Chapter 57 Wei Xiangzuo Joins the Dinner
Inside the private room,
Yu Mingyuan stood up immediately upon seeing the guest arrive. "Wei ge, thank you for sparing our lives at the warehouse yesterday," he said gratefully.
Indeed, the person who had arrived was none other than Wei Xiangzuo, the leader of the Zhanan Ma Gang. Yu Mingyuan had managed to invite him today through a friend from the first district, who owed Wei Xiangzuo a favor.
"You're exaggerating," Wei Xiangzuo replied curtly, shaking hands with Yu Mingyuan. "I left yesterday because I didn't know about Xu Hu's robbery beforehand, so it's not really sparing your lives."
"Hehe, Wei ge is a man of few words. Please, have a seat!" Yu Mingyuan found a way to ease the tension and gestured for Wei Xiangzuo to sit in the guest seat.
Su Tianyu watched the burly and resolute-looking man, and from the host's position, he set the table with dishes and poured white wine.
"I've heard about Wei ge's reputation at the docks, but I've always..." Yu Mingyuan wanted to use a drinking game from the business world to flatter the other party.
Wei Xiangzuo waved his hand directly, looking at the dishes on the table. "We're here to eat, not to flatter each other. Mr. Yu, if you have something to say, just say it. With the relationship with Lao Xu, if I can do it, I will. I owe him that much."
Seeing the directness of the other party, Yu Mingyuan adjusted his thinking and no longer beat around the bush. "Wei ge, the relationship between the Ma Gang and the port has affected our company's business, so I have to find a way out on my own. I want to ask if there is any possibility of cooperation between us."
Wei Xiangzuo ate his food unceremoniously with chopsticks, laughing lightly. "Do you want to cooperate with the Ma Gang or with me?"
"Of course, I want to cooperate with you!" Yu Mingyuan replied with a smile.
"That's not possible." Wei Xiangzuo's eating manner was rough and ready, and he already had oil stains at the corners of his mouth. "If we bypass the Ma Gang and work alone, that's not going to work."
"I'll give you 40% profit, ten percent more than what Tang Baiqing was getting before," Yu Mingyuan continued. "You don't have to do the work, just take care of the sea relations and ensure the safe delivery of goods."
"It's not about that," Wei Xiangzuo shook his head.
Yu Mingyuan looked at his expression and carefully considered before saying, "The Ma Gang is an organized group with many rules. If you are willing to cooperate with me, I can help you become a gang leader and enter the general labor union. I can also find ways to support you financially and with connections."
"Hehe!" Wei Xiangzuo heard this and turned his head to smile at Yu Mingyuan. "You can offer me such a high price, so why can't you just submit to Xu Hu? You offer him a 40% cut without him doing any work, and I'm sure he'll forget about yesterday's unpleasantness in no time."
"No, it's not the same," Yu Mingyuan shook his head. "Xu Hu wants to make money by suppressing me. He'll demand 40% today and 60% tomorrow. He also wants me to kick out the Dirty Gang, which is like him making decisions for me. I can't accept that."
"That makes sense," Wei Xiangzuo nodded and took a bite of fish. "But I still can't cooperate with you."
Yu Mingyuan looked at him and said, "Hehe, Wei Ge, do you not trust me?"
"What do you mean?" Wei Xiangzuo asked.
"From what I know, you and Xu Hu have different ideas about some things in the Ma Gang," Yu Mingyuan said. "Your reluctance to cooperate with me is like raising Xu Hu's price. You don't want to make a 40% profit, but you're protecting Xu Hu's face. I don't quite understand that."
Wei Xiangzuo looked at the dishes on the table and pointed his chopsticks around. "Look at these dishes, there are vegetarian, meat, clear soup, and dry pot. But no matter how high the quality of the dishes is, it's not a banquet unless you take out everything. Although the Ma Gang has many branches and people, it can only be called the Ma Gang when everyone is together. The government, foreigners, customs, and police have to give us face. Why is that? It's simple - strength in numbers!"
The indicies you want to trade
Avatar: The Way Of Water
College girls need friends
Yu Mingyuan was speechless at this.
"Although I don't really like Xu Hu's way of doing things, we're both from the same martial arts school and have the same master. If you and him fight, but I take the deal, it's like stabbing Xu Hu in the back and starting an internal gang fight," Wei Xiangzuo put down his chopsticks and looked at Yu Mingyuan.
"Wei Ge, I think..."
"Xiao Yu, from my personal perspective, I don't think this situation needs to escalate into a life-or-death struggle," Wei Xiangzuo interrupted Yu Mingyuan and continued in a low voice, "You should go talk to Xu Hu. If you two can reach some sort of agreement, I'm willing to mediate. You can transport a shipment of goods, give the gang a cut, and we can all make money peacefully. It will also help the brothers below live a little better."
