1928: The Rise of Giants

Previously, in order to cooperate with the tram company's price increase, Lu Beiya asked Wang Zhulin to contact a large number of Chinese workers in the tram company, and asked them to make trouble with the picket team on the grounds of promising them a salary increase.

Before Ye Luo came, there were several bloody incidents between the two groups, and almost all the tram workers went on a collective strike. However, the final result was that the tram company resumed operations and the original prices, but did not mention a word about wage increases.

Lu Beiya thought that these Chinese workers were easy to control, so he asked Wang Zhulin and Fan Benke to negotiate with them. By arresting one group, scaring another group, and then winning over another group, all problems would be solved.

However, in reality, with the assistance of the Federation of Trade Unions, these Chinese workers united and started another collective strike. If you don’t raise your wages, we won’t work. Let’s see who can outlast the other.

Before the end of June, the tram company had lost nearly 50 dollars. Because they had promised to resume tram operations, the powers in various concessions began to collect tram tolls.

Compared with the great powers, Belgium is just a little brother. They dare not not pay tolls, but they don’t even operate the trams, so paying the tolls means pure loss. Combined with the previous losses, the tram company has already fallen into a financial crisis.

Lu Beya was so angry that she looked for people everywhere to contact these tram workers and their families. She used threats and inducements, but she was unable to convince these troublemakers.

After some inquiries, I found out that the mastermind behind the scenes was Ye Luo.

He had no intention of letting the tram company and the Belgians go!
The French Consul General in Tianjin, Du Shilan, smoothed things over, took the money and happily left. Anyway, he only had to solve the problem of Chinese workers causing unrest and affecting public security.

The matter was resolved successfully when those French merchants from the trading companies who were originally planning to leave came back to stay.

As for whether the tram company is operating or not, and whether the Belgians live well in the future, it has nothing to do with him.

Although Du Shilan didn't care, he absolutely didn't want to see the two sides have another dispute.

Lu Beiya knew that she couldn't ask the French for help, and there was a high probability that she would cause trouble first, and Ye Luo would use the same method to disgust her.

At that time, it was not as simple as not giving him a seat.

Holding a grudge, Lu Beiya thought for a long time and finally decided to go to Ye Luo's house in person to reconcile with him. She also called Fan Benke, Wang Zhulin and others, bought gifts, and prepared banknotes, hoping that Ye Luo would show mercy and let them go.

Unexpectedly, they came up empty-handed. During this period, Ye Luo no longer lived in his own villa, but lived in the Young Marshal's Mansion, hanging out with Zhang Hanqing and others all day long.

Although Zhang Hanqing lost the north because of his policy of non-resistance, Tianjin City was still his private territory and no one dared to cause trouble in the Marshal's Mansion.

Lu Beiya and his group of Belgians were already at odds with Zhang Hanqing, so they didn't dare to visit him with a flattering attitude and had to leave in disgrace.

Tianjin City, Young Marshal’s Mansion.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Zhang Hanqing's beast-like roar came from the room, but no matter how he shouted, people outside pretended not to hear him. Those who wanted to chat chatted, and those who wanted to play mahjong played mahjong.

It was as if the world inside had nothing to do with them at all.

"Twenty thousand, eat!" Yu Fengzhi reached out and took the twenty thousand that Ye Luo played, and said with a smile, "The second young master doesn't seem to be very lucky today."

"Sister, the second young master has won hundreds of dollars from us these days. It's time for him to be unlucky. Otherwise, how can we play?"

Zhao Yidie smiled like a flower, and she and Yu Fengzhi sang the same tune, and it seemed that they had a very good relationship.

Four people played mahjong, and the last partner was Shi Jianqiao, who didn't know much about mahjong. At the gate, Zhang Hanqing's adjutant Hu Ruoyu looked anxious, looking inside and observing the game, feeling overwhelmed but not knowing how to say it.

When he first arrived in Tianjin City, Ye Luo came here symbolically, and then he had been dealing with the controversy over the tram fare increase. Now that the matter was done, he came again, but still did not see Zhang Hanqing.

A few days ago, he had dinner with Yu Fengzhi and others, and only then did he explain in detail the harmful effects of opium.

Lu Xiaoman had developed a slight addiction to smoking. If Ye Luo had not curbed it in time, sooner or later she would have become neither human nor ghost.

The same is true for Zhang Hanqing.

After learning about the history and horrors of opium, Yu Fengzhi decided to make Zhang Hanqing quit smoking opium.

After several people discussed it, Ye Luo came up with a plan.

Hu Ruoyu thought the second young master would come up with some good method, but he didn't expect it to be so simple and crude.

Zhang Hanqing’s smoking addiction started many years ago.

During the battle with Guo Songling, Yang Yuting visited Zhang Hanqing's troops and found him listless and emaciated, so he reminded Zhang Hanqing: "Hanqing, although the battle situation is severe, you should not neglect your health. Don't fall down before defeating Guo's devils. Let me send someone to bring you some things, so you can relax."

The next day, Zhang Hanqing's camp received several sets of brand new smoking utensils and a large amount of opium, and from then on embarked on a road of no return.

Originally, he just treated it as a pastime and stopped at a quick taste.

But after the fall of the North and the various pressures, Zhang Hanqing could not resist them and began to smoke heavily.

By the time Ye Luo came over, his smoking addiction had become alarmingly severe, and under the design of the Japanese invaders, he also became addicted to morphine!
At this time, his hands were covered with needle holes of various sizes, and he had to inject morphine every fifteen minutes!
It’s not known whether Ye Luo’s simple and rough treatment method will work, but Yu Fengzhi and the others are just trying to give it a try.

In addition, Ye Luo also asked the famous doctor Miller to assist in the treatment, entrusting the matter to professionals.

Although the four of them were playing mahjong and sounded happy, they were actually very anxious in their hearts.

"Sister Yu, Sister Zhao Si, you don't have to worry too much. We have to trust him." Ye Luo said calmly while holding the mahjong tiles.

In the original history, Zhang Hanqing successfully quit smoking, so he believed that as long as he guided himself properly, it would not be a difficult task.

Almost a month after Ye Luo came to Tianjin City, the news spread to the south. The principal became worried again and quickly sent his wife directly to Ye Mansion to play mahjong with Bai Xiuzhu, Xiao Aqiao and other girls to find out the situation.

The principal's wife didn't care about all this. She was happy to take some pocket money from Ye's clothing, chat with her younger sisters, and then play with the third generation of the Ye family who were running around.

As we all know, the principal's wife has no children, but she loves children very much.

As soon as she arrived, she immediately adopted Ye Zhuohua, Ye Hongdou, Ye He and Ye Hao as her godsons and goddaughters. She held them in her arms and played with them all day long, and she seemed more like the children's mother.

At this point in time, before the principal's wife left the Ye Residence, Dai Li came running over with a group of spies, intending to arrest Ye Yuqiao directly! (End of this chapter)