I never said that reaching this point was something I was forced into.
It was all my own choice.
I had several chances to turn back, but I gave them all up. From the moment I picked up that gun to handle Hunchback, I became a hooligan of the underworld.
I never hold grudges against anyone. Just like now—I gave up staying here to study medicine and chose to follow Jiang Qingbo.
After calling Sir Niu and returning to the medicine shop, Old Man Li was already asleep, but he had left the door unlocked for me.
I pushed open the door to the side room where I was staying and packed up my things.
These few days here were the most relaxed days I had experienced since joining the underworld.
I sat on the bed and smoked for most of the night. As the sky began to brighten, I finished the last cigarette in the pack.
I left a thousand yuan in the room, picked up my luggage, and left the shop.
Whether Old Man Li was playing mysterious or really knew something, he didn't expose me, nor did he say anything he shouldn't have to Jiang Qingbo.
For that alone, I was very grateful to him.
This thousand yuan was for taking care of me these past few days, and to settle this brief master-apprentice fate between us.
I hailed a motorcycle taxi and told him to go to Wentong Teahouse. With a twist of the throttle, the small medicine shop was left behind me.
Although I never regret anything, on many sleepless nights, I still think back to it.
If, back then, I had agreed to stay and learn medicine from Old Man Li, would my life have turned out differently?
But in life, there are "buts" and "howevers," but never "what ifs."
...
Wentong Teahouse was called a teahouse, but it was actually a seven-story building.
It should have been called Wentong Tea Tower.
People in the Southwest don't really like drinking tea; they prefer cigarettes and alcohol.
I remember when I was on the run in Yangcheng in '97, I heard a saying: "Diannan's tobacco, Guizhou's liquor, and Northeastern hookers in every household."
This wasn't meant to slander any region; the guy who said it was a buddy from the Northeast. The second half about hookers can be ignored like a fart.
But the first half was true. One province, Diannan, has three major tobacco brands. And one liquor from Zuncheng, Guizhou, has a market value that rivals internet giants like Tencent. This shows how significant it is.
I couldn't figure out why Jiang Qingbo, an underworld Big Brother, would open a teahouse in a place like Lincang.
And a seven-story one at that.
This wasn't Guangdong or Yangcheng; not many people here liked drinking tea.
Although it was early in the morning, the tea tower was already open.
Not only was it open, but there were also a lot of people. However, they weren't going in to drink tea; they were walking out looking exhausted, their eyes bloodshot.
My heart skipped a beat. It seemed a Big Brother's teahouse was indeed no ordinary teahouse.
These people obviously weren't tea drinkers. What kind of decent person drinks tea all night until dawn?
I waited until the guests inside had dispersed before walking in through the front door.
A man with a wolf head tattooed on his neck and half his head shaved bald, leaving only a small braid, glanced at me.
"Friend, we're not open for business yet. Come back at noon for tea."
This was an underworld hooligan. Tattoos on social outlaws in the nineties were very distinctive.
Over-the-shoulder dragons, eagles grasping the globe, the character "Endure" (忍), the traditional character for "Righteousness" (義)...
I cleared my throat and said, "My name is Chu Shanhe. Big Brother Jiang Qingbo told me to come find him."
The braided man looked me up and down a few times. "Then please wait here for a moment, friend."
I nodded and stood obediently where I was.
The decoration on the first floor was no different from a normal teahouse. There were a dozen large round tables, each with a thick laminated sheet listing various tea names.
The braided man signaled with his eyes for two nearby hooligans to watch me, then walked to the counter and dialed a number.
He spoke into the phone in a low voice for a few sentences, then kept agreeing with "okay, okay."
Less than a minute later, he hung up, and his tone when speaking to me again became much gentler.
"Little brother, come up with me. Big Brother is waiting for you on the top floor."
The two hooligans watching me tactfully stepped aside. The braided man and I crossed the teahouse lobby and walked toward the back.
Once inside, I discovered a whole new world.
There were actually about ten elevators installed. In that era, this was a rare luxury.
