Lu Ming drove to the main hall of Caobang according to the scheduled time. In the past, when he went to Caobang, he always came quietly and walked quietly, hardly alerting anyone. But today was different. When he formally visited his mother-in-law, of course he had to make a big show of it and couldn't be sneaky.
However, the Cao Gang had other plans. At this moment, the middle door was wide open, and they greeted Lu Ming's arrival with the highest courtesy. This was the gang's etiquette for receiving high-ranking VIPs, and the son-in-law did not enjoy such treatment.
Standing outside the middle door were two concierges. Lu Ming presented the gift, and the concierge bowed and invited him in.
After entering the middle gate, the leaders of the Cao Gang lined up on both sides, clasped their fists and saluted him, and shouted: "Welcome to see Master Lu."
This formation made Lu Ming a little overwhelmed, and he could only throw his hands to both sides: "I don't dare to accept it, brothers, thank you for your hard work."
Everyone present was wearing green cotton robes, thick cotton boots, and a green silk ribbon around their waists. Lu Ming was wearing a suit and leather shoes, and a thick woolen coat, which made him look a little out of place among this group of people.
Lu Ming originally wanted to change into Chinese clothes and do as the Romans do, but he searched through his suitcase and wardrobe and couldn't find a cotton robe.
You may not be able to buy it on the street. Today is only the sixth day of the first lunar month, and no clothing store or ready-to-wear store has opened yet. Generally speaking, in the service industry, there are few shops open until the tenth or even the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Lu Ming walked over awkwardly and arrived in front of the Caobang lobby. This place was equivalent to the ancestral temple of a gang. Only members of the gang could enter, and no outsiders were allowed in.
As a special guest, Lu Ming will make an exception and enter the lobby today.
If he hadn't done a big favor for Caobang, Lu Ming would have been married to Mingzhu and wouldn't be qualified to set foot here unless he joined Caobang according to the procedures.
Lu Ming climbed up the steps and walked to the door of the wide lobby. Ning Zetao, the leader of the Cao Gang, stepped out to greet him, waved his hands with a smile, and then invited him to come in with him.
Entering the lobby, I saw a woman about fifty years old sitting at the main seat, with Mingzhu and Ning Xiner standing on both sides of the main seat. Behind the main seat are the shrines of the past leaders of the Cao Gang.
Lu Ming knew that the person sitting on the main seat was Mingzhu's godmother Ning Qi, so he quickly stepped forward and knelt down, and kowtowed three times respectfully.
Lu Ming's behavior surprised everyone present. Originally, he only needed to bow, and there was no need for such a big ceremony.
But Lu Ming didn't think so. He wanted to take this opportunity to thank Caobang for everything he had done for Mingzhu.
All along, Mingzhu has received meticulous care in Caobang and enjoys princess-like treatment.
The godmother likes Mingzhu and loves her as her own daughter, but from Lu Ming's point of view, she should not regard other people's love as her own blessing, and should know how to be grateful.
The attitude of the whole Cao Gang towards Mingzhu is also to give face to the Yuan family.
Lu Ming knew that the Yuan family had a special relationship with the Cao Gang, but he didn't know to what extent it was.
The ancestors of the Yuan family were also members of the Cao Gang, and there was a generation of gang leaders. Later, for unknown reasons, they left the Cao Gang and turned to business.
Perhaps because of this relationship, Mingzhu has been recognized as her goddaughter by the mother of the Cao Gang leader since she was a child.
Of course there is another way of saying it.
Mingzhu's godmother Qi Fang - she became Ning Qi after she got married. Before marrying to Caobang, she and Mingzhu's mother were best friends. The two agreed with each other that when they have children, they must choose one to be the other's godson.
Goddaughter, so that the next generation can inherit the friendship of the previous generation.
So Yuan Mingzhu became Qi Fang's goddaughter, and Ning Zetao became Mingzhu's mother's godson.
It can be said that Caobang's treatment of Mingzhu had nothing to do with Lu Ming, but Lu Ming kept it in his heart and waited for the opportunity to repay Caobang. What's more, Caobang later tried his best to help An Gonggen when he transferred him.
Although Caobang didn't treat his "son-in-law" very well in the past, he didn't care. Students trained by Harvard still had such a big heart, otherwise he wouldn't have risked his life to help Caobang survive the disaster.
"Good boy, I don't deserve such a great gift from you. Mingzhu, why don't you stop me?" Godmother Ning Qi said to Mingzhu.
"Mother, he is your son-in-law. What's wrong with giving you a few kowtows? He deserves it." Mingzhu grinned broadly.
