Village roads didn't involve many complicated procedures; the roadbed was simply flattened by bulldozers. There was no acceptance inspection for the roadbed, so Yang Jian didn't hire a professional road and bridge construction company.
He found a few excavators and bulldozers and started the work with a few villagers. Xinqiao was a plain area, so the roadbed didn't have significant undulations. At most, a few truckloads of gravel were used to fill in overly soft spots.
"Er Jian, busy?"
A motorcycle suddenly stopped in front of Yang Jian, who was directing construction at the site under the scorching sun. Upon closer inspection, it was the carpenter Xu Sheng.
"Hey, Old Xu, you're back? Where have you been working this year?"
"Been in Hancheng all along. It's almost the start of the school year, so I came back to register my child."
Yang Jian slapped his forehead. "Damn, it's almost the start of school. What day is it today?"
"The twenty-sixth. Seeing your setup, with the factory and road construction, you should be well-off. Can we get some of our wages paid?"
Yang Jian's reputation was too great now, and Xu Sheng felt a bit intimidated in front of him, not daring to speak loudly.
"Yes, I'll pay all your wages this time, but you'll have to wait a couple of days. I need to go to Hancheng. Inform all the workers to come to my factory on the thirtieth."
"Really? That's great! I knew you were capable, making so much money in just over half a year. Alright, you carry on, I'll go inform the other workers."
"Wait a moment, Old Xu, can you do me a favor?"
"Just say it. If I can do it, I'll do it without question."
"I didn't hire a professional construction team for this road. There are no steel formworks, so I plan to use wooden formworks for the edges. I need two master carpenters to lay out the lines and set up the formwork. Can you find me two?"
To save costs, Yang Jian intended to transport the old formwork and wooden planks used in Chunfeng Tower back to serve as edge formwork instead of steel, hence the need for carpenters on-site.
"No problem, leave it to me. I'll be here tomorrow. You go to Hancheng with peace of mind."
This road would take at least another month to complete. Xu Sheng agreed without hesitation. He earned three to four hundred yuan a day as a contractor on construction sites, while working in the countryside only paid eighty yuan a day. The income disparity was quite significant.
Yang Jian didn't say much more. He called Biao Biao in advance, changed his clothes at home, and drove Lu Yao's car straight to Hancheng.
During this period, Jiang Bin had gone to surrounding cities to survey the lumber market, planning to launch a decorative board production line before the end of the year, so he had taken the car.
Yang Jian had always been driven by Lu Yao. The two had been inseparable recently and were already living together. However, Lu Yao had some matters at school these past two days, so she lent the car to Yang Jian.
The casino was as lively as ever, managed in an orderly fashion by Afeng and others. After Yang Jian entered, he observed from the periphery, feeling quite satisfied. The casino could operate normally whether he was present or not, just as Li Jin had said, a casino boss didn't need to be there all the time.
"Brother Jian, you'll get a total of 3.2 million this month. Is that enough? If not, we can give you all our money."
Biao Biao reported this month's accounts to Yang Jian. The income from providing credit now accounted for more than half of the total revenue.
"It's enough for now. I'll borrow from you if it's not."
He needed to pay over two million in wages before September 1st. The formwork was purchased on credit, with payment due at project milestones or at the end of the year. The road construction was entirely self-funded, requiring continuous investment. Chunfeng Tower also needed materials. Yang Jian also wanted to buy a car, so three million wasn't really enough.
"It's fine. My and San Pang's houses are settled, so we can't renovate them for now. Liang Liang also has no immediate expenses. We understand your situation, and three million definitely won't be enough to cover everything. Why are you being so polite with us?"
"Really, no need, Biao Biao. Has anything happened at the casino lately?"
"Nothing major has happened at our place. We were reported twice, but Brother Jin smoothed things over. However, Brother Hao's side is a bit unusual."
"What's wrong?"
"Brother Hao and his group have expanded. They used to only operate during the day, but now they've opened night sessions as well, and the night sessions are with 'red money' operations. A lot of our customers have been lured away."
"Is that so? What's Brother Jin's attitude?"
"He still says it's up to you to handle. After all, it's difficult for him to intervene given your relationship with Brother Hao."
"Brother Hao is pushing his luck too far. Biao Biao, what do you think we should do?"
Yang Jian couldn't tolerate Song Jianhao opening 'red money' operations, as it was clearly a deliberate provocation.
Seeing Yang Jian's displeased expression, Biao Biao quickly handed him a bottle of iced cola. "Brother Jian, I think you should talk to Brother Hao and ask him to stop the night sessions. After all, you were brothers who worked together. You can't fall out."
"Brothers? Song Jianhao doesn't seem to consider me a brother. He promised me he would only operate 'black money' venues, but now he's breaking his word and openly opposing me. What do Li Jin and the other forces along the Xunsi River think of me? Isn't this the same as slapping me in the face?"
"Then what should we do? Are you going to make a move against him?"
Yang Jian pondered for a few minutes before speaking, "Call Anan over. We'll go take a look at Brother Hao's venue. He's been operating for so long, and I haven't been there yet."
Biao Biao didn't move. "Brother Jian, there's something else I haven't told you."
"Why are you hesitating? Can't you just say everything at once?"
"There's news about Wu Laizi."
Yang Jian shot up. "Where is he?"
"Don't get agitated, sit down and listen. My cousin saw Wu Laizi in Nanhai. He's working at Hongxing's casino. I didn't tell you because you've been too busy lately."
"Why didn't you tell me? Didn't I tell you to inform me immediately if there was any news about Wu Laizi? I feel sick every day he's still alive."
"Brother Jian, I understand how you feel, but we need to be calm. I think Wu Laizi's appearance is a bit problematic."
"What's problematic? What else can a person like him do besides social work? After leaving Xinhe, he was nothing. It's inevitable he'd seek refuge with Hongxing."
"But I find it a bit strange. Wu Laizi has been in hiding for so long without showing himself, and now he suddenly appears so conspicuously at the casino. It's very unusual because most of the people playing at the casino are from Xinhe, and they all know you're hunting him. His appearance at the casino is like telling you he's in Nanhai. Doesn't he fear you going to Nanhai to deal with him?"
Hearing this, Yang Jian calmed down. "That makes sense. Then what do you think the problem is?"
"There are two possibilities. First, he believes that Nanhai is Hongxing's territory, and Hongxing has enough power to guarantee his safety, so you wouldn't dare to go there to hunt him.
Second, this is a trap, deliberately luring you there to get rid of you once and for all. Your existence is not only a threat to Wu Laizi but also a thorn in the side of Hongxing, Baoguo, and even Brother Mao.
And I believe the second possibility is the most likely. Hongxing has many businesses there, and they could have kept Wu Laizi hidden for years. There's no need for him to appear in public so soon."
Biao Biao was always meticulous. When something unusual happened, he would consider it repeatedly, which was why he hadn't reported it to Yang Jian immediately.