Urban Martial Saint

Old Fifth Yang’s words made Ye Qing stunned for a moment. He had always felt that Old Fifth Yang was too profit-driven, so they were just ordinary friends. However, these words greatly changed Ye Qing’s opinion of him. If Old Fifth Yang could really do all these, then he would be the second Li Lianshan!

Gu Xianping was also stunned for quite a while and said in a low voice, ”Boss Yang, supporting a student’s education costs at least... at least more than five thousand a year, you...”

”Only five thousand? I thought it would be more than ten thousand!” Old Fifth Yang scratched his head and said, ”Since that’s the case, let’s do more. I’ll support one hundred!”

Ye Qing looked at Old Fifth Yang and said, ”Boss Yang, are you serious?”

Old Fifth Yang picked up his glass from the table, drained it in one gulp, and said, ”Ye brothers, I know you don’t think much of me, thinking I’m just a crooked businessman, a bad guy. But who says a businessman with a thuggish background can’t do good deeds? Who says someone who has done bad things in the past can’t turn to the good side?”

”Great!” Ye Qing also picked up his glass, drank it all in one gulp, and said, ”Fifth Brother, if you can really do this, then I really must thank you on behalf of those students!”

Old Fifth Yang felt somewhat excited, Ye Qing’s address for him had changed, from Boss Yang to Fifth Brother, showing that he really considered him one of his own now. What excited Old Fifth Yang even more was that he was actually going to do a good deed. He had never done such a thing before because everything he had done previously was calculated for profit and loss. He made this sudden decision tonight, partially out of impulse and partially in an attempt to get closer to Ye Qing. However, after setting aside these motives, he suddenly realized that he also looked forward to doing something good, looking forward to seeing how happy those poor students would be after getting the chance to go to school!

Gu Xianping was also very excited, having taught for many years, he, of course, knew how those poor students lived. He picked up his glass from the table, drank half, and choked on it, coughing several times. Despite Ye Qing’s intervention, he still forced himself to finish the cup and said, ”Boss Yang, don’t worry, I’ll personally oversee everything, to ensure your money is used where it should be. I still have a few students teaching at the school, and I’ll have them send over the information of those poor students for me to personally check. Your money won’t be wasted!”

Old Fifth Yang was somewhat surprised and asked, ”Teacher Gu, aren’t you teaching anymore?”

A little embarrassed, Gu Xianping lowered his head and said, ”I... I have been dismissed by the school...”

”Why so?” Old Fifth Yang was even more surprised.

Gu Xianping sighed, picked up the cup from the table, and said, ”Let’s not talk about the past. Boss Yang, this drink is for you!”

Old Fifth Yang, still puzzled, drank with Gu Xianping anyway. After setting down the glass, he immediately asked, ”What are you doing now, Teacher Gu?”

Gu Xianping spoke in a low voice, ”Doing a little business...”

Gu Yunzhi added, ”Dad, after you sold our entire book collection, there’s no business left to do!”

With his face turning red, Gu Xianping hastily said, ”Little child, don’t speak!”

Old Fifth Yang hurriedly said, ”Teacher Gu, you’ve been selling your own collection of books? That can’t be right! I’ve heard that the books of intellectuals are their very lifeblood!”

Ye Qing had seen Gu Xianping selling books today, but he didn’t realize it was his collection being sold.

Ye Qing said, ”Fifth Brother, do you have any suitable job for Teacher Gu at your place?”

”You know my situation here, it’s either construction or those entertainment venues…” Old Fifth Yang scratched his head and said, ”But don’t worry, consider the job issue for Teacher Gu taken care of by me. I can’t promise much, but finding a suitable job for Teacher Gu is definitely not a problem!”

”How can we trouble Boss Yang with this...” Although Gu Xianping said this, his face lit up with joy. Being an intellectual, he had no practical skills and life had been difficult since his dismissal. Supporting two children meant he had to find a job, but at his age, nobody would hire him. If Old Fifth Yang could take care of his employment, it would solve their family’s survival problem!

”No worries, you are Ye’s teacher, so you are my teacher as well,” Old Fifth Yang said with a smile, ”I’m someone with limited schooling, not much education. However, I deeply respect educated people. Teacher Gu, I’ve got your back!”

”Then... thank you so much, Boss Yang…” Gu Xianping was overjoyed, truly, if his employment issue was resolved, then he would have nothing else to worry about.

Meanwhile, the stall owner had prepared the food and brought it over to the fool. The fool did not even use chopsticks and gobbled up the food voraciously as if he were starving.

Watching the fool like that, everyone couldn’t help but feel moved. Old Fifth Yang sighed and looked at the stall owner next to him, asking, ”Where is this fool from?”

