Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 834

(Note: Chapter Title is really hard to translate. Raw title is 泽风大过. Anyone has better idea?)

Not long after, Uncle Wu heard Song Tianyou calling out and pushed the door open again, instructing the servants to bring in the toiletries.

After pondering for a moment, Song Tianyou said, “Old Wu, tell the villagers not to take on any business for now. For those with ongoing deals, finish them up as quickly as possible and then return… Prepare three hundred personnel and equipment for me.”

Uncle Wu didn’t ask why and assured him he would take care of it promptly.

After taking a hot towel from a servant to wipe his face, Song Tianyou suddenly asked, “Where is Song Ying?”

Uncle Wu replied, “Miss Ying left early this morning, saying she was going back to the hotel to handle some matters.”

Song Tianyou shook his head. “That girl has it tough. At such a young age, she has to manage the external affairs of the Song family… This should have been Haoran’s job. It’s a pity that Haoran is too wild.”

It was well known that Song Haoran disliked sitting in an office and preferred to roam around. Even during his free time, he enjoyed gathering a team to explore.

“Gaining more experience is also a good thing for the young master,” Uncle Wu said with a slight smile.

Song Tianyou shook his head and waved his hand. Uncle Wu understood and signaled the servants to leave. Only then did Song Tianyou look at Uncle Wu and ask, “Do you think Luo Qiu and Song Ying are a possibility?”Uncle Wu wore a knowing expression. The Song family was considered a long-established family with significant assets and influence, but they faced the awkward situation of having few heirs in this generation.

Song Haoran seemed indifferent to romantic matters; he had been single for years. Seeing his father grow older year by year, it was natural for him to feel anxious.

Originally, he had been looking for a suitable match for Song Ying but hadn’t found anyone to his liking.

“Looks like the master really likes Young Master Qiu,” Uncle Wu said with a smile. “He’s already considering this so soon.”

“Putting aside the fact that he is a member of the Song family, this boy is the most satisfactory among my peers,” Song Tianyou said as he stood up and walked to the window to draw the curtains. “He is neither arrogant nor hasty; he remains composed. It’s rare, very rare.”

“But Master, have you considered that the more composed Young Master Qiu is, the more it seems somewhat unreasonable?” Uncle Wu replied.

“Oh? Go on,” Song Tianyou said, turning around.

“Ordinary people,” Uncle Wu said slowly, “even those born into wealth, wouldn’t remain so calm upon seeing just a glimpse of the Song family’s ice-cold façade. Master, allow me to speak candidly… this Young Master Qiu might be someone extraordinary.”

Song Tianyou frowned and glanced at Uncle Wu.

Uncle Wu continued, “He is very natural; both with me and the household servants, he appears completely at ease. This is a habit that only those who are accustomed to having others serve them develop. He shows no surprise at anything, is humble but not servile… Such a person…”

“What about such a person?” Song Tianyou pressed.

Uncle Wu replied earnestly, “Master, this Young Master Qiu feels more like a master himself. Having spent my life as a steward, I am accustomed to serving people, so I can sense this.”

“Hmm…” Song Tianyou nodded. “But his family background is quite ordinary. I’ve had someone investigate it… His identity isn’t an issue. And this verification was handled personally by Haoran, so there won’t be mistakes.”

Uncle Wu frowned, “Then perhaps this Young Master Qiu is a different kind of person… He is someone born to nobility.”

Uncle Wu shook his head, “But we know that even the most noble individuals, if raised in an ordinary environment, will develop similarly to regular people. Conversely, even an ordinary person, if raised in an upper-class environment, will also develop an air of nobility.”

“Old Wu,” Song Tianyou said, walking over and patting Uncle Wu's shoulder. “I know you’re attentive. However, my view differs somewhat from yours. I don’t think he is of noble birth; rather, he is of high virtue.”

Song Tianyou gazed out at the beautiful estate, reflecting thoughtfully. “A person of high virtue only uses the Way; they do not cling to their virtue, nor do they rely on it.”

“That’s a bit…”

Song Tianyou added, “I will reconsider the matter with Song Ying. Don’t worry too much; let these two kids spend some more time together… Oh, they’re back! Just in time; I’m getting hungry.”

The car slowly drove into the estate; it was Song Haoran’s vehicle, a very ordinary Jeep.

