20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 478: Extra: Night Chat Around the Fireside [Part ]

At the end of the Gengshen year, at midnight, the first snow finally began to fall in Fengtian City.

Liang Chen held a jar of good wine in his arms, with a look of joy on his face, and walked alone against the wind, anxious to accept the invitation to the dinner party at Lao Jie's house.

This young man had just turned twenty years old recently. He was diligent, quick-witted and popular. Therefore, after he joined the Jiang family, it only took him about a year to become a member of the gang. Lao Jie, on the other hand, had been a member of the Jiang family for many years and was the person who introduced him to the gang.

Lao Jie rented a room in the south of the city, which was not far away. Unfortunately, the roads were slippery due to the snow, and Liang Chen walked for a full quarter of an hour until his shoulders were covered with fine snow, and he barely arrived on time.

At this time, there were already six or seven people in the house.

The dining table was filled with utensils and ingredients for hot pot; firewood was burning brightly in the stove beside the kang; the back window was slightly opened, and the whimpering of the cold wind could be faintly heard.

Everyone sat around the electric light, talking and laughing, making people feel at home.

Liang Chen was a little surprised.

He had guessed that there would be other people coming tonight, but he had not guessed that there would be so many.

Walking into the house, he nodded to Lao Jie and apologized a little: "Brother, it's snowing outside, so I came a little late."

"Not too late, not too late, just in time."

Old Jie smiled brightly, then waved towards Liang Chen and called him over.

"Come on, Xiao Liang, let me introduce them to you. I don't need to say much about Mao San'er and Accountant Gao. This is Lao Niu, you should have heard of him, right? And this one, Yang Lazi, just came back from a business trip in Harbin. They are both famous people in the family, come over and meet them."

Hearing this, Liang Chen didn't even bother to take off his coat, and hurriedly walked forward, bowed and greeted everyone one by one.

From "Zaibang" to "Xiangzi", it seems that there is only one step away, but in fact there is a difference between inside and outside the door, and the gap between them is like heaven and earth.

According to the rules of the Jiang family, if those "in the gang" want to go further, unless they are recommended by the "four pillars", they must have at least two "Xiangzi" to guarantee them before they can get in.

Since Lao Jie wanted to introduce them to each other, Liang Chen naturally did not dare to neglect them, so he always called them brothers and treated them with special respect.

He had seen Lao Niu before. He heard that he was originally from the Zhou family, but now he was one of the most senior "Xiangzi" in the Jiang family.

This guy really looks like a cow, with incredibly broad shoulders and an absurdly short neck. People like him are usually good at fighting, and even if they can't fight, they can at least resist.

Yang Lazi, this was the first time Liang Chen had seen him. It was rumored that this man had worked as a "fire general" in a gambling den, but it was unknown whether this was true or not.

If we say that the old cow gives people the feeling of a stone lock, it exudes a calm and steady spirit from the inside out.

Then, Yang Lazi gives people the feeling of a bunch of nails, as if it is covered with thorns all over the body. It can only be held in the hand but not squeezed. If you squeeze it, you will be pricked by it.

After introducing each other, Lao Jie patted Liang Chen on the shoulder, turned around and said to the two of them: "Brother Niu, Lao Yang, this kid is my fellow villager, brothers, please take care of him."

Lao Niu nodded silently.

Yang Lazi was a little impatient, but he said, "Everyone is here now, are you ready to eat?"

"Tsk, we're still missing Chen An." Old Jie raised his hand and said, "It's snowing and the road is not easy to walk on. Let's not wait any longer and eat first!"

Everyone agreed and sat down at the table immediately. They first lit the charcoal under the copper pot, and then waited for the pot to boil and the meat to be put in while chatting and laughing.

Liang Chen was a diligent man. Upon seeing this, he immediately stood up and spontaneously walked around the table, pouring wine for everyone one by one. Everyone politely raised their glasses to express their gratitude.

But when he walked to Lao Niu, he covered the cup with his thick palm and said in a deep voice, "I don't want to drink it."

Liang Chen couldn't help but be stunned.

He heard that Lao Niu usually drank, but suddenly stopped drinking. Could it be that he had something against him?
This kid has always been a bit sensitive, and he couldn't help but make trouble for himself.

