The courtyard gate opened, and the two guards saw Lai Huaiwu enter. They quickly stood up, and Lai Huaiwu nodded to them without saying a word, then walked directly into the room inside.
From the outside, this courtyard was unremarkable, filled with all sorts of odds and ends, much like any other commoner's courtyard. But once inside, it was a completely different story. The space inside was quite large, with a total of seven or eight rooms, and the furnishings and decorations were clean and complete.
Several Green Gang members were sitting in the central room, playing cards around the table out of boredom.
Seeing his men playing cards, Lai Huaiwu, remembering his earlier losses at the casino, immediately lost his mood and frowned as he asked, "Who's watching that old guy?"
“The fat guy is watching!” a Green Gang member quickly replied.
Lai Huaiwu ignored them and walked through a corridor to the innermost room, where he pushed open the door.
This is the room where Wei Hongde is being held. The windows are boarded up and sealed, so no light can get in. Therefore, the lights are on even during the day.
In one corner of the room, a row of iron bars was welded together. Inside the bars was only a wooden bed, and Wei Hongde was lying on it, whether asleep or awake, it was unclear.
A short, stout member of the Green Gang, who was guarding Wei Hongde, sat at the door. When he saw Lai Huaiwu come in, he quickly stood up.
"team leader!"
Lai Huaiwu frowned. This subordinate was slow-witted and slow to react. He called him "captain" in front of the hostage. But then he thought that Wei Hongde wouldn't live past tonight anyway, so he didn't reprimand him.
He asked, "Is the old man awake?"
The fat man quickly replied, "He's awake. He was just talking to me."
Lai Huaiwu stepped forward, and Wei Hongde, who had heard the noise, also sat up from the wooden bed. Lai Huaiwu went closer to check and found nothing unusual, so he prepared to turn around and leave.
However, Wei Hongde couldn't help but say, "Friend, could we discuss this? Your asking price is too high. I know the situation of the Wei family. We simply cannot raise so many US dollars in such a short time."
Upon hearing Wei Hongde's words, Lai Huaiwu turned to look at him and snorted coldly: "Old man, you still can't bear to part with your money at a time like this. Stop talking nonsense. In short, if you don't have money, you'll lose your life."
Upon hearing this, Wei Hongde shook his head, sighed, turned over and lay down again, saying nothing more.
Lai Huaiwu then instructed the fat man, "Don't talk to him. You're not very bright, don't let him trick you into revealing anything."
The fat man nodded quickly. He was weak-willed and slow-witted, and was the most bullied among his companions. They would push all the tasks onto him, so the job of guarding Wei Hongde was naturally assigned to him.
Lai Huaiwu left the room and went to the main hall. Seeing his men still playing cards, he kicked one of them impatiently and said, "Stop playing and let's talk business!"
Seeing that Lai Huaiwu looked unwell, his men dared not joke around anymore. They quickly threw down their cards and sat up straight.
When they were in the gang, they were Lai Huaiwu's confidants. After being brought to No. 76, they continued to work for Lai Huaiwu. They were all his trusted old guard.
Lai Huaiwu coughed lightly and said, "We'll collect the money tonight. Lao Wu, take your men and come with me. Da Pao, you stay here and keep watch. Everyone be careful. This old guy is valuable. Don't let anything happen to him."
Upon hearing this, the group agreed in unison. The Green Gang member nicknamed "Cannon" laughed and said, "Goodness, three hundred thousand US dollars! All the people we've kidnapped over the years combined couldn't have gotten that much money. He's a tycoon in Shanghai after all, he's different, tsk tsk!"
"This is such a large sum of money. We brothers put in a lot of effort, so the captain should give us a share. Captain, how much do you think we should get?"
"That's right, Captain. Even if you hadn't asked, you'd at least have some idea of what was going on. The brothers have been itching for a fight these past few days, and now we've finally snagged a piece of the pie..."
Hearing his men chattering amongst themselves, Lai Huaiwu had some plans in mind, but he naturally couldn't say much in front of them. His face turned cold, and he scolded, "Do your job well, and the captain won't treat us unfairly. Fourth brother, after dark, go to that wasteland in the southern suburbs and dig a deep pit. When I get back tonight, we'll finish off this old guy and bury him. That will be the end of it."
Everyone was stunned when Lai Huaiwu said that. Da Pao said in confusion, "Captain, are you really going to kill the hostage? That's against the rules!"
Lai Huaiwu rolled his eyes, glared at him, and said in a harsh voice, "This is the captain's order. Besides, this Wei Hongde has seen what we look like and heard our voices. He has power behind him and his status is not ordinary. If he really wants to settle scores, it could be a big problem. Remember, everyone has to be careful with what they say from now on. Once the news gets out, we'll be in big trouble."
Upon hearing this, everyone understood the implications and nodded in agreement.
Lai Huaiwu thought for a moment, then instructed, "This is a bit against the rules, but it's just bad luck for him. Dapao, get him some dishes and a pot of wine tonight, treat him well and send him off on his way. That's the least we can do for him!"
Time passed quickly. In the evening, in the room where Wei Hongde was being held, the fat man carried a vegetable basket to the iron bars, opened the lid, and passed several plates of side dishes and a pot of wine under the bars.
Wei Hongde sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the fat man's actions. His expression changed, and he stepped forward, grabbed the fat man's hand, and asked in a trembling voice, "Young man, what does this mean?"
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