novelAbuy Chapter 37 A Kind-hearted Citizen
Chapter 37 A Kind-hearted Citizen
The rough-looking man, stopped by Seamus, looked at the broken bottle, then at the group of people in front of him, and finally chose the latter.
Similar scenes are playing out at various intersections.
The scattered gang members, like headless flies, stumbled around and eventually crashed into the invisible wall built by Seamus.
They were disarmed and informed of the new rules.
Those who resisted were left with their goods, had their legs broken, and were thrown into a stinking ditch, while those who obeyed were taken back to Livy's warehouse.
That night, Seamus and his men did not get their hands dirty with the blood of the Red Shrimp soldiers, but they reaped a greater harvest than in any other battle.
British Lieutenant Hank's brow remained furrowed even after he disposed of Barlow's body.
This operation went too smoothly, almost abnormally so.
Barlow's influence was completely eradicated, the "Iron Hook Gang" was crippled, and the cancer on the docks was removed in one fell swoop. The Governor's orders were executed perfectly.
But he always felt that he and his soldiers had become pawns on someone else's chessboard.
He recalled the eloquent Easterner in the salon.
"Go to the North District and check on Mr. Li's warehouse," Hank ordered his deputy.
He wanted to personally verify what role this new "partner" had played in this chaos.
However, when he led his team to Levi's warehouse, the sight that greeted him stunned him.
The warehouse doors were wide open, and the inside was brightly lit.
There were no hidden goods, no panicked crowds, only a huge iron pot on the fire, simmering with steaming bread soup.
Finn, the one-eyed Irish strongman, was using a large spoon to distribute food to a group of ragged vagrants and dockworkers.
"Line up, don't fucking push! Everyone get a share!" Finn's voice was loud and his tone was vulgar, but it was only to maintain order at the scene.
Hank led the soldiers inside, and the homeless people huddled together in fear.
Finn saw him, put down his spoon, wiped his greasy hands on his apron, and strode over.
"Good evening, sir. It's so late, aren't you resting yet?"
Hank scrutinized the one-eyed man and then looked around at the surroundings.
"What are you doing?"
"Doing good deeds, sir," Finn grinned, revealing a simple and honest expression.
"Mr. Li said that the officials of the Governor's Palace are working hard to maintain order outside. We law-abiding and enthusiastic citizens should also do our part for the peace and tranquility of Boston, shouldn't we? We can't let these poor people go hungry and cause trouble for their superiors."
These words were spoken flawlessly, even carrying a simple sincerity.
Hank was speechless.
He wanted to search, but the door was wide open, welcoming him to look around.
He wanted to question them, but their reason was "cooperating with the Governor's Office," and he couldn't find any excuse to make trouble.
He felt as if he had punched cotton; all his power and prepared questions vanished without a trace.
"Where is Mr. Li?" Hank asked finally.
"Oh, Mr. Li said he was tired and has gone back to his room to rest. Would you like a bowl of hot soup, sir? This weather is so cold."
Hank flicked non-existent dust off his uniform with his white-gloved fingers.
He felt like he had punched cotton.
In the end, Hank could only snort coldly and leave with his men in a huff.
He was convinced he had been used, but could not find any evidence.
This Easterner named Li Wei is like a thick fog; you can see him, but you can never grasp him.
……
The next morning, just as the sun rose, the power structure at the docks underwent a dramatic transformation.
The destruction of "Stone Fist" and the "Iron Hook Gang" were severely weakened.
Old Mike from the "Salted Fish Gang" was the first to come to Fiona. He practically knelt down and presented her with a set of warehouse keys, all of his gang's ledgers, and a list of distributors.
Soon after, several remaining leaders of the "Iron Hook Gang" arrived. They had lost everything overnight and had no choice but to accept Li Wei's incorporation.
Li Wei's power expanded several times over overnight in an incredible way.
Without losing a single soldier, he cleanly and efficiently unified the underground order of the docks, thanks to the governor's office.
Inside the warehouse, Fiona, along with several newly recruited literate young people, was rapidly inventorying the newly added "assets."
The abacus in her hands clicked away, each click representing a piece of wealth being added to Li Wei's account.
This girl, who once couldn't even recognize all the numbers, can now calmly handle accounts worth a hundred times more than the entire bakery.
Li Wei leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes to rest, and enjoyed the tranquility brought by the victory.
Around noon, a magnificent carriage pulled up in front of the warehouse.
A servant of Gage's adjutant delivered an exquisite wooden box and a letter.
Li Wei took the letter and unwrapped the sealing wax.
The letter contained only one sentence, written in fluent English:
"Well done, my friend. The Governor is very pleased with the 'new order' at the docks."
Li Wei held the letter up to the candlelight and watched it turn to ashes.
It seems that he has transformed from a "troublemaker" on the Governor's Office's list into a "partner" with whom he can cooperate.
He opened the wooden box, inside which was a row of fine Cuban cigars.
He took one out, but didn't light it; he just played with it between his fingers.
Li Wei walked to the window and looked at the workers on the dock who were busy again. Now, they were all working for him.
Fiona finished processing the last document and walked up behind him.
"Sir, Mr. Boyle sent someone to inquire about that manor..."
Levi turned around and handed the cigar in his hand to Fiona.
Tell him I bought it.
He looked at the girl's delicate face and added a sentence.
"Pay in Spanish silver dollars, in full. Also, have Finn post a notice at the docks that starting tomorrow, all dockworkers' wages will increase by ten percent."
In the first week after the change of government at the pier, in addition to the salty sea breeze and the smell of tar, there was something else in the air called "rules".
The workers no longer needed to pay protection money to the leaders of three or four different factions; they only needed to have Fiona cross out a fixed management fee from the ledger when they received their wages.
This sum of money is less than all the previous amounts combined, but the salary has actually increased by 10%. All things considered, life is actually 20% better than before.
No one caused trouble because Seamus and his silent guards would appear on time at every possible corner where friction might occur.
They didn't speak, they just stood there, the tips of their spears and the edges of their polished shields more effective than any shouting.
Levi's business thus took its first strong root in the quagmire of Boston.
"It seems like it's time for dual-track trading."