Although he knew that running a casino was illegal, Yang Jian did not consider it earning ill-gotten gains. It was like what Old Ma said about operating a betting house; if you didn't operate it, the people who wanted to bet would be fewer.
Therefore, the day after returning from Nanhai, Yang Jian found Fang Zhicheng, preparing to take over a betting point in Liuqiao Village.
This betting point was located north of Liuqiao Village, near a large industrial park, so most of the people who bet here were factory workers and small business owners from the vicinity.
Fang Zhicheng personally brought Yang Jian, Afeng, and others to this Liuqiao Chess and Card Hall, whose current owner was Fang Hai.
The chess and card hall was fifty to sixty square meters. There was a toilet at the innermost part, a set of office desks and chairs, and a sofa with a coffee table. Near the entrance, there were four mahjong tables, all occupied by people playing cards.
"Xiao Yang, this chess and card hall will be yours from now on. The foot traffic here is especially high. The industrial park alone has over 100,000 workers, and many people come here to bet. It's the best location in Liuqiao Village. Fang Hai will stay to help you manage it; he is very familiar with the betting process. You will be responsible for his salary and rent. Any problems?"
Fang Zhicheng was reluctant to part with this betting point, but to win over Yang Jian, he had to make this painful concession.
Yang Jian knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch. "Brother Cheng, let's do it by the rules. You established this chess and card hall. I can't just take over and cut off your source of income. How about a percentage of the profits or a fixed fee?"
"No, no. Since you're going to be the bookie yourself, you bear the risk. I won't charge you any fees."
"That won't do. No one gets rewarded without merit. I see that this place is doing good business. Letting me have it means reducing your income. If you consider me a brother, I can't harm your interests."
"Xiao Yang, I'm giving you this place sincerely, with no other requests. I just hope that if Fo Ye declares war on me, you can lend a hand."
Fang Zhicheng was very straightforward, not hiding anything, and stated his intentions openly.
Yang Jian shook his head. "Brother Cheng, those are two separate matters. I would deal with Fo Ye even if you didn't say so. As long as you find out his whereabouts, I will make a move soon. I believe he is also looking for me everywhere, and the conflict between us is irreconcilable. If I don't hurt him badly, I won't be safe here."
Fang Zhicheng was overjoyed internally, but outwardly, he remained composed. "Fo Ye's whereabouts are not easy to track. Don't worry, I will assign more people to follow him. How about this: you give me twenty thousand yuan each month, and I'll use it to grease the palms of the local police and security teams to ensure safety."
"Alright, then it's tentatively twenty thousand. If the business is good, we can add more."
Yang Jian didn't know how profitable operating a betting house was, so he could only accept this suggestion.
"Xiao Yang, then this chess and card hall is yours. However, Fo Ye will definitely send people to scout and harass this place. It's best if you don't show yourself too often. The specific business should be handled by Fang Hai and Ma Yuan. Afeng and the others are unfamiliar faces, and maintaining order in the shop won't attract the attention of the Yuzhen Gang."
Fang Zhicheng left after speaking.
Afeng and the other two came from the mainland. They had only heard about Mark Six but didn't understand the specific gameplay and rules. Yang Jian asked Fang Hai and Ma Yuan to explain, and it was basically the same as what Yang Jian had understood.
"Xiao Fang, you and Ma Yuan will be responsible for the daily operations of this chess and card hall, and the profits will all go to you. You two will also handle receiving bets and settling winnings. Anan and Junjun will be responsible for collecting money and paying out prizes."
After understanding the operational process of the betting house, Yang Jian began to arrange personnel.
"Thank you, Brother Yang. I'll follow you from now on."
Fang Hai had brought two brothers with him earlier. Seeing that Yang Jian's group was larger, Fang Zhicheng took those two away.
"We are all brothers, supporting each other. We don't have a boss here. How do you want to calculate the salary for receiving bets?"
"No need, Brother Yang. The chess and card hall's profits are several thousand a month, which is enough for Ma Yuan and me."
"That won't do. Those are two separate things. Receiving bets and settling winnings is a troublesome task, and we can't let you do it for free. I don't understand the rules here, so you tell me how much."
"You can decide. We really don't mind."
"Then we'll talk about it in a few days. We'll decide after seeing how the betting house's profits are. You guys go and attend to the players first."
Yang Jian didn't procrastinate. Operating a betting house was still in the exploration phase, and the salary standard couldn't be set in stone immediately.
Fang Hai responded and pulled Ma Yuan to greet the customers. People played mahjong, San Gong, and Dou Niu here all day, making it very lively. There was a small supermarket next door, making it convenient to buy things.
"Afeng, Anan, Junjun, we've officially taken over this betting house today. I don't have much money, only two hundred thousand. Let's each invest two hundred thousand to jointly operate this betting house. Do you have any objections?"
According to Fang Hai's introduction, the more capital invested in a betting house, the better. Only by honestly paying out winnings would more people come to bet. With sufficient capital, they could accept large bets from wealthy individuals.
Eight hundred thousand capital was only considered an average bookie for a betting house, and they didn't dare to accept bets over ten thousand yuan.
Yang Jian didn't want to expand too much at the moment; he planned to invest two hundred thousand each to test the waters.
Afeng was the first to respond. "Brother Jian, you call the shots. When it comes to making money in casinos, your luck has always been good. It's the same old rule: you get half the shares of this betting house, and the three of us get the other half."
"That won't do. Since we're investing the same amount, let's split it equally among the four of us."
Anan interjected. "Stop arguing. Let's not talk about shares for now. Let's get the betting house up and running first. All funds will be managed collectively. Let's appease the families of our brothers who are in jail first."
"No, I'll cover the expenses for Biao Biao and the others myself. I started the casino, so I'm responsible for them."
"Brother Jian, stop arguing. You're poorer than us right now. Since we're brothers, let's face all difficulties together. What we need to do now is establish ourselves here."
"Alright, operating a betting house will eventually be cracked down upon and banned by the police. Once our strength increases, we need to switch careers as soon as possible and quit while we're ahead. We must never repeat the same mistakes and end up with a tragedy like the one at Xunsi River."
Yang Jian had a clear understanding of betting houses. Like running a casino, it was illegal. Although the management here was relatively lax, it didn't mean the police wouldn't intervene.
Almost everyone in the coastal areas bet on Mark Six. This was definitely not a good thing and would inevitably attract the attention of high-level police officials. Once the crackdown came, they would be the first to be targeted. This chess and card hall would inevitably be shut down and sealed, and he, the owner of the betting house, would be investigated, possibly forcing him to flee again.
Therefore, after earning the first pot of gold, they must quickly transfer or change industries. His and his brothers' names must not appear on the police's blacklist again, otherwise, they would never be able to clear their names.