Under the locust tree, Chen Jianghe and Su Derong stood opposite each other, neither of them speaking anymore.
Only the occasional barking of dogs and the vague sound of a watchman's banging could be heard in the distance, penetrating the night and appearing particularly clear.
"Let's go." Su Derong finally spoke, the tiredness lingering in his eyes, "There is still a lot of mess to clean up over there at the escort agency."
Chen Jianghe nodded. "Senior brother, take care."
Su Derong twitched his lips, raised his hand and patted Chen Jianghe's shoulder, then turned and walked out of the hospital.
When he reached the door, he paused and did not look back. He only waved his hand. "You are the same, little junior brother."
The figure disappeared into the darkness outside the door.
Chen Jianghe stood there, looking at the empty courtyard gate, for a long time.
It wasn't until the night wind picked up the fallen leaves on the ground and slapped him in the face that he slowly turned around and walked towards his small courtyard.
The main hall of Su Family Escort Agency is brightly lit.
The oil lamp was deliberately brightened, and the dim yellow light barely dispersed the shadows in the corners, reflecting the seven or eight pictures in the hall that were either solemn or solemn.
Either tired or still angry.
Su Derong is sitting in the main seat.
The moon-white silk shirt he was wearing had been replaced by indigo Escort Guard regular clothes, and he no longer had the flashy air of the past.
"Everyone."
Su Derong glanced at the people below, and said slowly, "Everyone has witnessed what happened today. If it weren't for Master's desperate protection, and if it wasn't for Junior Brother Jiang He's generous help, I, Su Family Escort Agency, would have been taken off my plate right now. I, Su Derong, would probably have had my life decided here."
He paused, and there was a suppressed hoarseness in his voice. "I will remember this blood debt."
Zhou Yong raised his head suddenly, his eyes red: "Young Gang Leader----"
Su Derong waved his hand and interrupted him, "But it's useless to just remember. Revenge must be avenged, and life must be lived. The Escort Bureau cannot fail. If it fails, it will not be able to do justice to the dead brothers, nor to all of you who are still alive."
He took out the roll of account book from his arms, unfolded it, turned on the light, and said word by word, "From today on, Su Family Escort Agency will do three things."
"First, all long-distance escort routes are suspended."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was in an uproar.
"What?!" Zhou Yong stood up suddenly and touched the wound on his left arm, grinning in pain, "Young Gang Leader, although long-distance escorting is risky, the profit is also high!, if it stops----"
"If your life is gone, what's the use of profit?" Su Derong looked at him with sharp eyes, "The long-distance escort route, Green Dragon Gang set up card, bandits are rampant, Inner City several companies are eyeing it. With the few people we have now, there is no way we can go. If we force it, we will die, and we will give Zhao Family and other jealous people an excuse!"
Zhao Tieshan was silent for a moment and nodded slowly. "Young Gang Leader is right. There are too many people staring at us outside now, and the target of long-distance darts is big and accidents are easy to happen. It is better to shrink."
Su Derong continued, "We are not only suspending long-distance escorts. From tomorrow onwards, we will sell off the escort agency's two warehouses in the west of the city, East Street's three shops, as well as the unused antique calligraphy and paintings and redundant furniture in my Su Family ancestral home and pawn them together."
As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall was shocked.
Selling ancestral property?
This was something Su Derong would never have said in the past.
That Young Gang Leader Su who spends money like water and pays attention to ostentation, now wants to pawn the things in his ancestral home?
Su Derong looked at the shocked expressions of everyone, twitching his lips, with a smile that was a bit self-deprecating, but more determined. "Bring the money, do three things. First, the pension for the brothers who died in the battle will be doubled, and it must be delivered to each family before dawn today. Second, the medical expenses for the seriously injured brothers will be covered by the Escort Bureau until they are cured. Third, the rest will be used as capital for the reorganization of the Escort Bureau."
"Young Gang Leader!" Wang Gui stood up suddenly, "How can this happen? That is ancestral property!"
