Gao Wuming: From Dockworker to Physical Achievement

Concession.

In a detached Western-style house, Chen Ruian put on his glasses and spread out the newspapers he had bought.

It's his habit to buy a copy of any new newspaper.

Although the newspapers mostly feature gossip and minor social issues.

However, the most significant events can often be seen in smaller social hotspots.

He skillfully skipped over the gossip about the playboys and dancers in nightclubs.

Chen Ruian looked at the area in the middle of the screen.

"Huh? The vice-master of the Iron Body Martial Arts School is dead?"

Chen Ruian was quite familiar with the martial arts school forces; these people were considered to be forces that controlled violence and held a significant position in the Tianhai Concession.

Among them, those with the title of Grandmaster are so powerful that they can even make a fleet retreat.

The Xuan Dynasty was able to overcome its frequent defeats at sea by foreigners precisely because of the presence of grandmasters.

However, the other side dared not launch a large-scale invasion.

This has maintained the current fragile balance.

"With the Martial Arts Association around, martial artists are not allowed to kill each other unless they fight in a life-or-death arena. But Liu Shan's death clearly did not happen in the arena."

"Perhaps some martial arts masters were unhappy that Iron Body Martial Arts School joined the Fighting Association, so they took action. Well, Iron Body Martial Arts School has already separated from the Martial Arts Association, so the Martial Arts Association can't interfere if they fight with them."

"In any case, this is going to cause a stir in the martial arts world. If someone who joined us gets killed, the Fighting Association will definitely not stand idly by."

Chen Ruian commented, looking at the accompanying picture in the newspaper.

He also has a great deal of knowledge about the martial arts world.

Clearly, this is the kind of person who was able to walk all the way from the mountain village to here and buy a Western-style building in the concession.

Their abilities go without saying.

Chen Ruian continued reading.

"To be able to kill the vice-master of a martial arts school, one must be a famous martial artist. I should know him... Who is Chen Yi at the dock?"

Chen Ruian stared blankly at the names on the newspaper. He searched his memory but couldn't recall a martial arts master named Chen Yi from the dock.

Especially since this person shares the same name as his nephew, anyone who has met him would definitely remember him.

"They must be powerful figures from other regions, not local martial artists from Tianhai," Chen Ruian analyzed.

As for whether Chen Yi, the dockkeeper, might be his nephew.

Chen Ruian could never do something like this, not even in his wildest dreams.

"The docks are getting more and more dangerous. We should let Yi'er make plans as soon as possible."

Thinking of Chen Yi, Chen Ruian couldn't help but feel worried.

After all, he's his nephew, his own elder brother's son.

His older brother died young, and he married a woman with a child, but they didn't have any children of their own.

Naturally, Chen Yi was also highly regarded.

As the saying goes, "If your nephew stands at your door, you're not considered childless." Even if you can't have children in the future, you still have your nephew.

Thinking of this, Chen Ruian wanted Chen Yi to return to the foreign concession.

He took a deep breath, walked out of the room, and came to the living room.

In the living room, a woman dressed in a cheongsam and with her hair styled in a sophisticated updo was sitting on the sofa.

The other daughter, about sixteen or seventeen, was wearing the uniform of a girls' school in the concession and was reading a book.

This is his wife, Peng He, and his daughter, Wang Rou.

However, his wife was remarried, and his daughter was not his biological child.

When Chen Yi lived in the Western-style house, they made all sorts of trouble, which forced Chen Yi to go to the dock.

"Peng He, I need to discuss something with you," Chen Ruian said.

Upon hearing this, Peng He immediately exclaimed, "What is it? If you want your nephew to come and stay, I won't agree. He's filthy and smelly. What does he think this place is, a doghouse?"

Chen Ruian usually goes along with whatever she says; the only thing she'll discuss with is Chen Yi.

She predicted it immediately.

"I don't want to live in the same place as Chen Yi."

The daughter, Wang Rou, shouted in a shrill voice, "If my classmates knew that I live with someone like this, they would laugh at me to death."

Chen Ruian said, "The docks are in a lot of trouble right now. It might be dangerous for Yi'er to stay there any longer. I'll let him stay for a month and then leave."

"You want him to stay for a month? Not even a day! What did you say when you married me? You promised to treat me well for life. Now that you have me, you don't cherish me anymore. Nothing I say is right!" Peng He cried out.

Wang Rou ran straight to the window of the Western-style building and said, "Uncle Chen, if you dare to let Chen Yi come back, I'll jump right now."

"Alright, I won't let him come." Seeing his wife and daughter's resistance, Chen Ruian finally stopped talking.

He only planned to send Chen Yi a sum of money through someone, so that he wouldn't go to the docks and could find a place to stay in the foreign concession first.

"That's good. Have you arranged for Peng Cheng to work for you?" Peng He said.

Peng Cheng is her younger brother, who has been idle in his hometown. Recently, she brought him to the concession so that Chen Ruian could put him in the bank.

"I'm just a bank manager, not a director. How can I just put people in positions of authority like that? You know your brother's personality; he likes to steal. If something happens to him, will I still be able to work at the bank?" Chen Ruian said.

"My brother has already changed. No matter what you say, I think you just don't care. You've long since stopped caring about me and can just brush me off." Peng He cried out again.

"I can only find him a quiet job, ten silver dollars a month. It's not much money, but there's not much to do," Chen Ruian sighed.

"Only ten yuan," Peng He said, dissatisfied.

"I'll give him another ten yuan," Chen Ruian said directly, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"That's more like it." Peng He finally smiled.

"Uncle Chen, I made plans with my classmates to go to a dance. Could you give me some money? Just one hundred silver dollars will do," Wang Rou said.

"Take this." Chen Ruian slammed a receipt on the table.

"What do you mean by that? Do you think your daughter is annoying?" Peng He's expression immediately changed.

Wang Rou also managed to squeeze out two tears: "Uncle Chen just feels that I'm not his biological daughter, and he doesn't like me."

She took the receipts while crying.

"Ugh."

Chen Ruian sighed deeply, feeling utterly exhausted.

*

The dock market and warehouse area.

"How are the preparations at the docks? Is it safe to strike now?"

While eating, Chen Yi called Li Cheng over to ask him questions.

"Master Yi, that's about enough. At the docks now, they'll do whatever we say." Li Cheng nodded.

"Alright, it's time to ask these foreigners for more money. We're all doing the same thing, so why should we, the people of Great Xuan, pay less?" Chen Yi said.

"Master Yi, people outside are afraid of you, saying you kill without blinking an eye, but little do they know that you are the one with the heart of a bodhisattva."

Li Cheng expressed his heartfelt feelings.

He traveled from a mountain village all the way to the Tianjin Concession, where he witnessed countless bullies who preyed on the weak.

They are spineless towards foreigners, but they do everything they can to oppress their own people.

The imperial court was also incompetent, doing whatever the foreigners said without daring to voice any dissent.

The only person who dared to negotiate with foreigners on behalf of the Da Xuan people was Chen Yi, a triad leader.