Boomerang (Part 1)
Before the three directors arrived, Mr. Du suggested that Sister Gui discuss any grudges later and first find out why the three directors were joining forces with Zhang Renjiu.
"What!" Sister Gui exclaimed, her sharp gaze turning to Mr. Du. Mr. Du immediately explained the situation, and upon learning the names of the three people, he immediately thought of Zhang Renjiu.
Everyone in the Green Gang knew that Zhang Renjiu's stock trading had created a bottomless pit. Mr. Du went directly to check his cash flow and found that his account had recently received several large sums of money. All three of them had made remittances, and the one who made the most remittances was Qian Wende, who transferred 50,000 silver dollars in one go.
Qingcheng had anticipated this news, but unfortunately they didn't know that Qian Wende had already been attacked and gone to the underworld first.
As Gui and Du were chatting, a young man suddenly ran out from behind and whispered something in Mr. Du's ear. Mr. Du's eyes widened in surprise, as he couldn't hear clearly. Qingcheng gently tugged at Gao Junxiao beside him, asking him to translate.
It turned out that his subordinates had reported Qian Wende's death. White silk banners had been hung at his house, and an obituary had been issued. However, recently everyone's attention had been focused on the eldest son, and apart from close relatives and friends, almost no one paid attention to the obituary.
After a moment's thought, Mr. Du said he only wanted to check the cash flow. If necessary, he would call the new head of the Qian family. He didn't believe that the new head of the family wouldn't know about such a large sum of money.
The subordinate shook his head, indicating that Master Qian had been robbed and murdered in his own house under suspicious circumstances, and had not had time to designate a successor.
"Doesn't he have any children?" Sister Gui asked doubtfully.
"He's long gone," the subordinate sighed. The Qian family only had one son, but for some reason, he decided to start a revolution while he was in college. A few years ago, he even published a notice in the newspaper severing his father-son relationship with Mr. Qian and went to the mountains to become a Red bandit. It was like raising him for nothing.
Ah! Qian Wende's son is our comrade! Qingcheng blinked, as if she had been struck dumb. Could his son be Agent Zero? Otherwise, she couldn't understand why Qian Wende would help a spy. No, no, we can't draw conclusions before we understand the situation.
"What a misfortune for the family!" Mr. Du frowned and cursed his unfilial son. He then turned to his men and instructed them to inquire among the brothers of the Outer Eight Gates. Anyone who could provide useful information would be rewarded with one hundred silver dollars, and if they could expose the murderer, there would be an even greater reward. After giving these instructions, his men left the garden without stopping.
The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Mr. Du and Sister Gui looked at each other in bewilderment. One of the three had died inexplicably, and his son was a member of the Communist Party. No matter how you looked at it, something seemed wrong.
"Put that aside for now. I'm more concerned about the future leader of Rongtan." Sister Gui calmly turned the gun back on her successor.
"Oh, has someone been chosen for your wife?" Mr. Du asked expectantly.
Sister Gui didn't speak, but her determined gaze shot towards Qingcheng. Mr. Du understood instantly and laughed a few times: "Haha, it's good to have someone in mind, but it also depends on fate. Can you give me some face, Master's wife, so we can discuss the candidates again?"
"Alright, Huamei, prepare tea." Sister Gui waved her hand generously, and everyone followed her into the house to discuss the matter of Rongtan's successor.
Almost simultaneously, Gao Junxiao looked over, as if to say, "Oh my, I told you she had her eye on you."
The scoundrel looked like he was watching a big show, which made everyone's teeth itch with hatred. Qingcheng was so angry that she nudged Gao Junxiao with her elbow, a silent warning: I asked you to come and help, not to gloat.
"Young Master, you weigh over 100 pounds, don't you have any self-awareness? You've already caused me internal injuries, and you're still doing this? If you continue like this, I'm going to call the police," Gao Junxiao complained in a low voice, wincing in pain.
"Hey, didn't you just escape from prison and want to walk right into my trap? Okay, Master Wu..." Qingcheng was about to grant his request when Gao Junxiao covered her mouth tightly.
"It's nothing." Gao Junxiao pretended to be calm and waved for Master Wu to leave first. "How many times have I told you, the outside world is not like home. It's better to avoid trouble, okay?"
After they had walked away, he tapped Qingcheng on the back of the head and cursed, "You eat your food and then curse your mother. Who would want to break out of prison for fun? If you have that kind of time, you could just hijack a police car and drive to the Du mansion."
"Hmm, very efficient. He even saved the police fare," Qingcheng thought to himself. "I gave him the lock-picking tools, loaded him with bullets, and even told him the destination. If he still couldn't handle this, he wouldn't be Gao Junxiao."
Just as she was about to praise him, a strange gurgling sound came from behind her. Qingcheng was startled and turned around abruptly. Gao Junxiao cleared his throat awkwardly: "Ahem, what are you looking at? Haven't you ever heard your stomach sing? I don't have time to eat."
