Chapter 62 Rebuilding the Inn

  The riot finally ended in the dim light of dawn.

  The people in Yang's mansion were running around like headless flies, and the hundreds of men and horses from the boatmen's guild surrounded Yang's mansion, turning round and round, but no one could make out what had happened.

  The rear half of the Hongchen Inn was reduced to a pile of ashes in the great fire.

  When the inn was built, most of it was made of wood, and the big fire couldn't be stopped. Fortunately, the wind direction at night was towards the east, so the fire only burned the backyard clean, and the front wine building wasn't burned.

  Ah Fu stood in the courtyard, watching this scene, covering his mouth, his old face twitching, crying bitterly.

  Zhao Tieshan was also stunned, he rummaged through the ashes, his mouth still muttering in distress: "It's all over, Fu Bo, Song Dianjia and Ling Tong's daughter have been burned to ashes, ah, they've all been burned to ashes! Look, this is a skull, it must be Song Langjun's. Ling Tong's skull shouldn't be so big. Hmm? There are two more here? How can there be so many?"

  Ah Fu squatted on the ground, his nose and tears dripping down, forming a puddle.

  There are guests coming, but I don't want to entertain them either.

  Zhao Tieshan sighed, pulled up A Fu, "Fu Bo, our guest house must continue to operate. Now that Song Lang is gone, I'm also heartbroken. I didn't even have a chance to confess my love to Ling Tong's daughter. But this is Song Lang's shop, Fu Bo, you need to cheer up and let's prepare for the opening."

  A Fu also ignored Zhao Tieshan, he really didn't have the mood to continue operating anymore.

  Zhao Tieshan let out a sigh, pulled out the meteorite knife from his waist, wiped it across his mouth with a flourish, and declared, "Song Lang! Nie Niangzi! You can rest assured that I will inherit your legacy and continue to run this inn. Fu Bo is old and his mind isn't what it used to be, but there's still me, Zhao Tieshan, the most important person in the Red Dust Inn. I will definitely keep it going!"

  As he spoke, Zhao Tieshan walked towards the door and opened it for business.

  Today there were fewer guests, but still many. After the guests arrived, they chatted about what happened while continuing to drink tea and play chess, and with more food and drink, it became even more interesting.

  Not long after, more than a dozen armed guards entered the Hongchen Inn from the back door, pretending to investigate before leaving.

  Ah Fu sat amidst the ashes, somewhat in despair.

  Suddenly, footsteps sounded and stopped in front of Ah Fu, facing him.

  A Fu wiped his nose and ignored him.

  "Fu Bo," the man said.

  A Fu waved his hand and suddenly froze, he raised his head in an instant, and saw Song Kai standing intact in front of him, the only difference being that there was a hood on his head.

  "Darling?...... Darling! It's really you!"

  Ah Fu suddenly fell into Song Kai's arms, with snot, tears, and the ash on his hands all smeared onto Song Kai's clothes.

  "Uncle Fu, this clothing is 500 coins per piece!" Song Kai sighed and then laughed. In this world, to be able to make someone so concerned, it's not a waste of living in this life.

  Ah Fu cried for half a stick of incense before finally leaving Song Kai's arms with satisfaction.

  "Darling, you really scared me to death! Where did you go? How's Nie's wife?" Ah Fu asked in a string of questions.

  Song Kai waved his hand, put down the cloak, and squatted in front of Ah Fu, saying: "Fu Bo, I'll tell you about the specific things later. These days, I won't be able to show my face, there are some things that need to be taken care of, the guest house needs to continue operating, and also, I want to rebuild this backyard, go find a reliable craftsman, I'll talk to him, I plan to renovate our backyard into the best guest room in all of Suzhou."

  A Fu simply nodded, "Alright, alright, as long as you're good to Da Lang."

  Song Kai patted Ah Fu's shoulder and said, "Alright, at noon, I'll meet with the craftsman. Remember to get the most experienced one. Now I have some things to attend to."

  "Go," Ah Fu smiled contentedly, "Dalan, as long as you're alright, everything will be fine."

  Song Kai just smiled and nodded, then left.

  Out of the guest house, Song Kai rushed to Chunyuan Building. His originally clean and luxurious clothes were now covered in snot and tears, as well as black ash, which was really beneath his dignity.

  Upon arriving at the elegant room on the second floor of Chun Yulan, a voice like that of a male duck loudly shouted: "Those are all empty names! Empty names! I am Lu Bo Tao, and I really don't care about those empty names! Have you ever seen me composing poetry or reciting verse in my daily life?"

  "Never seen."

  "Lu Gongzi, you indeed are a true man who doesn't show his appearance."

  "Yes, Lu Shao's display of power can surpass those pretentious scholars."

  All around were the soft and gentle voices of women.

  Lu Bo laughed loudly.

  Song Kai went straight to the source of the sound and entered a elegant room, where he saw Lu Bo Tao's fat body sitting in the main seat, with four girls dressed in red and green serving beside him, and below were some young masters from noble families, whom Song Kai did not recognize.

  Pushing open the door and walking in, Song Kai said to Lu Botao: "Hey, Brother Lu, let's have a few words alone."

  Several people at the table turned their heads to look at Song Kai, and when they saw his dirty clothes, several young masters burst out laughing.

