Returning home, Yang Jian gave his father the thirty thousand yuan he received that day. He still had twelve thousand yuan, which was his share of the profits from the gambling company over the past two days. He hadn't given all of it to his father because now that he had a car, he needed some money for emergencies besides gas and maintenance.
"Second child, is this thirty thousand yuan your income for just one day?" Yang Shuanglin was surprised. His son had said he had no money yesterday, and today he produced such a large sum.
"Yes, we were also the house today. We'll do it for one more day and then head to Hancheng. We should be able to gather fifty thousand yuan."
"No rush, no rush. I already gave Yongli the family's fifty thousand yuan today. He said it's fine to pay the remaining amount a month later. Second child, although I agree with you being involved in gambling, you must never engage in cheating or deception. Don't do what Wu Changshun did, like cheating at cards; look, his fingers were chopped off. Safety is most important."
"Don't worry, Dad. We're partnering with Wu Changshun not to cheat, but to prevent others from cheating us. Running a gambling house relies on luck and probability, not deliberate harm to others." Yang Jian knew his father was well acquainted with Wu Changshun and some of his past dealings, and wasn't entirely ignorant of the gambling world.
"That's good. There's one more thing. Yongli asked you to find time to treat the people from the township land management office to a meal. You need their approval to build a factory on farmland, otherwise, you can't start construction."
"But I don't know anyone from the land management office."
"Your aunt's husband and Yongli will arrange the meeting with the land management office. You just need to host the meal. Since the land is ours, the paperwork will be easier."
"Alright, I'll call Yongli." Yang Jian didn't delay and immediately called Jing Yongli, asking him to arrange for the land management office personnel to meet at the Fengqi Hotel in Chengguan the day after tomorrow for lunch. This was currently the most upscale hotel in the entire Xinhe District, and with Yu Feng's business card, they could get an 80% discount.
The next day at noon, after lunch, Yang Jian, along with San Pang and Liu Chao, headed to Songjia Village again. Before they even reached the village entrance, they encountered a police car coming out of the village. This made Yang Jian feel uneasy. The three of them walked to the ancestral hall and saw that the newly made gambling tables had been smashed to pieces again. Song Jianhao and Sixi stood dejectedly amidst the wreckage.
"Hao Ge, what's going on?" Yang Jian stepped forward and asked.
Song Jianhao gave a wry smile. "Xiao Yang, we can't operate today. Some police officers just came and warned us that if we continue to gamble, they'll arrest me."
"You're being targeted by the police?"
"I've been on the police's blacklist for a long time. Anyone running a casino is actually under police surveillance. It's just that because it was Chinese New Year, and with Sister Feng's arrangements, they didn't pay much attention. Now that the holiday is over, they naturally won't allow casinos to operate."
"But Bao Guo and the others also operate casinos regularly, and so does Mr. Wu. They plan to run casinos year-round."
"Bao Guo and his group have a protective umbrella. Mr. Wu runs his casino because Xinqiao is far from Chengguan and relatively remote. As long as the local police are bribed, there's usually no major issue. Our place is too close to Chengguan. Not only will the police from Luogang manage it, but any minor incident will be reported to the Xinhe Police Branch." Yang Jian agreed with Song Jianhao's statement. Xinqiao Town was thirty kilometers from Chengguan. Normally, as long as no major cases occurred, the Chengguan police station wouldn't be alerted. Otherwise, Xu Zheng's uncle wouldn't have been so arrogant and allowed his nephew to act recklessly.
"Can't we ask Sister Feng to help find a protective umbrella too? After all, running a casino is much more stable than going to Hancheng to be a house player."
"Xiao Yang, you're thinking too simply. Do you think protective umbrellas are that easy to find? Bao Guo, with the support of Hong Xing, took over some of Old Gui's businesses, which is why people are willing to be their protective umbrella. I don't have any businesses; the income from the casino alone isn't enough to even pay for their teeth-cleaning. These so-called protective umbrellas are powerful figures with huge appetites. Without supporting profitable businesses, who would bother with you?"
Old Wu chimed in at this point. "Bao Guo and his group don't run casinos to make a lot of money from the gambling itself. They use the casinos to support their men. Their subordinates just hang around the casinos, collecting a salary. Once there's trouble, these people can be mobilized at any time. To put it bluntly, they are genuine criminal forces who use casinos to support their thugs, and then they get involved in Chengguan's infrastructure construction, extort protection fees from entertainment venues, supply earth and gravel for construction sites, handle property demolitions, and all other profitable projects. Additionally, they engage in usury. Because these industries are extremely profitable, they have enough money to bribe their protective umbrellas. You can't do any of these things, can you? They run casinos to serve their industries, while we run casinos to make a living. That's the difference."
Song Jianhao and Old Wu had once again enlightened Yang Jian. He realized there were many intricacies to running a casino.
"Xiao Yang, since the casino can't operate today, I plan to take my people to Hancheng tomorrow. Will you come with me?" Song Jianhao made a quick decision. He was actually worried that Bao Guo and his group might pose a threat to him. The frequent police presence here was likely related to Bao Guo and his associates.
"Hao Ge, I can only go in a few days. My family is planning to set up a factory, and I need to handle some paperwork."
"Set up a factory? What kind of factory are you planning to set up at home?" Song Jianhao was a bit surprised and also a bit disappointed.
"It's not me setting up a factory at home. My father and my cousin are partnering to set up a wood processing factory. It's a small factory with an investment of one to two hundred thousand yuan. I heard it can earn two to three hundred thousand yuan a year. My father is getting old, and I don't want him to work away from home, as it's both hard and dangerous. Setting up this factory will give him something to do; whether it makes money or not is secondary." Yang Jian indeed had no interest in setting up a factory. Small-scale operations made money too slowly. He was burdened with huge debts, and if he relied on this small factory to repay them, it would take at least ten years. By then, he would be in his thirties, and he couldn't afford to wait.
Old Wu, however, became a bit anxious. "Xiao Yang, you must come after you've finished your business! I'm not saying this just in front of Xiao Song, but I joined his team because of you. If you don't come, I'll quit too. To be honest, Wang Chun is my nephew, and he's been inviting me to join him for a long time. Xiao Song said you were joining, so I agreed. If you stand me up, I'll come to your house and find your dad to see if he'll beat you."
Yang Jian chuckled. "Old Wu, do I look like someone who goes back on his word? I'll definitely do what I promised Hao Ge. Don't worry, after I finish my business, I'll come right away. I have over a million yuan in debt and need to make money against the clock. How can I afford to delay?" Hearing him say this, Song Jian and Wu Changshun breathed a sigh of relief. Without a strong person supporting the team, it would be difficult to make a breakthrough in a place as mixed as Hancheng. Forget making money; they might even end up with overall losses like last year. Yang Jian was their hope for rising to prominence.