SFS Chapter 948 Persuading Wu Mingqiang
Chapter 948 Persuading Wu Mingqiang
"Later, I passed by there once and ran into a thug who wanted to take advantage of Rumeng. I helped her deal with him, and she asked me to protect her in exchange for some protection money. I observed that no one had taken over those alleys yet, so it was perfect for me to take over. I also collected less protection money than when Mad Dog He San did. They all supported me."
Gui'er listened to Wu Mingqiang's account in surprise, and after a long while asked, "Is the person sitting at the corner of each floor keeping watch your man?"
Wu Mingqiang nodded: "After I came here, I recruited a few guys, right? Some of them are from the same hometown as these guys, and some are brothers I recruited in the shantytown, the place that was destroyed by the last typhoon. They are basically people whose families were affected by the disaster and couldn't afford to eat. If you give them food, they will do anything."
Gui'er was somewhat at a loss. She said, "Brother Wu, I don't actually need a very luxurious life. I just want everyone to be safe and sound. Once you become a member of the underworld, you'll inevitably have to fight and kill. We're outsiders here, powerless and without influence. The people you gather are just a rabble. If the government or other gangs target us, won't we all scatter immediately? Then we'll be in big trouble."
Wu Mingqiang paused for a moment: "Miss, you are indeed well-educated and farsighted. I have also considered this aspect. Didn't Chen De sell that jade incense burner to Ouyang Bao at a low price? I was thinking of taking this opportunity to build a relationship with him, but he is the kind of person who will definitely give us benefits. We don't earn much right now, so I was thinking of waiting until we have accumulated some savings before going to him."
"...You mean you're unwilling to stop?" Gui'er felt a sense of despair.
"No, Miss, don't be angry, don't get upset. I did all this for you." Wu Mingqiang quickly said when he saw that Gui'er's expression was off again.
Gui'er closed her eyes, trying hard to think of a solution. When she was in Jiangcheng, she knew that Wu Mingqiang was up to his old tricks and knew that he was not an easy person to control. But back then, Sha Yanxiao was able to keep him in check. What could she do now? Cutting ties with him probably wouldn't work either. She was just a female student with no skills, while he was a seasoned gangster who had mastered all kinds of killing techniques. The initiative was actually on Wu Mingqiang's side. She probably could only play the emotional card.
Playing the emotional card... Oh right, Gui'er opened the small drawer of her bedside table and took out the letters from Sha Yanxiao and Sha Yanyao.
"The reason I fainted is because my eldest and second eldest brothers have been secretly sending me messages recently. The situation is very bad. I was afraid that you would be sad if you saw it, so I didn't tell you."
"The young marshal has sent a letter, is it true?" The door was suddenly pushed open, and A-Si rushed in, followed by A-Cheng. It turned out that the two of them had been secretly eavesdropping outside the door.
Gui'er was startled, but she nodded and handed over the two letters: "Take a look."
Wu Mingqiang, Acheng, and Asi held their breath and picked up the letter to read it intently.
Gui'er carefully observed the expressions on their faces and could see that they were all very moved, especially A-Si. As he looked at them, his eyes even turned red, and he whispered a curse: "Damn Japanese devils, the young master doesn't even know that the madam is gone."
Gui'er pressed on, saying, "Everyone, I know I'm just a pampered and useless female student. My second brother entrusted me to you, which is really a burden for you. Without me, you would be much freer with your skills and could go anywhere in the world."
Acheng quickly waved his hand and said, "Miss, you're too kind. This is our own choice. Besides, the world is in chaos these days. No matter how good your skills are, you can't withstand bullets and cannons. We can protect you while you study in Hong Kong. If you have the chance to see the young marshal again in the future, we'll not only fulfill your wishes, but we'll also have a place to stay."
Ah Si nodded as well.
Gui'er glanced at Wu Mingqiang, who had not yet expressed his opinion, and said, "My two brothers are heroes who saved the country and the people. Even if I am destitute, I cannot do anything that would tarnish their reputation. Don't you agree?"
“Oh, Miss, I understand. I won’t get involved in that matter anymore,” Wu Mingqiang finally said.
Guier breathed a sigh of relief.
In the following days, Gui'er was still worried and asked Acheng if Wu Mingqiang was still collecting protection money from those prostitutes.
Acheng said, "Brother Qiang still keeps his promise, but his brothers need to eat. I think he's taken those guys to the docks to look for work these past few days."
"Find work? What kind of work?"
"Carrying big sacks, don't underestimate it, I heard it's not easy to find someone. But if you can bring a certain number of people with you, the contractor will give you priority, it's just tiring."
Gui'er was relieved. Those people came from the mainland, and many of them probably couldn't read or write. If they didn't do manual labor, would they go to work as employees in a company?
A few days later, Gui'er took the opportunity to visit the pawnshop on her way home from school. Wu Mingqiang was also there. The pawnshop was doing quite well that day. Several groups of customers came in while Gui'er was sitting in the shop for a short while.
She saw several glamorous women in cheongsams peeking in from the shop entrance. They probably didn't dare to come in because they had never pawned anything before. Gui'er quickly said to A-Si, "Brother A-Si, those girls at the door, are they planning to pawn something? Go and greet them quickly."
Ah Si hesitated for a moment, then walked to the door and greeted, "What do you gentlemen need? Please come in and have a seat."
The group of people, holding each other's hands, hesitated as they walked inside. However, they didn't head towards the counter. Instead, they slowly walked to the door of the private room where Gui'er was, and then cautiously asked, "Are you Miss Gui'er?"
Gui'er was taken aback. These people didn't seem to be regular customers at the shop, so how did they know her? Out of politeness, she nodded anyway.
Suddenly, the group of people all knelt down with a thud: "Miss Gui'er, please give us a way out."
Gui'er was terrified and quickly stood up and hid to the side, saying, "I have never met you before, how could I possibly be in your way? If there is anything in the shop that offends you, please feel free to speak."
The woman standing at the front lowered her head and bit her lip. She said, "We make our living in Shitang. We can't compare to you, Miss, who is so precious. We rely entirely on Mr. Wu for our support. But lately, Mr. Wu has abandoned us, and those thugs have returned. We don't even have enough customers to cover the protection money. If this continues, we won't even have anything to eat. How are we supposed to survive?"