20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 772 Suspicion breeds evil

The old man was stunned. He felt that the voice sounded familiar, so he squinted his eyes and looked carefully - it turned out to be one of his own.

"Damn it, are you trying to scare me to death?"

Lao Dou breathed a sigh of relief, but still did not dare to speak loudly. He hurriedly called on his brothers to move forward a few steps quickly.

He walked straight to the crossroads and looked back, only to see that the city gate was empty. Zhao Guoyan and others had left quietly. Only then did he calm down a little.

However, even though the person left, the situation just now cast a shadow in his heart.

People are afraid of scaring themselves.

Lao Dou became suspicious and felt uncomfortable all over. He always felt that there were several pairs of eyes staring at him in the streets and alleys. So he ran south for another half a mile without stopping, then gradually slowed down and stopped to look around.

There were about a dozen brothers accompanying us.

Most of them are his trusted assistants who have been helping him since the day he opened his shop. The remaining few young people have also been quite helpful in recent years.

When everyone heard that Lao Dou had been taken away by the Jiang family, they were worried the whole day, but they didn't dare to inquire rashly, so they had to gather at the South City Gate to wait for news from him.

Now that I have returned safely, I can't help but ask about the situation.

"Brother, how was your talk with Boss Jiang?"

"Shh-"

The old man made a gesture to silence the crowd, walked around, glanced at the surrounding alleys, lowered his voice suspiciously, and said, "At present, the situation is not bad, but I can't say for sure what will happen in the future."

Everyone nodded and immediately suggested, "Yes, let's go back and talk about it first!"

"Go back?" The old man frowned, thought about it carefully, waved his hand and said, "No, I'm not going back, at least not tonight!"

"But, it's snowing so hard, where else can we go if we don't go back?"

"You can go anywhere, but you can't go back!"

My father has made up his mind and will never take any risk easily.

He was afraid. He was afraid that when he returned home, what was waiting for him was not a warm bed, but the "Xiangzi" sent by the Jiang family.

Then, he suddenly remembered something and became furious, asking hurriedly, "By the way, where did that bastard Ma Xiaozhu go?"

After he finished speaking, everyone turned around and saw Ma Xiaozhu being brought in front of the old man by two brothers.

This kid was still wearing a felt hat when he was in the grain and oil shop during the day, but now he has changed it into a bandage. His whole face is bruised and swollen, with not a single spot intact. He should have stayed at home and rested, but he had no choice but to follow along because of his own fault.

Ma Xiaozhu stepped forward, lowered his head timidly, and greeted in a low voice: "Brother...are you okay?"

As soon as he finished speaking, there was a crisp "pop" sound!
The old man raised his eyebrows, slapped him in the face, and cursed: "Brother? You are my fucking brother!"

The slap was so powerful and heavy, and the ground was icy and snowy and his feet were slippery, that Ma Xiaozhu spun on the spot and fell to the ground. The bandage on his head immediately began to bleed, and before he could stand up, he was scolded again.

"Are you fucking sick?"

My father was furious and scolded me on the spot: "You went to Nanji Grain and Oil Store to cause trouble. Do you think I am too old or what? If you are tired of living, just find a crooked tree and hang yourself. Don't fucking get everyone in trouble here!"

Ma Xiaozhu felt very aggrieved. He covered his face and stood up, saying, "Brother, I really didn't know that Nan Ji had any relationship with the Jiang family, and... and I wasn't the only one who led the trouble at that time. There were others too. We really have no food left at home. If you don't believe me, you can go and see. I can't do anything about it!"

"Bullshit, you still can't do anything?" The old man continued to curse, "What, you have a solution now?"

Ma Xiaozhu remained silent.

This small trouble has turned into a big trouble and there is nothing we can do now.

Seeing this, several young men nearby said, "Brother, since Xiao Zhu is just a misunderstanding, then we should be fine, right?"

"Nothing? Even I don't dare to say that. How did you know that?"

"But, didn't the Jiang family send someone to bring you back?"

"That's useless. What if they come to settle the score later?" The old man curled his lips. "How many of you young people have really experienced the Jiang family's methods?"

This question stumped everyone.

These young men in front of them are all in their twenties. When Jiang Lianheng started his own business, they were still peeing and playing in the mud at home. How could they have ever experienced the methods of the Jiang family? Even if they knew something, it was just hearsay mixed with too much imagination.

When talking about the bloody storm of those years, only the brothers who stood shoulder to shoulder with Lao Dou are qualified to talk about it.

