Inside the box.
Yu Mingyuan saw that the guest had arrived and immediately stood up to greet him: "Brother Wei, thank you for not killing me at the cargo yard yesterday."
That's right, the person who came was the head of the Zhannan Wharf Gang - Wei Xiangzuo. Yu Mingyuan was able to invite him today because he was introduced by a friend in District 1, and this person had some favors for Wei Xiangzuo.
"You're exaggerating." Wei Xiangzuo shook hands with Yu Mingyuan and replied simply, "I left yesterday because I didn't know that the goods were robbed by Xu Hu. It can't be said that I was spared from death."
"Haha, Brother Wei is a quick-witted person. Come, please take a seat!" Yu Mingyuan gritted his teeth and found a step to go down, then extended his hand to invite the other party to the guest seat.
Su Tianyu looked at the sturdy man with a resolute face, and standing on the host's side, he helped him set the table and poured him some white wine.
“I’ve heard about Brother Wei’s behavior at the dock before, but I’ve always…” Yu Mingyuan wanted to use the drinking game in the mall to praise the other party.
Wei Xiangzuo waved his hand carelessly, looked at the dishes on the table and replied, "We are here to eat, not to flatter each other. Mr. Yu, if you have anything to say, just say it. I have the relationship with Lao Xu, and I will definitely do it if I can. I owe him this."
Seeing that the other party was so direct, Yu Mingyuan adjusted the conversation and stopped beating around the bush: "Brother Wei, let me be frank. The dock gang and the port relationship are now in such a mess with our company, which will definitely affect our maritime business, so I can only find a way out by myself now. I want to ask you if there is any possibility of cooperation between us."
Wei Xiangzuo picked up his chopsticks and ate the dishes on the table without hesitation. He chuckled and replied, "Do you want to cooperate with Ma Bang or with me?"
"Of course I want to cooperate with you!" Yu Mingyuan replied with a smile.
"That's impossible." Wei Xiangzuo ate in a very rough manner. After two bites of fish, the corners of his mouth were already full of grease stains: "We can't skip the Ma Gang and play alone. This is definitely not possible."
"I'll give you 40% of the profit, which is 10% more than what Tang Baiqing got before." Yu Mingyuan continued, "You don't have to do the work. You just need to be responsible for the relationship on the sea and ensure that the goods land safely."
"That's not the point." Wei Xiangzuo shook his head.
Yu Mingyuan looked at his expression, pondered for a while and said, "Code Gang is an organization with many rules. If you are willing to cooperate with me, and you want to become a leader and join the Federation of Trade Unions, I can also find a way for you and give you money and connections."
"Haha!" Wei Xiangzuo turned his head and looked at Yu Mingyuan and smiled when he heard this: "You can offer me such a high price, so why can't you give in to Xu Hu? If you give him 40% profit and he doesn't have to work, I believe he will forget yesterday's unpleasantness in a minute."
"No, this is different." Yu Mingyuan waved his hand: "Xu Hu negotiated with me because he wanted to force me to make money. If he can get 40% today, he can get 60% tomorrow. And he plans to let me kick out the dirty gang, which is equivalent to making the decision for me. I definitely cannot accept doing business together like this."
"That makes sense." Wei Xiangzuo picked up a piece of fish and said, "But it still doesn't work. I can't cooperate with you."
Yu Mingyuan looked at him: "Haha, Brother Wei, are you a little worried about my character?"
"What do you mean?"
"... As far as I know, you and Xu Hu have different ideas on some things about the Code Gang." Yu Mingyuan said tactfully: "You are resisting me so much, isn't it the same as raising the price for Xu Hu? You are not making 40% of the profit, but protecting Xu Hu's face, this... I can't understand this."
Wei Xiangzuo stared at the dishes on the table, pointed around with his chopsticks and said, "Look at these dishes on the table, there are vegetarian dishes, meat dishes, soup dishes, and dry pot dishes, but if you pick any of them at random, no matter how high the quality of the dish is, it is not called a banquet! Although the Code Gang has many branches and many people, and there is some confusion inside, it can only be called the Code Gang when it comes together. The government gives us face, the foreigners give us face, the customs, the coast guard, and the police station also have to give us face. Why is this? It's very simple, just four words, strength in numbers!"
When Yu Mingyuan heard this, he was speechless.
"I don't like the way Xu Hu does things, but he and I are fellow disciples and have the same master. You two had a fight, and I took the business. Isn't that the same as stabbing Xu Hu in the back and provoking internal strife among the gang?" Wei Xiangzuo put down his chopsticks, turned his head and looked at Yu Mingyuan and asked back.
"Brother Wei, I think...!"
"Xiao Yu, from my personal point of view, I don't think it's necessary to fight to the death." Wei Xiangzuo interrupted Yu Mingyuan and continued in a low voice: "... You should go talk to Xu Hu. If the two of you can reach some consensus, I am willing to mediate in the middle. You can ship a batch of goods and give the dock gang a commission. We will both keep our knives, and make money in harmony, and it will also make the brothers below live a better life."
When Yu Mingyuan heard this, he already knew that he could not convince Wei Xiangzuo.
"That's it," Wei Xiangzuo stood up and said, "I'm leaving first."
After the words fell, Wei Xiangzuo walked out alone, while Yu Mingyuan frowned and couldn't help asking: "What if Xu Hu and I can't reach an agreement?"
Wei Xiangzuo turned around and replied without hesitation: "We rely on the port to make a living. You have crossed the line. If you don't pay, it will definitely not work."
After saying that, Wei Xiangzuo pushed the door and left.
Yu Mingyuan loosened his collar and cursed speechlessly: "Damn it, I met a stubborn guy!"
"Yes." Although Su Tianyu agreed, he had some different opinions about Wei Xiangzuo in his heart.
The talks broke down. Yu Mingyuan was in a bad mood and had no appetite for the food on the table. He reached out, picked up his coat, and ran out the door.
Su Tianyu asked the manager to settle the bill, but the manager told him that Wei Xiangzuo had already paid the bill.
…
Obviously, the internal route of the Code Gang was not feasible, so in the next few days, Su Tianyu and Yu Mingyuan were busy looking for new official connections, but the effect was not good. Because Xu Hu did nothing these days, he was just carrying various gifts to manage the black and white relations of the port, and did not give Yu Mingyuan any chance to get in.
The business done at sea is now closed.
If the goods could not be imported, the company would have nothing to do, so Mingyuan Company was almost in a desperate situation.
However, surprisingly, when the company was facing bankruptcy, Yu Mingyuan was not so angry and felt at ease because the worst result had already occurred.
It was noon that day.
Su Tianyu, Su Tianbei, Bai Hongbo, and Kong Zhenghui came to Yu's house, ready to talk to him, because Su Tianyu had asked about the port a lot in the past few days, and he already had some ideas in his mind.
As soon as everyone entered the Yu family villa, Bai Hongbo saw An Qiqi and six or seven other girls sitting by the swimming pool and chatting.
The sky was sunny and bright, there were mountains and water in the courtyard, lush green plants, and a gentle breeze. A group of girls were sitting on the lawn eating snacks and cold meals, chatting, and sketching. The scenery was beautiful.
When Bai Hongbo saw this scene, he immediately composed a poem: "A small bridge with flowing water, the wind blowing north, seven beauties, eating ham, if you want to ask where is the beauty of my brother, I want to reach out and touch his thigh."
This poem was improvised without any warning, so the other three people were stunned after hearing it.
"... You are... really... talented!" Su Tianbei was immediately convinced.