Chapter 930: Instigation

The increase in the number of fishing boats meant an increase in the catch.

A few days ago, after all their fishing boats had gone to the trench, the factory's truck had to make two trips every time before all the cargo was hauled away.

It could be said that their catch accounted for one-third of the whole town's, and Yang Yang Dajiu was all smiles; the new factory's intake was shooting straight up, profits soaring with a whoosh.

But the problem that followed on its heels was that the catch over the past two days kept hitting new highs, and with more goods, the price naturally dropped.

Add to that the extra large haul from five more boats, and for the past two days everyone at the dock had been saying the amount being unloaded lately was even bigger than during last year's peak season.

In fact, it was their whole group that had raised the proportion of the catch.

Likewise, Ye Yaodong and the others had originally been catching the equivalent of peak season every day; the catch itself hadn't increased by much, but after the price dropped, everyone's total income fell a little too.

But they didn't mind—no matter how much the price dropped, their volume was there, and they still earned plenty each day. It was just that the locals on shore, seeing so much cargo, couldn't be kept in the dark.

Recently, as soon as it was time to receive the goods, a crowd would stand off to the side watching, then point and gesture at them, saying all the catch had been scooped up by them, which was why the locals had so little.

Actually, it wasn't that little either—jellyfish floating on the sea surface had been growing more numerous day by day lately—but the price had dropped sharply, so no matter how much they caught, they didn't earn much more than a few days before.

But compared with them, the locals fell far behind; moreover, the locals mostly fished from small wooden boats and could only operate in the waters not far from the shore.

Everyone has a jealous heart—seeing them unload so much cargo every day, it's hard not to turn green with envy.

Although they kept explaining that it was the cargo from several boats piled together, who could stop them? The amount they unloaded was just that much—nobody cared how many boats' worth was inside.

Whenever it was time to unload, all anyone saw was their cargo being carried up like flowing water, an endless stream taking up more than half the open ground.

Because of this, the thugs coming to cause trouble lately had also come wave after wave; when they arrived, they'd either kick this basket or kick that bucket.

It was fine when the truck was there—Yang Yang Dajiu would just chase the people away—but there were always times when it didn't work out, when the truck either hadn't come yet or had already left.

Hui had been pretending to be good-natured and smiling the whole time; whenever someone showed up, he'd hand out cigarettes, slip money to the leader, and have someone sneak off to call Yang Guo'an. Every single time he played it smart—either sending the people off happy, or having them chased off with a warning after Yang Guo'an came over.

But Chen Jianian wasn't so lucky. Once, twice, he could still manage to keep the peace and prosper, but when they came demanding money three times a day like clockwork, he couldn't take it anymore.

He had no ability to call the police over to help him send them away, so every time he could only pinch his nose and accept it.

But this also let the thugs see clearly that he had no one to help him and no backing.

Of course, they then escalated. At first they only came to test the waters every other day; now they came three times a day, punctual as could be—more on time than meals—and each time demanded more than the last.

After testing and identifying their target, they wouldn't necessarily come after Hui next time, since he had backing.

Even though they could get a little money from him, they'd also get warned by the police. If it happened too often and they all got locked up, unable to go out collecting protection money for days, the loss would be far greater.

You pick the soft persimmon to squeeze.

Even thugs have a scale in their hearts—although they aren't afraid of being caught, if they can avoid sitting in a big jail, of course it's better not to.

Chen Jianian was therefore groaning inwardly nonstop.

Hui, on the other hand, watched the show with relish, secretly relieved that his connections were in place. These past few days, whenever those people came over demanding protection money, Yang Guo'an had shown up right on time.

Better to feed the money to Yang Guo'an and ask for his protection than to feed it to small-time thugs.

Chen Jianian had also tried to learn from them and go find the police, but the officers couldn't be bothered—who had time to come running every time? There was no real disturbance, and he was an outsider besides.

These little thugs were also shameless; after getting a taste of the sweet deal, they stopped bothering to collect protection money from the locals and started targeting Chen Jianian specifically—arriving at the dock, they headed straight for him.

After all, word was spreading all over the dock that these outsiders were making a lot of money here, hauling in jellyfish every day, so paying a bit more protection money was only fair.

On Hui's side, because he knew how to play along and Yang Guo'an had shown up to warn them time and again, they had to give him some face and only came by occasionally to collect.

And because these little thugs came three times a day like clockwork, Chen Jianian was also getting a bit fed up.

Ye Yaodong and the others stood in line selling their goods while watching from not far away.

The past few days it had always been his father hauling the goods; these past two days, whenever he saw someone coming to cause trouble, he took over the delivery job first.

