Chapter 23: Acquiring Hou San’s Assets

A van approached. The door slid open, and Jiang Yuan was the first to step out, dragging Hou San behind him, whose hands and feet were bound.

The warehouse door was kicked open with a resounding thud.

Inside, a group of men were in the midst of a raucous drinking session, their faces flushed red, the air thick with smoke. They stared in stunned silence at the intruders, only to see Hou San tossed inside by a young man.

Confusion swept through the room. What had just happened? When Third Brother left, everything was fine—how had he ended up subdued in the blink of an eye?

"Anyone who wants to live, get down on the ground!" Jiang Yuan commanded imperiously, his foot pressing firmly into Hou San’s back.

"Who the hell are you?" one of Hou San’s men protested defiantly.

One of Jiang Yuan’s own men raised a steel pipe and brought it down on the protester’s forehead.

A muffled grunt escaped the man as he crumpled to the ground, blood seeping from his brow.

Panic broke out among the others. The sight of blood sobered them halfway; some tried to resist, only to find themselves unsteady on their feet from the drink.

"I won’t say it again: if you know what’s good for you, get down!" Jiang Yuan shouted once more.

Someone finally came to their senses and lay down, followed by a second, a third, until everyone was prone on the floor.

Jiang Yuan counted—there were seven or eight people in total in Zhou’s warehouse. He was thankful he had taken Jiang Butong’s advice and secured Hou San first.

Seeing that Jiang Yuan had the situation under control, Jiang Butong, who had been watching from the van, felt reassured and slowly drove away. Everything here could be safely left to Jiang Yuan.

...

At Chen's Family Restaurant, Chen Sheng sat at the entrance, a jacket draped over his shoulders and a cigarette between his fingers. Jiang Butong leaned casually against the van.

"All done?" Chen Sheng asked.

"It’s settled."

"What’s your next move?" Chen Sheng took a drag.

"Hou San can’t be left alive," Jiang Butong replied calmly.

Chen Sheng frowned. He had thought Jiang Yuan ruthless enough, but compared to Jiang Butong, he found the young man still lacked a certain edge.

"Don’t let things get out of hand, or they’ll be impossible to clean up," Chen Sheng cautioned. He knew from experience that the tallest tree catches the wind; now that both the authorities and the underworld were watching them, one wrong step could cost them everything.

"Don’t worry, Brother Chen," Jiang Butong smiled, "I’ve already talked to Jiang Yuan—he knows what he’s doing."

With that, he prepared to leave.

"Leaving so soon? Not staying for a drink?" Chen Sheng called after him.

"We’ll drink tomorrow, when Jiang Yuan’s back," Jiang Butong replied, starting up the van.

"How’s the van treating you?"

"It’ll do," Jiang Butong said, running his hand over the steering wheel. Compared to vehicles from his previous life, this one was far inferior in both performance and comfort.

"This is ‘just okay’ to you? Do you know how much trouble it took to borrow this van?" Chen Sheng stood up, half amused.

"We’ll get one of our own this year," Jiang Butong said as he drove off.

"You little brat, not even grown and already talking big!" Chen Sheng chuckled, watching the taillights disappear into the night.

By the time Jiang Butong returned to Chen Pan’er’s place, the world was already deep in slumber. He quietly opened the door—Chen Pan’er was sleeping soundly.

In the bathroom, he found that she had already squeezed toothpaste onto his brush with her usual care.

Jiang Butong washed up and lay down to sleep.

"What time is it?" At some point, Chen Pan’er had woken, her drowsy eyes fixed on him.

"It’s after two. Did I wake you?" He thought he’d been quiet enough.

"You did," she grumbled, wrinkling her cute nose.

In truth, she had been waiting for him, though she couldn’t say why. Ever since he started staying here, she had slept deeply; tonight, with him out late, her rest had been uneasy. She knew there were things between men she couldn’t help with.

"It’s nothing, go back to sleep," Jiang Butong said gently, tweaking her nose.

Chen Pan’er batted his hand away with a soft hum and drifted back to sleep.

...

In the days that followed, Jiang Butong became increasingly busy. With Chen’s Family Restaurant drawing more and more customers, Chen Sheng found himself unable to spare any time.

