20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 467: Buying and selling cannot be done with kindness and righteousness

In less than half a month, Li Zhengxi and others returned to Fengtian from Harbin.

The "foreign Guanyin" were taken to "Huifangli" one after another and handed over to Dong Erniang for training and torture. Before long, they were reduced to tools for the Jiang family to attract customers and make money.

Dong Erniang was cruel and ruthless. Although she always appeared shy and delicate in front of Zhao Guoyan, she was like a man-eating she-devil when it came to treating the brothel girls. She wanted to squeeze the marrow out of them and turn them into juice.

The way of tying up the monkey is determined by the monkey's characteristics.

When the White Russian girl fell into her hands, she initially treated her well with food and drink.

Holding gold, silver, and diamonds, promising wealth and glory, they persuade people to join the sex trade by using soft and hard means.

Some girls are vain, lazy, sensible and know what's good for them. They know that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and soon they voluntarily become men's playthings.

Some people with hot tempers who don't know what's good for them will inevitably be beaten.

Dong Erniang also used both soft and hard tactics. She held an eight-stranded hidden-needle whip in her right hand and a small purse in her left hand. The purse was dark and messy, filled with the hard stubble that had just been shaved off by the thugs who were watching the scene.

If anyone dares to challenge me, I will first beat her until her skin is torn and then pull out a handful of hard stubble from her little pouch and send her into the depths of the "Xuanmen".

The hard stubble was embedded in the skin and flesh, and could not be picked out or washed off. It made people itch unbearably, but there was nothing they could do.

Every night, I toss and turn and find it difficult to fall asleep.

The burning pain and the piercing itchiness would make even gods shake their heads, let alone when it is used on mortals.
Anyone who refuses to go into prostitution will never have a peaceful life. The madams always have all kinds of ways to torture the prostitutes until they are in excruciating pain.

In short, once a girl stumbles and falls into a prostitute's place, unless she kills herself immediately by hitting herself headfirst, she will end up in the same situation sooner or later.

Of course, Dong Erniang was mostly very polite to those White Russian prostitutes who were truly good-looking, and was reluctant to let them "go to the kang" easily. At most, she would arrange for them to "sit at the table" for tea. If the clients did not spend a lot of money, they would have no chance to get close to them.

"Huifangli" had been suppressed by the Southern Gang's brothel for so many years, but it finally became popular before the New Year thanks to its exotic atmosphere, and it seems to be regaining its former glory.

…………

Just over a month passed like this.

The New Year of the Gregorian calendar has passed, and the New Year of the lunar calendar is about to come.

Just at this critical juncture of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, Wang Zhengnan finally returned to Jiang's house in Fengtian from Liaonan Wharf to report on his work to his sister-in-law Hu Xiaoyan.

After Nanfeng came back, the Jiang family's business of recruiting workers on behalf of foreigners finally came to an end.

It’s not that Wang Zhengnan didn’t want to continue doing it, but as the Germans became increasingly exhausted and the Americans decided to join the war, the war situation in the West changed abruptly, the demand for Far Eastern laborers gradually decreased, and there was almost no business to do, so it naturally came to an end.

I was busy all year long, working bit by bit, and although I didn't make much money, I did expand my network a lot.

After a year, Wang Zhengnan became familiar with the managers of various British and French companies at the Liaonan docks, and even the relatives of several consulate generals.

What surprised Jiang Lianheng was that when Nanfeng returned to Fengtian, he actually brought back two old acquaintances - the German guy Jaspersen and his little follower Fangyan.

……

……

Xiaoxiguan, Juxiang Building.

Jiang Lianheng called Zhao Guoyan and prepared a table full of wine and food in the private room on the second floor early in the morning.

In the middle of the table was a sauerkraut pot with two handles. On top of the oily soup, a layer of white meat and blood sausage were neatly placed - the Germans loved it!
There were fine bubbles bubbling around the edge of the pot. Not long after the pot started to boil, there was a sudden knock on the door of the private room.

Wang Zhengnan poked his head into the room. His face looked a little thinner than before and he looked like he had been working very hard.

As soon as he entered the door, he turned sideways with a smile and greeted in a low voice: "Brother, Yasipsen and Fangyan are here."

Jiang Lianheng and Zhao Guoyan stood up in response, and soon they saw a figure flash outside the door.

Soon, Yasipsen walked into the private room with a dusty face and speaking in dialect. He clasped his fists towards Jiang Lianheng and forced a dry smile.

"Mr. Jiang, long time no see."

