Back to the Republic of China to open a department store

This dung pier really lived up to its reputation, and the creepy smell could be smelled hundreds of meters away.

The toilets are neatly arranged on the pier, and many small boats and dung trucks are docked on the river bank, waiting for the dawn of the next day. Boats not much bigger than the board will be full of dung, heading towards the surrounding towns and towns, and selling this "gold" to farmers who harvest manure.

This business sounds disgusting, but in fact it has huge benefits. Therefore, it has been divided into many territories and gangs. The leaders are all making money every day, but the bottom workers are living very hard.

The woman pulled Luo Xiazhi into a small boat docked on the shore, and then blew out the oil lamp on the bow.

Luo Xiazhi covered his mouth with the scarf, and this time he really "held his breath and focused". He took a long breath after hearing the footsteps of Ah San cursing and leaving - and then quickly covered his mouth.

"Sir, does it smell bad?"

The woman struck a match and relit the oil lamp.

"It's okay, it's okay...Thank you, sister-in-law."

Luo Xiazhi covered his nose, and Chen Ken said, "Thank you sister-in-law for saving my life. When I get home, I will thank you again!"

"Thank you, there is no need."

The woman hung the oil lamp back to the bow, only then did Luo Xiazhi see that besides him and the middle-aged woman, there were two masked men in black squatting on the boat.

"Let me introduce—this is Ah Da, and this is Ah Er. They are both Ah San's brothers."

The woman squatted down with a smile, and patted Luo Xiazhi's pale face.

"As for me, I am Ah San's mother-in-law, known as 'the third sister-in-law'."

"You are... a gang..."

Luo Xiazhi suddenly realized.

"Master Luo San is good. In Shanghai, the 'Shimai Department Store' belonging to the third master is the most popular. The end of the year is coming, and Ala is going back to the countryside for the New Year. I want to ask the Luo family to 'borrow' some money. Don’t know how to cut it?”

----------------

An hour later, a blackmail letter appeared at the door of Luo's mansion. The messenger came and went in a hurry, and left before the servant arrived.

The housekeeper immediately called Luo's Co., Ltd. and Shimai Department Store respectively, and confirmed that after five o'clock in the afternoon, Luo Xiazhi went out alone in a rickshaw to the printing office and lost contact.The printing company also replied that they hadn't waited for Master Luo to arrive, and felt rather strange, so they wanted to call to inquire.

Luo Yunze rushed back to the Luo mansion immediately, and ordered Shimai Department Store to operate as usual, and the security department sent additional staff to observe whether there were any unusual customers.

"Within three days, raise [-] U.S. dollars or the equivalent in gold. Don't call the police, otherwise the ticket will be torn up."

Luo Yunze put the blackmail letter on the table, and took two steps back and forth, "The letter didn't say the time and place for paying the money or ransoming people, and there should be more news later."

"Yunze, you have to save him...you must save Xiao Xia."

Bai Fenghuang cried desperately, "Xiao Xia must not have an accident, if something happens to him, how can I live!"

Luo Yunze stretched out his hand to comfort him, but under the watchful eyes of everyone, he had no choice but to withdraw his hand.

"Don't call the police first. Butler, tell the servants in the family that the matter of the third young master's kidnapping must not be disclosed to outsiders, especially the reporters!"

Since the Mid-Autumn Festival, rich businessmen and their family members have been kidnapped one after another in Shanghai.

The young son of the Jinhua Hotel who was kidnapped the first time was the worst. He was kidnapped at the school gate in broad daylight. The reporters surrounded the Jin family half an hour later.On the day of the Jin family's ransom, before my own family arrived, more than a dozen reporters were already squatting there.

The final result was that the reporters had photographed Young Master Jin's miserable and unrepentant corpse before the Jin family arrived, and the current issue of "Declaration" was out of stock.

"Okay, I'll go and order now. From now on, no one is allowed to leave the Luo mansion except the cook who buys vegetables."

The butler nodded.

"Where is Mrs. Seven? Why didn't you see her when you came back?"

Seeing that He Lan was not there, Luo Yunze frowned.

"After the seventh wife had dinner, she went back to her room to read scriptures."

"After such a big incident, is she still in the mood to chant scriptures?"

Luo Yunze sneered, he turned his head and saw the phone on the desk.

"Go to the porter."

There are three telephones in the Luo mansion.

One is in Luo's study, one is in the living room, and the other is in the concierge.

Now Luo Yunze, Bai Fenghuang and the butler are in the study, and all the servants of the Luo family except the doorman are ordered to gather in the living room and not move around at will. As for the doorman...

When the butler pushed open the door of the concierge on the right side of the door, he saw He Lan, who was supposed to be chanting sutras and praying to Buddha in his room, was holding a microphone, talking excitedly to the other end of the phone, beaming with joy.

Seeing the three of them rushing in suddenly, He Lan was stunned for a moment. Just before she wanted to hang up the phone, Luo Yunze grabbed the receiver and put it to her ear to listen.

"Mom, is it true? That little bastard was really kidnapped? Haha! It's true that evil people have evil rewards. Mom, mom, why don't you speak? Mom?"

The voice on the other end of the phone was Fifth Miss Luo Hehe.

"Rohehe..."

Luo Yunze said in a low voice, "Tomorrow morning, if I read news of Xiao Xia's accident in any newspaper—your husband's business, and your father-in-law's goods, let them figure out their own way..."

After hanging up the phone, Luo Yunze looked at He Lan who was full of displeasure and wanted to defend himself, and said coldly, "Since Mrs. Seven is devoted to Buddha, then tidy up tonight and go to Mount Putuo to practice meditation tomorrow. Housekeeper, go tomorrow." Buy the ticket for the earliest boat at Shiliupu Wharf and send Mrs. Seven on board."

