"What's the situation with your comrade? Tell me about it..."
After finishing their meal, Zhuang Rui and Hao Long sat in the gatehouse's monitoring room.
"That kid's name is Peng Fei. He's not from the special forces division. He's a comrade I met while on a mission on the border. His military skills are outstanding, much better than mine. If it were wartime, he would definitely be a top soldier. It's just that he ran into a little trouble during one of his missions. Boss, please don't misunderstand. Sigh, I've already told you everything."
When Hao Long got to this point, he hesitated for a moment, but considering Zhuang Rui's relationship with the teacher, those so-called military secrets didn't seem to matter much.
As if recalling past experiences, Hao Long lowered his head and pondered for a while before continuing, "Once, when we were chasing a drug trafficking gang on the Thai-Myanmar border, one of our comrades unfortunately sacrificed his life. Later, after we caught the gang, Peng Fei executed all six of them. Because of this, he almost faced a military court-martial, but he was still forced to retire. He was a lieutenant at the time, but he wasn't even considered for demobilization..."
"Are you still in contact with him? Also, what kind of person is he?"
Zhuang Rui became somewhat interested in Peng Fei, whom Hao Long had mentioned, but he didn't want to have a powder keg next to him. According to Hao Long's story, Peng Fei seemed to have a very fiery temper.
“Boss, Peng Fei isn’t a bloodthirsty person. You don’t know, our comrade who sacrificed his life was tortured to death. When we found his body, there wasn’t a single piece of intact flesh on his body. Those people were beasts. Even if Peng Fei hadn’t done it, we would have done it…”
Thinking of his fallen comrades, Hao Long became emotional, his eyes reddened, and his eyes were already misty.
Hao Long's emotions also affected Zhuang Rui. He patted Hao Long on the shoulder and said in a deep voice, "What is Peng Fei doing right now?"
Hao Long lowered his head, wiped his tears with his sleeve, and said, "He's from Beijing, but I think he's from Daxing. After he came back, he worked as a security guard for a while, but he couldn't stand those things, so he quit. Now he's a loader at the freight yard."
At this point, Hao Long raised his head, looked at Zhuang Rui with bloodshot eyes, and said, "Boss, I can guarantee with my integrity that Peng Fei is absolutely outstanding. With his skills, making money would be too easy for him, but he hasn't gone astray. If you really want to hire someone, give him a chance..."
A few days ago, Hao Long asked Zhuang Rui for half a day off to visit Peng Fei. In the freezing weather, Peng Fei was working in the freight yard wearing only a single layer of clothing. Hao Long saw that Peng Fei's shoulders were covered with red marks and bloodstains from being squeezed by the goods, and he felt very sorry for his old comrade-in-arms.
Chapter 428 King of Soldiers (Part 2)
Hao Long and Peng Fei only had contact for a little over a month. However, Hao Long knew that the total value of the drugs and weapons Peng Fei had seized over the years exceeded several hundred million yuan. Among them were drug dealers who had been arrested who had promised Peng Fei a certain amount of money if he let them go, but without exception, Peng Fei refused them all.
It can be said that given Peng Fei's familiarity with the border, if he wanted to make money, he could simply go to the border and wander around. He wouldn't even need to traffic drugs himself. He could easily make hundreds of thousands of dollars just by double-crossing other people. He wouldn't need to do hard labor here at all.
"Boss, if you agree to let Peng Fei come, I don't mind if my salary is reduced a little more..."
Hao Long looked at Zhuang Rui with anticipation. Although he was a few years older than Peng Fei, his military skills were far inferior. When he first arrived at the border, he encountered danger several times, and Peng Fei saved him each time. It could be said that the two had a life-or-death friendship.
Are you familiar with his family situation?
Zhuang Rui did not readily agree. For him, the security personnel had to be trustworthy. If they were dishonest, the stronger their abilities, the more trouble he would suffer. If Hao Long hadn't been introduced by Ouyang Lei, Zhuang Rui wouldn't have hired him so easily.
"He said he only has one younger sister, and the two siblings depend on each other for survival. He doesn't like to talk much about his family. Last time I had a meal with him and then came back, without asking any further questions..."
Hao Long had only asked Zhuang Rui for a few hours off a few days ago, and he was also thinking about the house. He met Peng Fei once, had a meal, and then rushed back without talking much. In his previous interactions, Peng Fei was also a rather taciturn person who had never talked about his family.
"You know his house, right? Let's go check it out sometime before deciding..."
