Siheyuan's Journey Through the Ages

Chapter 62 Character and Plot Changes

After sending the two away, Ma Qing looked at the IOU on the table and sneered twice, "My money is not so easy to take. It's none of your business if I do it to a woman. My neighbor next door hasn't said anything yet, but you two idiots jumped out."

Adhering to the principle of never delaying revenge, Ma Qing began his performance.

Let’s start with Xu Damao. Ma Qing packed up and rode out on his bike.

The areas with more Western-style buildings in Beijing are East and West Jiaomin Lane and Chongwenmennei Street.

There are at least two large "Western-style building areas" in Dongcheng District, one to the west of today's BJ Station; the other to the north of the west entrance of today's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Street.

This group of Western-style buildings west of BJ Station were built in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. They were mainly used to house foreign engineers and senior managers who built the Beijing-Fengtian Railway. There is no connection between the buildings and they exist independently. The Lou family, as the owner of the Loujia Steel Mill, the predecessor of the Red Star Steel Mill, lived in this area before liberation.

Ma Qing has been in this era for several years. Although he doesn't know the specific address of the Lou family, he still knows the approximate location.

Ma Qing arrived at Dongjiaomin Lane and asked around. It was easy to find out about the Lou family. Ma Qing used his old tricks, entered the space, disguised himself as a middle-aged man, and knocked on the door of the Lou family.

"Who are you?" After the door opened, a well-maintained middle-aged woman stood by the door and looked at the visitor.

When meeting with wealthy people, Ma Qing wore a black woolen coat, a British newsboy cap, and a formal three-piece suit underneath, giving people the feeling of a successful person.

"Hello, is this Lou's residence?"

"Yes, may I ask who you are?"

"I am Ma Zou Tian, ​​and I am here to visit Mr. Lou on behalf of someone. Please pass on a message."

"You have to tell me who asked you to do this, otherwise how can I pass on the message?"

"This is inconvenient. Please inform Mr. Lou. It is up to him to decide whether to meet or not. I am here for the future of the Lou family."

"Please wait a moment, sir. I will pass the message on."

Ma Qing stamped his feet outside the house. It was a really cold day. He could have just written a letter, but once Xu Damao was told that he was childless, the marriage would most likely be off. However, to be 100% safe, Ma Qing decided to go in person.

After a while, the door opened again. The middle-aged woman invited Ma Qing into the house and took him to a small reception room. A middle-aged man was sitting in the room. He was wearing a suit and tie, and he had the temperament of a businessman and engineer.

Ma Qing was not polite and sat down on the sofa, took the tea brought by the middle-aged woman and warmed his stiff hands.

"I guess you are Mr. Lou. I am here to visit you on your behalf."

"My name is Lou Tenghua. I don't know which old friend has asked you for help. Please let me know." Lou Tenghua looked at the person in front of him, confused.

"I can't say it, I can't say it. Mr. Lou, please don't make it difficult for me. I'm here to pass on a message. It's up to Mr. Lou whether you listen to it or not, and it's even more up to Mr. Lou whether you believe it or not." Ma Qing spoke, paused, and looked at Lou Tenghua.

Lou Tenghua also looked at Ma Qing, his tone a little indifferent: "Just say it." "Someone asked me to bring a message. The future situation is unclear. I hope Brother Lou will make plans early. It's best to leave the mainland. There is a lot of space outside and you can protect yourself and your family." Ma Qing said.

Lou Tenghua's eyes tightened slightly, "Why do you say that? Is something going to happen in Beijing?"

"Haha, Mr. Lou, you are in BJ, you know it better than me. It was your lady who opened the door just now, right? The Lou family is so dignified, but they don't even hire a servant for such a big house. I'm afraid Mr. Lou knows it better than me." Ma Qing said with a smile.

"It's just to avoid gossip. My Lou family actively participated in the public-private partnership and even handed over the factory. Don't we have a place to stay in this city?"

Ma Qing sighed, "Mr. Lou, why do you have to deceive yourself? I guess the Lou family still has a lot of gold and silver now."

"You are doing this for this purpose." Lou Tenghua's tone became contemptuous.

"Don't get me wrong, Mr. Lou. I'm just stating a fact. I have no interest in your Lou family's gold and silver. What I want to say is that everyone has had a hard time in the past few years, and the government has advocated countless times that everyone should be willing to purchase gold and silver with RMB so that we can use these hard currencies to purchase food and other supplies on the international market. Some capitalists have done their best, and some capitalists are just pretending, but others are not fools. We can see whether everyone is of the same mind or not." Seeing that Lou Tenghua actually looked down on him, Ma Qing retorted without any hesitation.

"I have a piece of advice. If, I mean if, you Lou family's gold and silver must be hidden well. If they are found out and seen by the common people who have been hungry for years, I'm afraid they will curse you as dog capitalists behind your backs." Ma Qing continued to use his big move.

"Sir, do you have any solution..." Lou Tenghua was a little scared. The situation in recent years has indeed become increasingly confusing.

"Either become like the Rong family, or leave. Hong Kong, the United States, or Europe are all fine. Protect yourself first and then plan for the future. That's all I have to say. Mr. Lou, I'll take my leave now." Ma Qing stood up, and Lou Tenghua quickly stood up and said, "Don't worry, don't worry, I still have a lot to ask you."

"No need to say more. You can believe it if you want, or not if you don't. I have already fulfilled the trust of the person who entrusted me. There is no point in saying more." Ma Qing turned and walked out. Seeing Madam Lou in the middle hall, he said, "I have a piece of news for you. I heard that your little daughter has found a boyfriend. His name is Xu Damao, right? He was frozen in ice water when he was young. I am afraid that he will have difficulty in having children. He is not a good candidate for a son-in-law. You two stay. I will take my leave."

Lou Tenghua and his wife looked at Ma Qingyuan's back and were speechless for a long time. This afternoon, a man came inexplicably and said a bunch of inexplicable words, but it had a profound impact on the future of the Lou family.

"Master, who do you think this person is? Is what he said true?" Mrs. Lou looked at her family pillar.

"It doesn't matter who he is. What matters is whether what he says is correct," Lou Tenghua replied.

"Then what do you think, sir? Are we really going to leave?"

"It seems there is no way to stay. No matter how hard it is to leave my hometown, it is not more important than my life. Let's put the matter of leaving aside for now. I can't just leave at any time. I still need to make some arrangements, which will take time and effort. But the matter of Xiao'e's husband cannot be delayed any longer."

"I originally wanted to find a son-in-law with a good family background for Xiao'e, but I didn't expect that it would be so difficult for our Lou family to find a son-in-law with a working-class family background. This world is unpredictable. I asked a former servant to find his son Xu Damao. This would have been something that people would not even dare to think about in the past, but Xu Damao's father was not happy about it."

Mrs. Lou complained, "Xu Damao is infatuated with Lou Xiao'e. Who would have thought that he is barren."

"It's just right. We have decided to leave anyway. Xiao'e and Xu Damao's marriage can't continue. Xu Damao's infertility is just an excuse." Lou Tenghua ordered: "Find an opportunity to have Xu Damao have a physical examination to see if what this person said just now is reliable."

Madam Lou quickly agreed. Lou Tenghua looked out the window. The snow-white Sijiu City exuded a freezing cold: "My whole life has been like walking on thin ice. Madam, do you think I can make it to the other side?"

I will post regularly from 0:12 to : every day

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(End of this chapter)