A strong man immediately jumped out from the crowd with a serious look on his face. He warned the young people:
"Don't even think about getting away with it. Let's not talk about the distant past. Just take the flagpole incident last year. His apprentice also made a mistake due to a misunderstanding. What was the result? The master and his apprentice all died in unclear circumstances. I don't think our fate will be any better!"

This is obviously not accurate enough.

At the beginning, when the young disciple of Daqipole made a mistake, it was not a misunderstanding, but the Jiang family had already made it known that the Master Fo was forbidden to open a business. Sheng Mancang went against the wind and committed a crime, which led to the destruction of his master's school.

However, the young people in front of them did not think about it carefully. After hearing this, they secretly believed that the Jiang family would never let it go.

Old Dou was also a frightened bird. He was terrified and tended to think the worst of everything. The more he thought, the more scared he became. He even concluded that "Jiang Lianheng would not forgive him" and then tried desperately to find various details to support his inference.

"Well, if we offend the Jiang family's 'backers', the situation would be fine, but Wang Zhengnan's status in the Jiang family is not ordinary..."

"Brother, what's the worst possible outcome?"

"The worst possible outcome?" The old man suddenly thought of Lai Zi and the others, and his mood became heavier. "That would probably mean that all the old and new grudges would be settled together. I dare not think about it. I really dare not think about it..."

"What's the best outcome?"

"Leave Fengtian?" The old man shook his head, suddenly annoyed, "Don't keep asking me, I'm not a worm in Jiang Lianheng's stomach, how would I know what he's thinking!"

The north wind was howling and the heavy snow showed no sign of stopping.

The streets were deserted, and everyone had different expressions on their faces, and was speechless for a moment.

After a while, someone finally stood up to break the silence.

But this man was in his early forties, not good-looking, with his whole face like ash, full of pits and holes, which directly revealed everyone's thoughts.

"Brother, you can be a thief for a thousand days, but you can never be on guard against thieves for a thousand days. It's no use for us to be so nervous all the time. We all saw what happened to the big flagpole. If you ask me, it's better to strike first and then you'll get the upper hand. If it really doesn't work... we might as well just rebel!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone responded one after another.

"Yes, the Guo Guizi has rebelled, what are we afraid of?"

"The winner is the king and the loser is the bandit. Jiang Lianheng only has a head on his shoulders, which is nothing more than us. Let's just fight him!"

"Well said, either I shoot him dead, or he shoots me dead, either way it's better to have a quick death than to suffer this humiliation!" "Anyway, barefoot people are not afraid of those wearing shoes, if he has the guts, he will fight with us, let's see who is more daring!"

Extreme fear leads to anger, and it becomes a life-and-death struggle.

Everyone became more and more excited as they talked, as if they had been enduring for a long time and finally could endure it no longer.

The old man was still calm and alert. He looked around and quickly shouted, "Keep your voice down. Aspirations do not come from loud voices. What are you shouting for?"

It’s not that everyone is shouting, but I’m really feeling suffocated.

With a pitted face, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother, that's not right. You always said you wanted to rebel against the Jiang family before, why are you so cowardly now?"

"Cowardly?"

The old man snorted coldly and said, "You know nothing! When have I ever been a coward? I just think that now is not the right time, at least not the best time. It's okay for me to rebel against the Jiang family, but I don't want to be busy here for a long time and end up helping others!"

"What do you mean?"

"The first bird to stick its head out gets shot!" Lao Dou explained, "Let me ask you, we are working so hard here, even if we succeed unexpectedly, defeat Jiang Lianheng, and overthrow the Jiang family, can we remain unscathed?"

Everyone looked at each other, without any objection, and everyone thought it was impossible.

Facing the Jiang family, there are only two possible outcomes of a fight - either a tragic victory or a tragic defeat.

In this case, we must always be on guard against someone who might take advantage of us.

At this time, someone else said, "Brother, but you said last time that you, Mr. Qin, Old Ghost Huo, and Shaozi Li have already discussed it. If we can really overthrow the Jiang family, the South City area, including the small riverside, will all be under our control in the future!"

"We can discuss it, but look at the three of them, who has made a move now?"

My father knew very well that the results discussed at the dinner table could just be listened to casually. When the day came when the Jiang family fell, all the alliances would probably be invalid. The final result would still depend on who had the thicker arms and the harder fists.

To be fair, except Qin Huaimeng, the other three of them are evenly matched and none of them is much stronger than the other.

