Kong Sang's Cautious Steps

Gu Sheng had barely taken a few steps when he heard Kong Sang's stomach rumble like thunder.

Gu Sheng raised an eyebrow. "Forget it. Let's eat first."

Kong Sang said nothing and followed cautiously behind him.

He picked a wonton noodle shop downstairs at random, then sat with his arms folded, watching Kong Sang eat. She was cautious at first, but after two mouthfuls, she began wolfing it down.

She looked half-starved.

Gu Sheng looked her up and down. It had been too dark yesterday to get a proper look, but now he could see just how fair her skin was. With her oval face and almond-shaped eyes, she had a soft, alluring beauty.

There was also a hint of spirit and liveliness in her features.

Right now, though, all that remained was caution. She looked like a frightened rabbit.

She was tall, too. Gu Sheng reckoned she was at least five foot eight, not much shorter than him.

If he ignored her two braids, her hopelessly rustic blue floral shirt, and her dusty black trousers... she really was quite pretty.

And she had actually brought that shabby cloth bag along, too.

Before long, his scrutiny made Kong Sang uncomfortable. Her hands slowed, and she no longer knew whether to keep eating or stop.

"Just eat," Gu Sheng said flatly.

Kong Sang lowered her head a little more and ate her noodles one mouthful at a time.

A little later, Gu Sheng saw that she had reached the bottom of the bowl but was still poking around in it. Only then did he say, "Finished? Let's go."

"Where?" Kong Sang asked cautiously.

"To buy clothes! Didn't I just tell you? Look at yourself. Stand anywhere looking like that, and the cops will arrest you without anyone saying a word."

Even if Yuen Long was out in the sticks, this part was fairly bustling. It lagged well behind places like Causeway Bay, but it was still far livelier than the North. Kong Sang was almost dazzled, looking all around as they walked.

After walking a whole street, Gu Sheng finally found a women's clothing store. He looked around after going inside and casually pointed out a few things. "A shirt and jeans. Go try them on. Find these two dresses in her size and bag them up."

"And undo those braids."

When Kong Sang came out a little later, she was wearing jeans and a white shirt, with her long hair hanging loose. Sure enough, she looked much fresher and more presentable.

Her delicate features stood out even more.

"Throw away your old clothes and that ratty bag. What are you keeping them for? Taking them home to use as rags?" Gu Sheng snapped. He didn't know why, but her timid manner always made him want to scold her.

Gu Sheng considered himself quite friendly and easygoing normally, but looking at her made it hard to hold back.

A little later, when he saw that all the miscellaneous junk was gone from Kong Sang's hands and only two paper bags remained, Gu Sheng finally found her easier on the eyes.

He found somewhere to get his own hair done, too. Center parts, side parts, and wavy fringes were popular on Hong Kong Island in this era. The previous owner of his body had worn a side part, but Gu Sheng went straight for a short crop with the sides shaved clean. He immediately felt much fresher.

"Handsome Sheng, your girl's a real looker!"

Downtown Yuen Long was only so big, and gangsters were everywhere. He ran into someone he knew every few steps.

Kong Sang cautiously studied the people who occasionally greeted Gu Sheng, feeling somewhat bewildered.

Yesterday, she had thought Gu Sheng was a hitman or something. After all, the casual way he had fired his gun had chilled her to the bone. Now, though, that didn't seem to be the case.

And somehow, Kong Sang felt that although he was a little fierce, he didn't seem all that bad.

At least he wasn't like that smuggler yesterday.

After making the rounds, Gu Sheng bought plenty of instant noodles and cooked food on the way back. He also picked up a handful of goji berries while passing a pharmacy, then went to buy a thermos.

Looking after his health was something he needed to start early.

Once home, Gu Sheng flopped straight onto the bed and started pondering how to make money.

There were opportunities to make money everywhere in this era. The first things that came to Gu Sheng's mind were making movies and arcade games.

Making movies would be easy enough, but he didn't have the capital.

Arcade games were a little trickier. Right now, he had neither the connections nor the capital.

Gu Sheng still had around a hundred thousand. That was certainly a lot in this era, but it wasn't enough to start much of anything.

Put simply, it wouldn't even buy him an apartment.

He needed to get his hands on at least a few million first.

