20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 625 Kuanchengzi

"Old Yuan, your clothes are nice!"

The train sped along the rails, accompanied by a series of subtle "clang clang" sounds.

In the first-class carriage, Yuan Xinfa sat opposite Jiang Lianheng, wearing a short silk jacket with a front opening, his sleeves rolled up, tightly wrapping his strong forearms.

Although this outfit cannot be considered expensive, it is definitely not made of material that ordinary people can afford.

Yuan Xinfa has been looking after the Jiang family's gate for nine years. He has been working hard and never complaining, regardless of the harsh winter or scorching summer, wind or rain, and has never made any mistakes.

Over the years, he has gradually become accustomed to the many benefits that this identity brings.

It's not that the job of a gatekeeper can make a lot of money, but the Jiang family has many distinguished guests, and he stands at the gate, welcoming and seeing off guests. After a long time, he can become a familiar face.

It is easier to get things done when you are familiar with the person. For this reason alone, the three members of the Yuan family enjoyed many conveniences in the provincial capital.

As the old saying goes, there are only wrong names, but no wrong numbers.

As time went by, Yuan Xinfa even got a nickname on Fengtian TV - Old Door God.

He was not the kind of person who caused trouble. Now that he had a strong backing and his wife was a farmhand in the Jiang family, no one dared to cause trouble for him.

Seeing that her life was getting better and better, Yingzi couldn't help but feel happy and emotional - she was lucky to have her employer taking care of her, otherwise she wouldn't know when she would be able to turn her life around!

But Yuan Xinfa's face was often filled with sadness.

He knew very well that everything before his eyes did not come out of thin air.

In normal times, he keeps his hands down and talks about his character, but in times of crisis, he is willing to die for his king.

Perhaps due to his personality, Yuan Xinfa is always prepared and unwilling to owe anything.

Even so, I couldn't help feeling a little nervous when I went on a business trip with Jiang Lianheng for the first time.

When Yuan Xinfa heard the boss' question, he just hummed, rubbed his hands, and shrank his neck, which was considered a response.

"New clothes?" Jiang Lianheng asked, "Your wife bought them for you, right?"

"Yes……"

"How is your son? He should be in middle school now, right?"

"right……"

"Are you going to continue studying, or are you going to do something?"

"I haven't thought about it yet, anything is fine..."

Jiang Lianheng smacked his lips, crossed his arms unconsciously, turned his head to look out the window, and said no more.

Yuan Xinfa is such a taciturn person. He is always silent and answers whatever you ask him. He never says a word of nonsense. It is really impossible to have a good chat with him to relieve your boredom.

In the seats across the aisle, Yang Lazi and a few others were chatting happily.

But Jiang Lianheng couldn't get a word in. As soon as he opened his mouth, the "Xiangzi" immediately became serious, unsmiling, and just did their orders.

After all, the boss is the boss after all, and everyone is always a little afraid of him.

Except for Zhao Guoyan and a few others, Jiang Lianheng had long since been unable to get along with his brothers.

As the leader, he has to hold it. Sometimes he feels very tired, but he has no choice but to do so.

The drive from Fengtian to Kuanchengzi takes nearly half a day.

I was so bored on the way that I had to close my eyes and rest. I felt groggy and half asleep and half awake.

I don’t know how much time had passed, I just felt my head hit the window, and when I opened my eyes again, I had arrived at Kuanchengzi Railway Station.

Although Kuanchengzi was not a provincial capital, it was the intersection of the South Manchuria and North Manchuria railways, with traffic coming and going from the south and the north, and a prosperous business.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that it is only a matter of time before this place replaces the provincial capital.

The huge station sign has Japanese, Russian and Chinese characters on it. Although it is an inland city, it has an international feel.

Jiang Lianheng and others got off the train, and the person who came to pick them up was naturally Zhao Guoyan.

Over the years, Zhao Guoyan has become accustomed to taking the lead.

Early this morning, after receiving the telegram, he immediately brought people to the square in front of the station to wait.

When the two met, Zhao Guoyan hurried over and asked, "Boss, why do you suddenly want to go to Ning'an?"

Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "Well, let's talk while we walk!"

"Okay, I'll go get a car."

"Forget it, forget it. My legs are numb from sitting just now. Let's just stroll over there!"

Zhao Guoyan responded and immediately followed Jiang Lianheng, walking towards the old city side by side.

It was afternoon now, the sun was shining brightly, the trees were shady, and the sky was clear without a single cloud.

Everyone walked leisurely and easily, neither hurried nor slow.

Although Kuanchengzi Railway Station is located at the junction of South Manchuria and North Manchuria, the land beneath its feet is still under the jurisdiction of the Japanese.

