After Li Jin left, Yang Jian called Song Jianmin in.
"Jianmin, Li Jin said to hand over our marker money to you for betting. I agreed. Is there any problem?"
"No problem, but it's a bit difficult to split the accounts."
"I told him we three would split it equally."
Song Jianmin looked at him with a hint of surprise, then sighed, "Alright, you call the shots."
Yang Jian could see his reluctance. "Jianmin, we're old classmates. You can speak your mind. I'm inexperienced. If I say or do something wrong, you have to remind me."
Song Jianmin patted his shoulder. "You are indeed too green. Let me tell you, don't think that marker companies have to curry favor with gambling companies. Li Jin played a trick on you."
"A trick? What do you mean?"
"Actually, gambling companies and marker companies are interdependent. There's no question of who is bigger. Generally, gambling companies want as many marker companies as possible to come in, so the casino's cash flow increases, and the gambling companies earn more. Some gambling companies even give fees or shares to attract marker companies."
Yang Jian suddenly understood. "I see. So, marker companies are welcome in any venue, and they don't need to give face to gambling companies at all."
"Yes. Of course, under normal circumstances, marker companies maintain good relationships with gambling companies because marker companies only lend money to familiar gamblers. But sometimes unfamiliar gamblers also want to borrow money, and at that time, the gambling company needs to act as a guarantor. Afterward, the gambling company will be responsible for collecting the money and returning it to the marker company. Just like tonight, I'm not familiar with those bosses, so you need to be responsible for collecting the funds."
"I understand. If I had disagreed with Li Jin splitting the betting accounts, he wouldn't have kicked you out or been unhappy?"
"Yes, he's getting something for nothing. He spent almost no money to set up this venue, yet he can get a share of the commission and a share of the betting profits. Don't you think he's playing a trick? Of course, he has some capability to organize this venue."
Yang Jian nodded. "This Li Jin is quite straightforward. He openly admits to taking advantage of you. Forget it. This venue is a win-win situation. I'll give you a portion of the commission money later."
Song Jianmin smiled. "That's not necessary. If this venue can operate for ten days to half a month, I'll be the one taking advantage of you. If it only operates for one or two days, I'll be at a slight disadvantage."
"What do you mean by that?"
"It's simple. The longer it operates, the more capital you invest. For example, if you invest twenty thousand a day, that's two hundred thousand in ten days, while I still have fifty thousand. Wouldn't that mean I'm taking advantage of you?"
"Then how long do you think this venue can operate?"
"Generally, Golden Flower venues don't last long. It depends on Li Jin's ability to retain customers. The logging camp won't stop operations in the short term. If operated well, it might last a long time. Let's take it one day at a time. Anyway, it's a steady profit, much more stable than my brother's casino, and the earnings are also higher."
As they were talking, someone outside called out asking to borrow markers. Song Jianmin immediately ran out.
When Yang Jian followed him out, he found only five bosses playing at the table. A boss surnamed Luo had already left the game and was sitting aside, smoking.
"Mr. Luo, how much did you win?"
Yang Jian guessed he had won money because his expression was excited.
Boss Luo tossed him a cigarette. "I won two, and I'm done for tonight. I'll come back tomorrow."
Seeing Boss Luo stand up to leave, Li Jin quickly took five hundred yuan from the dealer and handed it to him. "Mr. Luo, take this for a late-night snack. I won't see you out."
Boss Luo took the money with a smile, greeted everyone, and went downstairs.
Yang Jian's admiration for Li Jin grew. This man was very good at handling things. Not only did he treat these bosses to meals, but he also prepared tea, snacks, cigarettes, and drinks at home, making all the bosses who came to play very happy. He even gave them money for late-night snacks before they left, making it awkward for them not to come back tomorrow.
"Marker company, I'll return these two to you. I'm settling my account."
As it neared eleven o'clock, Boss Chen had won four consecutive rounds, recouping all his losses, and immediately returned the marker money he had borrowed.
Song Jianmin counted the money, crossed out Boss Chen's debt information in his small notebook, and registered the cash flow.
This was Yang Jian's first time truly witnessing the process of lending markers, and he felt how lucrative this business was. Although Song Jianmin had only brought sixty thousand yuan, the cash flow was much more than that.
For instance, the twenty thousand lent to Boss Chen earned six hundred yuan in interest. Now that it was returned, it could be lent out again, earning another six hundred. This cycle of borrowing, returning, and re-lending happened multiple times in one night. This speed of making money was more terrifying than the legendary compound interest.
At this time, Yang Jian had already received a total of twenty thousand yuan in marker money from the dealer. All of this twenty thousand was handed over to Song Jianmin for betting.
The gambling game ended precisely at midnight because everyone had to work the next day. These bosses also had to personally measure timber volume at the site, so they couldn't play too late.
Out of the six bosses, only two lost money. Boss Zhao lost thirty thousand, and Boss Qin lost sixty thousand. He had borrowed thirty thousand in marker money and promised to transfer the payment by noon the next day.
The rest of the bosses won. Li Jin still gave each of these bosses a five-hundred-yuan late-night snack fee.
He gave Boss Zhao fifteen hundred yuan as a consolation fee, and Boss Qin, who lost the most, received three thousand.
These were all calculated strategies. Yang Jian had no complaints about Li Jin's actions. By playing the long game, such a venue could operate for a long time.
He recalled how Brother Mao had tricked him into gambling. Apart from providing transportation, Brother Mao hadn't given him a single cent of consolation, which showed Brother Mao's limited vision; he could only make money by cheating.
"Manager Yang, let's reconcile today's accounts."
After seeing off five bosses, Li Jin began to split the accounts with Yang Jian.
Yang Jian took out his own record book. It was clear: he had received exactly twenty thousand yuan, all of which he had given to Song Jianmin. The rest was on the table.
"Manager Yang, tonight's total revenue is twenty-eight thousand six hundred. Twenty thousand is with Jianmin, and another six thousand five hundred was given to several bosses as expenses. There's still twenty-one hundred in cash remaining. How do you suggest we distribute it?"
Li Jin was very good at handling people. Apart from the expenses, he didn't make decisions unilaterally.
Yang Jian was not stingy. "Brother Jin, how about this? You advanced the wages for these two brothers, the cost of your meals for the bosses, and the rent, tea, and cigarettes. You can keep this twenty-one hundred. Our net profit for today is twenty thousand. Let's not distribute it for now and keep it with Jianmin for betting. What do you think?"
"Manager Yang is indeed generous. It's great to cooperate with you. Then I won't be polite."
Li Jin was clearly pleased. He hadn't misjudged Yang Jian. Yang Jian was not someone who would be blinded by money and haggle over every penny.