A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Gui'er quickly said, "Why should Chen Chaofeng blame himself? You can't judge a book by its cover. A'gang is still young, so it's not surprising that he made a mistake. Anyway, he has already paid back the money, the matter has been resolved, and it's over now."

“Oh, Miss, I’m not trying to shirk responsibility or protect A-Gang. It was indeed his fault, and it was also my fault. I didn’t realize that his mother was seriously ill in his hometown in the countryside. He only came up with this crooked idea to raise money for her treatment. Now, Mr. Wu not only drove him away, but also beat him so badly that he almost died on the street. A few fellow villagers saw him and rescued him. They only told me about this yesterday.”

Gui'er knew that Wu Mingqiang had driven A Gang away and would surely beat him up, but she didn't expect him to beat him so badly. Now that Chen De had come to see her, was he here to file a complaint, or did he have some other purpose?

She thought for a moment, took out her purse from her pocket, took out 5 silver dollars, and said, "Is that so? Sigh, I didn't know Brother Wu would be so ruthless. Here, take these silver dollars to A-Gang for me so he can take them to see a doctor. If he needs more, come and tell me."

Chen De hesitated for a moment, then accepted the money, saying, "Thank you, Miss. You are truly kind. In this situation, we shouldn't have the face to accept this money, but I am in dire financial straits, and his family can't afford a single penny. I think he will feel ashamed to receive this money. He was too short-sighted. Actually, he could have earned money working in the shop. Now, even if he recovers and finds another job, there's nowhere for him. I don't know what to do." He then glanced at Gui'er.

Gui'er just smiled and didn't respond. She thought to herself: Could it be that Chen De thinks I'm just a little girl, easy to fool, and wants me to approve A-Gang's return to the shop as a shop assistant? If that's the case, then he's overestimating himself.

Seeing that she remained silent, Chen De felt a little embarrassed, coughed, and changed the subject: "Well, our store has been open for a while now, and I'm quite familiar with this area. It's thanks to Miss and Mr. Wu's trust that Mr. Wu is now completely at ease, leaving the store to me while he goes off to expand his business elsewhere."

Gui'er glanced at the wall clock. It was still early, but she needed to get rid of this person as soon as possible to avoid Chen Zhongyu running into her later. So she said, "Chen Chaofeng has made great contributions. In the future, after our pawnshop is established, I will definitely raise your salary."

Chen De quickly waved his hand and said, "How dare I, how dare I, my abilities are still insufficient. However, sometimes Mr. Wu is often too busy developing other businesses, and I can't tell him directly."

"What kind of business has he developed?" Gui'er couldn't help but wonder. She had originally thought that Wu Mingqiang was also socializing with wealthy people.

"Well, Miss, all the shop owners on that street know about this, but you're the only one kept in the dark. Mr. Wu didn't tell you, so I don't know whether I should tell you or not."

Gui'er remained vigilant. She wondered if Wu Mingqiang had gone off to do something else without her consent. He had mentioned opening a casino and lending money at high interest rates before, but she hadn't given him much money, and the pawnshop inventory was fine. So where did he get the capital to do this business? Could it be that he used his own savings to do it?

"What exactly is going on? If Chen Chaofeng is in a difficult position, I will pretend not to know even if I find out."

Seeing Gui'er's eagerness, Chen De said mysteriously with satisfaction, "Ah, this is really hard to talk about. Near our street, there's a place called Shitang. The alleys there are all connected and many prostitutes live there. Some are older sisters who work with a few of their sisters, while others work alone. However, they usually have to pay protection money to the gangs in the area. I heard that Mr. Wu has been getting very close to a woman named Ru Meng recently. This Ru Meng used to be the most popular courtesan at the 'Yichun Courtyard.' A few years ago, the Hong Kong government issued a ban on prostitution, right? So she went out on her own and opened a teahouse. She said it was for drinking tea, but everyone knows what she did. All the sisters under her work for her. I heard that Mr. Wu is protecting them now. They even dare not pay protection money to the gangs. I'm afraid that if this continues, the gangs will come knocking on our door sooner or later."

"Are you telling the truth?" Gui'er was a little incredulous. This was much more dangerous than running a gambling den or lending money at high interest rates. It was a direct confrontation with the local underworld. Wu Mingqiang couldn't be that confused, could he? Wasn't this the same as going back to his old ways?

"Sigh, that's why I don't want to say it. I know no one would believe me if I told them. We're a respectable family, how could we do such a thing? It would sound terrible. Besides, if we really got involved with the underworld, people would think we were just as untrustworthy as them, which would have a huge impact on our business. But the news hasn't spread yet, Miss, you should do something about it." Chen De sighed.

"I understand, Chen Chaofeng. You can go back now. I will investigate this matter." Although Gui'er was somewhat skeptical, she felt that Chen De's frankness meant he probably had some evidence. After all, she wasn't stupid and would definitely verify it.

Seeing that Gui'er's expression was off, Chen De knew that the desired effect had been achieved, so he quickly stood up and said, "The shop is still busy, so I'll go back first. Miss, you must not tell Mr. Wu about this. I'm the one who told you."

After Chen De left, Gui'er felt somewhat dazed. She had never imagined that managing these former gangsters would be so difficult. This matter could be a big deal or a small one. She wondered if A-Cheng and A-Si knew about it. If they did know and the three of them conspired to keep it from Gui'er, then she was afraid that none of these people could be trusted.

"Beep, beep," a car horn suddenly sounded outside the gate. Gui'er subconsciously glanced at the clock on the wall. It was 11:00 in a quarter of an hour. It seemed that Chen Zhongyu had arrived.

She quickly ran out and looked through the small window of the gate. Sure enough, Chen Zhongyu had somehow gotten a car and parked it outside their villa. There were two unfamiliar comrades in the car. Gui'er quickly opened the gate, let their car in, and then carefully closed the gate again.

"Gui'er, where are those guns and ammunition?"

"It's in a secret room on the second floor. Come with me." Gui'er led them to the walk-in closet in her bedroom and skillfully opened the door behind the mirror. The boxes of bullets and ammunition were placed on the steps at the doorway.