Chapter 87: In the martial world, rank means nothing; only gold and silver know true value.

The truck was simply too beautiful.

In fact, Wei Dong had not even brought himself to fit it with a canopy, because even his modest eye for taste found a filthy tarpaulin ugly.

In 1984, when the roads were filled mostly with heavy lorries, diesel tractors, and farm vehicles, and even a two-hundred-and-twelve jeep was a rarity, this pure imported white small truck stood out like a crane among chickens.

Even thirty years later, this model would still not look dated on inland streets; it truly brimmed with design beauty and fine craftsmanship.

Now, parked by the wharf road amid a jumble of battered haulage vehicles, it felt like a relic from another age.

As trucks, laborers, dock workers, and passengers coming and going from the ships passed in the dusk, they could not help glancing over again and again.

The two children hurriedly climbed into the cargo bed, for inside were still piled a baby carriage, a cradle, and even what might well have been the first child’s walker in the entire southwest.

The priciest items, such as powdered milk, had already been taken away. Baby clothes, toys, and even windmills, clay figurines, and dolls bought at rural market fairs in every corner of the country were packed in several brimming crates.

These were all things Wei Dong had bought on a journey that began in Jiangzhou, went on to Zhejiangzhou, then north to Pingjing, and finally through Jinxi and Anxi back to Shuchuan; a ten-thousand-li tour across the nation, buying from city department stores to country fair stalls, from grand malls to roadside vendors. Aside from a few things for his parents, almost everything was for the children.

Because now that he had money, he had just happened to have little lives to pour his affection into. At first he bought things on impulse, but after starting with imported milk powder in Zhejiangzhou, he almost always bought for the children first each time. It had become a habit.

Stone had originally been squatting curiously in the cargo bed, touching the odds and ends of little toys in the cartons.

Maoer lightly kicked him and nodded toward the people around them.

If those laborers with wicker baskets on their backs merely looked out of curiosity before hurrying home, and if the drivers of cars and farm vehicles were simply sizing the truck up out of habit, then the crowd who came streaming up from the wharf had only greed in their eyes.

They came close to peer into the cab, then to stare at the strange things in the bed of the truck, things they had never seen before.

Some even reached out at once, intending to climb aboard.

Stone immediately stood up, clasped his fists, and puffed out his chest. “Mist thick as steam hides the bends, water broad as the sea hides the shoals. We brothers came from Jiangzhou with our big brother. We mean no offense; we just want to pay our respects and ask for a road to be pointed out.”

For children only seven or eight years old, youngsters at that age in other households could not even bear to be away from their parents, yet these two had already adopted the posture of seasoned wanderers.

What he said meant: they had not meant to have dealings with the underworld, but since they had met here, there was no need for a mist-and-water misunderstanding that would spoil goodwill. “Making spring tea” was coded speech for asking permission to pass, and “laying tea” meant paying respects at the dock. As long as the rules of the road were followed, everything could be handled.

It was a courteous, and rather confident, way to deal with unfamiliar territory.

Strangely, it was the younger boy who spoke, not a tremor in his voice; the taller Maoer silently retreated behind, guarding the goods.

The crowd immediately burst into laughter. “Well, well, the little ducks from Jiangzhou are bold enough to come out on the road and announce their name!”

Someone even teased back, “Which mountain is gold mountain, which hall is silver hall, what’s your name and what’s your game?”

But there were also those who scoffed. “Forget your dragons and tigers and leopards. When you come to Shangzhou, you kneel and talk. Who has the skill now to cross mountains and waters and come cause trouble?”

As he spoke, he started to climb onto the cargo bed.

Stone, astonishingly calm, said, “I am young and do not force my way across the river. Like Han Xin visiting Zhang Liang, today brothers meet here, and if the rules are broken, there can be no compromise…”

He spoke while pointing at the thug who had already climbed halfway up, seizing the moral high ground first.

