Chapter 84: Accidentally Put On Backwards

Let Wei Dong was, in fact, just a step too late.

He had been enjoying, with great satisfaction, a series of street-corner services—haircut, shave, ear cleaning—all for just fifty cents. Feeling thoroughly refreshed, he made his way over to eat, only to find the dishwashing basin piled high and not a soul in sight.

He found it a bit odd, then was startled to see the entire shop crammed with people.

The customers, holding their bowls and plates, craned their necks to look towards the entrance.

Wei Dong had to squeeze through with some difficulty, only to hear the general confusion: “What did that girl just say?”

“Sounded like she was reciting poetry or making riddles…”

“You may not be educated but at least have some common sense. She was clearly speaking in code; that girl must be from a brotherhood family!”

“You’re talking nonsense—where do you see brotherhoods around nowadays?”

That was as much as Wei Dong caught before a figure from the stairwell, head lowered and hidden, flashed through his mind.

Even so elusive and concealed, Shen Cuiyue could not help but reveal herself at last.

With the help of her two younger brothers, who parted the crowd for her, she stepped forward and made a fist-and-palm salute: “Twin dragons frolic in the water, bringing joy; the rat dares not climb the garden wall.”

(It means: we’re all brothers here, no need for internal strife in front of outsiders.)

The two local thugs turned in surprise at the sound: “And who are you?”

They tried to maintain a menacing front, but their tone had lost much of its edge.

Shen Cuiyue replied in the same measured tone: “The four seas are calm and waves do not rise, for the world has many elders of the brotherhood. This is not a pigsty, but the fire-pit where my man stows his goods.”

(Translation: this isn't some easy mark for extorting money—this is my family's business.)

In the world of the underworld, the most basic rule is that, regardless of faction, everyone unites against outsiders or preys on the fat sheep together.

If someone has taken a job and is up to no good, others can’t interfere unless they’re prepared to seize it by force.

Even if one gang guards a place and another comes to collect protection money, it often ends in a brawl—winner takes the turf.

But if you invade someone’s own business to cause trouble, that’s crossing the line—it’s bullying that will never be forgiven.

So when Shen Cuiyue laid down her claim, the others could only back off, knowing they could explain themselves to whoever had hired them.

They offered another fist-and-palm salute, but before leaving, asked, “What’s your family’s name?”

Shen Cuiyue clearly didn’t want to answer, but seeing Wei Dong squeeze out from the back, she declared with pride, “The name ‘Chen’ stands for righteousness above all, with three elders and four juniors standing on either side.”

The other man squinted in surprise, made another salute, and disappeared into the crowd.

Wei Dong had already gotten the story in whispers from Gou Dan and the others—it was all thanks to this dockside woman that the troublemakers had been sent packing.

Back when Er Feng carried Shen Cuiyue to the hospital, Gou Dan had witnessed those little thieves walking alongside her as well.

Now, the two little brothers stood in front of their sister with even more pride than she had.

What could Wei Dong say? This was reality.

Even forty years later, with electrified crackdowns and all manner of social darkness, these people would always exist.

No matter how harsh the campaign, society’s dregs could never be swept away; even when he was selling spicy skewers near the factory, he feared the local thugs would trouble his parents.

This, honestly, was the best solution—though perhaps the most costly.

Now, as he walked out, he rapped the little boys on the back of their heads: “What’s there to be proud of in this kind of thing!”

He gave a nod to the big sister: “Shall we go eat?”

But Shen Cuiyue glanced again at Old Man Rang, who had watched the whole scene with his jaw dropped. Seeing something familiar in his features, she smiled and made a respectful salute.

She then followed Wei Dong, her gaze lingering on the way he carried the two little thieves.

She quietly tidied her clothes and smoothed back her hair.

Wei Dong was thinking about where to eat, when he looked up and saw the lights of a tall building in the distance.

He had an idea.

The only fifteen-story new tower in the city center, directly across from Republic Portrait Avenue, was said to be Jiangzhou’s most upscale hotel and restaurant.

Given how things had developed, he obviously needed to put on a show to impress.

Without a word, he grabbed the kids and headed that way.

The boys didn’t resist at all, instead fawning enthusiastically: “Big brother, is that restaurant your business? I can be a runner!”

“Big brother, if you teach me to sell candy or pictures at the school gate, it’s so easy—I could make ten yuan a day!”

Well then, let’s see if we can eat for dozens of yuan today.

It was only two blocks—just a few hundred meters. When they reached the grand building, with its brightly lit lower floors, the two little thieves gaped in awe, pointing up in silence.

Wei Dong felt smug inside, though he kept a cold expression, pushing the kids up the marble steps.

He didn’t notice the girl behind him growing more and more uneasy.

This really was the highest-class place Wei Dong had set foot in since returning to the 1980s.

Even when he’d been to Shanghai and Beijing, he’d never entered such a new and luxurious venue.

In his previous life, he hadn’t either—he’d only seen places like this in short videos on his phone.

Especially the elevator, which was said to be extremely rare at the time, yet he acted as if it were nothing: “Hello, we’d like to eat—what floor?”

Back then, people barely judged others by their clothes—no one dressed well anyway.

The hotel reception, seeing Wei Dong’s confident manner, pointed him to the elevator with a smile: “Queen’s Restaurant, third floor.”

Wei Dong did his best to remain nonchalant as he pressed the elevator button, then turned to see Shen Cuiyue—dressed in an old white shirt, black pants, cloth shoes, hair in two messy braids—looking utterly crushed.

