Chapter 42: Chen Shoutings Doubts

  Early winter 1921, Qingdao, China.

  After a busy day, Chen Shouting met Zhang Xiaolin who had come from afar. He was very unwilling to see this person, but he had no choice because the current Zhang Xiaolin's reputation was too great, his power was too vast, and his arrogance was something that Chen Shouting could not contend with at present, let alone that Zhang Xiaolin had also brought a letter written in Chen Xiaoqi's own hand.

  Zhang Xiaolin was indeed a personal item, and it's not necessary for someone like him to show up in person for something like running errands. Just sending any ordinary subordinate would have been enough. But he didn't do that, instead he personally came to Qingdao, personally handed the letter and bank draft to Chen Shoutian, and even vaguely told Chen about the origin of this huge sum of money.

  Chen Shoutin was also a clever person, how could he not know that there must be something fishy going on? After dealing with Zhang Xiaolin, he and Lu Jiaju closed the door and went into the house, where Lu read Chen Xiaoqi's letter.

  Chen Xiaoqi's letter also didn't say much, just briefly explained his recent development and mentioned the cooperation with Zhang Xiaolin, which is not a secret matter. At the same time, he also explained the origin of the 2 million yen, saying it was money from selling patents to Japanese people.

  Two people finished reading and listening, Chen Shouting patted his thigh and said to Lu Jiaju: "Jiaju, do you know where this money came from? Alas, it's all for me!"

  "Sixth Brother, why are you saying this? Xiao Qi's letter said that it was the fee for the Japanese buying his patent. Didn't Zhang Xiaolin say so too?"

  "Are you kidding me? Don't you remember what Old Seven said in his first letter last year? He's been getting 1.5 million dollars a year from DuPont for the patent rights to those two explosives, not to mention that new antibiotic they're selling now! You know how expensive those pills are on the market? If it weren't for Old Seven hooking us up with a special batch, we wouldn't be able to afford them ourselves! And you think this formula of his is worth nothing? Our dye formula alone is worth 100,000 taels!"

  Lu Jiaju reacted, lightly clapping his hands: "Right, right! I had forgotten about this matter if you hadn't mentioned it. Calculating it this way, Xiao Qi has been greatly disadvantaged! These 20 million yen are only worth a little over $1 million, and yet it's a one-time permanent buyout of the usage rights. If we calculate it this way, just for the explosives alone, he would have lost $10 million! Not to mention the sulfonamide drugs, this deal is too outrageous! How could Xiao Qi sign such a contract?"

  Chen Shoutingslammed his hand on the table and said, "What else could it be? Didn't you hear what Zhang Xiaolin said? The Japanese must have promised him something. Even someone like Zhang Xiaolin is willing to fawn over the Japanese, you can imagine how big of a deal this is! Do you know what kind of person Lao Qi is? From his debut until now, when has he ever suffered such a huge loss? 10 million US dollars! The entire Qingdao city's business dealings combined aren't even worth that much!"

  Lu Jiaju said, "Is Sixth Brother saying that the little Japanese guy is threatening him? That can't be, he's a well-known figure in America now, and the local government protects him. DuPont Company has such deep cooperation with him, it's impossible for them to watch him being threatened by someone else. Is he worried about something? Does he have no choice but to agree to the Japanese person's conditions?"

  Chen Shouting nodded and sighed, "That's the way it is! I understand what Zhang Xiaolin meant now. The Japanese are using our brothers' lives to threaten Old Seven, forcing him to agree to their terms. Otherwise, with Old Seven's hatred for the Japanese, he wouldn't have given in so easily."

  Lu Jiaju was stunned, and he subconsciously said: "But why didn't Xia Qi say so in the letter? I think the Japanese wouldn't dare to do anything to us either. After all, this is China, even if they have a large warship anchored here, they wouldn't dare take action against people like us who are well-known and respected."

  "See, I told you he's not like that! The Japanese are ruthless, and Old Seven definitely wouldn't consider the what-ifs or lucky breaks. He's worried we'll get taken advantage of! The Japanese are close by, and it's easy for them to cause us trouble. In Old Seven's mind, our brotherhood is worth more than anything. This large sum of money would be enough to drive a wedge between brothers in any family. Did you hear what Zhang Xiaolin said? He said he's never seen Old Seven so generous, just agreeing to the terms without hesitation. That takes a lot of guts! We're all businesspeople, and this is like taking money straight from his pocket! If it were you, wouldn't you be angry?"

  Lu Jiaju sighed and said, "Oh dear, this is really terrible. We're not bringing disaster to Xiao Qi, are we? But with Xiao Qi's temperament, can he just take the blame silently? I don't think he's that kind of person!"

  Chen Shoutin snorted, "Of course Lao Qi isn't that kind of person! Just you wait and see, I reckon it won't be long before he teaches those little Japanese some color. Is his money easily earned? Do you know the ins and outs of He Dageng's affair?"

