Chapter Twenty-One: The Growth of a Young Man

  When he arrived at the Rouge Building, there were nearly a hundred people surrounding him. Some were apprentices from shops, some were local residents, and some were guests in the building. Some wanted to see what this young man who had been carrying the sedan chair looked like, while others came to spy on how much protection money the Rouge Building had given this time, so they could decide how much protection money to pay next time.

  Yu Zhen came to the front of the Rouge Building and shouted in a loud voice:

  "Mighty Tiger Gang Black Tiger Hall Mountain Tiger Branch Yuqiao Street Carry Pole Yu Ze Cheng came to pay respects and collect fees."

  Shi Fangwu walked out from across the way, clasped his fists and replied:

  "The Shanzhu City Lipstick Building charges according to regulations."

  Then with a wave of his hand, a servant brought out a tray of silver, a full thirty ingots of white silver, emitting a white glow. These were all from the Tang national treasury, one ingot of silver weighing ten taels, this tray alone was worth three hundred taels of silver.

  At that moment, everyone around him let out a sigh of amazement. No one had ever thought that the Shi family would take out so much silver. In the past, according to convention, taking out twenty-five taels was already a high price and gave great face. Now, suddenly taking out three hundred taels of silver, this face was given too greatly.

  Even Yu Zecheng didn't expect that, although they had just finished drinking at the rouge building last night, Yu Zecheng had never asked Shi Fangwu how much silver he would give, in his heart, as long as he gave some money and saved face, it was fine. These days, he and his men came over to drink whenever they were free, and they had never settled the bill before, this wine money must be worth hundreds of taels of silver by now.

  I didn't expect Shi Jia to pay so much money, this is completely for his own face, no, it should be said that it's for Bai He Xi's face. Yu Ze Cheng's eyes lit up instantly, and he bowed his fist in gratitude to Shi Fang Wu, with a heart full of gratitude. Then he took over the tray and handed it to Shifu's subordinate.

  Many people around began to leave quickly, all of them were partners of the shops on Yubridge Street. They went back to report and tell their bosses how much protection fee was paid by Rouge Tower, so as to measure how much silver they should pay.

  Yu Ze Cheng and Shi Fang Wu finished their handover, then four miscellaneous workers appeared on Shi Fang Wu's side, all holding giant firecrackers, which they lit up. Instantly, the sound of firecrackers reverberated throughout the entire city. This was Shi Tian Long's strongest support for Yu Ze Cheng: "You see, I've already handed over 300 taels from Huā Zhī Lóu (Flower Lodge), who dares not to hand it over now?"

  Yu Ze Cheng led his men back to their base, where they fanned out to various shops to collect money, using the same rates as the former Wild Wolf Gang, but with a different collection method.

  This time, the disciple who came to collect the fee didn't say a word or crack a smile. He entered the store, and no matter how much the owner or shopkeeper tried to flatter him or plead with him, he remained silent. If you gave him money, he would leave; if not, he would still leave, but his whole body was filled with an aura of murder, his face expressionless. What he would do after leaving didn't need to be said.

  All the shop owners, seeing this scene, thought to themselves: "I'd better pay up too. The Rouge Mansion has such a huge influence and they've already paid 300 taels, so my little fee is nothing in comparison. I won't be the one to stick out now; let's see which family can get away with not paying, and then we'll talk about it next month."

  Half a day later, all the disciples returned. The wine house had thirteen rooms, the shops had thirty-four rooms, the inns had seven places, and the rice stores had two rooms. Every household paid protection fees, which were collected in full this time, totaling 1,337 taels of silver. The coffin shop sold seventeen coffins last month, so they earned a lot of silver.

  This is in addition to the example silver of three villages outside, and there was no transaction on the free market last month, so not a single cent was earned. The remaining silver was supposed to be handed over to the superior, 700 taels, but only 600 taels were actually handed over, and the remaining 100 taels were deducted as example silver for the disciples, leaving Yu Zecheng with 737 taels of silver in hand.

  Yu Ze Cheng personally led his men to deliver the silver to the branch, Shi Tianyun accepted it in person. Yu Ze Cheng was the first among all the executives to arrive with the goods, and Shi Tianyun praised him without end.

  After returning to the gathering point, Yu Ze Cheng immediately announced that he would distribute the customary silver, and each of his disciples originally should have received four taels of silver. However, Yu Ze Cheng added an additional tael as a bonus, plus the wages for the miscellaneous laborers hired at the gathering point, totaling three hundred taels of silver spent. All of his disciples received five taels of silver, and couldn't help but smile with joy. As news slowly spread, it became clear that other gangs' disciples didn't receive such high customary silver, some not even collecting protection fees from their turf, leaving everyone in envy.

  After deducting the monthly expenses, adding the arrears for the martial arts uniform, setting aside this month's procurement fees for everyone's meals and other miscellaneous advance expenses, there are 420 taels of silver left.

  Yu then took out 200 taels of silver, wrapped them in a red envelope, and announced that he would host a banquet today. All the disciples were invited to dine at the Zhuangyuan Building, with this red envelope covering all expenses.

