Yang Jian and others arrived about five hundred meters from Luogang Town before they saw Song Jianmin lying motionless by the roadside. The car's windows were all smashed, and a few people were watching but dared not approach.
"Jianmin, how are you?"
Yang Jian rushed over as soon as he got out of the car. Just as he was about to help him up, Lu Yao pulled him back.
"Don't move rashly, let Xiaoxia check first."
Wei Xia was also quick, quickly examining Song Jianmin's pupils, pulse, and injuries.
"The patient's breathing is normal, and there should be no life-threatening danger. However, he has multiple fractures and a severe head injury, causing him to be unconscious. He cannot be moved for now and must wait for the ambulance."
After a series of checks, Wei Xia gave her initial assessment.
Just as Yang Jian was about to ask the onlookers if there were any witnesses, he saw a police car approaching. Two uniformed officers got out.
"What's going on? Who called the police? Who are you people?"
An officer, around thirty years old, approached Yang Jian to ask, as he was closest to Song Jianmin.
Another officer was taking photos of the crime scene with a camera for evidence.
"Officer, this injured person is Song Jianmin, a villager from Songjia Village in Luogang Town, currently residing in Chengguan. I am his classmate. Ten minutes ago, he called me saying he was beaten. By the time we arrived, he was like this."
"Did you call 120?"
"Yes, they're on their way."
"Then send the injured person to the hospital first. We'll talk to him to understand the situation once he's conscious."
After speaking, the officer went to question the onlookers.
Song Jianhao and Sixi also arrived from the direction of Luogang at this time, and the 120 ambulance arrived simultaneously.
"Are there any family members of the patient? Please come with us to the hospital."
Under the direction of the medical staff, several people worked together to lift Song Jianmin onto the ambulance. The doctor then made a request.
"Xiao Yang, you go to Songjia Village to take charge of everything. I'll go to the hospital."
Song Jianhao gave a brief instruction and then drove off quickly, following the ambulance.
Sixi stayed behind to deal with the car.
Yang Jian had no choice but to lead Lu Yao and the others to Songjia Village.
They parked the car at the commercial concrete station again and walked into the opera venue.
"Wow, so many people! I didn't expect the countryside to be so lively during the New Year."
Lu Yao was very surprised to see thousands of people gathered at the large opera venue. Having been studying for so many years, she rarely understood rural life, and this scene was a refreshing change for her.
"This is my first time seeing such a scene too. It's quite interesting."
Wei Xia was slightly older, already twenty-seven years old after graduating from medical university, and had always lived in the city.
"Then, are you coming with me to the casino, or do you want to look around here first?"
Yang Jian didn't have time to accompany them to watch the opera. With the Song brothers absent, someone needed to manage the venue, and he had to be there.
"Let's go with you first. Otherwise, we won't know where to find you later."
Lu Yao's eyes lit up at the snacks by the roadside, but she still wanted to follow Yang Jian to get oriented.
The entrance of the ancestral hall was crowded with gamblers waiting for the games to start. Liangliang and Biaobiao had already organized personnel to complete the preparations for the two casinos, waiting for the boss to open for business.
"Biaobiao, you're in charge of the outside area, and Liangliang, you go inside. Let the Emperor Company in, and let's start immediately."
Yang Jian gave brief instructions and then entered the ancestral hall, which was where he intended to personally preside.
When Lu Yao and Wei Xia followed him into the ancestral hall, they instantly stunned the entire venue. Lu Yao, in particular, was so beautiful that people dared not look directly at her. Although Wei Xia was also attractive, her charm was primarily in her temperament.
"Brother Jian, is this your girlfriend?"
Wu Zhi was the first to greet them, his eyes fixed on Lu Yao because she was closest to Yang Jian.
Yang Jian hadn't expected such a reaction when Lu Yao and the others followed him in.
"No, no, this is my sister."
"What sister? Your sister Yang Rui is my junior high classmate, and I know her. Who are you trying to fool?"
"Ahem, she is my master's daughter, here to watch the opera. Stop talking nonsense, let's start immediately. Liangliang, be the dealer."
As Yang Jian spoke, he sat down in his usual spot.
Lu Yao and Wei Xia were very curious and decided to watch for a while before going to the opera venue. They stood behind Yang Jian.
As soon as the game started, the entire venue fell silent. Everyone's attention was on the gambling. These were all big bosses, accustomed to seeing beautiful women, so they no longer paid attention to Lu Yao and the other.
Wu Wangchun walked over and sat beside Yang Jian.
"Damn, that's a lot of money."
As the gambling officially began, the table was immediately covered with banknotes, totaling around two hundred thousand. Lu Yao looked shocked.
Wei Xia also stared at the pile of money in disbelief: "Is this gambling? Why are there so many rich people? Yaoyao, our salaries are only around a thousand, and they're betting years of our wages in one go."
"Exactly, this completely subverts my understanding."
"Yaoyao, looking at this scene, Yang Jian opened this casino. Does that mean he's even richer?"
"He's got no money. Last year, when he was doing construction in Xichuan, he owed a lot of debt and still owed over a million in wages to the migrant workers."
"Then this casino he's running must be very profitable. Is he a legendary underworld boss? Otherwise, how could he run such a big casino?"
"He's not an underworld boss, but he's quite famous in Chengguan. He once brought down a criminal organization. Although he has a bad reputation, he's a righteous person and has never bullied ordinary people. He's probably running this casino now to make money to repay his debts."
"You have quite a high opinion of him, and he's handsome too. Do you like him?"
"Pfft, how could I like him? He's just my dad's apprentice. My dad appreciates him a lot, and he saved me once, so we're just close. If I'm going to get married, I want to marry a civil servant. He's just a country boy with no stable profession."
The two were whispering, their voices very low, not reaching Yang Jian's ears.
Wu Wangchun was also speaking quietly with Yang Jian.
"Xiao Yang, I heard Jianmin was beaten. How is he?"
"He's quite seriously injured. When I saw him, he was already unconscious, with multiple fractures. The attacker was very heavy-handed."
"Do you know who did it?"
"I don't know, but it's likely Baoguo and Hongxing."
"I guess so. They wouldn't dare to attack you, so they targeted the Song brothers. Their goal is to bring down this place. You should also be careful. Those in the underworld are not to be trifled with. They'll do anything for profit. For example, for me to open this casino, I had to drive out Xu Zheng and get rid of his uncle. To Xu Zheng, I'm also despicable."
Wu Wangchun did not hide his calculations.
Yang Jian agreed wholeheartedly: "Uncle, you're right. There are too many people playing tricks in this society. Brother Mao played me like a fiddle. By the way, I met Sister Feng today."
"What did she say?"
"She was very busy. After I told her about your situation, she left with just one sentence: it's a small matter. She'll have Yu Xiangdong leave Xinqiao within a week. If you have any reporting materials, you can report it immediately."
"That's great. I'll arrange for someone to submit the materials tomorrow."
"Uncle, do you think Sister Feng's words are credible?"
"Of course. You don't know how much influence she has in official circles. Transferring a deputy station chief is not difficult for her at all."
"Then I don't understand. If she's so powerful, why is she afraid of hooligans like Pan Wenbin and Old Gui?"
Yang Jian voiced the question that had always puzzled him.