Chapter 89: No One Knows There Is an Infernal Affairs Here

Even those two young ruffians from the underworld understood romance better than Rang Weidong.

Last night, it only took a casual glance for them to start trading sly questions before bed: Who is this lady?

The next morning, when the young woman brought a bowl of noodle soup with poached eggs to Rang Weidong, the situation immediately became clear as extraordinary.

The country girls who followed her in were all deferential, bringing basins of hot water and fresh towels, respectfully calling him “Brother Dong,” then promptly shooing the others off to get to work.

They were getting ready to head to Jiangzhou, and Daoshui was visibly excited.

Yawning incessantly, Rang Weidong soon saw Shitou, taking advantage of his own small, clever appearance, put on an innocent face and ask, “Big sister, what’s your surname?”

The night before, he’d called her “Auntie.”

Then Maor, with practiced ease, blocked their big brother’s view.

Rang Weidong immediately realized what the little rascals were up to and scolded them with a laugh, telling them to hurry up and wash up for breakfast.

He took them straight to the docks to see the operation.

This move made Dong Xueying, who had originally intended to probe for information, frown quietly—was he really so protective?

So she pushed her daughter toward Rang Weidong, wanting him to hold her—a secret weapon!

Rang Weidong couldn’t help but glance at her twice. Did she really not realize what these two had done in the past? If they thought it necessary, they had countless ways to kill this little girl without ever facing justice.

He never hesitated to imagine the worst when it came to these two.

So, on the way to the docks after breakfast, he had to warn them: “Sister Dong is my work partner—a very important one. And I like this child very much. If either of you so much as lays a finger on her, I swear I’ll… take it out on your third sister!”

That seemed the only thing that could make them flinch.

Shitou looked bewildered and anxious. “What? What’s wrong?”

Maor’s face wasn’t as expressive; he just quietly turned his head.

So Rang Weidong could only curse and berate them: “Playing dumb! If you two are always going to play dumb with me, you might as well not follow me around anymore!”

Shitou finally reined in his act, putting on a sycophantic face. “Third sister’s with you, but outside, Fourth Brother calls you brother-in-law. We’ll always see you as our big brother, for life. That Erguotou is nothing.”

Rang Weidong had to start interrogating them about this strange lingo: “Who’s Fourth Brother? Erguotou… is that the child’s mother?”

Shitou nodded. “To outsiders, we call her Fourth Brother, Outpost, or Empties. A young woman with a child who still wants to remarry, what else is she but an Erguotou?”

Rang Weidong couldn’t help but be amused at the underworld’s inventive language.

But once they were at the docks, the two boys were both fresh and familiar with these codes, and started explaining the ins and outs of dockside life to him.

The Shen family’s whole business revolved around the docks; their ancestors had once dominated every part of Jiangzhou’s dockside trade—boats, carts, inns, labor, brokerage.

On the surface, it was all about running boats, driving carts, keeping inns, managing warehouses, and acting as brokers, but beneath it all lay scams, honey traps, theft, and murder.

No wonder the old saying went that those in the “boat, cart, inn, labor, brokerage” trades deserved death even if innocent.

It was their family’s line of work.

After the founding of the new society, successive political campaigns had nearly wiped them out. Only in the past few years, with the elders fearing their craft would be lost and the social climate relaxing a little, did they start cautiously reviving it, mostly by training the younger generation.

But now they’d been hit by this overwhelming disaster.

“Serves you right!” Rang Weidong didn’t stop criticizing them. “You only ever thought about what you could steal. Now you’ve lived through hardship, you know what it’s like when a family’s life-saving money for medicine gets stolen. If you ever steal again, I’ll turn you over to the police.”

Maor, who had been the main thief, now seemed much more self-controlled, though a thin slice of dark yellow bamboo still twirled between his fingers. If not for the joints, it would look like a piece of fine yellow jade, polished from long handling.

“Third sister said, whatever big brother tells us to do, we’ll do it. We won’t go after the sheep anymore,” he said, still holding a trace of pride in his craft.

Shitou, more attuned to the mood, added, “Third sister is a clean courtesan, she doesn’t have a man. Big sister is the one who has to show her face. Now we know that even that can get you killed.”

Rang Weidong knew this was an overcorrection. “Anyway, the past few years, if you make too much money and get caught, you could lose your head too. Be careful. In front of outsiders, just act like children.”

The two exchanged a glance and made a fist salute together. “We’ll do as big brother says!”

Rang Weidong was speechless. “Is that how normal children react?”

Raised under strict training, the two brothers still had a lot to learn.

And they needed it immediately.

Worried that Xiaodie might catch a chill, after a while Rang Weidong retreated to a teahouse at the street corner, chatting and boasting with the dock bosses and foremen, all while checking the account books Dong Xueying had brought over.

