A few people chatted for a while, and it was time for dinner. Fang Zhicheng took Yang Jian and the others to a Sichuan restaurant, brought four bottles of Feitian Moutai, and ordered a large table of hearty dishes.
"Little Yang, let's go to a bar after dinner. You've been in Dongjiang for so long without relaxing, let's have a wild night today."
When they were almost done eating, Fang Zhicheng made a suggestion.
Yang Jian asked Afeng and the others, then said, "Let's skip it today. They've been on a bus for two days and need to rest. Anyway, we'll be living here permanently, so there will be plenty of time in the future."
"Alright, when will the gambling house take over?"
"Brother Cheng, in a few days. We need to go to Nanhai for something to deal with. It's okay if the car is used for a few days, right?"
"Little Yang, what are you talking about? The car was a gift from Brother Fa to you. You don't need to tell me where you're going. Do you have enough people to go to Nanhai? Should I arrange a few brothers to go with you?"
"No need, we're going to see some fellow villagers. We'll sort out the gambling house matters when we get back. Also, please keep an eye on Buddha's whereabouts."
"No problem, I've already arranged for Fang Hai to track Buddha and figure out his daily routine. Also, are you planning to be an agent or run the gambling house yourself?"
"I'll run it myself. We have a lot of people now, and being an agent won't support them."
In the past two days, Yang Jian had searched online for the gameplay and rules of Mark Six and found that selling private lotteries was very profitable and a worthwhile industry to invest in.
"Okay, I'll arrange for two people to help you get started. Are there any issues with funding? Brother Fa said he can lend you some."
"There are no problems with funding. Please thank Brother Fa for me."
Afeng and the others had money with them this time, and raising two to three million was not a problem. Jing Yongli had also prepared a bank card for Yang Jian with 200,000 yuan in it.
Fang Zhicheng's confirmation solidified that Yang Jian and his group were capable and not short of money.
Nanhai City, Dali Town.
Yang Jian drove with Afeng and the other two, and after asking around, they finally found Xingwang Brick and Tile Factory. The owner, workers, and drivers here were all from Xinhe.
By asking anyone casually, they easily found Biao Biao's uncle, Luo Jianhua.
"What do you do? Why are you looking for me?"
Luo Jianhua was waiting in line to load bricks at the kiln. He was a capable middle-aged man in his forties. Seeing Yang Jian and the others in luxury cars looking for him, he was very confused. He didn't have any friends or relatives that wealthy.
"Uncle, we're Biao Biao's friends. He mentioned us to you before, right?"
Yang Jian offered him a cigarette.
Luo Jianhua immediately understood, "Oh, are you Mr. Yang?"
"Yes, I'm Yang Jian. Are you free now? Let's find a place to sit."
Knowing there was a risk in revealing his name, Yang Jian still chose to trust the man.
Luo Jianhua clearly knew Yang Jian was wanted. He looked around and said, "Get in the car first. I'll go say hello to my wife and be right back."
This was the peak period of urban construction, and the demand for red bricks was very high. Luo Jianhua and his group took orders from outside themselves, acting as both drivers and small-time brick resellers, earning much more than those who simply transported bricks for the kiln.
Due to the shortage of red bricks, they had to queue at the kiln to purchase them daily and load them onto their trucks themselves. This was usually done by couples, and although it was profitable, it was also very hard work.
Having guests today, Luo Jianhua had to hire two temporary workers to help his wife load the bricks.
"Mr. Yang, I have to deliver goods soon. Aren't you leaving today? I'll treat you to dinner when I get back tonight."
Luo Jianhua went to give some instructions and then returned to sit in the car.
"Uncle, Biao Biao and I are sworn brothers. Just call me Xiao Yang. Why don't we not drive today? Take this five thousand yuan first. I'll thank you properly after this is done."
Yang Jian slipped a roll of cash into Luo Jianhua's pocket.
Luo Jianhua immediately pushed it back. "Xiao Yang, what are you doing? Since you're Biao Biao's sworn brother, I won't treat you as an outsider. Taking your money would be an insult. However, I must deliver this load of bricks today. The customer is waiting and can't afford to delay their construction."
"Alright then, we'll wait for you."
"Don't worry, I've hired two workers to help with loading and unloading. It will take at most two hours to come back. We'll have to wait for about an hour to load here, so we can chat for a while."
"Uncle, your brick delivery business seems to be doing well?"
"It's okay. I can earn over ten thousand a year, and if I'm lucky, I can make twenty thousand."
"Really? That's incredible. You can earn enough to build a small Western-style house in a year."
Wealthy farmers in Xinhe villages were now fond of building three-story or two-story Western-style houses, which generally cost around a hundred thousand yuan, and tens of thousands for luxurious renovations.
"I earn a lot, but I also spend a lot. I lose tens of thousands a year on Mark Six gambling. I haven't saved much money after working here for a few years."
"You also buy Mark Six, and gamble?"
"Here, whether you're a worker or a businessman, not many people don't buy Mark Six. Gambling is forced upon us by Hong Xing."
Luo Jianhua sighed at this point.
Yang Jian was a little surprised. "Forced by Hong Xing? Do you have any leverage over him?"
"It's not about having leverage over him, but Hong Xing has a very large influence here. He established a Xinhe Chamber of Commerce here, and all Xinhe brick factory owners and drivers in the Nanhai area are members of the chamber. Not only do they have to pay annual membership fees, but they also have to act as the banker at his casino."
"That's so overbearing. It's understandable for brick factory owners to join the chamber, but why do you drivers, who earn your money through hard labor, have to join? What services can he provide you?"
"They don't provide services, they provide protection. Nanhai has a large migrant population, and people from different regions form factions. We drivers are on the road all day, and it's inevitable that we'll encounter traffic accidents or disputes. If we can't resolve them ourselves, we can seek their help."
"Can they resolve them?"
"Most of the time, they can. To be honest, their influence is indeed much greater than that of ordinary people like us. Whether it's dealing with traffic police or arguing with people from other provinces, they handle it better."
"So, the existence of Hong Xing's chamber of commerce is beneficial to you?"
"It was beneficial a few years ago. At least when we were bullied by outsiders, they would stand up for us. But in the last few years, there have been no benefits at all, and we've been greatly harmed."
"How so?"
"Public security is much better now than a few years ago. There aren't as many incidents of outsiders staging fake accidents or demanding protection fees. Traffic police enforcement is also more regulated, and arbitrary fines are less common. We can handle most traffic accidents or disputes ourselves because seeking their help requires paying a considerable fee.
In this situation, we drivers naturally don't want to pay the chamber of commerce. Since the chamber is no longer profitable, they have bribed outsiders to stage fake accidents and extort us. Any driver who doesn't pay membership fees or act as a banker at the casino will be subject to their disguised retaliation.
They openly declare that drivers who don't join the chamber will find it impossible to get by in Nanhai."