Красавицы Холодного Дворца Изящная и пленительная женщина

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Mr. Tang also tried his best to persuade his guests to stay: "It's not easy to come to Guangzhou, so please stay for a few more days!"

Ouyang slammed twenty silver dollars onto the table: "This is your tea fee for running this business trip. If you want to do it, take it; if you don't, I won't force you. It's a pity to waste such a good talent like you!" With that, he got up and said goodbye to Boss Tang.

Mr. Tang hurriedly said, "Have some morning tea before you leave! Since your sister isn't home, you won't stay a little longer, will you?"

"I've already eaten, I'll come again later!" Before the words were even finished, the person had already gone far away.

Looking at her pretty back, Boss Tang shook his head and said, "She doesn't seem like a woman, she's more like a man!"

Where is her husband?

"She passed away a few years ago, and she had no children. Her only relative was her sister..." Mr. Tang couldn't help but start talking—

The Ouyang family has only two sisters. Lihua was proud and arrogant from a young age and loved playing with guns and sticks. She became a gang leader because of her beauty.

She was the object of many suitors, from wealthy landlords and sons of officials, and her fame spread far and wide. The Ouyang family was originally a humble household with no brothers. Her parents were timid and afraid of trouble, daring not to offend anyone, thus leading to a situation where several families vied for her hand in marriage. The leader of the White Tiger Gang, a powerful figure in Guangzhou, cleverly ambushed and abducted Ouyang, making her his wife. Just as she was immersed in her blissful life, a sudden flash flood swept through her family village in the dead of night, destroying houses and killing her parents. To make matters worse, two years later, the gang leader was ambushed by enemies while riding a horse and died from his injuries; Ouyang then succeeded her husband as the new leader of the White Tiger Gang.

The White Tiger Gang, numbering several hundred, was strictly hierarchical, with the second and third brothers wielding the most power. For a woman to manage the situation was no easy task; yet abandoning it wouldn't suit her strong-willed nature, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and bear it. Only in front of her sister did she reveal the truth…

At this point, Mr. Tang sighed, "She never listens to our advice, and she doesn't have anyone reliable by her side. It's so difficult!"

Yang Hong couldn't help but look at Ouyang with new respect. It wouldn't be beneath him to manage some affairs for a capable woman who was no less capable than any man. Besides, there wasn't anything serious at home; why not stay in Guangzhou a few more days to earn some money? He then put the silver dollars on the table into his bag.

At noon, a robust young man came to Boss Tang's house and asked who Yang Hong was. Yang Hong stood up and said, "That's me." The man said, "I called for a second-in-command; the boss wants me to go with you to do something."

Ding Er spoke at a measured pace, clearly a trustworthy person. "The boss wants me to call you 'Young Master Cousin' and say you're her cousin," Ding Er said earnestly.

Yang Hong was completely baffled, but he thought: since Ouyang is doing this, she must have her reasons. So he gave a vague reply.

“I’ll take you to find Lu Xing right now,” Ding Er said.

Who is Lu Xing?

"The section chief of the Governor's Office, whom the gang leader met while dancing, is said to be quite shrewd and loyal. This time we're dealing with a hot commodity on the market—foreign cigarettes."

What kind of cigarette?

"Foreign-made cigarettes. Foreigners love to smoke them, and the upper class in the city also follow the trend and smoke them."

"Can it make money?"

"able."

Ding Er told him: Foreign cigarettes have to pay heavy customs duties when they pass through customs, but as long as you don't pay customs duties, you're guaranteed to make a fortune.

Yang Hongru listened as if he were hearing a fairy tale. He said that even a remote mountain village like Qingzhuzhai had to pay all sorts of donations. Could the government really let go of the huge wealth of the major port?

It turned out that Lu Xing, acting in the name of the Governor's Office, obtained a duty-free import document for a thousand cartons of foreign cigarettes from the customs, claiming it was for official business. The White Tiger Gang then used the document to collect the goods from the customs, distributing some to various merchants in Guangzhou and transporting the rest to Fuzhou.

"Incredible! A thousand cartons of imported cigarettes—it would take several rooms to store them all." Yang Hong then asked, "Did the Governor approve this?"

Ding Er said he didn't know and never asked.

Yang Hong was deeply shaken, and the respect and awe he had held for the imperial court and government since childhood was instantly shattered.

Such a world, such a shortcut to wealth—this was the first time he had ever heard of it; he was truly ignorant.

Ding Er then told him about many rules of the underworld, what to say and what not to say, and how to mix truth and falsehood to keep people guessing.

