Nanhai City, Dali Town.
Luo Peng and a group of brick-hauling drivers were playing San Gong around a card table at the kiln's small shop. It had been raining continuously for several days, and no one had gone out to deliver bricks.
He had been here for a month. With the help of Biao Biao's uncle, Yuan Jianhua, he had spent over a hundred thousand yuan to buy a used truck and started working in the brick business with him.
This business was simple, with two main ways of operating. One was to load a truck with red bricks from the kiln every day and wait for customers at a specialized market. For each brick, he could earn a few cents to a dime in profit.
The other way was to find construction sites himself or deliver bricks to sites introduced by others. This method was more profitable because of the large volume and guaranteed sales, but it was harder to secure such deals, and sometimes a commission had to be paid to the introducer.
As a newcomer, Luo Peng bought bricks from the kiln and sold them in the market. His truck was large and could carry twelve thousand bricks at a time. If he was lucky, he could sell two truckloads a day, earning over two thousand yuan.
However, most of the time, he couldn't sell a truckload in two or three days. Loading and unloading were very tiring, so he had to hire people for that. In the end, he only made a little over five thousand yuan for the month, with little left after expenses for food, drinks, and rent.
He had been here for a month, but Yuan Jianhua had not taken him to Hongxing's casino, so he couldn't proactively approach his classmate.
When he came here, Luo Peng did not mention Yang Jian. Instead, he sought Yuan Jianhua's help as Biao Biao's friend, so Yuan Jianhua did not know his true purpose.
"Whose truck is tail number 4687?"
Four young men walked in from outside and shouted at the crowd.
Luo Peng raised his hand. "4687 is my truck, what's up?"
"Holy crap, Luo Peng, is that you?"
One of the young men, with a scorpion tattooed on his neck, recognized him.
Luo Peng was stunned, then happily stood up. "Shen Bing, how is it you?"
"Damn, why do you look like a migrant worker? If you hadn't spoken, I wouldn't have recognized you. Come on, I'll treat you to a meal."
Shen Bing was Shen Hua's younger brother and had been mixing with Hongxing in Nanhai. He and Luo Peng were junior high school classmates and had been good friends in school.
Luo Peng's goal was to get close to him, so he naturally wouldn't refuse the invitation. He followed the four of them to a nearby seafood restaurant.
"Luo Peng, these are my brothers, Xiao Hua, Er Bao, Wen Zi, and Qiang Zi."
The group found a private room and sat down. Shen Bing began to introduce them to each other.
"Hello, Brother Peng."
The young men were well-behaved and greeted Luo Peng proactively.
"Hello, you all must be from Luogang. Why haven't I seen you before?"
"I brought them out this year during the New Year. They are all fresh graduates from vocational high school, so it's normal you haven't seen them. By the way, Luo Peng, why are you driving a truck here? Have you turned over a new leaf?" Shen Bing asked curiously.
"Ah, it's a long story. I was unlucky. I didn't get into university, messed around in Chengguan for half a year, and accomplished nothing. I finally made some quick money mixing with Yang Jian in the casinos, but after a few months, I got caught. Have you heard about this?"
"I've heard about it. I used to ask you to come to Nanhai to make a living, but you were always reluctant to leave that woman Luo Ping. Are you two broken up now?"
"We broke up. As soon as I was arrested, she ran off to the south and disappeared without a trace. Women are too realistic, and I was blind."
"Cough, it's just a woman, no need to dwell on it. When did you get out, and why did you decide to drive a truck and sell bricks in Nanhai? And why didn't you contact me when you knew I was in Nanhai?"
"I was inside for six months. When I got out, Yang Jian's cousin gave me a hundred thousand yuan. I used that money to buy a used car here and have been working for over a month, earning a little over five thousand yuan. It's all spent, and I'm in such a sorry state, I didn't have the face to contact you."
Many people knew that Jing Yongli gave money to his imprisoned brothers, so Luo Peng couldn't lie.
"Yang Jian is quite loyal to give you guys a hundred thousand yuan. Where is he now?"
"How would I know where he is? As soon as I got out, my mom forbade me from hanging around in Chengguan anymore, so I came here. I didn't expect it to be difficult here either. Loading and unloading bricks makes me sick, and I can't earn much money. Look how tanned I am, worse than a migrant worker."
"Haha, aren't you a migrant worker now? Come on, let's eat."
As they spoke, the seafood was served. Shen Bing, being generous, placed a large lobster on Luo Peng's plate.
Luo Peng didn't stand on ceremony and began to devour the food as if he had been released from prison, as if he had never eaten seafood before.
"By the way, Shen Bing, why were you looking for my truck? Do you need the vehicle?" Luo Peng asked after eating his fill.
"All vehicles in the kilns around here have to join our Xinhe Business Association. You're new, so we naturally had to find you."
"Xinhe Business Association? What are the benefits of joining?"
"There are many benefits. If there's a project, the association will introduce it to you, so you can deliver bricks. Joining the association means you're under our protection, and no external gangs will bully you. Also, if you encounter traffic violations that you can't resolve, we can help you sort them out, saving you a lot of trouble."
Luo Peng nodded. "That's not bad. How much does it cost to join the association?"
"One thousand a year. But you don't have to pay it. Sell your truck, take the money, and come with me to the gambling house. I guarantee it's better than working yourself to death selling bricks." Shen Bing said with a smile, patting his shoulder.
Luo Peng looked surprised. "Work with you? Gamble again? If my parents find out, they'll beat me to death."
"Don't be silly. Making money is the most important thing these days. Who cares about reputation anymore? Did you really turn over a new leaf after getting caught once? I'm bringing you to get rich out of respect for our old friendship. If you really don't want to, I won't force you."
Luo Peng scratched his head. "Driving and selling bricks is indeed too hard. I can't stand it. I'll go with you. But I'm not familiar with selling the truck. Give me a few days to deal with the truck, and then I'll come to you. Don't stand me up."
"I'll help you sell the truck. We've been operating here for many years, and I have experience in this. Give me the paperwork, and you can move in with us directly, saving you rent."
Being able to help his down-on-his-luck old classmate gave Shen Bing a sense of superiority. He also thought highly of Luo Peng. He had never been afraid of trouble since he was young, and he had even fought a few fights for Shen Bing in junior high. He was also smart and thought he would get into university, but unexpectedly, he ended up on the wrong path.
"Alright, I'll have your truck move my luggage over later."
Luo Peng didn't expect things to go so smoothly. His hard work over the past month hadn't been in vain. His current impoverished image and his verifiable past experiences should not arouse suspicion from Shen Bing or Hongxing. The first step of his plan to infiltrate Hongxing's circle was finally complete. The next step was to get close to Hongxing, which shouldn't be difficult, as Shen Bing was a core member and a cousin of Hongxing. As long as he stayed close to Shen Bing, he could track Hongxing's movements.