Yang Jian had expected that a boss like Fo Ye wouldn't seek revenge on an ordinary worker for yesterday's incident. It was unexpected that he would invite him back to work instead.
"Wei Ge, what's going on? Why does Fo Ye want to see me?"
Yang Jian didn't refuse directly, wanting to understand the situation.
Dan Wei gave a wry smile. "Didn't I borrow tens of thousands from him last night? I planned to talk to him about you while returning the money today, to resolve the conflict between you. After all, these people aren't as broad-minded or magnanimous as you might think. The bodyguard you beat up certainly won't let you off easily.
I didn't expect Fo Ye to contact me proactively. We had afternoon tea, and his main purpose was to understand your background and then have me persuade you to work with him. He even said that if you joined his team, I wouldn't have to gamble anymore.
Honestly, this condition is very beneficial to me, but I really don't know your background. I don't even know your full name, only that your surname is Yang. So, I couldn't introduce you. Fo Ye was a bit displeased and told me to come back and persuade you.
Xiao Yang, you need to make your own decision on this. Following Fo Ye means a life of luxury and good food, and the treatment would definitely be much better than here. But it's also very dangerous. His Yu Nan gang is constantly fighting with the Xi Chuan gang, often engaging in brawls. Currently, the Yu Nan gang has the upper hand and is more powerful.
If you don't want to associate with them, Fo Ye probably won't bother you. I'm just worried about his bodyguard, A Liang, causing you trouble. You injured him, and he definitely won't be happy about it."
Yang Jian frowned. Dan Wei's words served as a reminder. Fo Ye might not dwell on yesterday's minor incident, but his subordinates might not feel the same.
As for his name, Yang Jian had actually used a false name, Yang Wu, when he came to the trading company. The boss's wife had forgotten to check his driver's license and only registered Old Ma's ID card. Dan Wei paid even less attention to what his name was.
Since the trading company's employees were all temporary and frequently changed, and he wasn't in charge of the accounts, it was normal for him not to know Yang Jian's full name.
"Uncle Wei, what Fo Ye and his people do is illegal. I don't want to be involved in any fighting or killing. I just want to work peacefully, earn some money, and go home in a couple of years to get married."
"What if that A Liang retaliates against you?"
"Uncle Wei, if I don't join Fo Ye's team, will it affect your business?"
"No, it won't. I pay protection fees to Fo Ye, so his brothers wouldn't dare to attack us."
"Then it's fine. As long as A Liang doesn't come to the trading company to retaliate against me."
Yang Jian wasn't blindly confident in his ability to handle A Liang. He just didn't want to lose this job. It was relatively easy, and the boss didn't inquire about employees' pasts.
Most importantly, his living place wasn't far from here. If A Liang wanted to deal with him, he could find him even if he changed jobs. Having finally found Old Ma's place as a foothold, he wasn't about to give it up just because of someone's threats.
"Alright, I'll relay your thoughts to Fo Ye and try my best to persuade him to restrain his brothers from bothering you. However, you also need to be careful. Try not to go out wandering at night. Go home early after dinner."
Dan Wei also didn't want Yang Jian to quit. It was hard to find a driver who could endure hardship and also fight. He could even bring a free bodyguard when he went out for social events.
After this incident, Dan Wei and his wife's attitude towards Yang Jian improved. They often taught him some business experience, especially regarding the fruit market. They even said that if conditions allowed in the future, they would support him in opening a fruit store.
There was no movement from Fo Ye's side. A Liang might still be recovering from his injuries and hadn't bothered Yang Jian.
Yang Jian and Old Ma repeated the same work every day and were quite happy doing it.
After working for a full month, the boss's wife paid their wages. Besides the promised six thousand yuan, she also gave Yang Jian an additional five hundred yuan bonus.
"Uncle Ma, here, this is your salary for this month."
Emerging from the office, Yang Jian handed four thousand yuan in cash to Old Ma.
Old Ma counted it and indeed found four thousand yuan. He quickly took out two thousand yuan to return. "Xiao Yang, this job is mainly yours. You should take the lion's share. I can't take advantage of you."
"Uncle Ma, stop dawdling. Your son, Ma Yuan, wants to open a barbecue restaurant. You should save more money to help him open it sooner."
"But this isn't the proper way. You're the driver, how can..."
Old Ma was about to refuse further when Yang Jian pushed him away. This scene was witnessed by Dan Wei and his wife, who were very surprised.
"Old Dan, don't you think this Xiao Yang is very strange? He gave four thousand yuan to Old Ma out of a six thousand yuan salary. I've never seen anyone like this before," the boss's wife voiced her confusion first.
Dan Wei mused, "Wife, I feel that this Xiao Yang is not simple. He's probably not here to work for money, but rather to escape trouble."
"Then is he a criminal?"
"It's hard to say. Based on his performance this past month, this kid is very proper in his dealings, diligent in his work, and can endure hardship. Although he's a good fighter, he's never bullied anyone. Whether he's committed a crime or not, as long as he works well, we'll just pretend we don't know anything."
"That's true. This place is a mixed bag, with all sorts of people. We can't worry about so much."
Although the couple had some suspicions about Yang Jian, they didn't dwell on it.
After receiving his wages, Old Ma skipped dinner and left the trading company early. He first went to the bank to deposit two thousand yuan, then went to the barbecue restaurant and gave his son five hundred yuan.
Finally, with fifteen hundred yuan, he arrived at a small convenience store in Liuqiao Village, where he often bought lottery tickets.
Today was Tuesday, and the draw was at 8:30 PM. With Yang Jian looking out for him this month, he had saved an extra thousand yuan in the bank. He had over a thousand yuan in hand and decided to play big.
"Old Ma, what number are you planning to buy today?"
Many people were gathered in the convenience store, studying lottery reports. Someone he knew greeted Old Ma.
"I haven't decided yet, Old Xie. Why don't you help me pick a number? I'm going to buy a lot today. If I win, I'll treat you to a drink."
People who bought lottery tickets were very superstitious. Besides studying the reports carefully, they also liked to ask lucky people for a number to bet on. This Old Xie had won four thousand yuan in the last draw. He wondered if he could catch some of his good luck.
The so-called lottery reports were small newspapers specifically analyzing Mark Six lotteries. They contained various analyses and proverbs, which were said to hide winning numbers if one could decipher them.
These small newspapers cost money to buy, and they were different each issue, with various versions. This was actually a way for some organizations to make money.
"Old Ma, buy number twenty-seven for this issue."
Old Xie gave a number. He and Old Ma were from the same hometown in Xi Chuan and often drank together, so he casually said twenty-seven as a joke.
Old Ma nodded at him and handed a thousand yuan to the young man who wrote down the numbers. "Special number twenty-seven, one thousand yuan."
The young man glanced at him expressionlessly, took the cash, and verified it on the counting machine before printing a ticket for him. This ticket was a carbon copy, and Old Ma received the second copy. If he won, he would use this ticket to claim his prize.
"Wow, Old Ma, did you strike it rich? You're actually willing to spend a thousand yuan on lottery tickets?"
Old Xie knew Old Ma too well. He worked a labor-intensive job, and half of his monthly salary was sent here. He usually bought lottery tickets for a hundred yuan, betting on ten numbers at once. This time, he was spending a thousand yuan on a single number. It was truly as if the sun had risen from the west.
It could be said that the people living in this area were mostly low-level laborers. Although many bought lottery tickets, most bought them for tens or hundreds of yuan to try their luck. Few spent thousands of yuan on them, which naturally drew everyone's attention.
Old Ma, however, remained low-key, laughed it off, and quickly left.