A Girl Traveling Through Troubled Times

Chapter 1006 Making Money by Writing Stories

"It seems that Brother Qiang is highly valued by the new boss. Miss, did he tell you that she would be attending this banquet with Long Xing today?"

Gui'er shook her head. "No, since he's working for Long Xing, he can't very well refuse when Long Xing asks him to come out and socialize."

“Miss, I know you are magnanimous, but you don’t understand the rules of the underworld. If someone follows another leader at the same time, they are very likely to have ulterior motives. You have to be careful.”

Although Gui'er didn't really approve of Wu Mingqiang doing those underworld things for Longxing, Chen Zhongyu agreed, so she couldn't say anything. Maybe it would really be useful in the future.

She could only say to Acheng, "There's nothing I can do. I'm the only one left in our family here now, and I don't have the ability to expand the business. He's a talented and ambitious person. If we don't let him work with Longxing, he probably will work with someone else. Now that he's with Longxing, does he still care about the pawnshop business?"

"Yes, we do manage it, but mainly we introduce customers. He knows a lot of people in the underworld now, and those people will introduce him to some connections. Ah Si and I are the main managers of the shop. Don't worry, Miss, we keep a close eye on things, and nothing will go wrong."

After returning home, Gui'er spent the entire night writing a vivid and juicy piece of gossip about a wealthy family.

"The Hong Kong area has recently been engulfed in turmoil, with a new chapter of the disgraceful deeds of a certain wealthy family being exposed. This tycoon is known for his power and oppression, and is particularly fond of women. Over the past decade, he has abducted countless women. Ordinary people only know that he is a womanizer who is obsessed with beautiful women, but little do they know that he only cares about money. No matter if it is an orphan from a wealthy family, the only daughter of a rich merchant, or even a courtesan who has accumulated some wealth in the brothel, none can escape his clutches."

His methods were ruthless: he would first send his henchmen to investigate a woman's family background, then approach her under the guise of "protecting her." If she refused, he would fabricate charges against her, kidnap her relatives, or burn her property to force her to submit. Once inside the mansion, he would first confiscate her dowry and property, then force her to return to her parents' home to demand more money. Any delay would result in whipping and imprisonment, and none of the concubines dared to speak out. Even more outrageous was that his principal wife colluded with him, controlling the household discipline, devising treacherous schemes, and aiding and abetting his cruelty. As a result, everyone in the mansion lived in fear day and night.

A woman surnamed Su from mainland China, carrying a large fortune left by her father, sought refuge in Hong Kong. Her family was extremely wealthy on the mainland, owning countless trading companies. Unexpectedly, she caught the eye of the tycoon, who first sent a thug disguised as a thug to harass her, then personally intervened, smiling and jovial as he proposed taking her as a concubine. The clever Su sensed his ulterior motives, feigned compliance, and secretly hired a boat to escape back to her hometown that very night, thus securing her safety.

Enraged by the rejection, the tycoon ordered his men to ransack Ms. Su's shop and seize all her assets.

However, karma is a fickle thing. Recently, the tycoon has set his sights on Ms. Lin, the top courtesan at a certain dance hall. Ms. Lin is exceptionally beautiful and talented, has amassed a considerable fortune, and is deeply in love with a young painter, with whom she has secretly pledged her life. The tycoon sent someone to mediate, promising her wealth and honor, but Ms. Lin firmly refused. He then threatened the painter's life, and to protect her lover, Ms. Lin feigned agreement.

The painter, though a frail scholar, possessed a fierce spirit. Upon hearing of this, knowing he had no way out, he secretly concealed a dagger and, using the name of the Lin family, arranged to meet the patriarch, intending to assassinate him. However, the patriarch, aware of his many misdeeds and fearing retaliation, was prepared and brought four bodyguards. As soon as the painter appeared, he was subdued by the bodyguards, the dagger falling to the ground. Seeing this, the patriarch personally took matters into his own hands, ordering his men to drag the painter to an abandoned warehouse and subject him to brutal torture until he died in the middle of the night. The next day, the patriarch even sent someone to deliver the painter's blood-stained clothes to the Lin family's dressing table, with the note, "This is the fate of those who disobey."

