Chapter 64

Tanggu is a city where a seaport and a river port converge. The Haihe River flows directly into the sea from here, and the Dagu Fort actually guards the estuary of the Haihe River. The Qing Dynasty feared that foreign warships would sail directly into Tianjin from the sea.

Since ancient times, the confluence of river and sea has been a place of thriving commerce. Merchant ships would unload their cargo in Tanggu, and most of the goods could then be transferred to the Qing Dynasty's grain transport ships, which would sail up the Haihe River and into the Grand Canal, from where they would be distributed throughout the country. Goods from the inland regions of the Qing Dynasty would also gather at the canal, eventually flowing down the Haihe River to Tanggu, and finally board ships for overseas trade.

This was an enormous transportation and trading network, upon which tens of thousands of people relied for their livelihoods. Whether openly or secretly, they all drew sustenance from this river of money. For example, the Dirty Rat, the top lieutenant of Little Braid Sun, lived by extorting protection money from the grain transport ships.

"Ouch! I'm in so much pain, Master Sun is too harsh. I've been with him for over ten years, and I've worked hard... Spit, spit, how do you serve me? You want to scald me with such hot tea?" The Dirty Rat lay on a bed made of two tables, groaning.

Beside him stood four or five apprentices, all wearing tight-fitting practice clothes, bowing and scraping to serve him. In the underworld, there was a strict hierarchy of respect and apprenticeship. The Dirty Rat was a孙子 (grandson) in front of Little Braid Sun, but on the Haihe River wharf, he was the king.

"Be careful, the tea is hot, but it's genuine West Lake Longjing. I, your humble apprentice, have a little heart, and you must appreciate it..." One of the apprentices grinned and approached, busy changing the tea and fanning.

The Dirty Rat's mood improved a bit. He pointed to the three grain transport ships unloading in the Haihe River. "Go over there and tell them that the landing fee for each ship will increase by three taels of silver today... Damn, it's not easy for me to suffer like this, and I still have to watch the scene with my injuries..."

The apprentices, hearing that there was money to be made, rubbed their hands together excitedly and walked like wolves towards the unloading ships. Soon, the ship captains on the river were grumbling, but they grumbled in vain and eventually had to pay the silver under the threat of these ruffians.

The Dirty Rat sipped the hot tea, feeling extremely pleased. "Ha, those who run inns, carriages, and shops should be killed even if they have no crimes. You guys are not much cleaner than us... Complaining? If you keep talking nonsense, I'll raise the price even more..."

As he was rambling, two beautiful figures suddenly caught his eye, and the Dirty Rat's mouth watered. They were two women who had just disembarked from a passenger ship, one dressed as a girl and the other as a woman. As soon as they stepped onto the wharf, they drew the attention of everyone.

Oh, these two women were so beautiful, their clothes and jewelry were clearly expensive. Most importantly, the air of nobility they exuded was far beyond what a woman who never left the house could possess. This kind of confident and proud demeanor was extremely rare among women in the Qing Dynasty.

All the men on the wharf had their eyes lit up. The laborers instinctively backed away, as if two fairies from the moon palace had appeared. The petty ruffians, however, started to have evil thoughts. But when they tried to approach, they found that the attendants behind the two women were not to be trifled with.

The ruffians on the wharf had keen eyes. They could tell at a glance who could be provoked and who could not. The four burly men behind the two women exuded a killing aura, not the kind of aura that ordinary people who roamed the world had. Besides the usual dominance, there was a strong sense of bloodshed.

The Dirty Rat squinted his eyes. He knew these people were not to be trifled with, but he had a background in seduction and had made over twenty women fall for him. He could tell the value of these two women at a glance. If he sent them to the brothel, each could fetch at least 500 taels of silver.

"Spit, spit, spit, how can I be so weak? If I send these top-notch women to Master Sun and Master Huang, my territory will triple, and I'll get at least two more wharfs. That would be a lifetime business..." Thinking this, the Dirty Rat hardened his heart and gave his men a signal, indicating that they should act.

The two women who had just disembarked were none other than Hu Niu and Fu Hui. Originally, Xiao Letian did not want them to come to the opening of the Tanggu foreign trading company, but they had pestered him in their letters. Moreover, Fan Lian had a batch of goods to be transported via the Haihe River to Tanggu. So, they were brought along.

However, they underestimated Hu Niu and Fu Hui's eagerness to see Xiao Letian. Under their constant 'threats' and 'coercion,' the chartered passenger ship broke away from the main fleet, leaving the grain transport ships behind and rushing to Tanggu.