The private kitchen restaurant was already well on its way; all that remained were the finer details, and Jiang Butong stopped by every afternoon to check on things.

As for Jiang Yuan, he managed to take in only a small portion of Hou San’s men—most refused to accept Jiang Yuan as their new leader.

This infuriated Jiang Yuan, and when he mentioned to Jiang Butong his plan to teach them a lesson, Jiang Butong stopped him.

Everyone follows their own path; loyalty cannot be forced, and keeping the unwilling would only breed future trouble.

Zhou’s warehouse had once been a base Hou San rented, intended for meetings, but with little business to conduct, it had become a den for eating, drinking, and amusement.

Jiang Butong and Jiang Yuan took the seats of honor, with a crowd of little brothers below them.

Jiang Butong had not wanted to come, but Jiang Yuan, believing him more resourceful, insisted he attend to offer advice.

Closest to Jiang Yuan sat the original nine brothers he’d brought with him; at the far end were six of Hou San’s men. Among them was a familiar face: Yingzi, the one who had tried to steal Chen Pan’er’s wallet at the wholesale market a few days before.

Jiang Butong counted—eight had already left, unwilling to follow Jiang Yuan.

According to Yingzi, Hou San had a few other men, but they hadn’t shown up that day and, upon hearing of Hou San’s downfall, would likely stay away.

Jiang Butong stood, his gaze sweeping the room.

"You used to follow Hou San, but from this day forward, you’re under Jiang Yuan’s command. I won’t say more, except this—"

He paused, catching the attention of the men below.

What would he promise? Food, drink, status?

"I promise you’ll have plenty of money to earn—not just the scraps that keep you wandering the streets, but real money. Do you know what that means? It means wearing suits and ties, driving cars, wearing watches, coming home to a house and a wife. It means having face in public and confidence in private. If you stick with us, you’ll understand what that world is like!"

He sat down.

The men were stunned. They remembered the days under Hou San—sometimes hungry, sometimes full, splurging when they had cash, gnawing on pickles by the roadside when they didn’t. Dressed in cheap clothes, smoking the lowest-grade cigarettes, they put on a tough front, but only they knew how deeply their inferiority was etched into their bones.

Jiang Butong’s words stirred something within them. So that was what a life with money could be: cars, houses...

Seeing that the message had sunk in, Jiang Yuan stood up as well.

"Xiaotong has said it all. I’m a man of few words, but I’ll promise you this: not only will you have money, I’ll stand with you through thick and thin. Each of you will be my brother—real brothers, in life and death!"

Loyalty, money, true brotherhood!

A strange excitement welled up in the men, that feeling of being recognized bringing a lump to their throats.

"Bring out the drinks!" Jiang Yuan called.

Crates of beer were hauled in by his men.

"Anyone who stays tonight is mine from now on. If you accept me, I’ll treat you as brothers. If not, you’re free to leave now. But if I ever catch a traitor among you, don’t blame me for using our own rules to deal with you!"

Not a single man left; their eyes burned as they looked at Jiang Yuan.

"Cheers!"

Jiang Yuan raised his glass with satisfaction.

In an instant, the warehouse was filled with the clinking of cups, the atmosphere transformed—Hou San was out, Jiang Yuan was in.

It had been a week since Jiang Yuan had taken in Hou San’s men.

Now, the entire underworld of three streets surrounding the wholesale market belonged to Jiang Yuan.

It was through Yingzi’s reports that Jiang Butong learned Hou San had once controlled security for the entire wholesale market.

In short, the market saw tens of thousands of people and goods pass through daily. With goods coming in and out, Hou San had found a lucrative opportunity.

In these days, before proper security companies existed, Hou San had acted as the market’s property manager and security chief, in charge of parking and safety.

Now, all of it fell under Jiang Yuan’s command.

For example, parking fees—Hou San had set the prices as he pleased, charging high rates and running operations with chaos and corruption; his men often pocketed the money, and, when short on cash, even resorted to stealing bikes.

Just as Jiang Yuan was about to continue charging the same way as Hou San had, Jiang Butong put a stop to it.