20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 508: Swinging the Axe Again

After the visitor left, Xu Huaimin sat alone in his office, his face ashen and his anger still lingering.

He has always had a high opinion of himself, and always felt that although he was not considered a gangster, he still had some face in the underworld. He often dealt with the "white paper fans" of various gangs, but he had never seen anyone like Liu Yansheng, who always had a threatening tone in his words and deeds.

"You little bastard, you don't know the rules. You will regret it sooner or later!"

Xu Huaimin cursed a few times under his breath, but the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Even his neck felt thicker, and he couldn't help but raise his hand to loosen the tie on his chest.

Suddenly, I glanced and saw the crumpled remittance slip still on the table.

Xu Huaimin was stunned for a moment, then he quickly bent over to pick up the remittance slip. After careful inspection, he found that it was indeed a bill from the National Bank, exactly 10,000 yuan, which made him itch.

He curled his lips, and without any hesitation, he put the remittance slip into his arms and patted it twice.

"You were the one who wanted to stay, so you can't blame me for not doing the job after taking the money!"

It’s better to have money in your pocket.

The originally frowned brows also quietly relaxed.

Xu Huaimin immediately felt in a good mood. He glanced at the time and it was time for dinner, so he quickly got up, opened the door, called a few close colleagues, and made an appointment to go to a nearby restaurant to satisfy his cravings.

When he returned to the office, it was almost two o'clock in the afternoon.

As soon as I sat down, a fierce quarrel suddenly broke out upstairs.

Hearing the voice, Xu Huaimin couldn't help but frown and looked up at the ceiling, with a look of confusion on his face.

After being stunned for a while, he suddenly remembered that today was the day when the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company was holding its shareholders' meeting.

In other words, it's time to quarrel again.

Since the death of Li Zhongtang, the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company has lost its backbone.

As the system of "government supervision and business operation" became increasingly loose, it was no longer possible to elect a person within the company who had the final say. The descendants of Li Zhongtang and the Beiyang direct lineage were intertwined and checked and balanced against each other.

None of the major shareholders is willing to submit to the other. They speak righteously on the surface, but they fight for power and profit behind the scenes.

Everyone could see that it was only a matter of time before the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company was taken over by the government, so everyone wanted to fight for power and racked their brains to think of every possible way to embezzle public property and turn it into personal gain.

Xu Huaimin was no longer surprised by this.

Anyway, it was not his turn to embezzle the assets of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, so he just took a few puffs of snuff, leaned back in his chair, and just leisurely whileding away the time.

As soon as I closed my eyes, Liu Yansheng's face that deserved a beating appeared in my mind again!
After much thought, Xu Huaimin felt it necessary to inform Lou Jingyuan about this matter in advance.

But after picking up the phone, he hesitated and felt that he should tell Zhang Xiaolin directly.

It’s not cost-effective to make a phone call. If you visit him in person, with Marshal Zhang’s hot-tempered and straightforward personality, maybe he can even give you some money as a tip!
Therefore, Xu Huaimin immediately made up his mind. He planned to seek credit in front of Zhang Xiaolin, and also planned to use Zhang Xiaolin to teach those ignorant northern Anhui barbarians a lesson.

The afternoon time flies by.

After drinking some tea and reading the newspaper, it was time to get off work in the blink of an eye.

Xu Huaimin locked the office door, picked up his briefcase and walked quickly out of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company building.

When he came to the street, he looked around first, then raised his hand and waved:

"Rickshaw! Rickshaw!"

"Jingle Bell--"

A rickshaw came in response.

The driver was in his late thirties, wearing a tattered straw hat. His skin was shiny dark and he looked quite thin, but the muscles on his forearms bulged high.

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes peered out from under his hat brim and fell on Xu Huaimin's face. He nodded immediately and asked in a hoarse voice:

"Boss, where are you going?"

"Go to Zhang Mansion, run fast!"

For some reason, when the three words "Zhang Mansion" came out of his mouth, an indescribable sense of pride flashed across Xu Huaimin's eyes, as if this was a very big event that was enough to make him superior to others in the foreign world.

The driver grunted, leaned over the side of the road, lowered the handlebars, and let Xu Huaimin climb onto the rickshaw.

"Boss, are you sitting tight?"