From the Dongyang Concession to the old city, one has to pass through an underground canal called "Toudaogou". There is a stone bridge on the canal called "Dongyang Bridge".

As the name suggests, this is a bridge built with funds from Xiaodongyang.

The bridge is nearly twenty meters wide and can accommodate vehicles and pedestrians. Because it connects the old city and the attached area, local people call it the "Yin and Yang Boundary".

On the north side of the stone bridge, there is a small red brick building, which is the Dongyang Police Station.

On weekdays, there are often three or two "black hats" guarding the bridgehead, with leather pistols on their waists, or short knives, or long swords, arrogant and domineering.

There are bees, hemp, swallows, and sparrows in the old city, and the vines and blue grass are everywhere. If you accidentally lose your way and are chased by the patrol police, don't be afraid, just run towards the bridge.

Once you cross this bridge, you will enter the Toyo area.

The "black hat" stood at the bridge head, raised his chin provocatively, and the patrol police in the old city could only stand back.

Looking at the criminal who escaped the net, he immediately approached the "black hat" with a grin on his face, paid the "toll", and then walked away at large.

Of course, most of these old men are self-taught and have no master.

Anyone who is serious about the online world will most likely not end up being chased by patrol police on the street.

For those unconventional business owners, they have to show respect to the old Chai once they open their business. They either pay tribute to the foreign old Chai or to the Chinese old Chai. It doesn't matter who they pay tribute to.

When the Chinese patrolmen arrived here, they were all so angry that they gnashed their teeth and couldn't help stamping their feet and cursing:
"You little bastard, paying tribute to the devils, how unpatriotic of you!"

Zhao Guoyan witnessed this incident two days ago. When he reached the bridge, he couldn't help but mention it.

After hearing this, Jiang Lianheng laughed out loud. He felt relieved after being depressed for most of the day. He then repeated the reason why he set out for Ning'an.

Zhao Guoyan nodded and had no objection.

"By the way, has the insurance claim been settled?" Jiang Lianheng suddenly asked.

Zhao Guoyan said ashamedly: "All the compensation that should be paid has been paid."

"I've been too busy lately, so I didn't ask much. What goods did our customer lose?" "Actually, they weren't valuable things. Most of them were food, and a few large boxes of furs."

After they crossed the Dongyang Bridge, Zhao Guoyan continued, "The one who lost the goods is a landlord from Laoyeling, Suifenhe. His surname is Shen. He is also an old customer of ours. I heard from Nanfeng before that Mr. Shen seemed to be the first one in Jilin Province to buy insurance from us!"

"Oh, this is like ruining the relationship with an acquaintance!" Jiang Lianheng shook his head, but was not too anxious.

Zhao Guoyan said: "Mr. Shen is a good person. Although I have never met him, the telegram he sent was quite polite. He said that this matter is understandable and he will continue to insure in the future."

"Nonsense, I've already compensated him, what else are you dissatisfied with?"

"That's true."

"Which station did this incident happen at?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Zhao Guoyan said, "It happens to be in Ning'an County. I thought you knew about it just now, so I wanted to go there. I didn't expect it was because of General Zhang."

This is certainly not a coincidence, because the Hu bandit rebellion originally started in the Suifenhe area, and the turmoil was of course only in that area.

"Was it lost on the road after being loaded, or was it lost during transportation?" Jiang Lianheng asked again.

"Before loading, they were robbed on the way." Zhao Guoyan said firmly, "I have asked someone to verify this matter. Some time ago, several robberies over there were all in this way. Those who did not have insurance were also robbed on the way."

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"When you met Hu Zi, did you report your number?"

"According to them, they did report it, saying that it was the goods guaranteed by Mr. Fengtian Jiang, but it was useless."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianheng immediately frowned and asked in a cold voice, "Who is the leader of that gang yet?"

"This..." Zhao Guoyan chose his words carefully, "Mr. Shen said that Hu Zi didn't even report his number, he just snatched it away--"

"Could it be that there is a traitor on their side?"

"It shouldn't be. Mr. Shen said that his eldest son personally delivered the goods, and the customers were all the elderly in the family. They have been fine for many years, and his family is not the only one who has lost goods recently."

"Then it's not like there's no way we can find out any information at all, right?"

"I asked everyone in the city, but no one knew. But by chance an acquaintance came today, and I finally got some information."

Jiang Lianheng frowned when he heard this, but asked, "Which acquaintance?"

Zhao Guoyan didn't say it clearly, not to keep the audience in suspense, but the branch of Zongheng Insurance Company in Kuanchengzi was already right in front of them.

I saw a shopping street not far away. The third store from the right on the east side was Jiang Lianheng’s own business that he had never seen before.

The head office of Zongheng Insurance Company in Fengtian is a three-story Western-style building, which is indeed very impressive.

