Chapter 63 Kaczynski's Family
After Lu Mingfei told Hill the exact location of Kaczynski's home, Hill, the local tyrant, led the way. In order to make a living in Munich, Hill had walked almost every street and alley in Munich.
However, Hill had not set foot on this land for a long time. He took Lu Mingfei and asked along the way, passing through those narrow alleys, and finally arrived at the door of a low-key restaurant on the corner of the street at dusk.
This is an old but cozy restaurant. The sign at the door has faded slightly due to wind and sun. Through the window, Lu Mingfei saw that the space inside is not large and there are no customers dining, but the decoration is very thoughtful.
In the small space, a brass chandelier emits soft light, and a few vibrant green plants are placed between the tables and chairs.
A young girl was busy cleaning the tables and chairs. Her movements were quick and her pretty face looked particularly focused under the soft light. Her hands, which were a little rough due to years of hardship, cleaned the restaurant spotlessly.
Lu Mingfei took out the slightly yellowed photo from his pocket, carefully compared it with the address written on the back of the photo, and then looked up at the sign on the door.
He confirmed that this was the restaurant that Kaczynski had mentioned, and the girl in the photo was the one who was cleaning the restaurant at that moment.
"Let's go." Lu Mingfei whispered to Hill, then pushed open the door of the restaurant. The bell on the door made a crisp ding-dong sound the moment the door was opened, as if welcoming these guests from afar.
"Welcome!" When the girl heard the bell, she immediately put down the rag in her hand and a warm smile appeared on her face.
Lu Mingfei and Xi Er looked at each other with some hesitation in their eyes. The words they had prepared on the way here suddenly seemed particularly heavy in this warm and quiet atmosphere.
Do they really have to tell her directly that we are your father’s friends and we are here to bring you the news of your father’s death?
"What would you like to eat, guests? My brother just shot a wild boar yesterday, and we can provide you with braised pork elbows and roasted pork!" There was a hint of excitement in the girl's voice, and she was very happy to have guests coming to her house.
"Anything else?" Lu Mingfei asked casually, but his mind was still on how to start the conversation.
“And sausages…Supplies are in short supply right now, so these are all our restaurant can provide…” The girl’s voice gradually trailed off, and her cheeks flushed slightly, as if she felt a little ashamed of the plight of her own restaurant.
Lu Mingfei and Hill looked at each other again. They had heard at the front that Prussia was short of supplies due to Britain's economic blockade, but now they experienced firsthand the predicament that even a restaurant had almost no food to sell, and they couldn't help but sigh.
“Then give me two pork elbows in soy sauce,” Lu Mingfei said. He felt that he couldn’t bear to embarrass this enthusiastic girl any further. Besides, they were indeed hungry after traveling all the way here.
He reached into his pocket and found several thousand marks in it, a considerable sum of money, most of which was a reward given to him by Crown Prince William before he went on vacation.
Although he spent almost no money on the battlefield, the allowance he accumulated was not much. After all, the allowance of Prussian soldiers was notoriously low among all countries. When he first joined the army, he only received an allowance of marks a day. Later, when he became an officer, his allowance increased slightly, but he did not serve as an officer for long.
"Okay, please sit down!" Upon hearing this, the girl happily pulled chairs for Lu Mingfei and the others, and enthusiastically gestured for them to sit down. The smile on her face was brighter than the warm light in the store.
"Mom! Someone wants two pork elbows in braised sauce!" The girl shouted excitedly towards the restaurant kitchen, with unconcealable joy in her voice.
"I know... cough cough cough..." A weak female voice came from the kitchen, accompanied by an unstoppable cough.
"Don't worry, sir. My mother just has a minor cold. She has taken protective measures. There is absolutely no problem with the ingredients!" When the girl heard the coughing in the kitchen, she hurried to Lu Mingfei and the others to explain. An uneasy blush appeared on her face, as if she was afraid of losing this rare business because of her mother's health condition.
"Where is your brother? Isn't it said that this store is run by your brother?" Lu Mingfei looked at the deserted scene in the restaurant and gradually understood why it seemed so deserted. He couldn't help but ask.
“Our family doesn’t have enough money to buy food, so my brother has to go hunting in the mountains outside the city every day. He doesn’t come back until very late and has no time to run the restaurant.” There was a hint of grievance in the girl’s voice and tears glistened in the corners of her eyes, as if those long-suppressed emotions would burst at any time.
"I'm sorry, sir. I've been feeling a little unwell recently, but please rest assured that the ingredients are absolutely clean. This sausage is a gift from us." At this moment, a woman wearing a mask walked unsteadily to Lu Mingfei and his table with a tray. When she put down the tray, her slightly trembling hands and the cold sweat on her forehead revealed her physical weakness.
