20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 556: Seeking Wealth and Honor in Chaos

It was getting dark, and outside the Anhui Hometown Association Hall, a black Ford car was parked not far from the roadside.

In the reception room of the guild hall, Wang Laojiu dismissed everyone and met Li Guodong alone.

The two men sat opposite each other under the dim light and each lit a cigarette. What they talked about was, of course, the turmoil at Shilipu Wharf.

The Green Gang joined forces with Lao Chai to cause trouble at the dock. In just one day, Li Guodong received complaints from many businesses. The China Merchants Steam Navigation Company also took this opportunity to put pressure on him, demanding that he immediately replace the dock manager and let Lou Jingyuan take charge of Shiliupu again.

Li Guodong certainly refused, and he was even more unwilling to be coerced by the Green Gang.

However, when he heard that the Axe Gang was planning to get rid of those old guys, he hurriedly dissuaded them, saying, "Master Jiu, Shanghai has been in chaos recently. The police from all three realms are cracking down on gang members. If you act now, you will fall into Lou Jingyuan's trap."

"What are you afraid of?" Wang Laojiu waved his hands and said, "Since things are already chaotic, let's make it even more chaotic. When they get scared, they will behave themselves."

Li Guodong sighed and said, "Master Jiu, they are officials after all. If things get out of hand, it will not be good for us. You just need to stabilize the workers at the dock, and I will find a way to handle the official matters."

"It's obvious that there is collusion between the black and white, what else can we do?"

"Master Jiu, Lou Jingyuan and his gang won't be able to keep up this trick for long. Delaying the flow of goods in and out of Shanghai is equivalent to incurring public anger. No cargo ship can withstand their inspection. As long as the two of us can stabilize the dock and the Merchants Group, the Chamber of Commerce will not tolerate Lou Jingyuan in the long run."

Li Guodong patiently explained a few words, and then added: "Wait until this storm is over, then it won't be too late for you to take action against those old men."

Wang Laojiu pondered for a long while, and finally nodded: "That's fine, in this case, Manager Li will have to go and discuss the open matters. If anyone doesn't give us face, tell me again and I'll send someone to 'persuade' them."

"Okay, Master Jiu, that's settled. I'll go to the Chamber of Commerce and talk to President Zhu first."

"Manager Li, please stay."

Wang Laojiu suddenly called him, then lowered his voice and said, "I have one more thing I want to ask you for a favor."

"Oh?" Li Guodong was a little surprised and sat down and asked, "Master Jiu, is there anything else?"

Wang Laojiu thought for a moment and asked, "Manager Li, can you help me find a secluded house in Shanghai? It doesn't have to be very nice or grand, but it should be big enough to accommodate about 20 people."

After hearing this, Li Guodong was inevitably confused, and immediately frowned and asked: "Master Jiu, are you planning to move out of the guild hall?"

"It's possible." Wang Laojiu's answer was ambiguous.

Seeing this, Li Guodong naturally didn't want to continue asking questions. He thought for a moment and asked, "Is it urgent?"

"It's urgent. The sooner the better."

"Hiss - I bought a small yard in the western part of the French Concession, near the county suburbs. I used it as a warehouse and no one lived there. It's a bit shabby. If Master Jiu can't wait, you can use it for emergency. I'll ask someone to clean it up tomorrow."

Hearing this, Wang Laojiu's face lit up and he immediately laughed and said, "Okay, okay, thank you for your hard work, Manager Li. There's nothing else to worry about, but I hope Manager Li won't make this matter public."

Li Guodong mistakenly thought that the Axe Gang was looking for a secret base, so he smiled knowingly and said, "Don't worry, Master Jiu, that small yard has been empty for a long time, there will be no problem, and it's not worth it for me to tell everyone about this little thing."

Then, the two chatted with each other for a while.

Seeing that it was getting darker, Li Guodong stood up and said goodbye, and left the Anhui Provincial Association Hall in his private car.

In the following three or two days, he was busy negotiating with various parties, trying to help the Axe Gang solve the various difficulties posed by the officials, and to protect his influence at the dock, so as to consolidate his position as a director of the China Merchants Steam Navigation Company.

As for the vacant courtyard in the French Concession, Li Guodong naturally had no time to ask what Wang Laojiu used it for and who moved in during this period.

……

……

French Concession, Du Mansion.

In a blink of an eye, it was another bright and sunny morning. Du Yong personally escorted three or five visitors to the gate of the mansion to say goodbye.

