20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 460: The dictator's heart is becoming more and more arrogant

It's easier to get things done when you're famous.

After leaving the beggar's place in Shuangcheng Prefecture, Jiang Lianheng felt more and more the benefits of "Xiang Maner".

If you have a good reputation, you will be successful in everything you do; if you don't have a good reputation, you will be looked down upon and bullied everywhere.

There is no such thing as human relationships and worldly wisdom. It's all respect earned on the edge of a knife.

It took a lot of trouble to start the business in Yingkou in the beginning; now that we can welcome Guanyin in Harbin, we can save a lot of trouble.

Although he knew clearly in his heart that everyone had their own ulterior motives and were here for profit, it was still better than drawing swords against each other over a disagreement.

The carriage left Shuangcheng and returned to the port area.

A few people went to the official bank first to exchange cash, while Jiang Lianheng and Xue Yingqing stayed in the car waiting.

Seeing that the deal was done and Jiang and Xue were about to leave Harbin, Sheng Baoku finally took this opportunity to tell the truth to the two men in the car.

The situation was just as expected. Sheng Baoku did go bankrupt, but like many Chinese people, he always maintained the fine tradition of "leaving some money for his coffin". However, the money was not much, and most of it had been taken away by the "Bearded Gang" to pay off debts.

But even so, he still secretly hid some yellow and white things.

"Boss Jiang, I really don't want to show this money to the public. It's not too little, but if it's too much, I'm always worried that I won't be able to leave enough for my children. You see, I've been starving and freezing since I was a child. I can't leave my children starving after I die, can I?"

Hearing this, Jiang Lianheng nodded.

As a father, he can understand this feeling.

After all, even Empress Dowager Cixi once wrote a poem in her own handwriting: "Devoting all her heart and soul to her children, how pitiful are the love of parents in the world."

Sheng Baoku sighed, "If I use my capital to pay off my debts, not only will I not be able to fill this hole, but I will never be able to turn things around again in my life. So I plan to give it half. If Boss Jiang wants to do some business in Harbin, can you help me and let me invest in it?"

Before Jiang Lianheng could even speak, Xue Yingqing already became unhappy.

"Old Qian, you're asking me to be your friend and ask me for help, but you don't just say it directly. You keep beating around the bush. Who are you trying to protect?"

"Please bear with me, Shopkeeper Xue. I am apologizing to you two!"

Sheng Baoku gave two bitter smiles and quickly clasped his hands.

In fact, he himself was helpless.

It stands to reason that when seeking help from the underworld, one should not go far away to seek help. However, he was too ungentlemanly in the past and offended the local moneybags. He was not welcome on the surface, and even the beggars in Shuangcheng did not give him face. Not only did no one help him, but they were all there, waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Moreover, entering into hidden equity is something that is done under the table. Whether to admit it or not depends entirely on one's credibility. If he really meets someone who cheats, he has nowhere to complain. That is why he hesitates and is half-hearted. Only at the critical moment does he finally make up his mind to hand over the real deal.

"If Boss Jiang could help me at this time, I would never forget it!"

Sheng Baoku asked sincerely, "I just wonder if you two are interested in doing some business in Harbin."

Jiang Lianheng glanced out the window and saw Chuang Hu, Kang Zheng and others coming out of the official bank, so he asked directly:
"Boss Sheng, what do you think of the movie theater business?"

"Great! It's a new thing, and it's a sure win, but... the source of this piece of film is a problem."

"You don't need to worry about this. You just pay the money, I'll choose the place, I'll decide the venue, I'll hire the guys, and the business matters have nothing to do with you. You don't need to manage it, and you don't need to be there. Just wait for the dividends at the end of the year. If you agree, I'll help you; if you don't agree, I can do it without you."

"I agree!" Sheng Baoku nodded quickly, and then asked, "But...Boss Jiang, how much of the shares can I get?"

"I'm going back to Fengtian soon. Someone will contact you after the New Year."

Jiang Lianheng doesn't need to do everything himself.

He only needs to inspect here and make a decision. Liu Yansheng and Wang Zhengnan will take care of and implement the subsequent matters.

Of course, food and supplies must be sent before troops move.

The person who is truly behind the scenes planning and turning all kinds of ideas into reality is none other than the eldest sister-in-law who sits firmly on the throne - Hu Xiaoyan.

After exchanging the silver dollars at the official bank, Jiang Lianheng returned to the Madiel Hotel when it was already dark.

Several people met in the guest room to discuss how to bring the four "foreign Guanyin" back to Fengtian.

As the year was coming to an end, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, Jiang Lianheng decided to divide the people into two groups and send them back.

"Lao Dao, tomorrow morning, the three of you go to Huazituan to pick up 'Foreign Guanyin'. Don't bring him back. Just find a big inn in Shuangcheng to stay. Manager Xue and I will not go. After the matter is done, you come here to report the news, and you can leave later. Be careful."

Everyone nodded in response, only Chuanghu looked around, confused.

"Eh? Boss, what about me? Don't you want me?"

"You don't have to go pick up the rice seedlings." Jiang Lianheng ordered, "Tomorrow, go find your friend."

