Chapter 26: Strike While the Iron Is Hot

Late July, one evening.

In the courtyard of the Wang Family Rickshaw Depot, the evening shift rental process was underway. Although the depot had recently had twenty-four "unlicensed" rickshaws confiscated by the Traffic Department, its underlying strength remained substantial. With a fleet of one hundred and twenty legitimate vehicles, it was still far superior to the Yangtze Rickshaw Depot. Consequently, a long line of hopeful renters stretched out, creating a grand spectacle.

Wang Chengyun sat on the steps in front of the courtyard, smoking a long pipe and sipping premium tea, a smile perpetually fixed on his face. To an uninformed outsider, he would have seemed like an amiable boss. In reality, however, his two hundred-plus rickshaw pullers secretly dubbed him the "Smiling Tiger."

"I have an announcement to make today: from now on, the day shift rental fee is raised to sixty cents, and the night shift rental fee is raised to fifty cents. No credit will be extended."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the crowd erupted into chaos. Tang Zhiqing, accompanied by seven or eight thugs, moved behind Wang Chengyun, staring down the pullers with menacing glares.

"Boss Wang, how can you do this? Raising the rent by ten cents all at once means we have to cough up three extra silver dollars a month. We barely make ends meet as it is; you can't do this to us!"

"That’s right, Boss Wang! It isn't right! There are over two hundred of us here sweating for a living; if everyone has to pay more, our lives will become unbearable!"

The protests grew louder by the second.

Wang Chengyun shouted, "Why can't I raise the rent? The Yangtze Depot charges a full silver dollar per day for a rickshaw, and I’m only asking for ninety cents total! The rent increase stands. If you don't like it, get out!" He had dropped his mask, revealing his true, ruthless nature.

"Boss Wang, that’s not a fair comparison. They allow us pullers to hold shares; it’s like working for ourselves."

"Exactly! The Wang Family Depot is a heartless meat grinder. We won't pull your rickshaws—let them sit here empty!"

"Yes! Let’s all boycott the Wang family's rickshaws!"

Seeing the situation spiraling out of control, Tang Zhiqing put on a savage expression and charged into the crowd toward the few pullers leading the dissent.

"You’re looking for death!"
"Beat them to a pulp!"

The scene descended into mayhem. Though there were over a hundred pullers, they were unorganized, like a flock of sheep, and many chose to stand aside. The thugs, numbering only seven or eight, were well-trained and had a fearsome reputation.

Screams filled the air as the thugs brutally beat the dozen or so ringleaders.

"Stop hitting them! You're going to kill someone!"
"Master Wang isn't moving! He's dead!"

Seeing that a man had been killed, Wang Chengyun hurriedly shouted, "Stop! Who told you to kill anyone?"

A major scandal had broken out at the Wang Family Depot.

***

Chen Guangliang was eating dinner at the Yangtze Rickshaw Depot’s base in Fan Gua Nong, joined by He Xiangdong and Zhou Xinggao. The three of them were bachelors, so they shared their meals. Usually, the dinner was prepared by his cousin, Yang Xiuying, who brought it over, while breakfast and lunch were handled by Zhou and He. Although their salaries weren't high, they were filled with boundless hope.

During dinner, He Xiangdong asked curiously, "Old Zhou, you served in the army for so many years; how did you not save up any money?" It was no secret that Zhou Xinggao came from the Beiyang Army.

"I had some money back then, but I spent it all. I never thought about saving. By the time I left the service, I had bigger things to worry about." Zhou expressed no strong emotion regarding the past. Now, even though their meals were simple, he began to enjoy them; it was a peaceful life, far better than worrying every day about dying on the battlefield. Moreover, his boss was not only a benefactor but also had limitless prospects; following him would certainly pay off.

He Xiangdong said with a touch of longing, "You must have experienced so much. Unlike us, who haven't seen much of the world."

"That’s true, but there's nothing much to say. The past is the past."