He saw Chen Jianian had just handed over a handful of small bills; the thug leader took them, but his hand stayed open, and he kept swaying his leg back and forth, his eyes turned up to the sky.

The lackey below had his mouth open, mumbling something they couldn't make out; from a distance, they only caught fragments like "look down on people?" "dismiss us like beggars?" "hand over a ten-yuan note?"

Their Mandarin was terribly accented, so they could only catch a couple of phrases carried by the wind.

The boatmen on his side were also helping Chen Jianian shout, saying they were going too far and such...

Everyone at the dock was watching their side, but no one stepped forward—they all kept their distance, afraid of getting dragged in.

In less than no time, the two sides started shoving and pushing, their cursing growing louder and louder—local dialect mixed with their Fujian province's Minnan, plus all kinds of broken Mandarin.

Watching from their side, Ye Yaodong's group exchanged uncertain glances.

It's not so easy to get by on someone else's turf—everyone here is a local, and one careless move could lead to a group beating by all the locals, and then they'd be done for.

A'zheng nudged Hui with his elbow. "Good thing you know that Officer Yang, otherwise right now the ones being shoved around would be us. Look at them—this won't end well."

"Not just won't end well—these little thugs are never satisfied, and now there's been a clash. They'll have to keep switching docks to sell their goods."

Ye Yaodong also said, "Switch docks and get caught again, and it'll probably be even worse. Without shedding a good amount of blood, it won't be settled."

Hui also felt relieved. "Good thing we got to know someone as soon as we arrived, and even rushed to cozy up to them, and luckily got the chance to hold on tight. Otherwise we'd be in danger too. We should thank Yang Guo'an properly later."

"It's not easy being out and about," the boatman beside them sighed.

Brother Brother Asheng also said, "Last year it was just a few of us, and the village couldn't even hold us—we could only wander around. This year there are more people, and getting ashore is even harder, plus we've caught the eye of these lowlifes."

"What can you do if you want to make money? People who don't know think it's so easy for us to earn money out here—this middleman money isn't easy to make either."

Ye Yaodong said something fair and balanced, also meant for the others to hear.

So that the villagers wouldn't think Hui's money came easily—without comparison, how could there be gratitude?

Chen Jianian probably regretted it too; while they were shoving each other, his eyes had glanced their way several times, and later when the two sides were about to come to blows—

He hurriedly played peacemaker, called off the people beside him, forced a smile and pulled out another ten-yuan note, then under the thugs' cursing, apologized profusely in every way before those people snorted coldly and left.

The tractor driver who had come to pick up the goods was just a working man, without Yang Yang Dajiu's confidence to chase people off.

Yang Yang Dajiu came in person because payment was due on the spot, and with the large supply from Ye Yaodong and the others—now requiring two truckloads—he always came to settle accounts himself, and when they crossed paths he could chase the troublemakers off.

When they didn't cross paths, Hui could also pacify the people first and then go call Yang Guo'an.

After the people left, the locals who had gathered around to watch the show at the dock also dispersed, each going back to their own business, without so much as a ripple—only Chen Jianian and the other parties involved were still cursing and complaining.

After cursing, they could only obediently hurry up and weigh the goods.

Ye Yaodong and the others never stopped weighing goods, and of course their chatter never stopped either.

"It's over. This time they gave a ten-yuan note plus a handful of small bills; today, half the work will likely be for nothing."

"These people already came once this morning, just came again, and they'll definitely come back at dusk. They came three times a day yesterday and the day before; today, won't he end up paying out of his own pocket?"

"These little hooligans are truly detestable; how can they never be caught?"

None of them felt any schadenfreude; in their hearts, they only felt resentment.

After all, they were all castaways on the same shore; they were just slightly luckier.

Ye Yaodong frowned tightly. "The provided jobs are too few, and there are too many young people with no work. In the past, even those in the city had to go to the countryside to work; now they've all returned to Huicheng. A large group of idle young people has gathered in the city. Idle young people naturally degenerate into little hooligans, wandering around just to get a meal."

"Do you think Chen Jianian will change the amount this afternoon?"

"He definitely will. It was hard to settle things just now; these hooligans' appetites have been fed too big."

"The other day when they came, I only gave them two yuan and they left; they didn't come back that day. The handful of small bills Chen Jianian just gave definitely won't be less than two yuan. Since that didn't settle it, if they come again next, they won't leave without a ten-yuan note."

"Sigh, one ten-yuan note per trip, three trips a day, thirty yuan! That's easier to earn than any job. If Chen Jianian honestly hands it all over, then his work will have been for nothing."