After thinking about it, Liang Chen thought he had found the problem: Oh no, was the order of pouring the wine wrong? Should he pour wine for Brother Niu first?

But the wine has already been poured out, how can it be recovered?
Just as the boy was daydreaming, Lao Jie suddenly interrupted him and said, "Xiao Liang, Brother Niu has to go out for work later. There are rules at home and we can't drink."

Liang Chen heaved a sigh of relief and said hurriedly: "Brother Niu, shall I pour you a cup of tea?"

"Where is the tea?" asked Lao Niu.

"I'll make you a pot right now. It only takes a while to boil some water. It's not a big deal."

"No, it will be nice to drink some mutton soup later."

Lao Niu’s answer was not negotiable.

Liang Chen had no choice but to laugh dryly and return to his seat, but as soon as he sat down, he suddenly realized that Yang Lazi was staring at him.

It’s over, the order of pouring the wine is wrong!
Liang Chen was sure that he was right, so he quickly took out a cigarette box from his pocket and said with a smile: "Brother Yang, do you smoke?"

Yang Lazi took the cigarette, but his eyes did not become friendly because of it. He still stared at Liang Chen intently. After a while, he finally asked:
"How long have you been at home, kid?"

"Less than a year, almost." Liang Chen quickly took the opportunity to explain, "Brother Yang, I'm still young, and there are many rules that I don't understand. If I do something wrong, please bear with me."

"What does your youth have to do with me?"

"Ah, this..."

Liang Chen was retorted by Yang Lazi on the spot, and was a little at a loss for words, so he glanced at Lao Jie subconsciously.

But at this moment, Lao Jie was eating the hotpot with a good appetite, as if he saw nothing.

"I'm talking to you, what do you think Old Jie means?" Yang Lazi challenged again, "Why, he's your father?"

Liang Chen was a little flustered, and hesitantly said: "No, Brother Yang, if I did something wrong, please tell me..."

"Do I need to tell you that you need to look at me when I talk to you?"

"Got it, Brother Yang."

Liang Chen plucked up his courage and looked Yang Lazi in the eye.

Yang Lazi then asked, "You've been here for a year. Have you ever met the boss?"

"Well, I've seen him from a distance a few times, but I didn't dare to go up and talk to him."

"What did you do before you came home?"

"Well, just fooling around!" Liang Chen said with some self-mockery, "I've done everything. In the beginning, I was..."

"Have you ever killed anyone?" Yang Lazi suddenly interrupted.

Liang Chen's face froze, and the table suddenly became quiet.

Except for Lao Niu and Lao Jie who were still eating the hot pot meat with "crunching" sounds in their mouths, the others who were "in the help" such as Mao Saner immediately put down their chopsticks and looked at each other in confusion. Unconsciously, their nerves became tense.

"No, no..." Liang Chen shook his head woodenly.

"So you're just bragging?" Yang Lazi asked harshly.

"No, Brother Yang, you misunderstood. What I meant was..."

"What do you mean? You said that you have done everything before, but you have never killed anyone. What do you call that? That's called bragging! What do you mean by bragging to me?"

"Brother Yang, I really don't think so..."

"That means I am a petty person and I have found fault with you, so I have to apologize to you?"

"No no no, Brother Yang, what are you doing?"

"Fuck you, I want to figure it out now. Are you pretending to be cool with me, or am I being petty with you? Who the hell are you asking?"

Yang Lazi slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Liang Chen's nose and cursing. His eyes became fierce, like a hungry jackal, wishing to eat the young man alive. It was either you die or I die.

Liang Chen was so frightened that his face turned pale and his lips became dry.

After staring at each other in a stalemate for a while, the young man finally lowered his head silently and turned to the old monk beside him for help.

However, Liang Chen didn't know that the moment he looked away, Yang Lazi had already made up his mind not to guarantee him.

Lao Jie was a little disappointed. He tapped the edge of the bowl with his chopsticks and said, "Xiao Liang, eat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Yang Lazi laughed out loud: "Hahaha, Brother Niu, see, I really intimidated this kid!"

