Dongjiang City, the fruit wholesale market.
At the Northern Fruit Trading Company, Yang Jian was called into the office by the boss's wife to collect his wages. Dan Wei was also inside.
"Little Yang, you've been with our company for two full months. Have you thought about leaving here for another job?"
After handing Yang Jian six thousand yuan in cash, Dan Wei asked with a smile.
Yang Jian looked at him, confused. "Uncle Wei, do you mean you want me to leave? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, no, you're excellent at your work, no fault can be found. We don't want you to leave. We're just a little worried. You had a falling out with Master Fo, making him lose a lot of face. I'm afraid he might retaliate against you."
Master Fo had brought people to the company to corner Yang Jian and Ma Yuan, but Yang Jian had forcefully counterattacked. Although ten days had passed since the incident, everything had been calm, and Master Fo had not retaliated. Dan Wei found this a bit abnormal.
"Uncle Wei, is Master Fo giving you trouble? If so, I can leave."
Yang Jian felt that he had brought trouble to the company. Today was payday, and the boss wanted to fire him but was too embarrassed to say it, so it would be better if he brought it up himself.
"No, no. Master Fo hasn't contacted me lately, not even a phone call. On the contrary, ever since we played San Gong last time, he hasn't invited me to play cards either. I actually think it's because of you that he stopped demanding protection fees from me."
The boss's wife also nodded and said, "Little Yang, we don't mean to ask you to leave. On the contrary, we'd be glad to have you here because we trust you with the work. To be honest, when you first arrived, we secretly observed you. We tracked you for a few days before your first delivery."
"Tracked me? Why?"
"Don't misunderstand, we didn't mean anything else. After all, we didn't know you and Old Ma well. Entrusting you with the truck and fruits without receiving a deposit was risky. The facts prove that you are trustworthy."
"I understand. What you did was not wrong."
"Little Yang, we know Master Fo quite well. He's a smiling tiger. He appears friendly on the surface, but he's actually very insidious. You embarrassed him in front of so many people in the market that day, and he definitely won't let it go. We're talking to you today to remind you to be vigilant at all times. We absolutely don't want you to leave."
"Thank you, Boss's wife. I'll be careful."
"Little Yang, go back and think about it carefully. If you feel unsafe, you can leave anytime. I'll settle your wages on a daily basis."
"Okay, I'll go back and think about it."
After leaving the office, Yang Jian found Ma Yuan and handed him four thousand yuan in cash.
Ma Yuan counted it and quickly returned two thousand to him. "Brother Yang, I can't take so much money. My dad used to work with you, and he had more strength and did more work. Giving me four thousand is already taking care of him. Since I started, it's mainly you who's been doing the work, and I'm just along for the ride. How can I take so much money?"
"Take it. Save more money to open a barbecue restaurant."
"No, I absolutely won't take it. Even if we open a barbecue restaurant, you'll be the boss, so it's more appropriate for you to save the money."
"Little Ma, I lost my ID card, so I can't open an account at the bank. Carrying too much cash is inconvenient. Can you help me deposit it?"
Ma Yuan took the cash back, then looked around to make sure no one was there, and asked in a low voice, "Brother Yang, did you get into trouble back home?"
Yang Jian was startled. "Why do you ask?"
"Heh heh, because your behavior is too abnormal. Brother Yuan Hai also has people who got into trouble back home and are hiding here, and they're quite similar to you."
"Is that so? Tell me, in what ways am I acting abnormally?"
Yang Jian felt a bit uneasy. If even Ma Yuan could see that he had issues, that wouldn't be good.
"First, you gave the majority of your income to my dad, which is very abnormal. Since you're here to work, making money is the primary goal, but I feel like you're not interested in money.
Second, with your income, you could easily rent a place for yourself. There's no need to squeeze into such a small room with my father and me. You probably don't dare to register.
Third, you never go out to spend money. Every day after work, you go back to the rental house. Not to mention buying things, you don't even stroll around the streets. No normal young person would be like this.
Fourth, with your skills, you could definitely do very well back home. You should be a very impressive person, not someone who comes out here to earn this hard-earned money.
And then there's the fact that Master Fo offered you five hundred thousand yuan, and you refused. This makes people even more suspicious. Five hundred thousand yuan! At your current salary level, you'd have to work for ten years to earn that, but you refused without any hesitation.
Considering these points, I've long felt that you must have committed a crime and are hiding here. But don't worry, I won't gossip. Brother Yuan Hai has several people like that."
Ma Yuan's analysis was very logical, and Yang Jian felt that he had been too cautious, which instead made him seem abnormal.
"Little Ma, don't inquire about my affairs. We got paid today, so we won't eat at the company. Let's go out for a meal, my treat."
Yang Jian didn't want to discuss the topic.
"Okay, but you don't need to treat. Fang Hai has invited me several times. His cousin wants to meet you and treat you to a meal. How about today?"
"Fang Hai? That's fine. He helped us last time, so this meal should be my treat for him. You arrange it, I'm not familiar with the restaurants here."
"Alright, I'll contact him right away."
Ma Yuan had been bored for a long time. Because he was worried about Master Fo's retaliation, he had been going out and coming back early with Yang Jian every day, never daring to separate from him. He had also refused invitations from his friends to play online games or go drinking. Today, he finally managed to persuade Yang Jian.
At five in the afternoon, Yang Jian said goodbye to Dan Wei and left work early with Ma Yuan.
The two rode their motorcycles directly to Fang Hai's billiard hall. Fang Hai was already waiting for them there. After a few pleasantries, the three walked to a Sichuan hot pot restaurant about two hundred meters away, leaving their motorcycles at the billiard hall.
Knowing that Yang Jian could eat spicy food, Fang Hai ordered a red oil broth and a large table full of beef and lamb.
Just as they finished ordering, a young man in his thirties, of medium build but with a strong, broad back, and quite handsome, arrived with two young men in their early twenties.
Fang Hai quickly stood up and introduced them. "Brother Yang, this is my cousin, Fang Zhicheng. Brother, this is Mr. Yang."
Fang Zhicheng first offered Yang Jian a cigarette, then shook his hand with both hands. "Mr. Yang, I finally get to meet you in person. I've wanted to invite you out for a chat for a long time, but I've been too busy lately. Let's talk more today."
Yang Jian felt a bit embarrassed by his enthusiasm. "Mr. Fang, you're too kind. You're a busy person, managing many affairs. I was afraid of delaying your time."
"Cough, what important affairs do I have? I'm just messing around. I see that Mr. Yang is younger than me. How about we call each other brothers? It's awkward to call each other Mr. Yang and Mr. Fang."
"Alright, I'm not a boss either, just a worker. It's a bit awkward for you to call me Mr. Yang. Just call me Little Yang, and I'll call you Brother Cheng."
"Okay, then I'll take the liberty of calling you Little Yang. After dinner, let's go singing. All expenses today are on me. We must have a good time."
It was evident that Fang Zhicheng was a person with a generous personality.