After stepping into the elevator, I handed him my bag. "Do you want to check it, or search me?"
The braided man paused, then burst out laughing. "Little brother, you really know how to joke. You think this is a movie?"
"No need. Big Brother said you're his little brother, so he trusts you."
As a newcomer, I couldn't put on a sour face and act mysterious. Seeing the braided man laugh, I laughed along with him.
I took out an unopened pack of Small Pandas and offered him a cigarette. "What's your name, brother? Maybe we'll be in the same sect from now on."
He took the cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and said, "I'm Liang Chuang. I'm from the 'outside'."
"Outside" referred to outside the national borders.
I was a bit surprised. Liang Chuang spoke Chinese so well; his Mandarin was even more standard than mine.
"My mom is Chinese. She gave me the name Liang Chuang."
Liang Chuang was a very talkative person. In Southwest slang, he had a "fuckton of bullshit" to say.
In just the time it took to ride the elevator, my head was buzzing like Sun Wukong being chanted at by Tang Sanzang.
But I learned from him that this teahouse was just a front to deal with the authorities.
In reality, Wentong Tea Tower was the biggest casino in Lincang. Here, not only could you gamble, but if you ran out of money, you could take out loans. If you had money, you could order hookers right here.
All kinds of services were available.
When talking about these things, Liang Chuang's eyebrows danced with excitement. It looked like this kid enjoyed himself quite a bit.
Writing this now and recalling the past, I realize it wasn't without reason that I managed to make a name for myself.
Eating, drinking, whoring, gambling, smoking—I didn't like any of them. I focused solely on hustling in the underworld. I was either handling people, getting handled, or sitting in prison "attending university."
If I couldn't make it even like that, then doing anything else would be hopeless—I'd be a baboon's cousin, a total waste.
The elevator stopped at the top floor. This was where the high-rolling casino guests stayed.
The decoration was no worse than a luxury hotel.
He led me to the innermost room and knocked gently on the door.
"Come in."
Jiang Qingbo's calm voice sounded. Liang Chuang pushed open the door and led me inside.
"Big Brother, I brought Brother Chu up."
Jiang Qingbo laughed and scolded, "Can't you change that habit of yours? Getting familiar with everyone. It hasn't even been ten minutes, and you're already calling him brother."
Liang Chuang chuckled. "Didn't Big Brother say he's your little brother? Big Brother's little brother is naturally my, Liang Chuang's, brother. I wouldn't give the time of day to anyone else."
Jiang Qingbo shook his head with a smile and greeted me. "Number Two, sit wherever you like. I'll talk to you in a bit."
Jiang Qingbo was currently flipping through a large stack of ledgers, probably the casino's cash flow records.
Liang Chuang consciously prepared to leave, but just as he was about to step out the door, he suddenly said, "Big Brother, the important guest from the outside said he's coming in four days. Should we arrange things as usual?"
Jiang Qingbo, who had been smiling all along, suddenly looked up upon hearing this, his eyes glaring at Liang Chuang like a tiger or wolf.
Liang Chuang immediately glanced at me sitting to the side, realized he had misspoken, shut his mouth instantly, and stood at the door not daring to look up.
"Liang Chuang, if you can't control that mouth of yours, I'll sew it shut for you."
Liang Chuang raised his hand and slapped himself across the face several times. "Sorry, Big Brother, I was wrong."
"Get out. That mouth of yours is going to cause trouble sooner or later."
My eyes narrowed slightly. An important guest from the outside—that meant someone from across the border.
What kind of important guest would make Jiang Qingbo so cautious? Liang Chuang just mentioned him once in front of me without even naming him, and it made Jiang Qingbo this nervous.
Was it the drug trafficker Sir Niu was looking for?
I thought it must be. We were hooligans of the underworld. Criminals usually fit with us like a turtle fits with a mung bean—a match made in heaven.
It would be strange not to have contact with such people. It certainly wouldn't warrant Jiang Qingbo flying into a rage.
In four days, huh...