Yang Jian refused so decisively that Song Jianmin, disappointed, stood up to leave. Borrowing money was not something to be forced; people lending it was a favor, and not lending it was understandable.
"Where are you going?"
Yang Jian called out as Song Jianmin was about to exit.
Song Jianmin gave a wry smile. "I'll go back and try to borrow money from other investment companies. If it's still not enough, I'll have to mortgage his family's house. Even then, it probably won't be enough."
"I didn't say I wouldn't lend you money, you just didn't hear the conditions clearly."
Song Jianmin stopped. "What conditions?"
"If you promise to stop frequenting casinos and work for me, I can lend this money to your brother. When he returns, he can sign an IOU with me, with an interest rate of two percent per month, paid monthly until the principal is fully repaid."
Yang Jian genuinely wanted to help Song Jianmin get back on the right path. The path of gambling was ultimately a dead end, especially for someone with Song Jianmin's personality; he wouldn't amass great wealth in casinos.
Song Jianmin was stunned for a long time, not reacting.
Yang Jian continued, "What, you still don't want to work for me? Or do you think two percent interest is too high?"
"The interest isn't high. Investment companies charge at least three percent. It's not that I'm unwilling to work for you, it's just that if I leave the casino, I won't be able to pay the nine thousand yuan in interest each month. After all, a regular job's salary wouldn't be that high."
"Isn't that interest supposed to be repaid by your brother?"
"He was the one repaying it before, but in this situation, where would he get the money? It's hard for him to get back into gambling and earn money quickly. The investment companies will only come after me."
Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "In that case, I'll see this through. I'll give you 1.5 million yuan. Your brother can still sign the IOU, and his house deed will be held by me. The interest rate remains two percent."
"Okay, I'll give you my house deed too."
"Don't rush. Let me finish. After this money is given to you, first repay the 300,000 yuan borrowed from the investment company and get your house deed back. Use 1.1 million to redeem your brother. The remaining 100,000 will be his principal, and you must deliver the monthly interest of 30,000 to me without fail."
Song Jianmin was so moved he almost cried. "Thank you, Yang Jian. I promise to supervise him to ensure the interest is paid on time, and then we'll repay you in installments."
"Go find Yongli. Have him go with you to Chengguan to first repay the 300,000 to the investment company. You'll start working here the day after tomorrow."
Yang Jian had two reasons for sending Jing Yongli: first, to transfer the money, and second, to supervise Song Jianmin's repayment. He was mainly worried that Song Jianmin, out of sympathy for his brother, would give the entire sum to Song Jianhao as principal.
Song Jianmin couldn't express his gratitude to Yang Jian in words and could only bow deeply to him before going to find Jing Yongli.
After seeing off his relatives and friends, Yang Jian's family returned to Yangli Village.
According to rural customs, Yang Jian, along with Lu Yao and their son, kowtowed and paid respects to the ancestral tablets. Then, he kowtowed three times to his grandmother. Only then was the wedding ceremony considered complete.
Since the marital home was in Chengguan, the tradition of teasing the newlyweds was omitted. Around four in the afternoon, Yang Jian and Lu Yao, with their son, returned to their new home in Chengguan. Accompanying them were Yang Jian's sister's family, his younger sister Yang Rui, and Ma Ming.
Yang Rui was going to stay for two days. With plenty of rooms in the house, Lu Yao arranged a room for her and Ma Ming.
Dinner was at Yang Hui's house. Prepared in advance, the meal was very rich.
"Ruirui, your brother is already married. When are you two planning to have your wedding?"
At the dinner table, Yang Hui began to urge her younger sister to get married.
"Sis, we only bought our house not long ago, and it's still being renovated. It'll be good if it's finished before the year ends. The earliest would be after the New Year."
Yang Rui replied while eating. Yang Jian had bought the 180-square-meter house for her outright. Renovation would take at least three months, and it would need ventilation to remove odors, so it would indeed take about half a year.
Yang Jian started chatting with Ma Ming. "Xiao Ma, how is your company doing?"
"It's okay. I have over ten clients currently, but their investment amounts are not large. The total sum hasn't exceeded one million yuan yet."
Ma Ming's company specialized in managing stock trading for clients. It was still in its early stages.
"I don't understand stocks. Is there any risk in your line of work?"
"There is a certain amount of risk. If I don't make money for the clients, some unreasonable clients might cause trouble. This is a gray industry; it's not permitted by law."
Ma Ming dared not lie.
"Since it's a gray industry, why are you doing it? Isn't working at a securities firm a stable job?"
"But many people are in this line of work. Even if problems arise, they are usually civil disputes and rarely touch upon criminal law. The reason I left the securities firm is that many clients actively sought me out. They were willing to entrust me with managing their trades, as my professional knowledge is far richer than that of ordinary stock investors."
"I don't understand how you analyze whether stocks will be profitable. But I've heard that only one or two out of ten stock traders make money. That's an even lower probability than gambling. No matter how you mess around, don't let Rui Rui worry with you. If the risk is too great, it's best not to do this. Do something legitimate and live a peaceful life. I just want my sister to have a life free from worry about food and clothing, and to be happy. If you let her down, I won't let you off. You'd better think carefully."
Through their conversation, Yang Jian suddenly felt that what Ma Ming was doing was not very reliable. Managing stocks for others couldn't possibly guarantee continuous profits for clients. Once a judgment error led to significant losses for a client, disputes would surely arise, so he issued a stern warning.
His words were a bit harsh, and Ma Ming felt awkward, unsure how to respond.
Yang Rui, however, became anxious. "Second brother, Ma Ming is very experienced and has very accurate analyses of stock market trends. There won't be any problems."
Yang Jian glared at her. "If he's so capable, why doesn't he trade stocks himself? Why bother making money for others?"
"Trading stocks for oneself is even riskier. Trading for others requires signing an agreement. He only takes commission or profit sharing and doesn't bear the risk of losses."
"How is that possible? Since it's a gray industry and not protected by law, the agreement is just a piece of paper. If a client's funds suffer significant losses, disputes will inevitably occur. Can you handle them?"
Having operated on the fringes of the law for many years, Yang Jian understood too well that these gray industries couldn't avoid touching upon criminal law, especially managing stocks for others. It could easily be deemed fraud, and the consequences would be severe. He truly couldn't understand why Ma Ming, with a stable and well-paying job, would resign to engage in such a high-risk venture, and that his sister actually supported him. Most importantly, Ma Ming's actions would make his sister feel insecure, which he would not allow. He wasn't short of money now; he just wanted his loved ones to live stable and prosperous lives, without them needing to struggle or bear risks.