Chapter Fourteen: Hongkou Land Deed
Qiao Yuan took off his shoes, stepped onto the tatami mat, and sat cross-legged on the futon opposite Sato. His posture was upright, exuding an indelible air of江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) toughness, which was completely out of place with the deliberately created tranquility and Zen atmosphere.
"Mr. Sato, you're too kind." Qiao Yuan spoke, his voice low and deep, like suppressed thunder, tearing a hole in the false peace in the room. "I'm bothering you so late at night because of Liang Kuan."
Sato seemed unsurprised. He raised his hand and gracefully lifted the boiling iron kettle on the red clay stove, beginning to warm the cups and saucers with fluid movements, carrying a deliberate sense of ritual.
"Oh?" He raised his voice slightly, his gaze focused on the tea set in his hands. "Liang Kuanjun? It seems he's had some misunderstanding with Qiao Sang lately?"
"Misunderstanding?" Qiao Yuan's lips curled into a cold smile, but there was no mirth in his eyes. "Mr. Sato's news is probably no slower than mine."
Boiling water is poured into the teacup, stirring up emerald green tea foam and releasing a fragrant aroma.
Sato gently pushed the teacup in front of Qiao Yuan, his movements unhurried.
“Liang Kuanjun can be quite reckless at times.” He raised his eyes, his gaze behind his glasses still gentle, yet seemingly able to penetrate the heart. “He joined me in search of a way to survive. Qiao Sang’s power in Jiangcheng made him uneasy, and he always wanted to do something to prove his worth. Young people are inevitably impatient.”
He paused, then seemingly casually changed the subject, "Like your Chamber of Commerce's newly appointed Chairman Chen, isn't he also young and ambitious, showing off his talents? I heard that he had a bit of an unpleasant encounter with Qiao Sang today?"
The topic suddenly shifted to Chen Kan.
Qiao Yuan's heart sank. Although he had long expected that the Japanese intelligence network was ubiquitous, he had just argued with Chen Kan today, and Chen Kan had received the news so quickly. Did this prove that their spies had already infiltrated him and the Chen family?
Although Qiao Yuan was wary, he remained outwardly calm, picked up the teacup, felt the warmth of the porcelain with his fingertips, and fixed his gaze on Sato: "Chen Kan? Just an ignorant brat. Relying on the power of the Chen family in Beiping, he wants to establish rules in Jiangcheng. Rules are not established with words."
He took a sip of tea, the bitter taste spreading across his tongue, mirroring his current state of mind. "I've come today only to discuss Liang Kuan. He robbed my goods, breaking the rules of the underworld. I must settle this score with him. Since Mr. Sato is his current reliance, I naturally need to ask for your opinion."
Sato gently set down his teacup, making a soft clinking sound. The gentle smile on his face faded slightly, and his gaze, through his glasses, fell on Qiao Yuan's face with a scrutinizing quality, as if weighing the weight of his words.
“Qiao Sang,” his voice remained steady, but with a hint of barely perceptible coldness, “Liang Kuan is now my man. He works for me outside the concession, so naturally he needs someone to rely on. If Qiao Sang wants to touch him, he’ll probably have to ask me first.”
He leaned forward slightly, his refined demeanor vanishing abruptly, revealing a sharp edge hidden beneath his surface. "As for rules... Qiao Sang believes that in this chaotic world, on this land of Jiangcheng, whose rules are truly the most powerful now?"
An invisible pressure suddenly increased in the air. The aroma of tea seemed to solidify. On either side of the low table, one person was gentle and refined yet concealed a sharp edge, while the other's murderous intent was restrained, like a blade about to be drawn. Old grudges and new hatreds, the rules of the martial world and the iron hooves of invaders, collided and clashed silently in this small room.
Sato Ichiro's smile remained unchanged. He even picked up his teacup and gently blew on the emerald green tea, as if listening to an insignificant chatter.
“Qiao Sang,” he took a sip, a warm sigh escaping his throat, tinged with a mocking pity, “the past is like smoke, why cling to it? Ms. Lin is doing well now, and Liang Kuanjun is only serving me to survive. In chaotic times, survival is not easy.”
He put down his teacup, his fingertips tracing the smooth rim, but his gaze behind his glasses suddenly sharpened. "If you've come here today only to ask for this head... tell me, what can you offer in exchange for my inaction?"
Qiao Yuan suppressed his surging killing intent, his voice taut like a fully drawn bowstring: "Liang Kuan's head, in exchange for my Chamber of Commerce's right to navigate the docks for the next three months, with priority passage for all Japanese cargo ships. Is that enough to buy you 'not interfering'?" He leaned forward, staring intently at Sato, "You're guaranteed to make a profit on this deal."
Sato suddenly chuckled, the sound particularly jarring in the quiet room, like the hooting of an owl.
