Chapter 10 Platform (X)
"Excuse me, Master Xu, are you heading to the capital this time, or are you going back to Jiangsu and Zhejiang?"
When Huo Chong asked about the specific movements, Xu Youlin's narrow eyes flashed dangerously, "What do you mean?"
"Sorry, I actually wanted to ask Master Xu, how long will it take for you to pass by my place next time."
The look in Xu Youlin's eyes became more dangerous. "What on earth do you want to do?"
"Next time Hall Master Xu comes, I will sell some things to him. The price will surely please him. If the time between Hall Master Xu's visit and return is too short, I won't be able to prepare everything in a hurry. If I have a schedule, I can make arrangements."
Xu Youlin was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed out loud: "Haha! You want to sell me something?"
"Why not? Isn't it to make money that Master Xu travels thousands of miles every year? There's money to be made, no matter who it is."
Xu Youlin lowered his eyes and thought for a moment. After sorting out his thoughts, he raised his head with a sudden realization, "Brother Huo, you want to make money from me! I brought so many brothers here to ask for money back. You return the money to me, and I will take the brothers away. From now on, we will keep out of each other's way."
"Master Xu, have I ever owed you money?"
Xu Youlin didn't dwell on this point, "Humph! You took over your master's position, and your eldest senior brother died. You must pay back the money!"
"Master Xu, I don't know what happened between you and my senior brother. I guess that my senior brother and you were both deceived by a group of people. You used the money of the Cao Gang. You have to give an account when you go back, but you can't pay it, and you don't want to pay it. You said three hundred taels, and I believe you for the time being. Three hundred taels of silver can ruin many families!"
Huo Chong calmly narrated his opinion. When Huo Chong traveled through time, one gram of silver was about 3 yuan. In this era, one catty is 16 taels, and 300 taels is a lot. 20 catties of silver. 10 kilograms, 10,000 grams. That's 30,000 yuan.
In the 21st century, owing 30,000 yuan would be equivalent to 300,000 yuan in the Qing Dynasty. In the Qing Dynasty, owing 300,000 yuan would easily drive 10 or 20 small families to death.
When Xu Youlin heard this, his face twisted unconsciously. He wanted to say something but couldn't, and his expression became more ferocious.
"Master Xu. My eldest senior brother fought with you a few days ago and died on the way. It's easy for people to die. Go out and call your brothers to fight with me. I can only fight with you. Then you can see with your own eyes how people die. But in our lifetime, are you and your brothers' lives only worth these three hundred taels? Do you think so little of yourself?"
Xu Youlin's face changed, and it seemed that he was moved. After thinking for a while, Xu Youlin suddenly stood up and slammed the table, "Mr. Huo! Give me back the money, and we can talk about anything."
Huo Chong knew that he had to give Xu Youlin a shock at this moment, so he stood up slowly. Huo Chong suddenly took a step forward and knocked down the two Cao Gang members who were looking at Xu Youlin with angry faces.
Then he pulled Xu Youlin over and pushed him to the wall. He pressed Xu Youlin against the wall with his left hand and pointed a dagger at his chest with his right hand. Huo Chong asked in a low voice, "Do you really want to die? Or are you afraid of losing your position as the leader of Gaizi Hall?"
Xu Youlin looked shocked and angry, but also unwilling to be hit in the sore spot. Huo Chong was sure that he had grasped the key point, and continued to ask in a low voice: "If nothing goes wrong, both of us can live another thirty or forty years. Just for three hundred taels, you don't even want to live? Is it worth it?"
Under this pressure, Xu Youlin suddenly opened his heart and cursed: "Mr. Huo, can you come up with three hundred taels? If you can't come up with it, don't show off!"
"I can't take it out, but I won't run away. My master gave me the position to avoid disaster, and I knew I couldn't escape. Since I can't escape, I have to deal with it. We are now on the same boat, either we get through this or we die together. Xu Youlin, do you still have the guts? If you still have the guts, let's take this gamble to decide whether to live or die!"
Huo Chong had seen how many platforms collapsed. Although the reasons for the collapse were similar, the reactions to such desperate situations were very different. The scammers simply ran away with the money, while the incompetent ones turned off their phones and hid away, waiting for their final demise in despair like zombies.
There are also people who can persist, not running or hiding, but struggling to survive. Although most of these people died standing up, and basically no one could turn the tables. But Huo Chong admires such people with backbone. More importantly, Huo Chong has the confidence to solve this matter.