"Hehe, you sang very well. Don't sing next time." Qingcheng patted his stomach to comfort him. "It's not shameful to be hungry. I'll get you some food to eat first."
Qingcheng started to walk inside as she spoke. Gao Junxiao quickly stopped her, saying, "Let's figure out your situation first. I can handle this."
Qingcheng didn't insist on this. She hooked her arm around Gao Junxiao's neck and explained the whole story. They didn't notice Xiao Mi on the second-floor balcony. Xiao Mi's gaze lingered on Qingcheng for a second before she immediately looked away, muttering a disgusted word.
The aroma of tea slowly filled the living room. Sister Gui glanced at everyone and said loudly, "I have found a suitable successor, Mr. Xia. And I plan to take him as my son-in-law, so we will be family from now on."
Mr. Du's gaze swept back and forth between Qingcheng and Gao Junxiao, and he smiled as he complimented Sister Gui on her good taste. Mr. Xia was indeed outstanding among his peers, and even though they had no business dealings, he had heard of Mr. Xia's talent. However, everything depends on fate, especially marriage; one should never force it if fate is not on their side.
Upon hearing this, Sister Gui's expression changed, and she retorted sharply, "What do you mean by forcing him? Is my daughter not good enough for him?"
“Madam, don’t be angry. Mr. Xia comes from a prominent family. Young men from prominent families are always in high demand by matchmakers. I guess he was engaged when he was very young. Is Mr. Xia married?” Mr. Du asked seriously.
"Yes, Mr. Du, I am indeed engaged. That person has been waiting for me for a long time, and I cannot let him down," Qingcheng replied. His wife was watching from the side, and he had to show his loyalty to stabilize her emotions first. Otherwise, if she were to engage in a verbal battle with everyone, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Sister Gui snorted coldly: "You can get divorced even if you're married. I'm not afraid of anything. As long as he agrees, I'll send the dowry list to the White Tiger Hall immediately."
“Master’s wife, it’s better to tear down ten temples than to ruin one marriage. Mr. Xia is a rare talent, and we should give him the respect he deserves. Besides, forcing him into marriage with power will give outsiders something to talk about and affect your prestige,” Mr. Du advised.
Sister Gui's face stiffened for a moment, then returned to normal: "I'm doing this for his own good! Otherwise, how can he rightfully come to my Rongtan to take charge?"
“Master’s wife, what if he is unwilling to take on this role?” Mr. Du reminded him, “Although the leader of Rongtan has great power, he also bears great responsibility. Mr. Xia is just a young man in his early twenties who does not even have any children. He may not be able to shoulder the responsibility right now. It would be better to train him for a few more years and then recommend him when his temperament has stabilized.”
*Bang!* The table shook, spilling tea onto the surface. Sister Gui roared, "What time is it now? Tomorrow is the conference for a thousand people. If I don't recommend talented people, do you expect Zhang Renjiu to eat me alive, or do you want a piece of the pie too?"
"This student dares not," Mr. Du said, bowing his head in a flustered manner. "This student only believes that it would be best to recommend someone from Rongtan at the moment. Firstly, there are no taboos, and secondly, you are familiar with him and can control the overall situation..."
Sister Gui waved her hand to stop him from continuing: "If I have to make all the decisions, when will this ever end? If I think Xia Xia can do it, then he can too."
Mr. Du was probably inwardly groaning, but he had to force a smile: "Why does it have to be him?"
Everyone turned to look at Sister Gui. Sister Gui suddenly smiled and said, "This child is no ordinary person. He has an ambition that is intolerable to the world, just like I was when I was young. With this drive, nothing is impossible."
In a sense, Qingcheng affirmed Guijie's words; she merely wanted to plant the red flag all over the world. Gao Junxiao glanced at Qingcheng, his complex expression seeming to say, "That old hag has her eye on you; there's no escaping her."
"I trust your wife's judgment. Since you insist on recommending Mr. Xia, we have no choice but to comply," Mr. Du said respectfully, cupping his hands in greeting.
Seeing that Mr. Du was out of options, Qingcheng felt a chill run down her spine. However, Gao Junxiao beside her looked calm and collected. Did he have a backup plan?
Sister Gui was extremely satisfied upon hearing this and nodded, saying, "Xia, don't worry, Sister Gui won't treat you unfairly. You can have whatever you want. With Xiao Du's support, our Rongtan's great cause is counting on you."
"Hey, Madam, don't misunderstand. I respect your opinion, but that doesn't mean I'll vote for him tomorrow," Mr. Du retorted defiantly.
Everyone here is smart. Sister Gui propped herself up on her elbows, her tone clearly impatient: "What are your conditions? Speak—"
Mr. Du then said, “First, Mr. Xia is too young and may not be able to command respect. I think my master’s wife should recommend a senior member of the temple to assist him and give him support.”
