Volume 1: Mission in Danger Chapter 71: The Hongmen Arrives
Wu Chenggou whispered something in Wu Guoying's ear, and Wu Guoying understood instantly - these three people had been sitting in this position for a few years, he just didn't recognize them - he quickly helped his son stand up and said, "You three have come a long way, I am sorry for not welcoming you in person. Please forgive me."
Ma Dahong's scarred face was ferocious, Duan Xiantong's rat-like moustache made him look sinister, and Liu Sanye looked very kind with a smile on his face, but who would dare to think that he was really kind if they could sit in his position?
When the three saw Wu Guoying stand up to greet the guest, they all returned the greeting. Uncle Liu smiled and said, "Today, the three of us have come together to have some fun. First, we are celebrating the birthday of our old boss, and second, we are people in the underworld who don't beat around the bush when we talk. Old man, the money our three families invested in Yihe Bank is different from others. It is the hard-earned money of thousands of brothers. We understand the difficulties of the Wu family, but the three of us sitting in this position cannot help but consider the brothers under us. We can only ask Old Wu to think of a way to prevent these thousands of brothers from having a bad year this year."
Wu Guoying felt very embarrassed. Although Mr. Liu Sanye's words were polite, his tone did not allow for rejection.
In fact, whether it was Bo Siyou or Liu Sanye, they all knew that the Wu family was doomed, but their plans were surprisingly consistent: I don't care about other people's money, but you have to pay me back. Bo Siyou played the victim to appeal to people's emotions, while Liu Sanye and others relied on coercion to conceal their threats.
Ren Hanxiao muttered, "Your money is money, but isn't our money..."
Ma Dahong said coldly: "Our money is different from your money! What, do you still have any objections?"
Ren Hanxiao was so frightened that he took two steps back and kept saying, "I dare not, I dare not!"
Duan Xian, who was standing beside him, said, "Mr. Wu, let's get this straight. Your Wu family is considered an imperial merchant. Now the situation is not good. The government will have to settle accounts first, or most of the Wu family members may not survive this. But if there are fish that slip through the net and survive, after the government settles accounts, the underworld will have to go through it again. If the Wu family can settle this matter with us , then the descendants, families, and family members of the Wu family who survived the disaster will not be bullied in the underworld. But if this matter cannot be settled, hehe, there will certainly be thousands of brothers inside and outside Guangzhou who will ask about it, and even in Southeast Asia, there are Hongmen halls!"
This is a nice statement, but it has a hidden dagger! This is to tell the Wu family: Don't think that the government is the only one who will settle the accounts. If we can't settle the accounts on our side, the brothers in the underworld will have to stab us again after the government settles the accounts.
After hearing this, Cai Qiaozhu, Wu Chenggou, and Wu Erliang all changed their expressions, and even Wu Guoying's eyebrows fell. The father-in-law and daughter-in-law knew that Wu Chengjian had made plans to send Guang'er to Nanyang to settle down. If he went to Luzon, the imperial court would be out of reach, but the power of the Hongmen could reach there. If this matter could not be resolved today, Guang'er would be in danger overseas .
Mr. Liu smiled and said to Wu Guoying, "Old man, what do you say?"
Wu Chenggou shouted: "Our family is out of money now!"
Ma Dahong was furious and asked, "Do you really want to default on your debt?" He was about to step forward and use force, but was stopped by Duan Xiantong.
Duan Xiantong said with a smile: "Even if a centipede dies, it still lives on. With such a large business as Yihe, it is impossible that they don't have any tricks up their sleeves."
He looked at Wu Chenggou twice and said sinisterly, "This is the second young master Wu, right? Let's not talk about your family's public accounts, just talk about your private property. The house on Fangcao Street and the Jingji in itThe girls we have collected are not on the public account of Yihe Bank, right?"
When Wu Chenggou heard this, his face felt like it was twitching.
After all, he was the second young master of Yihe. Although he could not get a brothel to seduce courtesans openly like Wu Chengjian, he secretly set up a yard outside and kept a mistress. During this period, he had moved some of his family property there in advance just in case, but he did not expect that even this secret would be exposed.
Wu Guoying coughed for a while and almost wanted to slap Wu Chenggou, but he had no strength to raise his hand. Cai Qiaozhu hurried forward to calm her father-in-law down. Wu Erliang said repeatedly, "Master, don't be angry. Don't you get yourself hurt by being angry? Don't you still have Haoguan? Take care of yourself."
When Wu Chenggou heard this, he suddenly woke up and shouted, "Yes, yes! Don't force my father. My father is not the head of the family now. It's useless to force him!"
Third Master Liu said, "Oh!" He knew that the Wu family's business had been handed over twice. He smiled like a Maitreya Buddha and said, "If that's the case, then please ask the head of the family to come out and talk. It's my birthday now, so my biological son has to come out, right?"
