Lost and Spy

Chapter 3443 An old friend from a foreign land
Everyone has a task to accomplish.

The boss does his job, and you do what you should do.

Li Zhifeng always implements this point to the letter.

Now, there are clues.

Jock, that must not be his real name.

But why did he use Blore?
What is his real purpose?
Li Zhifeng still can't figure it out.

But one thing is certain: Jock is still in Manila.

He left before his goal was achieved.

There is even a possibility that Jock is likely to spy on Blore's information.

Blore was just a pawn he used.

The whereabouts of the chess pieces is what the chess player is most concerned about.

Rudy has sent his best men to several places designated by Li Zhifeng for secret surveillance.

What about yourself?
Li Zhifeng decided to sit back and wait.

"Why do you want to do this?" When Meng Shaoyuan heard Li Zhifeng's idea, he asked a special question.

"Everything you said needs to be put in another's shoes." Li Zhifeng replied without hesitation: "If I were that Jock, after using Blore, I would definitely know his whereabouts, his whereabouts, and his ending.

Jock couldn't infiltrate the Heart of Darkness, and he knew very well that there were only two possibilities for Blore. The first was that he was safe and sound, which was probably the best outcome for everyone, and the second was that he was discovered.

If the latter possibility occurs, from Jock's perspective, he will be sure that Blore can't explain more, and Rudy, who has suffered a loss, will definitely be angry and will find him at all costs. Then, with almost no clues, what will Rudy do?
Rudy will send someone to monitor Blore's residence in an attempt to find Jock. Then, Jock can counter-monitor Blore's residence and will definitely guess Blore's fate. What I have to do is just waiting for the oriole behind. "

Meng Shaoyuan was really laughing happily.

There is nothing more gratifying than seeing your good subordinates and good brothers grow so quickly with your own eyes.

"Go ahead." Meng Shaoyuan said to Li Zhifeng with a smile, "No matter what you want to do, I will do my best to support you."

Li Zhifeng arrived at Blore's residence alone.

This kind of thing doesn't require too many people following.

If there are too many people, there is a possibility of being exposed.

Li Zhifeng was sure that Jock must be a very experienced guy.

Blore lived in a non-busy area.

But compared to most people in Manila, the accommodation here is pretty good.

Everyone who lives here has a job, even a decent job.

Although Blore is a gangster, he still hopes that his unborn child can live and grow up in a relatively better environment.

For example, next door to his house lived a couple who were teachers.

It has to be said that Manila Mayor Durcom attaches great importance to education.

He himself studied in the United States and knows the importance of education.

After he became mayor of Manila, he was determined to revive the education industry here which had been completely destroyed.

His thoughts are good.

But in Manila's reconstruction efforts, education was the last thing to be considered.

In fact, it is not just now. Even before the outbreak of the war, apart from Europeans and Americans, how many local children in Manila could receive a systematic education?

But Durkheim was an idealist.

He even dared to go against the Americans for his ideals, although this put him in a very embarrassing situation and he eventually had to bow to reality.

However, even so, he did not give up.

As a result of his insistence on reasoning, he even had a big quarrel with Osmena, the president of the Manila Provisional Constitutional Government, and eventually forced Osmena to allocate him a sum of funds.

After receiving the money, Durkheim immediately began to re-employ the unemployed local teachers.

If the house they originally lived in is still habitable, the government will help them make simple repairs and allow them to move in.

For those whose houses are destroyed, the government will arrange alternative accommodation.

Not only that, Durkheim also gives these people basic living expenses every week so that they at least won't starve to death.

Of course, rebuilding schools and resuming education is a long way off.

Even decades later, the education sector in the Philippines is still hard to describe.

But no matter what, these teachers are still very grateful to Durkheim.

After all, in Manila, where a lot of things need to be rebuilt, having a mayor like Durcom at least gives people hope.

Li Zhifeng also knew about this.

What made Li Zhifeng feel incredible was that there was actually a teahouse here.

Well, although it’s not a particularly Chinese teahouse, it is a teahouse in the true sense of the word.

The tea sold here is "pulled tea" which is very popular among people including Filipinos and Malaysians.

The main ingredients of pulled tea are tea leaves and condensed milk. Its production process involves using two large teapots, mixing the brewed tea and condensed milk, and then pouring the mixture back and forth from a high place several times. The action is like pulling the tea back and forth between the two teapots, which can make the tea and condensed milk mix more fully.

The longer you pull it, the more bubbles will appear, the more the tea and milk aromas will be fully developed, and the taste will be smoother.

This small teahouse, which was obviously newly renovated, mainly sells pulled tea.

Moreover, when Li Zhifeng came in, something that shocked him appeared before his eyes:
Hairy eggs!
Well, real raw eggs!

The so-called raw eggs are called chicken fetuses in Fujian, and are called prosperous eggs or happy eggs in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui.

Some places also call it "live beads".

However, there is still some difference between hairy eggs and live pearls.

A live egg is an incubating chicken egg that is usually 12 to 14 days old and contains a live chick embryo.

Raw eggs are eggs that have failed to hatch. They are usually 16 to 21 days old and contain dead embryos.

The raw eggs in the Philippines are called "Balut", which were introduced from China.

The only difference is that Balut is made from duck eggs.

Although this duck egg delicacy retains the appearance of a duck egg, you can vaguely see the embryo of a duckling, and the skeleton is vaguely visible. In the past, this dish was considered a high-end delicacy.

The use of raw eggs in China is very similar, and they are generally cooked by grilling. Although the appearance is not good, the taste and texture are actually good.

Now this high-end Filipino delicacy has appeared in a small teahouse!

How could Li Zhifeng not doubt his own eyes?

"Tea tarik, two baluts."

