Yang Shuanglin grew tired of whipping. He tossed the leather whip onto the ground and sat on a stool, sighing.
"Tell me yourself, what are your plans for the future? Do you still want revenge?"
Yang Jian looked at his family and relatives filling the room, knowing they were all waiting for his declaration. "If I don't seek revenge, I'll go to the construction site with my cousin."
"Then do you still plan to keep in touch with those people from town?"
"I won't. The underworld isn't for me."
"Alright, since you've made your commitment in front of the whole family, I'll trust you this time. Before you return, we've already discussed it. You'll go work out of town with Liu Yong. You're not to come back without my notification. Leave your phone with me, and your sister will sell the car."
Yang Jian was stunned. "Dad, I can do without a phone and not contact anyone, but why sell the car? Can't it be kept for my sister? Buying a new car is very expensive, but selling this one will lose tens of thousands. It's not worth it."
"I've already found out how you got this car. It was exchanged for fighting for someone. If you want to completely sever ties with your past associates and events, you can't keep this car either. If you have the ability, earn money and buy another one."
"What kind of logic is that? If this car isn't sold, can't I just give it to my sister?"
"Selling the car also has another purpose: to raise money for your house. Your sister said she'll use the money from selling the car to build a building for you on her family's homestead. You'll come back to get married in two years, and after that, I won't care if you go back to being a hoodlum."
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
Yang Jian didn't want to upset his father. If the car was to be sold, so be it. It wasn't a big deal. He had managed without a car for so many years.
His maternal cousin, Liu Yong, spoke up. "Er Jian, since you've decided to work with me, hurry up and finish the car sale procedures. I'm leaving the day after tomorrow."
"Brother Yong, so soon? What kind of work, and where?"
Liu Yong was not only Yang Jian's cousin but also his carpentry mentor. He was thirty-three years old, Liu Chao's elder brother, married with two children.
"The construction site is in the mountains of Xichuan, where a large thermal power plant is being built. I've contracted the carpentry subcontracting work, and it will take several years. You'll help me with the construction. Also, your father has agreed to invest fifty thousand yuan. I'll partner with you on this job. I'll take sixty percent, and you'll get forty percent."
Subcontracting in construction requires upfront capital, mainly for workers' living expenses. Larger projects need at least a hundred thousand yuan for turnover.
Yang Jian looked at his father in surprise. "Dad, where did you get fifty thousand yuan?"
"It's the gift money collected at your grandfather's funeral, mostly from your so-called friends. I don't want to keep this money at home. Consider it an investment for you.
Let me reiterate, don't think about revenge. I don't expect you to become rich and powerful, I just hope the whole family stays safe and sound. I taught you martial arts not for fighting, but you must always remember the ancestral teachings of the Yang family."
Since everything had been discussed, Yang Jian didn't want to say more. He deleted all the numbers from his phone except for his sister's and his younger sister's. He didn't need his father to nag; he had already decided to completely cut ties with those in the underworld.
His grandfather's death had hit him too hard. If he hadn't lost money gambling, he wouldn't have had these past few months, wouldn't have had conflicts with the underworld figures from town, and the family wouldn't have experienced such a major upheaval.
He handed his phone to his father and went alone to his grandfather's grave, sitting there until dark.
Yang Jian left Xinhe, silently. Except for the Yang family, no one knew where he had gone.
Because of his appearance, the underworld in town had undergone a major reshuffling, with the top forces being re-ranked. Yang Jian's name became as familiar as a celebrity, and his experiences became a popular topic of conversation on the streets.
Many people regarded him as a hero who fought against evil forces. His past was clean; he hadn't done anything wrong and wasn't a true underworld figure. In contrast, Pan Wenbin, Liu Ming, and Wu Laizi were all notorious thugs detested by the public.
Yang Jian was like a shooting star, flashing through town, arriving and departing quickly. With his disappearance, everything would become legend.
Fengqi Hotel.
Yu Feng gathered Lu Feng, Song Jianmin, Biao Biao, and Liang Liang.
"Xiao Song, any news on Yang Jian yet?"
After Yang Jian was released from prison, Yu Feng had asked Song Jianmin to keep an eye on his movements. However, he seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. Not only could his phone not be reached, but he was also nowhere to be found in Yangli Village.
Song Jianmin shook his head. "No, I've been to his house twice, but his family won't see me. The neighbors don't know where Yang Jian went, and even Liu Chao and Jing Yongli have stopped coming to work."
"Did you ask his sister?"
"I did. Sister Hui wouldn't say, but she sold Yang Jian's car for 150,000 yuan, planning to use the money to build a house next to the repair shop for Yang Jian's future marriage. This indicates that Yang Jian will definitely return."
Yu Feng pondered for a moment and said, "Yang Jian might have been stimulated by his grandfather's death and won't show up for a while. But he is a shareholder in our gambling company. Now there are two issues: one, should the gambling company continue to operate? If not, then everyone divides the accounts, and the gambling company is dissolved."
"Why should we dissolve it? Aren't we doing very well at the Nanhu Club now?"
Song Jianmin didn't want to let go of Yu Feng's influence. After Nanhu Farm was unsealed, he and Liang Liang re-entered the club to run gambling operations. Although Lao Gui's gambling company had also entered, the two groups coexisted peacefully. They continued to operate gambling based on the rooms and their respective clients. Currently, Yu Feng's circle was the primary customer base. The profits were lower, but it was stable, and the funds were relatively safe.
"We're not dissolving it. I'm just getting started here."
Lu Feng also expressed his opposition. He and Biao Biao were now responsible for the gambling operations at Fengqi Hotel, where the chess and card room had just opened.
Yu Feng nodded. "Since you both disagree with dissolving it, what are your thoughts on Yang Jian's shares? Should they remain in the gambling company, or should they be liquidated, and his capital and profits be given to his sister?"
"Let Jian Ge's shares stay. He will definitely come back. He assembled this company. Even if he's not here, we'll still make money for him."
Biao Biao was the first to stand up to protect Yang Jian's interests. Since following Yang Jian, his income had increased significantly. Not only were his younger brother's tuition and living expenses covered, but his family's living conditions had also greatly improved.
Most importantly, Yang Jian had promised to help him quit drugs. Now that Yang Jian was gone, no one mentioned it. After all, he hadn't invested any capital. He and Liang Liang received honorary shares, and they felt they had no say. Therefore, they felt awkward bringing up the topic of using company money for drug rehabilitation.
Thus, quitting drugs could only be realized if Yang Jian returned. He himself did not have the financial means to support this expense in the short term.