The Republic of China: From Storyteller to God

"The Shahe Gang?"

Upon hearing the name, Liu Che roughly knew that this must be a local power in Guangzhou Prefecture.

"yes!"

The broker explained solemnly, "Boss, you're from out of town and don't know the situation in Guangzhou. The Shahe Gang is not to be trifled with."

"How so?"

Liu Che observed the thugs at the entrance of the teahouse.

Most of them were strong and robust. Judging from the muscles in their arms and calves that were exposed, they must have all practiced martial arts, but not to a great extent, and none of them had even begun to understand the basics.

But it's more than enough to deal with ordinary people.

"The Shahe Gang is the most powerful gang in Guangzhou Prefecture. It is a branch of the You Gang, one of the four major gangs in the capital. It has several hundred people, most of whom are local thugs, but there are also some skilled fighters."

The broker craned his neck and glanced at the entrance of the teahouse. When he realized that the Shahe Gang members hadn't noticed them, he continued to explain in a low voice: "They usually bully and dominate the market. They are ruthless and will do any bad thing!"

But their leader had connections with the government and also did business with foreigners, so the government turned a blind eye to them, and no one dared to mess with them.

Upon hearing the name "Oil Gang," Liu Che knew the details of the Shahe Gang.

The "Oil Gang" were thugs employed by merchants in the rapeseed oil trade in the Jiangnan region. They mainly operated along the Grand Canal and wielded considerable power.

The gang leader was named Zhao Tianba, who made his fortune by running oil shipping.

With his ruthlessness and fighting spirit, he became the leader of the oil gang, opened an oil factory, and had his own fleet of ships.

However, he was merely a pawn brought into the open; behind him were officials from the Jiangnan Division and the Ministry of Revenue.

He was just begging on his knees; the lion's share was someone else's.

But for ordinary people, Zhao Tianba was already a formidable figure they couldn't afford to offend.

The relationships among the court officials were complex and intertwined. Although the Shahe Gang was only a branch of the Oil Gang, the officials of Guangzhou Prefecture obviously had to give Zhao Tianba and his master some face.

It's not hard to understand why the Shahe Gang can be so intimidating.

"Boss, let's go back first."

The broker was clearly terrified of the Shahe Gang and was still trying to persuade Liu Che.

But Liu Che did not move.

Let alone the Shahe Gang, even if Zhao Tianba and his backer came in person, he wouldn't be afraid at all.

The crime he committed in Tianjin Prefecture was killing a fourth-rank official, the Daotai.

Pointing in the direction of the teahouse, Liu Che asked, "What? Just because the Shahe Gang is doing business there, does that mean we can't go?"

"Oh, boss! You don't know this!"

When the broker saw that he still wanted to go over, he became a little anxious: "These people from the Shahe Gang must be here for Mr. Chen. They're blocking the entrance and sealing off the place. They clearly don't intend to give up easily."

"Aren't we just asking for trouble if we go there now?"

Seeing his anxious look, Liu Che laughed: "Weren't you just trying to help Mr. Chen? Why are you turning your back on him now?"

"Boss, what you're saying..."

The broker was somewhat embarrassed: "I'm just a matchmaker, earning a meager living by connecting people."

If I have the ability to help him, I am naturally willing to lend him a hand.

But now the Shahe Gang is clearly going to deal with him, how can I help? I still have elderly parents and young children to support!

"You're quite rational."

Liu Che joked for a moment before asking, "Do you know how Mr. Chen offended the Shahe Gang?"

"I know that, but it's a long story."

The man was reluctant to speak.

Seeing this, Liu Che flicked out a silver hairpin with his finger.

The broker's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the money, bowing happily in thanks: "Is this for me? Thank you for the tip, boss!"

"Tell me about Mr. Chen's feud with the Shahe Gang."

Liu Che held another silver coin in his palm, turning it over and over in his hands.

"Okay! That's how it is..."

The broker, no longer minding the length of the story, recounted in detail the reasons for the feud between Mr. Chen and the Shahe Gang.

It turns out that Mr. Chen came from a poor family, but he had a childhood sweetheart named Chunmiao.

The two grew up together and pledged their lives to each other when they first fell in love.

Mr. Chen wanted to marry Chunmiao, but Chunmiao's father disagreed and asked him for a dowry of one hundred silver dollars.

Mr. Chen couldn't raise that much money even if he sold everything he owned, so he decided to go out and try his luck, to learn a skill that would earn him money.

However, he was frail and sickly since childhood and could not do heavy work. He wandered around for half a year and almost starved to death.

To make ends meet, he wandered to Nanjing and became a waiter in a teahouse.

It was in that teahouse that he met a storyteller from the capital.

That gentleman was a skilled storyteller, and his tales were so vivid and engaging that they seemed to tell the story with his own eyes.

He was so engrossed in listening that he often forgot to greet the guests, and was severely scolded by the boss.

Even though he, the waiter, didn't know how to greet customers, the teahouse was still packed with customers every day.

Every day, countless people line up at the teahouse entrance early in the morning just to listen to Mr. Na tell stories.

That's why Mr. Na, all by himself, was going to take 60% of the teahouse's net profit.

He also sold candies and snacks on the side, which brought in even greater profits.

Seeing how lucrative storytelling was, Mr. Chen resolutely decided to become the storyteller's apprentice.

For this reason, he knelt outside his husband's house for three days.

In the end, the man was moved by his sincerity and took him as his apprentice.

But he underestimated the price he would have to pay to learn the craft.

The saying goes, "Three years to learn a skill, two years to serve in it."

It takes at least five years to become a master.

His talent was mediocre, and his teacher said it would take him at least eight or nine years to become a master.

But he was already in his early twenties at that time.

Even if he can wait, Chunmiao can't.

By the time he realized this, he had already been studying with his teacher for more than half a year.

He wanted to give up, but if he betrayed his master, he would be expelled from the school and would never be able to tell stories again in this lifetime.

So he wrote a letter to Chunmiao, explaining his situation and asking her to wait for him to return from his apprenticeship so he could marry her.

Chunmiao wrote back to him, saying that her father was already helping her find a husband and wanted him to come back as soon as possible.

But once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. He's been away for over a year and hasn't saved a single copper coin.

During his apprenticeship, he ate and lived at his master's house, and when he wanted to go back, he didn't even have the money for the journey.

After much deliberation, he could only write to Chunmiao, begging her to wait for him for three years.

Chunmiao agreed to his request, asking him to return home as soon as he completed his studies.

However, his master's assessment of him was quite accurate: he had mediocre talent and, after three years of study, still couldn't graduate.

The sunk costs of three years forced him to choose to continue his arduous studies.

But Chunmiao couldn't wait any longer.

She was betrothed by her family to the son of a soy sauce shop owner. Only after the marriage did she find the opportunity to write him a letter explaining the situation.

His heart was breaking, but he was helpless.

Three years later, he finally completed his apprenticeship and returned to Guangzhou.

But when he returned, he found Chunmiao's grave.