Gangs and Social Change
Luke wasn't worried about the safety of the old beggar at all. That guy was just a talented charlatan. He looked profound and mysterious normally, but he instantly became a coward whenever danger arose. That's why he was expelled from his sect and ended up on the government's blacklist.
The saying "The good die young, but the wicked survive a thousand years" was invented for people like him.
In fact, there were no good people working in the Hongmen. Other than undercover agents, what decent person joins an organized crime syndicate?
The essence of a criminal organization is that it is anti-social and anti-government. Looking at all the major gangs around the world—the Italian Mafia, the Japanese Yakuza, the Taiwanese Bamboo Union, the Hong Kong Triads, the East Asian Yakuza, and so on—every one of them was established during times of societal chaos.
The more stable a society, the weaker the criminal organizations become. Conversely, the more chaotic the situation, the stronger the gangs.
The Hongmen is the best example. In its early days, the Hongmen was the largest Chinese association in America. The first thing any Chinese person, or even Southeast Asian person, did when they arrived in the United States was pay a visit to the local Hongmen organization and ask for protection.
It's different now. Compared to the gangster-like nature of the Hongmen, people are more willing to trust the American government. This is an inevitable trend of social development that cannot be stopped by human power.
Fewer members naturally meant a decline in influence, especially since the new century, where the downward trend has become increasingly obvious. Now, even local police dared to openly raid the Hongmen headquarters. What was even more heartbreaking, however, was the internal strife.
Since the 1990s, the Hongmen's annual income has been declining. Financial stability means livelihood, and the high-ranking Hongmen members, accustomed to comfortable living, were dissatisfied with the current situation. To secure ample material comfort, they chose to cooperate with Mexican drug cartels and entered the drug trafficking business.
These fools thought they were operating in complete secrecy, never knowing that everything was under the control of the FBI. After only a month, the FBI arrested the people and seized the drugs. When the incident was exposed, it caused an extremely negative impact on the Hongmen's reputation.
It was because of this incident that the old man (Luke's grandfather) resigned and chose to retreat from the public eye. But he didn't want to give up completely. The Shaw family has countless ties to the Hongmen. His ancestor was a lodge master in the Heaven and Earth Society, spending his life fighting against the Qing dynasty. His second ancestor served as the organization's chief leader before being killed by the Qing court. His third ancestor inherited his father's will and fought ceaselessly until he was betrayed, forcing him to flee to America on a gold rush ship. Upon arrival in the States, he immediately joined the Hongmen.
Starting from the great-grandfather's generation, every generation has been a high-ranking member of the Hongmen. It can be said that the history of the Hongmen is the history of the Shaw family. How could the old man allow the organization, which had generations of his family's blood and sweat poured into it, to decline?
He hadn't had much formal education, but he had great foresight. Society was changing; the old ways no longer worked. To revitalize the association, they needed reform. Only through reform could the Hongmen avoid the fate of being eliminated.
The word "reform" is easy to say but incredibly difficult to execute. It involves conflicts of interest in every aspect, and only someone with great resolve can pull it off.
The old man considered his options and finally decided to entrust this heavy responsibility to his most beloved and capable grandson.
Luke, however, promptly ran away, traveling from the west coast of America to the east, making no calls, sending no emails, and completely disappearing.
Luke had over a dozen plans for his future, and none of them involved the Hongmen. A gang is a gang; no matter how much you dress it up, you can't change its true nature.
It was a black swamp—easy to step into, but very hard to get out of.
When the old man learned his precious grandson had run away, he swore up a storm. But after the cursing, he could only sigh in loneliness. What could he do? That cunning boy was slicker than a monkey and simply didn't want to wade into that muddy water.
After several months of this, the old man abandoned his initial idea.
That's why Luke, laden with gifts, rushed back. The two men had a tacit understanding and didn't mention the Hongmen. This was good; family was family, and outside matters shouldn't create distance between them.
The only remaining complication was his two uncles.
The Visit to the Uncle
The BMW arrived in front of a detached villa in the East Suburb's wealthy district.
Luke got out of the car and rang the doorbell. Soon, the door opened, and a beautiful, gentle-looking middle-aged woman stepped out. Seeing who it was, she jumped up in surprise.
"Oh! Little Luke, when did you get back? Your auntie missed you so much!"
"Come here, give me a kiss."
Luke quickly took a step back. "Auntie, I'm almost eighteen."
"So what if you're eighteen? You're still a child! I still remember you running around in your split-crotch pants when you were little!"
Luke was speechless. He quickly shoved the gifts toward her.
"These are all for you! Bags, jewelry, and cosmetics, all global limited editions. And this is a jade necklace I specifically commissioned a famous Italian artisan to make. It has twenty-six colors, it's incredibly beautiful."
"Really?"
The woman's eyes lit up. She grabbed the young man's face and kissed him forcefully. "My Little Luke is always so thoughtful. Not like that dullard husband of mine, who only knows how to fight and kill all day. He hasn't even bought me a decent gift in twenty years of marriage. It makes me so mad!"
"Come on, hurry up and come inside."
The two walked into the living room, and the woman called out loudly,
"Julianne! Danny! Come down quickly, Luke is back!"
Footsteps sounded, and soon, a young man and a young woman, both around twenty years old, ran down the stairs. The man was Danny, and the woman was Julianne. Being fraternal twins, they looked similar, but Danny was tall and sturdy, while Julianne was slightly smaller and sweeter.
As the only girl of this generation in the Shaw family, Julianne had an excellent relationship with Luke and immediately pounced on him.
"Luke, you finally showed up! I thought you had gone to meet Jesus!"
The woman lightly slapped her. "You silly child, what kind of talk is that?"
Danny was a lot more mature. He gave Luke a gesture, and Luke nodded, acknowledging it.
Luke handed the gifts he'd brought to the twins, spoke a few more words, and then turned to his aunt.
"Is Uncle home?"
"He's been cooped up in his study since this morning. I don't know what he's doing."
"I'd like to talk to him."
"Go ahead. I'll go make some tea."
The woman sighed softly and went to the kitchen. She didn't want to be involved with the Hongmen's affairs, nor could she manage them. That stubborn mule of a husband! Even after Little Luke ran away, he was still yammering on about it. Does he really think he's so capable?
Danny stood up and said solemnly, "I'll go with you."
Luke nodded slightly and didn't object. He headed toward the second-floor study with the young man, who was outwardly his cousin but secretly his confidant.
Pushing the door open, a cloud of smoke rushed out.
In the dim light, a stout, short-haired middle-aged man sat in an old swivel chair, a cigar clamped between his fingers, staring intently at an oil painting on the wall.
It was a depiction of a shipwreck: under the raging, turbulent waves, flames burned fiercely. Through the firelight, one could vaguely see the struggling, waterlogged crew members and the fragmented hull of the ship.
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