Yang Hong followed Ding Er to an old-fashioned courtyard house, grabbed the brass ring on the gate, and banged on it hard. After a while, the gate cracked open, and a male servant poked his head out, asking impatiently, "Who are you looking for?"

"It was Master Lu Xing who sent us."

The male servant carefully examined the situation before opening the door. Wow, the lively atmosphere inside was completely different from outside. Peonies were in full bloom in the courtyard, and the peonies were a vibrant red; beneath the arched balcony, a rockery stood, with several fish swimming around; along the eaves of the corridor, a row of birdcages hung, and one of the black-feathered, yellow-beaked mynahs, upon seeing Yang Hong and his companion, cried out in a shrill voice, "Greetings, sir! Greetings, sir!"

A man strode out of the hall and said warmly, "So it's you! Please come in, please come in—"

"This person is Lu Xing."

Lu Xing was a robust man, with a ruddy complexion and a beaming smile. He was originally from a noble family, a member of the Eight Banners, his father a hereditary prince of the Qing Dynasty. Although not as powerful as Prince Gong of his time, he still wielded considerable influence, with disciples and associates throughout much of southern China. After the Xinhai Revolution, Lu Xing transformed himself into a revolutionary. He even landed a good position in the Governor's Office—the head of the General Affairs Section, in charge of finances. While the official rank wasn't high, it was quite lucrative. Lu Xing was no ordinary man; he wouldn't let an opportunity slip by.

“Master Lu,” Ding Er introduced after they sat down in the hall, “this is Young Master Yang Hong, the cousin of Chief Ouyang.”

Yang Hong bowed slightly.

"Oh, Mr. Yang, please have some tea, please have some tea." Lu Xing gestured to the maid to pour tea.

"The boss is too busy and can't spare the time, so he's sending Mr. Yang as his representative," Ding Er said. "You can speak directly to him about anything!"

"Oh." Lu Xing said noncommittally, "Is Chief Ouyang perhaps too disdainful of my small temple to come?"

"Not at all, not at all!" Yang Hong understood what Ouyang meant by calling him his cousin, and quickly said, "Several groups of martial arts brothers came today, and my cousin really couldn't get away."

"Haha, you're really good with words," Lu Xing laughed.

After chatting for a while, the conversation turned to business. Lu Qi stood up, took out official documents, and said, "I also want to sell those thousand cartons of imported cigarettes as soon as possible, otherwise the market will change again. There are many gossipy people in Guangzhou, and it's easy to make a mistake. We need to get the goods out of customs and send them out quickly!"

"Mr. Lu, you've thought of everything very carefully," Yang Hong complimented.

With all the necessary official documents in place, everything went smoothly. A dozen days later, Yang Hong and Ding Er distributed some of the thousand cartons of imported cigarettes to local businesses and transported the rest to Fuzhou. Once the matter was settled, Ouyang instructed Ding Er to give Yang Hong one hundred silver dollars.

Yang Hong was very happy and wanted to ask someone to take the message back to Qingzhu Village so that the village matriarch and Xiaoyu wouldn't worry. However, in such a large city, he didn't have a single acquaintance to ask for help. Yang Hong found the thought amusing and decided to make one more business trip before returning home.

The second deal was with imported liquor, again in partnership with Lu Xing, with Ouyang and Yang Hong splitting the profits 50/50. Yang Hong received another hundred silver dollars. He was delighted and became even more obedient to Ouyang.

That day, Ouyang bought a complete outfit for Yang Hong, including a suit, shirt, tie, and leather shoes, making him look neat, smart, and dashing; possessing both the elegance of an Eastern man and the debonair style of a Western man. Yang Hong, unaware of the reason, was told by Ouyang that he would take him somewhere that evening.

As dusk fell, Ouyang and Yang Hong arrived at the "Empire Nightclub" by carriage.

At the main entrance, two male waiters, dressed in red shirts and white trousers with dark brown skin, stood straight. They looked neither like Chinese nor like foreigners with high noses who looked like skinned snakes. They kept bowing to people who came in.

The ballroom was large, and many people were already dancing. He had never heard the music before, nor did he know where it came from; it was as if an invisible hand was directing the frenzied dance steps of the men and women.

Sitting in the soft leather chair, Yang Hong felt like he was in a daze, completely disoriented by everything before him.

Ouyang pulled him to dance, but he shook his head in fear. At that moment, a very imposing middle-aged man bowed to her and invited her to dance. She then left Yang Hong and twirled along with the man's steps.

