Xinqiao Town, Yangli Village, Lijian Board Factory.
Jing Yongli was distributing special wages, with San Pang sitting beside him helping to count the money.
It was New Year's Eve, and under the notification of Uncle Biao Biao's uncle Luo Jianhua, Biao Biao, Liang Liang, and the families of the sixteen brothers arrested at the Xunsi River casino all came here to collect their New Year expenses.
"Sister-in-law, this is five thousand yuan, please count it."
San Pang handed a stack of hundred-yuan bills to Juanzi, Liang Liang's wife.
"What's there to count? You and Liang Liang are both Brother Jian's brothers, can't I trust you? San Pang, if you have a chance to talk to Brother Jian, please thank him for me."
Juanzi put the cash into her bag without counting it. Her husband was in jail, and she was still able to receive money from Yang Jian's factory. It was too unexpected.
"Sister-in-law, Brother Jian is on the run, but he's always thinking about his brothers. There's no need for thanks. He just hopes you won't resent him, and he'll find someone to get the brothers out of there as soon as possible."
"No, no, how could we resent Brother Jian? Liang Liang and the others willingly went to work at the casino, and it's not something Brother Jian wanted to see them arrested. We are grateful that he still remembers his brothers while he's on the run."
After Juanzi finished speaking, the other family members also chimed in.
"Yes, Yang Jian is a good person, and none of us will resent him. If he comes back, I'll have my Chunlin follow him."
"Right, Yang Jian is a great leader. His usual wages were much higher than other casinos. Now that he can't even protect himself, he hasn't forgotten to comfort us. I don't resent him for my child being arrested."
"None of us resent him. May Buddha bless him, and I hope Yang Jian overcomes all dangers and has everything go smoothly outside, clears his case, and returns soon."
Five thousand yuan is not a small sum. Some families have to work for half a year to earn it. Receiving this unexpected windfall at the end of the year, these family members, whether sincerely or not, praised Yang Jian to the skies.
San Pang stood up and waved his hand: "Everyone, please keep your voices down. I hope you don't spread this matter outside, as it will be detrimental to Brother Jian.
Also, from now on, at the end of every month, you can come to collect a salary, still five thousand yuan. If Brother Jian is arrested, this money will be gone. Do you understand?"
"Understood, we won't say anything."
"Don't worry, only a fool would gossip."
"My Biao Biao is a sworn brother to Yang Jian. If anyone deliberately harms Yang Jian, I'll be the first one to deal with them."
Everyone expressed their loyalty, especially Biao Biao's father. His voice was the loudest. However, San Pang looked down on him because he never cared about Biao Biao before and was a degenerate gambler. It was only because there was money to be made that he was so excited.
The wages for over a dozen people were distributed in less than half an hour. After seeing everyone out of the factory, San Pang returned to the office and eagerly urged Jing Yongli.
"Yongli, hurry up, call Brother Jian. When I came out just now, I had verbally informed Yang Rui to bring her parents here. I'll chat with Brother Jian for a bit first."
He was afraid of eavesdropping at home, so talking to Yang Jian at the factory was safer. It was New Year's, and Yang Jian wanted to say a few words to his family in person, but he was afraid his parents' and sister's phones might be monitored.
New Year's was a peak period for police pursuits. Not only would they monitor phone calls, but they might also arrange plainclothes officers to stake out near the fugitive's home, or even mobilize surrounding residents to monitor and report him. He had to be cautious.
The factory was on holiday, and even Jiang Bin had returned to his hometown for the New Year. Therefore, there was no one in the factory. Jing Yongli was guarding the factory and had to wait for Yang Jian's father to finish his New Year's dinner before he could be replaced and go home.
After tying the penned-in large wolfdog at the factory entrance, Jing Yongli returned to the office and dialed Yang Jian's number.
Before he could speak, San Pang snatched the phone.
"Jian, Brother Jian, it's San Pang. How are you doing out there?"
San Pang's voice was a little excited. He and Yang Jian had grown up together, so they naturally had feelings for each other. Although he had betrayed him once in the past, it was under duress. It was precisely because Yang Jian forgave him that time that he became loyal to Yang Jian with all his heart, not hesitating to risk his life to be a mole by Brother Mao's side.
"San Pang, I'm fine. Are you still working for Brother Mao?"
Yang Jian, on the other end of the phone, was clearly a little surprised. He was expecting to talk to his parents, but he heard San Pang's voice instead.
"Brother Jian, it's good that you're safe. Ever since your incident, I've been very worried that you might be arrested too. According to your instructions, I'm still working for my master."
"San Pang, thank you for your concern. Yongli told me that you always buy a lot of fruit and snacks to visit my parents and grandmother every time you come back. That's very thoughtful of you."
"Since you're not home, shouldn't I fulfill my filial duty for you? Brother Jian, you left in a hurry without taking anything. You must have suffered a lot, right?"
"It's alright. How about it, is Brother Mao still selling methaqualone?"
"No, maybe he sensed danger, or someone tipped him off. He hasn't gone out for half a year, and he hasn't asked me to deliver goods either."
"This old fox, has he retired?"
"I don't know. But he's been living quite comfortably lately, with a large income. He probably doesn't need to sell methaqualone to cover his son's and sister's medical expenses."
"Is that so? What new source of wealth has he found? Gambling?"
"Not gambling. The whole town knows he's a cheat. Who would play with him? He has shares in the casinos opened by Hongxing and Baoguo. Additionally, Hongxing and Baoguo are extensively stealing river sand contracted by Zhou Tao, and he's also getting a cut of that."
"Zhou Tao is an old-school big shot. Can't he compete with Hongxing and Baoguo?"
"He can't. Hongxing and Baoguo are now the biggest forces in the town. Zhou Tao organized his men to confront them twice and lost both times. Now he can only watch helplessly as the yellow sand from the Daxin River is continuously carted away by them, with no way to stop it."
"Damn, Hongxing and Baoguo are so arrogant. It seems Zhou Tao is really old. By the way, has Brother Mao asked you about my situation?"
San Pang replied with a cold laugh: "Of course he has. I just got off work yesterday. Before I left, he kept me talking for a long time, asking if I had any news about you. Naturally, I didn't say anything, and I didn't know where you were in the first place.
Finally, he asked me to contact your parents more during the New Year and notify him immediately if I had any news about you. For this reason, he even gave me a five-thousand-yuan red envelope."
Yang Jian gritted his teeth on the other end: "Damn it, I'm a fugitive, and this old fox still hasn't decided to let me go."
"He's afraid of you. As long as you're not locked up, he's worried that you'll come back for revenge. Right now, you're the only one in the entire town who can suppress them.
Not only Brother Mao, but Hongxing and Baoguo also don't want you to come back. As soon as they have news of you, they'll report you immediately. So, you must be careful and don't reveal your whereabouts to anyone."
San Pang was genuinely concerned about Yang Jian. He knew how powerful Brother Mao and the others were. Once they got a hint of Yang Jian's whereabouts, they could send him to jail.