Chapter 22: Searching for the Kidnapped

  Li Guoting and Ma Fei, Zhao Erhu three people after sworn brothers in Taoyuan, the three men discussed where to go. Ma Fei said: "Big brother, we three have become sworn brothers, from now on we can't just run around aimlessly like this anymore. We need a goal."

  Li Guoting thought for a moment and said, "Yes, Ma brother is right, we need to have a goal. But I've had a goal for a long time. That is when can I go back and kill Chen Guangfu and his family, to avenge my dead parents and sister."

  Zhao Erhu tilted his head, thought for a moment, and said: "I also have enemies, more than you do. If one day I have some power, I will definitely kill those who imprisoned me, beat me, scolded me, and bullied me."

  Ma Fei listened and shook his head, sighed with a bitter smile, saying: "Big brother, third brother, you both have grudges, I do too, my grudge is bigger than yours."

  Li Guoting immediately asked: "Second brother, what grudge do you have? Tell us about it."

  "Yes, Second Brother. We're all brothers now, so tell us."

  Ma Fei closed his eyes painfully, as if recalling the past. A line of tears slowly flowed from the corner of his eye. After a while, he opened his eyes, and a vengeful look appeared in his gaze. He said: "My ancestral home is in Dianjiang. My grandfather ran a business firm and a tea house in Dianjiang."

  Zhao Erhu's face showed a look of envy as he gazed at Ma Fei and said, "Then your family must be rich."

  Ma Fei also said: "My family has a lot of money. My grandfather is still the third row of the local 'Yi' number of the Beggar's Sect."

  "Three rows? Brother, what are three rows?" Li Guoting asked in confusion.

  "San Pai is Third Brother in the Tong Society, he's in charge of trade associations." Ma Fei said.

  "That's our county chamber of commerce president." Li Guoting said.

  "It's the same but also different. The County Chamber of Commerce is an official organization, while the brotherhood inside is a private one." Ma Fei explained.

  "Oh, I see."

  "Hmm. Later, a county magistrate named Song Da Ru came to our county. He was the one who had his eyes on our family's business. He loved playing cards and would send people to invite my grandfather to play, but in reality, he just wanted to find some accomplices to make my grandfather lose on purpose. They colluded with each other and loaned my grandfather high-interest loans right there on the spot. My grandfather refused, so they wouldn't let him leave. After that, my grandfather didn't want to go to Song Da Ru's place to play cards anymore. Song Da Ru used the excuse that my grandfather was a leader of the Triad, threatening local security, and had him arrested. It wasn't until our family paid out a large sum of ransom money that they were able to rescue my sick grandfather from prison. Afterward, my grandfather died in anger."

  "Oh, Song Daren is so wicked." Zhao Erhu said.

  "Yes, that guy is thoroughly bad, everyone in Dianjiang knows." Ma Fei said.

  "What about your family afterwards?" Li Guoting asked again.

  Later, my father joined the Green Gang to avenge his father. Before he could avenge his father, that scoundrel Song Da Ru was transferred away.

  "Ah, what a pity! Letting that guy get away." Zhao Erhu said.

  "Brother, who were those people chasing you that day? Why did they want to chase you?" Li Guoting asked.

  "After my father joined the Green Gang, he had a conflict with the local brotherhood association. The brotherhood association thought that my father betrayed them and sold out his brothers to the Green Gang. They sent people to kill my father. My father couldn't stay in Dianjiang anymore, so he brought our whole family to Pengyuan Town. Not long after, my father used the money from selling his business and tea house in Dianjiang to buy some land in Pengyuan and opened a new tea house there. Business was very good. But unexpectedly, a peasant association suddenly emerged in Pengyuan overnight. The peasants demanded that our family's land be distributed, and they even took my father away to be criticized as a landlord. During that criticism meeting, my father was beaten to death by the people from the peasant association."

  "The Farmers' Association is so ruthless." Zhao Erhu said again.

  Ma Fei took a look at Zhao Erhu and said: "After my father died, my mother got sick. Soon my mother also died. To avenge my parents, I sneaked into the home of the head of the farmers' association that night and killed him. Later, I ran out."

  "So what you're saying is that those people we saw at Tukencang were from the Farmers' Association?" Li Guoting asked.

  Ma Fei shook his head and said: "Those people are not from the Farmers' Association, they are bandits I met on the road."

  "Bandits?" Zhao Erhu asked again.

  "I rode my white horse from home to a distant place overnight, and met a group of bandits halfway. They told me to stop, but I didn't, and rode the horse trying to rush past them. That's how they chased me all the way here."

  Ma Fei finished speaking, and all three of them fell silent.