Cai Qiaozhu also knew that Wu Chengjian couldn't avoid her today, so she turned around and was about to ask Lian Qiao to invite the Third Young Master, when she heard Wu Chengjian's voice from behind: "Haha, it's so lively today!"
Wu Qi came out first, dressed in a splendid outfit, followed by Wu Chengjian, who was dressed in a splendid outfit. He walked straight to Wu Guoying, fanning himself and said with a smile, "Father, I am here to wish you a happy birthday. Are you satisfied with the banquet that Master Ci has prepared?"
As he spoke, he bowed straight to Wu Guoying as if no one in the room existed.
Wu Guoying slowly sat back on the armchair and waved his hand: "Go, go! Go and do what you need to do!"
Wu Chengjian then walked outside and said in a loud voice: "Dear relatives and friends, dear friends, hurry up and eat and drink! We in the Wu family have only today but no tomorrow. After this meal, you won't have the chance to eat and drink for free next time."
Manager Liu Da and Manager Dai Er looked at each other in silence for a moment.
Ma Dahong was about to explode with anger, but unexpectedly, Master Liu San pushed him down and took two steps back to see what Wu Chengjian would say.
Wu Chengjian glanced at Bo Siyou sitting there and frowned at Wu Qi, saying, "Who is this old man? I remember there were no seats for outsiders at the banquet in the main hall, right?"
When Bo Siyou heard the words "outsiders", he almost got angry.
Wu Erliang hurriedly stepped forward and said, "This is Bo Siyou, you should call him uncle." He then explained Bo Siyou's identity and purpose of his visit.
Wu Chengjian laughed and said, "Oh, that old man who was disrespectful and still had a concubine outside at the age of 78. As a result, the concubine packed up her belongings and ran away with the groom that night. I've heard of this story, I've heard of it - Shenxianzhou has been laughing about it for many years."
Bo Siyou was so angry that his beard stood up, and he pointed his spear at me and said, "You...you...you...you are such an unworthy young man! You have no respect for the elderly!"
Wu Chengjian laughed and said, "It's not that a person deserves respect just because he lives a long time. You've been doing business for fifty or sixty years but you haven't even established a business. You've given birth to a bunch of kids but none of them have become successful. You have no extra money at home but have to pay for prostitution. You can't do anything but watch your concubine run away with the groom. You've become the laughing stock of Guangzhou. If I were you, I would have hanged myself a long time ago. Why would I come here to embarrass myself in public?"
Bo Siyou yelled, “You…you…you…” He tapped his fingers repeatedly, stretched out his legs, and was about to suffocate.
Wu Chengjian turned to his grandchildren and said, "The money that the Bo family lent to Yihe Bank was pledged by this old man. If he dies and the government liquidates Yihe Bank, creditors like you who are not represented by your descendants will have to wait in line."
Bo Siyou's grandson was shocked and quickly ran over to support the old man, telling him not to die.
Wu Chengjian said: "Why don't you carry him home quickly and use ginseng to keep him alive!"
The descendants of the Bo family were so panicked that they had no idea what to do and quickly carried the person out.
Wu Chengjian glanced at Lin Ruda and Ren Hanxiao who were standing on the inside of the door and said with a smile, "Oh, isn't this Uncle Lin and Uncle Ren? Are you here to celebrate my father's birthday? Thank you very much, thank you very much."
Lin Ruda also had something on his mind, and fearing Wu Chengjian's venomous tongue, he dared not respond. Ren Hanxiao, who was a bit more rude, shouted, "We are here to celebrate your birthday, and to ask for money!"
Wu Chengjian asked, "Asking for money? In previous years, it's not time to settle the bill, right?" He turned to ask the shopkeeper Liu, "Did I remember it wrong?"
Manager Liu said, "Young Master is not mistaken. It is not the right time yet!"
Wu Chengjian said: "Since it is not the right time yet, why are you asking for money? When the time comes, our Wu family will naturally have the money to pay you back."
Ren Hanxiao shouted, "Is that time coming? I'm afraid your Wu family won't make it tonight, or tomorrow!"
Wu Chengjian asked, "So you plan to break the contract that was signed in black and white and pay the money in advance?"
Ren Hanxiao shouted: "That's right!"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "You guys are ruthless, don't follow the rules, and don't care about the contract. But, our Wu family is a good family, and I am an even better person. Since you want to withdraw the money in advance, it's not impossible to discuss it."
In fact, including Bo Siyou, Ren Hanxiao and others, all the people who came to the banquet today to collect debts knew in their hearts that this fuss was probably in vain - there were soldiers and police watching them, how could they possibly get any money? But they just couldn't bear to watch a large sum of property disappear, so they came with the mentality of "what if?"
