章 14: Chapter 14: No Good People Eat Peanuts
Old Blind Meng was once a prominent figure in Tianmen City, respected by both the underworld and the respectable, from all walks of life. People would give him some deference when they saw him.
On the surface, he was just a local tycoon, but privately, everyone actually knew that he had channels for smuggling foreign goods.
When he married his concubine and held a banquet, even street loafers like Wang Yunxiao and Lv'er were able to attend. From this small detail, it was evident that Old Blind Meng treated his friends from the Jianghu World impartially, leaving no room for criticism.
Even after he encountered misfortune, according to Lv'er, the street loafers still remembered his kindness and took care of his concubine and daughter.
As for why he encountered misfortune, that wasn't very clear. Logically, smuggling wasn't a capital offense, and those who dared to engage in such trade usually didn't have poor connections.
So although no one spoke about it openly, everyone was speculating that there had to be more to Old Blind Meng's misfortune than just smuggling.
In the smuggling business, the most important thing is to keep it hidden, and too much exposure can attract envy. The fact that Old Blind Meng's private residence ended up in Lv'er's hands somewhat inexplicably was something Wang Yunxiao just couldn't believe there wasn't more to.
But Lv'er was quite pleased with himself.
He assured Wang Yunxiao that the compound was safe and secluded enough to house a dozen Pai Gow tables. He planned to invite friends and relatives from the neighborhood, and with that, the business would be up and running.
Good grief, you have such a large compound, and all you think about is gambling. True to your original pursuit.
Wang Yunxiao looked around and asked Lv'er, "Whose courtyard is this now?"
The courtyard was kept very clean, not looking like it was uninhabited, but it certainly wasn't Lv'er's own property. It wasn't that he was underestimated, but expecting him to diligently clean such a large courtyard was like asking him to die. If he had that much diligence, he wouldn't be in such a situation.
"Hey, didn't I tell you? This is the secondary residence that Old Blind Meng set up for his concubine. Just her and his daughter live here,"
smiling, Lv'er said, "They work during the day and come back to stay at night. Just the two of them, a mother and daughter, they probably find it creepy to sleep here alone. They should thank us for using this courtyard; we're practically guarding it for them!"
Wang Yunxiao couldn't help but ask curiously, "So Old Blind Meng was executed, and the government hasn't confiscated this courtyard?"
Confused, Lv'er responded, "I'm not sure about that. Maybe Old Blind Meng kept it tight and didn't disclose it to the government?"
That was a bit beyond him.
Wang Yunxiao had no recollection of Old Blind Meng and didn't know the details, so he changed the subject, "So, brother, how do you plan on running this business? Have you figured out how to make money?"
Confused, Lv'er responded, "As long as we gather people here, won't we be able to make money? We'll earn however the outside casinos do!"
"So, what exactly is the plan?"
"We'll be the dealer, they lose money, and we earn it!"
Well…
Wang Yunxiao thought to himself, I still set my expectations too high for you.
Of course, you can't say that Lv'er's idea had any problem, it's just a normal thought for ordinary people.
Seeing others make money from running a restaurant, I want to run a restaurant and make money too.
Seeing others hit it big by writing novels, I want to write novels and hit it big too...
After all, he wasn't originally in this profession; at most, he was just a lousy gambler. The real professionals in this field had mostly gone to "eat peanuts" last year.
Before Wang Yunxiao could speak, Loach behind him couldn't help but laugh and said, "Brother Er, you're too soft-hearted. I've heard that all the dealers in those casinos used tricks, scaring those who win money and easing up on those who lose. Can you do any of that?"
He didn't even dare to say that you were too ambitious; he just said you were soft-hearted.
On hearing this, Lv'er's already not-so-pleasant countenance instantly turned as red and purple as pig liver, and he argued with his neck stiff, "They're all villagers, people we see every day. How could I cheat them..."
Exactly, villagers. The way Lv'er imagined making money was by using his "years of honed gambling skills" to swindle the naive kids around the neighborhood.
Wang Yunxiao sighed inwardly, now understanding why this fellow had managed to escape the previous two rounds of crackdowns on crime.
It's not that the cops weren't diligent; it's just that this mosquito leg's worth of meat really wasn't worth their effort.
If I don't give him a hand, who knows how he's going to handle what comes next in this drama.
Wang Yunxiao pulled Lv'er to his front, pretending not to notice the panic and flickering in his eyes, and instructed carefully, "This won't work, listen to my plan. Don't just go out and tell everyone you're gathering people to gamble here..."
Lv'er quickly waved his hands, "Of course not, I'm not stupid!"
"If you don't have the skills, don't try to act like the big bad wolf. Set up the place, hire a chef to take care of food and drinks, let them spend money here. When those two women come back, you arrange for me to meet them, give them a share of the profits, and have them take care of cleaning up. Then, you can tell people outside that this is Old Blind Meng's business. People say a skinny camel is bigger than a horse, still better than your face, right?"
After scratching his head for a while, Lv'er finally grasped the true meaning, and immediately gave a thumbs-up, praising, "Great idea! It's still Yuanxiao who's educated; you always think things through better than us. At first, I was thinking of doing it this way too, but my mind was all muddled, not sure where to start."
Next to them, Loach added with a chuckle, "What are you planning to play, Brother Er? If you're thinking of Pai Gow or dice, it's gonna be hard to explain if the cops show up. And, don't you also have to take care of the police somehow?"
Lv'er's legs trembled, and he quickly shook his head in denial, "Don't talk nonsense, what dice, no such thing. Yuanxiao is right, this is a legitimate business, can't mention anything related to gambling. I think card games are good, look at those bosses, grandees, rich ladies, they all play cards, what's it called again..."
"A delight for both refined and popular tastes!"
"Right, a delight for both refined and popular tastes. It's a refined matter! See, I just can't articulate well."
Lv'er, smiling, gave himself a little slap on the mouth, "Yuanxiao, you have the ideas, so let's let you decide. I'll just bring people over, and when we make silver, we brothers will be rich and live large, drinking and eating meat!"
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