"Zhu'er, Mom is a sensible person. We are no longer in the old age. You young people are all fashionable with new etiquette. There is no need to talk about these old rules." Ning Qi is an enlightened woman. Sitting at the head of the Caogang, she has no idea about this.
Of course, we are well aware of the changes in the world.
After completing this set of etiquette, Lu Ming had completed the process of worshiping his mother. Ning Zetao asked him to sit down on the chair next to him.
Lu Ming didn't sit down. Even if he didn't know the rules of Caogang, he still knew where this place was. Even Ning Zetao didn't have a seat, so how could he sit down?
Ning Qi saw that Lu Ming was not used to staying in the lobby and was a little restrained, so she smiled and said: "Don't you still have things to talk about? Then go about your business, Lu Ming, from now on you will not only be Cao
As your noble son-in-law, and a member of Caobang’s family, Caobang’s door will always be open to you. You can come if you have anything to do, and you can talk about anything. You’re welcome.”
Lu Ming cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, godmother."
He also knew that although the leader of the Cao Gang was Ning Zetao, it was his mother Ning Qi who was actually in charge. Inviting him here this time was to complete a ceremony and make Lu Ming one of his family members.
Is there any difference between what Ning Qi calls a noble son-in-law and a family member? Logically speaking, a son-in-law is a member of the family. This is indeed the case in ordinary people's homes, but it is different in gangs.
"One's Family" in the gang is a very special title. If it were in the imperial court, it would be equivalent to a death-free gold medal issued by the emperor.
"My family members" do not necessarily have a blood relationship with the gang leader, nor do they have to be the gang leader's in-laws. They do not have to join the gang, but they can enjoy all the rights and benefits of being in the gang.
If Lu Ming had not contributed to saving the Caobang, he would never have become a member of the Caobang in this life.
This is a rule set by the ancestors. To become a member of the family, one must obtain the unanimous consent of the Cao gang leaders and go through a complex set of rituals.
Worship ancestors and burn incense paper with names... If the smoke dissipates, it means the ancestors do not agree. The green smoke must form a column, which means that all the leaders of the Cao Gang have recognized this person.
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The status of the "member of the family" in the Caogang is lofty and transcendent. As long as he is in need, all members of the Caogang will do their best, even if the gang is destroyed.
This collective consciousness formed in the farming era later evolved into a class consciousness that sacrificed one's life for charity, but that is a story later.
Lu Ming still didn't know the many tests he had gone through, and he didn't care about the so-called family members. Even if he knew about the lofty status of his family members, he wouldn't care.
If it weren't for Mingzhu, he probably wouldn't have had much contact with the Caobang in this life, let alone risking his life to accompany him.
This is not because Lu Ming is conceited. He is not a member of society and will not cause trouble outside. The blessings given to him by the Caogang Group are basically meaningless.
If you really encounter trouble and you can't solve it yourself, there is Sheng Youde. The power of the Sheng family is much greater than that of the Caobang. In other words, if Sheng Youde can't solve the problem, the Caobang can't solve it either.
Different from the Qinghong Gang, the composition of the Cao Gang is relatively simple. It is mainly composed of boatmen, shipping workers and dock porters on both sides of the canal. This gang is somewhat similar to a shipping union organization, and of course it also has the nature of a gang.
Most of the people in the Cao Gang came from the bottom of society, and were later called the oppressed working class. Their backgrounds were relatively simple, and they were very honest people. However, if anyone offended the Cao Gang, it would definitely be more troublesome than offending the Qinghong Gang.
Compared to the Cao Gang, the Qinghong Gang is a mixed bag, with people of all colors ranging from the upper class to the lower class of society, with more characters like ruffians and street bullies.
The Qinghong Gang's social reputation is extremely bad, because pornography, gambling, and drugs are their ways of making money. To put it bluntly, they only care about money and not people.
Of course, the big boss of the Qinghong Gang is also a moral person, showing gratitude when there is kindness and retribution when there is hatred.
Although many of the various versions of stories about Huang Jinrong and Du Yuesheng circulated in the public are fictions by unscrupulous writers, some of them are indeed true.
The Cao Gang's rule is that they will never get involved in pornography, gambling, or drugs. It's not that they are afraid of the Qinghong Gang, but they are unwilling and not allowed to do things that are harmful to nature.
They are willing to take risks to smuggle all kinds of goods, from as small as a pack of matches to as large as arms. As long as they can get it, they can all be found in the details of the smuggled goods.
In recent years, the Caobang has mainly smuggled cars, pistols, medicinal materials and other valuables. Although the risks are higher, the profits are huge. After all, the Caobang has tens of thousands of people waiting to eat.
Prices in the market continue to rise. If Caobang only relies on shipping and the little money he makes at the dock, he will not be able to support his family.