“That’s easy, Xiao Wu. From now on, you will assist Mr. Xia in handling Rongtan affairs.” Sister Gui agreed without hesitation.
"Yes. Thank you, Master." Master Wu bowed and expressed his gratitude.
Mr. Du had no objection to this candidate: "Secondly, marriage is a major event, and since ancient times it has been decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. If someone breaks the engagement and divorces his wife to marry again for the sake of wealth and status, I will never support such a faithless and despicable person."
"Ha, do you have the right to say that? I was the one who introduced Ayu to you. She didn't look down on you when you were penniless, but how did you treat her after you became successful?" Sister Gui mocked.
Mr. Du glanced at Gao Junxiao, then at Qingcheng, a hint of embarrassment crossing his face: "Master's wife, weren't we talking about Mr. Xia's affairs? How did we end up talking about me again?"
"Don't be shameless for being ungrateful. If you're a monkey fried in oil, don't pretend to be a saint. You don't deserve it!" Sister Gui said each word slowly and deliberately, using the most coquettish tone to say the most cutting words.
Mr. Du probably didn't expect Sister Gui to be so blunt, and his face immediately darkened. However, due to the image of propriety and integrity he had cultivated for himself, he ultimately did not refute anything.
After a long pause, Mr. Du said, "Master's wife, I also came from Rongtan, so naturally I hope Rongtan prospers. Although I know you don't like to hear this, I still want to give you some advice. Mr. Xia is not suitable to be at the forefront right now. His seniority is too low. Even if the two of us try to support him, Zhang Renjiu can still overshadow him. Not to mention him, Zhang Renjiu treats me like an elder, often ordering me around. You've seen it before."
Within the gang, seniority was extremely important. Sister Gui knew this, of course. It was already difficult to help the crown prince ascend the throne, but there would be many more obstacles to helping the grandson ascend it. Mr. Du's heartfelt words plunged the room into silence once again, like the calm before a storm.
A sharp ring broke the silence. Sister Gui answered the phone and told the gatekeeper to let the person in. Gao Junxiao and Qingcheng exchanged a glance, knowing that the remaining two old Dongs must have arrived.
A short while later, four thugs dressed in black carried two large sacks into the house. The sacks were big enough to fit an adult man inside.
Oh wow, that's a very gang-like way of "inviting" someone. Qingcheng couldn't help but chuckle. Sure enough, the two burlap sacks were opened, revealing two middle-aged men who were tied up. They must be the remaining two bosses—Boss Jin and Boss Ji.
Sister Gui ordered someone to remove the hemp rope and said, "Please sit down, both of you."
"Sister Gui, spare my life! It was my fault for not knowing the rules and offending you. I will give you whatever you want. I just beg you to spare my life." As soon as he was freed, the man in the light-colored suit knelt down in front of Sister Gui and begged for mercy repeatedly. His forehead was bleeding from the kowtow.
Sister Gui gave him a disdainful look: "What are you doing, sir? We've only just met, why are you fighting like this?"
Another boss had a long face, tears and snot streaming down his face, thinking he was beyond saving. He muttered between sobs, "Old Qian, I'm coming to keep you company right away. Don't go too fast. I'll come down and have tea and play chess with you."
"Shut up! It's so noisy." Sister Gui glared at Boss Jin with displeasure. Boss Jin shuddered and his face turned green with fright. He was already tanned, and only the white mark hidden by his glasses bulged out, making him look like a giant hippopotamus.
Seeing that things were not going well, Mr. Du hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, pulling Mr. Ji up and saying, "I'm sorry, gentlemen. My men may not have understood what I meant and were a bit rough. We have no grudges against each other. I just want to ask you two gentlemen some questions. I don't want to take your lives."
Mr. Ji's eyes lit up, but he hesitated for a moment: "You must be Mr. Du. My surname is Ji. Um... feel free to ask me anything you want to know."
"Why did you transfer money to Zhang Renjiu?" Mr. Du asked bluntly.
“This…” Boss Ji’s lips twitched, “I have some business dealings with him.”
"Hmph, trying to kill my business? How much is my head worth?" Sister Gui sneered.
In front of the sofa, Boss Ji's knees buckled and he knelt back down: "Have mercy, Sister Gui! We...we were forced, really, really forced."
"Who forced you, Zhang Renjiu?" Sister Gui asked again.
"No, uh, it is..." Boss Ji stammered for a long time before he could explain clearly.
On the contrary, Boss Jin, who had just been terrified, said with a look of utter despair, "Boss Qian was killed by you. We were just seeking Zhang Renjiu's protection."
"Nonsense! I have no dealings with that man surnamed Qian, so how could he have killed me?" Sister Gui shouted angrily.