"Yes, so I estimate they definitely won't be at this dock this afternoon. There are other docks in the town; I estimate they'll definitely shift to land at other docks this afternoon and at dusk."

"Then we'll have to fight a guerrilla war again, just like last year."

"If these hooligans can't find Chen Jianian and his group, will they target us again?"

"Hard to say," Ye Yaodong turned his gaze to Ah Guang. "You need to hug the big thigh well and treat them better; otherwise, who knows if it'll be our turn to suffer bad luck."

"I know. I can't bear to feed these people a handful of banknotes. If they come too frequently, just let Yang Guoan throw them in jail; let them squat for a few days to calm down."

Hearing Ah Guang say this, the boatmen's hearts were much calmer. When traveling far from home, they also worried about causing trouble; after all, they were just hired hands.

Their predictions were not wrong.

Sure enough, when they docked at dusk, Ye Yaodong and the others no longer saw Chen Jianian's group; they didn't know at which dock they had landed.

And that group of little hooligans came again. Having tasted the sweetness, it was hard for them to give up these fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered; after all, everyone said these outsiders had made a lot of money.

They had come in the afternoon and found nothing, which made them so angry their teeth itched; they charged straight at Ye Yaodong and his group.

As soon as these people appeared, Ah Zheng, being sharp, immediately broke into a small run to the farthest edge. As they walked toward Ye Yaodong and the others, he immediately sprinted toward the Gongan Bureau.

"Hey, where's that group across from you? Where are they hiding?"

"I don't know. We don't stay together; they do their thing, and we do ours, with no conflict between us. Brother Long, you seem a bit angry today?" Ah Guang said cheerfully while handing him a cigarette.

"Damn it, still hiding? As long as they're in this town, let's see where they can run. Don't let me catch them; if I do, they'll have a hard time of it."

Ye Yaodong also leaned over to join the conversation. "Brother Long, how much money can you make in a day?"

"Hmm?"

"Don't misunderstand; I'm just making small talk. I feel collecting protection fees doesn't match your temperament. You look like someone capable of great things. This town is too small; the space for you to exert yourself is too limited. I think if you go to a big city, there will definitely be a broader world for you to shine in, and you'll definitely earn more money to return home in glory."

"What nonsense are you spouting? You outsiders come here and have to keep your tails between your legs. Go to a big city, and I'd still have to keep my tail between my legs. Stop flattering people. Here, I can still call a group of people to be my enforcers; out there, I'd just get beaten. Where else is it as comfortable as collecting protection fees here?"

Ye Yaodong's mouth twitched; he had quite a bit of self-awareness.

"That's different. Getting beaten is just because your brain isn't agile. Stupid people are at the bottom wherever they go; even if they earn money, it's not easy to keep it. If you earn money, even if you fear local powers and have to smile and bow your head, you can also correspondingly meet people you can command."

"You're talking about yourself, aren't you? You damn outsiders ran off to call the police again?" This man called Brother Long glanced around again while speaking, then looked toward the direction of the Gongan Bureau.

Sure enough, he saw a man in uniform jogging over from not far away.

Ah Guang laughed it off. "Ah, it must be that Officer Yang has been watching this area closely. You've been running to the docks too frequently lately, so he saw it and came to take a look."

Ye Yaodong also said, "Brother Long, I truly feel you're wasting your talent doing this."

He leaned close to Brother Long's ear and whispered, "I heard smuggling is rampant everywhere now. Anyone who can get a connection has made a fortune, earning a thousand gold a day. The most powerful ones are even riding motorcycles."

"Just think: if you could ride a motorcycle, wouldn't all the young people at the entire ice rink have to listen to you? You could even open your own ice rink. I heard those who do smuggling operate at night at various docks; they've all made a killing."

"I think you shouldn't waste your time at the docks, focusing only on these trivial profits. Take a gamble: turn a bicycle into a motorcycle, a motorcycle into a car; a western-style house is not a dream..."

Brother Long listened, his eyes flickering in various ways.

He knew all this; he'd heard plenty of gossip. He'd just heard that since last year, crackdowns had become severe, with people even being shot. It scared the timid ones into being fierce only within their own nests. After all, the bold ones had either made a fortune, gone to jail, or already become the elite.

Ye Yaodong didn't know if his temptation would work.

If it did work, it would restore peace to the dock and bring a bright sky back to the small town.

He was smart enough not to tempt them into doing business or launching grand projects; after all, smuggling was what these hooligans could access most easily and the easiest way to get rich.

It was probably also what he could access and knew the most about.

