Siheyuan came through and sent Jia Zhang to prison

Chapter 635 News of Zhang Chuan Spreads

Zhang Chuan chuckled inwardly. This Old Li was indeed a master of seeking advantage and avoiding harm; his ability to change course with the wind was truly exceptional. His face remained impassive, though he nodded slowly, his tone softening slightly: "That's more like it. Wait, I'll bring you a pack of Red Peony tea as a thank you gift when I get back."

Upon hearing this good news, Old Li's eyes lit up instantly. Red Peony cigarettes were in high demand, and normally you had to pull strings to buy one. His face immediately lit up with a broad smile, his wrinkles crinkling like chrysanthemums. He waved his hand hastily, "Oh, thank you so much, Master Zhang! Hurry back, I'll keep watch here. I guarantee not even a fly will get in, and no one will notice!" He pulled a bunch of keys from his waist, and with a "click," opened the rusty iron gate, the lock making a screeching sound as it turned. He even peeked out to look around, making sure the alley was empty and no one was passing by, before quickly stepping aside, urging, "Please come quickly, and be back soon."

Zhang Chuan responded and walked briskly out the door, deliberately taking two steps towards the cigarette stall on the street corner. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a sharp glimpse of the cigarette vendor nodding discreetly at him from the shadows—that was the contact Professor Zhao had arranged beforehand. He felt a sense of relief, his fingers tightening on the small piece of paper with the abnormal data from the mine, its edges wrinkled from sweat—the message could finally be sent out.

Zhang Chuan nodded, and without further delay, headed straight for the agreed-upon alleyway entrance. Just as he turned the corner, he saw Zhao Lei standing under an old locust tree, waiting. Zhao Lei had already packed his things, ready to leave as soon as the time came, but seeing Zhang Chuan emerge from the mine's side gate, he stopped and waited.

Zhang Chuan strode over, winked at Zhao Lei, then turned to the cigarette stall and called out, "Give me a few packs of cigarettes, the best of them all, and pick out some rare ones."

The man selling cigarettes naturally understood what he meant and immediately replied with a smile, "Alright! Please wait a moment. What I have here might not meet your standards. I'll go to the back storeroom and get you some fresh ones that I guarantee will suit your taste!" After saying that, he turned around, lifted the curtain behind the stall, and went into the inner room.

As soon as he left, Zhao Lei stepped forward, his gaze falling on Zhang Chuan's arm, his brows furrowing slightly: "Why are you injured? Your sleeve is bleeding."

Zhang Chuan glanced down and saw that his arm, which had been scraped during the fight, was bleeding again. He smiled nonchalantly and wiped it with his hand casually: "It's nothing, just a minor injury. It's just that old bastard Jiang Hu gave Professor Zhao and me a 'show of force,' saying he was testing our abilities. It's nothing serious."

Zhao Lei stared at him for a moment, and seeing that he didn't seem to be seriously injured, he felt a little relieved and asked, "So, Jiang Hu has agreed to let you stay and work at the mine?"

Zhang Chuan nodded, his eyes darkening. "I've agreed for now. But that old fox is cunning; there'll likely be a lot of trouble later. I'll give you this first; you need to find a way to get it out of here quickly." With that, he pulled the crumpled note from his pocket and shoved it into Zhao Lei's hand.

Zhang Chuan nodded solemnly, pulling a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket. The edges were slightly wrinkled, clearly having been handled many times. He carefully unfolded it, revealing pencil-drawn lines inside: "This is a topographical map of the coal mine bureau that I drew from memory during breaks in my patrols. The key main tunnels, supply warehouses, and guard changing points are all marked." He pointed to a spot marked with a triangle, "This is the most heavily guarded area; I guess it's where they store important documents. We'll gradually pass on information from inside during opportunities like delivering water and food."

Zhao Lei leaned closer, his nose almost touching the paper. The lines on the drawing were simple, yet clearly marked, even indicating corners and forks in the road. He gently ran his fingertips across the paper, carefully folded it again, and tucked it into his breast pocket, saying in a deep voice, "Be sure to be careful. Our men are already keeping watch at the 'Welcome Guests' teahouse outside and the general store at the end of the alley. They'll be there as soon as they see the signal."

As he spoke, he pulled a palm-sized brass whistle from his pocket. The whistle was engraved with fine patterns; it looked unremarkable, yet it exuded a sturdy feel. He handed the whistle to Zhang Chuan: "This is a specially made signal whistle. Its sound is sharper and more penetrating than ordinary whistles. It won't arouse suspicion when mixed in with the noise of the mine's machinery. In case of an emergency, such as discovering that they are trying to move evidence or attack you, just pull the whistle, and we'll rush in immediately when we hear it."

Zhang Chuan took it and held it in his hand. The coolness of the metal spread through his palm, which made him feel much more at ease. He nodded vigorously: "Okay, I understand. I'll go back now. I've been out for quite a while, and if I linger any longer, I'm afraid it will arouse suspicion from Jiang Hu and his gang."

Zhao Lei replied with a "okay," turned around, pulled a paper package from under the table, inside was a pack of unopened cigarettes, and stuffed it into Zhang Chuan's hand: "Take this. Tell the gatekeeper you came out to buy cigarettes. You can't go back empty-handed, lest you give yourself away."

Zhang Chuan took the cigarette, squeezed the hardness of the cigarette pack with his fingertips, and walked quickly towards the coal mine bureau. When he was almost at the gate, he opened the cigarette pack, took out a pack, and handed it to the gatekeeper, Old Li, with a natural smile on his face: "Brother Li, I just went out to buy cigarettes. I thought you usually like to smoke these, so I brought you a pack."

Old Li's eyes lit up the moment he saw the cigarette. He quickly took it and weighed it in his hand, his face crinkling into a deep wrinkle. "Brother, you're too kind! If you want to go out for some fresh air in the future, just tell me, and I'll make sure you get through. No need for all this trouble." He put the cigarette in his pocket, patted Zhang Chuan's arm, and his eyes warmed up.

Zhang Chuan smiled, said nothing more, and turned to enter the courtyard. Zhao Ci was pacing back and forth inside the house, her leather shoes clicking loudly on the ground. Seeing him return, she quickly went to greet him, her voice extremely low: "How did it go? Did it go smoothly? Have they arranged everything for the people outside?"

Just as Zhang Chuan was about to speak, Jiang Hu's gruff voice came from outside the door: "Professor Zhao, there's a problem with the ventilation equipment down in the well. You're an expert, could you go and take a look? If we stop work and delay the progress, no one can afford the consequences."

Zhang Chuan subconsciously took a step forward, silently blocking Zhao Ci's side, and said in a deep voice, "I'll go with you."

Seeing this, Jiang Hu's face darkened, his triangular eyes narrowed, and he looked at Zhang Chuan with a hint of displeasure: "I can just ask Professor Zhao to go. What are you doing following along, a bodyguard? Are you just causing trouble?"