On the plate, two temptingly colored braised pork elbows exude a mouth-watering aroma, and there is a smoked sausage next to them. Although it looks simple, it is full of family warmth.
After putting the dishes away, the woman did not return to the kitchen immediately, but stood aside with the girl, silently watching Lu Mingfei and the others. There was a kind of earnestness and expectation in their eyes, and they wanted to do their best to provide the best service to these few guests.
"Eat." Lu Mingfei said softly to Hill, his heart filled with mixed emotions because of the sickly appearance of Kaczynski's wife. He really didn't know how to tell him the news of Kaczynski's death.
At this moment, the woman's attention was suddenly attracted by Lu Mingfei and Hill's military uniforms. She stepped forward and asked cautiously: "I see you are wearing military uniforms. Are you soldiers who just came back from the front line for vacation? Do you know what the situation is in Verdun? My husband is also a soldier. He wrote to me two months ago saying that he went to Verdun, but there has been no new news until now..." There was a slight tremor in her voice, as if she was trying her best to control her inner fear.
When Lu Mingfei and Xi'er heard this, their hands holding the knives and forks froze instantly.
"We are actually Kaczynski's..." Lu Mingfei mustered up his courage and was ready to take this opportunity to say what he had prepared before, but at this moment, a noisy sound suddenly came from outside the restaurant, interrupting him.
"Damn it, you little brat dares not even pay back my money, Kafman! Beat him up!" A large group of people outside the restaurant surrounded a teenager who was carrying a wild boar on his back and beat him up.
The boy put down the wild boar and began to resist stubbornly. His pupils glowed with a faint golden light. He knocked down two or three strong men in a row, but in the end, his two fists were no match for four hands and he was pinned to the ground and beaten. Blood began to flow from his forehead.
"elder brother!"
"Calvo!"
The girl and the woman screamed out almost at the same time. The girl's face instantly lost color. She rushed out of the restaurant desperately and pushed away the strong men who were beating up the boy.
"Let my brother go!" She said in a hoarse voice, and pushed away a sturdy man who was pressing on the boy. Her strength was actually greater than that of an average adult. Especially the ferocity and determination in the girl's eyes, which made the sturdy men around her stunned.
Seeing this, the woman immediately turned back to the kitchen, pulled out a kitchen knife, held it in trembling hands, and then she rushed out.
"Hmph, kid, I give you three days to pay back the money, or I'll sell your sister and mother out!" A man in a tuxedo, a top hat, and gold-rimmed glasses walked up with a sneer, raised his cane and pointed at the wild boar on the ground, and said arrogantly, "Take this wild boar away, it's interest."
As soon as he finished speaking and was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly felt a strong sense of oppression instantly enveloping him, and then a cold pistol was stuffed directly into his mouth.
"What the hell did you say? Say it again if you dare!!!" Lu Mingfei's voice was low and full of suppressed anger. His eyes were shining like gold at this moment, and there was a chilling murderous intent in his eyes.
The man looked at the furious face in front of him and was so frightened that he trembled all over. His bladder relaxed uncontrollably and urine flowed down his trouser legs, dripping onto the ground with a harsh sound.
“Boss!!!” The group of sturdy men cried out in shock when they saw their boss being threatened by Lu Mingfei with a gun. They were about to step forward to pull Lu Mingfei away, but when they saw Lu Mingfei’s golden pupils, they suddenly felt a chill running straight to the top of their heads. They were so scared that they dared not even move.
The pupils were full of murderous intent, like the gaze of the god of death, making them feel that they would die in the next second. Lu Mingfei snorted coldly, pulled the pistol out of the man's mouth, and then hit him hard on the head with the butt of the gun, knocking him directly to the ground. The man collapsed powerlessly in his own urine.
After dealing with the man, Lu Mingfei did not hesitate at all and quickly rushed into the group of strong men, his movements as fast as lightning.
Each of his kicks accurately hit the strong men's vital points. Those strong men were kicked away one after another, fell to the ground, struggled in pain, and groaned in agony.
Although Lu Mingfei was furious at the moment, he still remained rational and did not choose to kill. If he really wanted to kill, these people would probably all be killed within ten seconds.
But he was well aware that killing people in public would not only bring trouble to himself, but would also bring greater disaster to Kaczynski's family.
Not far away, two Prussian policemen heard the noise and rushed over. When they saw the scene in front of them, they were so frightened that they dared not move.
"You two, take all these guys on the ground away and don't let me see them around here again." Lu Mingfei glanced at the two policemen and ordered coldly.
"Yes!" The two policemen were frightened by the murderous aura of Lu Mingfei and did not dare to disobey the order at all. They immediately began to drag away the strong men on the ground and the unconscious man.
The reason why they were so obedient was not only because of the powerful aura emanating from Lu Mingfei, but also because of the shining medal of honor on his chest.