If anyone is to take the lead, it should be Master Qin who should do so first. My father would never easily cause trouble.

"But……"

Manmian took over the conversation with a slightly hesitant look, "Brother, if we wait for the Jiang family to make the first move, we will be too passive. We have fewer people than the Jiang family, and the difference is not small. If we want to fight, we can only win by surprise. Otherwise, our chances of winning are too low."

"Yes!" others echoed, "I don't want to lie down at home and sleep one day and never wake up again. That would be too miserable to die. It's better to have a good fight!"

Someone else said: "The key is, if the Jiang family attacks us, can Mr. Qin, Old Ghost Huo, and Shaozi Li help us?"

The old man thought about it, shook his head and sighed, "It's better to rely on yourself than on others. We still have to prepare what we need. Don't separate recently. Let's get together so that we can take care of each other. It's always safer."

"That's true, but there's also a chance that someone will wipe us out..."

"Who the hell is farting there!"

The old man raised his eyebrows and then warned: "In short, brothers, be smart recently and prepare all your weapons. Never leave your guns or knives. If the Jiang family sends people over again, we have no choice but to fight them!"

"it is good!"

"What are you shouting for? Keep your voice down. Keep a low profile, understand? Keep a low profile!"

Everyone nodded, and thieves responded again: "Okay~"

The old man looked around quickly, finally looking at the pit-faced man, and said, "Let's go to your house tonight. We can't stay in one place all the time. We brothers should take turns to make room."

Naturally, Man Lian Pi said nothing and immediately called out to his brothers: "Let's go, let's go. I happen to have two guns at home, which are enough for night watch!"

Just as he was about to leave, two brothers came over and asked, "Brother, what should we do with Xiao Zhu?"

The old man turned around and looked him up and down. Seeing that Ma Xiaozhu was already covered in wounds and could not take any more punishment, he could not help but stepped forward and kicked him. He raised his chin and said, "I tell you, if the Jiang family fights us, you will definitely be the first one to be stabbed!"

Ma Xiaozhu nodded blankly: "Brother, I know I was wrong."

"I think you are scared now!"

"Yes, but I really have no food left at home..."

"Okay, okay, okay!" The old man was too lazy to listen to his rambling and asked, "I seem to remember that you have a 'Tu Da Wu' at home?"

Ma Xiaozhu did not dare to hide it and answered truthfully: "Yes, but the gun has some problems. It is made of clay and is not durable."

"That's still a gun, it's better than a fire stick!" The old man ordered immediately, "Go back and get the gun, and send it to me later. You have to stay with us these few days. Even though you have caused trouble for me, I will not abandon you!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Xiaozhu immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you, brother. Thank you, brother!"

The old man was a little impatient and waved his hands, saying, "Alright, alright, stop it and get out of here!"

After saying that, he turned with his brothers and entered an alley.

The sound of conversation gradually faded away, leaving only the north wind in my ears.

Ma Xiaozhu stood up with great pain, brushed off the snow on his shoulders, and then walked home against the wind.

Unexpectedly, after walking a few steps, I suddenly saw a light flashing on the street. I stretched my neck to look, and saw an old man pulling a rickshaw slowly passing by the intersection.

In the wind and snow, the lantern in front of the car swayed gently, which seemed a little strange for some reason.

The old man stopped and raised his hand to greet him, "Little brother, it's late at night and the weather is not good. Where are you going? I'll take you there."

Ma Xiaozhu came forward, but saw that the old man had a squint, and couldn't help but sneer: "Man, you're still pulling a cart with that look in your eyes, aren't you afraid of leading people into a ditch!"

Unexpectedly, the old man immediately frowned, and said in a cold and hard tone, almost commanding, "If you still want money, get in the car quickly."

Hearing this, Ma Xiaozhu's eyes lit up and he asked hurriedly, "Are you Huo Laogui's man?"

"If you say one more word, I'll cut out your tongue!"

"Okay, okay, I won't tell you, I won't tell you..."

Ma Xiaozhu quickly jumped onto the rickshaw and hid under the awning to avoid the wind and snow. Suddenly he remembered something and added, "Oh, my father wants my 'Tu Da Wu'. I have to go home first, otherwise it will be too late."

This time, the old man did not threaten or scold, but just nodded silently, then took a step forward and ran towards the dense snow curtain.

At the same time, in the dark alley at the crossroads, the old man suddenly leaned out half of his body and silently watched the old man pulling the rickshaw go farther and farther away...

(End of this chapter)