Chu Er’s carriage entered Blue Poplar Village, and Ma Wu personally welcomed her into Mengchun Garden.
After opening a bottle of red wine, the two clinked glasses. Chu Er handed the newspaper to Ma Junyang.
Blue Poplar Village was remote, and newspapers arrived late. Ma Wu was also shocked after reading the headlines.
"Lu Dongliang of Qian Yue Tower was impersonated by Lu Dongjun?" Ma Wu was somewhat incredulous. "Is this news reliable?"
"Never mind its reliability. The Lu Family is already in chaos. Haven’t you always wanted Hundred Joy Gate? Now is the perfect opportunity."
Ma Wu gave a bitter smile. "I might have the chance, but I can’t grasp it. Right now, where would I get the capital for it?"
"You don’t, but I do. I’ll provide the capital, you provide the effort. Let’s take over Hundred Joy Gate together. Tell me, what do you think would be a fair price?"
Once it came to business matters, Ma Wu was more clear-headed than anyone.
Ma Wu had no desire to do all the hard work only for someone else to reap the rewards. He tactfully refused, "You truly think too highly of me. Managing this one village already has me worn out. How could I dare get involved in such a large business?"
Chu Er’s chin tucked slightly as she looked up at Ma Wu from under her eyelids. "Young Master Wu, I came here sincerely asking you to join this venture."
Ma Wu lit a cigarette to calm his nerves. "Miss Chu, I genuinely feel I’m not up to it," he said.
The room fell silent.
Wen Hongyan licked her forearm, ready to use force.
This was the strategy she and Chu Er had discussed: if Ma Wu didn’t comply, they would resort to strong-arming him.
KNOCK, KNOCK!
Knocks resounded from outside the private room.
Yang Yanzheng stiffened, casting a sidelong glance at the door.
He sensed danger.
Ma Wu called out, "Come in."
Zeng Jincheng and Cao Zhida, carrying two bottles of wine and several dishes, pushed open the door and entered.
"Master Wu, the wine and dishes you requested are ready. The server looked nervous and was shaking, so we worried he might spill them. Therefore, we brothers decided to deliver them ourselves."
Ma Wu quickly gestured. "Thank you both. Please, sit down and join us."
The two agreed cheerfully, but neither sat down.
Ma Wu opened another bottle of wine and turned to Chu Er. "Miss Chu, shall we have another cup?"
Chu Er’s face was stern as she replied, "Let’s settle the matter first. It’s not too late to drink after we’ve decided. Are you with me or not?"
Ma Wu shook his head. "I truly don’t have the capability."
Wen Hongyan glared fiercely. "So you refuse a toast, only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Ma Wu, today, whether you like it or not, you’re coming with us!"
"That’s not how it works!" Zuo Wugang walked in from outside. "As the saying goes, ’A guest should suit the convenience of the host.’ Our Master Wu is the host; whether he wants to leave or not isn’t for others to dictate."
Seeing Zuo Wugang, Wen Hongyan immediately stood in front of Chu Er.
This was the reaction of People of the Jianghu upon encountering a stronger opponent.
"Old Zuo, changed masters so quickly? After thoroughly disgracing yourself with the Lu Family, have you come to make a spectacle of yourself at the Ma Family’s place?" Wen Hongyan taunted.
Zuo Wugang didn’t get angry. "Fortune hasn’t been on my side, and I did indeed lose face with the Lu Family. But Master Wu doesn’t look down on me, and I am grateful for his kindness. I won’t allow anyone to make a move on Master Wu."
Ma Wu tried to mediate, "Head Zuo, there’s no need for this. Miss Chu and I were just chatting. Please, sit down and have a drink first."
Zuo Wugang chuckled. "Thank you, Master Wu, but I’ve been sitting all day and I’m tired. I was just thinking of stretching my muscles a bit."
He chose not to sit but stood cheerfully beside Ma Wu.
This was a warning to Wen Hongyan and Yang Yanzheng: if they wanted to fight, he was ready anytime.
Wen Hongyan very likely couldn’t beat Zuo Wugang, and Zeng Jincheng and Cao Zhida could probably keep Yang Yanzheng occupied.
This was Ma Wu’s turf; dragging this out would put Chu Er at a disadvantage. Chu Er might be a bit unhinged, but she wasn’t stupid. This was not the place for a fight.
After a tense standoff, Chu Er’s face visibly paled. She stood up and called out to Wen Hongyan, "Let’s go."
The group boarded the carriage and left Blue Poplar Village. Ma Wu called Xiao Chuanzi over. "Go to Greenwater City and find out what’s happening with the Lu Family."
「The next afternoon」
Xiao Chuanzi returned. "Master Wu, the Lu Family is indeed in trouble; it’s complete chaos. Old Master Lu Maoxian of the Lu Family beat up Lu Dongjun.
That same night, Lu Dongjun went to the train station, took his anger out on Monkey Qiu, and seized a batch of Monkey Qiu’s goods!"
"Seized all the goods? What goods?" Ma Wu hadn’t expected the situation to escalate so dramatically.
"Grain. The grain meant for Hai Chi Ridge. Hai Chi Ridge has suffered a disaster and is facing a famine. The Lu Family, Ma Family, He Family, and Chu Family all have significant business interests there. They’re worried about chaos erupting, so they’ve all been sending grain to Hai Chi Ridge. Lu Dongjun has gone mad! He didn’t just detain Monkey Qiu’s grain; he seized the goods from the other families too. He actually dared to meddle in something like this!"
"Hai Chi Ridge suffered a disaster? Has this been reported in the newspapers yet?" Ma Wu felt the situation had arisen too suddenly. It was long past the autumn harvest; what kind of disaster could Hai Chi Ridge have suffered?
"It hasn’t hit the papers yet, but I’ve heard it’s very serious. Quite a few people have already starved to death."
Ma Wu rubbed his forehead, murmuring, "Chu Huaiyuan, if you still dare to covet Hundred Joy Gate now, you’ll truly be stirring up a hornet’s nest."
...
Inside the He Family Mansion, He Yuxiu slammed her shawl onto the sofa and cursed, "Lu Dongjun, that son of a bitch! How dare he seize our family’s goods! I’ll fucking squeeze his balls out and feed them to the flies!"
Last night, when Monkey Qiu went to the train station to ship goods, Lu Dongjun caught him right at the entrance.
Lu Dongjun had intended to kill Monkey Qiu, but Monkey Qiu had arranged an escape route at the station beforehand. He suffered minor injuries and managed to get away.
For some unknown reason, Lu Dongjun detained all the goods ready for shipment, including the Lu family’s own goods, as well as those of the He, Ma, and Chu families.
This batch of goods was grain destined for disaster relief in Hai Chi Ridge—a matter of great importance for the entire Puluo State. Yet, Lu Dongjun had actually dared to interfere in this affair.