20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 854 Difficult, Difficult, Difficult

Seeing this, everyone was quite surprised.

Everyone knows that Zeng Shouyi committed a heinous crime at his residence outside the South City. If Jiang Lianheng were to follow his usual ways, he would surely have torn him to pieces.

In reality, Zeng Shouyi was not only unharmed, but also stood shoulder to shoulder with Li Zhengxi.

The intention behind this behavior is self-evident.

The Jiang family has made their stance clear—they will offer surrender but not kill!

Of course, this wasn't done for Lao Dou's benefit, but rather to point out a way out for his followers.

As for the results, it remains to be seen.

Old Dou knew the Jiang family was cunning and would not easily believe them, but his brothers around him were inevitably shaken and immediately began to discuss it among themselves.

"Brother, Zeng Shouyi has blood on his hands, how come he was spared?"

"Don't overthink it. This kid has betrayed us behind our backs. He's probably the one who tipped us off about Warehouse No. 7. Let's go check it out first!"

Old Dou stopped the discussion, suddenly squatted down, and tightened the straw rope on his cotton boots.

The Japanese samurai who had accompanied him was a little confused, so he immediately went over, pointed, and said with a smile, "Sir, we've arrived. This is the shop!"

Then, looking back suspiciously, he whispered to his brothers, "Watch out behind us, don't let the Jiang family take over the whole thing."

Everyone nodded in agreement, but looking guilty, they would occasionally turn around and glance back.

Li Zhengxi and his men remained still, simply lining up at the shop entrance without any sign of preparing to attack.

The two sides met head-on, and more than fifty people gathered in the street, which gradually attracted a lot of onlookers.

The more people there are, the more at ease Lao Dou feels.

After all, no matter how powerful the Jiang family is, they still have to respect the law on the surface. Especially key members like Xifeng would never commit violence in public to avoid giving others grounds for criticism.

Reaching the plaque, Old Dou casually clasped his hands in a fist salute and laughed loudly, "Heh! Third Master, you're up early!"

Li Zhengxi sneered twice, tilted his head back and replied, "What are you saying? Shouldn't we watch the show as soon as possible? Old Dou, where's that dog tag on your arm? Without the puppet regime armband, you seem to have lost some of your prestige."

"Haha, Third Master, you're too kind! Even if I wore that armband, with our meager presence, we wouldn't stand a chance in front of you!"

"Concession, concession!"

"Hey, that's to be expected! But why do I feel like Third Master seems a bit less confident today? Where are those little brothers who usually follow you around? Why are they different today? Are they all doing well?"

"Great, everyone's on their way waiting for you!"

Upon hearing this, Old Dou's face immediately darkened, but he said, "Forget it, my path is wide enough, I won't mingle with you, unlike some people—"

He looked at Zeng Shouyi, spat on the ground, and muttered, "Despicable!"

Unexpectedly, Zeng Shouyi was equally sharp-tongued, retorting on the spot: "It's better than being a traitor to the Japanese!"

Upon hearing this, the onlookers nodded in agreement.

A few bolder individuals couldn't help but make a few disparaging remarks.

Feeling guilty, Lao Dou quickly shouted in his defense, "Who's the traitor? You bunch of ingrates! There was fighting outside a few days ago. If it weren't for us brothers helping to maintain order, this city would have been in complete chaos! You bunch of troublemakers, biting the hand that feeds you, what are you yelling about!"

Zeng Shouyi asked, "Fine, even if you're here to maintain order, the Japanese have already withdrawn, so what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to discuss business—"

Old Dou frowned, then suddenly realized what he meant and cursed, "You damn traitor, why would I bother arguing with you?"

At this moment, the two Japanese samurai beside him became a little impatient and started chattering in Japanese, urging Lao Dou to hurry up and get down to business.

Although Lao Dou couldn't understand the words, he could guess what the other party meant. So he raised his chin at Li Zhengxi and asked, "Third Master, I'm sorry, I still have to go and sign the contract with Manager Shao. Could you please step back and let the brothers go in... Or are you planning to protect this shop and go against the Japanese?"

Li Zhengxi waved his hand and said, "I'm just here to watch the show. This shop isn't my territory. In business, there's a buyer and a seller. As long as both parties are willing, what right do I have to interfere?"

"Shall we... talk again later?"

"No way! It's been so long since we last met! There's no time like the present, let's chat today! You go about your business, I'll wait for you here!"

"It's so cold, I'm afraid it's not suitable."

"Old Dou, you're so thoughtful. I'll go inside and sit for a while, so you won't worry about me."

Before he finished speaking, Li Zhengxi called over a few of his brothers and boldly stepped over the threshold into the "Shaoji Hardware and Foreign Goods Store".

Old Dou was stunned by what he saw. He couldn't stop him, and he cursed himself for being too talkative. He had inadvertently made things worse and given Xifeng an excuse to enter the house.

The two Japanese samurai were also confused about what was going on.

However, their appearance was merely a formality, intended to provide Saito Rokuro with a pretext for responding to the call. Therefore, they had no intention of delving into the matter further and only wanted to finish the current task as soon as possible. They urged Lao Dou and the others to come inside and discuss the matter quickly.