Chuang Hu was stunned and asked, "Lin Qi? What do you want to see him for?"

"I want to open a cinema in Binjiang County, Daowai. I need a manager who understands technology and can make movies, right?"

"Hey, boss, do you want to recruit him to work with us?" Chuang Hu immediately patted his chest, "This is too simple. Lin Qi and I have a father-son relationship. Just tell him. Once we have a movie theater, he will definitely be willing to come!"

"Then don't wait. I think the location of that teahouse is good. I want it."

"what?"

Chuang Hu was stunned and said, "But... I heard from Lin Qi that the teahouse has not been open for long, and they may not be willing to transfer it."

"I said I want it." Jiang Lianheng reiterated, "Go find Lin Qi and find out who the owner of the teahouse is. He doesn't need to worry about other things. Just go to work. After the spring, someone will come to make arrangements."

"This... Boss, it seems that Fan Sibai is also a shareholder of that teahouse!"

"I know. I have discussed the shares with him. From now on, he will be in charge of the cinema in Daoli, and I will be in charge of the one outside Daowai."

Hearing this, Chuang Hu did not dare to say anything else, so he said in a low voice: "Okay, then I'll go tell Lin Qi tomorrow."

Jiang Lianheng nodded, then turned to look at Li Zhengxi.

"Zephyr—Zephyr?"

Li Zhengxi was inexplicably distracted, and after a moment of silence, he responded and asked, "Ah? Brother, you called me?"

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but ask in a deep voice: "What are you thinking about?"

"No, nothing..."

Li Zhengxi hesitated. Ever since he left the beggars' place in Shuangcheng Prefecture, he seemed to be taciturn, as if there was a lump in his heart and he felt unhappy anyway.

After a few more questions, I finally understood that, after all, he still couldn't stand Zhan Ye's behavior.

It's not just the corpses piled in the yard, but also the little girls serving tea and water to Zhan Ye.

As soon as he entered the house, Xifeng immediately noticed the various wounds on the arms of the little fans, including cigarette scars, whip marks, bruises, etc.

Li Zhengxi looked down on Zhan Ye from the bottom of his heart because he was using the child to show off his power.

However, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but frown and asked, "Is this true?"

"Brother, didn't you see it?" Li Zhengxi asked in surprise.

Jiang Lianheng shook his head, but whether he really didn't notice or just turned a blind eye, perhaps only he knew it best.

"Xifeng, put your mind to the right place!" He said, half in a consoling and half in an order, "Tomorrow we will take over the matter of 'Foreign Guanyin'. You will take the lead. If you encounter any problems, listen to Lao Dao's advice."

Li Zhengxi knew that he shouldn't enforce justice on someone else's land, so he just said quietly, "Brother, don't worry, I understand."

"Then there's nothing else to do. Let's go downstairs to have a meal later, and then we can all rest when we come back!" Jiang Lianheng pretended to stand up.

Just as he finished speaking, Kang Zheng suddenly spoke again. "Boss, I have something else to do. I was on the road and didn't have a chance to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"When we came out of the 'Shuangchengfu Beggars' this afternoon, the little follower named Yu asked me if we were here to buy female hair. He also said that he had connections and the goods were better than theirs..."

"It turns out that the boy just figured out what 'foreign Guanyin' means today?" Jiang Lianheng laughed.

Li Zhengxi reminded: "Lin Qi said that the guy is not online, but he is good at asking questions."

Jiang Lianheng nodded, then looked at Kang Zheng and asked, "Then what did you tell him?"

"I just made a few excuses, but the guy was smart. He didn't believe me and gave me an address, saying I could go find him if I needed him."

The Jiang family now has four "foreign Guanyins" in their hands, which is not too many. Logically, they can continue to try to connect with them, but when everyone heard this, they immediately shook their heads without hesitation.

"No, no." Xue Yingqing was the first to take the lead in objecting, "This guy is a bad talker. We can't do business together."

Kang Zheng also echoed, "We came to Harbin, and before we even had time to sit down, that guy sold our information to the foreigners. This guy is too unreliable."

Not only them, Li Zhengxi and Chuang Hu also hold the same view.

The head knife said in a muffled voice: "There is already a way. There is no need to eat a fat man in one bite."

In just a few words, everyone reached a consensus and was just waiting for the boss to make the final decision.

Jiang Lianheng leaned back in his chair, stroking the stubble that had just sprouted on his chin. With a slight "swish" sound, he pondered for a moment and said, "It's not too late now. Bring him to me right away."

Xue Yingqing's brows suddenly tightened, and eight big words popped up in his mind - the heart of a dictator is becoming more and more arrogant!

Li Zhengxi said in great confusion: "Brother, you know he's a big mouth and hasn't even settled the score for selling our information to the foreigners, but you still want to talk to him?"

"Do you think that trumpet-mouthed people are a variation of big-mouthed people?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Li Zhengxi was speechless for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Brother, you can't compare them like that! The man with the trumpet mouth is just a chatterbox, that's a disease, he can talk endlessly about anything he encounters, the guy surnamed Yu has a purpose, he is using this news as a business."

