Turbulence on the Bund Chapter 3: Adrift on the Pu River, Encountering the Cantonese Gang

Not far away along the Huangpu Riverbank, the British had already constructed over a dozen floating docks.

One of these docks was connected to a two-story building on the shore. The building was timber-structured, clearly European in style, but rather crude—obviously a temporary structure.

On the second floor of this small building, Lanslow Dendi, the owner of Dendi Trading Company, was furiously berating one of his foreign managers.

“Useless! Those Cantonese interpreters can’t even understand the local dialect. What good are they to me?”

Manager James was drenched in sweat; this boss was not someone to be trifled with.

“Boss, maybe we should bring over a batch of laborers from Guangdong,” James suggested.

“And wait until when? Our Dendi Trading Company’s main building must be the first to be built. Jardine Matheson has already taken the lead, and now even the Americans have arrived. You want me to wait?”

Dendi waved his hand at him. “Go find someone now, no matter the cost. You must find a local who speaks English. If not, get lost.”

James felt as if he had been granted a great pardon and quickly fled the office. As he passed through the corridor, he nearly bumped into a young girl wearing a pink long dress.

“Ah, sorry, miss,” James apologized repeatedly.

“It’s alright,” the girl glanced at him and continued walking.

As he stepped aside, James couldn’t help but steal a glance at the young lady.

This girl was born on Hong Kong Island and was Dendi’s mixed-race illegitimate daughter. Although only in her early teens, she was already tall and elegant, with a pair of blue eyes and jet-black hair—her exquisite beauty unforgettable.

Her mother was Chinese. From a young age, she had been extraordinarily intelligent and deeply favored by Dendi.

Jenny stepped into Dendi’s office, holding her father’s arm and speaking softly, “Daddy, why are you angry again? It’s just an interpreter. I’ve already learned the local dialect. Why not let me go?”

Dendi’s expression softened slightly but shook his head. “How could I let you mix with those laborers? Don’t worry, Daddy will find someone.”

He placed his pipe on the table, tapped it, and continued, “You think I’m just looking for an interpreter? The Yangtze River basin is the essence of the Qing Empire. It produces tea and silk, densely populated. This place will become the commercial center for all foreign firms. We can’t do without helpers.”

...

Meanwhile, Chen Lin brought his younger brother and sister-in-law to a small fishing boat behind their house.

“Brother, are we going fishing?” Chen Gen asked excitedly.

Chen Lin nodded. “Yes, today we’ll catch a big fish. I’ll grill it for you.”

“Yay, yay, fish to eat!” Miao Miao clapped her small hands in excitement.

The three children awkwardly cast their fishing net into the Yangjing Creek.

After a long while, not even a single tiny shrimp was caught.

Chen Lin sighed deeply.

Chen Gen and Miao Miao both wore dejected expressions.

The cold wind off the river reddened their faces.

They had likely gone more than a day without food.

Chen Lin tightened his belt, gritted his teeth, and paddled toward Yangjing Town downstream.

He had considered seeking work among the foreigners along the Huangpu River but instinctively felt a strong aversion.

Those who crossed over became honorable heroes, but he did not want to be a lapdog for foreigners, scorned as a traitor.

In his past life, he had been betrayed by white men and grew to detest foreigners. He would rather die than beg them for a living.

---

Yangjing Town, located in Pudong at the confluence of Yangjing Creek and the Huangpu River, lay just across the river from the British concession.

Since the opening of the port, many merchants from Jiangsu and Zhejiang had gathered here. The foreigners also used the town as a temporary settlement, making Yangjing bustling and lively.

Chen Lin came here intending to sell the family’s small boat. With the money, the three siblings could temporarily get through their hardships.

He also had time to think about how to monetize the chemical knowledge in his mind.

The riverside street was bustling, with occasional European-style small buildings. Glass windows reflected the setting sun’s glow, and dark wooden racks climbed the walls.

Here, before the British concession was officially established, it had become a temporary Bund, a sharp contrast to the desolation upstream.

Street vendors set up stoves, steam rising with a “gurgle,” the aroma of meat and noodles whetting appetites.

Chen Lin clenched the last three copper coins tightly in his palm.

The three siblings stepped onto the shore along creaky wooden planks, their muddy shoes leaving damp marks on the stone pavement.

“Brother, I want to eat this,” Miao Miao stopped in front of a small steamed bun stall, unwilling to move.

The vendor, oily-faced, rapidly pinched the folds of buns and shouted loudly, “Authentic Nanxiang steamed buns! Hot, fresh pork buns, thin skin, plenty of filling, and rich soup inside—”

“Boss, how much for a bun?” Chen Lin stepped forward half a step, his voice timid but trying to stand tall.

