Chapter 389: Long Time No See

"The southern wind brings coolness, the nightingale sings softly, flowers beneath the moon drift into dreams, only the night-blooming cereus exhales its fragrance…"

Lǜshuǐ City, Xiaoyao Wu.

Singer Jiang Mengting is performing in the waltz hall.

The waltz hall is not a large dance venue; Xiaoyao Wu 's waltz hall holds at most thirty people and is used for gatherings.

Today's audience consists of only two people: Li Qi and Ma Wu.

Ma Wu lowered his voice and asked, "Old Qi, do you think she's beautiful?"

Li Banfeng glanced at the phonograph behind Jiang Mengting and nodded. "Beautiful."

"Be honest—don't you feel there's something different about her?"

Li Banfeng knew Jiang Mengting fairly well; since Xiaoyao Wu reopened, she left Baiyuemen and returned under Ma Wu's wing.

"She's loyal to you."

Ma Wu nodded. "She is loyal to me, but we're not what you think."

Li Banfeng was startled. "Are you two siblings?"

Ma Wu shook his head vigorously. After the song ended, he had Jiang Mengting leave the waltz hall.

Only the two of them remained. Ma Wu said to Li Banfeng: "Jiang Mengting is different from Xiao Xuefei and the others. Xiao Xuefei's achievements were won in bed; Jiang Mengting's success is entirely mine to build. I say she's never let a man touch her—do you believe me?"

It was hard to believe.

Having spent a year and a half in Puluozhou, Li Banfeng knew exactly what kind of people singers and actresses were. Why was Jiang Mengting so special?

Ma Wu said: "Because I've invested heavily in her. I signed a contract with her: no matter how hard times get, she cannot sell her body without my permission."

She's unlike other singers. Many wealthy men desire her, think of her, yet can never touch her. Even when she had a private room at Baiyuemen, no one could touch her.

Only then can her value skyrocket. When people mention the top singer, Jiang Mengting is always first. With her status, I earn more money."

Li Banfeng smiled. "You're truly a shrewd businessman."

Ma Wu shook his head. "It's not just about business—it's also about her own talent. Every year, I cultivate five or six stars. In three to five years, I've had twenty or thirty.

But someone like her, untouched by men, only appears once every three to five years. Only then does she become precious—like a single rose among a thousand flowers. That rose gains value.

She can bear that value—in looks, in bearing, in heart, she's worthy.

She's a good woman. I want to find her a good home. Old Qi, will you take her?

I know you won't marry a singer as your wife, but even as a concubine, or even without any title, just keeping her by your side is enough."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Why me? Why don't you take her yourself?"

Ma Wu shook his head. "I can't. I can't truly care for any woman. Between us, it's only business.

Our business is nearly finished. I can't protect her anymore. So I want to find her a home.

When we brothers live quietly in the future, seeing her by your side, I'll feel less guilty toward her."

Li Banfeng frowned. "Why is our business nearly finished? Just because of the Customs Inspector's matter?"

Ma Wu sighed. "They wanted to seize the book-and-newspaper business at Heishipo. I refused—and you wouldn't have let me agree.

Now the Customs Inspector raised freight charges by fifty percent. All our businesses outside Lǜshuǐ Bay face the same hike. If this continues, all our outside operations will collapse."

Li Banfeng sipped his wine. "Fifty percent freight? Is it really that deadly?"

Ma Wu took a pen from his shirt and handed it to Li Banfeng. "This is a pen from Heishipo. Cost: six taels. Sold in Heishipo: twelve taels.

Yaowanggou has no pen factory. A pen sells for twenty-eight taels there. It's not because merchants are greedy—it's because freight alone costs fifteen taels.

To ship one pen from Heishipo to Yaowanggou, the cost is twenty-one taels. The merchant adds seven taels profit, making it twenty-eight."

Li Banfeng had never studied this. He knew freight in Puluozhou was expensive, but not this absurd.

"How heavy is this pen? How can freight cost fifteen taels? If it were grain, how much would freight cost per catty?"

Ma Wu sighed deeply. "Old Qi, you truly don't understand business. The Customs Inspector doesn't set freight by weight—he sets it by value. He bases prices on local market rates. He's openly robbing us.

Now he's raised freight by fifty percent. For this pen, freight alone is twenty-two and a half taels. Add the six-tael cost, the total exceeds the market price of twenty-eight taels. How can we still do this business?"

Outside business was truly impossible.

Should they abandon outside operations entirely and focus solely on Lǜshuǐ City trade?

How much blood and turmoil had Li Qi and Ma Wu endured to build their current fortune?

They were major figures in Puluozhou. If they gave up outside business, they'd become ordinary merchants in Lǜshuǐ City—all their past efforts wasted.

This was a tough problem. Ma Wu had no solution: "I tried to ease relations with the Customs Inspector, but they're firm. It's not just about the books and newspapers.

