20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 864 Li Zi
Two flowers bloom, one branch each.

Just as Jiang Lianheng was gathering his brothers at his residence outside the south city, preparing to smash the Qin family kiln in a fit of rage, Hu Xiaoyan secretly brought in another elite group of thugs at her mansion in the north of the city.

The composition of this group is not so complicated.

There were no surrendered generals, no accomplices, and no sycophants; they were all Jiang family "straits."

The group kept a low profile and their numbers were not large. They came in twos and threes, and after a thorough roll call, there were only ten of them.

When everyone arrived at the Jiang family's house, they waited in the gatehouse, smoking and chatting amongst themselves. There were no grand pronouncements, just mundane daily conversations, such as asking each other how their New Year's preparations were going.

During this time, occasionally someone would glimpse Jiang Chengzhi playing in the courtyard, and then push open the window to peek out and tease the young master of the Jiang family, without any hint of tension or sternness.

Before long, Deyilou Restaurant in Daxiguan sent someone to deliver a sumptuous meal.

Chicken, duck, fish, and meat—you name it, they have it.

Everyone then started eating heartily, and because they weren't drinking alcohol, they ate incredibly fast.

Before we knew it, it was getting dark.

At this moment, Zhang Zhengdong, carrying two large leather suitcases, pushed open the door and entered the house.

Everyone immediately fell silent, watching him place the leather suitcase on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), open the brass clasp, and inside were two German-made daggers.

Zhang Zhengdong took out a gun, pulled the bolt twice, and then handed it to a "sounding boy," saying, "Wan Dewei, this one is for you."

Wan Dewei was quite pleased. He took the gun, immediately rested the butt on his shoulder, aimed for a while, then placed it on his lap, gently stroking the gun, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Seeing this, the brothers next to him couldn't help but joke, "What, do these flower mechanisms have male and female versions?"

"Fuck you!" Wan Dewei cursed, then patted the gun and said with some emotion, "Well, well! A whole regiment of the Fengtian Army might not even have one of these, and today I got to use it!"

Zhang Zhengdong ignored him, took out another flower-shaped weapon, handed it to Tou Daozi, and said, "Old Dao, this one is for you."

Old Dao took the pistol, examined it carefully, and then suddenly raised his head and asked, "Is this Ping An Tong No. 207?"

Zhang Zhengdong shook his head, but said, "No, it's Naniwa-dori, Hiroshima Plaza."

Old Dao frowned, thought for a moment, but didn't say anything.

The other brothers were the same; everyone knew the rules and dared not speculate on the source of their sister-in-law's information, nor did they dare to ask questions. They simply followed orders.

If you have to ask, you can only ask about the specific implementation plan.

Zhang Zhengdong said, "Including me and Lao Dao, there are twelve of us in total, two cars, one for Hua Guanji and one for the other two brothers. You two—" He turned his head and looked at the other two brothers, "You two don't come with the cars. Set off now and go ahead to scout out the area. We'll be there shortly after. If anything happens on the way, wait at the intersection and we'll deal with whatever comes up."

The two brothers, whose names were called, immediately got off the kang (a heated brick bed) and prepared to go ahead and scout the way.

Zhang Zhengdong suddenly stopped them and asked, "Are the guns ready?"

The two brothers patted their waistbands, nodded, and said, "Of course, we need two of these!"

"Did you bring spare magazines too?"

"Don't worry, Brother Dong, I brought them all!"

Zhang Zhengdong nodded silently, then suddenly pulled two more grenades from his suitcase and handed them to them, saying, "Take these with you too, but don't use them unless absolutely necessary!"

The two brothers stuffed the grenades into their pockets, asked for some more details about the route, and then clasped their hands in a fist salute, saying, "Brothers, we're off!"

Everyone followed suit, clasping their hands in farewell and saying, "See you later!"

Old Dao, being of a different status, couldn't help but ask after watching the two leave, "Dongfeng, why were you in such a hurry this time? This isn't like your usual style!"

Zhang Zhengdong shook his head and said in a low voice, "I only found out last night, and I didn't have time to make detailed arrangements, but since my sister-in-law has spoken about smashing the kiln, I have no reason to refuse."

"That's true!" Old Dao seemed a little uneasy. "But...seriously, shouldn't we go and investigate again?"

“No need!” Zhang Zhengdong said firmly, as if he were a wooden man, without any of his own thoughts. “If my sister-in-law says no need, then no need. Qin Huaimeng is definitely hiding there. As for the outcome, that depends on whether we mess things up.”

It's clear that, regardless of whether it's an east wind, a south wind, a west wind, or a north wind, the four brothers never had any doubt about Jiang and Hu's judgment.

Old Dao didn't know where this trust came from, but he admired it. At the same time, he secretly believed that as long as Sifengkou was still there, the foundation of the Jiang family would not be shaken.