"The ancestral property is gone, you can earn it again." Su Derong said in a calm voice, but with a sense of determination, "When people are gone, everything is gone. The proceeds from sales will be given priority to fill the pension gap. The five brothers who died in the war today, including the young and old at home, must be properly accommodated, and the monthly rice, grain and silver money will be paid in full and on time until their children grow up. For the injured brothers, not a penny should be lost for soup and medicine expenses, and regular money for the period of recovery."
He looked around at everyone and said word by word, "The escort bureau can be defeated, but we cannot let the brothers who follow us and work hard to bleed and feel chilled."
The hall fell silent again. This time, what surged in the silence was no longer grief and anger, but a complex and hot emotion.
Wang Gui's eyes were red, he sat back heavily and turned his face away.
Zhou Yong wiped his eyes hard.
Zhao Tieshan took a deep breath, and his back seemed to straighten up a little.
Su Derong After seeing everyone's reactions, the tight string in his heart relaxed a little.
He knew that he had taken the right step.
In troubled times, money and property are all in vain, but the human heart is the real foundation.
"The third change," his voice became slower but more solemn, "Is ourselves."
He stood up, walked into the hall, and glanced at every face again. "I, Su Derong, used to be careless and indulged in pleasure. I always relied on my family and my master when things happened. I am not a qualified Young Gang Leader, let alone a leader who can lead everyone to find a way to survive in this troubled world."
He paused and said in an extremely sincere tone, "Today, I will apologize to you all."
As he said this, he actually turned towards everyone, clasped his fists, bowed, and bowed deeply.
"Young Gang Leader!" Everyone stood up in a hurry, at a loss.
Su Derong straightened up, his face no longer had the frivolity of the past, only a desperate spirit. "From tonight on, I will not step into the Goulanwashe again. I will personally handle all matters of the escort agency. For the vacant Escort Guard position, I will find a way to recruit good people, but what I hope more is that our own people can increase our strength as soon as possible!"
Finally, he returned his gaze to everyone's faces. "Everyone, this Su Family Escort Agency brand was created by my grandfather with punches and kicks, and it was preserved by my father and uncle with painstaking efforts. Now that it has been handed down to me, I cannot let it fall, let alone let it gather dust! Today's humiliation and today's danger, I Su Derong have recorded it. But it is useless to just remember it, you have to become stronger, you have to take back everything you throw away!"
He paused, and his voice suddenly became passionate, with an unprecedented power. "This road is difficult, there may be bloodshed, and people may die. But I, Su Derong, put my words here today. When the escort car moves forward, I will be at the front of the car! With the sword on my body, I will be in front of you! If you fall, I will be the first to fall!"
As soon as he finished speaking, you could hear needles dropping in the hall.
After a long time, Zhou Yong was the first to kneel down on one knee, clasping his fists and shouting, "I am willing to follow Young Gang Leader to reorganize the escort agency, regardless of life or death!"
"I am willing to follow Young Gang Leader to reorganize the escort agency, regardless of life or death!"
Wang Gui, Zhao Tieshan and others followed closely behind and prostrated themselves one after another.
Although the voices were kept low, they gathered into a dull and firm force that echoed heavily in the night.
"Let's break up." Su Derong waved his hand, "We will practice tomorrow and assemble on time."
Everyone bowed and retired one by one.
Only Su Derong is left in the yard.
He stood in the light under the eaves, looking up at the escort flag inserted in front of the screen wall.
The flag was blown by the night wind, and the golden "Su" character flickered in the dim light.
After a long time, he slowly reached out and took out the folding fan from his arms.
He tightened his grip, then loosened it, and finally unfolded it with a "snap".
There are two lines of poems inscribed on the fan, which he spent a lot of money to invite famous people in the city to write, "The young man's spirit is too low for the prince, and he is drunk while singing and drinking Jade Pavilion."
Su Derong looked at those two lines of words for a long time.
Then he flipped his wrist, turned the fan side down, and with a "chick" sound, tore the fan into two halves.
The broken fan fell silently and was thrown into the shadow under the stone bench aside.
He turned around and walked out of the main hall without looking back.