20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 528: The True Nature of a Pear Tyrant
Yin Baokun is seventy-three years old this year. He has been living a difficult life, so he pays special attention to health preservation.

The old man is not tall, with a long snow-white beard, a shiny brow and full of energy. Although he was born a "Red Stick", he is not aggressive. He is humorous and cheerful, loves to talk and laugh, and is particularly fond of big words. He always speaks in a set way. When he was young, he was used to seeing the disputes in the martial arts world. Now that he is older, the thing he likes to do most is to bring together young people to support each other and value harmony.

Du Yong asked him to be a guarantor for a tea talk. The old man was very pleased and felt proud, so he sat in the "Song" private room early and waited.

After a while, many people knocked on the door.

Du Yong introduced Yin Baokun to Jiang Lianheng and the others with a smile, and then he clasped his hands and said, "Uncle Kun, this is Master Wang Jiu from the Axe Gang, and the one next to him is Boss Jiang from Fengtian."

"Thank you for your hard work, old sir!" Jiang Lianheng and Wang Laojiu walked forward side by side and bowed.

“Okay, okay!” Yin Baokun laughed loudly, speaking in a Cantonese accent, and quickly greeted, “Come on, come on, everyone, please take a seat!”

The eldest brothers took their seats one after another, and the brothers behind them followed in to pay their respects to Uncle Kun.

There was nothing wrong with Ye Chuosan and Luotuo, but when Liu Yansheng spoke, Yin Baokun suddenly raised his eyebrows and asked in surprise, "Oh? Is this Mr. Liu also from eastern Guangdong?"

Hearing this, Liu Yansheng quickly replied: "I was born in East Guangdong, but I haven't been back for more than ten years."

Yin Baokun smiled and nodded, and said with a hint of self-mockery: "I have been traveling around the world, and I haven't been back for more than 40 years. However, the mountains are high and the waters are long. Why did you go to such a far place like Fengtian?"

Liu Yansheng looked at Jiang Lianheng and only revealed the truth after getting permission.

"In reply to the old gentleman, more than ten years ago, my master and I followed the arrangement of the alliance and went to Fengtian outside the Great Wall to develop anti-Qing forces."

Upon hearing this, Yin Baokun's eyes immediately lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "So, you are also a brother of Yuanmen?"

"No, no!" Liu Yansheng declined hastily, "I am just a servant of Prime Minister Jiang, I really don't dare to seek kinship with the old Hongmen!"

"Hey, Jiang Xiangpai is also our family. We are all brothers who got separated in the martial arts world. We cannot split up, and we cannot betray our master and ancestors. What's your master's father's name?"

"Tan Renjun." Liu Yansheng hesitated for a moment, then asked tentatively, "He also spent some time in Shanghai. I wonder if you have heard of him, old sir?"

As soon as he finished speaking, before the old man could reply, Du Yong and Ye Chaosan looked at each other, as if they had not expected that while they were talking about tea, someone from Jiang Lianheng's side would start discussing Taoism with the old man.

However, after Yin Baokun repeated Tan Renjun's name several times, he finally shook his head helplessly, showing a confused and bewildered expression.

"I'm old now, and I can't remember many things, but if he has been in Shanghai, I'll know when I ask him. By the way, why didn't your master come?"

Thinking of this, Liu Yansheng said with a little sadness: "Ten years ago, there was a great plague outside the Great Wall, and my master father passed away."

Yin Baokun pondered for a long while, and suddenly showed some grief and indignation, saying bitterly: "Natural disasters and man-made disasters are all caused by those Manchurian Tartars. Fortunately, the Qing Dynasty has been overthrown, which can be regarded as a comfort to your father's spirit in heaven."

Liu Yan was speechless.

He was one of the eyewitnesses who witnessed the great plague that year. To be fair, the Qing court valued Wu Lien-teh and his governance was indeed very effective. However, in front of the old Hongmen, he naturally did not dare to argue and just nodded silently.

Unexpectedly, Yin Baokun was very excited to meet a young fellow villager. He then talked a lot with Liu Yansheng, and they even talked about the bottom of the sea, had a tea battle, and discussed the gang rules.

