Chapter Twenty-One: Money Moves the Heart

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July 13th, Wednesday.

Only twenty-three days after "Project B" began operations, the Yangtze Rickshaw Company’s "Project C" was also launched.

There were twelve brand-new rickshaws in total. Eight carried legal licenses registered with the Traffic Division, while the other four were "bogus" vehicles. Of course, even the "fake" licenses originated from the Traffic Division, making them impossible for patrol officers on the street to detect, especially since there was no networked database.

Li Chao was taking a massive risk by doing this. If he were caught, he would certainly be fired. However, wealth is sought in danger, and Li Chao was willing to gamble. Moreover, in this era, even if he were dismissed, his connections within the Traffic Division would remain. In theory, if it stayed within the department, his superiors would likely not punish him severely, merely warning him to be more discreet. After all, the rule of law in this age was quite thin; connections were what mattered most.

"The rickshaws in your hands are your tools for survival and your most important assets. Protect them, don't let them be stolen, and maintain them well—keep them clean."

"Furthermore, regarding sales techniques, I will train you for two weeks before you can formally sell goods to customers. We will begin our first lesson today."

For thirty minutes, he used simple scripts to train these rickshaw pullers, many of whom were illiterate or had little education.

"Alright, everyone, start your work. Remember to pay your rent on time... If you run into any trouble, you can come talk to me privately."

As they filed out, the twelve rickshaws were put into operation. With a steady stream of elites from across the country arriving in Shanghai, the rickshaw business was not difficult to manage; on the contrary, it was quite lucrative. At least for the next three to five years, it would be the golden age for rickshaws.

Afterward, Zhang Qihua, who was also present, cautioned the young man he favored: "Guangliang, don't you think you're expanding a bit too fast?"

Chen Guangliang said confidently, "Professor Zhang, look at the men—don't you think this expansion should be even faster?"

Zhang Qihua naturally felt sympathy for the rickshaw pullers, but he said worriedly, "I mean you, you need to be careful and cautious!"

"Yes, thank you for the reminder, Professor Zhang."

It was evident that Zhang Qihua held Chen Guangliang in high regard, and his words were heartfelt. Although Chen Guangliang would not stop his rapid expansion, he deeply respected Zhang Qihua. Recently, Zhang Qihua had been visiting the Yangtze Rickshaw Company almost daily, occasionally going out with the rickshaws to observe life, or staying at the base to discuss novels or conceptualize details with Chen Guangliang.

As for actually starting to write, that would likely not happen until August.

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"Thwack!"

Wang Chengyun slammed his hand onto the tea table, his face twisted in a ferocious expression. This was a far cry from the "Maitreya Buddha" image he usually projected, a stark contrast.

Twenty more rickshaw pullers had left the Wang Rickshaw Company. These men had not only withdrawn their deposits but had also cleared out their "savings." What angered Wang Chengyun even more was that the news of the Yangtze Rickshaw Company allowing rickshaw pullers to purchase vehicles through a partnership had created a great deal of public opinion within his own company, causing his men to become restless.

Tang Zhiqing, his "chief enforcer," added from the side, "Boss, those rascals have been colluding and agitating in private, saying that we need to lower the rent."

As if his sore spot had been poked, Wang Chengyun snarled, "They don't deserve it! I was just thinking about raising the rent!"

Tang Zhiqing nodded, acting the sycophant, "Exactly. Right now, the one thing we aren't short of is people. There’s a line of men waiting for these jobs."

Wang Chengyun knew this was true; "raising the rent" was no joke.

"The priority now is to teach Chen Guangliang a lesson, otherwise he'll think this Shanghai Bund is easy to navigate!"

In reality, the rise of the Yangtze Rickshaw Company did not directly impact the Wang Rickshaw Company. In terms of business, the increase in Shanghai's population meant an increase in demand; furthermore, the scale of Yangtze's business was a mere drop in the bucket compared to the 10,000 licensed rickshaws in the concessions. In terms of manpower, although the Wang Rickshaw Company had lost many pullers (about forty), it was not enough to cause significant damage; the concessions were never short of laborers.