She was adept at creating the right impression—after dropping off the books, she went to the counter to arrange tea, fruit, and snacks, giving Rang Weidong plenty of face.

The two brothers got to watch too, and were shown how their own family’s sand and agricultural transport business at Shangzhou’s docks deliberately made no profit.

The idea was to share as much as possible with the laborers, drivers, and warehouse hands—the ones who did the work.

This was all about buying loyalty, and also about avoiding scrutiny from the business and tax authorities.

Sitting on a bench, eating seeds and sipping tea, the two finally looked a bit like real children.

Even in the 1980s, the dockside culture in Shangzhou was much like in Jiangzhou. No matter what, traces of old underworld ways lingered at the docks.

After all, laborers and the transport trade were famous for being uneducated, relying on brute strength, and easily forming tight-knit groups.

Transport companies and moving outfits couldn’t shake their roots.

The dock bosses all assumed the young woman was Rang Weidong’s lover, but said nothing, focusing instead on business opportunities for making money outside.

Rang Weidong had a plan: “Anyone sent out now won’t know much at first—they’ll start as helpers. Pingjing, Jicheng, Zhezhou, even Huhai, we can send people out to work, handle deliveries and payments. If you’re smart and lucky, you can strike out on your own—it’s your fate. Stick with me, and you’ll never be shortchanged.”

The key was in these assignments.

No matter how tough a guy was, dropped somewhere unfamiliar, he’d have to rely on family business connections and introductions to survive—there’d be no chance to stir up trouble in groups.

There would always be those curious to see the world, going from total ignorance to having someone show them the ropes with legitimate earnings.

The conversation was lively.

Just then, several men in official attire entered, making the entire teahouse fall silent.

The two boys, who had been bent over the accounts and eating seeds, instantly sensed the change in atmosphere. Maor instinctively edged closer to Rang Weidong, while Shitou lowered his head even further, as if studying the table’s legs for flaws, but quietly rolled the account book out of sight.

Seeing the young policeman among them, Rang Weidong stayed calm, meeting their gaze—much more composed than the first time he’d seen white police uniforms in the city last year.

Dong Xueying wanted to come over, but he stopped her with a look.

Their attitude wasn’t unfriendly: “Comrade Rang Weidong, could you come with us to the city for some questions?”

Rang Weidong stood, cradling the baby, and agreed. The two boys did their best to act their age, clutching his clothes as they followed.

So Rang Weidong left, children in tow, while Dong Xueying watched repeatedly from behind the teahouse counter, relieved enough to start planning a good lunch to reward the man.

The dock bosses, still too nervous to speak, could only whisper, “Has our little brother really become a guest of honor at the city offices?”

Even the young woman got respectful nods from the officials.

The officials treated Rang Weidong, with his brood, with respect all the way to the city. The leaders were in a meeting, so several people stayed behind to chat with him.

Of course, they were also sizing him up—where he’d come from, where he was going, his plans, his connection to the dockside sand and produce business.

Rang Weidong answered every question.

The young policeman brewed tea and sat down. “I checked with Jiangzhou’s Jiangnan branch. The tape recorders your Hongguang Store sold them before the New Year were top quality. Have you done any other business since?”

It looked like a routine question, but was really a form of endorsement.

The task force’s attitude shifted again.

Rang Weidong replied, “This time it’s a bigger deal. In early April, after finishing with work around Guozhou and the neighboring regions, I went to the provincial capital with a reporter from Sunshine Daily. Because of some previous achievements, the province asked us to assist electronics manufacturers in the Rongdu area, especially third-line military-to-civilian factories, in boosting sales. I attended the Electronics Manufacturers’ Joint Conference in Rongdu on April 5th. In the end, we secured a partnership with the provincial telecommunications factory to launch two new tape recorder models. That’s a big step up from just selling coastal imports—it’s about upgrading and expanding local production, and hopefully selling these new products nationwide. That would be great news for our province’s electronics industry.”

Someone took notes, and they all glanced at each other in surprise.

The main charge against You Qili and his group had been speculation and profiteering.

Now, Rang Weidong had already moved far beyond that, getting involved in production and development.

And all with the province’s backing—and Sunshine Daily’s protection… Yes, Sunshine Daily: “Lately, their series of editorials has been getting national attention. Many of your accomplishments are mentioned, aren’t they?”

Rang Weidong took out his Xishan Factory ID and a copy of the film festival contract from his pocket and handed them over.

He’d only shown the original to the museum; the rest of the time, he was reluctant even to fold it.

To him, this so-called task force was less important than a mere museum manager.

The three-way contract bore his signature.

This completely shattered the officials’ air of authority. They hurried off, promising to report to their leaders.

The two brothers then saw the remaining white-uniformed officer sneak their big brother a conspiratorial, thievish grin.

Suddenly, they felt their big brother truly was the legendary “master of all trades”—feared and respected by both sides of the law.