"Hey, Mr. Ya, why are you holding your fists up!" Jiang Lianheng said with a smile, pulling over a chair, "Come on, come on, please sit down. It's been several years since we last met. Look, pickled cabbage, pork and blood sausage, they are all your favorites. I even brought you some foreign wine!"

"Mr. Jiang is so generous. Thank you so much!"

Yasipsen took two steps and sat down next to Jiang Lianheng.

After not seeing each other for four years, the German guy looked much more haggard. Zhao Guoyan dealt with him more and felt that his face lacked the former spirit.

Of course, ever since the Japanese seized Jiaozhou Bay in the fourth year of the Republic of China, there has been no more business dealings between the two families. The pig bristles and horse tails were all sold to British and French companies, and the contact between the Jiang family and Jaspers was gradually cut off.

However, Jiang Lianheng still learned from Wang Zhengnan about Yasipsen's current predicament and poverty.

After the "dispute between the government and the parliament" came to an end, the Duan family came to power. Just over half a year later, the Beijing authorities officially declared war on Germany. Not only did they stop paying the indemnity owed by the Qing Dynasty, but they also ordered the expulsion of the German consul and "forcibly" recovered the leased land. The German trading companies in various places lost the support of the country and instantly fell into turmoil and decline.

Jasper's De Mao Trading Co. was also not spared from the shock.

The connections of the past were like a dream, vanishing in an instant.

Thus, like many Germans who drifted in the Far East, Yasipsen became a rootless duckweed. Although it could not be said to be at the mercy of others, it was no longer as glorious as it once was.

Wang Zhengnan brought him and Fang Yan back because of their past friendship.

This trip to Fengtian was to get straight to the point. It was for no other reason than to seek a job and protection from Jiang Lianheng.

Everyone sat down, ate, drank and talked about business.

After a few simple greetings, Jiang Lianheng asked curiously, "Mr. Ya, what's the situation in your country now? Can you hold on?"

Hearing this, Yasipsen's face looked a little ugly, but he still insisted, "We did not lose on the battlefield."

"From what you said, you have already lost?"

"No, there is still hope, but... the hope is slim."

After hearing this, everyone couldn't help but look at each other. Although they didn't say anything, their eyes suddenly lit up - if the Germans lost, wouldn't it be equivalent to us winning?

Jiang Lianheng pursed his lips, and quickly poured a glass of brandy for Yasipsen. He suppressed his smugness and pretended to comfort him in a heavy voice:

"Hey, Mr. Ya, victory and defeat are common in the military. Everyone has bad luck sometimes. Let's drink!"

Jaspersen drank the brandy in his hand and immediately began to show off his knowledge of Far Eastern culture. "Mr. Jiang, there is an old saying in your country - 30 years in the east, 30 years in the west. I believe that Germany will not be defeated so easily."

"Yes, yes, yes. We always say this ourselves, but we don't know if it works or not." Jiang Lianheng smiled and asked, "Mr. Ya, let's not talk about the world situation anymore. Tell me about yourself. What are your plans now? Are you planning to return to China?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yasipsen immediately shook his head like a rattle and said, "The situation in the West is too tense now. It's not suitable for me to go back. I still hope to stay in the Far East. After all, I have lived here for more than 20 years. This is my second home."

"So, you came to me."

"Yes, I heard that Mr. Jiang's business is doing very well. I can be your consultant or translator." Yasipsen said without hesitation, "Of course, if Mr. Jiang is willing to introduce me to official work, I will be very grateful for your help."

Jiang Lianheng was in a dilemma.

The German consul in Fengtian had been expelled long ago, and it seemed that there was no place for the Germans to be used.

The most important thing is that Yasipsen is just a businessman after all. If he can build cannons, Jiang Lianheng will personally introduce him to Zhang Laogenda without him saying anything.

There was an awkward silence.

Seeing that Jiang Lianheng had not expressed his opinion yet, Yasipsen hurriedly started to promote himself.

"Mr. Jiang, although our two countries are nominally at war, the war is only temporary. It won't be long before everything returns to normal. There are still many Germans like me in the Far East. I know a lot of friends in the business community who may be able to help you. There are also some architects and accountants..."

"Do you know anyone who can make mountain cannons?" Jiang Lianheng suddenly interrupted.

He learned from Shu Ning that Zhang Laogeda intended to establish the Fengtian Arsenal. Although this matter had not been officially announced, by that time, Zhang would definitely be eager to recruit talents.

Upon hearing this, Jasper looked embarrassed.

Although he himself was engaged in the arms smuggling business, the role he played in it was still just a businessman.

Moreover, the war in Europe has been in full swing in recent years. Excellent engineers and weapons designers are important strategic resources and it is impossible for them to stay abroad. It is really not easy to find a reliable engineer.