After the strong men were dragged away by the police, the woman immediately knelt on the ground and hugged the boy tightly. Tears fell on his face drop by drop. Her voice was hoarse and a little desperate, "Calvo, there is no cure... Mommy is no cure..."
"Brother..." The girl's voice trembled, her eyes full of tears. She knelt beside her mother and brother, calling softly.
The boy opened his eyes with difficulty and tried his best to force out a comforting smile. He patted the woman's hand that was holding him and said in a weak but firm voice, "Mom, I'm fine."
He stood up slowly, and even though his body was shaky, he still managed to stand up.
The young man walked up to Lu Mingfei and bowed slightly, his tone full of gratitude and respect, "Thank you for helping us."
Lu Mingfei looked at the young man in front of him who looked 70% similar to Kaczynski. The murderous intent in his heart gradually subsided and a hint of emotion appeared in his eyes.
"You're welcome. I'm your father's comrade-in-arms."
When the boy heard the word "father", a glimmer of hope and anxiety immediately flashed in his eyes, "My father? How is he now? Why is there no news for so long?"
“Let’s go in first…” Lu Mingfei sighed lightly, with a heavy tone in his voice.
When everyone returned to the restaurant, Lu Mingfei took out a photo from his arms, placed it on the table, and spoke with a heavy expression.
"We are Kaczynski's comrades. He has been taking care of us in the company... He sacrificed his life to save us..." Lu Mingfei's voice was low, with a gleam of grief in his eyes. He had completely lost the killing aura he had just had.
"His last wish before he died was for us to bring this photo back to you..."
"Father..." The boy looked at the yellowed photo on the table. He could no longer hold back the tears in his eyes and they instantly fell.
The woman and the girl were also silent, their tears flowing silently, as if the whole world had become extremely silent at this moment, with only the unforgettable pain filling the air.
"How did you offend those people?" After a long time, Lu Mingfei finally spoke to break the silence. He originally wanted to tell Kaczynski's family about his death, then leave the mark in his pocket and leave, but now seeing that Kaczynski's family was in trouble, he knew he couldn't just leave like that.
"My mother fell seriously ill some time ago, but my family couldn't come up with so much money at once, and I couldn't contact my father, so I had to go to those Americans to borrow money." Calvo said in a low voice, his words full of helplessness and self-blame.
"Later, supplies in the country became increasingly scarce. The restaurant's business was already poor, and now even fewer people come to eat. We can't even afford to buy food, so I have to rely on hunting outside the city every day to get food."
"My mother's illness has not been cured yet, and she still needs a lot of money..." Calvo's voice gradually became weak.
Lu Mingfei could feel the enormous pressure of life pressing mercilessly on the boy's thin shoulders.
"How much more money does your mother's illness need?" Lu Mingfei asked.
"It will probably take more than a thousand marks..." Calvo's voice was full of despair and helplessness. This amount of money was an astronomical figure for him.
"One thousand marks?" Lu Mingfei muttered to himself, reaching into his pocket and feeling the three thousand marks inside. This amount was enough to pay for Kaczynski's wife's medical expenses, and the rest was enough for their family to get through the difficult times for a while.
But Lu Mingfei's brows furrowed involuntarily. He suddenly thought that after the end of World War I, Prussia would become a defeated country. Faced with huge war reparations, the Prussian government would print money frantically, which would cause the mark to depreciate rapidly and become a pile of waste paper. At that time, how would Kaczynski's family survive?
Lu Mingfei's mind was racing. He had to find a more secure solution to ensure that Kaczynski's family would not get into trouble in the future. He suddenly thought of a good place that could keep them away from the post-war chaos and poverty.
"Calvo, if I say I can pay for your mother's medical treatment, but you have to go to a very far place, are you willing to go?" Lu Mingfei asked in a deep voice, with a firm and resolute look in his eyes.
"Really? I'm willing to go anywhere!" When Calvo heard Lu Mingfei's words, he stood up excitedly, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.
"I understand. I have another question. Are those people just now very rich?" Lu Mingfei nodded and continued to ask.
“Those people are very rich. Many people nearby go to them to borrow money. They are an organization and they lend money almost all over the country.” Calvo continued, with a hint of anger and powerlessness in his tone. He knew that he and his mother were just prey to those people, and they existed only to squeeze out the last bit of value.
"I understand." Lu Mingfei said coldly, with a cold light flashing in his eyes.
"Hill, I have a task for you. Go get four visas and boat tickets to the United States. Money is not a problem." Lu Mingfei stuffed all the marks in his pocket into Hill's hands, with an unquestionable command in his tone.
"I understand, Mr. Lieutenant." Hill nodded. As a former local boss, he knew where to find these resources. He was still familiar with some gray area channels.
"Calvo, take me to find the headquarters of those people." Lu Mingfei stood up without saying anything else, ready to take action immediately.
(End of this chapter)