At this point, Wan Dewei chimed in, saying, "I heard that place is quite desolate, many houses have been demolished, and there are construction sites everywhere."

Zhang Zhengdong nodded and said, "I know, that would be more convenient! Get your equipment ready. We'll make it quick tonight, catching everyone off guard. Once we get there, the police will clear the area, then we'll rush in and leave no one alive."

"Isn't Brother Yan coming?"

"No, he's too famous, it'll be easy for leaks to get out."

"Then when shall we set off?"

Zhang Zhengdong turned to look at the sky outside the window, then at the time on his watch, and muttered to himself, "Wait a little longer, it's still a bit light out. We'll set off in half an hour!"

Upon hearing this, everyone knew that time was running out, so they hurriedly packed up their belongings, straightened their clothes, and went to urinate or smoke.

Zhang Zhengdong was naturally prepared, but he calmly turned around and said, "Old Dao, come out with me for a moment."

Old Dao was a little surprised. He thought about it for a moment and then roughly guessed the reason. He got up and left the gatehouse with Dongfeng, walking to a corner of the courtyard.

Zhang Zhengdong took out his cigarette case, lit one for himself, and handed one to Lao Dao. They lit them and took a deep drag.

As night fell, the faint sound of dogs barking drifted from the distant streets and alleys.

"Have you made up your minds?" Zhang Zhengdong suddenly asked.

"You mean you're leaving?" Old Dao sighed, nodded, and said, "I've thought it through. This is the manager's idea. She came to Fengtian specifically for the old lady. Now that she has no ties, it's good that she's leaving. But don't worry, we'll wait until the Jiang family is stable before we leave. This is also the manager's wish."

"Aren't you going to reconsider?"

"Asking me is useless; my opinion doesn't count."

Zhang Zhengdong took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled, and sighed softly, "Sister-in-law doesn't want you to leave."

"I understand, after all, we've been together for ten years." Old Dao also said with some emotion, "But all good things must come to an end, so please be understanding, boss and sister-in-law!"

"Do you have different ideas about the future?"

"Not bad!"

Old Dao didn't mince words, saying bluntly, "The shopkeeper believes that the Jianghu should behave like the Jianghu. Getting too close to the government may bring temporary glory, but with each new emperor comes a new court, and problems will inevitably arise sooner or later. Business in Fengtian is not doing well right now, and I'm speaking bluntly—don't be fooled by the Jiang family's current prosperity; they're just the government's piggy bank. When they need money, they can just collapse. Of course, what brings them success can also bring them down. It has to be said that the Jiang family's success today is also thanks to Old Zhang."

Zhang Zhengdong nodded silently, then suddenly turned and looked at the brightly lit Jiang family mansion.

As luck would have it, Jiang Ya was standing by the window when he made a face at him, then drew the curtains and disappeared.

“What you mean, sister-in-law, is this?” Zhang Zhengdong smiled, turned around, and continued, “These things aren’t really big conflicts. Once we get through this difficult time, we can talk about them together. We’re all family here, so we can talk about anything. There’s nothing we can’t talk about.”

Old Dao said, "I understand the shopkeeper's temperament. She was greedy before, but that was to outdo the old lady. In fact, she is someone who knows when to quit while she's ahead. When she set up the scheme in Lüda, she was only after money and not to kill anyone. In the end, it all came to that, but it was for the old lady's safety. Now that the Jiang family has become too powerful and attracts attention, she has wanted to retire for a long time. You just mentioned difficulties, but I don't think Qin Huaimeng is any of those difficulties at all."

"how to say?"

"The biggest challenge is still myself!"

Old Dao said slowly, "It's easier said than done to retire gracefully at the peak of one's career!"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a commotion was heard outside the courtyard gate.

The two turned to look and saw that it was Hai Xinnian, the adopted son of the Jiang family, who had returned.

"Uncle Dong, Uncle Dao!" Hai Xinnian greeted the two men, then pointed to the mansion, "My godfather asked me to come and talk to my godmother about something!"

"Go!"

Zhang Zhengdong waved his hand and then continued talking with Lao Dao.

Hai Xinnian didn't dare to disturb them, so he quickly walked into the mansion, went up the stairs, and headed straight for the study on the second floor.

To my surprise, when I opened the door, Hu Xiaoyan wasn't in the study. That was quite a surprise.

Just as I was wondering what was going on, Jiang Ya's voice suddenly came from the corridor: "Hey, are you looking for my mom?"

Hai Xinnian stepped back and glanced to the side, only to see Jiang Ya peeking halfway out of the master bedroom door, waving at him. He nodded and walked towards the bedroom, asking quietly, "Is godmother asleep?"

“No,” Jiang Ya said, “my mother hasn’t been feeling well these past few days.”

"Didn't you call a doctor?"

"My fourth uncle had a military doctor come to see me this morning, but I feel he's a quack. He couldn't diagnose anything and just said it was from overwork."

