The construction site was far from the stage of laying the foundation and reinforcing steel bars. Zheng Guangyao had lied.
This was Yang Jian’s first impression after getting out of the car.
Zheng Guangyao also got out and walked up to Yang Jian. “Little Yang, I’ll arrange for the templates to be unloaded immediately. You and your friends can come to the office to rest.”
“Manager Zheng, your earthwork isn’t even finished yet. Isn’t it too early for the official start?”
“Ahem, these templates are for building temporary facilities and will be used as bed boards.”
Zheng Guangyao was clearly a bit embarrassed. He had indeed lied yesterday. Foundation construction wouldn’t officially begin for another ten days or so, and Yang Jian, being an insider, couldn’t be fooled.
However, this explanation was also reasonable. Migrant worker dormitories often used templates for bed boards. Yang Jian didn’t say much more, as long as his templates were used.
The four of them followed Zheng Guangyao into the office, which was a prefabricated structure. Several technical staff were looking at blueprints inside, and two of them were acquaintances.
“Engineer Yuan, Engineer Zhao, long time no see.”
Yang Jian took the initiative to greet them. When he first started doing carpentry as a subcontractor, these two site supervisors had taken good care of him.
“Little Yang, I didn’t expect you to become a big boss in just over a year. Come in, come in.”
Engineer Yuan was only twenty-eight or twenty-nine, unmarried, and had always gotten along well with Yang Jian. He was clearly happy to see him.
Engineer Zhao was in his thirties and usually didn’t talk much. He quickly got up to pour tea for them.
Zheng Guangyao offered cigarettes to Yang Jian and his companions. “Little Yang, your friends look like skilled fighters. Introduce them.”
“Oh, this is Biao Biao, Ah Feng, and Ah Nan. They are my junior brothers.”
Ah Feng and Ah Nan were both wearing short-sleeved t-shirts, and their pectoral muscles were exceptionally well-developed, making it impossible to be low-key. Yang Jian had no choice but to admit it.
Zheng Guangyao seemed extremely pleased. “Hello, hello. It’s rare for you to visit me today. Let’s have lunch together. Little Yang, you can’t refuse.”
“Alright, I also want to chat more with Engineer Yuan and the others.”
They chatted while drinking tea, waiting for the workers outside to unload the templates before settling the accounts.
A migrant worker wearing a hard hat suddenly ran in. “Manager Zheng, those people are back again. They’re not letting us unload the templates and they beat up the truck driver.”
Before Zheng Guangyao could speak, Yang Jian sprang up, drew the collapsible baton from his waist, and rushed out. It wasn’t for any other reason than the truck driver was brought by him, and it was unacceptable for him to be beaten.
Biao Biao, Ah Feng, and Ah Nan also rushed out closely behind.
Zheng Guangyao followed, but a smile appeared on his face. His objective had finally been achieved.
The unloading area was more than thirty meters away from the office. When Yang Jian arrived, the truck driver, Xiao Li, had already been beaten to the ground.
Seven or eight young men armed with cleavers and wooden clubs were smashing the truck’s cab. The four workers who were unloading stood far away, not daring to approach.
“Son of a bitch.”
Yang Jian’s eyes blazed with anger as he sprinted at a hundred meters per second and knocked down a young man who was smashing the windshield with a single blow.
Biao Biao and the other two were not slow either. They charged into the opponent’s crowd, each wielding two collapsible batons, which flashed up and down, causing the opponents to wail.
In less than a minute, six young men were lying on the ground. Two reacted quickly and fled, abandoning a minivan.
“Xiao Li, are you alright?”
Yang Jian put away his collapsible baton and helped the driver, Xiao Li, up.
Xiao Li rubbed his backside. “I’m fine. I only got hit twice. I didn’t resist, so they didn’t beat me further.”
“Why did they hit you?”
“I don’t know. I was helping the workers unload the templates when these people showed up and started hitting without asking any questions. Those workers reacted quickly and ran as soon as they saw their vehicle.”
Yang Jian looked at Zheng Guangyao, who had just arrived. “Manager Zheng, what’s going on?”
“These are local thugs. They probably want to monopolize the construction materials on the site. We’ve had two conflicts with them already, but they didn’t resort to violence. I didn’t expect them to be so arrogant this time, rushing in and hitting people. Engineer Yuan, call the police quickly.”
“Hold on, Manager Zheng. Your purpose in asking me to come here probably wasn’t just for the templates, was it?”
Zheng Guangyao’s expression changed. “Little Yang, don’t misunderstand. I really need the templates. You can ask Engineer Yuan if you don’t believe me. But I also hoped you could help me deal with these hooligans. I’m sorry I didn’t inform you in advance.”
Being used again, Yang Jian wanted to curse, but Zheng Guangyao had admitted it himself, and it wasn’t good to fall out with him, as he still had to deal with him.
The construction workers had gathered around, about ten in total. The excavators in the distance had also stopped, and a few people were walking over, likely to watch the commotion.
“Call your boss and tell him to send money. Our vehicle and driver must be compensated, or we’ll cripple all of you and send you to the police station.”
Biao Biao stepped on a young man’s chest, pointing his collapsible baton at his forehead. The other five were controlled by Ah Feng and Ah Nan.
The young man was defiant. “No need to call. Our boss will be here soon. If you have the guts to lay hands on us, I’ll take your surname if you can walk out of this compound today.”
“Damn it, can’t you see the situation? Believe it or not, I’ll break your leg right now.”
Biao Biao then struck him twice, and the young man couldn’t help but yelp.
Engineer Yuan was worried about escalating the situation. “Little Yang, let’s call the police. More people will come soon.”
Yang Jian sneered. “If the police could solve the problem, Manager Zheng wouldn’t have lied to get me here. I know this place too well. If we call the police now, they won’t arrive for at least half an hour.”
“But we still have to call the police, otherwise it’ll be disadvantageous for us, especially since you injured their people.”
“Then you call the police, Manager Zheng. Give me your word, how should we handle this today? If more people come, should we fight back?”
“Let’s go! Damn it, they’re pushing their luck too far. As long as no one is killed, I’ll take all the consequences. Zhao Gong, organize the workers, have them all wear safety helmets, and distribute a pickaxe handle to each person. Prepare for battle. Everyone who participates in today’s action will receive three hundred yuan.”
Zheng Guangyao also had some backbone, otherwise he wouldn’t have been able to become a boss. It was common for construction sites to be harassed by criminal forces. Without courage and guts, it was impossible to get by.
Zhao Gong immediately went to call the workers. As an experienced site supervisor, he had seen such scenes many times. If they didn’t show strength, they would face endless harassment and bullying from local thugs. A single decisive blow was better than a hundred hesitant ones.
“Biao Biao, ask them who their boss is.”
Yang Jian was calm. Since it had come to this, he had no choice but to help Zheng Guangyao see this through, as he needed him to sell templates. However, he also needed to understand the opponent’s background.
Biao Biao squatted down and patted the young man’s face. “What’s your boss’s name?”
“Our boss is Brother Xiong. You can’t afford to offend him. Let us go quickly. You can still leave now.”
Perhaps seeing that Yang Jian and his group’s combat power was too terrifying, the young man changed his strategy. He wanted to get away first.
“Brother Xiong?”
Biao Biao and Yang Jian exchanged glances, looking bewildered.