As things developed to this point, and with Ning Shixuan present, no one brought up the sauna massage after dinner. Consequently, everyone went back to their dorms early, as there was much to do the next day; the Commissioner was due the day after tomorrow. Who besides me would dare to be careless?
Ning Shixuan lingered excitedly in my room. “Zhao Qian, tell me all about the process! I genuinely didn't expect you to be so capable. Can you really move like a shadow on walls? How old are you, and why are you attending university after five years in the military? It’s hard to imagine.”
I pointed to the time on my phone. “Missy, look what time it is. You need to sleep, and I need to sleep too. Can we talk about it tomorrow? If we stay in the same room this late, your boyfriend will misunderstand us!”
Ning Shixuan pouted. “I’m not afraid. What happens between us is clean; if he dares to say one word, I certainly won't let him off easily.”
I sighed in resignation. “But I’m afraid, aren’t I? If my girlfriend finds out, it’ll be a huge mess. Please return to your room and rest.”
“You don’t even have a girlfriend; you’re lying to me,” Ning Shixuan said, leaving with a displeased air. Once the surroundings fell silent, I deadbolted the dorm door and slipped out the window of the county government building. Sure enough, seven figures were waiting not far beyond the main gate. Brother Scar had hinted that I should meet them late at night after the banquet dispersed; it seemed they had been waiting a long time.
“Brother Qian, greetings,” the seven said in unison upon my arrival. Brother Scar continued, “Let us formally introduce ourselves to Brother Qian. I am Lin Hao, nicknamed Eighth Brother, or Brother Scar, or Scarface. This scar on my face is from a fight when I was young. It ruined my looks, which is why I still can’t find a wife.”
Niu Tiannan and Ma Haibei chimed in: “Our families have been close since ancient times, and we were born in the same month and year, which is why our names are so similar. I am Niu Tiannan, nicknamed Ox-Head; he is Ma Haibei, nicknamed Horse-Face.”
The one whose head I had split with a rock the night before and knocked unconscious immediately spoke up: “I’m Wang Hao, nicknamed Yellow Hair.”
The man I knocked out with a stool replied, “My name is Ding Beiwai, but everyone calls me Gangzi.”
The two men whose thighs I had stabbed with a knife said, “I’m Chen Mingzhuo, known as Lai P; and Liang Xingli, called Gouzi. I don’t think my nickname is very good, but everyone is used to it, and it can’t be changed.”
Only after they had all introduced themselves did I finally get a chance to speak. “You aren’t planning on getting revenge on me? You all look quite injured. Are you just going to let the matter drop?”
Chen Mingzhuo dragged his limping leg. “We intended to, but what happened the night before last and last night made us realize that seeking revenge on Brother Qian would be unwise. Rather than being Brother Qian’s enemy, it’s better to be his subordinate. Following Brother Qian to conquer the world sounds like it would be incredibly exciting.”
“Yes!” the others chimed in agreement. “We’ve always suffered contempt from the Liang and Xie families. Brother Qian is so powerful; he will certainly lead us to carve out a new domain in Liangshan!”
Naturally, I had no desire to lead them in building a criminal empire; if Li Qi found out I was messing with that crowd, she would spank me. “Gentlemen, I won’t be staying in Liangshan for long. Don’t bring up the new domain again, but we can certainly be friends.”
The faces of the seven darkened. Chen Mingzhuo said, “We understand, Brother Qian is a man destined for great things, and a small place like Liangshan certainly can’t hold you. But I am willing to follow you; if you go, I go too.”
The other six thought about it and agreed. After all, what difference did it make where you operated in the criminal underworld? Liangshan County was indeed too small for long-term development. I told them, “Leaving isn’t urgent yet, but in the future, I’ll primarily be operating in the legitimate sector. The underworld business should stay as far away from me as possible, so everything between us must remain confidential. If I leave Liangshan, I’ll introduce you to other places. Have you heard of the Brotherhood Alliance?”
“The Brotherhood Alliance! Of course, we know of it! The number one triad in our Great Dragon Nation! Even underworld figures show deference at the mere mention of that name. We dream of becoming members!” The seven looked utterly respectful.
“I have an excellent relationship with their leader. If I leave Liangshan, I will take you to the capital and introduce you to join the Brotherhood Alliance. Of course, the prerequisite is that you must pass my tests during this time in Liangshan; otherwise, there is no hope whatsoever.”
The ability to have a good connection with the leader of the Brotherhood Alliance indicated extraordinary power. Coupled with their failures over the last two days, the seven men’s spirit was utterly crushed. Thump, thump, thump—they all knelt down. “Brother Qian, today we swear here that from now on, we will follow your lead and act upon your commands! If we have two minds or violate this oath, may heaven strike us down, our guts be shredded, and may we die a terrible death!”
I disliked these dramatic displays, especially since they were all injured. “All of you, get up now. Let’s skip the formalities. I’ll give you my cell phone number; contact me anytime you need something. By the way, do you have a place to stay right now?”
Eighth Brother answered, “No, we’re all staying in rented rooms. With no income these past few days, we’re almost too hungry to eat.”
I mused inwardly, Good heavens, no wonder they gave up so easily. If they weren't starving, we probably would have fought a few more rounds.
Seeing that Chen Mingzhuo, nicknamed Lai P, was quite sharp, I asked him, “Do you have any good ideas to temporarily solve our current difficulties: first, lodging, and second, securing an income source?”