"Stop talking nonsense and go!"

"Jingle Bell--"

Accompanied by a pleasant bell sound, the rickshaw was on the road again.

Xu Huaimin leaned back in his seat, crossed his legs, and unconsciously squinted his eyes, enjoying the slight shaking of the rickshaw and the cool feeling of the evening breeze on his face.

This went on for three to five minutes.

The driver's hoarse voice suddenly interrupted Xu Huaimin's leisurely and comfortable mood.

"Boss, there are a lot of people on the street at this time. Can I take you a shortcut?"

Xu Huaimin opened one eye in response and sneered impatiently, "Don't try to play tricks on me. Do you think it's my first day in Shanghai? I'm telling you, even if you take me for a ride around the French Concession today, I'll still pay you the same amount. I won't give you a penny more."

The driver looked ahead, and while running quickly, he laughed out loud and said, "Boss, don't be funny. You are a guest of Zhang Mansion, how dare I lie to you? I just want to get there quickly, so that I can make a few more trips before dark!"

"Well, that's good enough. Run!" Xu Huaimin urged loudly, "Stop talking and run!"

"Okay! Okay!"

The driver immediately turned around and turned the rickshaw into an alley on the side of the street.

Xu Huaimin was not in a hurry. His eyelids were still drooping, and he was swaying back and forth, as if he was half asleep.

He had lived in Shanghai for nearly ten years and was familiar with the nearby streets and alleys. He knew that going to Zhang Mansion from here was indeed a shortcut, but it required passing through several narrow alleys, which were not convenient for rickshaws to pass through.

However, since the driver didn't say anything, he naturally didn't mind.

We walked like this for another three to five minutes.

The rickshaw suddenly made a loud "clang" sound!
Xu Huaimin was jolted up from his seat and when he looked back he saw a shallow pit on the road not far behind the car.

"Hey, how the hell are you pulling the cart!" Xu Huaimin cursed, "There's such a big pit, don't you have eyes? Can't you walk slower and remind me?"

However, the driver neither turned around nor answered, as if he had suddenly become mute.

Xu Huaimin was not willing to give in. He continued to sit in the back and shouted, "Hey, I'm talking to you! Are you blind and deaf?"

The driver ignored him and continued running forward as usual, then turned into a narrow alley that was barely big enough for a rickshaw to pass through.

"What the hell do you mean by not talking? Don't you want the taxi fare anymore?"

As he was cursing, Xu Huaimin suddenly froze.

He just sat there in the car seat, his mouth open but the words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't utter a single word.

"Boom!"

The driver stopped the rickshaw in the middle of the alley, then jumped out from the handrail and ran forward quickly.

At this time, not far ahead, there were more than a dozen strong young men in black open-chested shorts, each holding a short-handled axe in their hands, standing shoulder to shoulder, blocking the long and narrow alley.

The leader was a man in his early thirties, a sturdy and strong man with a big mouth and eyes, and a slight hunchback. He was one of the Axe Gang's full-time thugs, nicknamed "Camel".

The driver walked to the camel, whispered a few words, and then raised his hand and pointed towards the rickshaw.

Seeing this, Xu Huaimin's heart trembled and he immediately felt that something was wrong.

Although he had never seen the so-called "Axe Gang" before, he knew from the way they were dressed that they were undoubtedly from the Axe Gang, and most likely they were instructed by Liu Yansheng to set a trap to cause trouble for him.

Damn it, I was careless and let that little bastard get there first!
Xu Huaimin cursed inwardly and just wanted to get away as quickly as possible.

But this alley is too narrow. After a rickshaw is parked inside, there is not much space left on the left and right sides, and people can only pass sideways.

Just at this moment, Luotuo and his men were already approaching this side step by step.

Xu Huaimin had no time to hesitate. He immediately stood up from the seat and planned to climb over the rickshaw and escape.

Unexpectedly, just as he turned around and before he could grab the rickshaw canopy with both hands, he heard a loud "clang" and a short-handled axe suddenly hit the rickshaw canopy, shaking the entire rickshaw!
Xu Huaimin was horrified.

When I looked up, I found that a dozen Axe Gang members had gathered behind the rickshaw.

The leader had even approached silently and chopped the rickshaw hard with an axe.