  "Beggar from nowhere."

  "Even beggars now worship Lu brother."

  "Wow, it's really enviable! Brother Lu's name is known to every household overnight, and even women and children know him. We're all so envious!"

  "Yes, since entering Chunyuan Building, all these girls have been surrounding Brother Lu, while we are being ignored."

  Lu Bo laughed loudly and nodded, looking at Song Kai, saying: "Little beggar, are you also here to ask for my signature? No problem, I'm a very easy-going person, not like those four big shots who pretend to be noble all day. Come on, little beggar, I'll give you an autograph."

  Song Kai thought of kicking this Lu Bao over, he walked over and stood in front of Lu Bao, showing his face.

  Lu Bo Tao saw it and immediately stood up, "Song..."

  "Brother Lu, it's inconvenient, let's talk privately," Song Kai interrupted Lu Botao's loud shout.

  "Alright, alright, everyone. Lu has some personal matters to attend to, so today's gathering will end here. Please continue eating and drinking, the bill for today is all on Lu. I'll take my leave first."

  Lu Baozi took Song Kai and changed to a different room.

  "Song Daxia, what's going on? Just now I met with those few people and they said that your Hongchen Inn was burned down by 'Blood Hand'?" Lu Baozi asked.

  Song Kai didn't put down his hood, he just nodded and said: "One half has been burned, there is still another half. Do you know the Blood Hand?"

  Lu Pangzi let out a sigh of relief and said, "You're fine, that's all that matters. That Blood Hand, others may not know about it, but I actually do. It's Yang Rongguang's private killer squad, handpicked from the best of the Huo Bang gang. They're like Yang Rongguang's inner circle, and whenever he needs to do something shady, he'll send out the Blood Hand."

  "Lu brother, did you know that Yang Rongguang is already dead?" Song Kai suddenly blurted out.

  "What? Could it be... is this news true? Oh my god! That's great!" Lu Baozi jumped up, but he was so fat that his heels didn't leave the ground for more than a centimeter before falling back down.

  Song Kai sat down and said, "This is a good opportunity. When the government investigates Yang Rongguang's death, they will take the chance to suppress the Huo Bang, and for this bloody organization, they will be even more ruthless in eliminating them. For this matter, please help me, Brother Lu. As soon as you find out the identities of the members of the Bloody Hand Organization, please tell me."

  "No problem! The Blood Hand Society is a major tool of the Chao Bang, if we can eliminate it and without Yang Huaiyan's support, haha, my Qing Bang can take advantage of the opportunity to expand, occupy more dock territories, and replace the Chao Bang as the third largest gang!" Lu Pangzi laughed loudly.

  "Alright, I won't say anything more out of politeness. I have something else to attend to, so I'll take my leave first," Song Kai said as he stood up.

  "Don't worry, Brother Song. I know the pros and cons of this matter. Look, since I became a renowned poet, wherever I go, it's all praise and admiration. I, Lu Buzi, have never enjoyed such treatment before. All of this is thanks to you, Brother Song."

  "It's nothing," Song Kai stood up and left, returning to the guest house once again.

  In the guest house, Ah Fu was drinking tea and chatting with a thin old man.

  Song Kai walked past.

  A Fu stood up and said: "Dà Láng, this is the most experienced craftsman in Suzhou City, Lei Qi, Mr. Lei."

  The thin old man also stood up and said: "I don't dare to, I'm just a house builder, it's just that the years of building are many."

  Song Kai burst out laughing, "Just hearing Mr. Lei's name, I know that Mr. Lei is the most professional, laying bricks, haha."

  Lei didn't get angry, instead he smiled with some pride: "The ancestral bricklaying skill, my father gave me this name, also to remind me not to forget my roots."

  Song Kai had Ah Fu prepare a private room with a table of wine and dishes, and they started eating and talking together.

  After a brief understanding, Song Kai realized that this era already had bricks, but there was no cement, and most of them used mud as an adhesive, let alone concrete.

  But cement and concrete are too difficult to handle. If there is volcanic ash, it would be much more convenient. Song Kai thought for a moment and asked some more questions.

  Although there is no cement, houses built with bricks are also very solid, mainly because now they all use wooden brick mixed structure, which is still reasonable.

  Song Kai said, "Lao Lei, let's not mention the expenses. I want to build a row of houses within ten days. In the middle of the backyard, dig a well. The well should be big and have a boiler on top..."

  Song Kai ate while giving Lei Cuo detailed explanations of his drawings.

  Lei Zhuo furrowed his brow, listened carefully, and pondered for a long time before he let out a sigh of relief and said: "Ten days is indeed a bit rushed, but if Song Lang can afford it, I can call up over a hundred workers to work on it at the same time, and we might just make it."

  "Don't worry about the money, just go ahead and do it." Song Kai said with a wave of his hand.

  "All right, I'll start calling people to build it this afternoon." Lei also smiled.

  "Thank you, Old Lei," Song Kai cupped his hands together, "Everything will be taken care of by Ah Fu for your convenience."

  After finishing all these, after having dinner, Song Kai quietly left the center of Suzhou City and arrived at a riverbank. A large awning boat was moored by the riverbank. Song Kai jumped aboard, and soon the awning boat swayed away.