The martial world was too deep, and Yang Jian felt the malice of human hearts keenly this time.
"Brother Hao, isn't Wu afraid of chilling the hearts of the brothers under him by doing this? Who would genuinely work for him?"
"Little Yang, this society is never short of people. Wu's wings are slowly hardening, and he has money. He can sacrifice a batch of brothers and recruit another. Money makes the world go round; as long as the price is right, someone will work for him."
Song Jianhao's sharp words exposed Wu's true nature.
"But the Brother Xiong I dealt with for him, who gave him the territory of the Seventh Division, only paid me a few thousand yuan for medical expenses after helping him fight a battle. I haven't seen him pay any price to me. Shouldn't he give us an explanation today?"
"Those injured today will definitely receive treatment and financial compensation, which might cost him over a hundred thousand. But those who weren't injured are all people from our gambling company, so he probably won't offer anything. In his mind, he believes our casino survives because of him, and it's natural to do things for him."
Yang Jian couldn't help but curse, "Damn, he's too stingy! Brother Hao, what do we do next? I don't want to follow him anymore. He's offended too many people. If anyone seeks revenge, they'll come for me first."
Song Jianhao remained silent for a long time. He didn't want to offend Wu yet. The Seventh Division's venue was running smoothly. Affected by the demolition, more and more people came to gamble, and the daily profits were considerable. It wasn't worth abandoning this casino.
"Little Yang, since today's matter passed without incident, you should be patient for a while. Don't fall out with Wu for now. Just use the excuse of not having recovered to stay at the casino. I'll still give you a thousand yuan a day. I'll find an opportunity to communicate with Wu and get you some compensation. It won't be too late to leave after you've accumulated some funds."
Song Jianhao also didn't want Yang Jian to leave. The smooth operation of the casino still relied on him to maintain order.
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Yang Jian chose to endure. He hadn't gotten his driver's license yet, and he had no money. Leaving at this time was indeed not cost-effective.
With Baldy arrested, Wu's influence in Xunsi River Street rapidly expanded. The thugs of the Seventh Division, including Li Jin, were all absorbed into Changlong Company. Over fifty people were stationed at the lumberyard daily, and thirty more worked in the company office.
He gathered so many people in preparation for the upcoming demolition.
Yang Jian's days were very relaxed during this period. He went to driving school every morning, collected money at the casino in the afternoon, kept a thousand for himself, gave a thousand to the finance officer Wu Xiaoyue, and then took a tour of the lumberyard.
Wu had assigned him a motorcycle, making it convenient to go anywhere.
He had offended too many people in this area. For safety reasons, Yang Jian paid for a helmet and an electric baton himself. He also kept a collapsible baton on him at all times. Except for the casino, company, and lumberyard, he wouldn't linger anywhere else.
"Manager Yang, you're here. Are you free today? Let's have a meal together."
After ten days of peace, Yang Jian arrived at the Sixth Division lumberyard again. Li Jin, who was in charge here, ran up to him with a smile. Calling people "Boss" had become a popular way of addressing them.
"Brother Jin, I've said it many times, I'll treat you to drinks when I've fully recovered."
Yang Jian neither liked nor disliked Li Jin; he treated him as an ordinary colleague.
However, Li Jin was quite enthusiastic towards him, having invited him to meals and karaoke multiple times, all of which Yang Jian had refused citing his injuries.
It wasn't about not giving him face, but primarily for safety. Human hearts were treacherous. Li Jin was a local, and it was hard to say if he would collude with Brother Xiong or even Baldy's people to betray him.
"Manager Yang, if not a meal, then let me discuss something with you."
"Go ahead."
"Let's partner up and open a place to make some quick money."
Yang Jian didn't quite understand, "What are we partnering up for? To open a casino?"
"Yes, Brother Wu's salary isn't enough. We need to find some ways."
"Brother Hao already has a casino in this area. Wouldn't adding another one be problematic? I'm still getting money from him, and besides, Brother Wu wouldn't agree."
Li Jin chuckled, "It's not that kind of casino. We'll run a 'Zha Jin Hua' (a card game). We'll organize some bosses who come here to buy lumber and set up a small game. It's faster money than Brother Hao's place."
Mentioning Zha Jin Hua made Yang Jian feel uneasy, "You want to cheat the lumber merchants out of their money?"
"Not cheat, just take a cut. Those bosses like playing Jin Hua, and they all have money, playing for high stakes."
"Can you take a cut from Zha Jin Hua? Will those lumber merchants agree?"
"Yes, just like the dice games. We provide the venue and guarantee safety. They're willing to come and play. These lumber merchants need to buy lumber from us. We're familiar with them, and they wouldn't dare offend us. If they're called to be the banker, they have to come."
Yang Jian believed Li Jin's words. The lumberyards south of Xunsi River and along the railway were vast. It would take more than three months to cut them all down. There were over a dozen merchants who came to buy lumber here. Some bought fir, some bought poplar, and some specialized in branches. They all arrived in large trucks, clearly indicating they were well-off.
Yang Jian was somewhat puzzled, "You can do this yourself. Why are you looking for me to partner with?"
"Wu mustn't know about this. After all, these lumber merchants are our clients. If someone loses too much, they'll definitely tell Wu. You're a favored person by Wu. If you organize the gambling games, he won't blame you."
Li Jin didn't hide his intentions. Wu was his boss now, and his influence was growing, making him someone Li Jin couldn't afford to offend. He could only achieve his goal through Yang Jian.
Once again, he was using him as a pawn. Yang Jian understood his intentions. However, this matter wasn't impossible to handle. Gambling was human nature. Since these lumber merchants enjoyed gambling, what difference did it make if they gambled here or elsewhere?
He estimated he would get his driver's license by the end of April. There were still more than twenty days left. It might be a good opportunity to make some money and then leave this troublesome place.
"Brother Jin, I agree to open this place, but I don't know how to operate it. If Brother Wu has any objections, I'll handle it."
After a brief consideration, Yang Jian made his decision.
As for how Wu would react, he didn't need to worry about it at all. He believed Wu would give him some face, because he would still need him to fight tough battles during the upcoming demolition.
Li Jin was overjoyed to hear this, "Great, Manager Yang, I've been waiting for you to say that. As long as you're present at the venue, I'll handle everything else. You can just wait to collect your share of the money every day."
"I'll be present at the venue? Won't that interfere with my company work?"
"No, our place opens at night, so it won't affect your work. And it's even safer than Brother Hao's place. There will be no interference from gangsters, nor will it attract the attention of the police."
"That's fine. When do we start?"
"We start tonight. After dinner, I'll call you. I'm going to choose the venue now."
Li Jin left immediately, clearly needing to make preparations to organize this casino.