Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 835: Chapter 79: The Gale Surpasses

Soon after, Uncle Wu heard Song Tianyou’s call, then pushed the door open again and instructed the servants to bring the grooming tools forward.

After a moment of contemplation, Song Tianyou finally said, “Fifth Uncle, inform the villagers not to take on any business for the time being. For the business at hand, finish quickly and return… prepare 300 people and equipment for me.”

Uncle Wu did not ask why and indicated he would implement this as soon as possible.

After taking the hot towel handed by the servant to wipe his face, Song Tianyou suddenly asked, “Where’s that girl Song Ying?”

Uncle Wu replied, “Miss Ying went out early in the morning, saying she was going back to the hotel to handle some matters.”

Song Tianyou shook his head, “It’s really a hardship for this child, so young and already managing the Song family’s business outside… this should have been Haoran’s responsibility. Pity Haoran is too wild-natured.”

It was well known that Song Haoran preferred running around to sitting in an office. Even in his free time, he liked to gather a team and explore everywhere.

“Gaining more experience is also a good thing for the eldest young master.” Uncle Wu smiled slightly.

Song Tianyou shook his head, then waved his hand. Uncle Wu understood and had the servants leave, and this was when Song Tianyou looked at Uncle Wu and said, “Fifth Uncle, do you think there is a possibility between Luo Qiu and Song Ying?”

Uncle Wu showed an expression as if he had expected this. After all, the Song Family is a family with a long heritage, owning enormous assets and influence, but in this generation, it faced the awkward situation of a dwindling lineage.

Song Haoran seemed indifferent to romantic matters, having remained single all these years, and Elder Song naturally grew anxious as he watched himself age year by year.

Originally, he had also tried to find a match for Song Ying, but never found someone satisfactory.

“It seems that the Old Master really likes Young Master Qiu,” Uncle Wu chuckled, “considering this so quickly.”

“Putting aside that he is from the Song family, this kid is the most satisfactory among the peers I’ve met.” Song Tianyou stood up and walked to the window, drawing the curtains, “He remains calm and composed; rare indeed, rare.”

However, Uncle Wu said, “But Old Master, have you thought about it, the more like this Young Master Qiu is, the more out of the ordinary it seems?”

“Oh? Tell me.” Song Tianyou turned around.

“Ordinary people,” Uncle Wu said slowly, “even those from wealthy backgrounds, cannot remain so undisturbed after seeing even a fraction of the Song family. Old Master, allow me to speak candidly… this Young Master Qiu is possibly not simple.”

Song Tianyou frowned and gave Uncle Wu a glance.

Uncle Wu continued, “He behaves naturally with me and the servants; it is a habit formed by those used to being serviced by others. Unfazed by anything, humble yet dignified… people like this…”

“What about people like this?” Song Tianyou pursued.

Uncle Wu spoke earnestly, “Old Master, this Young Master Qiu resembles a master. I’ve spent my life as a butler, accustomed to serving, so I can sense this.”

“Hmm…” Song Tianyou nodded, “But his family background is ordinary, I’ve had it checked… his identity poses no problem. Moreover, the verification was personally handled by Haoran; it won’t be wrong.”

Uncle Wu frowned, “Then perhaps this Young Master Qiu is another kind… he’s naturally noble.”

Nonetheless, Uncle Wu shook his head, “But we know, no matter how noble one’s background is, growing up in an ordinary environment leads to an ordinary development. Conversely, if a commoner grows in high society, they tend to adopt an air of nobility.”

“Oh, Fifth Uncle.” Song Tianyou came over, patting Uncle Wu on the shoulder, “I know you’re meticulous. But I view him differently than you. I don’t think he’s naturally noble, but naturally virtuous.”

Looking out at the beautiful manor, Song Tianyou mused, “A person of great virtue employs only the Way, without conscious virtue, neither insistent nor useless.”

“That’s a bit too…”

But Song Tianyou added, “I’ll reconsider the matter concerning Song Ying. Don’t worry too much, let’s see how these two kids get along… Oh, they’re back, just when I’m feeling hungry.”

