Chapter Fifteen Singing Opera

  Er Long was originally surnamed Guo, a descendant of a prominent family in Weibei Luodong. His grandfather was a notable figure in the late Qing dynasty, a scholar and a close friend of Yu Youren, a veteran of the Nationalist Party, and Dong Biwu, who later became Vice President of the state after liberation. When Yang Hucheng was in power in Xi'an, he asked Er Long's grandfather to take charge of the judicial work of the Shaanxi government, and later sent him to govern southern Shaanxi and Hanzhong to investigate tobacco affairs. His grandfather was a straightforward and righteous person with a generous temperament, deeply liked by Yang Hucheng.

  At that time, the Guo family was full of loyalty and martyrdom. During the Anti-Japanese War, two of Erlong's uncles died in Shanxi Zhongtiao Mountain for the victory of the revolution against the Japanese invaders. After the December 12th Incident, General Yang Hucheng was murdered by Chiang Kai-shek, and Erlong's grandfather was in charge of the overall situation in Xi'an. However, after the incident, Japanese planes bombed Xi'an City every day, and Erlong's grandfather was injured in his left eye while inspecting the city walls. He eventually died due to the recurrence of an old illness.

  These stories were told by my grandfather, Erlong's father was also persecuted to death during the Cultural Revolution because of his past affiliation with the Nationalist Party, and Erlong's mother died soon after, leaving Erlong an orphan. It can be said that Erlong's story is similar to Li Sanlang's.

  When we were young, everyone looked down on Er Long, who was sneaky and didn't have the courage to show his face. But Li San Sheng was the only one who looked up to him and spent time with him every day. This was because Grandfather said that Er Long's grandfather was a great man who stood tall and proud, and he didn't bring shame to our family in Guanzhong. If it weren't for his early death, he would be a renowned figure today. He dedicated his life to the country and the nation, but ultimately wasn't recognized by them - this is indeed a tragedy. It's just like what Li San Sheng saw recently: those old soldiers who went to Myanmar to fight against Japan during the national crisis and haven't received recognition from the country they protected with their lives. That's a kind of tragic grandeur. Therefore, Li San Sheng didn't dare look down on Er Long. The country hasn't compensated them, and if he were to look down on him too, that would be inhumane. It would also make those who died for the country unable to rest in peace.

  Er Long was also one of the few sworn brothers that Li San Sheng had since childhood, Er Long knew most of Li San Sheng's affairs, and Li San Sheng also knew that later Grandfather had handed over Er Long to Dragon Uncle for a period of time. In order not to let him be bullied by others, Er Long, who hadn't even graduated from elementary school, had already started mingling with society. From being a small-time hoodlum, he gradually climbed up the ranks, shedding blood and sweat, and getting scars, but ultimately managed to survive until today and climb to where he is now.

  The reason why Er Long respects Li San Sheng so much is not only because when they were young, Li San Sheng was the only one who could see him and play with him, but also because Li San Sheng had saved his life.

  So in Er Long's dictionary, anyone can be wronged, but only the people of Lao Li's family cannot be wronged.

  Sometimes the friendship of ordinary people is simpler and more direct than that of those in power, only stretching out a helping hand at the most critical moment, without the complexity that others might think.

  At this moment, the two dragons saw the blood on Li Sansheng's mouth and were furious. They thought that the person in Li Sansheng's hands had done these things to Li Sansheng without fear, and didn't even ask about the specific situation. The second dragon directly smashed a bottle of wine onto Biaozi's head, whose ferocity and unreasonable behavior left everyone present stunned.

  "This is getting more interesting, I didn't think I'd have a moment of blindness too." Niu Ge's eyes spun around at 200 yards per second, flashing with a hint of conspiracy, as he patted the perfectly curved buttocks of the beautiful woman beside him, saying thoughtfully.

  "This is getting interesting, I didn't expect this young man who doesn't even blink to know Dragon Brother and Thunder Brother. These two are from different camps and have never gotten along, now it's going to be even more lively."

  Turtle Head isn't a guy with low IQ either, on the contrary, he's a genuine graduate of Northwest University of Political Science and Law, a top student in the law department. His intelligence is naturally not a problem. If it wasn't for his dog-mothered life giving him a hard lesson, Turtle Head might have already been working in the public security system or some law firm by now. But fate loves to play jokes on us, and Turtle Head ended up doing the opposite kind of work.

  "Let them bite, even if they smash the National Assembly No. 1, I'll admit it, but San Ye can laugh while sleeping, hahaha. People who eat others without spitting out bones are most afraid of dogs that don't bark."