Xu Youlin's expression quickly returned to normal. He no longer grabbed Huo Chong's arm, but just pushed Huo Chong's chest normally.
Huo Chong let go. Xu Youlin pulled his collar and whispered, "Mr. Huo, I don't trust you!"
"Nonsense. If I were you, I wouldn't trust myself either. That's why I asked you whether you were going to Beijing or back to Jiangsu and Zhejiang."
"Do you want to know how much time I have left to trouble you?" Xu Youlin continued to ask in a low voice.
Huo Chong nodded, "That's right, if I don't have time, what else can I do."
Xu Youlin laughed in despair, "Haha, you're mistaken! I'm going back to Jiangsu and Zhejiang."
Huo Chong felt even more pressure in his heart, and could only try his best to say in a calm tone: "You must stay for a few more days. How long can you stay?"
"Three days at most...seven or eight days."
"Stay for ten days. I'll make what I want to make."
"I told you, I don't trust you."
"You don't have to believe me, and I don't believe you either. We are in the same boat. You must know that my senior brother was deceived. You don't have to look for the person who deceived you, but come to my senior brother. That's because you know that you can't do anything to the person who deceived you. In this case, let's help each other. Even if the things I made this time can't be sold for 300 taels, but can only be sold for 100 taels..."
"100 taels is definitely not enough. At least 200 taels." Xu Youlin replied.
Huo Chong retorted angrily, "If it were me, I would also like to sell 500 taels. How can 200 taels be enough!"
Xu Youlin turned his eyes away, looked around for a while, and suddenly laughed, "Mr. Huo, what you said sounds like the truth..."
"I trust myself. I'm a lazy person. I'd rather fight you than go to so much trouble to deceive you. I'll leave after the fight. What else can you do to me? You don't want to lose what you've worked so hard for, but do you think I don't want to live my life the way it is now?"
At this point, Huo Chong heard the two Cao Gang members who were knocked unconscious by him groaning as they woke up. While they were still unconscious, Huo Chong whispered, "Let your people go back first, and you take two people with you and tell them to take care of the two seriously injured ones. I'm worried about you having so many people here, and I don't have enough food to feed them."
Half an hour later, Huo Chong arrived at the home of Hunter Liu. Hunter Liu was making a fire, and when he saw Huo Chong coming, his face changed immediately. It seemed that Hunter Liu was not as righteous as he said, and the uneasiness on his face was obvious.
Without waiting for Hunter Liu to speak, Huo Chong said with a smile, "Brother Liu, lend me some meat from the wild boar you hunted."
Hunter Liu looked embarrassed, "Brother Huo, don't even mention borrowing. I'll give you a few pounds."
Huo Chong originally thought that he could at least get two pig legs, but when he heard that Hunter Liu was so stingy, he smiled and said, "Since Brother Liu said he would give me a few pounds, I will shamelessly ask for two pig legs."
Hunter Liu sighed, "Oh...Brother Huo. Pork leg meat is not as delicious as other meats."
The wild boar weighed about 100 jin, and Huo Chong finally cut more than 20 jin of wild boar meat. The junior fellow apprentices went to pick a lot of pine branches, and Huo Chong asked the junior fellow apprentices to cut the meat, and he made the pine branches into a grill. Although the wild boar had bled, it still had a strong fishy smell. Huo Chong had no seasoning, so he could only use the aroma emitted by the pine branch grill, cut the meat into thin slices, and smoked it to the maximum extent with the smoke of pine branches and pine needles.
After working so hard, it seemed that the Cao Gang members were all hungry. Huo Chong quickly roasted some sweet potatoes and sent them to them to fill their stomachs.
Finally, the smoked meat was done in the smoke and fire. Huo Chong wanted to call people to eat. Xu Youlin had already walked over and took a piece of it and put it in his mouth. He chewed it for a few times and swallowed it. Xu Youlin picked up another piece and started to greet the members of the Cao Gang.
There were more than 20 people from the Cao Gang here, and Huo Chong thought that it would be no problem for each of them to have one pound of meat. However, he did not expect that each of them could not eat more than three or four ounces of meat, but instead ate roasted sweet potatoes.
Huo Chong did not let himself down and cooked half a pound of meat in one go. Although it was only seasoned with some salt, Huo Chong felt that he could not eat it anymore. The fishy smell was indeed restrained to the greatest extent, but without more seasoning, this smoked meat was really a "hard dish".
Eat until you are full.
