The life of Lao Liu since 1944

The market courtyard was a lively and orderly scene. Zhang Dalong was called over to ask about his recent situation. Zhang Dalong seemed very nervous and had a lot of things going on. He thought to himself that the boss hadn't come for a while, maybe because he didn't do something well, or because he had offended the boss in some way.

If you have a problem with me, that would be bad. This thought lingered in Zhang Dalong's mind, making him a little panicked.

Hou Jie asked, "How's business going lately?"

Zhang Dalong spoke in a calm and confident tone. He slowly said, "Recently, our street has been living a very peaceful life. Since we successfully solved the thorny problem of Scarface Li, the security situation in this area has greatly improved. In that fierce battle, we not only won with an overwhelming advantage, but also demonstrated our strength and deterrence. Now, when we walk on the street, whether it is neighbors or strangers from afar, everyone is in awe of us."

Zhang Dalong continued, "Not only that, since then, many merchants have come to us on their own initiative. They hope to get our protection and pay protection fees in exchange for our protection. At the beginning, we insisted on our principles and refused to accept any undeserved money. We introduced ourselves to them as not gangsters. But as time went on, the attitude of those merchants changed from pleading to forcing, and they would not give up until we received the protection fees. In desperation, we had to accept them. Unexpectedly, these people gradually began to take goods from us. Our stall business became more and more prosperous, and the scale became larger and larger, becoming the most influential merchant in the area."

Zhang Dalong said helplessly, "I don't want to do this, but there is really no other way. We have nearly 200 people now. I even got the nickname 'Four-Nine Zhang'."

Hou Jie laughed and said, "This nickname sounds quite domineering, haha."

When Hou Jie heard this, he couldn't help but envy Zhang Dalong's reputation, and at the same time he was very surprised: "So many people? How can there be so many people for just one stall?"

Zhang Dalong rolled his eyes and said unhappily, "Boss, you are a typical hands-off boss who doesn't care about anything. You only know how to be carefree outside, but you don't know how hard we work here. Transporting grain, guarding, and doing accounts, all require people. With so much grain, if there are only a few people, how long will it take to sell it all?"

Zhang Dalong's words left Hou Jie speechless. He looked at Zhang Dalong and felt a little guilty. It seemed that he did not understand the hard work here. Zhang Dalong was right. If you want to keep the business going, you must have enough manpower to support it.

Zhang Dalong asked firmly: "Boss, what should we do next? I will follow your instructions in everything." After hearing his answer, Hou Jie nodded with satisfaction, asked him to maintain this positive working attitude, and encouraged him to keep working hard in the future work.

Then, while no one was paying attention, he quickly put the coins into the space, leaving some coins for backup, which would be useful in key places. After completing this important step, he went to the warehouse to replenish the necessary supplies to ensure the smooth progress of the business.

He walked out of the yard and began to stroll around casually, as if observing the surrounding environment and thinking about his next plan of action.

I don’t know how, but I arrived at Dazhalan.

As a person of later generations, Hou Jie has long been fascinated by Dashilan.

It is not just one alley, but is made up of many alleys, and there are several alleys with the name of "Fence" alone.

In the past, he always wandered around the vegetable market and the overpass. The city is so big, there are naturally many interesting places. I have always wanted to come here to take a look, but I have never had the time. Today, I finally have a chance to come here, so I must take a good look.

Standing at the street corner, at first glance you can see the hustle and bustle of traffic, the endless flow of people, the noisy crowds, and the constant shouting, all creating a bustling and lively atmosphere of life.

Follow the flow of people and walk inside, looking east and west. There are all kinds of shops on both sides of the street, including grain stores, jewelry stores, silk and tobacco shops, tea shops, and snack shops. There are also the famous Ruifuxiang and Fengzeyuan in later generations.

Standing on the roadside, the most eye-catching things are the rickshaws speeding by and the occasional arrogant foreign company staff.

Dashilan is a very prosperous place with a thriving business, dense flow of people, and a wide range of goods. You can find all kinds of daily necessities such as food, clothing, and medicine here.

Its prosperity is not only due to its commercial prosperity, but also because it gathers many entertainment venues and many theaters, which attract many people who love to watch and listen to operas, which not only increases the popularity of Dashilan, but also further promotes its prosperity.

However, such wandering and roaming seemed to have no clear direction or goal. Hou Jie came to this bustling city not only to experience the prosperity and colorfulness of urban life, but also to seek the unique fun. He wandered around, listened to a few words here, looked around there, like a busy bird, flying wherever there was a lot of fun.

This casual and relaxed attitude towards life made Hou Jie unknowingly wander to a place called Anmenzi. The so-called "Anmenzi" is a cryptic name for those places where the flesh trade is carried out secretly and illegally. These places are often hidden in the shadows of the city, and only in the dead of night or when the moonlight is dim can a vague atmosphere of ambiguity be revealed.

In a dim corner, Hou Jie, a 13- or 14-year-old boy, suddenly appeared in this mysterious secret door. He was dressed in a neat and tidy, silky and exquisite clothes, which made him stand out from the crowd. With a ruddy complexion and fair skin, he looked like a young master from a wealthy family.

In this place full of worldliness and desire, his appearance undoubtedly seemed a bit out of place. Several men who were soliciting customers in the corner were startled by him. They looked at him with melancholy expressions, hesitating in their hearts: should they bring him in or drive him away?

At this time, a man with a conscience came out. He looked at Hou Jie and said, "Little guy, you are still young. This is not the place for you. Leave now."

Hou Jie looked at the puzzled man and felt a little confused. He looked around and realized that something was wrong here - there were few people coming and going and they were all men. Occasionally, a woman would pull a man into the house. Hou Jie finally understood the true face of this place, thanked the man twice, and turned to leave.