Sure enough, someone spoke up. “Forget it, Gangzi. No need to make a fool of yourself.”

Whether driven by greed or by the stubborn pride of one who had already climbed up and now had to show some force, the man kept cursing. “I don’t believe that in Shangzhou I have to be pressed down by two little Jiangzhou ducklings who haven’t even grown their feathers yet…”

None of them had expected that, at the very instant the fellow had just climbed over the rear rail and set foot down.

That child, whom no adult man would have bothered to notice, suddenly stamped the ground and burst forward, his whole body seeming to have springs in it, slamming straight into his chest.

He had used that fleeting moment when the man was still unsteady after climbing, exploiting the tiniest imbalance with exquisite leverage to send an adult flying backward!

His timing and force were both precise to the point of perfection.

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

The bystanders and laborers nearby were equally astonished and rushed over, surrounding the scene.

They watched as that fellow, sprawled like a toad on his back, crashed heavily from more than a meter up onto the ground, then rolled up in a sorry state and immediately began hurling abuse, naturally determined to climb up again and recover his face.

Who could have guessed that Stone, who looked no bigger than a child in the second or third grade of primary school, would actually draw a gleaming blade from his sleeve.

“Come on! My big brother told me to guard this place. Today, only if you kill me will you get through!”

His words sounded like childish nonsense, showing no sense of danger or importance, yet somehow no one thought he was joking.

His small fists, as round as green peaches, were clenched and held in front of him in a two-handed stance. His feet were set in a posture ready to pounce and kill, while the blade itself was held reversed, pressed against his wrist, his entire body taut as a drawn bow.

Though young, he was plainly trained, and there was a fierce, desperate savagery about him.

When their companion had fallen, those men had all been cursing; now most of them had fallen silent.

They knew perfectly well that their own side was in the wrong. Bullying a child this small, when the other side was even willing to risk his life to uphold the rules, was no honorable matter.

What was more, the taller one had been standing quietly behind with folded arms, and one could even make out an intent to cover and support.

If anyone really insisted on climbing aboard by force, they would likely have to pay a price.

If they had to bring out tools or smash things from a distance just to deal with these two little kids, they would surely be laughed at for the rest of their lives.

Just then, Wei Dong arrived with several young men. From afar, seeing the crowd gathered around the truck, he thought, what the hell.

But he had also grown used to such scenes, and he walked to the rear of the vehicle as calmly as he could, copying Sister Shen’s style of clasping his fists as he stepped in. “What’s this? What are you all doing? Old Peng, Old Zhou, did I bring back a new truck just so you could congratulate me?”

His tone was genuinely surprised.

In truth, the moment he appeared, the whole area burst into uproar. “Dong boy is back!”

“No wonder, it’s the young master’s truck, the boy’s truck. So pretty!”

“Has Wei Dong been gone so long? He’s back?”

“Brother Dong is back. I’ve kept your newspapers for you!”

Even the laborers, passersby, and newspaper boys who had been inconspicuous before now called out one after another, even deliberately speaking up at this moment.

The entire atmosphere changed.

The two children standing high up on the truck unconsciously straightened their chests. Even if they did not know what great things their big brother had done here, they could still feel the pride of being revered by so many.

The ones Wei Dong addressed by name were the foremen, the bosses of the wharf and freight yard.

Now they too laughed heartily. “Not bad at all. Getting yourself a vehicle like this is your ability. But your two little brothers here have some real bearing.”

Wei Dong actually replied, “It’s nothing special. They’re just my brothers. They’ll be following me around the road for good. This time I’m taking some more men from White Peak Mountain to Jiangzhou, Zhejiangzhou, Pingjing, and the provincial capital. In the future I may still have to trouble all the big brothers here. If you’ve got any capable men, sons, nephews, or younger kin who want to go out and make their fortune, you can send them to me!”

This was a trick he had picked up from the housing-office section chief when buying the truck.

He had even had the contents reinforced by something Sister Shen Cuiyue had memorized and recited.