  Lu Jiaju felt strange and asked in doubt: "Didn't he drown to death in the sea? That Zhang Xiaolin is not a good thing, taking advantage of others' funeral to swallow all their family property, leaving no bones behind. Leaving He Dagen's widow and orphan wandering on the streets, if it weren't for Sixth Brother's kindness, giving them money to send them back to their hometown, I'm afraid this family would have starved to death long ago."

  Chen Shoutin sneered, "What drowning? I'll tell you, it's probably Zhang Xiaolin who killed him! And there's something else you don't know, today I won't hide it from you either. Do you know how He Dageng got rich? That was also a trick taught by Old Seven! Old Seven didn't take a single penny from us when he went to America, relying on the money he made from messing with He Dageng for those few months! Later, He Dageng bought out Old Seven's shares in one go. Do you remember what Old Seven said to me at the time? He said He Dageng would die because of this sooner or later. And now it's been less than a year, and his words have come true! You say, how deep must Old Seven's thoughts be?"

  Lu Jiaju took a deep breath, and exclaimed: "Xiao Qi is really incredible! Whatever he gets his hands on, he can make something out of it! Such a long-term plan, he calculated so clearly, that this little Japanese guy will surely retaliate in some way!"

  Chen Shoutings chuckled, lit a cigarette for himself, took a deep drag, and waved his hand to dispel the thick smoke. With one leg on the stool, he nodded and said: "I reckon neither of us can guess what's going on. Old Seven is handling this with a lot of cunning, not at all like something someone his age could do. Haven't you noticed? We've sent two groups of people to America, all sorts of characters, and they're all taken care of when they get there. You've seen those young whippersnappers, none of them are any good, but Old Seven can keep them in line - that's no easy feat! But have you seen the letter today? He's asking for more people! A lot of people! What do you think he's planning?"

  Lu Jiaju nodded in agreement, "Yes, since ancient times, those who have gathered talented people are not ordinary heroes and masters! If Xiaoxi just did business, there would be many more capable people among foreigners than us Chinese. It's not necessary to find these people from home, but also need to spend time cultivating them, think of ways to arrange their identities, and give so much resettlement fees, which is not cost-effective at all. I reckon he might have to kill his way back!"

  Chen Shouting said, "I think so too. That's not all, let me ask you, how many people have we sponsored to study abroad? Miao Ge wrote to me and said that his acquaintances' younger generation who could go abroad had all gone, and there were over a hundred people in France, Britain, Germany, and other countries combined. When these people finish their studies and return, they will not forget Old Qi's kindness! At that time, if Old Qi wants to do something, these people will be his helpers! You calculate how many people with status and position are behind these people? And those who are too poor to afford school, Old Qi can support them to study abroad or attend university domestically. When they graduate, if Old Qi returns, wouldn't you want to repay their kindness?"

  Lu Jiaju sighed, "Xiao Qi's courage is something that none of us can match! The problem is we don't know when he'll be back or what he plans to do. He doesn't tell us anything, so even if we want to help him, we don't know where to start!"

  Chen Shouting threw the cigarette butt to the ground, stepped on it to extinguish it, and lowered his voice to say: "Jiaru, I'm telling you, don't spread this around! From my years of listening to stories, if things go wrong, Old Seventh is going to fight for dominance over the world, and contend for the Central Plains!"

  Lu Jiaju was startled, his eyes wide with shock, and he stared blankly for half a day before stuttering: "Sixth Brother, this...this can't be, right? Xiao Qi is still so young, what kind of capital does he have to think of such a thing? Sun Dapao has been stirring up trouble for decades, but isn't he still in exile overseas? The Nationalist Party has so many people and guns, but can't even defeat the Northern Warlords, right? Xiao Qi...this is impossible, right?"

  Chen Shoutin sneered coldly, "Maybe or maybe not, just wait and see. Old Seventh's actions are sometimes unpredictable, even to me. The fact that he can get someone like Zhang Xiaolin to run errands for him is no trivial matter! Who is Zhang Xiaolin? A big shot in Shanghai! A well-known big brother in the Green Gang! There aren't many people in all of China who can make him take a trip personally! I think, when we were in America, Old Seventh might have intimidated him, or else Zhang Xiaolin is also afraid that Old Seventh will come after him for revenge in the future!"

  Lu Jiaju smiled and shook his head, saying: "Sixth brother, what you said is too mysterious! What kind of person is Zhang Xiaolin? Can Xiao Qi intimidate him? Impossible! I think that in this matter, Zhang Xiaolin has made a big profit. He ran an errand, which is also reasonable. Doing good deeds, why not?"

  Chen Shoutingsaid: "That's because you don't understand Old Seventh's temperament yet. You don't know, before he left, the two of us would often chat together, and Old Seventh had more stories in his belly than your Sixth Brother could gather from the streets! He was knowledgeable about everything under the sun, past and present, and I have no idea where he got it all from! Whomever you mention, he can come up with a whole bunch of unknown stories, told so vividly that you'd be convinced even if you didn't want to be. Do you know who he hated the most among all those people?"

  "What kind of person? Anyway, it's not our kind!"

