Yu Feng also sent a gift and took the initiative to chat with Yang Jian for a few words, but she was not as warm as before. Instead, she talked with Song Jianhao for a long time. Song Jianhao was helping her to acquire land and set up a factory in Songjia Village, so she owed him a favor.
After the wedding banquet, Song Jianmin invited Yang Jian for tea at "Taste of Time," accompanied by Biao Biao and San Pang.
The four of them took a window booth, ordered a pot of Tieguanyin tea, and some snacks.
"Yang Jian, you can't go back on what my brother said just now. Next year, let's work hard together for a year and strive to turn things around. I've wanted to change my car for a long time."
Song Jianmin was entrusted by his brother to persuade Yang Jian again. They knew very well that as long as Yang Jian agreed, many influential figures in the town would try to win him over, and Yang Jian could even build his own force.
However, Yang Jian was unaware of his own value and did not want to be a thug for others.
"Jianmin, your brothers took me in in the first half of the year, and now I'm in trouble again, and you're still willing to take me in. Of course, I'll work with you. Where else can I go?"
"I'm relieved to hear that. To be honest, you're really suited to working in casinos. You have good luck with gambling. If it weren't for you leading me to make some money twice by placing bets this year, I wouldn't have made it through the year."
Biao Biao also agreed, "Exactly, I also think Brother Jian has good luck with gambling. Whether it's placing bets or running a casino, he can make it work. I really regret not going to Xichuan with you."
Yang Jian smiled and asked, "Where are you planning to be next year?"
"Of course, with you. I'm not going anywhere else."
"Then Brother Hao has to agree, after all, he's the boss of Emperor Company."
Song Jianmin quickly said, "It's okay, it's okay. We're all brothers of many years, so we'll definitely work together. My brother has already said that Biao Biao, Liang Liang, San Pang, and Liu Chao will all join Emperor Company next year. Some of the kids we had before are going to be laid off because they're too timid and don't dare to step up when things happen. We'll keep Sixi and Sigou."
Biao Biao was delighted to hear this. "Brother Jianmin, if you say that Liang Liang and I were timid before, as long as we follow Brother Jian, we dare to kill anyone. When we dealt with Liu Ming, Brother Jian didn't really do much. It was Liang Liang and I who crippled him. With Brother Jian around, we become bolder."
Song Jianmin smiled awkwardly, "As the saying goes, a cowardly soldier makes a cowardly army, and a cowardly general makes a cowardly unit. My brother lacks dominance, which is why his subordinates are timid and we haven't done well in Hancheng. I hope Yang Jian can change this situation when he goes there. As long as we can keep the local thugs in check, making money will be easy, because we plan to hire a master next year."
Yang Jian asked, not understanding, "Hire a master?"
"We're hiring a master cheat. That way, when we're the dealer, we won't be cheated."
"Have you found a master yet?"
"Yes, we have. He's a distant relative of Wu Wangchun, named Wu Changshun. Like Brother Mao, he's a very experienced cheat. Brother Mao is skilled in poker and mahjong, while Old Wu is skilled in dice and various cheating tools. My brother has already discussed it with him. We'll be opening a casino in a few days, and he'll also hold a ten percent stake."
From Song Jianmin's tone, it was clear that Song Jianhao was changing his strategy and trying to improve the overall quality of the team, not only by finding tough guys but also by ensuring technical expertise. Yang Jian also believed this approach was correct.
"If your brother gives away all the shares of the gambling company, he won't have much profit left."
"He doesn't plan to make much profit from opening this casino. The main goal is to attract core members like you. Yu Feng holds thirty percent of the shares, and she'll handle the police. After the casino opens, she'll bring some bosses to play, and then the place will be lively. We also plan to put on a big opera, which will continue until the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, so that the police won't interfere."
"Put on an opera?"
"Yes, we'll invite a theater troupe to set up a stage and perform operas, and the casino will be located near the opera stage. Ostensibly, it's to enrich the spiritual lives of the rural folks, but in reality, it's a gambling opera. As long as there are no fights or disturbances, the police won't interfere."
"Wow, there's such a trick? That's much safer."
"Exactly. If we do this for about ten days, each of us will get tens of thousands of yuan, and we'll have capital to invest in Emperor Company in Hancheng. So you don't have to worry about not having money to invest right now."
Song Jianmin designed a perfect plan for Yang Jian, making it difficult for others to poach him.
Yang Jian didn't think that far ahead. Even if someone tried to recruit him, he wouldn't go. It was meaningless to be a thug or a cannon fodder for others like Lu Feng, no matter how much money they offered. If he joined Emperor Company, he would be a shareholder, and he would act in his own interest when necessary.
After a while of casual chat, Biao Biao suddenly remembered something.
"Brother Jian, will Baoguo's matter be dealt with before the New Year?"
"Damn it, I've been so bothered by my cousin's affairs lately that I forgot about this. How's your investigation going?"
"It's not easy to deal with him. Baoguo is not married yet. Besides being at the casino, he's always with seven or eight people drinking and singing. There aren't many opportunities to get him alone. Even when the casino stopped operating, he didn't go home."
"The casino stopped operating?"
San Pang continued, "It stopped yesterday. It's almost New Year, and there aren't many people gambling these days. They plan to start again on the eighth day of the first lunar month. Brother Mao asked me to be an informant at the casino for a few days, for a hundred yuan a day."
Song Jianmin seemed a bit surprised. "Yang Jian, do you have a grudge against Baoguo?"
Yang Jian nodded. "Someone saw Baoguo leading the people who vandalized my house. He forced my grandfather to death. I won't let him go."
"Why would Baoguo smash your house? He shouldn't know you, right?"
"I suspect Brother Mao instigated him, but I don't know why Brother Mao would do that."
Song Jianmin pondered for a moment and said, "Yang Jian, take my advice. Don't think about revenge for now. Let's make some money first."
"What does making money have to do with revenge?"
"You don't have money now. If you want to kill or cripple Baoguo, and if you fail or leave evidence and get caught by the police, you won't even have money for legal settlements. Do you want your parents to bear the debt to bail you out? And what about the brothers who acted with you? How will you compensate them?"
Biao Biao immediately said, "I don't need any compensation to act with Brother Jian."
Song Jianmin smiled slightly. "If you get caught, does Yang Jian have to pay to bail you out?"
Biao Biao immediately fell silent.
Yang Jian also fell silent.
Song Jianmin continued, "A gentleman's revenge is never too late. As long as you succeed, it won't be difficult to spend money to find people from Hancheng to deal with him. Why risk yourself? Baoguo is currently supported by Hong Xing, Brother Mao, and others, and is at the height of his power. He's always surrounded by people. Even if you take him down, it will be difficult for you to get away clean, just like Lu Feng dealing with Lao Gui. It's not worth the loss."
It had to be said that Song Jianmin's words were very reasonable. Even if Yang Jian didn't consider his own future, he had to consider the brothers who acted with him. No matter how good their relationship was, he couldn't let others risk their lives for nothing, and he couldn't abandon them if something happened. This all required money, and not a small amount. Ironically, what he lacked most right now was money.