But why was Wang Chengyun pursuing Chen Guangliang so relentlessly? The root cause lay in the cruelty of society and the chaos of order. Moreover, while Wang Chengyun appeared amiable on the surface, he was extremely harsh and sinister in private.

Tang Zhiqing said hesitantly, "At this point, the Yangtze Rickshaw Company’s vehicles are always full, and they have a lot of influence in Fanggualong. Plus, Chen Guangliang has a subordinate who is tough and ruthless."

The enforcer squad still had lingering fears about Zhou Xinggao. Chen Guangliang only relied on brute force and usually only caused superficial injuries, but those beaten by Zhou Xinggao almost always ended up with broken bones. Several of their brothers were still recovering from their injuries.

Wang Chengyun looked at Tang Zhiqing with dissatisfaction, believing he was showing cowardice.

"Hmph, you don't need to get involved this time. I have my own ways of dealing with Chen Guangliang."

He only kept seven or eight enforcers in total, and after the last time they were beaten, he couldn't spare anyone. As for firing Tang Zhiqing and his men to find others, Wang Chengyun would never do that. It was simple: the Wang residence needed protection, and his family lived there.

"By the way, are you sure one of Chen Guangliang's men has killed someone before?"

"There's no mistake. That man’s eyes are different; one look and you can tell he has many lives on his hands." They were talking about Zhou Xinggao.

"Understood. You may leave."

Page 3 of 3

One day later, Wang Chengyun met with a familiar detective from the police station to dine at his own restaurant. Wang Chengyun had wanted to emulate Gu Zhuxuan—to invest in other businesses after making money from his rickshaw company. But he soon realized that running a restaurant required popularity, and as a mere small-time gang leader, he lacked the status to draw crowds. Thus, his restaurant business was not doing well.

During the meal, Wang Chengyun brought up his purpose: "Detective Gao, I would like to ask you to help me deal with someone!"

Detective Gao was a short, stout man, his rank slightly higher than an ordinary patrolman, though he was merely a subordinate to the "Red-Headed Indians" (Sikh police), let alone the Western detectives or sergeants. Even so, it was easy for Detective Gao to handle those at the bottom of society.

Detective Gao drank his wine and said nonchalantly, "Boss Wang, you joke. We are men of law and human rights; how can we just deal with people as we please?"

Wang Chengyun smiled and pulled out a cloth bag, saying, "One hundred silver dollars, Detective Gao, take it for some tea!" It pained him to part with the money, but thinking about how he could earn it back from the pullers made him feel a bit better.

Detective Gao didn't even glance at the bag, asking instead, "Who has offended Boss Wang?"

Wang Chengyun replied, "A former puller of mine who has poached quite a few of my men."

Detective Gao was not stupid and immediately asked, "Just a small rickshaw puller, and you need me to step in? If you don't tell the truth, Boss Wang, your money will go down the drain!" The implication was clear: if he took the money but the intel was inaccurate, he would keep it, and there was nothing Wang could do about it.

Wang Chengyun had to be honest: "This puller somehow got his hands on a sum of money and then convinced my other pullers to pool their resources to buy their own rickshaws. He went further and further, poaching forty of my men, and even started his own rickshaw company."

Detective Gao, always cautious, said immediately, "If that's the case, he's a person of some standing. Being able to unite forty pullers is clearly not simple." If he targeted the man and it caused a major conflict, he might lose his job. The concessions were not without order; it was just that the order at the bottom was thin. It was fine to bully those without background or skill, but provoking a hard nut to crack was troublesome.

Wang Chengyun had to say, "Detective Gao, this puller is sheltering a murderer. I only need you to arrest the murderer and the puller under the guise of an investigation and hold them for three days. Once it's done, I'll offer another hundred silver dollars for tea."

Detective Gao became interested: "Tell me more."

Money moves the heart. If the man was just a puller who knew how to organize, he could certainly be dealt with. After all, wasn't this puller's behavior bad for the other rickshaw company owners as well?