Liu Yansheng answered all these questions fluently, which made the old man quite pleased.

When the two fellow villagers met, their accents became more and more southern, leaving the rest of the people confused and unable to understand what they were saying.

Finally, Yin Baokun nodded heavily and praised: "Not bad, not bad, the world has changed now. Many underworld brothers only care about money and don't follow the rules. Young men like you are rare!"

"Thank you for your compliment, senior!" Liu Yansheng smiled repeatedly.

However, the closer they talked, the more embarrassed and hesitant Ye Chaosan looked.

Du Yong seemed to be as still as a mountain, but his fingertips rubbing repeatedly seemed to reveal some changes in his mood.

Jiang Lianheng saw it all but kept silent.

After a few polite greetings, Yin Baokun seemed to suddenly remember his responsibilities and smiled slightly awkwardly.

"Hehe, I just said a few extra words, please forgive me."

It is natural for the elderly to like to chat with young people who follow old customs, and of course, no one is dissatisfied.

Du Yong quickly comforted him, "Uncle Kun, you are worrying too much. Since we are having a talk, we should be friendly and take this opportunity to make friends and turn hostility into friendship. If we can resolve the dispute in a casual conversation, it is thanks to your profound practice and your immeasurable merits!"

"Hahahaha, Du Sheng, ah Du Sheng, since you can have this attitude, it looks like we will all shake hands and make peace today!"

Let’s get started then?

In the private room, on the large round table, there were only a few seasonal fruits, crispy pastries and a pot of premium West Lake Longjing tea.

If the negotiation is successful, they will replace the tea with wine and live happily together; if the negotiation is unsuccessful, they will fight each other until death.

Everyone was waiting for the old man's opening remarks.

Yin Baokun sat at the main seat, his hands resting on the edge of the table. He changed his humorous demeanor to a solemn expression and said loudly:
"Everyone, there are three friends in the world: pine, bamboo and plum; there are three enemies in life: greed, anger and ignorance. Today, I am honored by Mr. Du, and trusted by Mr. Wang and Mr. Jiang. I will use my age to speak a few fair words to mediate the disputes in the martial arts world. I hope you can give me some face, make friends with pine, bamboo and plum, break the taboo of greed, anger and ignorance, take a step back, turn enemies into friends, and walk in the martial arts world with peace as the most precious thing."

It's just polite talk, nice to hear, nothing wrong with it.

Everyone naturally nodded.

Yin Baokun continued, "Mr. Du has already told me about the misunderstanding between you all. Now that everyone is here, I will clarify it again to avoid any further misunderstandings."

Du Yong clasped his fists and said, "Uncle Kun is fair, you can say whatever you want."

Yin Baokun nodded and immediately repeated the cause of the dispute.

After hearing this, Jiang Lianheng and Wang Laojiu had no objection, so the negotiations continued and the old man made his judgment impartially.

The focus of the negotiations between the two parties was naturally the Shilipu Wharf.

Although Jiang Lianheng was seated, he essentially belonged to the Axe Gang, so Wang Laojiu usually spoke on his behalf.

The negotiation process went quite smoothly, and Du Yong's words were very sincere. Wang Laojiu got the upper hand, but Du did not pursue the issue relentlessly or press further.

There was little actual interest to discuss, and both sides simply had a few words about the issue of face.

During this time, no problems occurred, whether inside or outside the building, or among the brothers on guard near and far, and everything went on slowly and peacefully.

"We agree to hand over Shiliupu Wharf to the Axe Gang." Du Yong said, "However, Lou Jingyuan is the nephew of 'Marshal Zhang'. He was injured at the wharf, and Master Jiu wants him to apologize in person. This is a bit embarrassing. We will make concessions, and you can save the dignity of 'Marshal Zhang' and Lou Jingyuan. In addition, Inspector Huang is an official of the French Concession, so it is inconvenient for him to personally participate in the tea talk. Please understand, Master Jiu."