"You... You bastard, I am your elder after all, how dare you treat me like this! Luo Yunze!"

Seeing He Lan being gagged by the butler and brought back to the house, Luo Yunze closed his eyes, his clenched fists trembling unceasingly.

Xiao Xia, his son, the one he couldn't give him a title, the only son...

If something really happened to him, Bai Fenghuang would not be the only one who couldn't survive.

Suddenly, the sharp doorbell rang, which was extremely ear-piercing in this narrow door room.

The guard standing at the door reported back, saying that Principal Gu Hanlin asked to see him.

----------------

Sitting in the rickshaw back to school, Gu Hanlin recalled the scene at the Luo Mansion just now, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong.

This is not the first time he has visited the Luo mansion. Since Xia Zhi published the "good news" of their marriage in "Shenbao", it is considered that they have a good relationship with each other.Although Luo Xiazhi had never visited Gu's house, Gu Hanlin had been to Luo Mansion a few times.

Although Luo Yunze did not object to his younger brother making friends with a "poor friend" like him who came from an Xinglin family and was engaged in education, he was not enthusiastic.

As a businessman, Gu Hanlin doesn't care too much about his temperament.

It's just that tonight, Luo Yunze went out to greet him as soon as possible, and told him with regret that Xia Zhi felt unwell after returning home from get off work, and now he just took medicine and fell asleep.

And tell yourself that the family doctor said that the summer solstice is overworked, and you need to rest for at least three to five days before returning to work in the department store.

So he stood at the iron gate of Luo Mansion, and was "persuaded to return" just like that.

He went to the department store first, and they said that Luo Xiazhi hadn't returned to the office since he went out to do some errands in the afternoon, so he went straight to Luo's mansion.

The young master of the Luo family, has he ever received a guest at the iron gate?Even if important officials from the political circles came to visit Luo Mansion today, Luo Yunze would only welcome them at the gate of the villa!

Luo Xiazhi is not in the Luo mansion... Something happened to the Luo family.

Something big happened that no one should know about.

An ominous premonition rose in his heart.

"parking!"

The rickshaw driver hastily pulled the car aside and stopped.

After paying the fare, Gu Hanlin went straight to the figure squatting smoking by the street lamp.

"One piece of news is worth one dollar, and there is no deception."

Seeing Gu Hanlin's shadow cast on the ground, the man said without raising his eyelids.

Putting a big ocean on the ground, Gu Hanlin squatted down and looked straight at the man.

"Where is Liang Shaolong tonight?"

"Who are you, dare to inquire about our young master...Master Biao? Oops!"

The man rolled his eyelids and saw that it was Gu Hanlin. He fell down in fright and squatted down, then stood up hastily, and respectfully returned the banknote to Gu Hanlin.

"The young master went to Xianlesi tonight, there is a new Luzon band, and the young master said that he wants to listen to it. The young master, please..."

----------------

Private Room of Jimei Tea House

"These pages of documents were all picked up by the North Suzhou River."

Liang Shaolong handed the sorted paper to Gu Hanlin.

"The cart puller at the door said that a stranger came here today. Brothers went to check. Today, the Zhabei car dealer lost a car, and it was finally found by the river."

Gu Hanlin flipped through a few pages of paper, and he was sure that it was the sales plan of Shimai Department Store, which should be read by Luo Xiazhi when he left the department store.

"Ask the beggars and baggers on the street, and the last one who saw Master Luo was a little girl selling flowers on Laozha Bridge. The little girl was expelled by security when she was selling flowers at the entrance of Shimai Department Store. It was Master Luo. The security guards were stopped, so the girl remembered Master Luo's appearance."

The man who was squatting under the streetlight before said respectfully, "The last place where the young master appeared was near Alabaster Road."

"It's very close to the public concession, and the law and order are not bad. If you call for help, there will definitely be patrols."

Gu Hanlin shook his head, "He must have been transferred."

"After that, no one saw Master Luo on the road again, and no one saw that rickshaw either."

Liang Shaolong frowned, and looked up at the ambiguous pink lights in the private room.

"Suzhou River?"

"Suzhou River?"

He and Gu Hanlin said in unison.

"Qinglongtang" made its fortune in Jianghai freight transportation, and the water system in Shanghai Beach and the lower reaches of the Yangtze River Delta is the sphere of influence of the Liang family.The Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek are densely covered with large and small piers, ports, and warehouses, which are like the backyard of the Liang family.

"Cousin, don't worry, as long as Xiaoxia doesn't cross the Yangtze River, there will be news."

After drinking the whiskey in the glass, Liang Shaolong patted Gu Hanlin on the shoulder comfortingly.

Gu Hanlin sat on the side in silence, closing his eyes.

In the middle of the night, news came in one after another.

From the south pier to the north pier, from Shiliupu to the mouth of Baoshan, there is no trace of Luo Xiazhi anywhere.

"This is impossible!"

"It's true, even the abandoned docks and warehouses have been searched."

As soon as Liang Shaolong gave his cousin a guarantee, his subordinates started to slap him in the face madly, making his face turn green and pale with anger.

Gu Hanlin, who sat without speaking all night, looked at the gradually brightening sky outside.

"Pull it out~~Put out the toilet~~"

With the ringing of the bell, the shouting sound from a distance penetrated the morning light and opened the prelude to a new day.People in the living room, pavilion, stove draped room, three-storey pavilion, and cross-street buildings, especially housewives, opened their sleepy eyes, put on their clothes, and opened the door.

Gu Hanlin lowered his head, opened the window, and looked down at the women who were waiting in line to empty the toilet, and the small oil lamp hanging on the excrement truck.

"There is a kind of wharf, which is not within the Liang family's sphere of influence."