Yang Jian’s refusal of Sister Feng’s recruitment made Song Jianhao happy. He had to keep Yang Jian by his side. Not only would Yang Jian be his greatest asset in Hancheng, but he could also elevate his status in Chengguan.
“Little Yang, since you’re not going to Sister Feng’s, why don’t you stay with us? Don’t you think your luck has been exceptionally good since the New Year? Although you’ve gotten into many fights and faced grave dangers, you’ve always managed to escape unscathed and reap great rewards.”
Song Jianhao unleashed his persuasive charm, capable of talking the dead back to life, and began his attempt to sway Yang Jian.
Yang Jian understood his intentions clearly. “Brother Hao, let’s talk about this later. I need to stay in Chengguan for a while. My brother-in-law is hospitalized, the repair shop needs to be rebuilt, and there’s no one to look after the children at home. I have to help him get the repair shop up and running before I make any plans.”
“How long will rebuilding the repair shop take?”
“I don’t know yet. It was halted by the Chengguan law enforcement halfway through. We can’t resume construction without smoothing things over with the right people.”
Before Yang Jian could finish, Brother Mao immediately chimed in, “Chengguan law enforcement, right? I’ll handle that for you.”
Yang Jian looked at him with a hint of doubt. “You can handle it?”
Brother Mao glanced at his watch. “It’s two o’clock now. I’ll get back to you before six. If everything goes as planned, you’ll be able to start work on time tomorrow morning.”
The other party was clearly trying to curry favor with him, and Yang Jian knew his intentions but couldn’t refuse. He had originally hoped Sister Feng would help him smooth things over, but his father had forbidden him from contacting her.
Moreover, Sister Feng was interested in the land belonging to his brother-in-law’s family. It was now impossible for her to achieve her goal, so he couldn’t possibly ask her for help.
Seeing Yang Jian’s silence, Song Jianhao mistook it for ill will towards Brother Mao and quickly intervened, “Little Yang, I invited you here today not only to have a chat but also because Brother Mao specifically arranged it. You two had some misunderstandings before, so take this opportunity to resolve them.”
Yang Jian let out a cold snort. “How do we resolve them?”
“Brother Mao and I have been friends for many years. Little Yang, do me a favor and let me be the peacemaker. Don’t escalate the conflict. Brother Mao, you should show some sincerity.”
Upon hearing this, Brother Mao quickly took out fifty thousand yuan in cash from his bag and placed it on the table.
“Little Yang, I was wrong about what happened before. I apologize to you here.”
“No need for apologies. You don’t think you can solve this problem with just fifty thousand yuan, do you?”
Brother Mao quickly waved his hands. “No, no, Little Yang, listen to me. I was supposed to return twenty thousand yuan to you plus some interest. However, something happened in my family recently, and I don’t have much cash on hand. Please take this money for now, and I’ll figure out the rest later.”
Yang Jian sneered. “Brother Mao, you’re not someone who lacks money. I heard you can easily make tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, from a single pig-butchering scam?”
“That’s all in the past. More and more people know about my scams now, and I’m not as successful in this line of work anymore. But that’s not the most important thing. My family is truly in trouble. My son has kidney failure, and I spent hundreds of thousands on a kidney transplant for him. To make matters worse, my daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. To treat her, I’ve already sold one of my storefronts. This money is from selling that storefront.”
Looking at Brother Mao’s haggard and worried expression, it didn’t seem like he was lying.
Song Jianhao also helped explain, “Little Yang, Brother Mao isn’t lying. Many people know about their family’s situation. Please be understanding of his difficulties.”
“So, just because he’s in trouble, I shouldn’t get my money back? That money is my hard-earned cash, not quick money earned through illicit means.”
“Little Yang, don’t rush. Let me finish. I’m not saying I won’t repay you, but I’m facing temporary difficulties. How about this: I’ll introduce you to a lucrative opportunity. You can earn some money first, and once I’m back on my feet, I promise to return the rest of the money to you.”
Brother Mao knew Yang Jian wouldn’t forgive him easily and wouldn’t let him off without sufficient sincerity.
“What lucrative opportunity?”
“I have a disciple who just opened a high-end club with a dedicated card room. The players are all wealthy individuals from Chengguan. You can use this fifty thousand yuan to stake bets there. You should be able to earn over ten thousand a month.”
“You want me to stake bets? Why aren’t you doing this profitable business yourself?”
“You don’t have to go yourself. Just have these two young brothers take the money in. I can’t do this myself because the people playing with money are influential figures in Chengguan, and I can’t control them. If they borrow money and don’t repay, I can’t deal with them.”
Brother Mao pointed at Biao Biao and Liang Liang, indicating they should be the ones to stake the bets.
“If you can’t deal with them, how can these two?”
“Of course not. They’ll be staking bets under your name. Your reputation in Chengguan is soaring right now. As long as I tell them they are your brothers, no one will dare to default on the debt.”
This was an unexpected turn of events, and Yang Jian was undecided.
Biao Biao, however, was excited. “Brother Jian, this can work. You don’t have to show up; Liang Liang and I will work for you and guarantee to make you money.”
Seeing Yang Jian showing signs of interest, Brother Mao continued to encourage him. “This club just opened a few days ago. Sister Feng has also visited twice. If you don’t believe me, you can ask her. However, if you’re willing to stake bets, fifty thousand yuan might not be enough. It’s best to raise around one hundred thousand yuan, as they also frequently host small games like ‘Zha Jin Hua’ and dice gambling, which involve larger capital flow.”
“The capital isn’t a big problem. I can call Jianmin over to invest.”
Yang Jian decided to give it a try. Having tasted the sweetness of staking bets at Xunsi River, he felt this venture was more profitable than opening a casino or becoming an emperor.
Brother Mao was overjoyed to hear this, as it indicated Yang Jian had forgiven him and could even deepen their relationship.
“Brother Mao, if this works out, I can recoup my losses, and you don’t have to return the remaining money. Your daughter’s leukemia is a bottomless pit for expenses, and I’m not one to kick someone when they’re down. Consider it a donation for her treatment.”
“Thank you, Little Yang. On behalf of my entire family, thank you.”
Brother Mao suddenly stood up and bowed deeply to Yang Jian, his eyes welling up with tears.
“Don’t thank me yet. I still need your help with something else.”
“It’s about the house construction, isn’t it? Don’t worry, I’ll get it sorted out for you right away. I have the influence for that.”
Brother Mao patted his chest. Being able to help Yang Jian meant their past grievances were completely resolved, and they might even become good friends.
“It’s not just about the house construction. I also want you to teach someone a lesson.”
“You want me to teach someone a lesson for you?”
Brother Mao suspected he had misheard. Although he was involved in the underworld, he rarely participated in violent activities. Moreover, with Yang Jian’s current reputation, no one in the entire Xinhe area would dare provoke him. Why would he need his help to teach someone a lesson?