Unexpectedly, Wu Chengjian relented at this time. Lin Ruda, Ren Hanxiao and others hurriedly shouted, "What? Are you willing to pay back the money?"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Why wouldn't I be reluctant? But I've said that what you're doing is against the rules. When we Cantonese do business, our words are the most important. Since we set the date last year, we should pay the money this year. If our Wu family breaks our promise and the revised payment is not paid on time, then it's our Wu family's fault. But if you want the money in advance, you're the ones who break your promise. If you really want to take the money away in advance, at least you have to deduct some interest. How do you think?"
Lin Ruda and Ren Hanxiao looked at each other and said at the same time: "If you deduct the interest, then deduct the interest!" They thought that it was already a certain time, and it would be better to get back any money they could. Even if they could only get back a few percent, it was better than losing it all.
Wu Chengjian walked to the entrance of the central hall and said to the hundreds of people crowded outside: "Are you also willing to deduct the interest and withdraw the money in advance?"
Upon hearing this, the crowd outside, who had been suppressing their will for a while, roared like thunder: "Yes, yes!"
When the voices of Wu Chengjian and others quieted down, he smiled and said, "Okay, let's do it this way." He beckoned to Wu Qi, "Sign this additional deed, and I will give you the money."
Wu Qi took out a stack of papers from his bosom and handed them to the heads of various creditors. Although there were many people who came to collect debts today, most of them were relatives and employees who came to help to show their support. There were only about twenty people who were qualified to sign. All twenty people took the paper and saw that it was an additional contract. The general content was that in order to ask the Wu family to repay the loan in advance, he was willing to deduct the interest and how much to deduct every day.
Most of these people were good at calculating. After calculating the interest in their heads, they were all shocked. Someone shouted, "This interest is too high. If I have to pay it back today, won't I only get back less than half of the money?"
"Yes, the interest rate is too high!"
“This is outrageous!”
Similar voices came one after another. Wu Chengjian waited for a moment before sneering, "What? You don't want to sign? If you don't want to sign, take the deed back. We'll still follow the old deed. Why are you talking so much here?"
When the creditors heard this, they couldn't stand it anymore. Ren Hanxiao suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I'll sign!"
Wu Chengjian said, "Ah Qi, go get a table and have Uncle Ren sign the document."
All the things he was going to do had been prepared in advance, so the desk was quickly moved in, and Ren Hanxiao took the lead and signed and sealed.
Wu Qi was about to take away a new contract, but Ren Hanxiao stopped him: "Wait, where's the money?"
Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "What are you afraid of? There are so many people blocking here, are you afraid that I will escape? Besides, this is an additional new contract, and everyone should have a copy so that we can act according to the contract."
This was reasonable, so Ren Hanxiao finally let go and said, "Okay, you've signed the new contract, but where's the money?"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Should I pay you first, or should I wait until the people behind me sign and then pay together?"
Ren Hanxiao shouted, "Of course I should sign first and get the first settlement?" Before he could finish his words, he was drowned out by the voices behind him: "Why should he get the settlement first!" "We should get the settlement together!"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "It seems we can only wait until everyone has signed and then settle the bill together."
So more than twenty creditors lined up and signed their names one by one. When Ma Dahong was about to go over, he was stopped by Mr. Liu Sanye.
Wu Qi collected all the new deeds and handed them to Wu Chengjian. Dozens of creditors asked at the same time: "The new deeds have been signed, but where is the money?"
Wu Chengjian smiled and said, "Okay!" He said to Wu Qi, "Open the vault, take out the money and pay it back!"
Wu Qi took the key from Wu Chengjian and called out in his suona-like voice: "Come on, open the vault, take out the money and pay it back!" Then he said to the twenty or so loyal men: "Let's go and help move the silver."
Although Wu Chengjian was the head of the family, his prestige in Yihe Bank was not established. Ou Jiafu first looked at Wu Guoying. Wu Guoying knew that the money in the family treasury was not enough to pay all the debts, and she didn't know what her son was up to, but she nodded.
Ou Jiafu took his men and went with Wu Qi. Soon they were seen carrying out more than a dozen large boxes.
Wu Qi opened one of the boxes with a snap. It was already past noon and the sun was bright. The box full of silver reflected the light, making everyone in the yard dizzy.
When Wu Chenggou saw the silver, he exclaimed, "Father, are you really going to settle the silver?"
Wu Guoying shouted, "Shut up!"
Then Wu Chengjian said with a smile: "Manager Liu, Manager Dai, count and calculate, and give them the money now."
The two big shopkeepers looked at Wu Guoying, and when they saw Wu Guoying nodded, they walked out. The twenty or so creditors were overjoyed when suddenly a sharp voice rang out from outside: "Stop! Stop! You are not allowed to settle the bill or pay back the money!"
Then a man with a rat-tail and flag soldiers rushed in angrily. It was Ga Liu.