Of course, it was also the easiest way to get rich and the easiest to find a path.

Once tempted away, whether they got rich or got caught, they wouldn't look down on the dock's meager profits anymore.

After all, besides this group of outsiders who had just arrived, everyone else at the dock was local. In the past, they hadn't dared to be too excessive; at most, they came two or three times a month.

Everyone just wanted to let things rest and do business in peace and safety.

And these outsiders wouldn't stay long before leaving.

"If you want to make a fortune, of course, you must take a desperate risk. Looking at your features: your forehead is full, your chin is square, your forehead is broad and intelligent, and your chin is wide and full of fortune. You clearly have a good face for everything going smoothly. As long as you are bold, making a fortune is just a thought away."

Brother Long was stunned by his words. "Really? You can read faces?"

"Of course. Your face is too easy to recognize. Ask your brothers: isn't your forehead full and your chin square? Also, the most important point: you have a mole on your chin. Do you know that?"

"Ah? A mole on the chin, what about it?" He touched his chin, confused.

"We have a local saying: 'A mole on the chin means victory in battle.'"

After explaining it to him in Mandarin, Ye Yaodong explained it again in the local dialect.

Then he added, "Just think about it: a mole on the chin, hmm?"

His eyes widened. "Ah, right!"

"So I have high hopes for you. Ordinary people wouldn't dare say such things. If you are a bit bolder, daring to fight and break through, you will definitely have a bright future."

Brother Long's eyes sparkled with surprise. Excitedly, he patted his shoulder. "If what you say is true, at the dock, no, in this town, I'll protect you!"

Everyone around stared in disbelief. What was going on?

Why was this person suddenly so enthusiastic toward Ah Dong? And wanting to protect him?

And Yang Guoan, who had come jogging over, was also baffled; what was going on?

Hadn't they said that Chen Chen Guolong's gang of hooligans had run to the wharf again to collect protection fees and cause them trouble?

Judging by the situation, didn't it look like they were starting to call each other brothers?

Ah Zheng was also confused, unable to understand how the tone had changed.

Only Ah Guang, who had been standing closest on the side and listening most clearly, couldn't help but feel a bit of admiration for Dongzi's incredible mouth.

He could talk the dead back to life; even a mole on a chin could be described so divinely that people couldn't refute it and felt a longing arise in their hearts.

"Hey, Chen Chen Guolong, how many times have I warned you not to cause trouble? These are all my friends..."

"Comrade Yang, I'm sorry. I just came over to chat with them. We're not causing trouble today; we're having a pleasant conversation. You go about your business; I'm not here to collect protection fees today."

Yang Guoan opened his mouth, momentarily unsure of what to say.

How could he even speak?

They were indeed having quite a pleasant conversation.

Chen Chen Guolong looked at Ye Yaodong. "Tell me, roughly how long until I get rich?"

"Ah! How would I know that? I'm not a charlatan, I'm not a fortune teller. I just think your facial features are good, so I said you'll succeed at whatever you do."

"When you'll get rich depends on when you go out and do it. I've already told you: if you dare to fight and dare to venture, you will definitely succeed. This small place of the wharf is nowhere near enough to bind you; here, you are a great talent being wasted, a high-ranking person being humbled."

"That makes sense. No matter how powerful your mouth is, I still have to go out and do it myself."

"Exactly. Pies don't fall from the sky."

"Alright, I'll go back and ponder how to get rich."

This person arrived quickly and left just as decisively.

Everyone watched as Chen Chen Guolong and his group hurried away, all of them as confused as a monk scratching his head.

Yang Guoan was also somewhat incredulous. "They just left happily? Normally, when I come over and scold them a few times, they still act like ruffians, swaggering around the vicinity, only leaving reluctantly."

"Maybe I just cheered them up."

He chuckled. "Heh, then why didn't you cheer them up before?"

"Before, they hadn't been provoked to anger by us. Besides, hasn't he been targeting Chen Jianian these past few days? Chen Jianian was scared by them this morning, so he shifted his ground this afternoon and isn't here anymore, which is why he came looking for us again."

"I was also afraid he wouldn't find anyone and would take us out as a scapegoat. You can hide from the first day of the month, but not the fifteenth. We didn't want to run around like stray dogs, so we had to steel ourselves and try to see if we could coax him away."

"You're impressive; you managed to coax him away happily without spending a dime."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Ye Yaodong shrugged, not knowing if he could make someone turn from evil to good, or if he was just taking a crooked path.

"How did that group get scared by them?"

Ah Guang told him what had happened this morning.