Through Hao Long's account, Zhuang Rui gained a general impression of Peng Fei and felt quite sorry for his fate. As a lieutenant officer in the special forces, he had a promising future, but he ended up in such a state because he killed a few drug dealers, which was quite a waste.
"I know. I know where he lives. Shall we go now?"
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Hao Long was overjoyed and immediately stood up, ready to leave at any moment.
"Now?"
Zhuang Rui gave a wry smile. He had said he would have time to go and take a look, but it was already past eight o'clock. He hadn't expected Hao Long to be so impatient.
Hao Long scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and said, "Oh, boss, I'm sorry, I was in too much of a rush. Going tomorrow is fine too..."
Zhuang Rui really admired Hao Long's personality. He was straightforward and without guile, saying whatever came to mind. Most people who had just returned from the army were like that, with pure hearts like a blank sheet of paper.
"Tomorrow won't work, it's my grandfather's birthday, I can't get away. How far is his house from here? If not, let's go now. I probably won't have time tomorrow or the day after..."
Zhuang Rui thought about it for a moment. Since he had nothing to do that night, he might as well make the trip. If Peng Fei was really a good person, it was worth it for him to go and see for himself.
"Okay, Peng Fei and his sister rent an apartment in Fengtai District. It's not far from the railway freight yard; it'll only take about forty minutes to get there..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui agree to go now, Hao Long, who had just sat down, stood up again, his face full of excitement.
"Look, I've had a few drinks today, so you can drive. The car has an automatic navigation system..."
After greeting Ouyang Long and the others at the Intermediate People's Court, Zhuang Rui led Hao Long into the garage and casually tossed the keys over. Although he hadn't drunk much alcohol today, he had been too excited at a certain point in his life and was now feeling a bit tired.
"Boss, we're here. He said he was staying here. I'll go downstairs and ask someone..."
About half an hour later, after crossing a train track, Hao Long stopped the car.
"Let's go down together..."
Zhuang Rui glanced out the window. There were rows of single-story houses, probably a small village. It was less than a kilometer away from the train tracks, and he could hear the rumble of the train passing by from time to time.
There were no streetlights here, and Zhuang Rui and Hao Long walked towards the village, their feet sinking into the snow, relying on the faint light reflected from the snow and the lights from some houses in the distance.
Zhuang Rui observed that the houses here were likely built by the village specifically for rental purposes. The houses were all low, and the ground was not paved with cement. Once the snow melted, it would probably become a muddy mess.
"Boss, please wait a moment, let me go ask first, I've never been here before..."
Hao Long felt a little embarrassed. He had brought Zhuang Rui along, but he didn't know Peng Fei's exact address, and the guy didn't even have a cell phone. If he couldn't find him today, he would have acted too hastily.
"Knock knock, knock knock knock..."
Hao Long knocked on the door of a house with its lights on at the entrance of the village.
"Who is it? What are you knocking on in this freezing weather?"
With a man's gruff voice, the door was pulled open from the inside, and a burly man with a full beard stood in front of the door, his breath reeking of alcohol, looking at Hao Long and Zhuang Rui standing not far away with a wary expression.
As the door opened, a noisy commotion emanated from inside; it seemed there were quite a few people inside, drinking.
"Excuse me, sir, I'm asking you about someone. Do you know Peng Fei?"
Hao Long had been back in his hometown for a few months and knew that he should offer cigarettes to people before meeting them. He took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes that Zhuang Rui had given him for internal use, took one out, and handed it over.
"Peng Fei? Never heard of him. What does he look like? How old is he?"
The man glanced at the Zhonghua cigarette in his hand, and his expression softened.
"Not very tall. About 1.72 meters, looks a bit thin, 25 years old this year, doesn't talk much, works as a porter in the freight yard of the West Railway Station..."
Hao Long gave the man a detailed description of Peng Fei's appearance.
"Brother, the people living here all work at the freight yard. There are about seventy or eighty of them. Look at my room, there are several like the ones you described. They're really hard to find..."
Upon hearing Hao Long's words, the man looked troubled. The porters at the freight yard were all young men, and they mostly called each other by nicknames. The person Hao Long mentioned didn't have any distinctive features, and he couldn't remember him for a moment.
"Oh, right, he also has a younger sister, about seven or eight years old. The two siblings live together. Brother, please think about it again..."
Hao Long, upon thinking of this, quickly spoke up and casually stuffed the newly opened pack of cigarettes into the bearded man's hand.
"He's talking about that hard rock, right? The one who's always buried in his work and never talks? He lives with his sister and never goes out to play."
