stationed in Jinan, Qingdao? This is even more unreliable.

With deep doubts, Chen Zikun continued to walk forward and saw the officers and soldiers blocking the road from afar. The soldiers in gray cloth uniforms were cross-body with rifles and blocking the road. However, this was not a problem for Chen Zikun. He followed the locals easily across the blockade from the ridge of the field and entered the next village.

As soon as the peddler entered the village, the child surrounded him first. Chen Zikun cleared his throat and shook the rattle and started singing: "Three pounds of apples and two pounds of pears, only two piles of skin left after eating; Zhang Fei bought a horse, Zhang Fei rode, Guan Gong was anxious if he didn't buy it..." The peddler came to the village, and his sister-in-law and daughter-in-law all went out, holding his hair and rotten cloth to change needles and threads. Now Chen Zikun caught him blindly, but he didn't know the market conditions, but fortunately the people here are simple, and there is not so much bargaining between transactions, so he can fool him.

Chen Zikun, who was surrounded by women and children, was selling goods while inquiring about the situation. He pretended to be homely and accidentally led the topic to the train robbery. What disappointed him was that the villagers had no idea about the outside world and did not care about it. Instead, there was a man in his thirties who was squatting on the earthen wall not far away, smoking a pipe and staring at him non-stop.

Suddenly a sister-in-law asked, "Why didn't Wang Laosan come? This is his pickup, I recognize it."

Chen Zikun’s ability to adapt to the situation was not a good thing. He immediately continued: “The third brother is sick, I am his cousin, I will serve him.”

My sister-in-law just said it casually and naturally passed by perfunctorily. When she looked at the man on the other side of the earthen wall, she was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Zikun had a scheming in his mind.

After selling a bunch of needles and threads, Chen Zikun walked towards the back of the village with a load. He could detect someone following behind him, but he continued to move forward without showing any silence. When he walked into the sorghum field, a big man jumped out of the front, with a short dress, a hero belt tied around his waist, a box gun, and a red silk tied to the handle of the gun.

Chen Zikun pretended to be panic, left the cart and turned around and left. A person jumped out from behind. It was the man in the village who had been staring at him for a long time, with a smug smile like a hunter on his face.

There was a blockade in front and a pursuer behind. Chen Zikun calmed down and clasped his fists and said loudly: "Two heroes, thank you for your hard work."

He suddenly made such a move, and the two bandits were stunned. They said it was hard to meet, and they must be the world. This peddler is probably not easy.

"What are you doing?" shouted the man with a gun.

"I'm here to redeem people." Chen Zikun said.

"Who do you redeem for?" The man with a gun turned his eyes, as if he was a little surprised.

"Our copycat had a big deal the day before yesterday. One of the tickets was my woman. I came to redeem people with money." Chen Zikun was also open-minded and said his purpose straight to the point.

The man looked him up and down: "Are you not a spy from the official army?"

"no."

"Xiaopo, search him." The man said, pressing his hand on the handle of the gun.

The man stepped forward and searched every part of Chen Zikun's body skillfully, and naturally found nothing. He shook his head silently.

"Who do you redeem for if you didn't bring the money?" The man with a gun suddenly turned cold.

Chen Zikun was not afraid at all and smiled: "I just came from Beijing. I don't know the rules of the precious land. I am also afraid of walking in the wrong mountain gate, admitting the wrong person, and seeing people, I will naturally have money."

The man looked at him up and down for a long time, and his face was unstable. Chen Zikun always faced him calmly, smiling as if he was harmless.

"Okay, I'll take you to see you, but I'll tie you up and cover you with my eyes." said the man.

"Boss, I understand, this is the rule." Chen Zikun cooperated and stretched out his hand, allowing the other party to tie him up, and a black cloth was covered with his face. He led him over mountains and ridges and circled around. After walking for half an hour, he finally arrived at his destination.

Chen Zikun was hung for ten minutes first, and suddenly heard a mess of footsteps. It seemed that many people had come over, and then a thunderous sound was shouting angrily: "Why did you bring a spy? It's going to collapse!"
Chapter completed!