The car slowly drove into the manor, it was Song Haoran’s car, a rather ordinary jeep.

…

It wasn’t quite breakfast anymore; after a simple meal of soy milk and fried dough, it was already nearing eleven o’clock.

Song Tianyou personally brewed a pot of tea in the hall, after sharing it among them, Song Tianyou suddenly said, “Luo Qiu, in the near future, I’m planning a trip back to the country, will you come along?”

“Back to the country?” Luo Qiu looked at Song Tianyou.

However, Song Tianyou smiled and said, “The old tomb of our Song family has been neglected for years. Though you’ve prayed at the shrine, it’s not enough; you need to personally visit our family tomb. This year, we’ll spend Lunar New Year back home. Since it’s not far off, stay here and return with me.”

Luo Qiu pondered for a while.

He temporarily transferred his club privileges to You Ye, which was like giving himself a vacation. Because of the vacation, the transaction was exempted the night before when a white man had his hand cut off by Song Ying’s subordinates.

But the cost for the boss’s vacation is much higher than that of a Black soul envoy, constantly depleting his lifespan — though it can be earned back, the unit is calculated in years.

Due to the ‘Main God’ plan, Luo Qiu was able to take this vacation.

Instinct told him there might be other reasons behind Song Tianyou’s return to the country.

More importantly… a long-suppressed emotion seemed to be reviving.

For instance, shedding tears over Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, passed down in the Song family.

However, Luo Qiu also knew that in this mode, even temporarily enriching his emotions would not be a long-term solution. The consumption is too great, even with ‘Main God’ plan support, there would always be a point where intake couldn’t keep pace with expenditure.

Ultimately, he might end up frantically devising more deals, obtaining more sacrifices for lifespan to maintain his rich emotions… which could unknowingly lead him down the path of his predecessor.

Indeed, there’s no room for relaxation…

In an instant, such thoughts flashed through Luo Qiu’s mind as he looked at Song Tianyou and said, “Alright.”

Song Tianyou then added, “By the way, I heard your father later married a concubine, bring her to meet me after returning, she’s our Song family’s daughter-in-law and should pay respects to our ancestors. This woman isn’t bad, having stayed with you over the years, our Song family must not treat her unfairly.”

Luo Qiu merely smiled without giving a definite answer.

After brief thought, Song Tianyou added, “Haoran, return to the village this afternoon, there’s something I need you to do, Fifth Uncle will tell you the details.”

Song Haoran shrugged and waved farewell to Luo Qiu, casually at ease.

Song Tianyou suddenly clapped his hands, and a young woman in her twenties entered the room; pointing to her, he said, “Gan Hong, from now on, follow Young Master Qiu and take care of him.”

Luo Qiu glanced over; the girl was surprisingly the same train attendant… he looked at Song Tianyou, surprised, “From now on?”

Song Tianyou calmly replied, “She belongs to you now.”

…

…

Bucky swallowed hard… actually his lips were already cracked and pale.

There was nothing he could do about it — because he had been exposed to the sun and wind on the rooftop for such a long time, nearly reaching human limits.

He lay on the ground, utterly exhausted — that night, the club’s maid had left him on the rooftop, completely ignoring him after that.

He tried to smash the rooftop’s iron door, but there was no way to dismantle the building with his bare hands.

With no strength left, Bucky unbuckled his belt… as a last resort, he planned to chew on it.

So hard…

“What are you doing?”

Bucky, as if hearing a gospel, suddenly burst with a wave of new strength and climbed up — he had finally waited for the club’s maid.

As Bucky, filled with excitement, seemed ready to embrace her, You Ye frowned, flicked her fingers, and Bucky rolled back the way he came, finally stopping after hitting the railing.

“I say, you people are really unreasonable, leaving me here, I nearly died!” Bucky roared angrily.

Without any expression, You Ye stepped in front of Bucky, “Looking quite energetic, seems like you can hold on a bit longer.”

Bucky’s face changed drastically, and he begged, “I was wrong! Please, please don’t leave me here again.”

