When I returned to Wentong Tea Tower with the bankbook in my pocket, it was just past eleven in the morning—perfect timing for lunch.
Seeing the blood on my clothes, Liang Chuang thought something had happened to me. He immediately put down his chopsticks and walked up to me.
Before he could speak, I pulled out the bankbook and flashed it in front of his eyes.
"Forty-one thousand. Got it back."
Liang Chuang wasn't overly surprised. Having hustled for so many years and working by Jiang Qingbo's side as a top lieutenant, he naturally had ruthless methods of his own.
Any real underworld hustler could have gotten this money back; the only difference would be how long it took and how complicated it got.
"Brother Chu, you're good. Handled it so quickly. Wanna eat first or go see Big Brother?"
I waved my hand. "I'll skip the food. I'll go see Big Brother first."
I tried to return the gun to Liang Chuang, but he wouldn't take it. He told me to keep it on me for self-defense.
Thinking about it, that made sense. If I hadn't had this gun today, things might not have gone so smoothly.
Because Liang Chuang had misspoken this morning and displeased Jiang Qingbo, he didn't go upstairs with me.
I took the elevator to the top floor alone and knocked gently on Jiang Qingbo's door.
"Come in."
Jiang Qingbo's voice was always so calm, giving off a feeling that he wouldn't blink even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him.
I pushed the door open and entered. Jiang Qingbo was sitting on the sofa, puffing away at a cigarette. It was one of those hand-rolled "flower cigarettes."
I didn't disturb him. I waited until he finished smoking two cigarettes before walking over to sit opposite him. I respectfully handed the bankbook and Big Kuizi's fingers to him.
"Big Brother, the job is done. I collected forty-one thousand. For the remaining amount, I took the liberty of using his fingers to settle it."
Jiang Qingbo seemed to still be savoring the aftertaste of the two flower cigarettes, not fully snapping out of the high.
I stood quietly, not repeating myself a second time.
Moments later, Jiang Qingbo's eyes regained focus, becoming as clear as usual.
"Number Two, no wonder Chen Qiang couldn't tolerate you at seventeen or eighteen. Good methods. You were born to eat the rice of the jianghu and live on the edge of a blade."
Jiang Qingbo's words gave me a sudden jolt.
I still didn't know the reason why things between Chen Qiang and me had reached that point.
Now that Jiang Qingbo said this, I didn't know if he was giving me a warning or genuinely praising me.
Fortunately, Jiang Qingbo changed the subject and pushed the bankbook back toward me.
"Number Two, rest assured. I, Old Scarface, am not like Chen Qiang—small heart, small vision. I can tolerate you. I don't lack this forty thousand yuan. What you collected is yours."
"Consider it a welcome gift from your Big Brother for following me."
I stared at the forty-one thousand yuan bankbook in front of me, a bit dazed.
This was the first time I had met such a generous society Big Brother.
Seeing no reaction from me, Jiang Qingbo hooked his arm around my shoulder and walked me to the window.
In the nineties, Lincang didn't have many skyscrapers. Standing on the seventh floor, one could look down on everything.
"Number Two, my vision is set on the entire Lincang, not like that country bumpkin Chen Qiang, stuck in a single town. So however capable you are, however big you can get, I'll let you get that big."
"Even if the day comes when you're big enough to stand on your own, I'll support you. As long as you remember you once followed me and still call me Big Brother."
My feelings were complicated. For the first time, I felt guilt toward a fellow underworld hooligan like myself.
Was Jiang Qingbo a good person? Definitely not. Shooting him wouldn't be an injustice.
But from the perspective of an underworld hooligan, Jiang Qingbo was absolutely a good Big Brother.
If I had followed him from the start, perhaps I would have been a second Xu Rang, dead set on following my Big Brother.
Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." And Jiang Qingbo couldn't stay safe forever; sooner or later, he would fall.
For no other reason than the fact that he touched drugs.
Not that my moral standards were high enough to think drug dealers deserved to die.
I was just an underworld hooligan. I didn't even have a moral floor, let alone a bottom line.
But I knew very clearly in my heart that under the 9.6 million square kilometers covered by the sickle and hammer, if you touched drugs, there was no possibility of a good end.
These thoughts flashed through my mind, and I quickly regained my composure.
"Alright, Big Brother, I'll remember this. Starting today, you are my Big Brother. I'll remember you as my Big Brother for the rest of my life."
How long my life would be, I didn't know myself. Who knew if I'd go out for a bowl of rice noodles tomorrow and get handled dead on the street?
Jiang Qingbo didn't hear the perfunctory nature of my words. He patted my shoulder and laughed heartily. "Good! Number Two, hearing you say that makes me very comfortable. Tonight, I'll set up a few tables so you can meet your fellow brothers of the sect."
I hadn't slept at all the night before and had gone to handle Big Kuizi in the morning; now my eyelids were fighting to stay open.
Jiang Qingbo didn't keep me long. He found me a room in the tea tower and let me stay there.
I slept until past seven in the evening. If Liang Chuang hadn't banged on the door, I probably could have kept sleeping.
Liang Chuang gave me a set of clean clothes and made himself at home, sitting right on my bed.
"Brother Chu, you've really made a name for yourself now! Everyone knows Big Brother has taken in a ruthless new little brother."
I changed into the new clothes and said, "Stop calling me Brother, Brother. Sounds too distant. Just call me Number Two."
Liang Chuang laughed. "Alright, Number Two. Let's go. Big Brother and the brothers are all waiting for you."
Jiang Qingbo had set up the banquet on the fourth floor. It wasn't a big affair, just two tables. Including me, there were eighteen people in total.
But I knew that those present tonight were the absolute core circle of Jiang Qingbo's organization.
In a trance, I recalled the scene of drinking in Chen Qiang's courtyard before the New Year.
How similar it was.
This time, it wasn't that they didn't want to be brothers with me, but that I couldn't be brothers with them.
Jiang Qingbo introduced me first, and then, following the hooligan's procedure, everyone started drinking and shouting.
I didn't get drunk at this dinner; I pretended to be drunk.
Harboring ulterior motives, how could I drink myself into a stupor with peace of mind?
Liang Chuang helped me back to my room, slurring his words. "Number Two, you really... fucking embarrass us Southwest people. Just a few cups of cat piss and you're down."
I pretended to have passed out completely and pulled the quilt over my head to sleep.
Liang Chuang shouted a few more vulgarities, then closed the door and left.
In the darkness, I opened my eyes and began to ponder whether I would have a chance to contact that important guest from outside the border in four days.
Liang Chuang had followed Jiang Qingbo for so many years, yet just mentioning it once in front of me made Jiang Qingbo so nervous.
I had just started following him. Even if he recognized my ability, he couldn't possibly trust me enough so quickly to let me contact someone whose existence could cost him his head.
But I was truly worrying too much, because before the guest even arrived...
I got handled by someone first.