Yin Baokun nodded, turned around and suggested: "Mr. Wang, please forgive others when you can!"

In fact, when Du Yong gave the entire Shiliupu to the Axe Gang, the news spread on the street, and it no longer mattered whether Lou Jingyuan came to apologize.

Wang Laojiu waved his hand and said, "These are all small matters. The key is whether you can do what you say. Don't talk about tea today and then do something dirty tomorrow."

"Uncle Kun has guaranteed me, so I will never go back on my word." Du Yong said, "Also, I'm sure Master Jiu is also very clear that our Sanjin Company does not make any profit from the docks. Shop 16 is just something I gave my disciples to do. Since I've already given it to them, I won't try to snatch it again. But..." Du Yong glanced at Yin Baokun before continuing, "Because the Axe Gang caused trouble earlier, our Sanjin Company's reputation has been damaged. I hope Master Jiu can give us an explanation for this matter."

"What do you want to do?" Wang Laojiu raised his chin.

"It's nothing, actually. It's nothing more than the next time when Sanjin Company purchases goods, the members of the Axe Gang can cooperate with us to deliver the goods once."

"Only once?"

"Once is enough." Du Yong nodded. "In addition, there is one more thing: since the Axe Gang has taken over the dock, they need to ensure the stability of the dock and the safety of each company's goods, just like other gangs. If there is unrest at the dock again, it only means that you are incapable of managing the dock, and we will have to take over again."

"I can guarantee the stability of the workers from my hometown in Anhui Province. As for the others..." Wang Laojiu questioned, "How do I know if you sent them to do this?"

"I have taken the initiative to give you Shop 16. Since Master Jiu is here to talk about tea, even if he doesn't trust me, he should trust Uncle Kun, right?" Du Yong turned his head and looked at the old man.

Yin Baokun pondered and said, "Please rest assured, Mr. Wang. I know Du Sheng well. Since he has taken the initiative to make concessions, there is no reason for him to resort to those crooked ways. As for guaranteeing the safety of the goods at the dock, this is something that every gang must promise. If you cannot guarantee this, even if Du Sheng does not rob your dock, other gangs will forcibly take over."

Wang Laojiu hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded and agreed: "Okay, I will guarantee the safety of the goods of all businesses, including Sanjin Company."

"Okay, okay!" Yin Baokun laughed, "Look, as long as everyone is willing to make concessions, we can sit down and talk about anything! The Axe Gang and the Sanjin Company will transport goods together, turning enemies into friends, and it can also be regarded as clarifying the rumors in Shanghai. I think it's a good idea, let's do it this way!"

At this time, the tea on the table had gradually cooled down.

Just when Yin Baokun thought the peace talks were successful, Wang Laojiu suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, I have one more thing!" He pointed at Jiang Lianheng beside him and said, "Mr. Du, Brother Jiang sent visiting cards to all three of you before, and now you are the only one who returned the visiting card. I don't care whether Zhang Xiaolin and Huang Mapi's cards were lost or not, but since they didn't come, you have to make amends and apologize to my brother on their behalf!"

Du Yong was silent for a moment, then nodded and smiled, "That should be right. It's just that I just heard recently that Boss Jiang was also a big shot outside the Great Wall. Now that he's in Shanghai, I haven't been able to reach a deal, and I haven't been able to entertain him well. Now that I think about it, it's not only a fault, but also a pity. So, Mr. Jiang, what do you think Du should do to resolve this misunderstanding?"

After saying that, everyone's eyes immediately fell on Jiang Lianheng.

However, when it was time to express his opinion, Jiang Lianheng seemed inexplicably hesitant. He just stared at Du Yong and did not speak for a long time.

In his eyes, this tea talk was too weird.

At first, when he was helping the Axe Gang with their plans, he was quite satisfied with his arrangements, and the actual situation did go according to his expectations.

Put on a show, build momentum, call for a break, grab the dock, curry favor with the powerful...

Every step was well-organized and effective, but now when it came to talking about tea, Jiang Lianheng felt an indescribable strangeness in his heart.