Seeing this, Mao Saner and others were stunned for a moment, and then they started laughing as if they understood what was going on.

"You idiots, why are you always making trouble?" Yang Lazi scolded with a smile, then walked to Liang Chen, patted the young man's neck, and whispered to comfort him: "Xiao Liang, I'm just joking with you, don't take it seriously!"

"That can't be done, that can't be done."

"You still can't do it? Look at your face, it's as droopy as Changbai Mountain. Come, brother will light you a cigarette, and this matter will be over!"

"No, no, no, Brother Yang, this is not appropriate."

"What's there to be embarrassed about? Come here, I'll light it for you. If you keep arguing, you're being disrespectful to me!"

"This... okay, then thank you Brother Yang."

"You're welcome. You are Lao Jie's brother, so you are my brother. Feel free to come to me if you have any problems in the future."

Yang Lazi insisted on lighting a cigarette for Liang Chen, then returned to his seat, picked up his chopsticks, and hurriedly called out, "Come on, come on, eat quickly, Accountant Gao, hurry up and eat, or Brother Niu will eat it all later."

Soon, everyone started laughing again.

In fact, Yang Lazi didn't hate Liang Chen.

No one will hate a diligent young man, but relying solely on diligence, one can become a "gangster", but he will never be a "Xiangzi".

Starting from tonight, Liang Chen’s development in the Jiang family has reached its ceiling.

The old cow raised his eyelids, looked at the young man, and reminded him in a muffled voice: "Work hard in the future and stop thinking about unnecessary things."

Lao Jie can do nothing to help.

He could only help up to this point. If he really forced Liang Chen to the position of "Xiangzi", and things went wrong in the future, he would inevitably be implicated.

"By the way, Xiaoliang," Yang Lazi suddenly asked, "what kind of work do you do for your family now?"

Liang Chen scooped up a piece of frozen tofu from the pot and replied, "Brother Yang, I've been over at Snow Street lately, running errands for my boss's business."

"'Friends Club' or 'Spring and Autumn Theatre'?"

"I'll go to whichever place is busier."

"Then you should be quite familiar with Accountant Gao?"

"Yes, we always meet each other."

As he spoke, Liang Chen looked at the middle-aged man next to him who was in his thirties and had a big gold bracelet on his hand, and they smiled at each other.

Yang Lazi suddenly lowered his voice and asked mysteriously, "Hey, Xiao Liang, do you want to be transferred to Bagua Street? I have a good relationship with Kang Zheng, and Manager Xue's place is full of White Russian girls, and they are very attractive!"

Liang Chen smiled in astonishment and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Yang, but I feel pretty good now. I'm just getting a little familiar with the place, and I don't plan to change places."

"Hey, you're still not willing. Mao Saner is eager to go over, but it's a pity that Shopkeeper Xue doesn't want him, hahaha."

A chubby young man at the table curled his lips and complained, "Brother Yang, please stop making fun of me."

"Okay, okay, blame me for being nosy and shouldn't have mentioned your sad stories." Yang Lazi chuckled and then asked Liang Chen, "Who are you hanging out with now?"

"Recently, Second Master has been taking me out for a walk."

"Oh, why are you unwilling? You are messing around with the God of Wealth in your family!"

Everyone immediately became interested and asked Liang Chen whether the second master was going to open another business for the family recently.

Liang Chen had a general idea, but not the details. He had only heard the Second Master mention it a few times, and it was probably about expanding the family business to the interior of the country.

As they were talking, Lao Jie suddenly changed the subject.

"Old Yang, you're just asking other people. How did your trip to Harbin go?"

Yang Lazi curled his lips and said, "Old Jie, I, Old Yang, have personally come out to take action, and you are still asking how it goes. Who are you looking down on?"

"Brother Yang, what exactly are you going to do?" Mao Saner took the opportunity to ask.

"Well, nothing much, just went to help a jerk and fucked him."

"Help a stinky guy and fuck him." Mao Saner repeated to himself, scratching his head and said, "Why do I feel a little confused?"

"You idiot, you will never amount to anything in your life!"

Yang Lazi cursed a few times, and then suddenly started to tell a "rhyme".