“Qiao-san, you still underestimate me,” he slowly shook his head, his gold-rimmed glasses reflecting the cold light of the paper lantern. “You still don’t understand. What the Great Japanese Empire wants is not trade, but loyalty! It wants dogs like Liang Kuan, who sever their umbilical cord to their homeland and give without reservation!”
He tapped the low table lightly with his fingertips, making a dull thud. "Unless you cut off all your escape routes, kneel down, and lick the boots of the Empire!"
The air was completely frozen, and even the floating aroma of tea condensed into invisible icicles.
The glow of the paper lantern cast a heavy shadow on Qiao Yuan's tense profile. His jaw was clenched tightly, and the veins on his forehead throbbed.
Across from him at the low table, Sato remained seated as upright as a pine tree, a crack appearing on his gentle exterior to reveal a chilling iron fist beneath. The small space between them seemed to have transformed into a battlefield, where the poisonous flames of old grudges and the icy edge of new hatred silently clashed, leaving no room for maneuver.
"I'm sorry, I can do anything, but the one thing I can't do is be a dog!"
As Qiao Yuan left Sato Ichiro's residence, the night breeze carried the lingering scent of incense from the depths of the courtyard, but it could not dispel the resentment of being humiliated in his heart.
Sato's gentle facade concealed fangs that, like the forked tongue of a venomous snake, repeatedly gnawing at his mind.
The car door was pulled open forcefully, and he sank into the back seat, spitting out two words through gritted teeth: "Back home."
Seeing his unfriendly expression, Achen didn't dare to ask any more questions.
Moreover, the Japanese...
Over the years, many of his brothers have died at the hands of the Japanese...
The car sped into the hazy night of the French Concession like an arrow, neon lights flashing across the windows, casting an unpredictable shadow on his profile.
Sato's threats, Liang Kuan's hatred, Chen Kan's face that looked just like Bai Mu's... all these tangled thoughts were intertwined, making him almost suffocate.
He closed his eyes, trying to calm his turbulent emotions, but Lin Jintang's pale face and Bai Mu's pool of blood appeared like ghosts in the darkness.
...
At this time, the Land Registry Office of the Hongkou Municipal Council of the International Settlement.
Lin Tang gently pushed a Citibank check that had been prepared beforehand across the smooth tabletop, her fingertips steady without the slightest tremor.
"Excuse me, No. 17 Wusong Road, the land in the eastern section of Hongkou Wharf." Her voice was clear and calm, as if she were talking about an ordinary object.
The British clerk behind counter F glanced at the astonishing amount on the check, then looked up at the excessively young Chinese woman with a calm and composed demeanor. A hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. He pulled out the heavy land register, and the scratching sound of the pen nib across the pages was particularly clear in the empty hall.
Lin Tang's gaze, however, passed over the gray heads of the employees and landed on the gray sky outside the window.
...
The car came to a stop in front of the carved iron gate of the Qiao residence.
Qiao Yuan pushed open the door and got out of the car. Just as he was about to step inside, he saw another familiar Chevrolet sedan slowly approaching and stopping under the porch.
The car door opened, and Lin Tang stepped out, wrapped in a plain cashmere coat. The night breeze ruffled a few strands of hair at her temples, making her features appear even more aloof.
Ah Chen followed closely behind, his eyes darting around. Taking advantage of Lin Tang's moment of adjusting her clothes, he quickly approached Qiao Yuan's side and said in a low voice, "Master Qiao! Madam withdrew all the cash from the company's account today! She said she was going to buy land, the Hongkou Wharf area..." His throat bobbed, and his voice was filled with unease, "The amount was too large, I couldn't stop her, and I didn't dare to make a fuss."
Qiao Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted, his gaze shooting towards Lin Tang like lightning. Buying land? Hongkou Wharf? She actually dared to bypass him and use the Chamber of Commerce's foundation! A chilling sense of betrayal mixed with his previous anger instantly ignited.
He suppressed his surging surprise and doubt, but forced a calm expression on his face as he stepped forward and blocked Lin Tang's path. "You're back?" His voice was low and probing. "I heard... the Public Works Bureau was quite lively today? Tang'er, you've really gone all out."
Lin Tang paused slightly, raising her eyes to meet his gaze. Those eyes, once brimming with the misty rain of Jiangnan, were now as cold and hard as a frozen lake, utterly devoid of emotion.
“My affairs are none of your concern, Mr. Qiao.” Her voice was clear and cold, each word like a knife. “The money is what I’ve earned over the years, and the land deed is in my name. Ha, if Mr. Qiao finds me an eyesore, he can simply remove me from the household!” She walked past him and headed straight for the gate, the hem of her coat sweeping across the stone steps, leaving behind a silent, resolute gesture.
Qiao Yuan was stung by the sharpness in her words, and the pent-up anger in his chest almost burst out. He took a deep breath and followed her into the house.
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