"Um... I guess I can try to help you find it, but..."

Jaspersen spoke hesitantly, obviously not having enough confidence in this.

Seeing this, Wang Zhengnan quickly interrupted and said, "Brother, Mr. Ya is an old friend of ours. It wouldn't be a big deal if we could find him a job and treat it as supporting an idle person for the Jiang family."

"What do you mean by supporting an idler?" Jiang Lianheng corrected him immediately, "Mr. Ya is an ambitious man. Giving him an idle job is an insult to him!"

As he said that, he suddenly turned around and looked at Yasipson, and then said: "Mr. Ya, don't worry, even if the deal fails, there is still friendship. You don't need to introduce your abilities here. Since you have come to Fengtian to seek refuge with me, I will never let you go back like this. Everyone in the underworld has encountered bad luck."

After hearing this, Yasipsen finally relaxed a little, smiled and nodded repeatedly, and ate a piece of blood sausage.

Jiang Lianheng instructed Nanfeng, "Guo Yan, in the next two days, go and arrange a place for Mr. Ya to live and let him settle down. As for what kind of work to do, we will consider it slowly after the New Year. Mr. Ya, do you think this is okay?"

"Thank you very much for your help, Mr. Jiang."

"Hey, don't thank me yet. I haven't decided on your job yet, but can you let me be your follower?"

"You mean Fang?"

Yasipson glanced at Fangyan, but saw that the boy was just busy eating. He was caught off guard when he suddenly heard someone calling him.

"Boss Jiang, you called me?" Fang Yan quickly wiped his mouth and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

Jiang Lianheng nodded and asked, "I remember that you seemed to have grown up on the docks. Do you know a lot of foreign languages?"

"This... isn't a lot." Fang Yan scratched his head, not quite confident. "Before I met Mr. Yaspson, I was just running around everywhere. I couldn't say much. I only knew the few phrases commonly used at the docks."

"You're pretty awesome."

"No, no, no, I can't say I'm amazing, I just need to be more careful. Mainly, I don't want to carry heavy bags on the dock all the time. If I knew a few words of foreign language, I wouldn't have to use so much effort."

Fangyan looks very young and has an active mind.

His words reminded Jiang Lianheng of the great poet Zhang. They both started working for foreigners at a young age and had equal opportunities. The only difference was who worked harder. The great poet Zhang, relying on his self-taught Russian language, managed to become a Chinese foreman under the Russians.

"Then can you speak Russian?" Jiang Lianheng suddenly asked.

"I can speak a little, but I haven't spoken it for a long time." Fangyan recalled, "Since the Russians were driven to the north, I haven't had many opportunities to speak it. I mostly speak Japanese, but now I still speak German better."

Seeing that Jiang Lianheng was interested in Fang Yan, Yasipsen did not hesitate to praise him.

"Mr. Jiang, Fang is a smart young man, perhaps the smartest person I have ever met. He is very capable, but my current situation is rather difficult. If you are willing to accept him to work for you, that would be great, and I would bless him."

Dialects probably have an innate talent for foreign languages, and once given the opportunity, they can quickly master a language.

Jiang Lianheng took this very seriously and immediately asked, "Brother, are you willing to work with me?"

This was actually a valuable support, but Fangyan was a little hesitant after hearing it.

He looked at Jiang Lianheng, then at Zhao Guoyan, swallowed his saliva, and asked tremblingly: "Boss Jiang, are you...are you planning to let me be your thug?"

Jiang Lianheng laughed and said, "What are you thinking? We are good people. Do you think I am a gangster?"

"No, no, I definitely didn't mean that!" Fang Yan replied in a panic, "You are a big boss, so it's normal to have a few bodyguards. I just want to ask what you use me for."

"You have no other job but to be my translator."

"Just as a translator?"

Jiang Lianheng did not comment, but instead asked: "Just now, Mr. Ya said that you are a smart person, so are you a smart person?"

"I..." Fang Yan looked around, a little confused for a moment.

At this moment, Wang Zhengnan patted his shoulder and reminded him in a low voice: "Can you control your mouth!"

Fang Yan immediately came to his senses and said hurriedly, "Yes! Mr. Ya told me that business secrets must be kept secret!"

"So, you are a smart person?" Jiang Lianheng asked again.

Fang Yan thought carefully for a moment, raised his glass, and said, "No, Boss Jiang, I'm a fool!"

Everyone laughed.

Jiang Lianheng slapped the table and said with satisfaction: "Go ahead, it's you!"

(End of this chapter)