  "Ha! You've also learned to be a sly one, have you? Let me tell you, he hates traitors and national enemies the most! Especially those who collude with foreigners to bully our Han people! Like Qin Hui, Zhang Hongfan, and Hong Chengchou - just thinking about them makes him gnash his teeth! In his words, 'No matter what reasons you have, no matter how unfairly you've been treated, you have no right to sell out this country, this nation. You can't let personal gain and desires cause suffering and harm to innocent compatriots.' I remember these words clearly. If Zhang Shoulin was just a simple hoodlum, Old Seven might not have done much to him, but someone who helps the Japanese and betrays his own people? Old Seven would never let him off! And you know what he said that day we took our oath of brotherhood, when we were chatting with Miao Ge at night? He said those who think they're cultured just because they've been abroad for a couple of years and have forgotten their ancestors are especially detestable! They not only haven't learned their own nation's culture, but also haven't even mastered the second-hand culture they brought back from Japan. The result is that they're just a bunch of ignorant fools, shouting about abolishing Chinese characters, Chinese culture, and traditional medicine every day. If someone like that were to sit in Qin Shi Huang's position, no matter how many there are, he'd have them buried alive! These traitors who abandon their ancestors and waste food are just a bunch of useless trash! Listen to what I'm saying!"

  Lu Jiajiu laughed and said, "Fortunately, he is not Qin Shi Huang, otherwise more than half of China's famous writers would have been in trouble! Those people are just not well-read, lacking some knowledge and cultivation, being fooled by others and spouting nonsense, they are actually pitiful creatures!"

  Chen Shoutingsaid: "Lao Qi probably doesn't think so! That day, I originally thought he was drunk, but after thinking about it, it wasn't. Those were his inner thoughts! He said that being a traitor might harm for a while, but these people who do cultural things and do bad things can destroy the whole country and nation. In ancient times, literati helped foreign tribes rule China, at least they let those barbarians learn Chinese culture, ensuring the continuation of Chinese culture. So, whether it was the Wei Jin Southern and Northern Dynasties or the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms, those Han people who worked for foreign tribes were all sinicizing them in different ways. This doesn't count as betraying the country and nation. But among these, Zhang Hongfan and Hong Chengchu are exceptions. Because the Mongols destroyed the Song Dynasty, they cut off the roots of Chinese ancient culture, and now it can't be continued. The Qing Dynasty ruled China with pigtail braids and literary inquisitions, burning books and altering history to thoroughly break the backbone of the Chinese people, completely destroying the vitality that the Ming Dynasty had recovered over two hundred years. People like Hong Chengchu who came up with ideas to help are truly detestable! According to Lao Qi's words, those so-called literati today are no different from these two bastards."

  Lu Jiaju looked at Chen Shouting with surprise, staring for a long time before saying: "Sixth brother! I didn't expect it! You can remember such a long passage! Impressive! However, I think Xiao Qi's words also make sense, but he said it a bit too much, right?"

  "Alas, Jia Ju," sighed Chen Shoutin, "I used to beg for food and listen to storytellers everywhere, and I've got a belly full of worldly wisdom. But as for what's right and just for the country and nation, I don't really understand it. My dad didn't teach me to read from a young age, so I'm not very clear about these big principles either. Your family's old master and Miao Ge are also just trying to get by, saying that as long as they can keep their heads above water and not drown in the world's troubles, that's good enough. But Old Seven is different! I feel like what he says makes sense, and even Miao Ge agrees with his views on current events. Just wait and see, Old Seven is a man who can achieve great things, only he knows what he's capable of. As long as he's true to us brothers, that's all we need."

  Lu Jiaju furrowed his brow and nodded, saying: "Then, Sixth Brother, how do we deal with these 20 million? Should we really go to Laiwu to buy land like Xiao Qi said? How much land would that be? The surrounding areas of Laiwu wouldn't even be worth that much money!"

  Chen Shoutin said: "Whatever can be sold, count as much, Laiwu's land is not enough, then go to Jinan Zhangdian Zhoucun to buy. Anyway, Old Seven said that the more land you control in your hands, the more confident you will speak. This makes sense, look at Zhang Zuolin, isn't he just occupying a large territory and having many people? The old Meng family of Zhangqiu bought land all the way to Yantai, never mind, buy!"

  Lu Jiaju replied, "Alright then, I'll take care of this matter. Anyway, I'm free and don't have much to do. But Sixth Brother, you said Xiao Qi specially told us not to rush into expanding the factory, what's the logic behind that? He didn't give any specific reason, isn't it better for business to be bigger? Who would complain about making more money?"

  Chen Shoutin shook his head and said, "I also can't figure out what's going on behind the scenes. He must have his reasons for not saying anything. Well, even if he doesn't say anything, we're too busy to care right now. The money is enough to spend anyway, so let's just listen to him and not lose out."

  Lu Jiaju agreed and the two of them chatted for a while before leaving to attend to their own business.

  Chen Shoutings himself poured a large glass of cold water in the house, then looked at the small waterwheel outside with his eyes slowly rotating, and muttered in a low voice: "Old Qi ah! What are you going to do!"