Chapter 107 Voluntarily Donating Family Property

"Wenwen, have you gone mad?" Xia's mother cried. "How can we just hand over our family fortune to those wolves and tigers!"

She couldn't understand how her daughter could say such nonsense.

Mr. Xia only realized the cigarette butt burning his fingertip when it reached his fingertip. He jerked violently, and ash fell in a flurry onto his expensive trousers. He stared at the ground, remaining silent and lost in thought.

Seeing this, Xia Wenwen knew her father was weighing the pros and cons, so she quickly turned to her mother, her voice low but resolute: "Mom, I care more about Dad's life's work than anyone else! But look at the situation now—"

She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms. "If we don't give it to them, won't they just rob us? They might confiscate everything, and even Dad will be arrested on charges of 'concealing private property and colluding with the enemy'! It's better to voluntarily confiscate the property; at least we can get some 'leniency' from them, and we can secretly hide some money to survive."

Her eyes were filled with a bloodshot red. If it weren't for that bitch Xia Qianqian stealing the gold bars, she would already be on a plane to Hong Kong with her father. Why would she be here begging for mercy from those rough men at the command post?

With her nails almost digging into her flesh, Xia Wenwen cursed inwardly: Xia Qianqian, I'll make you pay for this debt tenfold sooner or later!

Xia Wenwen said with some certainty, "Dad, the command headquarters is currently in the 'spending a fortune to buy a horse's bones' stage. As long as we are humble enough, they will definitely be much more lenient with us than with the previous families in order to seize the wealth of the rich merchants in Nancheng. Moreover, I am thinking of using this money to get a position in the command headquarters, so that I can have someone to rely on in the future."

Mr. Xia's cigarette burned down to half its last bit. After listening to his daughter's explanation, he nodded slowly and said in a hoarse voice, "What you say makes sense. We'll do it your way."

As he finished speaking, he took a deep look at his daughter. He never expected that in just one day, his daughter would change so much, even her eyes and brows revealed a fierce look.

The thought had barely formed when a loud crash came from outside the courtyard.

The butler scrambled in, shouting, "Master, those people are here! They're smashing our front door! I saw quite a few of them with bruises; they look like vicious wolves!"

Mr. Xia's expression changed drastically, but Xia Wenwen grabbed her father's arm: "Quick! Follow the plan, or it will be too late!"

Before the person outside could even call out, the heavy vermilion gate opened.

Mr. Xia and his family of three stood inside the door, their faces plastered with forced smiles, but they couldn't hide the tension in their eyes.

"Welcome, comrades from the command post!" Mr. Xia said, his voice deliberately enthusiastic before the other party could speak.

"Ever since we heard that Commander No. 8 had arrived in Nancheng, our whole family has been taking stock of our assets overnight. These are the land deeds and licenses for all of the Xia family's properties. We humbly request that they be handed over to the Commander so that we may do our part in the construction of the headquarters!" He held a brown paper bag in both hands, his back slightly hunched, his posture extremely humble.

This sudden display of respect caught the group of men at the door completely off guard.

The scarred man at the head of the group raised an eyebrow and tilted his head behind him. Three lean men immediately squeezed out from the group. They were all natives of the southern city and had surrendered as soon as Number 8 arrived. Relying on their intimate knowledge of the city's various households, they became "living maps" for the raids—no one could hide how much wealth a family had hidden from their eyes.

The three men took the brown paper bag, poured out a stack of land deeds and licenses, and quickly began to examine them. The man with triangular eyes on the far left finished scanning the last page, looked up, and nodded to the scarred man: "Boss, that's right, the Xia family's properties are all here, nothing is hidden."

The scarred man stared at Mr. Xia's graying temples, then glanced at Xia Wenwen, who was trying to appear calm beside him. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't say anything—this old fox was much more sensible than the previous ones.

The leader glanced at Mr. Xia with some surprise.

He knew perfectly well that these pampered rich people looked down on them from the bottom of their hearts, regarding them as ignorant peasants. Even when the first few families tried to curry favor, they only offered one or two items, treating them like beggars. So they showed no mercy and ransacked their homes.

Mr. Xia's actions truly surprised him. Then, a glint flashed in the man's eyes, as if he had thought of something, and he snorted coldly, "You're willing to give away these 'empty shells,' but perhaps you've hidden all your real valuables in this house?"

His sinister voice sent chills down Xia Wenwen's spine.

But she knew that at this moment, she absolutely could not show the slightest fear! Success or failure hinged on this one move! Only by being accepted by the command headquarters would the Xia family have a glimmer of hope, would she have the means to make a comeback, and would she be able to take revenge on that bitch Xia Qianqian!

As soon as the leader finished speaking, Xia Wenwen immediately stepped forward, her face displaying just the right amount of respect: "Now that you're here, we're hurrying to pack up those valuables!"

She raised her hand and pointed into the courtyard: "Look, the servants are all packing. Once it's all packed, we'll send it over to you right away."

As she spoke, she deliberately moved aside, revealing the busy scene behind her—several servants were sweating profusely as they packed gilded ornaments and jade jewelry into wooden boxes, and even the ancient paintings hanging on the wall were carefully rolled up, clearly indicating that they were about to bring out their entire fortune.

The leader squinted and scanned the yard, his tense lips relaxing slightly, and the menacing look in his eyes lessening considerably. He waved his hand behind him: "Since they're being sensible, brothers, stop smashing things and go in to take a look!"

"Yes!" the men responded in unison, their footsteps rushing into the courtyard.

Once the commotion in the courtyard had subsided, only the leader and the Xia family father and daughter remained in the house. Xia Wenwen seized the opportunity to step forward, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness: "Comrade, to be honest, we have long admired the way the command has operated. When we heard that you were here, we thought of coming over to join you and do something worthwhile."

Upon hearing this, the man looked her up and down, letting out a soft "hmm" through his nose. He immediately understood. No wonder the Xia family was so attentive, offering them property and wealth; they were clearly hoping to curry favor. His fingers unconsciously rubbed the holster at his waist, but he didn't immediately refuse.

Before coming, Number 8 had specifically instructed them to recruit as many people as possible, but wealthy businessmen like the Xia family were not originally in their plans. Xia Wenwen's words, however, opened up a new avenue for him.

“Although these people are the targets we need to crack down on,” he thought to himself, “we can’t condemn them all at once. There might be some ‘good people’ among them who know how to adapt to the times.”

The Xia family father and daughter in front of us have already offered up their family fortune, haven't they? Whether they can use it or not, let's keep it for now. At worst, we can sever ties with them later when the situation stabilizes.

Having figured this out, a meaningful smile appeared on his lips, and a subtle calculation flashed in his eyes. He said loudly, "Since you are so sincere, then on behalf of the South City Command, I welcome you to join us!"