In comparison, Kuanchengzi's semicolon appears to be much more low-key and subtle.

It is a two-story townhouse with a brick-and-wood composite structure. It has an antique feel and from the outside, it looks more like an inn.

In the past, this was indeed an inn, but the Jiang family used some tricks to take it over.

At the same time, this store seems to lack some commercial atmosphere, and seems more like a stronghold, or a "guild hall" belonging exclusively to the Jiang family.

The backyard of the shop is not small, with two rooms on the east and west sides, forming a large dormitory, and several small rooms.

When "Xiangzi" of the Jiang family is on a business trip, he can pass by here and make timely contact or rest.

Zhao Guoyan pointed at the store and said, "Boss, I heard from the government recently that these two old houses are about to be demolished. We can use our connections to choose a new location."

Jiang Lianheng said nothing, his mind not on this, he just walked straight over.

As soon as I arrived at the store door, someone came out with a smile to greet me.

Looking closely at this man, he seems to be in his thirties, with a vertical wrinkle between his eyebrows, slanted eyes, and many wrinkles on his face. He is tall, wearing a short shirt and bell-bottom pants, and he bows as soon as he sees me.

"Hey, boss, you're finally here. Have you eaten yet? Should we go to a restaurant later, or what?"

This man's nickname was "Da Tiao'er". His ancestral home was in northwest Shanxi. He made his living by dealing in local products, not opium, but things buried in the ground. However, he seldom went to the fields himself. He mostly sold stolen goods. Needless to say, he was ruthless and cruel, but he was capable, smart, and good at collecting antiques. Having stayed outside the Great Wall for a long time, he was also familiar with Liao and Jin artifacts.

At first, he also hung around in Fengtian.

If you want to make a living in the local area, you have to pay a visit to the Jiang family. Through introductions from everyone, I eventually became a member of the Jiang family.

Jiang Lianheng made friends with the powerful and influential everywhere. Some of the big shots didn't like money and only coveted things like the "Jade-faced Golden Buddha".

Every time this happened, Jiang Lianheng would look for a "big shot" to come over and help him check things. Over time, he became highly valued.

"Da Tiao'er" can make money, but it is a bit of a waste of his talent to only let him be a "Xiangzi". As the Jiang family grew bigger and bigger, they handed over the Kuanchengzi business to him.

But this person also has a problem, which is that he is too gangster-like and can never get on the big stage. So far, he has reached the ceiling.

When Jiang Lianheng saw him, he looked him up and down, then he couldn't help but frowned and scolded in a low voice:

"How can you do business wearing this? You are a dealer of antiques, can't you be more polite? From now on, if you don't wear a suit, wear a gown. It's your choice!"

After saying that, he walked into the house.

Da Tiao'er followed behind and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, I don't usually wear this. It's too hot these two days..."

"What?"

Jiang Lianheng retracted one foot, turned around and glared at him.

It seems that the boss is in a bad mood today.

Da Tiao'er immediately slapped his own mouth, nodded and bowed, saying, "Change, change, change now, sir, please come in first and sit for a while."

"Where is the person?" Jiang Lianheng asked again.

Zhao Guoyan pointed to the back door and said, "It's in the side room in the backyard!"

"Come in, Lao Yuan, you guys go and rest first."

Jiang Lianheng waved his hand, and everyone walked into the store one after another. The waiters in the branch, whether they knew him or not, nodded and greeted him.

It was already afternoon and there were not many customers handling business, so it didn't cause much commotion.

Everyone was just curious about who this rich man was that he could make the usually arrogant "big guy" bow down and smile.

Jiang Lianheng walked through the hall, entered the backyard, and under the guidance of Zhao Guoyan, went to a single room in the east wing.

I pushed the door open and entered the room, but before I saw anyone, I heard a series of "cry, cry, cry" sounds.

Turning around, I saw a box firecracker placed on the square table in the room. At this moment, a shirtless strong man with his back to the door was eating noodles with gravy and garlic in one mouthful. Hot sweat was running down his neck, soaking his trouser waist, and he was eating with such relish.

"Who is this?"

Jiang Lianheng didn't recognize him, but his intuition told him that this man was a "horizontal boss".

Hearing the noise at the door, the sturdy man turned around on the stool holding the bowl, his forehead wrinkles tightened, revealing a pair of big dead fish eyes.

"Hey, it's Boss Jiang!"

The strong man bit off the noodles, his mouth was bulging, his speech was a little slurred, and he said with a smile: "It's been a while since we last met. Sun Dayan, you haven't forgotten me again, have you?"

Jiang Lianheng suddenly woke up: "Oh, aren't you the mountain artillery under Li Zheng?"

"It's the mountain cannon!" The strong man laughed without caring, "Sun Xiangyang!"

(End of this chapter)