He laughed inwardly—serves you right for trying to scam money out of me, for trying to set me up!

Who’s the bumpkin now?

But when the elevator doors opened, he was surprised to see an older woman sitting on a tall stool selling tickets!

Then, strangely, the two little thieves sneaked a glance at their sister.

Shen Cuiyue bowed her head and said, “We’re here for a meal on the third floor.”

No need to buy tickets.

Wei Dong felt something was off—were they really so familiar with this place?

When the elevator doors opened onto the sumptuous restaurant floor, the doormen bowed in greeting, then froze at the sight of them. One of them spoke up: “Third Miss, it’s been a long time.”

Wei Dong was shocked!

Had he just made a fool of himself?

Sure enough, Shen Cuiyue behaved as if she were at home: “A small private room, please—dry-fried shredded beef, pork in garlic sauce, braised mushrooms, sauced kidneys, and half a soup fish. Is that all right?”

The last words were addressed to Wei Dong, and her humble demeanor changed the doormen’s attitude toward the young man in sportswear in an instant.

Wei Dong stiffly nodded, and only after they were seated in an elegant private room, with tea and dishes set before them and the staff withdrawn, did he have a chance to speak: “Do you come here often?”

He imitated Director Shi’s manner, speaking with a casual, affected tone.

The highest-ranking leader he’d ever known was about at that level.

Even after meeting city officials and visiting Beijing for conferences, he hadn’t gone beyond that.

Shen Cuiyue wore a pained look.

She spoke slowly: “When this place was rebuilt and opened two years ago, we attended the opening with our elders. My eighteenth birthday banquet was held here last March… Before things went wrong, we’d come to eat here two or three times a week.”

Wei Dong showed no pity: “Wow, impressive! You make a good living off your scams—what age is this? Swindlers and thieves can be VIP guests here?”

The two little thieves, too, seemed to have been here plenty of times, sitting quietly and properly in their chairs.

But as minors, perhaps they couldn’t feel the vast difference between past and present.

For Shen Cuiyue, though, Wei Dong’s casual actions had clearly crushed her.

“In the Republic era, this was called the Queen’s Restaurant, owned by Fifth Grandfather of the Red Society. Our Second Uncle was his disciple and the head chef, so after Fifth Grandfather fled, Second Uncle led the staff, kept the restaurant running as a public-private partnership. Until his death two years ago, he was always involved here, though his background was poor and his pay was low.”

Wei Dong guessed, “So you turned to tricks and scams to make ends meet?”

But Shen Cuiyue shook her head: “That’s always been our trade. Our family’s original surname was Chen, from East Lu. Before the war, we did this in the north—many of our kin joined the resistance. The women, children, and elders fled here, and some joined the brotherhoods at the docks, eventually coming under the Red Society. Second Uncle’s surname was Xu—he and our ancestors were sworn brothers. To survive by the docks, our family changed its name to Shen, as ‘Chen’ was considered unlucky—thus, the Shen family of the shadowy trades.”

Wei Dong listened as if to a story, pausing as the waiter brought more dishes.

He digested the tale: “Are there really such sects?”

The two younger brothers, despite their mouths watering at the food, still waited for permission to eat.

Shen Cuiyue also looked at Wei Dong, inviting him to begin. Only when he picked up his chopsticks did she continue: “Go ahead—what does ‘shadowy trades’ mean?”

Indeed, the three siblings moved at a measured pace.

Even the two boys, though delighted, maintained their manners—reminding Wei Dong of Zhang Lanzhi, though she wasn’t nearly as strict.

Shen Cuiyue tasted a bite, helped Wei Dong to some food, put down her chopsticks, and explained: “Bee, hemp, swallow, finch—these are the sixteen common trades in the underworld, though many overlap. For example, ‘bee’ is for gang scams, ‘hemp’ for deceiving with superstition, ‘swallow’ involves women, ‘finch’ is violence—these are the four main swindling arts. ‘Flower’ is for gambling cheats, ‘hemp’ for assassins, ‘barrier’ for bandits, ‘guise’ for pickpockets—those eight are the shadowy trades, least respectable in the underworld. The other eight—‘golden bottle’, ‘color scroll’, ‘troupe critique’, ‘willow tune’—are fortune-telling, storytelling, theater—these are the open trades, which may seem glamorous but are rarely practiced by people of our shadowy trades.”

As she mentioned ‘bee, hemp, swallow, finch,’ she pointed to herself; as she listed ‘flower, barrier, guise, pickpocket,’ her hand moved between her two brothers, then she grew proud.

Wei Dong couldn’t help but slap the table: “What’s there to be proud of in this?”

He’d said it twice now. Shen Cuiyue’s eyes dimmed, and she nodded: “You’re right, sir. May I ask your surname?”

Wei Dong felt a bit dazed, surprised to find himself slapping the table.

Because as Shen Cuiyue described ‘bee, hemp, swallow, finch,’ she’d made a certain gesture and expression—an instant of captivating charm that reminded him of Dong Xueying, the young widow whose coy smile seemed to hold back unspoken words.

It made him instinctively wary.

Back in the wholesale market, their brief encounter hadn’t felt like this.

Strangely, as her expression faded, she became just an ordinary woman again—no hint of the allure that might deceive a man.

Frowning to steady himself, Wei Dong finally asked, “What is it you really want?”