Yang Guoan frowned. "Then they better not be found. If they are found, they will only become more aggressive. This group doesn't fear the authorities; they might even prefer to live in prison, after all, they can eat and sleep for free."

"I don't know if they will specifically go looking everywhere, but as long as they don't come to trouble us, that's fine."

"Mm, since there's nothing else, I'm going back."

"Thank you. Sorry to trouble you to run over again; you've worked hard."

He waved his hand, didn't say much more, and jogged back.

The people at the wharf were also somewhat used to it; whenever Hui came to trouble them, Yang Gong'an would actively run over. Over time, the locals had seen it many times, knew they were familiar, wouldn't cause trouble for no reason, and wouldn't gossip about them so much.

Only Chen Chen Guolong and those troublemakers were different, but recently their target had always been Chen Jianian.

Although Ye Yaodong's words just now seemed to have been heard by him, it was unknown whether he would give up looking for Chen Jianian's group to cause trouble.

Ah Zheng watched Yang Guoan leave, curiously patting Ye Yaodong's chest with the back of his hand. "What did you just say to that hooligan? Why did he say he would protect you?"

"Actually, I didn't say much... why are you so curious? Anyway, as long as he's gone, that's fine. Go quickly and move your goods; the truck will be here in a moment."

Everyone was listening intently, so Ye Yaodong didn't casually say that he had encouraged them to engage in smuggling and stop collecting protection fees.

Ah Guang put his arm around Ye Yaodong's shoulder and said quietly, "If his heart is too big and he looks down on the protection fees at this wharf, it would be good if he didn't come; everyone would be at peace."

"Even if his heart is too big and he looks down on it, his subordinates will surely still come as usual, but it shouldn't reach the point of troubling us."

"I wonder where Chen Jianian went to the wharf tonight? Do you think those people will block them at the rental house?"

"Unlikely, right?" Ye's father interjected.

"I actually think it's very possible. Cheering them away happily is one thing, but coming back to find nothing is also a fact; it's inevitable that a narrow-minded person would hold a grudge."

Ah Guang also stroked his chin. "I think so too. Those who make a living by mixing in society care most about face, don't they? They came over in high spirits, but ended up finding nothing, got nothing, and left empty-handed; they should hold a grudge."

"Then when we go back after selling the goods, you can drop by and take a look at their place..."

"Look at what? They didn't run over to ask for our help; they hid themselves first. We shouldn't cause trouble for no reason and go looking for it; offering help when not asked isn't a deal."

"When we are away from home, if someone asks for help, we can't just stand by and watch them die..."

"But they didn't ask for help, Dad. Let's not meddle in other people's business and invite trouble upon ourselves; they won't think we're good anyway." Ye Yaodong also said to his father.

"Then just take a look. I didn't tell you to go in and say hello."

"Then we'll talk about it later; let's sell the goods first."

After returning, if there is free time, we can take a slow walk after dinner to digest, take a look, and satisfy our own curiosity.

Everyone was guessing whether Chen Jianian avoiding the wharf in the evening and not landing at his usual spot meant he had really escaped.

After dinner, one by one, out of curiosity, they all followed Ye Yaodong out to wander around and take a look.

"If he really manages to escape, wouldn't that mean he got a huge bargain? You've coaxed him into doing big things, so his crisis is resolved; won't he just continue to make money smoothly from now on?"

"Big things can't just be done whenever one wants; that Chen Chen Guolong will definitely ponder it too. Let's go and see before saying anything."

"Then Dongzi, do you see that my forehead is full and my chin is square?"

"Dongzi, I feel like my forehead is full and my chin is square too; I can make big money!"

"Dongzi, I feel my facial features are proper and my chin is round; I'm just missing a mole, so making big money shouldn't be a big problem, right?"

"Scram!"

Ye Ye Datang shot the three of them an exasperated glare—they were actually mocking him, when they all knew perfectly well he was talking out of his ass, making stuff up.

"Dongzi, I actually think your forehead is full and broad, your jaw square and round… you've got the makings of someone who does big things…"

"Not just big things—you've also got the makings of someone who makes big money…"

"I think so too. Going out fishing in wind and rain every day is a waste of your talent—you shouldn't be fishing."

"If I shouldn't be fishing, does that mean I should go do some pyramid scheme?"

"What's a pyramid scheme?"

"It's like what my cousin Ye Ye Datang used to do—scam a bunch of people, then get them to scam others, earn money by recruiting heads."

"Then we're honest folk, we can't do that. Your cousin's already done it once, the villagers aren't so easy to scam anymore."

He rolled his eyes. If he really went into pyramid schemes, his whole family would be able to become ringleaders.