You Ye smiled slightly, “When I say you’re quite energetic, I mean your spiritual power has improved significantly. Now you should be able to use the ring’s ability four or five times.”

Bucky was momentarily stunned.

You Ye said calmly, “The Holy See has a type of monk whose divine power is exceptionally strong because they persistently undergo tough training day after day. Not eating or drinking, pushing your body to the limit, is a great test of your will. Your years in prison were too comfortable, so you need to suffer a bit. In the future, when you’re free, limit yourself, whether it’s pain, hunger, or cold, these are all excellent ways to train.”

There’s a saying I have, but I don’t know if it’s appropriate to say?

But the maid simply waved her hand, and suddenly a delicate dish fell in front of Bucky. Instinctively, Bucky caught it, realizing there was a plate of aromatic roasted meat inside.

Without a second thought, Bucky devoured it ravenously, then exclaimed joyfully, “Oh my, this is so good! Even a Michelin three-star chef can’t beat this! Ms. You Ye, did you make this specially for me? What kind of meat is this? It’s really delicious! And I feel a surge of power rising as I eat it!”

“Hurry up and finish it, then come with me, someone is waiting for you,” You Ye said directly.

“Who?”

“Your follower.” The maid suddenly squinted her eyes, “Finish it clean, if there’s any leftover, you’ll stay hungry from now on.”

Bucky licked the plate madly, not leaving even a drop of sauce behind.

…

…

Caroline didn’t dare follow too closely, only watching Arno from afar; even so, she had to exert a lot of effort just to barely keep up with him.

Arno was walking too fast, and he seemed unusually cautious, frequently stopping to take notice of the surroundings’ movements.

Soon after, Arno entered a teaching building.

At night, the teaching building had no students, and the corridors were even quieter, making any footsteps easily audible. Caroline was hesitating whether or not to continue following when she saw some sneaky person enter.

Caroline quickly hid.

The figure of this latecomer was somewhat familiar… Caroline felt she had seen this person somewhere — she gathered her courage and continued to follow.

Arno had already entered a classroom and drew the curtains tightly. The latecomer entered the classroom not long after.

Caroline vaguely heard some speaking… The curtain wasn’t completely closed, leaving a small gap.

Caroline leaned in, peering through the glass, but she could only see Arno because of the angle; she could only discern the extended arms of another man.

The latecomer placed a briefcase on the table, opened it, took out several small bags, and handed them to Arno.

Arno was seen frowning and saying something to the other person.

Caroline could tell that Arno was filled with anger, yet he seemed afraid to resist. The latecomer grabbed Arno’s palm, forced the items into his hand, and gave Arno a push.

Arno was pushed directly to the ground. The man walked a little closer, and Caroline finally saw his side profile — it was Big Cousin!

Caroline didn’t mistake it; this was one of the Boston boss’s men, the same person who accompanied her to retrieve money and disguised himself as her Big Cousin when meeting with Lawyer Carlo!

Big Cousin pointed at Arno as if issuing some warning.

Caroline instinctively covered her mouth, fearing to make any noise.

The Boston boss’s men were already in contact with Arno… seemingly forcing him to do things he didn’t want to do — does this mean this Arno is indeed the real Arno?

Is it because he could help the Boston boss sell drugs at school that the boss spared him? Did he suggest it, or was he threatened by the Boston boss?

Did he… did he tell the Boston boss that I’m here?

An endless stream of questions.

Terrified, Caroline backed away… She couldn’t stay here, nor could she return to her dorm; she needed to leave this place now.

Suddenly, Caroline bumped into something.

It was a person… someone with an unclear appearance!

Caroline didn’t know when this person appeared behind her, nor did she know if he accompanied the Big Cousin.

Before she could make a sound, the person had her neck in a hold, covering her mouth and nose with a handkerchief — she went limp almost instantly.

…

“Remember to do your job! You useless!”

Big Cousin opened the classroom door, shouted inside before leaving in haste — before leaving, Big Cousin glanced at the corridor confusedly, but finding nothing, departed quickly.

Not long after, Arno also walked out of the classroom with his head bowed.