Remember, I was now down to my last coin—or, more accurately, ten dollars in debt. I absolutely had to repay Secretary Liu that ten dollars, or he would hold a grudge. Furthermore, I couldn’t let this group of subordinates starve, especially since they were injured. Thus, I needed to secure an income source and a place to stay.
“This?” Chen Mingzhuo began to ponder. The others beside him offered suggestions. They spoke the local dialect quickly and urgently; I couldn't discern the details. After discussing for a while, Chen Mingzhuo conferred again with Brother Scar before telling me, “Brother Qian, if you’re interested, we could take over the Daiwa Arcade.”
“The Daiwa Arcade? Why do you say ‘take over’?” I asked in confusion.
Brother Scar explained, “Brother Qian, you might not know, but the Daiwa Arcade was originally opened by a boss from Shimen. Later, something happened in his family, and for some unknown reason, he left and never returned. As a result, a group of local hoodlums who frequented the place smashed the locks and took control, reopening it. Later, other thugs saw the arcade doing good business and tried to muscle in and take the shop. Now, after changing hands several times, the arcade belongs to a man named Wang Gui. This fellow served time in the labor reform camps, and relying on the connections he made in prison, nobody dares try to take his shop now.”
I asked, “Don’t the government and the police care about them doing this?”
Yellow Hair scoffed. “Care about what? Brother Qian, since you work in the government, don’t you know what they do all day?”
I nodded. Apart from dealing with inspections from higher-ups, it seemed they hadn't done anything else. “Is there any connection between this Wang Gui and Liang or Xie?”
Chen Mingzhuo replied, “No. The big shots, Brothers Liang and Xie, supposedly want to clean up their images and develop elsewhere. They don’t bother themselves with these trivial matters now, and their subordinates generally don’t get involved in street fights either.”
I nodded. “Plan this out among yourselves. First, get a clear picture of their background. We’ll make a decision once you all recover from your injuries.”
With the matter settled, everyone parted ways to act. Back in the dorm, I couldn't resist calling Zhu Da. When Zhu Da heard that I had taken subordinates and was planning to get into organized crime, he burst out laughing. “Commander Zhao, I never expected you, a man dedicated to the white path, to dabble in this sort of thing! Should I teach you a couple of tricks based on my experience? You know, when I first took over the Brotherhood Alliance, I nearly went grey overnight from worry!”
I vaguely remembered handing the Brotherhood Alliance over to Zhu Da after taking it down before the Spring Festival. I hadn't seen Zhu Da look relaxed in a long time; perhaps running a triad wasn't easy. I replied to Zhu Da, “Commander Zhu, your merit is undoubtedly immense. Later, I’ll have my wife introduce you to a few more beauties.”
Zhu Da sighed. “Don’t even mention it. Your American wife hasn’t managed to introduce those people to the Heavenly Delight club yet. By the way, everyone says a phoenix flies out of the mountains. Have you found any beautiful girls in the mountains? Remember to save some for your brothers this time, unlike last time when you hogged both sisters Zhao Fen and Zhao Fang.”
I chuckled. “Do you think any mountain can produce beauties like Fenfen and Fangfang? Look at me—I’ve been looking pale and thin lately. The living conditions here are incredibly harsh. Do you think beauties will emerge? Even if they do, they’ll be pale and thin beauties.”
Zhu Da shuddered. “Forget it then. Later, I’ll look for a few pure-hearted beauties from high school to show you. Oh, Commander Zhao, I must give you two words of advice: the underworld is not the legitimate world. You’ve always been too merciful; I’m afraid you’ll suffer for it. I’ve been in organized crime for a while, so I have some experience. I’ll teach you two essential words: Ruthless! Righteous! You must be ruthless to your opponents; never show mercy. Kill if you can; if you can’t kill, cripple them! Otherwise, they might make a comeback and cause you trouble! As for your subordinates, you must be fiercely loyal; otherwise, the more people you have, the harder it is to manage and command respect. People in the underworld don't generally care about the law or human sentiment, but they all value loyalty. For the sake of righteousness, they’ll risk their lives. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I understand, I understand. Thank you for your golden advice, Commander Zhao. Later, I’ll find a few beauties for you from Longteng University as repayment for your teaching.”
“Come on, there are no beauties left at Longteng University anymore. Are you trying to fool me?”
I protested, “How could there be none? I know several.”
Zhu Da laughed. “You wouldn’t be willing to introduce those to me anyway, even if you could. Besides, even if you introduced them, they wouldn’t like me, hehe. But while you’re away this time, Cai Baozi and I are determined to snag a few MM’s, or you’ll steal our thunder again when you get back. I have to go now; Cai Baozi and I are going out for a late snack and to chase some MM’s.”
Lying in bed, inhaling the faint floral scent of Ning Shixuan’s quilt, I felt a touch of uncertainty. Was I really going to play the gangster role? However, if the legitimate path doesn't bring in money, is earning some through the underworld violating my agreement with my wives? Besides, I also wanted them to help me investigate the hidden darkness behind Liangshan County—it could be considered training reconnaissance soldiers.
Having made up my mind, I drifted off to sleep, only to be woken up when the sun was already high. “Zhao Qian! If you don’t get up now, you’ll be late! Be careful or your salary will be docked, and you won’t even have money for food next month!” It was Ning Shixuan shouting from outside the door. “We’re all off to work; you sleep in!”
Alas, I have to go back to being a paper delivery boy. When will I get a real position where I can truly use my talents? If this keeps up, I might just have to start my career in the underworld.