Song Jianhao and Old Cao's promises were not immediately fulfilled. Half a month after the fight incident, they still hadn't found a good venue.
However, Emperor Company's luck had slightly improved. At the two regular casinos, they still had wins and losses, but wins were more frequent. In their month in Hancheng, his net income was twelve thousand yuan.
This income was much better than working a regular job, but for Yang Jian, it was a drop in the bucket. The 1.5 million yuan debt weighed on him like a mountain. On average, he needed to earn around 150,000 yuan per month to reach his goal. His current income was far from it.
"Xiao Yang, you won't be going into the casinos this afternoon. Come with us to Jiangbei to check out a venue."
As Yang Jian was contemplating whether to go back and check on Wu Wangchun's situation due to his insufficient income, Song Jianhao finally had news from Jiangbei.
"What am I going there for? Isn't Old Wu there to assess it? I can't tell anything."
Yang Jian was a bit confused. In the past, Song Jianhao and Old Wu always went to inspect casinos. They were experienced and could roughly judge whether a casino was profitable based on its staff structure, gamblers' betting amounts, and betting habits. Most importantly, they could detect any cheating. Yang Jian knew nothing about these things.
Old Wu smiled and said, "Your luck is better. You can always turn misfortune into good fortune. Although I have a lot of experience, it can't compare to your good luck and your skill."
"What do you mean, Old Wu? You believe in superstitions too?"
"Xiao Yang, this isn't superstition, it's fact. Just like last time at the Qingjiang Casino, I could immediately tell they were cheating and thought of a way to escape. But our skill levels were not equal, and my method didn't work. If you hadn't been there, we would have lost at least fifty thousand yuan that day. That's skill and luck."
Yang Jian scratched his head. "It does make some sense. And my luck at the casinos really isn't that bad. Alright, I'll go with you to see for myself."
Song Jianhao was pleased. "Then let's take your car. It'll seem more high-class."
After lunch, Song Jianhao instructed Sixi to go into the casino and then set off for Jiangbei with Yang Jian and Old Wu. They picked up Old Cao along the way.
The four of them took an hour and a half to reach Hanqiao District in Jiangbei and entered Hongqi Street.
As Old Cao had said, the economy in Jiangbei was indeed more prosperous than in Jiangnan. As soon as they entered Hongqi Street, both sides of the street were lined with garment factories of all sizes. People and vehicles flowed ceaselessly. Yang Jian could only drive at a snail's pace.
It took them a full hour to cover the distance of over a kilometer to reach the casino's location, a shopfront on a small alley.
This surprised Yang Jian and the others. They were astonished that a casino was operating openly during the day. It completely overturned their understanding. Although it wasn't the main street, people were constantly coming and going. Hadn't anyone reported it, and wouldn't the police come to investigate?
After parking the car in a garment factory's yard, the four of them entered the shop. It was packed with people, mostly young men and women between eighteen and nineteen and thirty years old, who looked like factory workers based on their attire.
Old Cao went to find the casino's manager, while Song Jianhao and Old Wu wanted to observe the casino's situation. However, there were too many people, and they couldn't push their way in. There were two rings of people standing on stools around the perimeter, blocking the view completely.
Fortunately, Old Cao quickly found the casino manager, and the two parties went to a neighboring tobacco and liquor store to talk.
The casino manager was a sturdy young man of twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He could only be described as a burly fellow.
This young man was only about 1.75 meters tall, but his shoulders were much wider than average. He had short hair, a square face, thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose bridge, making him quite handsome.
However, what impressed them most was his physique. His black jacket was unbuttoned, revealing a white t-shirt underneath. His chest muscles bulged, fuller than those of most young girls. His waist was thick, and the white t-shirt clung tightly to his body without a trace of excess fat. The man was like an iron tower, exuding an aura of dominance.
Yang Jian marveled inwardly. If this man wasn't into bodybuilding, he must be a master of combat.
"Xiao Song, Old Wu, Xiao Yang, allow me to introduce Mr. Yang Fan, who is in charge of this casino."
As they sat down in the tea room of the store, Old Cao began introducing them to each other.
Song Jianhao stood up and shook hands. "Hello, Mr. Yang. I'm Song Jianhao."
"I'm Old Wu."
"I'm Yang Jian. Mr. Yang, we share the same surname. We must be from the same family five hundred years ago."
When it was Yang Jian's turn to introduce himself, he made a joke.
Yang Fan laughed heartily. "Haha, you're right, brother. All Yangs are one family. We all came from the same ancestor. Yang Jian, right? I've heard about your glorious achievements from Mr. Cao. Judging by your physique, you must have trained too, right?"
"I've practiced traditional martial arts since I was young. In high school, I trained with the physical education teacher in Sanda for three years. It's more of a street-fighting style. I think you, Mr. Yang, are the real expert."
"Haha, I wouldn't call myself an expert, but I have indeed undergone formal and systematic combat training. We should exchange skills when we have time."
"Mr. Yang, you're too modest. Honestly, I really want to learn from someone who has received formal training. I hope to receive your guidance if I have the chance."
Yang Fan laughed heartily again. "Haha, brother, you're just my type. You're here to discuss operating the casino today, so let's not talk too much. Just because you share the surname Yang, I'll agree to let you operate here. However, there's one condition."
"What condition?"
"Let's arm wrestle. If you can beat me, you can operate here permanently every day. If you can't win, then you'll have to follow our arrangements and come only three times a week."
"Three times a week? Why is it arranged like that?"
"Because there are so many people at our casino. Emperor Company and others are queuing up to operate. If Mr. Cao hadn't told me that you even subdued Brother Xiong, I wouldn't have met with you."
Yang Jian looked at Song Jianhao. This decision still had to be made by him. After all, they needed to judge the quality of the casino. It was a two-way choice. The casino could choose Emperor Company, and Emperor Company also needed to choose a reliable gambling company.
Song Jianhao nodded. "Xiao Yang, give it a try with Mr. Yang. Even if you can't operate, you can still make a friend. Besides, you're family."
"Family" was a term used locally for people of the same surname, making it sound more intimate.
Yang Jian rolled up his sleeves. "Come on, Mr. Yang."
If it came to a comparison of fighting techniques, Yang Jian felt a little uncertain, as the other person had received formal training and was at least far superior to him in terms of skill.
But when it came to strength, Yang Jian was still a bit confident. From childhood to adulthood, except for days when he was sick in the hospital or heartbroken, he had never missed a day of physical training, not even during Chinese New Year. From school to construction sites, he had never lost an arm wrestle.