Someone inside the house heard Hao Long's words and shouted out.
"Oh, now that you mention it, there really is such a person. Go inside, the first room around the corner is it."
"Okay, thanks big brother."
After finding out where Peng Fei lived, Hao Long led Zhuang Rui inside. The weather was a bit cold this month, and eight out of ten households had turned off their lights and gone to sleep.
The two stopped in front of the house the man had pointed out. The people inside didn't seem to be asleep yet, as a faint light could be seen through the crack in the window.
"Peng Fei, Brother Peng Fei. Are you inside? It's me, Hao Long!"
The door creaked open!
The door opened with a bang, and a figure blocked the light inside, making it difficult for Zhuang Rui, who was standing outside, to see clearly. He could only sense that the person was not very tall.
"Hao Long? How did you get here? Quick, come in..."
When the man saw Hao Long, a look of surprise appeared on his face, and he pulled Hao Long into the house.
"Wait, I came with the boss. Mr. Zhuang, please come in first."
Hao Long turned around and called out to Zhuang Rui.
"Oh, then come in together..."
Peng Fei released Hao Long and went back into the house first. He said to a very thin girl sitting at the table, "Ya Ya, I'll teach you how to do your homework later. Come on, sit on the bed and make room for Brother Hao Long..."
"Hello, brothers..."
The little girl in front of the table stood up, greeted Zhuang Rui and Hao Long politely, then walked behind the door, laboriously carrying a thermos with both hands, intending to pour water for them.
"Your name is Ya Ya, right? Go sit on the bed, I'll do it myself..."
Zhuang Rui looked at the sensible little girl and felt a lump in his throat for no reason. He stepped forward and took the thermos from the little girl, who was practically carrying it in her arms.
"Thank you, big brother, I can do it..."
The little girl looked at Zhuang Rui with her big eyes, but didn't let go.
"Brother knows Ya Ya can do it, but brother isn't thirsty, Ya Ya, can you let go?"
Even if Zhuang Rui was thirsty, he probably wouldn't be able to drink the water if such a big child poured it for him.
"The teacher said that if guests come to our house, we should pour water for them. Yaya has never had guests before. Big brother, can you let Yaya pour water just this once?"
When the little girl saw Zhuang Rui stopping her from pouring water, her eyes even welled up with tears.
"Good, good, good child..."
Zhuang Rui saw a water glass on the table, quickly picked it up, and placed it on the mouth of the thermos. He asked the little girl to pour him half a glass of water. Holding the warm glass, Zhuang Rui felt uneasy. When he was that age, he never thought of pouring water for guests when they came to his house.
After the little girl poured water for Hao Long, she sat down on the edge of the bed with a satisfied smile, looking at the two guests with curiosity. Throughout this process, Peng Fei remained silent until his sister sat back down on the bed, at which point he invited Zhuang Rui and Hao Long to sit down.
After Zhuang Rui sat down, he looked at the little girl. Hao Long said she was seven or eight years old, but she looked only five or six. She was just over a meter tall, very thin, and her face had a sickly look. However, her big eyes were very bright and full of spirit.
Chapter 429 King of Soldiers (Part 2)
After Zhuang Rui sat down, he immediately looked at Peng Fei. However, Peng Fei had been standing in the shadows ever since he entered the room, and the room was rather dimly lit, so Zhuang Rui couldn't really see his face. He could only see that the man was short and somewhat thin.
Unable to see Peng Fei clearly, Zhuang Rui looked around the room. The walls were covered with newspapers, and at the far end was a bunk bed that took up about one-fifth of the room. The lower bed was covered with a military blanket and a military overcoat, while the upper bed had only a thin blanket, presumably where Peng Fei slept.
In the center of the room, where Zhuang Rui and Hao Long are currently sitting, there is a table and only two chairs. After giving them to the guests, Peng Fei is now standing.
Near the door, there was a stove. A homemade chimney was mounted on top of it, stretching crookedly from the stove to the door, adding a bit of warmth to the room. However, after Zhuang Rui sat down, he still felt a chill in the air.
Besides a simple wardrobe and pots, pans, and ladles piled on a board by the door, there was nothing else in the room.
This is a room that combines the bedroom, kitchen, and living room all in one place. Simply put, this space of about ten square meters is where Peng Fei and his sister live.
There were elementary school textbooks on the table. The little girl must have been doing her homework. Zhuang Rui and Hao Long's arrival seemed to have disturbed the siblings' lives.