Upon seeing the blood-stained clothes, Lin wept bitterly until she fainted. When she awoke, her eyes were dry, only filled with a cold glint. She dismissed her attendants and told the messenger, "I am willing to obey the patriarch's command," only requesting, "to meet you on the shore on the night of the full moon, to swear an oath with a rope, to settle all past grievances, before I will enter the manor." The patriarch, seeing her agree, assumed she was finally afraid and was secretly pleased. He suspected nothing and went to the appointment with only two bodyguards.

That night, the tycoon, accompanied by several bodyguards, arrived at the appointed time. Upon seeing the woman in a red dress, as beautiful as a peach blossom, he was overjoyed. Lin smiled and invited the tycoon to tie a "love knot," but in reality, she used hemp rope soaked in tung oil to tightly bind their wrists, feigning a "forever bond of love." The tycoon, captivated by her beauty, suspected nothing. Once the knot was secure, Lin suddenly revealed a sorrowful expression and sternly declared, "You have harmed my lover and stolen my fortune; today we shall go to the Yellow Springs together!" With that, she and the tycoon leaped into the raging sea.

Although the lord was a skilled swimmer, his hands were bound, and Lin was dragging him relentlessly, leaving him unable to break free. Lin, seemingly resigned to her fate, allowed herself to be swallowed by the waves. The lord's attendants tried to rescue him, but the waves were too large, and both men eventually disappeared into the sea. Fearing responsibility, the attendants also fled. Several days later, fishermen discovered their bodies on the mudflats; the ropes were still tightly bound, and the scene was horrific.

When the news spread, chaos erupted in the tycoon's mansion. The principal wife attempted to flee with her valuables but was stopped by her long-time grudge-ridden concubines, who seized her belongings. Former henchmen either faced retaliation from their enemies or absconded with the money. The once-great family crumbled in a single day.

An old man said: "This powerful lord, who ruled for over a decade, finally fell at the hands of a woman. It wasn't human doing; it was truly the will of Heaven! Now the mansion gates are dilapidated, only ruins remain. Where the wind blows, it seems as if the concubines are weeping, a truly heartbreaking sight."

Once this story was published, it immediately sparked a great deal of discussion because it was so similar to Ouyang Bao's case. Some readers even wrote to the newspaper saying that they liked reading stories like this and hoped that more of them would be published.

Zhou Hong and Editor-in-Chief Zhao were overjoyed. They specially called Gui'er over and gave her a hundred yuan in royalties, encouraging her to continue writing this type of story.

Gui'er was shocked. She never expected that such a story could be worth the cost of dozens of advertising copy. At the same time, she secretly lamented that her writing was so wonderful because it was based on her personal experience. Now, where could she find such material to write about? She was afraid that the person in question would find out and seek revenge.

She was still very happy to receive the 100 yuan. It was the first time she had earned so much money since she came into this world. When she got home for dinner, she told everyone the news.

Dingxiang's eyes widened in surprise. "100 yuan? Miss, you mean you got 100 yuan for that tiny piece of writing you published in the newspaper the other day? My goodness, that's amazing! I wish I could read, I'd try writing too."

Acheng laughed and said, "You're kidding me, this isn't something you can write just because you can read."

Dingxiang wasn't angry. She smiled and said to Gui'er, "Miss, then you can write more in the future. That way, maybe we'll be rich soon."

Gui'er laughed and said, "I don't have any material either. This time it's because I heard Sha Lili say such nasty things at the banquet. I thought it wouldn't be good for my own reputation, so I decided to write a story to divert everyone's attention elsewhere. If I continue writing, I don't know how to write it since I haven't experienced it myself."