"There was a stinky idea, wanting to fuck his fucking father; but the fucking father had already seen through the stinky idea, and it didn't work, so the stinky idea was a bit tacky. The boss meant that it didn't matter if this stinky idea or that fucking father fucked the other, but I had to get rid of the remaining one anyway. It was just a small matter, why did they make such a fuss?"

"Ah, so that's how it is!" Mao Saner nodded, not quite understanding, and then asked, "Then what's the reason?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lao Yang and the other two suddenly turned gloomy.

Lao Jie immediately scolded him in a low voice: "Mao San'er, are you new here or what? Don't you know the rules of your family?"

Mao Saner was stunned and subconsciously glanced at Liang Chen who was sitting next to him, and thought to himself: Brother, do you know what the rules are?

Unfortunately, the two young men had just joined the gang and were not familiar with the Jiang family’s rules. For a moment, they didn’t know which rule the old commentator was explaining.

Yang Lazi explained impatiently: "It's the rules of the family. Don't ask why. Just do what the boss tells you to do."

Lao Jie then added: "This is the rule of Xiangzi, but you should also pay attention to it in your daily life. Don't ask who is being cleared, and don't ask why you need to clear it. You don't know the rules. If you meet other Xiangzi and ask this question, they will definitely slap you in the face."

Liang Chen and Mao Saner nodded quickly.

"Brother, don't you know anything about each other?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to know." The old commentator said, "Unless the boss orders a few 'Xiangzi' to team up, otherwise, like today, who did Lao Yang go to Harbin with, Brother Niu and I don't know."

"Thank you three brothers for the reminder." Liang Chen hurriedly bowed and clasped his hands.

Lao Niu snorted, but said, "You guys are in luck. The boss is powerful now, so there aren't so many fights and killings. Everything is done individually. In the past, you would have to clash with other gang leaders every ten days or half a month."

"Brother Niu, doesn't our boss have someone protecting him?" Mao Saner asked in confusion, "How could another gang mess with us?"

"Bullshit!" Yang Lazi cursed, "Do you think you can be protected by the higher-ups just because you are a human being? You have no ability, why would the higher-ups protect you? Are you just going to cause yourself trouble and trouble?"

Mao Saner was ashamed and said nothing more.
Liang Chen's eyes lit up, and he asked curiously: "Brother Niu, you have the longest experience. Who did the boss have a fight with before? What happened? Can you tell us about it?"

Lao Niu thought for a moment, then whispered, "In fact, the real melee took place the year the Zhou family fell. That year, I just left the Zhou family's old man and joined the Dong family. Most of the time, I followed Zhao Guoyan..."

As he was speaking, he heard the light bulb on the beam "click" and the whole room was suddenly plunged into darkness.

Everyone was surprised.

Lao Jie couldn't help but curse: "Fuck it, the Fengtian electric light factory should just go bankrupt, there's another fucking power outage!"

"Maybe it's because there's too much snow outside and the power lines have been blown away?" Liang Chen reminded in a low voice.

Looking back at the rear window, everyone suddenly realized that the entire Fengtian City had been covered with a layer of white snow without them noticing.

It was quiet all around, with only the mutton soup in the copper pot making gurgling sounds.

In order to create another light source, Lao Jie turned around and gently lifted the stove cover with a stove hook.

A faint red glow immediately spread throughout the room.

Everyone's faces suddenly turned red, like burning charcoal. In a trance, they couldn't even tell whether they were under the eaves or in the furnace.

Yang Lazi urged in a low voice: "Old Jie, come back and sit down quickly. I haven't heard about the boss's past!"

"I haven't heard of it either." Lao Jie quickly sat back on the stool and said expectantly, "Brother Niu, come on, tell us about the past."

Even the two "Xiangzi" in the family said so, and the others became even more excited. They begged Lao Niu to speak quickly and tell them how the Dong family consolidated its position step by step after the Zhou family fell.

At this time of year, it was snowing outside the window, the mutton soup was boiling on the table, and the firewood was crackling...

The atmosphere was just right, and Lao Niu did not hide anything. He thought about it quietly, as if he was recalling something from the past, and there was a fire flickering in his eyes.

"Brothers, Zhao Guoyan is no pushover..."

(End of this chapter)