Ouyang's dancing skills were superb, her charm captivating and alluring. She greeted one man and nodded to another, her delicate and lovely demeanor mesmerizing many men—a stark contrast to the ruthless female gang leader who wielded power. Yang Hong couldn't help but sigh inwardly: How can a person have two faces?

The colored lights kept spinning, and the dance floor was sometimes bright and sometimes dark. Yang Hong didn't know where to look, and it took him a while to adjust.

His demeanor, so different from the typical spoiled rich kids in the city, caught the attention of women. A woman of average appearance but adorned with jewels walked up to him and extended her slender hand: "Why are you sitting here? Jump around—"

He waved his hands frantically: "No... I can't."

"You come here and can't dance? Are you kidding me?"

The woman's jewel-encrusted adornments made Yang Hong feel ashamed. He dared not look her in the eye and awkwardly explained, "This is my first time at a nightclub. I haven't learned to dance yet, please forgive me, miss—"

Yang Hong's rustic charm, his honesty, and the unique handsomeness and shrewdness of a mountain dweller captivated this remarkable woman at first sight; she gazed at him intently and once again extended her hand: "It's alright, I'll teach you to dance—"

Ouyang ran over and whispered in his ear, "She's the daughter of the Grand Commander, you absolutely can't embarrass her. If she invites you to jump, just jump!" He pulled him up and pushed him toward the woman, saying, "Miss Chen, he's my cousin; I'm handing him over to you!"

Miss Chen, her face flushed with desire, wrapped one arm around his waist and grabbed his hand with the other, pulling him onto the dance floor. He, however, couldn't keep up with the rhythm, unsure what to do with his arms and legs, like a log being pushed and dragged around by Miss Chen. He tried desperately to keep up with her steps, but unexpectedly slipped and fell backward to the ground, drawing laughter from the entire room. Miss Chen was quite disappointed: "What a country bumpkin!"

Yang Hong was embarrassed and felt a mix of emotions.

The dazzling array of colorful lights was overwhelming. Humiliated, Yang Hong sat on the side, his emotions churning. Gradually, past events vaguely resurfaced before his eyes…

Back then, his home wasn't in the countryside, but rather along the main road next to the county town. From a young age, he was accustomed to seeing merchants coming and going, actors singing for money, and scholars seeking officialdom. His father, Yang Huapu, was also a learned man who ran a private school at home. Although not wealthy, they were more than able to make ends meet. His own career in government was unsuccessful, so Yang Huapu placed all his hopes on his son, who began his formal education at the age of four.

His father was most proud of having him recite in front of guests. He would always recite perfectly, without a single mistake. The guests would applaud him and say, "This child is destined to be a scholar; he will surely pass the imperial examinations in the future!" His father was even more pleased with himself and increased the amount of early childhood education, the Four Books and Five Classics, and the Eight-Legged Essay. And he never disappointed his father.

Unexpected events can happen at any time. When Yang Hong was eleven, his father contracted tuberculosis and died a year later, leaving behind a heart full of regrets. The family fell into poverty, and his mother had to sell their possessions to make ends meet. Soon after, she suffered a stroke and became paralyzed. Helpless, Yang Hong had to drop out of school and work odd jobs to support his widowed mother. Under the heavy burden of life, his dream of being well-read, learned, and successful in the imperial examinations was shattered. He gradually became a rough man who would do anything for a few bites of food. After his mother's death, he met Xiao Yu and thought he would live a life of marriage and happiness in the mountains. But then he looked at the people of Guangzhou, who were truly living life to the fullest! Although the imperial examinations were no longer popular, there were still many paths in life. He believed that with his handsome appearance and overflowing talent, he could forge a different path in life and squeeze into high society, instead of becoming a live-in son-in-law in a remote mountain village, where, despite the title of village head, he would at best be a "country bumpkin," penniless and powerless. Although he only spent a short ten days in Guangzhou, he truly understood: money brings status, and only money can get you what you want. In the past, people studied so hard, wasn't it all for the sake of finding beauty and wealth in books? Different paths, same destination!

The dazzling lights and vibrant atmosphere stirred the dormant desires and emotions deep within Yang Hong's heart. When the music ended and Ouyang invited him to encourage her again, they took hands. Although his dance steps were still a bit clumsy, often stepping on her feet, he was quick-witted and receptive, and soon their movements were in harmony. Gradually, her hand tightened its grip on his, while her other hand, resting on his waist, subtly pulled him closer to her chest, gently rubbing against her. He didn't seem to mind, and she smiled alluringly, gazing into his face and eyes.