"Sure enough, nobody gets rich without a windfall!"

Gu Sheng was wondering where to get that windfall when he heard the door open. He opened his eyes and saw Kong Sang carrying out the sheets, duvet cover, sofa covers, and other things she had washed last night to hang them up.

While they were out earlier, she had seen everyone else hanging their laundry outside.

After Kong Sang went out, Gu Sheng pondered for quite a while longer. In the end, he reached a conclusion: he needed to build up his current line of work and make something of it first. Only then would he have the capital to do anything else.

Around four or five that afternoon, his pager started going off nonstop.

He took it out and saw that it was Big-Eyed Hua. The guy always used the same payphone, so Gu Sheng already knew the number.

Gu Sheng took two thousand out of his pocket and tossed it onto the table. "Buy whatever you need."

Then he went out.

Kong Sang sat curled up on the sofa with her arms around her knees. She looked at the money on the table, and when she heard the door close, she drifted into a daze.

"What's up?"

"The boss told everyone to head to the bar. Are we going to war with Tung Sing?" Big-Eyed Hua asked nervously.

Gu Sheng's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Big B to be so efficient. It had only been a day, and they were already going to war.

The reason didn't matter at all. For him, this was a good opportunity.

When they reached the bar street, gangsters lined the sidewalks. Ordinary customers didn't dare come anywhere near it.

Almost all the actual members of Hongxing's Yuen Long branch were there.

Gu Sheng entered the bar and heard Big B saying, "Since Tung Sing won't play by the rules, we don't need to either. Tonight, we're smashing every Tung Sing joint and avenging Ah Sin!"

"Anyone who earns it gets promoted. Whoever takes Tung Sing territory gets to keep it!"

Big B's words got quite a few people fired up.

Wasn't getting ahead and making money the whole point of joining a gang?

"Thunderclap Tiger's turf is mainly these three streets in Tai Kiu. Ho-nam, take your men and sweep the first street from one end to the other. Don't let a single Tung Sing member get away."

"Don't worry, boss," Chan Ho-nam said with a nod.

Chicken and the others behind him all looked excited.

Quite a few people looked straight at him. Nobody had expected Big B to call on Chan Ho-nam first. Thunderclap Tiger might have three streets, but the first was by far the busiest and most important.

Big B was making it obvious that he intended to push Chan Ho-nam up the ranks.

"Mad Dog, you take the second street."

"Chui Gai, you take the third."

"Four-Eyes, take some men and hold our turf."

Big B scanned the crowd, then suddenly asked, "If I give you a chance to move up, have you got the guts?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Take Long-Haired Kit's men, then pick another hundred. Hold the street entrance and stop their reinforcements. Got the guts? Hold them off, and you get promoted."

Gu Sheng could guess why Big B had suddenly picked him.

After all, Big B had been parachuted into this position. The only trusted men he had here were Chan Ho-nam and the others he had brought with him. He would definitely need to promote a few locals in Yuen Long.

And although he was clearly backing Chan Ho-nam, he couldn't play favorites too blatantly and give people something to complain about. He would have to promote one or two of the Yuen Long men as well.

That would secure his position in Yuen Long.

Men like Mad Dog and Chui Gai already had sizable followings, so they were no use to him for this.

Gu Sheng had caught Big B's attention yesterday, and he had no real following of his own. That made him perfect for Big B's purposes.

If he succeeded and rose through Big B's patronage, he would become one of Big B's trusted men. If he failed, that would only mean he wasn't up to the task, not that Big B hadn't given the Yuen Long locals a chance.

Big B wasn't particularly bright, but anyone who had survived in the underworld this long and become a boss had at least this much cunning.

As for why he was being given Long-Haired Kit's men, it was because there wasn't anyone capable among them. Long-Haired Kit had been the weakest of the bunch that included Mad Dog, and now his men were completely scattered.

"Boss, can he handle it? You're giving him something this important?" Chicken muttered from the side.

"Why don't you come test me? I hear they call you Cock?"

"It's Chicken! As in cock!" Chicken snapped.

"That's enough. Everyone, get ready to move," Big B said, cutting them both off. "Every brother gets a thousand this time. If you're injured, you get another two thousand. If you die, your family gets compensation."