Yang Jian waited in the booth for over an hour before Song Jianmin finally arrived, fashionably late.
With a height of 1.7 meters, a buzz cut, a thick gold chain around his neck, and dressed in a sable coat, Song Jianmin’s appearance was akin to a triad member from a movie.
“Damn, Yang Jian, it’s the New Year, why are you carrying a suitcase? Are you going on a trip?”
Song Jianmin noticed the suitcase as soon as he entered.
“My dad kicked me out this morning. I’m homeless right now. You look like you’re doing pretty well with that getup.”
“Don’t joke around. It’s only the third day of the lunar new year, how could your dad kick you out?”
“It’s true. I lost over two hundred thousand gambling a few days ago and made my mom sick. If my grandparents hadn’t stopped them, I would have been beaten out on New Year’s Day.”
Song Jianmin stared at Yang Jian as if he were a rare specimen. “Lost over two hundred thousand? What were you doing? Where did you get that kind of money?”
“I was doing subcontracted carpentry work at a construction site. I borrowed a hundred thousand from my sister for investment. I made over a hundred thousand last year, but I lost it all within a few days of coming back.”
“How did you lose it?”
“Zha Jinhua.”
“Yang Jian, are you an idiot? You seemed so sharp in the army, how could you do something so stupid? Losing so much money in Zha Jinhua, you must have been fleeced.”
Yang Jian was a bit confused. “What do you mean by ‘fleeced’?”
“‘Fleeced’ is local casino slang for cheating or running a scam. You were caught in a rigged game and got utterly screwed.”
“Cheating, a scam?”
Yang Jian instantly became enraged, feeling like he could kill someone.
“Yeah, I’ve been hanging around casinos for years. I don’t play Zha Jinhua much, but I know the tricks. Who took you there? Who did you play with? Maybe I even know them.”
“The gambling game was run by someone called Brother Mao, and I was brought there by San Pang, a junior high classmate from our village.”
Song Jianmin slammed the table. “That’s it then! I know Brother Mao. He specializes in rigged games. You were set up.”
Yang Jian shot up. “Jianmin, do you know where Brother Mao lives? I’ll kill him.”
Song Jianmin pushed him back down onto the seat. “Brother, don’t be impulsive. I know you can fight, but you can’t act without evidence. Brother Mao has quite a few guys working for him. You can’t take him on alone.”
“What can’t I take on? I can beat ten of Brother Mao’s scrawny guys. I have to get this money back. And San Pang, I won’t let him off either.”
Yang Jian was truly furious. He considered San Pang a brother, only to be betrayed by him. As a skilled Sanda fighter from the army, he felt no pressure dealing with a few thugs.
“Yang Jian, if you consider me a brother, listen to me. Let this matter rest for now. No matter how well you fight, can you fight against knives and guns? Brother Mao is a long-standing hoodlum in town. His influence might not be huge, but he has a foothold in the area, and he might even have weapons. How can you fight him alone?”
“Then what do you suggest? You know my temper. I can’t just swallow this insult.”
“Don’t rush. Let’s plan this out and order some food.”
Song Jianmin called the waiter and ordered three dishes and one soup.
“Yang Jian, what are your plans now?”
After the waiter left, Song Jian asked again.
“I only have five hundred yuan left. I need to last until the fifteenth of the lunar month before I can start working at the construction site. Can you help me figure something out?”
He had no reservations with his comrade; otherwise, it would be difficult to get through this hardship.
Song Jianmin didn’t say a word. He searched his pockets and pulled out eight hundred yuan. “I received some lucky money for the New Year today, so this is all I have left. Take it for now.”
“I won’t be polite then. By the way, you’re dressed quite well. What line of work are you in now?”
Yang Jian accepted the cash calmly. The immediate crisis was finally resolved.
“My cousin and I are running a place in Jiangcheng. It’s not exactly doing great, but it’s a bit better than working a regular job. How about it? Want to come work for me? With your build and fighting skills, you’d be quite intimidating on the floor.”
Song Jianmin knew Yang Jian well. He was 1.8 meters tall, powerfully built, and handsome. He was also an expert in combat in the army, having won the runner-up in the Sanda competition for their detachment. It would be a waste for such a person to do manual labor.
“Work at a casino? No, no, if my dad finds out, he’ll really chop me to death.”
“Cousin” meant older brother, and “running a place” meant running a casino. Although Yang Jian wasn’t involved in the underworld, he knew these basic terms.
“Just don’t tell him. As long as you send money back, it’s fine. Earning a hundred thousand through labor is so difficult. I’m not asking you to gamble, but to work. The minimum is two hundred a day, and food and lodging are covered. Once you accumulate some capital, you can still go back to subcontracting projects.”
“Not gambling? What would I do at the place?”
“No gambling. Even if you wanted to gamble, I wouldn’t let you participate. As for what you’ll do, you’ll find out when you get there. Would I harm you? Besides, if you want to deal with Brother Mao and get your money back, you need to build your own influence. Otherwise, how can you fight him?”
Hearing this, Yang Jian started to waver. His father had given him a strict order when he left home: if he didn’t earn a hundred thousand yuan this year, he wouldn’t be allowed back in the house. If he relied on labor, he wouldn’t be able to earn that much in two years.
A horse doesn’t get fat without night fodder; a person doesn’t get rich without windfalls.
He decided to go for it. After losing so much money, he would never get ahead by doing manual labor.
“Jianmin, I’ll go with you. But you have to help me deal with Brother Mao. That two hundred thousand was my hard-earned money; I can’t let him cheat me out of it for nothing.”
“No problem. Your business is my business. But not now. Let’s build up our own strength first, then deal with him.”
“Okay, then I’ll follow you from now on.”
“Not follow me, but follow my cousin. I’ve spent a lot on getting married and having children these past two years, so I don’t have much power myself.”
“What? You’re married with kids? Why didn’t you invite me to the wedding?”
Yang Jian looked at his former comrade, who had seemed quite ordinary in the army, with surprise at how much he had changed after retiring.
“You changed your phone number as soon as you retired, so how could I find you? What about you, do you have a girlfriend?”
“No, my family is poor. I wanted to achieve something before thinking about that. Who knew that just as I was starting to make some progress, I’d get screwed over.”
Song Jianmin patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry. With us brothers united, we’ll rise up soon. Let’s eat quickly, and we’ll head to the place this afternoon.”
“This afternoon?”
“Yes, my cousin wants to run a place in our hometown for a few days during the New Year. After the fifteenth, we’ll go to the provincial capital. I’ll take you to a hotel later, leave your suitcase there, and then go to my hometown to start working.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
Yang Jian didn’t expect to get into character so quickly. It was probably for the best; the sooner he started earning money, the more hope he had of completing his father’s assigned task.