Every young girl dreams of love, and every young boy is smitten.
Yang Jian, in his early twenties, was in the prime of his youth, and the desire to date girls was instinctive. In the countryside, this was the age when people were expected to marry and have children.
Asking Wu Xiaoyue to introduce him to a girlfriend wasn't entirely a joke.
"Sure, I can introduce you to a girlfriend, but you have to buy a house in the city first. My close friends and classmates are all city dwellers; they wouldn't marry someone from the countryside."
Wu Xiaoyue said this seriously. It wasn't that she looked down on Yang Jian, but that was the reality.
Yang Jian smiled awkwardly. "Is that so? Then I'll have to work hard and strive to settle down and buy a house in the city."
Perhaps feeling she had hurt Yang Jian, Wu Xiaoyue quickly changed the subject and continued teaching him computer skills.
At five in the afternoon, Wu Xiaoyue stood up to get ready to leave work, and Yang Jian also planned to depart.
Xiao Wu came out of the office at that moment and called out to him, "Xiao Yang, you stay. We're working overtime tonight, so Xiaoyue can go home."
After sitting around all afternoon with nothing to do, now they had to work overtime?
Wu Xiaoyue didn't understand, and Yang Jian was even more perplexed. However, he didn't ask further. Working here seemed pretty good, giving him a sense of being a white-collar worker.
Wu Xiaoyue was the only one in the entire company who left on time. Everyone else had gathered in the company conference room to prepare for a meeting.
Xiao Wu walked in with a grim expression.
"Brothers, the Forestry Bureau's auction has been finalized. The five-kilometer stretch of forest land on the south bank of the Xunsi River's seventh brigade has been contracted by a businessman named Xu Tao. The five kilometers of forest belt along the railway lines was bid on by Zhou Bing. Both of these forest farms are worth tens of millions. They both sought protection from Boss Xiong, but he actually wants to monopolize it all, not even letting us have a sip of water. Do you agree or disagree?"
"We disagree! The seventh brigade is our territory. Without our consent, no one, not even Boss Xiong, can take a single log from here."
"Exactly! This opportunity won't come again. We will not allow outsiders to interfere with the development of the seventh brigade this time. Not even the King of Heaven himself!"
As soon as Xiao Wu delivered the news, the young men became agitated, as if injected with adrenaline, ready to confront Boss Xiong head-on.
The effect was good. Xiao Wu needed this kind of atmosphere. "Listen to me, everyone. Boss Xiong just called me and asked me to go to Hong Lou for dinner. I guess it's to discuss this matter. I'll take Xiao Yang with me later. You guys prepare yourselves at home. If the talks break down, you take the workers and trucks and chop down a few loads of trees. Zhang Lei will be in charge of this."
Zhang Lei patted his chest. "No problem. We have the workers, chainsaws, and trucks ready. Just send me a text, and we'll get started."
Yang Jian listened from the side and understood. They were planning to illegally log the forest.
Xiao Wu nodded. "Remember, don't get into conflicts for now. If Boss Xiong sends people, you retreat. Once they leave, you continue. Our goal is to disrupt their logging operations and ultimately force Boss Xiong to the negotiating table to compromise with us."
One of the young men didn't understand. "Brother Xiao Wu, why are we afraid of him? If Boss Xiong sends people, we'll just keep cutting."
"Don't be impulsive. They have official contracts and have obtained logging permits. They are logging legally. If you openly confront Boss Xiong, he can send you to jail with just one phone call."
"Then what if he has people guarding the area twenty-four hours a day? How will we act?"
"Are you stupid? Can he guard a five-kilometer riverbank? Not to mention the five-kilometer railway forest belt. As long as his people are dispersed, we'll catch them off guard. Remember to wear masks when you act, so they can't identify you and call the police."
"Don't worry, we have experience with this kind of thing."
"Alright, you guys go prepare. Xiao Yang, let's go."
Xiao Wu finished giving instructions and prepared to leave.
Yang Jian, however, asked, "Brother Wu, should we bring anything for self-defense?"
Xiao Wu turned to look at him. "Do you usually carry a knife when you go out?"
"No, I brought this."
Yang Jian pulled out a collapsible baton from his back waist and showed it to him.
Xiao Wu nodded. "Very good. This thing is better than a knife. It's not illegal if the police find it. Your vigilance is very high. President Song said you subdued over a dozen people when collecting debts, and it wasn't bragging. But don't worry, there won't be any fighting during today's negotiation. I won't fall out with Boss Xiong now."
Yang Jian nodded and went out with him, but he was dismissive of Xiao Wu's words. One couldn't trust what these hoodlums said. As long as there were negotiations, there would be disagreements, and fights could break out at any moment. He still needed to remain vigilant, not to protect Xiao Wu, but to ensure his own safe retreat.
Hong Lou was a private club, not open to the public, operating on a membership basis. Guests here were either rich or powerful.
Brother Xiong received Xiao Wu and Yang Jian in a private room on the second floor. Seven or eight burly young men were dispersed around the room, their hands behind their backs, holding unknown objects, creating a somewhat intimidating scene.
"Brother Xiong, this is my first time in such a high-class place. This setup doesn't look like we're here for a meal."
Although the atmosphere was a bit tense, Xiao Wu remained calm.
Brother Xiong sat on the sofa with his legs crossed. "Xiao Wu, sit down. We brothers don't need to beat around the bush. Let's get straight to the point. I called you here today to discuss something."
"Brother Xiong, you're too polite. Why the grand gesture? A phone call would have sufficed. It must be something important."
Xiao Wu sat down on the opposite sofa with composure, while Yang Jian stood behind him.
"You know that the area along the south bank of the Xunsi River is being demolished for development. What are your thoughts on this matter?"
"What thoughts could I have? As long as Brother Xiong eats meat, he'll let me have a sip of soup, right?"
"Alright, since you still recognize me as your brother, I'll be direct. I plan to centrally arrange the development resources on the south bank, including logging, demolition, earthwork, and sand and stone supply projects, operating them as a company. As my long-time brother, you can participate as an original shareholder and receive dividends."
"How will it be divided? What percentage will I hold?"
Xiao Wu was a little surprised by Brother Xiong's proposal.
"You know there are many factions on our street, and they all want a piece of this development. There are also many people from the railway side who want to get involved. We're all brothers in this line of work; harmony brings wealth, and we earn money together. Since this matter also requires bribing relevant leaders, we can only allocate thirty percent for everyone to share."
"I just want to know how much I can get."
"As a native resident of the seventh brigade, you can get three percent. Everyone else can only get one percent."
"Three percent of the shares, right? Meaning if the company earns one million, I get thirty thousand, and if it earns ten million, I get three hundred thousand?"
Xiao Wu immediately understood what Brother Xiong meant.
Brother Xiong nodded. "That's right. The total revenue from this development should exceed ten million."
"Brother Xiong, I'll consider this matter after I go back."
Xiao Wu finished speaking and got up to leave, but several young men immediately surrounded him.