The next morning, the construction workers all arrived. Yang Jian, who had just finished his morning exercises, hadn't even eaten breakfast. He took Xu Sheng and two other workers to the county town to withdraw money. The rural commercial bank in town had an ATM that allowed interbank withdrawals, but it had a limit of twenty thousand yuan, so he couldn't withdraw all the money from his card.
After withdrawing sixty-five thousand yuan from the Construction Bank in the county seat, his card balance was only three hundred yuan. Upon returning home, he counted the people and found there were thirty-three. Three of them hadn't gone to Xichuan, but they had worked with Liu Yong in the first half of the year.
Yang Jian had to pay them two thousand yuan each. Fortunately, he still had eighteen hundred yuan in his wallet. The thirty-three people were paid out evenly, leaving him with only eight hundred yuan in cash.
"Masters, I'm truly sorry. This is all the money I have to give you this year. Please rest assured, I will settle all your wages next year, not a penny less."
After the money was distributed, Yang Jian still had to make a promise.
"Er Jian, it's okay, we believe you."
"With your ability, earning a million or so in a year is no problem at all."
"Er Jian, if you get another project, call us again. We guarantee we'll be there whenever you need us."
Knowing that Yang Jian couldn't produce any more money, the workers decided to be content with what they had. On one hand, Yang Jian had indeed emptied his bank card and wasn't lying.
On the other hand, at this point, there was no need to fall out with him. Instead, they should appease him. In this day and age, the debtor is the master. Everyone hoped Yang Jian would make a lot of money next year, otherwise, their wages would have no source. If he still had no money to pay, there was nothing they could do to him.
Yang Jian knew that these people's words couldn't be taken seriously. If he really took on a project, he estimated that none of the people present would be willing to work. They were already owed a large sum of wages, so going to work for him would only mean a greater loss. No fool would be that foolish.
After sending the workers away, Yang Jian looked at the eight banknotes in his wallet with mixed emotions. He was back to square one and would have to live frugally again.
Fortunately, his family didn't blame him this time. His father, for the first time in a long time, was considerate of him and didn't explicitly oppose his idea of trying his luck at the casino.
Earning 1.5 million yuan in a year was a goal that weighed on him like a mountain. Without resources or capital, the hope of achieving this goal through legitimate means was almost nil. The only hope for a turnaround was the casino.
He had spoken to Jian Min yesterday. Hao Ge would be back for the New Year to open a casino, and he wanted to work there, even if it was just as a low-level operative, to slowly accumulate some funds before joining them in owning shares. It was gambling anyway, and even if he lost, at best he would be back to living off his parents, just like now. As long as he didn't borrow money to gamble, there was nothing he couldn't afford to lose.
With his mind made up, Yang Jian shed his mental burden and felt much more relaxed. After eating two bowls of porridge, he prepared to take his mother to visit his uncle's house. After such a major incident, Liu Xingzhi had to visit her maiden family.
"Second son, take this five thousand yuan. You have a car now, you can't be without money when you go out."
As he was about to leave, Yang Shuanglin actually handed him a wad of cash.
Yang Jian didn't take it. "Dad, I still have money."
"What money do you have? Even if you don't socialize, you'll need money for gas. When you meet those bosses, you can't go empty-handed. Don't be hesitant, take it. If it's not enough, tell me."
Yang Shuanglin directly stuffed the money into his pocket. His son had truly grown up, showing the responsibility he should have in dealing with Liu Yong's affairs. He was a man destined for great things, and he would never hit him again.
"Brother, I want to go to Uncle's house too. I'll drive."
Yang Rui snatched Yang Jian's car keys. Having just obtained her driver's license, she thought about driving every day, which is almost the mindset of all novice drivers.
The three of them arrived at Liu Tong's village and found six men sitting in Liu Tong's house. Besides two older men who looked to be in their thirties, one with a buzz cut and one with curly hair, they all looked like small bosses.
The other four were young men around twenty years old, dressed gaudily, clearly looking like hoodlums.
Liu Tong and his wife sat with worried expressions, each holding a child, silent.
"Old man, say something, when are you going to give us the money?"
As Yang Jian approached the doorway, he heard someone cursing his uncle and aunt. He immediately became furious, rushed forward, and kicked the cursing young man, sending him and his chair tumbling to the ground.
Everyone in the room was stunned. Yang Jian's movements were too fast, and they hadn't reacted.
"Who the hell are you to dare kick me? Do you want to die? Brothers, get him."
The young man who was kicked over reacted most strongly. He scrambled up and lunged at Yang Jian.
But as soon as he got close, Yang Jian used a grappling move to throw him to the ground, then stepped on his face, pinning him down.
"Let him go, or I'll kill you."
The other three young men surrounded Yang Jian. Two of them even pulled out folding knives.
Liu Tong and his wife, terrified, ran into the room with their children. Liu Xingzhi also stood outside the door, not daring to come in. She frantically looked for farm tools in the yard to support her son. Yang Rui hadn't arrived yet as she was parking the car.
Seeing that they had knives, Yang Jian casually grabbed a nearby chair and smashed it at them.
One young man was knocked down. The other two, seeing the situation was bad, quickly ran out. This person was too fierce, they couldn't handle him, and if they didn't run, they would be beaten down too.
The two older men also stood against the wall, too scared to move.
Yang Jian, holding a chair in one hand, pointed at the two: "What are you doing? In broad daylight, you bring knives and trespass into someone's home. Rirui, call the police."
Yang Rui had just reached the door and didn't understand what was happening, but she obediently took out her phone.
"Don't call the police, don't call the police. Brother, it's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. Put the stool down first, let's talk."
The man with the buzz cut hurriedly took out cigarettes but dared not approach.
Yang Jian put down the chair. "Speak, what are you here for?"
"Brother, I sell precast concrete slabs, and he sells red bricks and tiles. Liu Yong owes us for the materials to build his house. We're here to collect the money."
"If you want money, then ask for money. Why bring so many people and knives? Are you trying to kill someone?"
Yang Jian kept harping on the fact that they brought knives into the house because he had already seen that the young man he knocked down with the chair was bleeding. If he didn't get the upper hand, they would counter-accuse him.
"No, no, we didn't intend to kill anyone, we just wanted to scare them a bit and get our material money."
"Let the police handle it. This matter cannot be let go."
Yang Jian was worried about an accident. The young man lying on the ground hadn't moved and seemed to have been knocked unconscious. He didn't know if he would die.
The man with curly hair walked over and patted the unconscious young man. The young man, perhaps faking it, woke up instantly, sat up, clutched his head, and looked at Yang Jian in fear.
The other person who had gotten up curled up in a corner, not daring to resist at all. He had personally experienced that Yang Jian was a trained fighter, and their six people might not be able to defeat him. They had kicked a steel plate today.