Seeing that Zhou didn't want to elaborate, He stopped pressing. He, too, had great expectations. The "Project A" he held shares in had been running for over two months with remarkable results, and he was reaping the benefits. Furthermore, he no longer had to perform manual labor and was learning a great deal from his boss.

"Boss! Boss!"

"Master Gao, what’s the matter?"

Master Gao from the Yangtze Depot walked in, accompanied by a rickshaw puller from the Wang family's business. Master Gao said hurriedly, "Someone died! There’s been a killing over at the Wang Family Depot!"

Chen Guangliang frowned. "Give me the details. What exactly happened?" Whether people died at the Wang family's place was none of his concern, and Master Gao’s lack of judgment in bringing a puller straight to the Yangtze Depot was bothersome.

The puller said, "Boss Chen, it happened like this... They just beat two men to death. We don't know what to do, so we wanted to ask for your advice!"

After hearing the account, Chen Guangliang couldn't remain calm. Wang Chengyun was truly vicious—first raising the rent, then beating two pullers to death and injuring nearly a dozen others.

"Go back immediately. Try to have the pullers gather around the Wang residence. I will see if I can find some reporters for you; otherwise, these two men will have died in vain."

In truth, it wasn't certain that justice would be served. The concessions had their own laws, and while someone would surely go to prison for the deaths, it almost certainly wouldn't be Wang Chengyun. However, Chen saw an opportunity to destroy him and wasn't about to miss it.

"Understood. I'll go organize everyone right now. We won't let that 'Smiling Tiger' destroy the evidence."

After Master Gao and the puller left, Chen said, "Old Zhou, come with me to find Professor Zhang."

"Right, Boss."

Only with the intervention of the press would this matter reach Wang Chengyun.

***

At the Wang residence, Wang Chengyun was being servile, pouring tea for Inspector Gao in the living room. "Inspector Gao, you must help me. I will surely reward you handsomely afterward!"

Inspector Gao frowned. "Boss Wang, how can I help? Your pullers are all gathered outside, and everyone has seen everything clearly. We are only here to uphold the law and carry out an arrest." He was only giving Boss Wang face by not making an immediate arrest. Naturally, Inspector Gao wanted to extract a hefty sum from Wang.

Wang said quickly, "Inspector Gao, this really has nothing to do with me. I was just raising the rent, and those pullers started making trouble. They were the ones who moved to strike first, so my men retaliated, and in the confusion, they accidentally killed someone." He then slid two gold bars across the table, worth at least five hundred silver dollars.

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough to make Inspector Gao ignore such a massive incident. "Boss Wang, someone has to take the fall. There are two lives lost, and many people were watching."

He wanted the money, but he wouldn't risk his career.

Wang gritted his teeth. "It was all that brute Tang Zhiqing. I never once told them to hit anyone; he acted on his own initiative. Inspector Gao, there’s another half of this reward waiting once this is settled."

Two lives and several injuries—Wang Chengyun thought one thousand silver dollars could fix it, a testament to his greed.

Inspector Gao said, "I have two conditions: first, besides Tang Zhiqing, you must hand over another person. Both must go to jail, and they must do so 'voluntarily.' Second, you must immediately appease the injured pullers and the families of the dead so they stop protesting. If you don't do these two things, no one can save you, Boss Wang."

Wang only wanted to avoid being implicated. While he was greedy, he feared prison even more. "I agree."

Just as they finished their negotiation, a patrolman ran in. "Inspector Gao, it’s bad! Reporters are outside demanding an interview. The news has leaked!"

Wang Chengyun felt as if he had been struck by lightning; he knew instantly that he was ruined.

Inspector Gao frowned. "Damn it! Why now of all times?" He walked toward the door, ignoring Wang entirely. He dared not take the gold bars on the table now. The situation could no longer be contained; with so many pullers as witnesses and reporters on the scene, things had become far too complex. In this day and age, reporters were truly people you did not want to cross.