Qingcheng, watching this nonsensical farce unfold, had an absurd thought flash through her mind. She asked, "What kind of business do you two gentlemen do? And what about the late Mr. Qian?"
Mr. Ji was speechless at Sister Gui's aura. The more anxious he became, the less he could speak coherently. He turned to Mr. Jin for help.
Mr. Jin replied hesitantly, “I own a jewelry store and also do timber business with Mr. Ji. However, I buy hardwood for furniture, while Mr. Ji wants softwood for matches. Eighty percent of the domestic matches are produced by Mr. Ji’s family, so people jokingly call him the Match King. As for Lao Qian, his family owns an electrical company.”
All three are industrial capitalists. Qingcheng curled her lips and asked, "Mr. Jin, have you recently purchased a batch of high-quality camphor wood? Mr. Qian, did you just acquire the mining rights for a phosphate mine?"
"Hey, how did you know?" Boss Jin and Boss Ji exclaimed at the same time.
That's right, it matches the economic reports in the Soviet area newspapers. And Boss Qian is the most professional in the electrical industry. It's no surprise that the Zero radio station and those long and short wave relay stations on the border of the Soviet area were all his work.
"Leaving aside phosphate mines, the main production areas of camphor wood in my country are Fujian, Jiangxi, Yunnan, and Taiwan. You must know who controls most of Jiangxi and Fujian, right?" Qingcheng probed.
"So what if I know? I'm not stealing or robbing. I have high-quality and cheap raw materials, why can't I purchase them?" Boss Jin said defiantly, ignoring Boss Ji's attempts to pull him away.
“You can treat the Nationalist government’s economic sanctions as mere scraps of paper, but the administrators at the Red and White Borders don’t see it that way. If you want economical goods from the Soviet area, you need a smuggling route, and coincidentally…” Qingcheng paused for a moment, “Zhang Renjiu stepped in and solved the problem. The money you gave him was the toll money.”
"Young man, you know quite a lot. But what can I, a mere commoner, do?" Boss Jin gave a helpless, bitter smile.
The Soviet area is rich in resources and full of treasures. People and merchants in both the Red and White districts are eager to trade. Unfortunately, a ban issued by the National Government forces everyone to take shortcuts for normal economic activities. Humph, she won't say whose wallets are fattened.
“Mr. Jin, I, Xia, am a well-known underground broker. You can compare my quote with others. My price is absolutely fair.” Qingcheng took advantage of Mr. Jin’s attempt to get information out of him. “Why go to Zhang Renjiu? He’s a notorious rip-off in our industry. Who introduced you to him? He’s deliberately trying to rip people off.”
"Old Qian, he's the one who introduced us to Zhang Renjiu. If I'd known earlier, I would have asked you for favors." Boss Ji interjected anxiously.
Qingcheng smiled and took out her business card box to hand out business cards: "Just contact me in the future, but let's not talk about business today. Let's talk about Sister Gui. You all insist that Sister Gui sent someone to kill Mr. Qian, whom you've never met. Isn't that ridiculous? We in the Green Gang do things either way. If someone is killed, they are killed; if they weren't killed, they weren't killed. We never argue."
Mr. Du, who was on the other side, immediately chimed in: "That's right. If we hadn't wanted to question Mr. Qian today, we wouldn't have known he was dead."
Boss Ji's face was pale: "We wouldn't dare to wrong Sister Gui, but Mr. Da... that list... didn't you already know about it, that's why you came to us."
"Did Zhang Renjiu tell you that Mr. Qian's plan to join the Public Works Bureau had been exposed, and that Sister Gui went on a killing spree, first killing her own husband, and then the three of you?" Qingcheng analyzed carefully. "Originally you didn't believe it, but after Mr. Qian died, you panicked and took the initiative to approach Zhang Renjiu, filling the hole for him and buying your own lives."
“Yes, yes, yes, our two families scraped together 300,000 silver dollars for him.” Boss Ji nodded like a woodpecker.
"What list? What nonsense are you spouting?" Sister Gui narrowed her eyes. "Xiao Du, who told you about these two?"
Mr. Du naturally looked at Gao Junxiao, and Qingcheng stopped Gao Junxiao, who was about to get up, saying: "Xia is not very capable. I told the list to my bodyguard, Mr. Gao, and Mr. Gao relayed it to Mr. Du."
Gui Jie's gaze returned to Qing Cheng, a hint of admiration in her eyes: "You?"
“It’s me, Sister Gui. Do you remember what kind of business we were going to do?” Qingcheng asked respectfully.
Sister Gui nodded: "I remember, how could that be?"
"If someone impersonates us and disrupts the market by selling inferior goods, shouldn't I intervene?" Kiyosumi countered.
"Have you found out yet?" Gui Jie's faint smile vanished instantly.
"Most of them." Kiyosumi said with certainty, but a glint of shrewdness flashed in her eyes.
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