After so many years in the tax office compound, he now understood at a glance.

What benefit could compare with helping the other person’s children make their way in the world?

At present, the one thing Wei Dong did not lack was opportunities for people to prosper.

He could casually set up a liaison office in the capital or in the provincial seat, support a staff of paid men with handsome salaries, and still make money on the side. In one move, he would have secured an entire web of connections.

Sure enough, the moment they heard him say this, their expressions changed faster than turning a page. “What’s this about? What opportunities? Hurry up and give us the full story…”

Wei Dong pointed casually. “Then come over here, have a few drinks, get some snacks to go with them, and we’ll talk properly.”

He glanced back without concern. “Cheng Boy, move the things back and take your brother home so he can get acquainted with the place.”

It was as if he had not even seen the sharp blade Stone still held in his hand, which had made his own heart jump.

The village boys hurriedly climbed up to tidy things away, and Stone was lifted down and taken along with them.

But Maoer followed silently behind. By the time Wei Dong had sat down, he was still standing straight-backed at his side, his body not even fully grown yet, but already carrying that determination that said he would follow through fire and steel.

When those freight-yard bosses saw this, they first turned back and called Gangzi over. “Go and apologize to Wei Dong. We didn’t know it was your truck. We couldn’t resist reaching out. Your little brother there is exceptionally skilled.”

Wei Dong only smiled and patted the other man’s shoulder. “No big deal. Right now Jiangzhou is full of opportunities for anyone with a hand to extend. If you’re interested in going with us, I’ve spent half a month in Zhejiangzhou recently, more than a week in Pingjing, half a month in the provincial capital. I’ll tell you everything slowly…”

Maoer, who had always been dull and taciturn, watched his big brother move through this with effortless ease and stood even straighter, his childish frame rigid with admiration.

Yet he listened with intense concentration.

By the time the wine and food had been enjoyed to satisfaction, that Gangzi was all smiles and bows as he tried to ingratiate himself and take his leave.

Wei Dong chuckled and waved, taking Maoer home with him, only then growing a little puzzled. “I always thought you were the one who’d make the first move?”

Anyone looking at those two little brats would have assumed the quick and compact Stone was the brains and the lookout, while the tall and sturdy Maoer was the one for fists and feet.

Maoer raised his hand. Between his fingers was a slender blade like a craft knife razor, which he flipped deftly back and forth. “Big brother, didn’t you first suspect that I was the one making the move? You wouldn’t be guarding against me, especially when it comes to cheating.”

“What?”

Wei Dong, who prided himself as the king of the card table, immediately called Stone over to play cards with him.

Those village boys living here surely had entertainment on ordinary days.

Then all of them stared in disbelief as the two boys, clearly only just learning how to play the game, nevertheless managed to snatch up good hands like ghosts appearing and vanishing without a trace.

Wei Dong’s confidence in his own precise card-counting on the final few rounds began to waver.

Truly, each craft has its own master.

An amateur like him was just a novice before professional players.

Dong Xueying, both curious and amused, held their daughter in her arms and leaned silently in the doorway, watching the man shout and exclaim through several rounds before coming over to remind him, “If you’re doing serious work, you can’t get obsessed with these things. Especially not gambling.”

Wei Dong turned and saw Little Die staring at him with bewildered bean-sized eyes. He smiled, clapped his hands, and took her from her. “Do you remember me?”

The infant responded by blowing bubbles.

For Wei Dong, whose inner age was that of a sixty-year-old bachelor, and given the city people’s views forty years later of divorced women with children, he truly felt there was nothing bad about living this life with the older sister.

Having a ready-made child meant he could immediately have a home of wife, child, and warm bed. He was already somewhat impatient.

But this would surely not pass his parents’ approval, so he shook his head and, holding the child, stood up. “Tell me, what’s the situation with Old You now?”

He needed to move everything quickly to Jiangzhou and see whether things might finally begin to change for the better.