Chapter 66

After finishing all the procedures, Tsuchiizumi Zazushi parted ways with Dong Ku and the others with satisfaction, clearly having made a good profit from this exchange.

On the way back to the inn, Dong Ku and the others made a detour to Qiu Lin. What amazed Dong Ku was that in just one day, everything within a 500-meter radius had been completely demolished. Fan Minjiang was directing his students to lay lines and set stakes. Looking at the figures in the distant sheds, Dong Ku knew that the ground would definitely be broken the next morning...

"Mr. Liu, there's nothing more for me to do here. The restaurant's budget is actually three million, which includes importing sake from Japan. The one million silver dollars are actually for ordering wine from France. If Mr. Liu has connections, he can import a large quantity of wine of various grades. The underground garage is not for parking but is actually a dedicated wine cellar."

"One million silver dollars for wine? Why so much? We have our own Changyu wine!" Liu Rujì was somewhat moved.

"Mr. Liu, you don't need to worry about this. In the next two years, no matter how many stores we open, each store must be fully stocked with wine, not just from France but also from Portugal. Money is not a problem, you'll see later." Dong Ku left it at that, not explaining further. He couldn't tell Liu Rujì that a world war would break out in a few years, France would fall, and Britain would have no energy, leading to a sharp rise in wine prices.

After a pause, without paying attention to Liu Rujì's pondering, Dong Ku continued, "It's like this in Harbin. I'll come back when it opens. In the meantime, Mr. Liu, you'll have to manage things. If there are any issues, contact me by radio. One month after the opening here, we'll start construction in Fengtian, aiming to complete and operate the hotels in Xinjing and Fengtian this year. Next year, we'll move on to Tianjin and Shanghai. Training the staff, Mr. Liu, will require more effort."

"That's not a problem. Master Liu's apprentices are spread all over. In the industry, when he calls, the chefs for several hotels won't be a problem. The only tricky part is the Western restaurant. The tableware can be bought, but the waiters need to know English, Japanese, and even French. That can't be trained in a short time," Liu Rujì said, feeling a headache.

Dong Ku looked at Liu Rujì, who was frowning, and smiled, "That shouldn't be a problem. Mr. Liu, don't you have connections inside the pass? You can entrust them to find people who know foreign languages in cities like Beiping, Shanghai, and Tianjin, even those working in large hotels. It's just a matter of higher salaries. As for Japanese, there are plenty of people in the surrounding cities who know it, given that the Japanese have been here for years. Understanding it shouldn't be a problem."

"That's right!" Liu Rujì's eyes lit up. This was definitely a feasible solution. With the problem solved, she felt much lighter. Just as she was about to continue discussing the hotel, she suddenly remembered something, "By the way, have you heard? The Japanese civilians and soldiers in Jiamusi were attacked by the Russians with gas, and over 40,000 people died, with another 30,000 injured. The trains to Lüshun can't even carry them all back."

"The Russians attacked Jiamusi with gas?"

Dong Ku was taken aback. He hadn't expected this news. He was the one who attacked Dahuizhen, so how did it get linked to the Russians?

"Mr. Liu, is this information accurate? What's the story with the Russians attacking the Japanese civilians in Jiamusi?"

"It should be accurate. It was in the newspaper a few days ago, saying that the Nationalist government ordered the attack. However, the inside information is different. It says the Soviets did it. As for the reason, I only heard it in passing. I'm worried that if the Soviets invade, our hotels will be in trouble."

"Oh..."

Dong Ku's mind raced. He seemed to understand. After he attacked Dahuizhen, he had seen related information in the Japanese military's telegrams, saying that Soviet commandos had infiltrated China and attacked Dahuizhen. It's likely that the Soviet attack on Jiamusi was based on the guess that the gas shells were stolen.

Hehe... It's good that someone is taking the blame. Understanding this, Dong Ku smiled inwardly and said, "Mr. Liu, don't worry. The Soviets won't come in. With the support of the Japanese, our hotels won't have any problems in the next two to three years. Just go ahead with confidence."

