Chapter 80: Chapter 78: One Cut
“Nier, let this child sleep at your place for the next few days. Once she’s better, you can take her around, to keep Ku’er company,” Chen Mu said as he carried a girl into the backyard and instructed Wang Ni.
“Yes, Brother Mu,” Wang Ni replied softly, eyeing the little girl in Chen Mu’s arms with a slight curiosity, but she asked nothing about her origins.
Chen Yue had taught her not to ask too many questions. All she needed to do was follow Chen Mu’s orders, a lesson she had well remembered over the years.
The girl had woken up, but still looked extremely weak, curled up in Chen Mu’s arms, her barely open eyes lifeless.
Chen Mu carried the girl all the way to the side hall and placed her on Wang Ni’s small bed, saying, “Rest well for the next few days. Once your health improves a bit, I’ll talk to you about other things.”
Weakly, the girl nodded her head with great effort.
After Chen Mu left the bedroom and returned to the courtyard, he shook his head helplessly. He had promised himself not to randomly pick up people and bring them home, yet here he was, having done exactly that, with both Ku’er and this girl.
But indeed, it wasn’t a big issue to take in a few more maids or young female servants in his courtyard, especially considering this girl was even younger than Ku’er.
He sighed softly again at the thought.
A snowstorm had left her with nothing. If he hadn’t rescued her, she might not only have frozen to death amidst the ruins, but at such a young age and with nowhere to go, she would likely have starved to death outside eventually.
In fact, the situation in Wutong Grove District was already quite good. On one hand, as the Prefecture Chief, he didn’t take the silver from the public treasury for himself. Instead, he had even added a substantial amount to it previously, allowing the City Defense Division to have plenty of silver for disaster relief.
On the other hand, before the New Year, he had strictly ordered several gangs to restrain their actions and slightly reduced the annual taxes, using the Zheng Family’s confiscated silver to cover part of it. Additionally, since Wutong Grove District was one of the better areas of the city, the disaster remained controllable despite the severe cold.
This time, he planned to use some of his own silver taels, along with contributions from the six major gangs and the Nan Family, for disaster relief.
Judging by the abnormal weather, this severe cold was likely to continue for almost another month.
Chen Mu’s instructions were quickly carried out.
It wasn’t long before the Crocodile Gang, the Black Water Gang, and the other four powers heard the message from their respective Gang Leaders.
Due to the sudden downfall of the Zheng Family, all the gangs were wary of Chen Mu, the new Prefecture Chief.
“What do you think?” Sha Xiangtian of the Crocodile Gang asked his Deputy Gang Leader.
The Deputy Gang Leader pondered before saying, “I heard last night’s blizzard was severe. Many places suffered. The Prefecture Chief is summoning people from all six gangs now; he probably wants us to contribute to the disaster relief efforts.”
“Ha, I’ve got no time to save those peasants. That’s the job of his City Defense Division, not our concern,” Sha Xiangtian sneered upon hearing this.
However, the Deputy Gang Leader thoughtfully said, “You may not want to go, but I think we still should. He’s calling all six gangs. If you’re the only one absent, wouldn’t that give him the perfect opportunity to cause trouble for us?”
“Besides, I reckon the others aren’t too keen on putting in free work either. If all six of us go, even if the new Prefecture Chief is imposing, would he dare to pressure all six of us at once?”
His words made Sha Xiangtian fall into thought.
After stroking his chin and considering carefully, he said, “That makes sense. Avoiding it would seem like we’re afraid of him. When all six are present, if push comes to shove, we could just give a hundred or eighty silver taels as a gesture, to save face.”
…
“Heavenly Arrival Restaurant, huh? Alright, I’ve got it,” said ‘Fifth Master’ of the Black Water Gang, chuckling as he put down his smoking pipe.
He too was a ‘Fifth Master,’ but unrelated to the one from Fifth District. In each territory, the Black Water Gang had significant influence and its leaders were commonly called ‘Fifth Master.’
“Fifth Master, are you really going? It doesn’t seem like anything good,” someone said.
“Go? Of course, we must go. How could we not when our new Prefecture Chief invites us to drink… There may not be anything good, but not necessarily anything bad either. And with the others present, it would look bad for this old man to be left out,” Fifth Master tapped on his smoking pipe with a chuckle.
To him, not going would only invite trouble, as being isolated and targeted could turn out to be quite problematic. He would likely have to pay a hefty price afterwards, but as long as he attended, with all six gangs present, there wouldn’t be much to fear.
…
The reactions of the other gangs were more or less the same as the Crocodile Gang and the Black Water Gang. After receiving the news, there was an initial calm before they all began to make their moves.
People from various factions could be seen gathering, escorting some individuals toward the main street of Wutong Grove District.
…
Sun past noon.
In the main street of Wutong Grove District, Heavenly Arrival Restaurant was among the largest restaurants there. It was bustling on a regular day, filled with clientele even in this harsh winter.
But today, Heavenly Arrival Restaurant was a place that both the local gentry and the wealthy hurried past with tense expressions, afraid to linger or look too closely.
Inside, the restaurant was packed, but not a dish in sight—just some tea. The patrons were all rough and fierce-looking, clearly dangerous ruffians.
Even outside the restaurant, there were those who couldn’t find a spot, divided into several groups, each eyeing the others warily.
“Crocodile Gang, Black Water Gang… even the people from the Black Water Gang are here. What’s the occasion today?”
“Even the fragrance chiefs from our gang can only sit on the first floor. Are the bosses upstairs? Are they negotiating something?”
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