  After a while, Li Guoting spoke up and said: "This world is too unfair. It seems that the heavens have brought us three together. We all don't have parents or a home anymore. From now on, let's join forces and make our way through life together."

  "Alright, let's conquer the world together." Ma Fei and Zhao Erhu stretched out their hands and tightly grasped Li Guoting's hand.

  "Brother, where are we going now?" Li Guoting asked.

  Zhao Erhu said: "No way, let's go to Changsha. I've been there with my master before, we'll talk about it when we get there."

  Li Guoting said: "Changsha, are you thinking of taking us to eat that 'Er Long Xi Zhu' you mentioned?"

  Zhao Erhu smiled and said: "Master has that skill, I don't have that skill. However, big brother is not afraid of going to jail. I'll take you out to eat."

  "Go away! You want to eat and also go to jail? Eat by yourself!" Li Guoting stretched out his hand and punched Zhao Erhu.

  Ma Fei took a look at Zhao Erhu and said, "Big brother, let's go to Wuhan instead. On the way here, I heard that Wuhan has established a national government and is recruiting soldiers everywhere."

  "Recruit soldiers? Does Second Brother mean we're going to Wuhan to join the army?" Li Guoting asked.

  "Yes, today is a chaotic world. Although we are young, it's the perfect time to take action. With guns in hand, we have capital and can conquer the world. Can three people like us really make a difference?" Ma Fei said.

  "Yes, Second Brother is right. Look at the three of us, empty-handed and penniless, we can't even fight properly, let alone make a name for ourselves in the world." Zhao Erhu said.

  "Alas, what a pity! That night, the rifle we snatched from the village office was thrown into the roadside bushes by me. If not, we would have had another rifle too. Now, there's only this dagger." Li Guoting said, taking out the dagger taken from the rural policeman and examining it in his hand with some regret.

  "Big Brother was right to throw away that gun, if he had brought it along, would he have dared to walk like this? He would have been caught long ago. Besides, what use is one more gun? I think, Big Brother, let's go to Wuhan," Ma Fei said.

  "Alright, brother, we'll listen to you and go to Wuhan," said Li Guoting.

  "Wuhan is so far away, we three are all penniless, without a single cent on us. Let's go hungry." Zhao Erhu said.

  Ma Fei's eyes rolled around and he said, "Don't worry about this third brother, I and big brother won't let you go steal. I have an idea, what the third brother said is right, Wuhan is very far away, we are penniless, it's hard to get there like this. Why don't we move forward, find a rich family ahead of us, swindle some money from them, and then we can go to Wuhan."

  "Get some money? How did Second Brother get it?" Zhao Erhu asked.

  "We'll get him a ticket." Ma Fei gritted his teeth and said.

  "Kidnapping?" Li Guoting asked.

  "Yes, big brother, let's catch a ticket scalper, cheat him out of some money, and then head to Wuhan. With the war going on, no one will bother us." Ma Fei said.

  "Second Brother is right, let's just tie him up. Damn it, those rich people won't be fooled if we don't." Zhao Erhu gained momentum.

  "Alright, let's follow Second Brother's idea and tie him up. But where are we going to take him?" Li Guoting said.

  "This isn't difficult, who has money and who doesn't is obvious at a glance. Let's move forward and see what happens," Ma Fei said.

  For four days in a row, three people passed through several villages and a town, but still couldn't find an ideal target for kidnapping.

  That morning, three people arrived at a village called Chengguan on the border of Daxian County.

  This is a big village on the outskirts of Dazhu County. In this village, there was a wealthy family named Feng Shiyu. On that morning, Feng Shiyu's youngest son, Feng Dengke, was preparing to go to a private school in the county town to study. Feng Shiyu and his wife prepared their horse and sent their son out of the village, instructing the old servant Wang Shoulin to take care of the young master and bring him back home early in the evening. Only when they saw Wang Shoulin leading the horse disappear at the front intersection did the couple feel at ease and return home.

  Chengguan Village is very close to the county town, just a few miles away. Usually, the old servant takes the young master to the county town to study every day. In the evening, he accompanies the young master back home, and nothing has ever happened.

  They had no idea they were already being targeted by Li Guoting and his two brothers who had arrived here.

  "Big brother, this family must be rich. Look at that little guy's clothes, all made of fine silk and satin. And an old hunchback is leading a horse for him, what an opportunity." Ma Fei said to Li Guoting from the shadows.

  "Brother, this is too close to the county town, there are many people on the road, it's not good to make a move. If we slip up, we'll lose our heads." Li Guoting said.

  "We won't make a move now. Didn't you hear what the old miser said? He told the old servant to come back early tonight. I think we'll just wait on the road into town, and when they return tonight, we'll take action." Ma Fei said.

  "Go ahead, just as you said." Li Guoting nodded and said.