"I really dare not say! My whole family, if this gets out, my life could be lost. I wouldn't dare take this risk!" I said, sweating profusely, feigning a desire to speak but unable to, almost to the point of tears.
"Hmph... You can rest assured about that. If you tell me how you got the information about the Tiger Kui Seal, I can guarantee the safety of your entire family."
"Really?" I asked, looking at him with a mixture of doubt and excitement.
Wang Defa thumped his chest like a gorilla, saying boldly, "A promise is a promise. Even if the Hu family threatens you, I will ensure justice is served. Speak freely and without fear."
"But I don't even know who you are yet?"
"We are..."
Wang Defa was about to answer, but was interrupted by a cough from behind him.
"You don't need to know who we are. Just know that we are important people. In this area, there's no one we fear."
Hearing Wang Defa's assurance, I was overjoyed. Although I hadn't figured out his identity, I guessed he was from the capital, a place where you could hit a passing official with a brick.
Even if Wang Defa was just a low-level subordinate, his status was a notch above our mayor. After all, one had to consider the master before beating the dog.
After much dawdling and rambling, just as Wang Defa was about to lose his temper, I finally mumbled out the entire story. It was the same as what I told Hu Sixi, but I added details about how Hu Sixi had persecuted a "fine young man" and how he had forced me and taken the Tiger Kui Seal from my hands.
After listening, Wang Defa fell silent, his earlier arrogance gone. "You're saying Hu Sixi already has it?"
I nodded repeatedly. "That old fellow took it. He also put a gag order on me, forbidding me from telling anyone else. Are... are you afraid of Hu Sixi?"
"What are you talking about? How could I be afraid of him?" Wang Defa retorted defensively, like a fighting cock provoked by my words. Then, he changed the subject and asked with concern, "Little brother, do you have any relatives in other provinces?"
"Relatives? No, all my kin are here." I shook my head.
This put Wang Defa in a difficult spot. He didn't say anything and turned back to whisper with the few people accompanying him. Their voices were too low and they were too far away, so I could only catch fragments about funds and expenses.
After about ten minutes of discussion, Wang Defa walked back towards me.
"Little brother, you seem to be a local. You probably haven't traveled much outside, have you? I feel a connection with you. I've decided to personally buy you train tickets and let you visit the capital. How about it?"
"Visit the capital?" My face showed surprise, but my mind thought otherwise. This Wang Defa seemed rather overbearing, but was he also afraid of Hu Sixi?
This news struck me as peculiar. I had assumed that important figures from the capital wouldn't be intimidated by a local "little emperor," but it seemed I had been too naive.
How could a family that had been established in the Northeast for a hundred years be easily scared off by outsiders? There must be more to this than I knew.
"Yes, just a trip to the capital. I'll cover all expenses. You and your family can go together. What do you say?" Wang Defa thumped his chest again and guaranteed.
I pretended to ponder for a moment, then said regretfully, "Thank you for your kind offer, Brother Wang, but I can't leave home. My master told me before he left that the house cannot be left unattended, otherwise, thieves might break in."
This response made the two beautiful women accompanying Wang Defa burst into laughter. One even rolled her eyes and called me a bumpkin, saying I didn't seize the opportunity to see the world and deserved to remain poor.
Wang Defa glared at her, and she stopped talking. Chen Yun, angered by the insult, almost stepped forward to retaliate. However, seeing me still smiling despite being called a bumpkin, she also called me a bumpkin, turned, and went back to her room.
"Alright, since you don't wish to leave your homeland, I won't force you. Please accept this as a token of my gratitude."
My eyes lit up as I saw the bundle of hundred-yuan bills handed over by one of his subordinates. I quickly took it, saying, "How could I possibly accept this? I'm truly embarrassed." My swift action of pocketing the money drew more disdain, but what did their disdain matter to me? What was better than tangible cash? Just by giving away the information, I had earned a hundred thousand yuan. If I had known information was this valuable, I would have become a professional informant.
After Wang Defa and his group left, I dropped my smile, my gaze turning cold as I watched them depart.
"Brother, do you think it will work? That Wang Defa looks a bit foolish, but I feel it's all an act. He might sell us out later."
I shook my head and said in a low voice, "What does it matter? The information has already been released. They are merely trying to confirm the authenticity of the news by finding its source. As for them trying to trick us, they'll have to see if they have the capability."
I'm not good at playing mind games, nor do I have the cunning for it. Moreover, schemes are easily exposed, and once discovered, they are hard to resolve. But this is not a scheme; it's a straightforward, open strategy. I wouldn't be afraid even if Wang Defa and Hu Sixi confronted each other, because the Tiger Kui Seal is in Hu Sixi's possession, making it impossible for him to deny it.
With Wang Defa's involvement now, the Hu family has been pushed into a precarious position. I just wonder how determined the important figure from the capital is to obtain the Tiger Kui Seal.
After Wang Defa left, more people came to question me about the accuracy of the information. I treated them all the same, accepting a hundred thousand yuan from each, and repeating what I had told Hu Sixi and Wang Defa.
As dusk fell, I had already collected 800,000 yuan. Looking at the stacks of red banknotes on the table, Chen Yun blinked and asked if I had robbed a bank, wondering where I had gotten so much money in less than a day.
I chuckled and told her it was a trade secret, not to be revealed to outsiders.
"Hmph, stingy. As if anyone cares." She said that, but her eyes shone with an intense light. After all, money in the bank is just a string of numbers. No matter how many zeros follow, they are still just numbers. But when real cash is placed before you, the attraction is immense, even for Chen Yun, who was already quite well-off.
I called Auntie Zhang out and gave her the money to manage the household expenses. Since she and Zhang Dabiao moved in, they had been covering the food and drink expenses. With Bai Ling'er, the big eater, around, the expenses were considerable.
"We can't accept this money. You're not charging us rent for living here, which is more than enough. It's normal for us to pay for food and drinks." Auntie Zhang repeatedly refused, and Zhang Dabiao also said they couldn't accept it.
"Are you not treating me as a brother? Your money still has its uses. Since you're living with me, you listen to me. If you keep this up, I'll start charging you rent."
After my repeated persuasion, Zhang Dabiao finally agreed to accept the money, and he repeatedly told Auntie Zhang that it was for food expenses and that she couldn't use it for herself. This angered Auntie Zhang, who pinched his arm hard before letting go.
Until the gate was closed, no one else came to inquire about the information. Looking at the moon, shyly hiding behind the clouds, I thought that tomorrow would likely be another day of turmoil.