Warlord: Starting with Subduing Little A Qiao

...

Several children ran back to the residential area, shouting and yelling.

The innocent voices of children, brimming with hope, attracted several elderly people to come out of their homes.

"Mu Zi, what did you say? What do you mean by 'disappearing from the water source'?"

An elderly woman with graying temples called out to one of the lively children, who turned around and smiled.

"Grandma Wang, the Paramount is using the water source that Hua Zongchang used to supply water to everyone for free."

As soon as he said this, not only the old man who had just come out, but also the middle-aged people around him gathered around.

"Really? It doesn't cost any money?"

"Isn't the water price from the 'water tycoon' getting more and more expensive? How could it possibly be completely free?"

Is it a rumor?

......

A cacophony of voices arose, with many still harboring doubts about the free water offer.

These sounds reached the children's ears, and one of them, named Muzi, shook her head excitedly.

"These are all true."

Seeing the adult's slightly suspicious expression, Mu Zi was a bit tongue-tied and didn't know how to explain, but the next second his eyes lit up and he pointed behind him and shouted.

"Look! Brother Zheng is here!"

Following Mu Zi's gaze, everyone saw Zheng Haisheng's figure slowly approaching.

Behind him, a mule was slowly carrying two wooden buckets.

As he approached, Mu Zi immediately ran to Zheng Haisheng's side, grabbed his hand, and said loudly.

"Brother Zheng and the others don't believe what I'm saying. Tell them that the Paramount is really giving away water for free, right?"

As soon as he said that, everyone's eyes were instantly focused on Zheng Haisheng.

Zheng Haisheng put down the lead rope, patted the mule's head, and then carried the two wooden buckets down.

The two wooden barrels were immediately moved to the front of the crowd.

The bucket clearly contained clear, clean tap water!

Everyone's eyes immediately widened in surprise.

At this moment, Zheng Haisheng pushed two wooden buckets in front of everyone, his voice still tinged with excitement.

"Everyone hurry up and get yours! Mr. Ye from the Paramount Ballroom said it's all free!"

The moment the voice was uttered, the crowd in Zhabei District erupted in excitement.

It's important to know that Zhabei District is the poorest area in Shanghai, and also the area where people can't afford to drink water.

They would never normally use such clean water as drinking water!

Their daily routine consisted of simply boiling a ladle of muddy water from the Huangpu River to kill bacteria before drinking it directly.

And now there is such clear and clean water, which they can take for free!

At this moment, those who arrived a few steps later than Zheng Haisheng also began to return one after another.

Upon seeing his family, he became even more excited and shouted.

"Yingzi, look! This is the water I brought back!"

"Mom, this is all free. Mr. Ye from the Paramount Ballroom is truly generous..."

"Honey, our child can drink clean water now, so he won't get sick anymore..."

Seeing this scene, many middle-aged women couldn't help but shed tears.

You should know that they are people who grew up drinking river water.

Adults are in good physical condition and have strong immunity; if they drink muddy water, they will at most have diarrhea for a few days and then recover.

But many children can't endure it.

This isn't just ordinary water; it's a life-saving measure that could save a child's life!

One of the women, dressed in tattered clothes, suddenly grabbed Zheng Haisheng's sleeve.

"Mr. Zheng, we are deeply grateful and need no words of thanks. Please convey our gratitude to Mr. Ye of the Paramount."

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in even greater expressions of gratitude.

"Please thank Mr. Ye for us!"

"Mr. Ye saved us from dire straits, thank you so much!"

"This free water not only saved my life, but also our child's. It's like a second life. I kowtow to Mr. Ye..."

Every word, brimming with genuine emotion, reached Zheng Haisheng's ears. He bit his lip tightly, afraid that his eyes would blur with tears.

These are the most honest and greatest people on the land of China!

When Zheng Haisheng returned to the Xinmin Daily newspaper office, he immediately sat down, laid out paper, and picked up a pen.

In less than two hours, he transformed all the surging emotions in his heart into words on paper.

As soon as he finished writing, he rushed to Boss Zhen's office to ask him questions.

"Boss, do you think this article can be published tomorrow?!"

Boss Zhen read through the entire content bit by bit, and immediately gave it a big thumbs up.

"Of course we'll send it!"

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Bet That Determines the Operating Rights of the Waterworks!

The next day.

The Xinmin Daily's report, "Ye Bai of Paramount Donates Water as a Kind Act, Bringing Great Fortune to the People," spread throughout the streets and alleys along with the shouts of newsboys.

In teahouses, storytellers turned this story into anecdotes, captivating countless viewers.

"Ye Bai of the Paramount Ballroom taught the water tyrant Hua Zongchang a lesson; he was truly courageous!"

"Free water supply, without charging a penny, is a matter of righteousness!"

"Winning bids for waterworks and lowering prices for the people is a benevolent act!"

...

Of course, some people criticized Ye Bai, feeling that he was just seeking fame and fortune and trying to win over public opinion.

"He's trying to win over the people; you've all been fooled!"

These words immediately drew rebuttals from the surrounding people.

"Can you do it? If you can't, what gives you the right to talk so casually?"

"How dare you say that? I clearly saw you go to get water too! You're the truly shameless one."

"Nonsense! You've lost all your conscience, haven't you?!"

An elderly man with white hair even used his cane to smash the heavy cane on the head of the person who spoke ill of Ye Bai.

"A person cannot be without a conscience!"

If it weren't for Mr. Ye's free water, we would all have to drink that river water, and then we would be waiting to get stomach aches and poisoning!

Back in the day, every summer, everyone would suffer from mild stomach aches and dizziness, or even severe vomiting and diarrhea. Wasn't that all because of the muddy water from the Huangpu River they drank?!

How many infants die each year because of a lack of clean drinking water?!

At this point, the old man's voice choked with emotion.

"That's exactly what happened to my grandson. Back then, we couldn't afford water, and he got a high fever and never woke up again!"

"A person should have a conscience! We drank their water and accepted Mr. Ye's favor; how can we have the nerve to speak ill of them?!"

The old man's words immediately silenced everyone.

Those who initially spoke ill of Ye Bai were now blushing and covered their faces as they left under the condemnation of the crowd.

More and more people are starting to actively spread the word about Ye Bai's act of giving away water.

Several celebrities who collaborated with the application even published articles in the application, specifically praising Ye Bai's free water supply.

"Ye Bai of the Paramount Ballroom, every word and deed reflects the true feelings of a child, putting the country and family before personal gain. — Xiu Yun"

When Xiao Aqiao saw the report praising Ye Bai, she read the entire report word for word in Ye Bai's study.

However, when she reached the end of the report, she asked out of curiosity.

"This report is really well written. But, is Xiu Yunyun a woman?"

When Ye Bai saw these three words, he was stunned for a long time.

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief and took another look at the report.

If he remembers correctly.