As soon as he entered, Li Zhifeng said.

The boss immediately and attentively made some milk tea on the spot, and then brought over two raw eggs.

There were no other guests in the teahouse except Li Zhifeng.

Li Zhifeng asked casually: "Are you from Manila?"

"Yes, but my ancestors are overseas Chinese from Fujian." The boss said with a smile: "Look at you, you are not a local, right?"

Li Zhifeng asked casually: "Can you see it?"

"Of course, I'm fifty years old. I came to Manila with my family when I was ten to live with my uncle." The boss did not hide it: "You are taller than the locals in Manila, and you are not their skin color."

"I'm from China, too." Li Zhifeng said with a smile, "My last name is Li Yuan. When the civil war broke out, I fled to Manila to escape the chaos. Who would have thought that the Japanese would attack Manila as well? All my family members were gone, and I was the only one left."

The boss sighed and said, "My name is You Daoxiu. We are all miserable people. Most of my family members died at the hands of the Japanese. I was lucky enough to survive. I opened a teahouse because I had to make a living."

"Did you make this too?" Li Zhifeng pointed at the raw eggs.

You Daoxiu nodded and said, "This thing is not rare. Most of us Fujianese can make it. But it is a rare thing in Manila. Only rich people can eat it. I thought that the cost of this thing is not high. If I can make it, ordinary people can also have a taste of it. Eat something they couldn't eat before, maybe it will sell well."

To be honest, the Chinese are good at doing business.

Especially people from Fujian, their brains work faster.

Although raw eggs are a rarity here, the production process is not complicated and the cost is not high.

You Daoxiu’s idea is good.

When fellow villagers meet, their eyes are filled with tears.

Li Zhifeng and You Daoxiu are both Chinese. They met in their hometowns and naturally felt like old friends.

Li Zhifeng told the other party that he wanted to find a house nearby and asked about the situation there.

You Daoxiu also spoke without reservation: "Before the war, although this place was not a wealthy place, it was indeed not bad. It was inhabited by respectable people, teachers, engineers and so on. But since the war broke out, this place has been completely destroyed.

Originally, there were many people living here, but now? Less than 30% of the people have returned. Life here is so hard. "

"Then why did you choose to open a teahouse here?" Li Zhifeng asked curiously.

You Daoxiu smiled and said, "Boss Li, this may not be clear. Now everyone is hungry, and there is no one who comes here to rent a house to do business. I found the owner of this house and rented it at a price cheaper than cabbage price, and the contract is signed for ten years."

Good guy.

Li Zhifeng was also somewhat convinced.

That’s right, who would rent a house here to do business now?

Suddenly someone shows up, does he want to sign for one year or ten years?
Most people are happy to do so.

You Daoxiu was obviously very proud of his move: "If you really want me to pay ten years' rent, I don't have it, so I told the owner here that I would pay every three months. At that time, I saw that he was in urgent need of money, and the owner agreed without a second thought.

Boss Li, even though there is no business here now, Manila will slowly recover in a year at most. By that time, I am afraid my teahouse will be full of people. "

Li Zhifeng gave a thumbs up: "Boss You, you still have a long-term vision."

At this point, Li Zhifeng suddenly thought of something: "Boss You, you said that the people here live a very hard life? Doesn't the Manila City Government give them subsidies every week? At least they have a better life than others, right?"

"Boss Li, you are also from China, how come you don't understand the tricks?" You Daoxiu smiled bitterly and said, "The policies from above are good, but how the people below implement them is another matter.

Let’s not talk about anything else. The weekly subsidy given to teachers, starting from the allocation of funds by the city government, has to be exploited at every level. These officials and police in Manila are even more corrupt than those in our country. They don’t even blink an eye when it comes to making money.

When the money really reaches these people, how much will be left? If it is just this, it is fine, but when they get this pitiful amount of money, the police will definitely come to their door. There are all kinds of excuses, but in short, they have to take the money. In this case, how much will be left in their hands?

These teachers are capable, but in their current situation, they are no better than a laborer. Think about it, a laborer can at least get paid every day, but what about them? Apart from relying on this pitiful living allowance every week, what else can they do?"

Li Zhifeng nodded continuously after listening to this.

He pretended to be nonchalant and asked, "So there is no such thing as a good life?"

"Yes?" You Daoxiu pointed to the left outside and said, "Do you see that house? The owner's name is Blore. I heard he is a gang member. He lives a carefree life. He not only has two wives, but also eats fish and meat every day."

The location is completely determined.

Li Zhifeng smiled and said, "Oh, two wives, aren't you jealous of each other?"

"Jealous?" You Daoxiu actually had a bit of envy on his face when he said this: "Not only that, but we get along very well. Otherwise, how can we say that he is capable while we can only open a small teahouse here?"

You Daoxiu was very familiar with this place, and he met his compatriots here, so he told them everything about the situation without hiding anything.

Li Zhifeng also remembered it very carefully.

Any seemingly insignificant intelligence may very likely become a major breakthrough.

He spent a whole day here but gained nothing.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Li Zhifeng paid the money:
"Boss You, I don't have anything to do right now anyway. I'll come and chat with you tomorrow."

"That's fine, that's fine." You Daoxiu said repeatedly, "Come here every day, and I'll treat you to tea and eggs, free of charge. Living here alone, I finally have someone to talk to. I can't tell how happy I am."

As he spoke, fearing that the other party might misunderstand him, he hurriedly added: "Although I don't have much money, this tea and raw eggs are not expensive, so I can still afford it. Boss Li, please don't mind. We are all compatriots. When we go out, we still have to help each other."

It is said that Fujianese are particularly united. Even if they are not from their hometown, they are still so enthusiastic when they go out.

(End of this chapter)