Liu Rujì let out a light sigh, shook her head, and put aside the matters unrelated to the present, returning to the topic, "Kato mentioned opening two more stores this year. Can I ask if the funds are secure?"

"The funds are secure. This is just the initial investment. The Harbin store will need to be rebuilt in two years, and the subsequent investment will be even higher." After a pause, Dong Ku continued, "This is just a three-story building. In two years, it will be a six-story building."

"Six stories..."

Liu Rujì was lost in a beautiful vision. Six stories would be so tall!

Dong Ku looked at Liu Rujì and didn't interrupt her. He knew that a three-story building was already considered tall at present, and a six-story building didn't even exist. It was normal for Liu Rujì to be surprised.

After a moment, Liu Rujì regained her composure and said, "If the funds are secure, I think we should first find the locations in Xinjing and Fengtian, then prepare gradually. This way, the construction schedule won't be too tight, and the moisture in the new buildings can be reduced, preventing the walls from peeling off in winter. If we open in October, the winter might be tough."

"Right."

Dong Ku blamed himself for being unclear. New buildings were damp, and in Harbin, it was still manageable. The construction would be completed during the high-temperature season, and after ventilating for half a month, simple renovations would suffice. No wonder Fan Minjiang suggested using wooden frame decoration to isolate the moisture in the walls.

"Alright, you handle it. If the funds are insufficient, contact me by radio. I'll give you six million more in a month, which should be enough for the other two stores."

Liu Rujì, getting a clear answer, felt reassured. She didn't doubt Dong Ku's financial resources, but the nearly 20 million yuan involved was still a bit overwhelming, even for someone with her experience. However, it was clear that Dong Ku didn't find it difficult to come up with the money.

The two discussed some other trivial matters, and then Dong Ku left Harbin for Hulin that night.

After another day and night of travel, Dong Ku arrived in Hulin in the evening of the next day. He thanked the driver who brought him back and let him return to the old restaurant. He then returned to the Fulaishun Inn.

Back at the inn, he rested for the night. In the early morning, he gave 20 silver dollars to the counter and reserved the No. 1 room. He then left Hulin, found a secluded spot, entered the forest, retrieved the hidden pistol and hunter's clothes, and headed straight for Heixiazi Gou.

By nightfall, Dong Ku had rushed back to Heixiazi Gou. After confirming that the surroundings were safe, he entered Naoxia Tangzi and returned to the cave.

In the cave, Hu Zi and Goudan were studying how to use the swallow-shaped darts. Seeing Dong Ku return, Hu Zi ran over with the darts, asking Dong Ku to teach him how to throw them.

Dong Ku was not very familiar with this either. He had made so many to experiment with, hoping to use smaller swallow-shaped darts to replace the willow leaf knives. He briefly explained to Hu Zi and Goudan and then let them practice on their own. He quickly packed up the large pile of items he had made, took out a radio and several batteries from the cave, and prepared to leave the next day.

The night passed without incident. The three of them cleaned up the fire sources in the cave, carefully covered the cave entrance with the leaves of the five-flavored vine, and set up tripwires. They then headed straight for Heikoufeng.

At this time, in a hidden small mountain hollow at Heikoufeng, Liu Zhong and Sun Tao had returned, but Shunzi and Shanzi had not yet arrived. They had found a place in the mountains suitable for a camp and had also found nearly forty hunters.

These hunters were truly in a difficult situation. Their homes had been ravaged by the Japanese during the mountain searches, leaving them homeless and destitute. Even when they managed to gather some mountain goods to exchange for salt in the city, they lacked the necessary civilian certificates, leaving them with no means of survival. When they saw Liu Zhong and his group with their steel guns, except for a few who had family to support, the rest readily agreed to join and contacted their acquaintances who knew the location.