Yu Mingyuan knew he couldn't convince Wei Xiangzuo at this point.
"Okay then," Wei Xiangzuo stood up. "I'll leave now."
With those words, Wei Xiangzuo walked out alone, while Yu Mingyuan frowned and couldn't help but ask, "What if I can't reach an agreement with Xu Hu?"
Wei Xiangzuo turned around without hesitation and replied, "We make a living in the harbor. If you cross the line and don't pay, it's definitely not going to work."
After speaking, Wei Xiangzuo pushed the door and left.
Yu Mingyuan loosened his collar and cursed, "Damn it, I ran into a stubborn one!"
"Yes," Su Tianyu echoed, but he had a different opinion of Wei Xiangzuo.
The negotiation had failed, and Yu Mingyuan was in a bad mood. He had no appetite for the meal on the table and grabbed his coat to leave.
Su Tianyu asked the manager to settle the bill but was told that Wei Xiangzuo had already paid.
—---
It was clear that going through the gang was not going to work. In the following days, Su Tianyu and Yu Mingyuan were both busy trying to establish new official connections, but with little success. Xu Hu had spent his time giving gifts to both sides of the harbor's black-and-white connections and didn't give Yu Mingyuan a chance to break in.
Their sea trade had been blocked.
When the goods couldn't come in, the company had nothing to do, and so Mingyuan Company was almost in dire straits. Surprisingly, when the company was facing bankruptcy, Yu Mingyuan didn't get too upset. His heart was at ease because the worst outcome had already occurred.
One noon, Su Tianyu, Su Tianbei, Bai Hongbo, and Kong Zhenghui came to Yu Family's home, ready to talk to him. Su Tianyu had been inquiring about the port situation in recent days, and he already had some ideas in mind.
As soon as the group entered Yu's villa, Bai Hongbo saw An Qiqi and six or seven other girls sitting by the pool chatting.
The sky was sunny and the yard was lush with plants and water. A gentle breeze blew by as a group of girls sat on the lawn eating snacks and cold dishes, chatting and painting. The scenery was breathtaking.
Bai Hongbo saw this scene and immediately improvised a poem, "A small bridge over flowing water, the wind blows from the north, seven beauties eating ham, if you ask where beauty lies, I'll reach out and touch their thighs."
The poem was spontaneous, without any warning, so the other three were stunned after hearing it.
"...You are really talented!" Su Tianbei was impressed.
Chapter 57 Wei Xiangzuo Joins the Dinner
Inside the private room,
Yu Mingyuan stood up immediately upon seeing the guest arrive. "Wei ge, thank you for sparing our lives at the warehouse yesterday," he said gratefully.
Indeed, the person who had arrived was none other than Wei Xiangzuo, the leader of the Zhanan Ma Gang. Yu Mingyuan had managed to invite him today through a friend from the first district, who owed Wei Xiangzuo a favor.
"You're exaggerating," Wei Xiangzuo replied curtly, shaking hands with Yu Mingyuan. "I left yesterday because I didn't know about Xu Hu's robbery beforehand, so it's not really sparing your lives."
"Hehe, Wei ge is a man of few words. Please, have a seat!" Yu Mingyuan found a way to ease the tension and gestured for Wei Xiangzuo to sit in the guest seat.
Su Tianyu watched the burly and resolute-looking man, and from the host's position, he set the table with dishes and poured white wine.
"I've heard about Wei ge's reputation at the docks, but I've always..." Yu Mingyuan wanted to use a drinking game from the business world to flatter the other party.
Wei Xiangzuo waved his hand directly, looking at the dishes on the table. "We're here to eat, not to flatter each other. Mr. Yu, if you have something to say, just say it. With the relationship with Lao Xu, if I can do it, I will. I owe him that much."
Seeing the directness of the other party, Yu Mingyuan adjusted his thinking and no longer beat around the bush. "Wei ge, the relationship between the Ma Gang and the port has affected our company's business, so I have to find a way out on my own. I want to ask if there is any possibility of cooperation between us."
Wei Xiangzuo ate his food unceremoniously with chopsticks, laughing lightly. "Do you want to cooperate with the Ma Gang or with me?"
"Of course, I want to cooperate with you!" Yu Mingyuan replied with a smile.
"That's not possible." Wei Xiangzuo's eating manner was rough and ready, and he already had oil stains at the corners of his mouth. "If we bypass the Ma Gang and work alone, that's not going to work."
"I'll give you 40% profit, ten percent more than what Tang Baiqing was getting before," Yu Mingyuan continued. "You don't have to do the work, just take care of the sea relations and ensure the safe delivery of goods."
"It's not about that," Wei Xiangzuo shook his head.
Yu Mingyuan looked at his expression and carefully considered before saying, "The Ma Gang is an organized group with many rules. If you are willing to cooperate with me, I can help you become a gang leader and enter the general labor union. I can also find ways to support you financially and with connections."