These visitors were all celebrities in the cultural circle and normally did not have much power, but Du Yong often treated them as guests of honor and provided them with a lot of support on weekdays. He did not ask for any other rewards, but only hoped that they would say a few good words about Boss Du in newspapers and magazines in the future.

When the visitors arrived at the gate, they saw that the bodyguards who were guarding the mansion had surrounded it tightly, and they couldn't help but laugh and make a few jokes.

"Boss Du's mansion is really impregnable!"

Du Yong waved his hands repeatedly and explained with a bit of embarrassment: "Shanghai has been too chaotic recently, so I sent some more people to look after the house. Take care, everyone."

"Okay, okay, Boss Du, please stay as well."

The host and the guest exchanged a few words of greeting and then bowed and said goodbye.

After seeing off a few literati, Du Yong's expression immediately became tense again. He looked around suspiciously at the door before turning around with a sigh.

Of course, he had known about the execution of Yin Baokun and the Shiliupu incident a long time ago, so he had been on high alert recently, fearing that he would be retaliated by the Axe Gang if he was not careful.

Crossing the courtyard and passing through the moon gate connecting to Zhang Mansion, Du Yong couldn't help but slow down his pace and looked sideways at the next door.

In recent days, Zhang Mansion has been extremely lively. Wan Youyuan from the Chaozhou Gang, Cheng Maoling from the Yue Gang, Captain Jiao from the Yamen... they seem to be coming and going all the time. It is easy to imagine that the two recent cases are most likely related to Zhang Xiaolin.

Sure enough, as soon as he passed the Moon Gate, he heard Zhang Xiaolin's roar coming from the mansion in the distance.

"Who the hell does Li Guodong think he is? How dare he go against me? Jingyuan, go find Yan Chaosheng and come to see me right now!"

Hearing this, Du Yong couldn't help but shake his head and sighed to himself: "Well, it's just a dock, and Sanjin Company doesn't rely on the dock for its livelihood, so why make such a fuss?"

He hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should go and persuade Brother Xiaolin again.

Just at this moment, the housekeeper of the Du Mansion suddenly walked out of the house.

The old man looked around the yard for a few times and found Du Yong standing near the moon gate. He took small steps and ran over. "What's the matter?" Du Yong heard the noise and turned around to ask.

The housekeeper said respectfully, "Master, there's a call from the Huang family saying that Madam Huang wants to see you."

"Sister Guisheng?" Du Yong was a little surprised.

The butler nodded and said, "It's urgent, so you should come right over."

Du Yong did not dare to be negligent. Sister Guisheng was the benefactor who helped him get rich. No matter when, as long as Sister Guisheng gave him an order, he would do his best to follow it without any delay. So he immediately ordered his disciples to prepare the car, and before noon, he had arrived at the Huang Mansion as promised.

When I walked into the mansion and went up to the second floor, I saw Sister Guisheng lying on the sofa, playing with the cigarette lamp and pipe. She looked around for a long time but couldn't find Huang Jinyong.

Du Yong walked forward and asked in a low voice with a smile: "Sister Guisheng, where is my brother?"

"died."

Du Yong was stunned. He didn't know how to respond, so he could only play dumb and laugh awkwardly.

Sister Guisheng took two puffs of her pipe and suddenly snorted coldly, saying, "I asked you to come here. Why are you asking about that Ma Pi? I feel unlucky when I hear him."

The Huang couple seemed to be on the verge of parting ways, so it was naturally inconvenient for outsiders to say anything more.

Du Yong simply changed the subject and asked, "Okay, okay, let's not talk about my brother. Sister Guisheng asked me to come over. What do you want?"

"I almost have no say in the Huang family, so why should I give you any instructions? Can't you come over and chat with me to relieve my boredom? Ah Yong, you rarely hang around in front of me since you became rich. I couldn't drive you away before, but now you only come when I invite you."

"No, no, it's just that I've been busy lately and haven't had much time. Now I'm here."

Du Yong leaned on a corner of the sofa, sat down slowly, and defended himself with a smile.

Sister Guisheng put down her pipe, bent her arms, and propped her head on her hands. She looked at Du Yong with interest, was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked, "I heard that Yin Baokun of the Yue Gang died?"

Du Yong nodded and said with a hint of guilt: "I am partly responsible for Yin Baokun's death. If I had known it would be like this, I should not have asked him to be a guarantor. It's also Brother Xiaolin's fault..."

"You shouldn't be concerned with these shitty things!"

Sister Guisheng suddenly scolded a few words, then glanced at Du Yong with a look of extreme disappointment.

