"Gambling debts again?" Zhao An's expression was a little strange, but that was understandable. He'd heard since childhood that his uncle loved gambling, but he'd never imagined he'd even lost his daughter. That was truly exciting!
At this thought, Zhao An's thoughts seemed to quicken. My aunt had contacted my mother, surely because she'd seen her mother's wealth and wanted to borrow some money. Even if she didn't, she was hoping to build a good relationship with a wealthy sister for future use. Before, when they were broke, the two families hadn't been in touch that often. This all suggested something was amiss.
Taking out his phone and dialing, Zhao An had a plan.
Bao Xiong, who was at his mistress's house, yawned. Seeing the number, he perked up. This important figure was a formidable figure. "Young Master An, what are your wishes?"
"There's a man named Xiang Hu in the next city. Do you know him?" Zhao An puffed out smoke, his eyes a touch serious.
Bao Xiong perked up. "I know him. That bastard got beaten like a grandson in the West District back then, and ran away covered in dirt. Hey, I don't hang out in the West District, but I heard that guy stole my second sister-in-law and got a lecture. I heard his scrotum was even aborted. What's wrong, Young Master An? Do you want me to teach him a lesson?"
The time had come to show his loyalty. Bao Xiong was utterly terrified of Zhao An. This seemingly harmless boy, who only knew how to play with women, was no one to be trifled with. Every time he thought of that night, he was filled with nothing but disgust and fear. Even Bao Xiong had never seen such a cruel man; a cold-blooded butcher.
A man so cold-blooded and brutal, yet so gentle, Bao Xiong had no chance of standing up to him. He just wanted to make money and play with women.
"Does he have fertility problems?" Zhao An piqued. He hadn't expected such a thing to happen. Sure enough, dealing with people of all stripes required these kinds of professionals.
"I don't know about that, but a rolling pin hitting his balls—I don't think anyone except Young Master An could withstand it." Bao Xiong scratched his head. This was indeed the case. That man could withstand a rolling pin hitting his balls? He'd probably have to go to the hospital right then and there!
"Haha, then go and cripple him. Get it done by next Saturday. Also, he's getting married, so why don't you, an old friend, celebrate with him? Don't forget to go to the wedding together." Zhao An sneered. It was better to leave such dirty work to others.
"Understood. I'll be off now." Bao Xiong nodded, patting his chest in assurance. "Young Master An, do you have any other instructions?"
"Also, he lent money to a man named Ding Du. Whether he lives or dies is none of my business, but you have to keep his wife and daughter safe. And don't let them know. For some crippled guys, I'd be happy to be their bridegroom. Hahaha!" Zhao An laughed wildly, his laughter revealing cruelty and lewdness. Bao Xiong also laughed awkwardly, "Hahaha." A beep, beep, beep, and then the phone went dead. He put it down.
The mistress walked in from outside the room and tried to approach. Bao Xiong pushed her away. "Get out of the way! I have to go do something. You stay here. If I find out you've seduced other men, I'll kill you and your whole family!"
When facing Zhao An, Bao Xiong was timid and submissive. Now facing his mistress, he was full of energy, almost a masterful man!
Bao Xiong quickly called some of his trusted aides to set off. He would do the dirty work he had personally assigned to him, and he didn't trust or rely on others.
Across the city, a mahjong parlor was filled with smoke as several men played mahjong. The floor was covered in ashes and cigarette butts, looking extremely messy.
A man with thick eyebrows and large eyes sat at the head table, a gold necklace half a finger thick dangling from his neck, giving him a rather uncouth look. He truly was a vulgar man.
"Fuck you, Old Ghost, play faster! Did you get sucked dry by a whore? You're so slow playing cards!" Xiang Hu yelled, his tone utterly unceremonious.
The man called Old Ghost was a sturdy man, just a bit darker-skinned. Old Ghost was just a nickname, just like Xiang Hu, who usually called him Brother Tiger.
"That bitch's period! Damn it, Brother Tiger, it's almost time. We should go collect the bill." Seeing his money was running low, Old Ghost immediately made an excuse to leave.
"Damn, what bad luck!" Xiang Hu saw another man win and pulled out a few red bills from a drawer and tossed them over. "Here you go. Hey, I'm getting married on Saturday. Remember to come to the wedding." He finished with a broad grin.
"Haha, I'm afraid Brother Hu's going to abuse me again," a younger brother joked.
Slap! Xiang Hu, who had been grinning just a moment ago, slapped the younger brother in the face. "Fuck you! What do you mean by abuse? Can you even speak?"
"No, no, it's that woman's blessing," another younger brother playing mahjong immediately said in praise. Inwardly, he didn't agree. Everyone knew this. Xiang Hu, for some reason, loved beating his wives. This was his fourth wife; the previous three had all been beaten away.
Xiang Hu, feeling unlucky after losing money, left the mahjong parlor and asked his younger brother to collect the money. He usually ran the mahjong parlor. He played big. The price for a round of cards started at 100 yuan, not counting the odds like betting on horses. Just playing mahjong alone, a loss of 200 yuan would be normal. Add in betting on numbers and other tricks, and losing 1,000 or 2,000 yuan was not uncommon. With bad luck, losing even 100,000 yuan was not uncommon.
Xiang Hu wasn't a good person to begin with, engaging in all sorts of despicable things, so lending money at high interest rates wasn't out of the ordinary.
He made his way to his future mother-in-law's house, knocked on the door, and just in time saw his fiancée, a slightly thin woman. Xiang Hu grinned, revealing a row of large, yellow teeth. "Hey girl, finally see you. Hey, give me a hug!"
Ding Meifeng ducked, looking evasively at the floor. "Brother Hu, don't be like that. There's someone here."
Xiang Hu took one look and immediately laughed. Wasn't it just his impoverished father-in-law? "Haha, you'll be gone sooner or later."