"Hui Sister, I'm seasick. Let's go to the tea pavilion by the wharf for a cup of tea..." Hu Niu said. Before Fu Hui could respond, the guard Wang Huaiyuan interjected, "Miss, it's crowded and chaotic here. It's not a good place. We should enter the city as soon as possible..."

Since the incident with Xiang Shaolong, Xiao Letian's forces had prioritized security. Wang Huaiyuan had opposed the two women breaking away from the convoy, but he couldn't resist their persistent demands. Now, Hu Niu wanted to rest at this mixed crowd wharf, which was absolutely unacceptable.

At this moment, the tea pavilion attendant had already approached. "Gentlemen, would you like to rest and have a cup of tea? We have private rooms where women can rest. Although our tea pavilion is simple, it has three rooms. You can choose any new tea you like..." The attendant was extremely polite, addressing them as 'sir' and 'noble guest.'

Wang Huaiyuan immediately sensed something was wrong with the tea pavilion. Its location was a blind spot on the wharf, close to the main road but mostly out of sight. It seemed odd for a business to choose such a location. Wang Huaiyuan stepped forward, creating a distance between the attendant and the ladies.

"Please attend to other guests. We have our own arrangements..." Just then, the seasick Hu Niu walked to the roadside, leaning against a small tree and retching. She was genuinely seasick.

Fu Hui was also angry. She said sternly, "How do you serve us? The lady is so seasick, and you still force her to travel? Is this how Mr. Xiao treats his guests? I must have a cup of tea today..." She then supported Hu Niu and walked directly into the tea pavilion.

Wang Huaiyuan, understanding the hierarchy, had no choice but to follow, his eyes sharp and alert.

"Attendant, bring us a pot of pre-rain Longjing tea and two plates of clean tea snacks..." He patted Hu Niu's back. Soon, the attendant brought the tea and snacks. "Gentlemen, please enjoy. This is our best pre-rain Longjing. If you're hungry, our braised meat noodles and buns are excellent..."

As the attendant was about to pour the tea and leave, Wang Huaiyuan stopped him, pointing to the cups. "Drink a cup first, let me see..."

"Oh, what are you saying? What kind of person would I be to drink the tea of a noble guest? That's a pot of tea worth five taels of silver. Are you trying to shorten my life?" The attendant dodged left and right, but Wang Huaiyuan and his men blocked him, making it clear he wouldn't leave without drinking.

The attendant finally understood. He said, "I get it, you think this is a black shop? We've been here for four or five years. Ask anyone on the wharf, they all know me..."

"I don't care about them. I just want you to drink a cup. If you don't, you won't leave this place..." Wang Huaiyuan said coldly. The owner, a thin old man, also approached. "Gentlemen, what's going on? We're a legitimate business. I'm a local, I don't do anything to harm people..."

After some commotion, Hu Niu felt a bit embarrassed. "Alright, Brother Wang, don't force them. It's broad daylight, what could happen?" She reached for the teacup.

However, Wang Huaiyuan was extremely stubborn. His hand shot out, and the teacup in front of Hu Niu was in his hand. He held it in front of the attendant. "You'd better drink it honestly, or you won't leave..."

The attendant's face turned pale, whether from anger or fear. Finally, he grabbed the teacup. "Fine, I'll drink..." He didn't even care about the heat, gulping down the hot tea. After drinking, he sat on a bench in the corner. "You suspect me? I'll let you watch..." He then picked two snacks and ate them.

This made Wang Huaiyuan and his men feel a bit embarrassed, but they still didn't let Hu Niu drink immediately. After about fifteen minutes, the attendant stood up. "Alright? You have time to rest, but I need to earn money for my family. What are you doing by delaying me..."

Fu Hui felt a bit embarrassed and took out a foreign coin. "Here, take it. We wronged you." The attendant was delighted, took the coin, and bowed out of the private room.

After this incident, the tea on the table had cooled down, just right for drinking. They each took a cup and rested for a while. Hu Niu's face gradually regained its color.

Just as they were about to rest a bit more, several figures ran from outside the wharf, shouting, "Everyone, come and see the spectacle! In the foreign trading company of Xiao Letian, the wealth is flowing like seawater, with over 100,000 foreign coins spent... Three hundred local residents are battling foreign guests, a once-in-a-century spectacle..."

After the shouting, the wharf was in an uproar. Idle men ran into the city, as the Chinese love for spectacles has remained unchanged for thousands of years.

When Hu Niu and Fu Hui heard Xiao Letian's name, their ears perked up. They immediately stopped feeling seas