…

In fact, it was already past breakfast time. After a simple meal of soy milk and fried dough sticks, it was nearly eleven o’clock.

Song Tianyou personally brewed a pot of tea in the hall, and after everyone enjoyed it, he suddenly said, “Luo Qiu, I plan to go back to the country soon; you should come with me.”

“Back to the country?” Luo Qiu looked at Song Tianyou.

Song Tianyou smiled and said, “The old family grave of the Song family hasn’t been tended to in many years. Even though you’ve paid respects at the memorial hall, it still doesn’t count; you need to visit the old family grave of the Song family in person. This year, we’ll be celebrating the Lunar New Year back home. Since there are only a few days left, why don’t you stay here and come back with me?”

Luo Qiu thought for a moment.

He had temporarily transferred the club’s authority to Yōu Yè, which was a way of taking a vacation for himself. Because of this vacation, when the white man was attacked by Song Ying’s subordinates last night, the business trigger was exempted.

However, the cost of the boss’s vacation was significantly higher than that of the Dark Soul Messenger; it essentially consumed his own lifespan at every moment—though he could earn it back, the consumption was calculated in years.

Thanks to the ‘Main God’ plan, Luo Qiu had this opportunity for a break.

His intuition told him that Song Tianyou's trip back home might have other reasons behind it.

Moreover, a more important point was… the emotions that had been suppressed for a long time seemed to be stirring again.

For example, he found himself shedding tears over the Buddha Jumps Over the Wall dish that had been passed down in the Song family.

But Luo Qiu also knew that, under this mode, even if he temporarily enriched his emotions, it wouldn’t be a long-term solution. The consumption was too great; even with the support of the ‘Main God’ plan, there would inevitably come a time when it would be insufficient.

In the end, he might find himself crazily developing more ways to make deals to obtain more sacrificial items to gain longevity… and that could unknowingly lead him down the path of his predecessor.

Indeed, he couldn’t afford to relax for a moment…

A thought flashed through Luo Qiu’s mind as he looked at Song Tianyou and said, “Okay.”

Song Tianyou added, “By the way, I heard your father remarried later. Bring her back to meet me after we return; after all, she is my Song family’s daughter-in-law and should pay respects to our ancestors. This woman is good; she has been loyal to you all these years, and the Song family can’t mistreat her.”

Luo Qiu simply smiled without giving a definite answer.

After thinking for a moment, Song Tianyou said, “Haoran, this afternoon, you need to return to the village. I have something for you to do, and Old Wu will inform you of the specifics.”

Song Haoran shrugged and waved goodbye to Luo Qiu, looking quite carefree.

At that moment, Song Tianyou suddenly clapped his hands, and a young woman in her early twenties walked in from outside. Song Tianyou pointed at her and said, “Gan Hong, from now on, you’ll follow Young Master Qiu and take care of his daily needs.”

Luo Qiu glanced at the girl; she was indeed the attendant from the train. He looked at Song Tianyou in surprise and said, “From now on?”

Song Tianyou replied calmly, “She’ll be yours from now on.”

…

…

Bucky swallowed hard; in fact, his lips had already become chapped and pale.

There was nothing he could do—he had been exposed to the elements on the rooftop for so long that he had nearly reached the limit of human endurance.

He lay on the ground, completely drained of energy—after the club’s maid had tossed him onto the rooftop that night, he had been left there to endure.

He tried to break down the iron door of the rooftop, but it was impossible to dismantle the building with his bare hands.

With weak strength, Bucky undid his belt… it was his last resort; he intended to chew through the belt.

So tough…

“What are you doing?”

Hearing a voice felt like a gospel to Bucky, and he instantly burst with a new energy, getting up—he had finally waited for this maid from the club.

Seeing Bucky excitedly wanting to come over and hug her, Yōu Yè frowned, snapped her fingers, and Bucky rolled back the way he came, finally stopping when he crashed into the guardrail.

“I said, you guys are too unkind, throwing me out here; I nearly died!” Bucky shouted angrily.

Yōu Yè walked up to Bucky with an expressionless face. “You seem to be in good spirits; it looks like you can hold on a bit longer.”

Bucky’s face instantly changed, and he began to plead for mercy. “I was wrong! Please don’t throw me back here again.”

Yōu Yè smiled slightly. “When I said you seemed to be in good spirits, I meant your mental fortitude has improved significantly. With the ability of your ring, you should be able to hold on four or five times now, right?”

