A dozen minutes later, Zhang Jiande led us to a restaurant. The restaurant was decorated in an antique style, with a glazed tile facade. A wooden plaque hung above the entrance, inscribed with the three golden characters "Wen Xiang Ge."
Upon entering, we found ourselves in a large hall. A staircase not far away led to the private room area.
We proceeded to the innermost private room. As soon as we were seated, Zhang Jiande signaled for the waiter to serve tea.
When the tea was brought, he asked the server to place it down and then personally began pouring for us.
“The two of you, this place is owned by one of my childhood friends. I often dine here. Their chefs were specially recruited from Sichuan, and their Sichuan cuisine is exceptional.”
Zhang Jiande smiled as he finished pouring the tea, “This is our local white tea; please, have a taste?”
I smiled, picked up the teacup, and took a sip, saying, “Boss Zhang, you really don't need to be so formal.”
“Boss Xiang, you are a distinguished guest. I rarely get the chance to invite you. Since you’re here, you must eat well, drink well, and enjoy yourself. After we finish eating, I’ll take you around to see the sights.”
“There’s no rush for sightseeing. Actually, I have something I’d like to ask Boss Zhang’s advice on.” I directly explained the predicament that Fatty and I had gotten into.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiande frowned, “Something like that happened?”
“I see Boss Zhang as a straightforward person, so I’ll get straight to the point. If Boss Zhang can help me find the person responsible, I will owe you a favor.”
As I spoke, I took out a cigarette and offered it to him, “I heard Boss Zhang wants to open up the antique channels in Guangling?”
Zhang Jiande’s eyes darted as he replied, “That’s right. I have a lot of good items, but I can’t sell them for a high price. I’ve heard there are many collectors in Jiangdong, especially in Guangling where many items can be sold for more than elsewhere, and demand outstrips supply. So, I was wondering if we could cooperate, Boss Xiang.”
I chuckled, “Cooperation is certainly no problem, as this is a shared need for everyone. However, about the matter I just mentioned…”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jiande slapped his chest and said, “Alright, give me three days… no… two days, and I will absolutely help you find the person. Not only will I help Boss Xiang find them, but I will also ensure they return all the money they took from you.”
“Then I’ll have to trouble Boss Zhang,” I said, cupping my hands in a gesture of respect.
“You’re too kind!”
Zhang Jiande stood up and called over a waiter, then began ordering dishes. After the meal, he took us to several antique markets in Guicheng before finally returning us to our inn after dinner.
“Master Xiang, this Zhang Jiande is quite sharp,” Fatty said, leaning against the headboard while watching TV. “Do you think he can find those people?”
“I’m not sure about that, but from the way he took us to the antique markets today, he seems to be a local power. Didn’t you see how the owners of those antique shops acted like mice seeing a cat when they met him?” I replied.
“Why are they so afraid of Zhang Jiande?”
“Who knows? I heard from Brother Peng that he used to be in the earth-moving business. It looks like he’s doing pretty well locally.”
I had heard about the earth-moving business from others before. People who engaged in this type of business were generally influential figures in the area, mostly local strongmen.
After all, earth-moving business involved significant capital in and out, which was bound to attract envy. Without some local influence, such a business couldn't be sustained.
The next morning, Zhang Jiande arrived at the inn entrance to pick up Fatty and me. Upon meeting, he announced that the people had been found.
This came as somewhat of a surprise to me.
“Boss Xiang, shall we grab something to eat first, or go see the people?” he asked.
I thought for a moment and said, “Let’s go see the people first.”
“Alright, then I’ll make a phone call, and we can head over.”
He took out his phone and made a call to someone, after which he motioned for us to get into the car.
The car quickly drove to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. As we approached, seven or eight thugs were standing at the warehouse entrance, all dressed in exaggerated fashion: bell-bottom trousers, floral shirts, and one even sporting a treacherous hairstyle.
As Zhang Jiande arrived, one of the leaders stepped forward respectfully and said, “Boss, the person is inside.”
Zhang Jiande nodded, smiled at me, and made a gesture of invitation.
As the warehouse door opened, I saw a person lying on the ground, bound with ropes.
Fatty leaned closer and exclaimed, “Master Xiang, it’s this scoundrel!”
Although the man was bruised and swollen, I still recognized him as the leader from that night.
Upon seeing us, he began to beg for mercy, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you knew Boss Zhang. It was my fault for not recognizing your status. Please, spare me…”
Zhang Jiande walked over and kicked the man in the stomach, “Didn’t know me? Do you know me now? How dare you lay hands on my guests! I think you’ve got more guts than a leopard!”
The man groaned in pain. I quickly said to Zhang Jiande, “Boss Zhang, forget it. As long as he returns my money, I don’t want things to escalate.”
Zhang Jiande nodded with a smile and then had someone bring over a black leather bag.
“Boss Xiang, all your money is in here. When I found this fellow, they had already split the money. I managed to get back fifty thousand, and I added the other fifty thousand myself.”
Hearing this, I was taken aback, “How can this be? I can’t accept your money.”
“Boss Xiang, if you consider me a friend, then please accept the fifty thousand. This is also my fault. If people knew that Boss Xiang had an incident on my turf, where would I be able to show my face in the future?”
Looking at his smiling face, I felt a pang of unease.
As the saying goes, one is short-handed for taking, and one is short-mouthed for eating. I didn't want to owe him too many favors; owing too many favors would make it difficult to repay them later.
Besides, I had previously told him that as long as he helped me find the person, I was willing to cooperate with him.
If I owed him more favors, I would inevitably be at a disadvantage during our cooperation.
Although An Yuan Tang wasn't managed by me, I couldn't act carelessly.
“How about this, Boss Zhang. Didn’t we visit your antique shop yesterday? Shall we go take another look later?”
“No problem, no problem,” Zhang Jiande said with a smile. “What do you plan to do with this person, Boss Xiang?”
“I’m going to ask him a question, and then we’ll let him go,” I said.
“Fine, whatever Boss Xiang says,” he replied.
I cupped my hands and said, “Thank you.”
I walked over, helped the man on the ground to sit up, and pulled out a photo from my pocket, “Now, you have two options: one, answer my questions properly, or two, I’ll find someone to rough you up again later. You should know which path to choose, right?”
The man nodded frantically, “I know! I know!”