A lavish meal later, Li Ya’s slight dissatisfaction had long vanished.
After dinner, Qin Chuan first dropped Li Ya back at the clothing factory, then returned to the flagship store and found his second brother, Qin Gang, pulling him aside.
“Second Brother, you’ve got more inside information on the streets and a wider network of connections than I do. Help me with something!” Qin Chuan said.
Qin Gang was pleased at first by the first half of the sentence but became unhappy upon hearing the second: “What do you mean, Third Brother! What kind of connections? Those are all my trusted brothers, loyal to the bone, understand!”
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I misspoke!” Qin Chuan quickly apologized, embarrassed. He had accidentally let his true thoughts slip out and vowed to be more careful in the future.
“Second Brother, you have many trusted brothers, help me with something!”
“What is it, just say it! As long as I can do it!” Second Brother Qin was finally satisfied, a smug look on his face. So his younger brother actually needed his help sometimes, which greatly satisfied his vanity.
“Help me find out the address of Duke Han, or where he usually shows up.” Qin Chuan lowered his voice.
Qin Gang, who had been smug, widened his eyes and became anxious. “Whoa, what are you looking for Duke Han for? He’s no easy target!”
“I’m looking for Duke Han for business, of course. We can’t open the sand quarry now, so we have to buy from him first. Who else would we go to?” Qin Chuan said.
Qin Gang was instantly speechless, then patted his chest with a look of lingering fear. “Good thing! Good thing! I thought you were bold enough to directly confront Duke Han!”
“Get lost! I’m not stupid, only you would do something so foolish!” Qin Chuan cursed.
Qin Gang, however, laughed it off. “Don’t worry, this is on me. I’m off!”
Watching the direction Qin Gang left, Qin Chuan’s gaze was distant as he returned to the shop.
The afternoon passed in a flash. As dusk began to fall, Qin Gang returned, bringing back accurate information!
That night, around nine o'clock, a Santana stopped in front of a dance hall called Yan Yang Hong.
This was one of the businesses owned by Duke Han. In the entire county, Yan Yang Hong was undoubtedly a top-tier entertainment venue, attracting many young men and women.
It was also a gathering place for all sorts of people. Qin Gang’s intel was that Duke Han frequented the Yan Yang Hong dance hall almost every other day.
“Xiao Chuan, I… do I really have to go in? I can just watch the car out here!”
As they alighted from the car, a voice suddenly came from inside. Qin Chuan and Qin Gang, already halfway into Yan Yang Hong, stopped. They found their eldest brother still sitting in the car, looking extremely nervous, his face flushed. His eyes were fixed on the brightly colored entrance of the dance hall with palpable fear, as if a tiger lurked within.
“Hahaha!!!” The carefree Second Brother Qin burst into laughter at the sight.
“Stop laughing! Weren’t you nervous the first time you came to a place like this!” Qin Chuan scolded, speechless. He walked to the car and said to his tense eldest brother inside, “Brother, it’s okay. It’s just singing and dancing in there, and more people are just drinking!”
“You have a good tolerance for alcohol, what are you afraid of! Besides, your second brother and I are here!” Qin Chuan comforted their eldest brother, Qin Yang, and continued.
“From now on, since we’re going to do big business and make big money, places like these are unavoidable!”
“And tonight, I’ve invited Editor-in-Chief Qi from the newspaper, Director Zhang from the brick and tile factory, and Boss Ge from the lumber mill. This is a rare opportunity, you must get to know them well!”
In the car, Qin Yang’s dark face showed a struggle after hearing Qin Chuan’s explanation. Finally, he gritted his teeth and got out of the car, his expression like that of a martyr heading to his execution, which almost made Qin Chuan laugh too.
The three brothers walked into the dance hall together. The first thing that greeted them was a dazzling array of colorful lights, making them instinctively close their eyes. A few seconds later, they gradually adapted.
This was Qin Chuan’s first time in a place like a dance hall since his rebirth. Compared to over twenty years later, the decoration and equipment of dance halls now were far inferior. However, the atmosphere was no less vibrant. The hall, about two hundred square meters, was packed with people. Almost all of them were young men and women. A booming sound system played a lively DJ track, a foreign song whose name Qin Chuan couldn't recall, but it sounded very familiar.
To the rhythm of the DJ music, dozens of young men and women twisted their waists and hips in the open space in the center, releasing their hormones. Their exaggerated moves drew cheers from the surrounding crowd! In this era, being able to dance was definitely at the forefront of fashion, and one could easily attract the attention of young ladies. Qin Chuan couldn't help but sigh, youth is good!
“Boss Qin, over here!!” Just then, Qin Chuan heard someone call him. He scanned the area and saw that the three bosses he had invited were all at a spacious seating area. Director Zhang Bingshan of the brick and tile factory, Boss Ge of the lumber mill, and it was Deputy Editor-in-Chief Qi Chao waving at him.
“Let’s go, let’s go over,” Qin Chuan waved to his eldest and second brothers, and the three brothers walked over together.
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry! Something delayed me!”
“Hello, Editor-in-Chief Qi! Hello, Director Zhang! Hello, Boss Ge!” Qin Chuan apologized with a smile.
“You’re late, so you must be punished with a drink. Finish this bottle of beer first!” Director Zhang said.
“That’s a given. I’ll down it first!” Qin Chuan unhesitatingly took a freshly opened bottle of Snow Beer and tilted his head back to drink. He finished the beer in less than ten seconds.
“Good!!!”
“Beautiful!!!”
“Refreshing!!!” The three bosses clapped, clearly satisfied with Qin Chuan’s attitude.
Qin Chuan wiped his mouth and gestured to his eldest and second brothers standing behind him. “I’d like to introduce you to everyone. This is my eldest brother, Qin Yang, and this is my second brother, Qin Gang! When I’m not around, they will be the ones interacting and cooperating with you. Let’s all get acquainted!” He then introduced Qi Chao, Director Zhang, and Boss Ge to Qin Yang and Qin Gang.
“Hello, Editor-in-Chief Qi!”
“Hello, Director Zhang!”
“Hello, Boss Ge!” Qin Gang was the first to greet them. Being quick-witted, he reacted first.
“To our first meeting, I’ll also down a bottle to show my respect to the three bosses!” Without waiting for their reply, Qin Gang directly popped open the beer cap with his thumb, his voice loud as he tilted his head back and drank. His bold and decisive action immediately garnered favor from Qi Chao and the other two, who applauded.
It was Qin Yang’s turn. Qin Yang’s dark face clearly showed his nervousness, but fortunately, the dim lighting in the dance hall concealed it.
“Hello to the three bosses, my name is Qin Yang!”
“I’m not good with words. From now on, we’ll let our actions speak for themselves. I’ll drink this too!” With that, he quickly picked up a bottle of beer, deftly opened the cap, and drained it in one go.
“Haha!!!”
“As expected of being from the same lineage as Boss Qin, your straightforwardness is even more impressive than his!”
“Come, we three shouldn’t be outdone, let’s also toast the three Boss Qins!” Director Zhang led the way, and Qi Chao and Boss Ge also picked up their wine bottles.
Seeing this, Qin Chuan unhesitatingly picked up another bottle of beer. Qin Yang and Qin Gang followed suit. In an instant, the six men clinked their beer bottles together, the sound clear and pleasant, the atmosphere jovial.
“Why did you only order so little wine, little sister! Bring up a few more cases of beer!”
“And a fruit platter, melon seeds, and snacks too!”
“Also, bring two bottles of foreign liquor!” After finishing his second bottle of beer in one go, Qin Chuan turned and called out in the direction of the bar.