He had figured out Du Yong's businessman nature, and guessed that Du Yong would voluntarily give up profits because he was unwilling to risk his life. But when the time came, he felt confused - could it be that the so-called "three tycoons" were only capable of this?
Jiang Lianheng thought about it over and over, but still couldn't find any flaws. This inexplicable feeling seemed to be explained only by the intuition of an old hand.

At this moment, he needed a test to confirm his intuition.

"Boss Jiang?" Du Yong's concerned voice sounded again, "If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know."

Under everyone's confused gaze, Jiang Lianheng came back to his senses, smiled faintly, and then suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the fruit plate on the round table.

"I'm a little hungry after chatting for so long. Could you please peel a pear for me, Mr. Du?"

After he finished speaking, everyone in the room was stunned.

Wang Laojiu and Luotuo had little experience in the underworld and could not figure out why Jiang Lianheng made such a bizarre request.

But Liu Yansheng was frightened when he heard it. Yin Baokun also had a gloomy expression, and his eyes showed both dissatisfaction and blame.

In short, it's asking too much.

The most taboo for people who are in a relationship online is to be "dug up" and have their experiences when they were down and out revealed.

Du Yong started out as a fruit seller.

Everyone knows the name "Fruit Yong", but no one dares to mention it.

Asking Du Yong to help peel a pear is like asking Jiang Lianheng to sing a piece of Sulaibao in public, knowing that he has asked for food before - intentionally humiliating people!

"boom!"

Ye Chuosan was so angry that he gritted his teeth and couldn't help but slam the table and stand up. Just as he was about to curse, he was secretly pulled back by Du Yong. The curse words were stuck in his throat and his face turned purple.

On the other side, the camel saw that he was coming with such a fierce momentum, so he naturally did not want to be outdone and stood up suddenly.

Likewise, before he could start scolding, Yin Baokun spoke first:

"What are you doing?" the old man asked sternly, "Just talk about tea, what are you doing, destroying my place?"

After all, the Hongkou District of the British Concession was the territory of the "Guangdong Gang". Ye Chaosan knew that he was in the wrong. He looked at Du Yong, pursed his lips, and had to change the topic: "Uncle Kun... I have to pee urgently."

"If you need to pee, go to the toilet!" After saying that, Yin Baokun looked at Luotuo sideways, "What are you going to do?"

"I...I'm a jerk."

"Then get out of here and go to the toilet!"

Yin Baokun raised his hand and drove the two away. He was still angry, so he turned to look at Jiang Lianheng and said with a hint of blame: "Mr. Jiang, after all, Du Yong and the others just didn't see you. There are still many misunderstandings. You are so aggressive..."

"Uncle Kun——"

Du Yong suddenly smiled and said, "Uncle Kun, don't worry too much. It's just peeling a pear. Today we are talking about tea and peace. Tomorrow I will marry Boss Jiang and become his brother. Peeling a pear for my brother is no big deal."

As he spoke, he took out a green pear from the fruit plate, held it in his left hand, and picked up a very delicate fruit knife in his right hand.

"Zizi-"

The sharp knife cut into the flesh and some juice burst out.

The pear seemed unusually well-behaved in Du Yong's hands. It turned its body obediently and allowed the sharp blade to cut it.

The peel is twisted and curved, but it never breaks, and instead forms a shaky jade belt.

Du Yong was quietly peeling the skin and cutting the meat while muttering to himself:
"I used to be an apprentice in the 16th Shop, but I never made much money. Later, I found the boss and asked him to give me the rotten fruits. I cut off the rotten, black, and undesirable parts and sold them to the workers at the dock and the gamblers in the gambling dens. Finally, I could have a meal. But, I always had a question -"

The pears have been peeled, not only the skin has been beaten, but the flesh has also been cut into small cubes of different sizes that are just right for eating.

Du Yong put the crystal clear fruit flesh into a small plate, stood up and handed it to Jiang Lianheng.

"Mr. Jiang, what do you think... After I peel off the rotten part of a pear, is it a good pear or a rotten pear?"

(End of this chapter)