As Xu Huaimin was surprised, he suddenly felt his shoulders sink, and then a rough voice rang in his ears. "Manager Xu, where are you going?"

Luotuo grabbed Xu Huaimin's shoulder with one hand, pulled him hard, turned him around, and then gently hit him in the face with the broad axe.

"You seem to have forgotten that you haven't done what our Axe Gang asked you to do yet!"

"No, what are you going to do?"

Xu Huaimin's face turned pale and he was shivering. He felt the axe on his face was icy cold and the blood in his body was almost coagulating.

But he still pretended to be calm, swallowed his saliva, and stammered to remind:
"Hey... I, I don't care who you are, whether you are from the Axe Gang or the Hammer Gang... I warn you, don't use violence, and discuss things properly... Don't forget, if you want to seize the dock, I will have to issue you a contract in the end!"

"Snapped!"

Luotuo raised his hand and slapped Xu Huaimin, catching him off guard and making him dizzy.

"Xu, if you dare to talk nonsense again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the Axe Gang members immediately surrounded him.

Xu Huaimin quickly raised his hands to protect his head. He looked around through his arms and explained in a panic:
"Don't fight, don't fight... You can't blame me for this. It's your people who don't know the rules. I've already told him the rules for grabbing the dock. You just have to follow them and talk to Lou Jingyuan, and I will definitely sign a contract for you... I can't do anything that's against the rules for you!"

"Fuck you!"

The Axe Gang member nearby kicked Xu Huaimin to the ground, then shouted, "I don't care about your bullshit rules. The Axe Gang is the rule!"

"No, no, no, spare my life!"

Xu Huaimin covered his chest and collapsed to the ground, backing away repeatedly.

"Who is the leader among you? Stop fighting, stop fighting. Listen to my explanation. I, I am doing this for your own good... You are not following the rules, and it will not be good for the Axe Gang in the future... I know you can fight, but what's the point of fighting? To seize the dock business, you need power, connections, and a background..."

Before he finished speaking, a familiar voice suddenly came from the crowd.

"Manager Xu, you mean rules? Then let me tell you what rules are."

Xu Huaimin frowned and looked in the direction of the voice. It was Liu Yansheng, holding a briefcase in his hand, who flashed out from the crowd, walked up to the rickshaw and whispered:
"The real rule is that the person who issues the contract to us is not you, but the chair under you. Whether you are dead or alive, it will not affect the business of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company, and the chair under you will never be vacant. If you are unwilling to help, then we will kill you, and the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company will naturally replace you... I think there will always be someone willing to cooperate with us, right?"

"Right!" Camel quickly agreed, "If you take money from the Axe Gang, you have to work for them!"

"No, no, no, that... I can return the money to you..."

Xu Huaimin was probably really a little frightened.

With the money and the axe in front of him at the same time, he still mistakenly believed that he had a choice.

"Fuck you, you've already taken the money and you want to return it, are you kidding us?" Luotuo wisely put on a bad face, "Come here, hold down the guy surnamed Xu and chop off one of his arms first!"

At the command, the Axe Gang members immediately swarmed forward!

Not only was Xu Huaimin unable to resist, he didn't even have the chance to beg for mercy.

In the blink of an eye, the whole person was pressed to the ground by a dozen big hands.

Judging from the situation, let alone chopping off his arm, even if someone used an axe handle to defile his body, he would have no choice but to grit his teeth and stand firm.

"I sign! I sign!" Xu Huaimin screamed, "Sign, sign, sign the contract! Don't put pressure on me, don't put pressure on me, I... I can't breathe!"

Liu Yansheng and Luotuo looked at each other, then nodded and asked everyone to pull Xu Huaimin up from the ground.

"Then please, Manager Xu, take the trouble to help us sign our contract on this seat." Liu Yansheng said as he opened the copper buckle on the briefcase.

"Now?" Xu Huaimin shook his head quickly. "That won't do. Hey, hey, hey, don't fight yet. Don't fight yet!"

Liu Yansheng and Luotuo immediately called out to the members of the Axe Gang.

Xu Huaimin finally breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and explained listlessly: "Business at the dock has always been based on standard contracts. Do you understand? I don't have a contract in my hand right now, and I don't have the official seal with me. You can wait until tomorrow and come to my office tomorrow."