  Li Sansheng's bottle was knocked down by Er Long's ruthless and cold-blooded move, leaving Lei Ge stunned. Lei Ge didn't understand what had just happened, how did Er Long suddenly appear out of nowhere? Moreover, his own brother was put down in front of him, and the young man also took down one of his brothers. If Lei Ge didn't speak up now, how would he be able to show his face among his brothers and on the streets with so many people around? What would his master think of him? This was Lei Ge's subconscious choice.

  "What the f**k are you talking about, Er Long?" Lei Ge pushed aside the brother in front of him and took two steps forward, pointing at Er Long as he loudly questioned.

  Er Long still smiled harmlessly, but his eyes were burning with anger. He looked at Lei Ge and asked in a sarcastic tone, "Lei Ge, I want to ask you what's going on. If you don't give me an explanation today, I won't let you off the hook."

  Li Sansheng sometimes felt that this Er Long guy, if placed in ancient times, would be a big traitor who manipulated emperors and ministers, monopolized the harem, and was extremely shameless.

  "Third brother, what's going on? Why are you here?" Turning his head around, Er Long looked at Li San Sheng's slightly pale face and asked with some anger. He wasn't angry at others, but rather at himself. If he had come out earlier, Third Brother wouldn't have been alone in fighting these bastards.

  "Can't you be less sentimental? I'm not dead yet, it's just a few blows on the back, you're acting like my parents have died. Besides, I've already taken down one, and the next one will be a sure win." Li San Sheng saw the concerned look in Er Long's eyes and naturally understood that his brother was worried about him losing out.

  "Two Dragons, your brother put one on me, and you also put one on me. How do you calculate this?" Lei Gang looked at Er Long and Li San Sheng with a soft and gentle gaze, but the fatty meat on his face was illuminated by the dim light, making it look somewhat ferocious.

  "What do you want to do then?" Er Long asked back.

  Lei Gang smiled a little, his smile was somewhat frightening. The guests who were watching the excitement in the National Congress No. 1 had already disappeared. The two ruthless men appeared and this play was no longer something they could stir up. When big shots stirred things up, the water that was stirred up would be enough to kill these small shrimp if they weren't careful.

  "Hand over your brother to me, and this matter will be settled." Leigang had no choice but to do so at this time. His two brothers were defeated by Erlong, and if he didn't get some interest back, his brothers would definitely not accept it.

  "Looking for death", Er Long was enraged by this sentence, you can take him, but if you want to take Li San Sheng, that's playing with his life.

  "Ah!" Everyone around exclaimed, and many people fled from Capitol No. 1 one after another.

  "Damn it, stop messing around here, I'll let you smash the National Congress No. 1 if you want, just don't play with guns," Niu Ge cursed, at this time he had to come out himself, if he didn't come out now, something would happen and the National Congress No. 1 would also be unlucky.

  Yes, Er Long pulled out a black and shiny gun with a chilling glow, which was somewhat shocking. Er Long tightly grasped a Browning pistol, the muzzle of which was staring at Lei Gang with an ominous glint in his eye, yet he remained unyielding.

  "Two Dragons, you've gone too far!" Li Sansheng didn't expect Two Dragons to suddenly pull out a gun. With some connections and relationships, the usual hacking and killing wouldn't be a big deal, and as long as someone had the right connections, they would just go in, sit for a few days, and then come out. But once guns were involved, things got out of hand, and the government would absolutely not tolerate such incidents. The final result would definitely be a thorough crackdown, with everyone involved being rounded up.

  Li Sansheng recognized the gun, a Browning M1935 pistol, the most famous high-powered automatic pistol of the Browning company. In other words, it was used for killing people. Li Sansheng had seen this type of gun several times when he was young from his uncle Long, but such guns were now rarely seen and mostly collected by people. It was a product of the 20th century, and unexpectedly, Er Long had one.

  "Two Dragons, what do you want?" Lei Gang wasn't a fool. Two Dragons' ruthlessness on the road was notorious, and he had already been suppressed. If he didn't lower his head and was shot down by this madman, it would be disastrous. So Lei Gang still knew how to behave and calmly said.

  "You're not going to play, do you know who he is? He's my brother. Want to play? I'll accompany you. I'm a lone orphan with no family or home, and I'm not afraid of playing with you."

