The next day.
Before dawn, Lian Youming, who was lying quietly on his side, heard the crackle of firecrackers downstairs.
He rose and glanced down through the window, only to find a bustling crowd beneath the building so early in the morning.
Every one of them had brought their families along.
Some pushed wooden carts loaded with pots, bowls, and utensils, while others carried luggage and shouldered bags of every size. Looking down from above was like watching a moving colony of ants weaving through the alleys and passageways between buildings, searching for their homes. There were men and women, young and old.
The previously deserted, deathly quiet Walled City immediately became lively, filled with people.
Windows were pushed open one after another, and heads poked out upstairs and down, chattering endlessly in Cantonese.
From the look of things, these must have been the tenants who had moved out. Now that the turmoil had passed, they had all moved back.
Yang Qing came in smoking a cigarette. Perhaps because she had been injured yesterday, a faint medicinal smell still clung to her.
Seeing Lian Youming watching the scene below with interest, she explained, "Most of these people are poor, with nowhere else to go. Besides those who slipped across the border, some fled the mainland years ago, and there are quite a few martial experts among them who keep their skills hidden. Unfortunately, times have changed. They can't accomplish anything great, and they refuse to do evil, so they can only huddle here and scrape by running small businesses."
Lian Youming withdrew his gaze and said with deep feeling, "Boss Chen really is remarkable."
Yang Qing sighed as well. "Yes. Boss Chen watched most of these people grow up. She protected them, taught them, and guided them onto the right