"I had a blast tonight!" Yang Hong exclaimed excitedly as he left the nightclub.

Ouyang simply smiled faintly.

When he woke up in the morning, he noticed that Boss Tang hadn't come to call him for breakfast. He suddenly realized that Boss Tang had been staying at his house for too long, and the man was already unhappy! Boss Tang had advised him several times not to get too involved, but he wouldn't listen. Boss Tang then said that they were on different paths and had no fate together! He sensed the dissatisfaction and knew he should be more sensible.

Yang Hong wanted to say goodbye to Ouyang, but he had never been to the White Tiger Club before; it was always Ding Er who came to find him. Just as he was hesitating, Ouyang arrived in a carriage.

"I've been away for over a month. My family will worry that something has happened to me if they keep waiting," he explained to her. "I have to go back!"

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "Time flies. You can leave whenever you want. Go back and look around before coming back."

"Again?"

“I hope you can come to Guangzhou again,” Ouyang said, his eyes full of expectation. “There are still important things waiting for you to do!”

Yang Hong gave a noncommittal "hmm".

Yang Hong brought back a breath of fresh air from Guangzhou, and a trend of cutting off queues swept through Qingzhu Village. The young people were extremely excited and followed suit, while the older generation had many concerns: "Isn't cutting off queues against the law?"

"The law of the land?" Yang Hong smiled dismissively. "The Xuantong Emperor has abdicated; what law of the land? Now there is only the law of the Republic of China!" The older generation was skeptical. Just then, the county government issued an official document informing the people of the surrounding villages, and they finally realized that the world had changed drastically.

The excitement of reuniting with family and the sweetness of love couldn't satisfy Yang Hong. He increasingly felt that Qingzhu Village was too small and the air too stifling; even the beautiful and lovely Xiaoyu seemed to have lost its novelty. Ouyang's every smile and gesture, however, lingered in his mind's eye. Her expressive eyes often appeared before him, those bright, dark pupils stirring his heart. Leaving her felt like losing something; it was a new life that others envied. He couldn't resist this temptation. Running a bamboo shoot farm and processing magnolia petals required an investment of seven or eight hundred taels of silver, involving much worry and toil, only to earn half in the end; compared to running business with Ouyang, where he could make a fortune without investing a penny, it was incomparable.

Two weeks later, he could no longer contain himself and proposed to go to Guangzhou to do business with Boss Tang.

"Where will the capital come from?" The old woman disagreed with taking the risk of using the capital meant for making magnolia petals.

“I don’t want any capital,” he said.

"There's still so much to do at the bamboo shoot farm—" Xiaoyu didn't want her husband to go far away.

“Zimin and Lao Hu will handle things at the factory,” he said. “I’ll be back in two or three months, so it won’t interfere with making the magnolia tablets.”

Yang Hong was determined to leave, and no matter how much the village woman and her daughter tried to persuade him, they couldn't stop him. So they had no choice but to hold a farewell party for him. The village woman poured a full glass of fragrant glutinous rice wine and asked Xiao Wang to toast Yang Hong. Xiao Yu asked her husband to drink it, and said sincerely, "If business isn't good, come back. Don't worry about us!"

The old woman said solemnly, "If you don't come back for two or three months, you must come back in seven or eight months! Otherwise we won't feel at ease."

Yang Hong found it amusing: What's there to worry about? I'm not a three-year-old.

The old woman emphasized, "Remember what I said today. Your return will sooner or later determine your fortune or misfortune!"

Yang Hong nodded absentmindedly, chuckling to himself, "Why are you being so mysterious? Do you think I'm afraid of being swallowed up?"

His lecherous gaze was fixed on the aloof female gang leader. The White Tiger Guild was an old-fashioned mansion. Yang Hong, travel-worn, entered through the gate, immediately spotting Ding Er, and shouted:

"Brother Ding Er—"

Ding Er rushed over: "The gang leader was just talking about you, saying you should come—and sure enough, you've arrived!"

Yang Hong felt a surge of warmth in his heart and quickened his pace.

Passing through the hall, we arrived at the west wing, where a rich floral fragrance wafted from the windowsill.

Hearing footsteps, Ouyang opened the door. Perhaps having just woken up, she appeared even more alluring and vibrant. After entering the room and sitting down, Ouyang excitedly said, "I knew you'd come back. Was the journey easy?"

"It's alright," Yang Hong replied. "I had a lot of things to do at home, which delayed me for a few days."

"You've come at the perfect time!" Ouyang stared intently at him. "I need you just the way I do!"

07. His lustful gaze was fixed on the aloof female gang leader.