Bucky was taken aback.

Yōu Yè continued calmly, “There is a type of practitioner in the Holy See whose holy power is exceptionally strong. This is because they have endured rigorous training day in and day out. Your fasting and enduring have pushed your body to its limits, which is a tremendous test of your will. Your years in prison have been too comfortable, so you need to suffer a bit more. When you have time in the future, try to restrict yourself—whether it’s through pain, hunger, or cold, these are all excellent ways to train.”

I have a thought I’m not sure whether to share or not.

But the maid waved her hand, and suddenly a beautiful plate fell in front of Bucky. He instinctively caught it and found that it contained a plate of fragrant roasted meat.

Bucky didn't say a word and started devouring the food hungrily. Then he exclaimed joyfully, “Wow, this is so delicious! Not even a Michelin three-star chef can compare! Miss Yōu Yè, did you specially make this for me? What kind of meat is this? It’s really tasty! And it feels like there’s a surge of power coming out after eating!”

“Hurry up and finish eating; we need to go. Someone is waiting for you,” Yōu Yè replied directly.

“Who?”

“Your follower.” The maid suddenly narrowed her eyes. “Eat it all. If you leave any leftovers, you’ll be hungry from now on.”

Bucky licked the plate crazily, leaving not a drop of sauce behind.

…

…

Caroline didn’t dare to get too close and could only watch ‘Arnold’ from a distance. Even so, she had to exert a lot of effort to barely keep up with his pace.

‘Arnold’ was walking too quickly and seemed exceptionally cautious, frequently stopping to check the surroundings.

Before long, ‘Arnold’ entered a teaching building.

At night, there were hardly any students left in the building, and the corridors were quiet, making it easy to hear footsteps. Just as Caroline was hesitating whether to follow again, she saw someone sneakily enter.

Caroline quickly hid.

The back of this person looked somewhat familiar… Caroline felt like she had seen this person somewhere before—but she still mustered the courage to follow.

‘Arnold’ had entered a classroom early and pulled the curtains closed. Not long after, the other person also walked into the classroom.

Caroline faintly heard some voices… The curtains weren’t fully drawn, leaving a small gap.

Caroline pressed up against the glass; she could only see ‘Arnold’s’ figure. Due to the angle, she could only see the outstretched arms of the other man.

The newcomer placed a bag on the table, opened it, took out some small packets, and handed them to ‘Arnold.’

She saw ‘Arnold’ frown and say something to the other person.

Caroline could tell that ‘Arnold’ was filled with anger but seemed afraid to resist. The man directly grabbed ‘Arnold’s’ hand, shoved the items into it, and finally pushed ‘Arnold’ down.

‘Arnold’ was pushed to the ground, and as the man moved closer, Caroline finally caught a glimpse of his profile—it was… ‘Big Cousin’!

Caroline recognized him correctly; he was one of Boss Boston's men, the one who had taken her out to withdraw money and later pretended to be her ‘Big Cousin’ when he met Lawyer Carlo!

‘Big Cousin’ pointed at ‘Arnold,’ as if giving him some warning.

Caroline instinctively covered her mouth, afraid of making any sound.

Boss Boston’s men had already been in contact with ‘Arnold’… It seemed they were forcing him to do something he didn’t want to do—could it be that this ‘Arnold’ was indeed the real Arnold?

Was it because he could help Boss Boston sell drugs at school that Boss Boston decided to let him go? Did he volunteer this information, or was he threatened by Boss Boston?

Did he… did he tell Boss Boston that he was here?

Countless questions flooded Caroline's mind.

Caroline retreated in terror… She couldn’t stay here any longer; she definitely couldn’t go back to the dorm. She needed to leave this place while she still had the chance.

Suddenly, Caroline bumped into something.

It was a person… someone whose face she couldn’t see!

Caroline didn’t know when this person had appeared behind her, nor did she know if they had come along with ‘Big Cousin.’

Before she could make a sound, this person suddenly grabbed her by the neck and covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief—within moments, Caroline slumped down.

…

“Remember to do your job! Useless!”

‘Big Cousin’ opened the classroom door and yelled something inside before hurriedly leaving—before he left, ‘Big Cousin’ glanced down the hallway in confusion but didn’t see anything unusual, so he quickly walked away.

Not long after, ‘Arnold’ also walked out of the classroom, his head lowered.