"Has Fourth Uncle left?"

"They went back to camp a long time ago and didn't even have time for lunch."

Hai Xinnian walked to the door, glanced into the room, and saw Hu Xiaoyan lying flat on the bed. He hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and asked, "Can I—"

Before he could finish speaking, Hu Xiaoyan called out softly, "New Year, come in and talk."

Hai Xinnian entered the room upon hearing the call, but after glancing at the bed, he couldn't help but be shocked and hurriedly asked, "Godmother, why is your face so pale? Are you alright?"

Hu Xiaoyan rolled over, propped herself up on her elbows, coughed twice with a frown, and waved her hand, saying, "Let's get down to business first. How's your father doing?"

Hai Xinnian hesitated slightly, undecided, and couldn't help but turn to look at Jiang Ya.

Jiang Ya knew her mother's personality well and said with a sense of helplessness, "Speak up! If you don't, my mother will get even sicker!"

Hai Xinnian glanced at Jiang Ya, then at his godmother, but still didn't say anything.

Hu Xiaoyan said, "Fine, then you don't need to carry Xiaoya on your back anymore."

Hai Xinnian was finally relieved and gave a brief account of the situation at the outer residence in the south city.

It goes without saying that Tang Wenbiao betrayed his father, sold out his friends for personal gain, and rejoined the Jiang family. However, the latest news is that Zuan Tianying and Shaozi Li broke up and fled for their lives.

"Where did they go?" Hu Xiaoyan asked.

Hai Xinnian said, "Godmother, they went their separate ways. Tang Wenbiao doesn't know where Shaozi Li went, but they didn't dare take the train. Zuan Tianying did tell us where they went. I heard they're going back to western Liaoning to do their old job."

"Up the mountain?"

"Yes, Skyhawk invited them, but it's unclear whether Whistle Lee went with them."

Although the Jiang family knew that the No. 7 warehouse of the South Railway was the secret base of Zuan Tianying and others, the place was too open and sparsely populated. It could be detected from a distance. Even when Chuang Hu went to keep watch, he accidentally left a clue, let alone others.

"You ran fast enough..."

Hu Xiaoyan murmured to herself, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly instructed Jiang Ya, "Xiaoya, go downstairs and call your Uncle Fang. Ask him to send over the recent arms deals at home. I want to take a look."

"Mom, aren't you going to rest for a while?"

"Once this busy period is over, you'll have plenty of time to rest. Go on!"

Jiang Ya had no choice but to follow her mother's instructions and go downstairs to call the family's insurance company.

Starting today, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family is finally getting involved in the family business. As the child grows up, some things are inevitable.

Of course, at present, the matters that Jiang Ya is involved in are just the tip of the iceberg; she is merely helping her mother with some tasks.

After Jiang Ya left, Hu Xiaoyan asked again, "How many people went to your father's side for the New Year?"

Hai Xinnian estimated and said, "I can't count them all. Anyway, the courtyard is full of people. There must be at least a hundred or two hundred people, and there are still more heading over there now!"

"Is that a big enough show?"

"Big, the boss is here!"

Hai Xinnian said, "I don't know many of these people, and I don't know where they came from. They started making a ruckus as soon as they entered the door, saying they wanted to avenge my godfather. They wouldn't come when I called them before, and now they won't leave even if I chase them away."

Hu Xiaoyan nodded, then asked, "Where is your third uncle?"

"Third Uncle? He's there too!"

"I know, I'm asking you, how does he look?"

Hai Xinnian was puzzled and scratched his head, saying, "Godmother, what do you mean?"

Hu Xiaoyan pondered for a moment and explained, "Go back and tell your third uncle to appease the Kaoshan Gang. They will take revenge, it's just not the right time yet. The most important thing now is to divide them and not push them too far. We'll settle the score later after this period is over."

Hai Xinnian realized what was happening, thought for a moment, and then said, "But... my godfather has treated them well. He already accepted Tang Wenbiao in front of so many people. If..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hu Xiaoyan interrupted, "Your godfather doesn't need to do anything about this. In any gang, once someone betrays their boss, there will be a second and a third. Tang Wenbiao's rise to power was illegitimate, and he'll cause trouble sooner or later. We just need to fan the flames from the shadows. But your third uncle has to keep the fans in check. Otherwise, the more the fans fight, the more united they'll become."

Hai Xinnian seemed to understand, nodded and said, "Okay, I understand, I'll go tell Uncle San right away!"

"Go ahead, and come back soon!" Hu Xiaoyan instructed again, "Remember, the bigger the commotion you make, the better!"

Hai Xinnian responded and left. As he walked down the stairs and pushed open the door of the mansion, he bumped into Zhang Zhengdong and Lao Dao and others leaving in a car.

It seems that tonight will be the time for blood to be repaid...

(End of this chapter)