Jiang Lianheng turned a deaf ear to it and still insisted on his own opinion.

"Xifeng, you know the way. Go with Kang Zheng and bring that kid over here right now."

Several people looked at each other and exchanged glances. When they were about to persuade him again, Jiang Lianheng's face suddenly turned cold.

"Don't you understand?" He asked in a deep voice, "Do you need me to say it again?"

Now, in the eyes of everyone, Jiang Lianheng is the leader and the leader of Fengtian. The boss's words and deeds are certainly not to be questioned, and there is no need for explanation. What is required is that his orders are enforced.

This seems to be a transformation brought about by identity.

However, in the eyes of the older generation, Jiang Lianheng has always been like this and has never changed. He is still the "obedient donkey" and still has the attitude of "sticking to one path until the end". It is simply because he has gained power that he has shown some of the so-called leading style.

To be honest, all lonely people throughout history are like this at heart.

After Li Zhengxi and Kang Zheng left, Jiang Lianheng and others went downstairs to have a meal.

When they returned to the guest room, within the time it took them to smoke two cigarettes, they brought over the little follower named Yu.

This little follower is in his early twenties, and there is really nothing remarkable about his appearance. He lowers his head when walking, and looks quite honest. But in fact, his eyes are rolling around, and his ears are alert to everything, revealing a cleverness that is courting death.

As soon as he came in, he noticed that the atmosphere in the room was a little strange. Except for Jiang Lianheng who sat in the main seat, everyone else had a cold face.

"Hey, um... Boss Jiang is looking for me?" He walked closer with small steps, "Are you looking to buy a female hairy man?"

Jiang Lianheng smiled and waved his hand, but said: "Don't worry about this matter for now, brother, what's your name?"

"Yu Dehai."

"Good name."

"No, no, it's a bit vulgar!" Yu Dehai stood blankly among the crowd, looking a little uneasy.

"Have you heard of me?" Jiang Lianheng asked casually.

"Of course I've heard of it, the Jiang family in Fengtian, the big boss!"

"Then do you know what I do?"

"You are..." Yu Dehai's eyes rolled as he was about to say something, and he quickly changed the subject: "You seem to run an insurance company?"

"Then do you know a foreigner named Fan Sibai?" Jiang Lianheng lit a cigarette casually.

Yu Dehai was stunned, his heart trembled, and he hesitated for a long time before saying, "Fan Sibai? I don't know him... Hey, I seem to have heard of him somewhere, oh, I can't remember it suddenly... Boss Jiang, how about this, I go back and ask for you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Zhengxi swung his hand violently and slapped Yu Dehai from behind with a "slap".

"Fuck you, you're still pretending! Does the Jiang family need you to gossip about them?"

Yu Dehai covered his cheeks with his hands, his face turned pale with fear, his eyes were panicked, but he didn't dare to complain, he just apologized quickly: "Boss Jiang, I, I was wrong, I do know Fan Sibai, I told him about you...you coming to Harbin."

Jiang Lianheng raised his hand and asked, "You only told him about my visit to Harbin?"

"Boss Jiang, I... your Jiang family is so famous, I heard about it. Fan Sibai wanted to find a powerful Chinese, so I sold the news to him, but... I didn't know that I couldn't tell him about it!"

Yu Dehai spoke timidly, but in fact he felt a little aggrieved.

After all, the so-called "fan'er" is the fame that spreads little by little from one person to ten people, and from ten to a hundred people.

Who can guarantee that he has never talked about the gossips of the Zhang family or the Li family during leisure time in his life?

What's more, Da Man'er without rumors is not really Da Man'er; and what kind of Lao He is there without scandals?

Jiang Lianheng waved his hands with a smile and said, "Hahaha, brother, you misunderstood. It's nothing for you to tell Fan Sibai about my Jiang family. Even if you spread the Jiang family's affairs all over the street, as long as you don't put the blame on me, I won't take it seriously."

"Then...you..." Yu Dehai rubbed the right half of his face, wanting to ask but not daring to.

"But you can't treat me as a fool, understand?"

"Oh, I see. I really deserve a beating then. I'll learn my lesson..."

Jiang Lianheng said, "What are you thinking? Do you think you can get away with it with just a slap in the face?"

Yu Dehai quickly took a half step back and asked tremblingly: "Then...how many more do we have to fight?"

"I won't fight anyone. I just want to do business with you."

"Huh - doing business, no problem!" Yu Dehai finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Lianheng nodded and said in a deep voice: "I want to buy some information from you."

"Isn't it Maozi?" Yu Dehai was a little surprised. "Buying information... is fine, but I may not know everything. Sometimes it may take some time to find out."

"You don't need to ask for this news. You can tell me now."

"What's the news?"

Jiang Lianheng took out two pieces of paper from the drawer, placed them on the table, and tapped them twice with his fingers.

"The information I want is very simple, that is, who has bought information from you."

Yu Dehai blinked twice and asked, "Boss Jiang, do you mean... who has bought news about the Jiang family?"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head: "Not just the Jiang family, any kind of news is fine, I just want to know who are the people in Harbin right now and what kind of news they are buying."

(End of this chapter)