"Hehe!" Wei Xiangzuo heard this and turned his head to smile at Yu Mingyuan. "You can offer me such a high price, so why can't you just submit to Xu Hu? You offer him a 40% cut without him doing any work, and I'm sure he'll forget about yesterday's unpleasantness in no time."
"No, it's not the same," Yu Mingyuan shook his head. "Xu Hu wants to make money by suppressing me. He'll demand 40% today and 60% tomorrow. He also wants me to kick out the Dirty Gang, which is like him making decisions for me. I can't accept that."
"That makes sense," Wei Xiangzuo nodded and took a bite of fish. "But I still can't cooperate with you."
Yu Mingyuan looked at him and said, "Hehe, Wei Ge, do you not trust me?"
"What do you mean?" Wei Xiangzuo asked.
"From what I know, you and Xu Hu have different ideas about some things in the Ma Gang," Yu Mingyuan said. "Your reluctance to cooperate with me is like raising Xu Hu's price. You don't want to make a 40% profit, but you're protecting Xu Hu's face. I don't quite understand that."
Wei Xiangzuo looked at the dishes on the table and pointed his chopsticks around. "Look at these dishes, there are vegetarian, meat, clear soup, and dry pot. But no matter how high the quality of the dishes is, it's not a banquet unless you take out everything. Although the Ma Gang has many branches and people, it can only be called the Ma Gang when everyone is together. The government, foreigners, customs, and police have to give us face. Why is that? It's simple - strength in numbers!"
The indicies you want to trade
Avatar: The Way Of Water
College girls need friends
Yu Mingyuan was speechless at this.
"Although I don't really like Xu Hu's way of doing things, we're both from the same martial arts school and have the same master. If you and him fight, but I take the deal, it's like stabbing Xu Hu in the back and starting an internal gang fight," Wei Xiangzuo put down his chopsticks and looked at Yu Mingyuan.
"Wei Ge, I think..."
"Xiao Yu, from my personal perspective, I don't think this situation needs to escalate into a life-or-death struggle," Wei Xiangzuo interrupted Yu Mingyuan and continued in a low voice, "You should go talk to Xu Hu. If you two can reach some sort of agreement, I'm willing to mediate. You can transport a shipment of goods, give the gang a cut, and we can all make money peacefully. It will also help the brothers below live a little better."
Yu Mingyuan knew he couldn't convince Wei Xiangzuo at this point.
"Okay then," Wei Xiangzuo stood up. "I'll leave now."
With those words, Wei Xiangzuo walked out alone, while Yu Mingyuan frowned and couldn't help but ask, "What if I can't reach an agreement with Xu Hu?"
Wei Xiangzuo turned around without hesitation and replied, "We make a living in the harbor. If you cross the line and don't pay, it's definitely not going to work."
After speaking, Wei Xiangzuo pushed the door and left.
Yu Mingyuan loosened his collar and cursed, "Damn it, I ran into a stubborn one!"
"Yes," Su Tianyu echoed, but he had a different opinion of Wei Xiangzuo.
The negotiation had failed, and Yu Mingyuan was in a bad mood. He had no appetite for the meal on the table and grabbed his coat to leave.
Su Tianyu asked the manager to settle the bill but was told that Wei Xiangzuo had already paid.
—---
It was clear that going through the gang was not going to work. In the following days, Su Tianyu and Yu Mingyuan were both busy trying to establish new official connections, but with little success. Xu Hu had spent his time giving gifts to both sides of the harbor's black-and-white connections and didn't give Yu Mingyuan a chance to break in.
Their sea trade had been blocked.
When the goods couldn't come in, the company had nothing to do, and so Mingyuan Company was almost in dire straits. Surprisingly, when the company was facing bankruptcy, Yu Mingyuan didn't get too upset. His heart was at ease because the worst outcome had already occurred.
One noon, Su Tianyu, Su Tianbei, Bai Hongbo, and Kong Zhenghui came to Yu Family's home, ready to talk to him. Su Tianyu had been inquiring about the port situation in recent days, and he already had some ideas in mind.
As soon as the group entered Yu's villa, Bai Hongbo saw An Qiqi and six or seven other girls sitting by the pool chatting.
The sky was sunny and the yard was lush with plants and water. A gentle breeze blew by as a group of girls sat on the lawn eating snacks and cold dishes, chatting and painting. The scenery was breathtaking.
Bai Hongbo saw this scene and immediately improvised a poem, "A small bridge over flowing water, the wind blows from the north, seven beauties eating ham, if you ask where beauty lies, I'll reach out and touch their thighs."
The poem was spontaneous, without any warning, so the other three were stunned after hearing it.
"...You are really talented!" Su Tianbei was impressed.