  Er Long completely ignored Lei Gang's conciliation, fearing that this guy would cause trouble for Li San Sheng in the future. Although Li San Sheng wasn't afraid of these people, if they were to be bothered by these little ghosts, things would become difficult.

  "This isn't Erlong and Leigang, what brings you to our country's number one today? Hey, Erlong, what are you playing at here? You two can play fiercely if you want, but don't do it in our country's number one, or I'll have to answer to San Ye. Besides our country's number one, you can even stage a life-and-death battle on that bell tower, but not here." The dan role finally took the stage, and this scene brought another group of people, Niuge's entrance also suppressed Erlong's arrogance and gave Leigang an opportunity to step down.

  Two Dragons aren't stupid, they know what it means to take out a gun, the final taste will change. He had already seen Niu Ge watching from the side, and couldn't help but think that with you here, this play has meaning. The bigger he plays, the higher the probability of Niu Ge's participation. Originally, he and Lei Gang weren't on the same team, they were always at odds. If they flip sides, then so be it, there's nothing to fear. Two Dragons is waiting for Niu Ge.

  "Exactly, Brother Niu said that, Erlong probably misunderstood us. Look at him, his face changed in an instant, just now he was still being tough with Erlong, but after one shot from the gun, he's finished. Who can still be tough under the muzzle of a gun? Not even Wen Tianxiang could do it."

  "Two Dragons, give me some face, at least for today, just do it this way. Once you're out the door, you can play however you want." Although Niu Ge's words were a negotiation, the tone of his voice left no room for doubt, and everyone could hear it. Li San Sheng had been watching this big show that no longer had anything to do with him, and the more it was stirred up, the faster it would end in a calm and peaceful manner. It all boiled down to saving face for everyone, after all, isn't that what this aspect of things is all about?

  "Third Brother, how is it?" Er Long still liked to give the initiative to Li San Sheng when he was present, because Li San Sheng's handling of affairs was much better than his own.

  Li Sansheng looked at the several groups of people on the scene who would fight to the death at the slightest disagreement, and smiled, saying: "Since Niu Ge said so, Er Long, you should calm down a bit. Actually, I and Lei Ge's brothers just had a small conflict too. Since we are all brothers, don't make it a life-and-death matter. We're all out here making a living, running into each other every now and then."

  "That's right, this brother is saying that it was a misunderstanding." Lei Gang took the opportunity to help Li Sansheng save face.

  "Not bad, little brother is a talent. I just saw everything, careful thinking, steady and ruthless, he's a talent. If there's anything that needs help in the future, just say you know Niu Ge." Niu Ge smiled at Li San Sheng, liking this young man more and more. He figured that this play was already ending, so he might as well be the peacemaker. But it was clear that these two gangs had a grudge now, and what would happen in the future wasn't his concern anymore."

  After Niu Ge left, Er Long also put away his gun after listening to Li San Sheng's words. Lei Gang saw that Er Long had put away all the guns and naturally didn't stay here anymore. He let his brothers lift up the two guys who were thrown down, gave a cold hum as he glared at Li San Sheng and Er Long with sinister eyes, then left.

  "Third Brother, are you alright?" After everyone had left, Er Long saw the blood at the corner of Li San Sheng's mouth and asked with some concern.

  "No big deal, haven't you had this kind of thing happen to you since childhood?" Li San Sheng smiled and said. He was basically a fighter from childhood to adulthood. When he was young, he would fight every day, and when he entered junior high school, he would fight with the local hooligans and street gangs. By the time he reached high school, Li San Sheng had already honed his skills through countless battles, and it was during this time that he formed an unbreakable bond with Hei Zi and those second-generation rich kids.

  "Haha, it's still the same, Erlong is still laughing so hard that it makes people want to vomit, and Xigua Tou is still as annoying as ever."

  It was already very late, and Li Sansheng glanced at the Earl Classic men's watch on his wrist that was clearly inconsistent with his identity. Those who knew their stuff would probably be amazed by its price if they saw this watch, but when worn on Li Sansheng's wrist, more people would probably think it was a high-quality fake. In fact, it was real, and it was given to him by Hei Zi and others on his 18th birthday. Li Sansheng had been wearing it on his wrist ever since.

  On the taxi back to school, Li San Sheng looked at Xi'an under the night sky, looking at the dirty and corrupt scenes behind the prosperity, looking at the neon lights of wine and green, thinking about who can be alone, in the end still have to go with the flow.

  But the demeanor of a high-handed person disappeared quickly after getting out of the taxi, Li Sansheng muttered "Damn it, 50 yuan, what a luxury"