Just at this moment, another voice emerged from the crowd.

"no need!"

Following the sound, people came and saw Wen Tingge walking slowly to the rickshaw. He raised his hand and heard two muffled sounds of "click" and "clatter" coming from the seat.

Xu Huaimin turned his head and saw that it was the standard contract of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company and the square official seal that should have been locked in his office drawer.

"Sign! Everything is here!" Wen Tingge raised his chin towards the rickshaw seat.

Xu Huaimin was stunned for a long time. He didn't even have the time to think about when he lost his official seal. He just felt a blankness in his mind, and when he knocked, there was only an empty sound of "dong dong".

"Manager Xu, you won't regret it again, will you?" Liu Yansheng asked patiently.

"Ah?" Xu Huaimin woke up as if from a dream and immediately shook his head, "No, no...then, then sign it...sign it!"

This time, he had no excuses.

However, after he signed the contract and stamped it with the official seal like a sleepwalker, he had already thought of a plan to deal with the situation in his mind.

A contract signed under duress is legally untenable. How can it be valid?

If it were placed in front of the disciples of the Green Gang's "Three Tycoons", it would be just a piece of waste paper!
Xu Huaimin knew that as long as he could explain the origins of the Axe Gang to Zhang Xiaolin as soon as possible, he could extricate himself from it and avoid being involved in the chaos of gang disputes.

After signing the contract, the Axe Gang members were finally satisfied.

Liu Yansheng walked up to Xu Huaimin with a smile, and carefully helped him straighten his suit. Then he stretched out his right hand as usual and said with a smile:
"Thank you for your help, Manager Xu. From now on, you are a good friend of the Axe Gang."

"I don't dare!" Xu Huaimin refused, and put his hand into his bosom, "Well... I'd better return the money to you!"

Liu Yansheng immediately stopped him and said, "No, if Manager Xu returns the money to us, it will become that we owe you a favor. Keep the money and go slowly. I won't see you off."

Xu Huaimin looked around at the Axe Gang members and nodded blankly: "Okay, then...then I'll leave first?"

"Eh? You didn't bring your official seal."

"Oh, yes, yes, thank you... Then I'm really leaving this time!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Luotuo immediately called out to everyone, "Manager Xu is leaving. Did you hear that? Speak!"

"Manager Xu, take care!!!" the Axe Gang members shouted in unison.

Xu Huaimin shuddered in response, stood there and laughed dryly a few times, then slowly turned around and moved slowly like a wooden man.

At this moment, he suddenly heard a crisp "click" sound behind him, and all the hair on his body stood up.

Turning my head to look behind me, sure enough—

Wen Tingge was lowering his head, playing with a Continental revolver in his hand. He removed the magazine and checked it for a moment, then reloaded it and turned on the safety.

"What, what do you mean?" Xu Huaimin wanted to run away, but he didn't dare to act rashly. He said with a wronged look on his face, "I've already given you a contract. What else do you want?"

"Hmm?" Wen Tingge frowned and explained with a wry smile, "It's none of your business. I'm just having fun. You can go now!"

"Should I go or not?" Xu Huaimin asked.

"Who are you asking?"

Wen Tingge raised his Ma brand pistol, aimed at Xu Huaimin's head, then suddenly lowered the muzzle of the gun slightly and pulled the trigger.

"boom!"

A cloud of dust suddenly rose up from the ground not far in front of Xu Huaimin, and he was so scared that he quickly looked at everyone.

"Hurry up!" Wen Tingge urged loudly, "This bullet is easy to ricochet. If you are slower, you will just be a sitting duck!"

"boom!"

After that, another shot!
Xu Huaimin didn't dare to be negligent this time and immediately ran away like crazy.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Wen Tingge fired several shots slowly behind him, but none of the shots hit the target.

Wen Tingge stopped shooting only when Xu Huaimin disappeared from the alley. The members of the Axe Gang just stood there and watched the fun, without chasing after him.

After a while, the camel came up from behind Liu Yansheng and Wen Tingge.

"Brothers, do you think this kid will go find Zhang Xiaolin again?"

"Just go find Zhang Xiaolin." Liu Yansheng said with a smile, "We want him to make things bigger!"

(End of this chapter)