"Ah Yong, I promoted you, didn't I? I thought you were very smart, but why are you so stupid now? Zhang Xiaolin is a little scoundrel, and you don't want to distance yourself from him. What are you waiting for? You still think of yourself as a little gangster selling fruits, right?"

Du Yong was slightly startled, and after hesitating for a moment, he said, "Brother Xiaolin and I have a life-long friendship..."

"What kind of friendship? It's all fake." Sister Guisheng sneered and said, "Ma Pi and I have been married for more than ten years. Now look, it's all fake. Don't take it seriously. If you continue to hang out with Zhang Xiaolin, I think you will be implicated sooner or later. Now the Yue Gang and Chao Gang are also involved. I think a fight is about to break out, right?"

Du Yong did not deny it, and nodded in reply: "I heard that the Yue Gang has invited back Wang Huaimeng from 'The Trouble in Heaven'. They will definitely take action in the next few days. The Axe Gang will not give up. This time... Shanghai will probably have to re-demarcate its territory."

"Then your chance has come?" Sister Guisheng replied inexplicably.

Du Yong was stunned, and seemed a little puzzled: "Sister Guisheng, what do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me. I know you are an ambitious person. The 'three tycoons' can't satisfy someone like you. Ah Yong, I think you want to be the underground emperor of this foreign land, right?"

"No, no, no, I've only been in business for a few years, how can I have such qualifications? Besides, I have my big brother above me. He is the leader of this underworld."

"Jute leather?"

Sister Guisheng sneered twice, but said, "Forget it. Ma Pi is old. He is over fifty years old. He only thinks about women and actors all day long. At most, he can only be a detective. He is a lowly person at heart. How high can he climb?"

Du Yong was about to speak when Sister Guisheng interrupted him immediately.

"Don't tell me about Zhang Xiaolin. Don't be fooled by his arrogant and aggressive appearance. As the saying goes, 'those who play with swords must die by swords'. He is just a small-time scoundrel who is not presentable. So, in my opinion, you will be the leader of the Shanghai underworld in the end."

Du Yong was a little unsure of the intention of these words - was it a test or a warning - so he had to wave his hands and said, "Sister Guisheng, please don't say that, otherwise if my brother hears it, he will think I am going to rebel."

Sister Guisheng snorted coldly: "Ma Pi is a conscienceless ungrateful wolf. If I can lift him up, I can also pull him down."

As she spoke, she suddenly sat up from the sofa, looked at Du Yong and said, "I want to see someone who can beat Huang Ma Pi now. Ah Yong, you are the one I like, so stop pretending."

Du Yong was speechless.

Sister Guisheng went on to say, "I've seen Wang Laojiu's behavior. I've also heard about that Jiang and the others' behavior recently. The Yue Gang and the Chao Gang have already gotten involved, right? If they join in, do you think those Jiangbei guys won't take action? By then, the various gangs in the foreign land will be fighting and quarreling. If you can pull yourself out of this chaos, then when one side gains, the other loses. In the future, when people mention Shanghai, they won't be talking about the 'three tycoons', but Du Yong."

Hearing this, Du Yong no longer concealed his ambitions. He was silent for a long time before saying, "That's right, but I'm afraid that when the time comes, the tree wants to be still but the wind won't stop."

"That depends on whether you can bear it." Sister Guisheng said, "I have checked. Wang Laojiu used to be a revolutionary. It is impossible for him to be content with being in the underworld. That Jiang is a northerner. He will not settle down in Shanghai. They are just passers-by——"

Then, she stood up again, walked to Huang Mapi's usual place and sat down. In a trance, she seemed to have returned to her youth and once again became the famous Bai Xiang's sister-in-law who once dominated the foreign land, pushed the Green Gang to its peak and was well-known in the underworld.

"Ah Yong, you have to see clearly that the people standing in your way are never Wang Laojiu, nor that northerner from Fengtian, but your good brothers. If you want to dominate the foreign land, you must first weaken their power."

After hearing this, Du Yong felt a chill in his heart and quickly cupped his hands: "Sister Guisheng is indeed a veteran. I admire you."

"Don't try to coax me with these cheap words. What's the use of being an old man? Blame me for being the wrong girl, and even more blame me for marrying the wrong person."

"Hey, it's a new era now, men and women are the same."

"Same?"

"At least Sister Guisheng is no worse than any man."

Sister Guisheng smiled playfully, then leaned down and looked at Du Yong, saying, "If I were a man, there would be no 'three tycoons' in this foreign land. Go back and find a way to save your life."

(End of this chapter)