It's tied to what happened with the He family. He Yuxiu offended the Customs Inspector. We stood by He Yuxiu. He's now counting this debt against us."

Li Banfeng lit a cigarette. "How's the He family doing?"

"The Customs Inspector doubled He family's freight. Their business is finished—completely finished. Countless factories outside have shut down.

If not for He Yuxiu's remaining prestige, the He family would've collapsed already. He Yuxiu is now missing. If she falls into the Customs Inspector's hands, the He family will vanish from Puluozhou's elite."

"Can we use the Lu family's name for outside business?" Li Banfeng believed Lu Chunying would cooperate.

In fact, Ma Wu had already tried—but didn't know how long it would last: "The Customs Inspector wants to seize Baiyuemen. Lu Chunying refused. If this stalemate continues, the Lu family's freight will rise too."

"So even the Lu family is in trouble."

Ma Wu nodded. "Of the four great families, only the Chu family is thriving. The Customs Inspector cut their freight by thirty percent. Next, they'll slash prices and crush our business. Puluozhou's top family will become the Chu family."

Li Banfeng bit his cigarette, silently analyzing the entire situation.

Seeing Li Banfeng silent, Ma Wu offered a poor idea: "Old Qi, let's talk to Lu Chunying. Sell Baiyuemen to the Customs Inspector.

First, ease tensions between Lu family and the Inspector. Then, we can ease ours too. We'll make a few more bribes—maybe this storm will pass."

"Ease? Ease until when?" Li Banfeng shook his head. "Today we give them Baiyuemen. Tomorrow they want Xiaoyao Wu —do we give that too?"

Ma Wu knew this wasn't sustainable. "But what else can we do?"

Li Banfeng asked first: "If we split our business among ten or more people, each running their own part, the Customs Inspector can't target us—isn't that right?"

Ma Wu nodded. "That's logical. But where do we find so many reliable people? This isn't something we can do overnight."

Someone had already done it.

No one had ever targeted that person's business. He had truly done it.

"Old Wu, go find Shen Rongqing. Invite her out. Talk business with her."

Ma Wu waved his hand. "Old Qi, don't think I can get anything done in bed. Miss Shen won't even see me anymore."

Li Banfeng said: "Tell her I want to meet her. I want to catch up."

Ma Wu froze. "You know Shen Rongqing?"

"No."

Ma Wu stared. "You don't know her—how can you catch up?"

Li Banfeng said: "Just tell her. She'll understand."

…

Ling Family Film Company, Shen Rongqing didn't understand: "You're saying Li Qi wants to catch up with me? I've never met him."

Ma Wu smiled. "That's his exact words. I just deliver the message."

Shen Rongqing was baffled. After Ma Wu left, she told He Jiaqing.

…

He Jiaqing had just left the market. He walked into an alley, and with no one around, balanced an electronic scale's tray on his head.

After a tremor, He Jiaqing felt refreshed. He was about to return the tray when he felt a vibration on his chest button.

"Jiaqing, Ma Wu came to me today. He said Li Qi wants to catch up. I don't know Li Qi—should I meet him?"

He Jiaqing paused, then said: "Meet him."

"What do I say when I meet him?"

"Say: 'Long time no see.'"

"Long time no see? I've never even met him…" Shen Rongqing was utterly confused.

She couldn't understand either of them.

He Jiaqing was about to explain when a stout fish-seller burst into the alley, shouting: "What are you doing with my scale tray? Are you crazy? Stealing this too?!"

…

Quanjian Tea House, private room. Shen Rongqing looked across at Li Qi, took a deep breath, and said: "Long time no see."

The words felt awkward—but it was He Jiaqing's instruction. Shen Rongqing didn't know how Li Qi would react.

Li Qi's reaction was perfectly natural: "Yes, long time no see. How have you been lately?"

Shen Rongqing didn't understand the situation or what Li Qi meant. She could only reply: "Fine."

Li Qi continued: "I have a problem. I need your help."

…

He Jiaqing stepped out of a foot massage parlor, carrying a foot-washing tub.

He slipped the tub over his head and gripped his button: "Sister, did you meet him?"

"I did. The Customs Inspector is strangling their business with freight. He wants to use our channels to keep it running."

He Jiaqing thought a moment. "Fine. Let them sell directly from origin. We resell. No loss, and we make a profit."

Shen Rongqing froze. "Jiaqing, are you agreeing to this?

This is insane. I don't know how he found out about us, but if we do this, we're exposing the Brotherhood's secrets."

"Some secrets he already knows," He Jiaqing smiled inside the tub. "Help him with this. Then invite him again. Tell him: I hope he's well. But the He family is in bad shape—I hope the He family is well too."

PS: "Be well" was the last phrase Li Banfeng and He Jiaqing exchanged before parting.

(End of chapter)