These hunters had no criminal records and were honest mountain people. They didn't understand the grand principles of resisting the Japanese and protecting their country, but they were eager to kill the Japanese.

Dong Ku and his group traveled for nearly a day and arrived at Heikoufeng just before dark, where they met a large group of people cooking.

Seeing Liu Zhong, who was respected by the hunters, salute and report to Dong Ku, the hunters knew that this person must be a high-ranking official and their leader, so they became more reserved.

Goudan and Hu Zi put down their backpacks and greeted familiar people, feeling very excited. After all, they didn't know who had survived the Japanese mountain searches last winter.

Dong Ku briefly looked at the hunters. Their dark faces made it hard to judge their exact ages, but it seemed that there were not many over forty, mostly around twenty, with only a few in their thirties. The age distribution was quite good.

He knew that these people would be reserved, even though they had been well-fed for the past two days. They still didn't understand what they were supposed to do or how Liu Zhong and the others had convinced them to join.

"Don't just stand there, or the pot will dry out," Dong Ku said with a smile. "Liu Zhong, you cook. Let's chat." He called the hunters over, found a stone to sit on, and asked, "Have you all used guns before?"

An older hunter looked at the others and spoke first, "We haven't used steel guns, but we've used foreign guns."

"Using guns is good. Tomorrow, Liu Zhong will give each of you a gun. How about going to fight the Japanese?"

"Sure..."

The hunters responded unevenly, some excited but clearly lacking confidence.

"Alright, after you eat and sleep, Liu Zhong will give you guns tomorrow. Then you can practice. You big men can't be worse than Hu Zi, right?"

"Can Hu Zi fight the Japanese? I don't believe it."

A hunter who knew Hu Zi said disbelievingly.

Dong Ku laughed and beckoned, "Come on, Hu Zi, tell them how many Japanese you've killed."

Hu Zi patted the flour off his hands and ran over, asking, "Big Brother Dong, which time are you talking about?"

"Tell them all, let's see how many Japanese you've killed in total."

"How many?"

Hu Zi counted on his fingers, "The first time I killed one with a bayonet. The second time I threw grenades, but I don't know how many I killed. I threw ten grenades, and I saw three dead. I killed them with a gun. The third time I didn't get to shoot, the fourth time I killed two with a pistol, the fifth time..."

As Hu Zi counted, the mouths of the surrounding men grew wider and wider, almost big enough to fit an egg.

When Hu Zi mentioned the trip to Jiamusi, he asked, "Big Brother Dong, do collaborators count?"

"Sure." Dong Ku smiled and ruffled Hu Zi's hair.

"In that case, I've killed eleven Japanese." Hu Zi said proudly.

As soon as Hu Zi finished speaking, a hunter in his twenties exclaimed, "Oh my, Hu Zi, you can kill eleven Japanese even though you're not fully grown! The Japanese must be really weak!"

"Exactly! You're not even as tall as Brother Zhong's gun, and you can kill eleven..."

The other nearby hunters chimed in, and the fear of the Japanese suddenly diminished.

"Hu Zi, you missed one time, the one when we just opened up," Mengzi said, smiling as he put the meat into the pot.

"That time I don't know how many I killed, but I used up a whole clip of the machine gun..."

Hu Zi said uncertainly.

"Ah! Hu Zi, you can use a machine gun?!"

All the hunters were surprised. Hu Zi was only thirteen or fourteen, and he could use steel guns, pistols, and now a machine gun.

The hunters became less reserved, and those who knew Hu Zi asked him how he did it, while those who didn't know him listened and occasionally chimed in.

Seeing that everyone was getting excited, Dong Ku didn't say anything more. He got up and went to Liu Zhong, saying, "Tomorrow, you and Sun Tao can start teaching them how to form ranks and commands. Repeat it over and over. They need to experience combat first..."

PS: Dear readers, I had to go out this morning and couldn't post on time. Sorry, sorry. I'll post as usual tonight.

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