Soon, prominent figures from both sides entered the store one after another.

The onlookers found it intriguing and gathered around the street outside the entrance. The crowd grew larger and larger, with everyone tucking their sleeves in and calling out to each other to come and watch.

The shop doors were open, and everyone was enjoying their own lively activities.

The common people gathered outside the door, secretly discussing Manager Shao's transfer of the shop.

The others weren't idle either; Xifeng's men stood on the left side of the door, while Lao Dou's men stood on the right.

Neither of the two leaders said they wanted to fight, so the brothers just stared at each other, at a loss for what to do.

Fengtian is only so big, everyone's online, who doesn't know who?

Although the two brothers were sworn enemies, the brothers had several familiar faces among them, and as they waited, they couldn't help but test each other.

Needless to say, the brothers on Lao Dou's side only cared about one thing—whether Zeng Shouyi had already betrayed them, or whether Jiang Lianheng had shown leniency and spared his life.
When it comes to matters of life and death, a single thought can lead to a multitude of choices.

……

Inside a hardware and imported goods store.

Shopkeeper Shao didn't sleep all night. Early in the morning, he posted a "Closed" notice on the door. After that, he sat in the shop, sighing and looking worried, waiting for both sides to come and cause trouble.

The old lady was originally in the back room, but when she heard the noise, she quickly came out to serve tea and water.

Caught between a rock and a hard place, the elderly couple dared not offend either side, yet they couldn't think of a way to please both. So they could only force a smile and awkwardly try to appease both sides.

After entering the room, Li Zhengxi did not speak. He simply walked to the corner, sat down slowly in a chair, crossed his legs, and appeared indifferent as if it were none of his business.

Old Dou glanced at him, too lazy to pay him any attention, strode up to Manager Shao, pulled out the transfer contract from his pocket, slammed it on the table, and impatiently ordered, "Old Shao, the date has come. Didn't we already agree on this? Hurry up and sign the contract!"

The transferee listed on the contract was Qin Huaimeng.

He had already drafted the contract two weeks prior and signed it in advance.

This is exploiting loopholes in provincial laws and regulations.

The Commercial Port Authority had previously stipulated that private individuals were prohibited from transferring land and property to foreigners.

Therefore, Qin Huaimeng planned to first acquire these seventeen shops for his own use, and then provide them free of charge to overseas Chinese in Japan for business. In this way, without monetary transactions, there would be no private trade.

To be fair, the price in the contract was reasonable, but ultimately it was still a rogue act of forced buying and selling.

Manager Shao looked at the contract, remained silent for a long time, and then suddenly sighed heavily.

"Sign it!" Old Dou glared and yelled, "What are you dawdling about? Are you blind? Can't you see all these people waiting for you?"

"I……"

Manager Shao hesitated, glancing up at Xifeng, only to find that Xifeng kept his eyes straight ahead and completely ignored him.

Old Dou wasn't stupid. He turned to look at Li Zhengxi, then at Manager Shao, already fully aware of the mess they'd made up. He snorted coldly and asked, "Manager Shao, I asked you to sign the contract, why are you looking at him? Does this shop belong to the Shao family or the Jiang family?" "I..."

Manager Shao's throat bobbed twice, his lips trembled, and he pleaded in a low voice, "Master Dou, could you please give me a few more days? I'll stay home and think it over carefully..."

"Snapped!"

Before he could finish speaking, Old Dou raised his hand and slapped him across the face, cursing sharply, "You old hag, still thinking about it? I've already given you several days!"

Seeing Manager Shao being beaten, his wife rushed over and grabbed Old Dou's arm, repeatedly apologizing, "Oh dear! Don't hit him, don't hit him! Can't we talk things out? We all live in the city, we'll run into each other all the time, let's talk things out!"

"Get the hell out of here!"

Old Dou raised his arm, turned around, and kicked the old lady away.

Seeing this, Manager Shao hurriedly went to help him up, but Old Dou suddenly grabbed his collar and pulled him back.

"Stop trying to play tricks on me!" Old Dou slammed his hand on the table. "Sign the contract now, right now!"

Manager Shao was getting anxious when he saw his wife suddenly stand up.

The old woman, her back hunched, clutched her stomach, enduring the pain, and pleaded apologetically, "Gentlemen, please be understanding! Our business is small, please don't fight in the shop. I beg you, let's talk this over, let's talk this over!"

Even though they were the ones who were wronged, they rushed to apologize to others.

Even more tragically, people have become accustomed to this and don't even find it strange.

Old Dou had long lost his patience. He pushed Manager Shao to the shelf in a few steps and bluntly threatened, "Old Shao, let me tell you, your son is still in jail! I think you don't want him to get out!"

"I want...I want..."

"If you're interested, stop talking nonsense and sign the contract!"

After saying that, Old Dou grabbed Manager Shao and shoved him aside, then kicked him, cursing and threatening, "Don't make me say it a second time!"

