Chapter 410: Guarding Against Fan Shazi

I smiled and said, "Old brother, there's plenty of time to drink; let's attend to business first."

After saying that, I came out of the secret room.

Walking outside,

I said to Ding Li and Shi Yong, "Let's go; if there's any situation, have Ding Li come and tell Boss Fan."

"All right, Zhao Ge," Ding Li replied.

Fan Shazi saw us out to the door.

We quickly left Fan Shazi's place.

After we returned to Ding Li's home,

Unexpectedly, Wang Changguang and Lao Wai were sitting together drinking.

We didn't tie up Lao Wai and leave; Lao Wai said something to Wang Changguang, and Wang Changguang actually let Lao Wai go,

and they bought wine and food and drank together.

Wang Changguang saw us come in and said to me, "Jianqiang, is this Lao Wai your sworn brother?"

I nodded,

"Yes, we became sworn brothers long ago."

"Like that, I just became sworn brothers with Lao Wai; we're all good brothers. Right, Lao Wai brother?" Wang Changguang said, his eyes blurred with drunkenness.

"Right, my brother is absolutely right; I met my brother too late—if I had known him earlier, I wouldn't have ended up like this. My perspective is too limited, just looking at this little bit, not facing the world—how could that work? The world situation now changes so much."

I actually felt nothing.

How could I seize the opportunity? Thank you so much, big brother, for your lesson,

"Big brother, I'll toast you, Jianqiang—this is our big brother; from now on we must listen to him." Lao Wai said to me.

"Ah, brother, you can have this understanding—it's not too late. I want to find a close friend to talk to; the international situation is too complicated,"

"Oil prices are skyrocketing; all this is manipulated by American imperialism."

"Our main enemy from now on is these imperialisms; they will never die in their desire to destroy us."

"Only by seeing the situation clearly is making money a trivial matter." Wang Changguang said proudly.

I watched the two of them boasting and drinking, truly not knowing who convinced whom or who used whom.

"What the big brother said is right—making money is small, international affairs are big. If you don't value big things, how can you succeed in small ones? Come, let me toast you again." Lao Wai raised his wine cup and swayed as he spoke.

I couldn't be bothered with them.

"Wang Changguang, drink a little less—I know your limit. Okay, Lao Wai, put the wine away. Wang Changguang is my brother-in-law,"

"if you become sworn brothers again, isn't that just making a mess?" I said angrily.

"Each to his own, brother—you and Lao Wai are sworn brothers, I and Lao Wai are also sworn brothers; this makes our relationship even closer, kin upon kin. Lao Wai, if it really won't work, the three of us can become sworn brothers together; Shi Yong, you come over to make up the number." Wang Changguang swayed as he spoke.

"Count Ding Li as one—he's been with me so long we've become sworn brothers; sworn brothers don't come in pairs. Come, kowtow—Wang Changguang, you be the eldest brother." Lao Wai spouted even more nonsense.

Wang Changguang still wanted to say something, but then he flopped over and fell to the ground.

Shi Yong looked at me, not knowing what to do.

"Shi Yong, Ding Li, take these two guys inside. We need to discuss important matters." I ordered Shi Yong and Ding Li.

Shi Yong and Ding Li each lifted one, carrying Lao Wai and Wang Changguang into the room and tossing them onto the bed.

Soon, the two were snoring.

This Lao Wai really has a way—he actually had Wang Changguang dazed and confused.

If we had come a little later, he might have taken the money and run.

I really underestimated Lao Wai. No need to ask—this Lao Wai is just pretending to be drunk.

Let him pretend, then.

Anyway, he can't run away.

I had Shi Yong and Ding Li tidy up the table, then go buy some more wine and food.

We three still haven't eaten.

Ding Li brought the wine and food,

after I poured the wine,

I said to Ding Li, "Ding Li, how long have you been in contact with Fan Shazi?"

"Not long at all. We only collaborated on a few calligraphy and painting matters. But this guy is stingy—when it comes time to pay, he's reluctant. Moreover, he does things in an underhanded way,"

"He deliberately pretends to be a gangster to scare people. He's even screwed me over twice." Ding Li said.

"He's always like that, just likes to intimidate ordinary people. Back then, at Niushiling, I fought him over rebar—Shi Yong, you haven't forgotten, have you?"

"I certainly remember—this guy used to bully us outsiders from the countryside on purpose. I never expected to run into my older brother, a tough nut, and not be afraid of him."

"He even put him in jail. In jail, my older brother gave him a proper schooling. I reckon this kid has been completely subdued by my brother." Shi Yong laughed.

"Fan Shazi is no good; if it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't want to work with him. He says he's acquainted with the museum's Director Lu."

"Coincidentally, Director Lu also wants to get those treasures out and sell them for money."

"I was thinking of buying those treasures from Fan Shazi's hands. But Fan Shazi demands payment."

"I'll contact Xiao Yan shortly to have him send more money."

"I'll buy the treasures first."

"Our main concern is to prevent Fan Shazi from double-crossing us,"

"this guy will do anything,"

"and he's purely profit-driven." I said to Shi Yong and Ding Li.

Shi Yong said, "That Fan Shazi dares? I, Shi Yong, am no pushover—I'll call for help."

"All right, Shi Yong—given our positions, what we fear most is drawing attention. Fan Shazi knows us well; I'm most worried about something going wrong at the transaction." I took a puff of cigarette.

"Zhao Ge, there's something I don't understand."

"We could just deal directly with that Director Lu, buying goods from him. That would also save us the middleman's kickback with Fan Shazi," Ding Li said.

"Brother, you don't know; this kind of thing can only be a familiar‑person transaction."

"Director Lu isn't familiar with us; why would he risk his head to trade with us? If we were the higher‑ups and captured him, what then? Such a deal has to go through many intermediaries."

"Trust is the most needed in this matter," I said, taking a sip of wine.

"What if Fan Shazi cheats us? He's not at all familiar with Director Lu. What do we do?" Shi Yong asked.

"Whether Director Lu and Fan Shazi know each other or not, we don't need to find out. It's none of our business."

"Anyway, we aren't dealing directly with Director Lu."

"I give the money to Fan Shazi, and he passes it to Director Lu."

"The key is the goods,"

"Can Fan Shazi actually bring them out, and are they genuine?"

"And can we get the treasure out safely?"

"There are only three of us."

"Today, you also saw that Fan Shazi had seven or eight people with him."

"Those people are all in the same group; I glanced at them and got the feeling they're not good characters."

"What I fear most is that they go blind for money and care about nothing else,"

"We don't want to blow this up now; we just want to get the treasure quickly," I said.

"Zhao Ge, I understand. Our current goal is to get the treasure, return to Sijiucheng to attend to business, and not get tangled with people like Fan Shazi."

"Even if it costs more, we must handle it smoothly," Ding Li said.

"Brother, that's hitting the nail on the head."

"The reason I don't dare to see Xiao Feng is mainly fear of Kong Shi's side; if they hear our movements, it'll be trouble. That guy Fan Shazi—could he exploit this? We need to preemptively guard against it," I said, taking a drag of my cigarette.