xymnovel Chapter 33 Black Tiger Gang
Chapter 33 Black Tiger Gang
The next morning, Li Wanchun went out.
He didn't go to the shop, but went straight to a small alley in the north of the city.
At the end of the alley, there is a teahouse with a small storefront and a faded cloth sign hanging at the entrance that reads "Old Xu's Teahouse".
Li Wanchun pushed open the door and went in.
The teahouse was dimly lit and had only a few tables.
A gaunt old man sat behind the counter, swatting flies with a tattered palm-leaf fan.
"Old Xu."
The old man looked up, saw who it was, grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
"Hey, Manager Li. What brings you here?"
Li Wanchun took out a small piece of silver from his sleeve and placed it on the counter.
"Make an appointment with Meng Zhanpeng for me. Today, the sooner the better."
Old Xu glanced at the silver but didn't make a move.
"Manager Li, what business do you have with Chief Meng?"
"Buying and selling".
Old Xu thought for a moment and accepted the money.
"Wait."
He got up and went through the back door.
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Old Xu returned.
"At Shenshi (3-5 PM), at the 'Tiger's Den' casino in Xiawazi. Before the Meng gang hosts the evening session, there's a 15-minute break. If you go early, you'll be waiting; if you go late, you won't be seen."
Li Wanchun nodded, turned around and left the teahouse.
Shen Shi (3-5 PM).
Xiawazi.
The doors to the "Tiger's Den" casino were closed.
Two burly men stood at the door, arms crossed, sizing up the newcomer with sidelong glances.
Li Wanchun stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting: "I am Li Wanchun, and I have made an appointment with Chief Meng."
One of the men pointed inside expressionlessly: "Go in, walk to the end, and turn right."
The three walked through the empty casino lobby.
The floor was covered with sunflower seed shells, and the tables and chairs were stacked crookedly in the corner.
Go to the end, turn right, and you'll find a slightly ajar wooden door.
Li Wanchun knocked.
"Come in."
A rough, hoarse voice came from inside the door.
Li Wanchun pushed open the door and went in. The hall was not large, with a table, an incense burner, and an eight-foot-tall statue of Guan Yu.
Meng Zhanpeng was sitting in the room, wiping a short knife with a cloth.
The man was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and a scar on his left cheek that stretched from the corner of his eye to the corner of his mouth.
He was wearing a black short jacket, which was open, revealing a large patch of dark chest hair.
He didn't look up and continued wiping the knife.
"sit."
The three of them sat down at the table.
Li Wanchun sat opposite Meng Zhanpeng, while Zhao Demao and Qian Guangcai sat on either side.
Meng Zhanpeng raised the short knife, examined it against the light, and then tested the blade with his thumb.
"Manager Li, I've heard so much about you. Let's get straight to the point—what kind of business are you doing?"
Li Wanchun took out a small cloth bag from his sleeve, opened it, revealing ten taels of silver inside, and placed it on the table.
"This is just a small gift. Please accept it as a token of my appreciation."
Meng Zhanpeng glanced at the silver but didn't touch it.
"Get to the point first."
"A new rice shop, Chao's, has opened in the west of the city. The owner is Chao Gai from Dongxi Village."
Li Wanchun looked at Meng Zhanpeng and said, "I would like to invite Chief Meng to take a look around that rice shop."
"Turn it around?" Meng Zhanpeng sheathed the dagger and finally looked up.
"Just make a scene. Make sure he can't do business." Li Wanchun's voice was very low. "No need to hurt anyone, but let those people who buy grain know... that buying grain from Chao's is not a safe bet."
Meng Zhanpeng remained silent.
He leaned back in his chair, his hands resting on the armrests, tapping his index fingers together.
After a moment, he asked, "Chao Gai? The one who holds the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King?"
"Exactly."
"I've heard of him." Meng Zhanpeng's voice was unreadable. "He's quite well-known in the martial arts world. Lately, he's been getting close to Song Jiang and Lei Heng in the county government, and I heard he even took in that good-for-nothing Sun Sheng. You want me to go after his people? Aren't you afraid of causing trouble?"
Li Wanchun said, "That's why we've come to invite Chief Meng. Chief Meng has been established in Yuncheng County for many years, so he naturally has the ability. We'll provide the money, and Chief Meng will provide the manpower. No matter how big the problem, we'll cover it with money."
Meng Zhanpeng's lips twitched slightly.
"How much?"
"Two hundred strings of cash."
Meng Zhanpeng shook his head. "Too little."