The stall owner replied, ”He’s from here, from Chengguan Town.”

”From here? How come I don’t know him?” Old Fifth Yang looked at the fool in surprise and said, ”I’ve never seen him before.”

”Boss Yang, you also rarely come here anymore, and he has been around here for nearly two months,” the stall owner said. ”He’s originally from Chengguan Town. He had a mother who always took care of him, and he never went out, so few people have seen him. But, two months ago, his mother passed away, and he became homeless, wandering around here ever since. The few stalls here, being his old neighbors, feel pity for him and give him leftover food and dishes, which has kept him alive till now. However, it’s hard to say about the future. Winter is coming soon, he’s homeless again, and we don’t know if he can survive this winter!”

As the stall owner spoke, he kept shaking his head and sighing, clearly sympathetic to the fool’s plight.

”Doesn’t he have any other family members?” Ye Qing asked.

The stall owner replied, ”What other people could there be? His father died early when he was just a teenager. He also had a brother, but it’s said that he was kidnapped by human traffickers, and it’s been over ten years with no sight of him, his current situation still unknown. It was just his mother, and now she’s gone too, alas!”

”Every family has its own hard to read scriptures!” Gu Xianping also sighed and pulled Gu Yunzhi closer. If he were no longer around, perhaps his own children would also face the same misfortunes.

Old Fifth Yang wondered, ”Doesn’t his family have any relatives? Even if there are no relatives, doesn’t he know to go home and rest?”

The stall owner replied, ”His family does have relatives, but there has been no contact for over a decade. His family’s house is also gone; he is truly homeless now.”

Ye Qing asked solemnly, ”What happened to the house?”

”This…” The stall owner hesitated for a moment, looked around as if being cautious about something, and whispered, ”You mustn’t spread this around.”

Old Fifth Yang said, ”Oh, come on, what are you afraid of with me here!”

”Haha…” The stall owner laughed awkwardly and whispered, ”His family’s house, it is said that it was on the Lu Family’s land, so the Lu Family took their house back. It was because of this that his mother was literally angered to death. Their relatives broke off relations because of the Lu Family’s involvement.”

”The Lu Family?” Old Fifth Yang frowned, apparently quite familiar with the Lu Family.

”Who is the Lu Family?” Ye Qing asked sternly.

The stall owner looked at Ye Qing and wondered, ”You… Are you not from Jiuchuan County? Don’t you know about the Lu Family from Chengguan Town?”

”The Lu Family is the most prominent family name around Chengguan Town with a large population and powerful influence. No one dares provoke them in Chengguan Town,” Old Fifth Yang stated gravely. ”I once had a project I wanted to develop here, but it was thwarted by the Lu Family.”

Ye Qing was stunned; Old Fifth Yang was considered one of the wealthiest tycoons in Jiuchuan County. Furthermore, he had a background in the underworld and had Chen Jia’an providing protection for him, allowing him to do almost anything in Jiuchuan County. And yet, the Lu Family had managed to foil his project, indicating that the Lu Family was indeed not simple!

”Boss Yang, just listen to this tale and let it be,” the stall owner laughed awkwardly and said, ”Issues with the Lu Family, we can’t get involved much. Also, regarding the land disputes, it’s hard to clarify, even if it goes to court, who knows what the result would be. Alright, Boss Yang, is this dish enough or should I fry a few more hot ones for you?”

”No need,” Old Fifth Yang waved his hand, signaling the stall owner to leave. Looking at the silent Ye Qing, he said, ”Ye brothers, I know what you’re thinking. But, it’s better not to provoke the Lu Family. They have too many people, with just the immediate family having sixty to seventy members, and several hundred in the branches. Plus, these people don’t reason with you; when so many gather, not even the police or the army can handle them. Even if you’re not afraid of them, don’t you fear retaliation against your uncles and aunts still in Jiuchuan County? These days, it’s not the open assaults we fear, but the underhanded bricks they throw. This kind of ruthless character, holding a knife they’re hooligans, without a knife, they’re farmers, you can’t beat them, and if you don’t, they won’t let you off, absolutely impossible to provoke.”

Ye Qing did not respond, but he knew Old Fifth Yang was stating the facts. Such family forces might not be as powerful as He Biao, but you couldn’t contend with them either. This was why even a figure like Old Fifth Yang had to circumvent them.

”Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore,” Old Fifth Yang picked up his glass and said, ”Ye brothers, come, let’s drink up! To your successful plan today, and to me, this gangster about to do a good deed, cheers!”

Ye Qing picked up his glass, clinked it with Old Fifth Yang’s. After putting down the glass, he turned to look at the fool again, but was shocked to find that the fool was no longer in his original spot. The bowls and dishes were still on the ground, but the fool had disappeared, as if he had vanished.