Manager Shao stumbled to the table, probably in a panic. He couldn't find the pen and ink for a moment. After searching aimlessly for a while, he finally took out a fountain pen from his pocket, bent down, and was about to sign when he suddenly remembered his grandson's appearance and turned to look at the west wind.

"Third Master..."

"Ok?"

"This contract...can I sign it?"

"That's your family's business, why are you asking me?"

Li Zhengxi dusted off his clothes, lit a cigarette, and casually reminded him, "These days, a human life is only worth a few silver dollars. If you think the price is right, just sign it!"

Upon hearing this, Manager Shao looked at the amount on the contract again and realized it wasn't just a string of numbers—it was his grandson's life-risking money!

"Master Dou..."

Manager Shao then looked at Old Dou, but before he could even speak, he was scolded back by the other man.

"Damn it, if you dare utter another word, I'll stab your tongue out!"

The tongue is a small matter, but the children and grandchildren are a big one.

Signing is not an option, refusing is not an option either; I'm caught in a dilemma. What should I do?
In his anxiety, the old man's tears fell in a steady stream, landing on the black and white transfer contract.

At this point, the onlookers outside the shop gradually understood and began to shout, "Don't sign! Don't sign! We can't let the Japanese get away with this!"

Some people, with only a superficial understanding, are eager to label others, shouting at the top of their lungs: "Signing makes you a traitor! Signing makes you a dog of collaborators!"

Many reasonable people, who could distinguish friend from foe, couldn't help but complain loudly, "These Japanese devils are bullying us too much! Isn't anyone going to do anything about it?"

The commotion enraged the two Japanese samurai, who rushed towards the door shouting, "Baka! You idiot!"

The old lady was worried that the scene would be chaotic and the store might be robbed, so she quickly ran over to close the door.

Unexpectedly, his actions angered the onlookers.

In an instant, buckets of "dirty water" were splashed in my face.

"If they're closing down, they must be planning to sign a contract. We can't let them sign it!"

"Yes, we can't let him sign it. This shop doesn't just belong to the Shao family, it belongs to all of us. We can't let him sign it!"

The crowd was agitated, and as they shouted, a few bolder individuals, for reasons unknown, made a move to rush in and forcibly stop them.

Fortunately, Xifeng and Lao Dou's men were still outside. The brothers pushed and shoved each other, barely managing to stop the crowd from pouring in.

Manager Shao was caught in a dilemma and cried in desperation. It seemed that he could do nothing but cry.

Seeing this, Lao Dou only wanted to sign the contract as soon as possible, so he grabbed Manager Shao by the neck and pressed him down, cursing, "Sign it! I told you to sign it quickly!"

"me……"

"What do you mean 'what ...'? If you don't sign, I'll smash this whole store to pieces!'"

As he spoke, he ordered his men to smash up the shop.

The crowd immediately bared their teeth and brandished their claws, rushing towards the surrounding shelves, grabbing several axes nearby, swinging them around and chopping down on the counter, then smashing the shelves over with a rumble.

In an instant, a series of loud crackling sounds rang out, and in the blink of an eye, the store was a complete mess.

The old woman tried to stop them, but to no avail, and could only collapse to the ground and wail loudly.

The scene was extremely chaotic.

Li Zhengxi, however, remained firmly seated in his chair, protected by his brothers.

He was waiting, waiting for Manager Shao to express his opinion.

As long as the old man is determined not to sign the contract, the Jiang family will not stand idly by.

If he refuses to take a stand, the Jiang family can only stand by and watch. Otherwise, if they help him today and the Shao family signs the contract later, the Jiang family will have lost both their money and their reputation.

Manager Shao was fully aware of all of this.

However, the old man was worried about his son, and hesitated, refusing to give a clear answer, muttering to himself, "I...I..."

Seeing this, Lao Dou urged his brothers to speed up the smashing and looting.

The argument escalated and eventually alerted Shao's daughter-in-law, who was hiding in the back room.

The young woman panicked and ran out with her child in her arms, crying and pleading, "Stop smashing! Stop smashing! If you keep smashing things, we won't be able to survive here!"

Unexpectedly, her appearance aroused the Japanese soldiers' interest.

Two Japanese samurai, their faces full of lewd grins, walked over unabashedly and began to grope and flirt with the girls, uttering vulgarities such as "pretty girl."

Old Dou was the worst of beasts. Seeing this, he immediately ordered his men, "Go and grab that young woman and take her back to the matriarch for some fun!"

"Snapped!"

Li Zhengxi could no longer stand idly by. He slammed his fist on the table, pointed at the two Japanese samurai, and shouted angrily, "Fuck them, guys, follow me!"

Before Xifeng's men could rush over, they saw Manager Shao suddenly make a move.

The old man, panting heavily, desperately shouted, "I...I'm not going to live anymore!"

As he spoke, he suddenly broke free from his guard, grabbed a claw hammer from the shelf, and charged at his daughter-in-law while shouting battle cries.

Hearing the commotion, the two Japanese samurai instinctively turned around. Perhaps they were used to being "superior people" in the Far East, and for a moment they were caught off guard and found it amusing.

Unexpectedly, the next second, a dent was punched into his forehead by a claw hammer!

(End of this chapter)