Liangliang and the others were also dumbfounded. They were all old hands at gambling, thinking they were going to do legitimate work and stay away from casinos, only to find themselves involved with gambling again in this remote mountain village.
Huang Hua handed out cigarettes to the four men. "Boss Yang, it's like this, our casino mainly targets the construction workers. Don't misunderstand, we don't force them to gamble. Those who come to play are entirely voluntary."
Yang Jian nodded. "It's fine, I don't care about that. With thousands of people on the construction site, opening a casino is indeed a quick way to make money. I have no right to interfere with others, nor will I participate in gambling, nor will I ask workers to come and gamble."
"No, no, no, we're not asking you to gamble. Let me finish. It's like this, the project department rarely uses cash, right? The workers usually use meal tickets for internal dining and purchases. Since the workers have little cash on hand, I plan to allow the use of meal tickets as stakes in the casino. This way, more workers will come to play."
"That's a good idea. Workers on the site play 'Zha Jinhua' and 'Dou Dizhu' with meal tickets, and it should be fine outside too. However, you'll need to maintain good relations with the project department because you're opening a casino, and the volume of meal tickets you earn will be substantial. Ultimately, you'll need to exchange them for cash at the project department."
Huang Hua slapped the table. "Boss Yang is smart, he gets it immediately. But I don't want to deal with the project department; I want to cooperate with you."
Yang Jian immediately understood his meaning. "You want to exchange meal tickets for cash with me?"
"Yes. I approached Manager Chen, but he disagreed because it's considered indirect support for a casino. If the police discover the casino, he won't be able to escape responsibility, and the company will also penalize him. Most importantly, it creates a bad impression. However, your team is not affected. We can do this privately, and the project department won't interfere."
"Why are you looking for me? There are dozens of teams on the construction site, and you're also a team leader. You can completely handle the meal tickets from the casino yourself."
"My waterproofing team only has a few people, and the construction period is short. Once the foundation is done, we'll withdraw. How can I possibly digest hundreds of thousands or millions of meal tickets? As for cooperating with you, there are three reasons."
"Three reasons?"
"Yes. First, the first time I met you, I knew you were a generous person with a commanding presence. Everyone, from the workers to the project department management, respects you. I've observed carefully; since the start of the project, your team is the only one that hasn't had any fights or disputes. If I'm not mistaken, you must have had some experience in the underworld."
Before Huang Hua could finish, Liangliang interjected, "That's right! My Brother Jian subdued the leaders of two top factions in Hancheng in the first half of the year. If it weren't for a family incident and his parents not allowing him to stay in the underworld, he'd be the most powerful boss in our entire Xinhe District right now."
As soon as he said this, the Huang brothers' expressions changed drastically, and their attitudes became even more humble.
Yang Jian glared at Liangliang. "What nonsense are you spouting? In Hancheng, I beat Brother Xiong in self-defense, and he didn't submit. Otherwise, he wouldn't have chased me. If Li Jin hadn't tipped me off, I'd be a grave mound by now."
Perhaps due to the alcohol, Yang Jian became more talkative. He was still deeply shaken by that incident.
His words were humble, but the Huang brothers basically understood. This Yang Jian was indeed a formidable character who had physically confronted a triad boss.
"Boss Huang, don't listen to his bragging. Please continue."
Yang Jian indulged himself for once. After several months on the construction site, this was his first time drinking and boasting.
Huang Hua chuckled. "I knew it, Boss Yang is indeed extraordinary. The second reason is that your team has the most people, enough to digest millions of meal tickets. And the most important reason is the third one: you are doing the 'double package' contract."
"What's the difference between a double package and a single package? Aren't they all just exchanging meal tickets for cash? Any team can do it."
"It's different. To be honest, you are all from out of town. Those doing single package contracts can leave for their hometowns at any time. If I give tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of meal tickets to them, and they run off, won't I lose a lot? But with your double package, even after the construction is completed, you can't leave immediately because your materials can't be moved in a single day."
Huang Hua spoke very directly, without beating around the bush.
"That makes sense. Tell me how we should cooperate. My brothers here have been in casinos for many years and know all the tricks."
Yang Jian became interested. He wasn't opposed to the idea of opening a casino. Wasn't there an advertisement slogan about protecting animals that said, "No trade, no slaughter"? Similarly, people who love to gamble will gamble wherever they are. Where there is demand, there are casinos.
With thousands of people on the site, a remote location, and few entertainment options, having a casino is normal. If you don't open one, others will. They won't cease to exist just because you reject them. The money lost by gamblers to Zhang San is no different from losing it to Li Si.
Since that's the case, why not take a share of the profits?
Huang Qiao laughed heartily. "Boss Yang is indeed straightforward. We have two ways to cooperate: First, we can partner to open a casino together, and profits will be shared according to our stakes.
Second, you only handle the digestion of meal tickets, and you'll get a three-point profit. For example, if I give you ten thousand yuan worth of meal tickets, you give me nine thousand seven hundred yuan in cash.
Of course, both cooperation methods require you to digest all the meal tickets. Normally, I'll give you the meal tickets I earn, and when the project department disburses funds, you'll pay me the cash either all at once or in installments. Because I know you have a large investment in the double package, and you have to pay wages each time funds are disbursed, leaving you with little surplus cash, paying all at once might be difficult."
"Thank you for your understanding, Boss Huang. We'll discuss it when we get back. My cousin is in charge of the meal tickets, so he needs to agree to this."
Yang Jian didn't give an immediate answer. He had drunk too much, and he needed to consider this matter carefully when he was sober.
The four returned to the construction site, washed their faces, and then sat down to discuss the casino matter.
"Liangliang, you've spent the most time in casinos. What do you think of the terms Huang Hua offered? Can we do it?"
Yang Jian was an impatient person and wanted to finalize good opportunities quickly.
Liangliang didn't hesitate. "We can definitely partner to open a casino, but there are two issues we need to clarify. First, is this casino they are operating run by themselves or by hired dealers? Because hiring dealers is a guaranteed profit, while running it ourselves carries some risk."
"Hmm, why didn't you ask earlier? I can't answer you now. What's the second issue?"
"The second issue is whether our team can digest all the meal tickets. We only have over a hundred workers, and each person spends an average of fifteen yuan per day, which is less than two thousand yuan in daily consumption. If the casino gives you eight thousand to ten thousand meal tickets daily, even if you don't withdraw a single yuan from the project department, how will you digest so many meal tickets?"
Liangliang's question was very practical. Having too many meal tickets would arouse suspicion from the project department.