The vendor glanced at the three ragged children, immediately showing disdain, waving his hand like shooing flies, “Go away! Beg somewhere else; don’t bother my business!”

Chen Lin frowned, his grip on the coins tightening. “How do you do business? I’m just asking the price, not begging.”

“Twenty wen per basket!” The vendor slapped the dough on the board with a “pop,” annoyed, “Pay first if you want to eat; no money, get lost!”

Chen Lin’s knuckles whitened as he clenched the coins, silently pulling his siblings away.

“Hey, you little brats, wasting my breath!” came a hateful spat behind them, saliva nearly hitting Chen Lin’s back.

“Who are you calling little brats!” Chen Gen suddenly turned around, chest puffed with anger, eyes wide as copper coins, fists clenched, his face flushed from fury.

“The very ones!” The vendor, already irritable, grew angrier at the children’s defiance, hands on hips, scolding, “Born without anyone to care for you!”

“Gen, let’s go.” Chen Lin grabbed his brother’s arm, voice low, “No need to argue with such people.”

He felt Chen Gen’s arm trembling, unsure if from cold or anger.

In the end, the three bought a warm steamed bun with their three copper coins at a humble stall. The kind old woman running it even gave them a bowl of hot water.

They found a sheltered corner to sit together.

“Big brother, you eat this,” Miao Miao tore off a small piece of the bun with her frozen little hands. Though hungry enough to swallow saliva, she earnestly offered it to Chen Lin.

“Miao Miao, eat first,” Chen Lin gently helped her bring the bun to her mouth. His voice was soft. “You forgot? Big brother slept all day and just woke up. I’m not hungry yet.”

Miao Miao chewed slowly, eyes half-closed, eyelashes wet with moisture, savoring the taste.

She didn’t forget to tear off a small piece and offer it to Chen Gen. “Second brother, you eat too.”

Just as the three siblings shared this moment of warmth and affection, a shadow darted out from the alley like a gust of wind, snatching away more than half of the bun in Miao Miao’s hand.

The three froze for two seconds before reacting.

Miao Miao’s mouth dropped open, eyes dimmed, and tears welled up.

“Stop thief!” Chen Gen shouted, dashing forward like a little hunting dog, his slender figure quickly chasing the shadow under the lantern light.

Chen Lin panicked, his rationality lost.

---

“Gen! Come back!” he shouted, voice anxious and hoarse, holding Miao Miao who burst into tears.

By the time he chased out, Chen Gen’s figure had vanished into the labyrinth of streets, swallowed by the crowds and flickering lamps.

Their only bun was gone, and his brother disappeared.

Chen Lin wandered aimlessly through the streets of Yangjing Town holding his sister. People passed by without a glance.

Frustration surged like a tide, nearly overwhelming him.

Damn it, I’m such a useless wretch!

“Big brother, put me down. Miao Miao can walk herself,” she stopped crying after a while, wiping tears with her sleeve, clutching his collar. “Why isn’t second brother back yet?”

Chen Lin hesitated to put down his sister; her hands were as cold as stone.

After searching for half an hour without finding Chen Gen, Chen Lin could only return to the riverbank with his sister, planning to sell the boat for money.

Upon arriving, he was stunned—the small fishing boat was gone!

“Where’s the boat? My boat?” he ran along the riverbank, his voice trembling with disbelief, eyes anxiously scanning the many boats.

He asked other boatmen but was ignored.

Chen Lin’s heart sank bit by bit, and he walked forward numb, holding his sister.

He dared not report to the authorities, unsure if the local policemen were in cahoots with those in the county.

After walking several hundred meters along the river, he saw some men dragging a small fishing boat.

The boat, with holes in its hull and faded oars, was unmistakably theirs!

“This is my boat!” Chen Lin rushed forward, his voice trembling with emotion.

The men turned, speaking in thick Cantonese.

The tall leader sized him up, sneered, “Kid, forget it! This boat belongs to Wu’s Pawnshop!”

Chen Lin was stunned but understood. He looked toward the street, where a “Wu’s Pawnshop” stood with a grand entrance and red lanterns, looking affluent.

“This is my boat! It was just parked by the river. Who pawned it to you? Take me to that person!” Chen Lin grabbed the tall man’s arm.

The men grew angry at his pulling and threw Chen Lin to the ground.

With a loud “thud,” his back hit the cold stone pavement, pain blurring his vision.

“Big brother!” Miao Miao screamed, rushing over, her small hands tugging at his arm.

Seeing her frozen, flushed face and terrified eyes, Chen Lin’s rising anger was suppressed again.

He clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms, feeling the impulse to destroy everything.

Yet reality was like an impenetrable wall, leaving him no way out.

Like a defeated stray dog, he left with his sister.