  They gave you face, gave you three hundred taels of silver, and you put it all in your pocket without taking out a single cent. That's not right, you should at least return the favor a little bit. You're good, I'm good, everyone's good.

  Yu Ze Cheng led the large group of people to the Rouge Building to celebrate, returning the red envelopes to the Rouge Building. They were greeted by Shi Fang Wu, who happily accepted the red envelopes without declining or making excuses, and unlike before, he didn't offer Yu Ze Cheng a free banquet, but just smiled slightly, with everything left unspoken.

  Yu Zecheng has recently been particularly fond of eating at the Rouge House, not only because of its beautiful environment, delicious food and good service attitude, but also because he is gradually attracted to the girls who accompany him.

  What attracted him was Yu Die. Le Feng was naive and lively, sometimes a bit spoiled, sometimes like a little sister, this set of skills is fatal for adults, but for Yu Die it's just an ordinary feeling. But Yu Die is different, she is always so quiet, she has a kind of respect for Yu Ze Cheng, in her eyes he is not a young man, but a real man.

  Yu Ze Cheng is indeed mature and experienced in handling matters, with a mind full of strategies. However, he is still young in age. No matter who praises or criticizes him, they will always mention his youth. "So young, yet truly a hero emerges in adolescence." "What does this little kid know?" Although no one says it out loud, Yu Ze Cheng is still very mindful of this.

  Yu Ze Cheng didn't mind at all, and instead treated Yu Xiang as a real man. This kind of spiritual respect was more important than anything else, and this sense of satisfaction was more attractive than anything else. Gradually, Yu Ze Cheng liked the feeling of having Yu Xiang by his side, and vaguely felt that there was a special scent on Yu Xiang's body. As long as Yu Xiang was by his side, his blood circulation would speed up, and he would feel comfortable.

  So every time, it was only Yuxiang and Leying who accompanied him, while Yu Ze Cheng was still young and had not yet opened up to romantic feelings. Although he learned from others how to hold hands, touch, and clink glasses, in reality, he didn't understand the infinite beauty of these actions at all. For him, it was just socializing, just showing that he wasn't a rookie, without any other emotional or sensual feelings.

  Yu Ze became fond of dining at the Rouge Building, and this time he paid with his own money, standing up straight. At the banquet, Yu Die and Le Qing were still accompanying him, and he gave a reward of ten taels of silver to each of them.

  When Yu Ze Cheng handed over the silver to the two men, Le Xiang smiled and took the silver, turning back to kiss him once in gratitude.

  But Yu Die frowned and said:

  "I don't want this money, you keep it. You're just getting started and there will be plenty of places to spend money later on, so don't waste it on us."

  Yu Zhen smiled and said:

  "This is just a small token of my intention, don't be polite."

  The butterfly smiled and put it away, saying:

  "Alright, I've accepted it. Actually, I'm accompanying you because I think you will become a great hero in the future."

  The butterfly whispered in his ear again:

  "Come on, you and I take a walk, I have something to say to you."

  She pulled up Yu Ze Cheng's hand and took him to the back building, all the way to her own boudoir on the second floor.

  The butterfly's boudoir is very delicate, warm and cozy, making people feel very comfortable.

  Yu Ze Cheng entered the house, looking around left and right, not knowing what Yu Die wanted to say to him. Who would have thought that when he turned his head back, Yu Die had already started undressing, revealing her snow-white body, making one's soul dizzy.

  Yu Die said slowly:

  "Thank you for your kindness, but I'm just an ordinary person, a fleeting beauty. I don't care about the future, I only hope that today is pleasant with you. I hope you'll remember me and not forget this humble concubine."

  After finishing, Yu Ze Cheng was still confused, but as a man, he couldn't help but feel a surge of passion at this moment. He took a step forward and hugged Yu Die tightly, but didn't know how to proceed next.

  Yu Ze Cheng was already fifteen years old, but he had been practicing martial arts since childhood and had also worked as a chef, so his nutrition was good, and his mentality was mature. Recently, he had also practiced the Blood Ring Technique, which made his body grow rapidly. Now, he was only slightly shorter than an average adult.

  He held onto Yu Die's pure white body, unsure of what to do next. Everything was left up to Yu Die, who looked calm on the outside but was actually extremely wild. She moved with Yu Ze Cheng, and in her enchanting voice, slowly led him into a realm that was most alluring and soul-stirring.

  Yu Ze Cheng, under the guidance of Yu Die, came slowly and steadily, taking about half an hour. He couldn't bear it anymore and sounded the gong to retreat. Afterward, both were drenched in sweat, and Yu Die didn't have the strength to get up. They rested for half a day before getting dressed. Yu Ze Cheng turned around and left, saying:

  "I'll go down first, the brothers are still waiting, I'll come find you again tomorrow, I will absolutely not forget you."

  Yuxiang smiled and nodded, and as Yuzencheng left the boudoir, he heard Yuxiang playing the zither and singing:

  "Not looking back, why bother with worries. Since we have no fate, why make vows. Today's affairs are like water without a trace. Tomorrow evening, you will be on a distant road." (Remembering that distant memory, an immortal game.)

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