Li Wanchun's expression remained unchanged: "Chief Meng, name your price."
"Five hundred strings of cash."
Zhao Demao nearly jumped out of his chair: "Five hundred strings of cash? Why don't you just rob someone?!"
Meng Zhanpeng's gaze shifted to his face and lingered for two seconds.
Zhao Demao felt a chill run down his spine when those eyes stared at him, and he swallowed back all the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Li Wanchun held down Zhao Demao's arm.
"Chief Meng, five hundred strings of cash is no small sum. How much profit do we make in a year? We simply cannot afford this price."
Meng Zhanpeng held up three fingers.
"Three hundred strings of cash. Not a single coin less, and it's off the table."
Li Wanchun was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Alright. Three hundred strings of cash. One hundred strings will be paid as a deposit first, and the remaining two hundred strings will be paid after the matter is completed."
"One hundred and fifty strings of cash as a deposit."
"One hundred and twenty strings of cash."
Meng Zhanpeng looked at Li Wanchun.
Li Wanchun was also looking at him.
A moment later, Meng Zhanpeng smiled.
His mouth stretched open, revealing a set of yellowed teeth.
"Manager Li is a straightforward man. Deal."
He stood up, walked to the wall, took out a pot of wine and four bowls from the wooden cabinet, placed them on the table, and filled them one by one.
"I swear on this drink. I've taken your money, so I'll do what you say. Go back and wait for news."
Li Wanchun picked up his wine bowl, clinked it against Meng Zhanpeng's, and drank it all in one gulp.
Zhao Demao and Qian Guangcai also drank.
The wine was of poor quality, both spicy and astringent, which made Zhao Demao cough.
Meng Zhanpeng put down his bowl and looked at the three of them.
"But let me make this clear first," his voice suddenly turned cold, "I'll cause trouble. Whatever the consequences, I'll take responsibility. But if Chao Gai gets really angry and tries to fight me, that's your problem."
Li Wanchun nodded: "Of course."
"And another thing," Meng Zhanpeng added, "if government officials get involved, you'll have to step in and smooth things over. If you can't, don't blame me for backing out halfway."
Li Wanchun nodded again.
Meng Zhanpeng leaned back in his chair, satisfied. "Alright. When will the deposit arrive?"
"Tomorrow." Li Wanchun stood up. "Someone will deliver it at this time tomorrow."
"Alright." Meng Zhanpeng picked up his wine bowl and raised it to the three of them. "Take care, don't bother seeing me off."
The three of them exited the casino.
It was already getting dark on the street.
Zhao Demao walked down the road, his legs still trembling.
"Manager Li, that Meng Zhanpeng is no good."
Li Wanchun continued walking: "Can a pushover get anything done?"
Qian Guangcai followed behind, his face grim: "Three hundred strings of cash is no small sum. If we can't get it done..."
"If we can't do it, we'll think of another way."
Li Wanchun stopped and turned around to look at the two of them.
"But this matter must not be spoken of to anyone. Not a single word can be left out in front of Chao Gai or Prime Minister Shi."
Zhao Demao and Qian Guangcai nodded together.
……
The rice shop had just opened early the next morning.
There were already twenty or thirty people lined up at the entrance.
Zhang Shi stood behind the counter, with several shop assistants helping him hold up the bags.
Sun Sheng brought six hooligans to maintain order at the entrance.
At 3:45 AM, a commotion arose from the other end of the street.
It wasn't just ordinary noise; it was the kind of noise where many people were moving around and talking at the same time, mixed with occasional grumbling.
Sun Sheng looked up and his expression changed.
A group of people, about twenty or thirty in number, walked towards them from the other end of the street. The leader was a burly man with his chest open, revealing a large patch of dark chest hair; it was Meng Zhanpeng.
He wasn't carrying any weapons; his hands were empty.
The men behind him weren't empty-handed.
Some people carried wooden sticks, some held iron rulers, and a few had short knives tucked into their waistbands.
The people in line panicked when they saw this scene.
"Run! The Black Tiger Gang is here!"
The queue instantly scattered like birds and beasts.
Meng Zhanpeng walked to the entrance of the rice shop and stood still.
The people behind him dispersed, completely blocking the doorway.
Sun Sheng braced himself and went to meet them.
He recognized Meng Zhanpeng, but had never dealt with him before.
"Chief Meng, what brings you here?"
Meng Zhanpeng looked down at him as if he were an ant.
"Are you Sun Sheng?"
"Yes, I am..."
"Get out of the way."