Chapter 500: Planning

The spring breeze brushed over Shichahai, and fine ripples spread across the surface of the lake.

Xu Damao squatted on a bluestone by the lakeside, the bamboo fishing rod in his hand extended quite far.

He squinted at the float, a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"My old man is really a piece of work!" Yan Jiefang sat on the dirt nearby, his voice laced with a sob. "I finally saved up 3 million, and he took it all, and actually told me the Police took it..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Xu Damao suddenly flicked his wrist and jerked the rod—the hook was empty.

"Damn it, how cunning!" Xu Damao cursed, spitting the cigarette butt into the lake with a soft "hiss."

"I'm talking to you about something serious, are you listening?" Yan Jiefang raised his red, swollen eyes.

Xu Damao pinched an earthworm from a tin box and hooked it. "I'm listening! You've been crying for ages, isn't it just about the 3 million?"

"That 3 million is what I saved up after running errands for my Siqiang for a whole year! Now that he's been arrested, what am I supposed to do?"

Xu Damao cast the newly baited hook into the center of the lake and sighed. "Your Siqiang will get at least ten years; don't count on him. If you want to make money, you have to rely on yourself."

"How am I supposed to make money on my own?" Yan Jiefang asked with a dejected face.

"Back in the day, when I made money, I was doing business where you lick blood off the edge of a blade. It was much harder than what you're doing!" Xu Damao said proudly.

Yan Jiefang was silent for a long moment, then suddenly asked, "Brother Damao, who has more money, you or He Yuzhu?"

Xu Damao sneered, his mouth curling high. "He Yuzhu has no money; the ones with money are his lovers." He pulled out his cigarette case and lit another one. "But those women are willing to spend money on him; that's a skill in itself."

Yan Jiefang actually laughed and asked curiously, "Brother Damao, why do you think He Yuzhu is so popular with women?"

Xu Damao narrowed his eyes, smoke slowly puffing from his nostrils. "That guy has a healthy body; you can't compare to that. Don't think about such nonsense, just focus on how to make money yourself!"

"Brother Damao, point me toward a way to make money!" Yan Jiefang grabbed Xu Damao's arm and shook it hard.

Xu Damao shook off his hand and cursed, "Stop shaking, you've scared the fish away. Let me ask you, have you learned what your Siqiang used to do? If I point you to a place, can you get the stuff out?"

"If someone keeps watch for me, I can get the stuff out." Yan Jiefang straightened his back, his tone filled with confidence.

"Will Liu Guangtian keeping watch for you work?"

Yan Jiefang hesitated.

He turned his head to look at the lake; the sunlight reflected on the water, dazzling his eyes. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "It should work!"

Xu Damao smiled. "I just got some news recently about an old man who just lost his wife and gets drunk every day, but he has a decent stash. Are you interested? But let's be clear, this has nothing to do with me. Your Siqiang used to split things fifty-fifty with that person. If you pull this off, it'll be better than sitting here complaining all afternoon."

"I'll do it!" Yan Jiefang suddenly punched the ground, sending a small spray of dirt flying.

Xu Damao's smile became a bit more genuine. "Isn't that it? You don't need to ask; Liu Guangtian is willing too. You two discuss a time."

He Yuzhu stood before the door of a temporary office at the City Government and knocked twice.

"Come in!" a familiar voice said.

He Yuzhu pushed the door open and entered.

The Secretary was hunched over the desk writing documents. Hearing the sound, he looked up, saw it was He Yuzhu, and immediately stood up, walked around the desk, grabbed He Yuzhu's hands, and shook them vigorously.

"Why were you gone for so long this time?"

He Yuzhu gave a bitter smile. "That shipment was hijacked by the Americans, so I went to find it! There was no chance to get it back, so I just blew it up!"

The smile on the Secretary's face froze. "Zhuzi, you're too bold. The Ryukyu Military Base was your doing? Those Americans are crazy now; they're conducting drills near Japan every day!"

He Yuzhu grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "If they keep acting arrogant, I'll go blow up the rest of their planes too."

The Secretary was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed as well, shaking his head. "The Seventh Fleet is showing off its power in the Taiwan Strait every day and even signed a Mutual Defense Treaty with the bald guy. You've helped us vent some frustration this time."

"I originally just wanted to get the stuff back, but I didn't expect these people to try and throw me into the sea the moment they saw me. I had no choice." He Yuzhu gave a bitter smile.

The office suddenly fell quiet.

"Then what about our machine tools?" the Secretary asked suddenly.

"I've already had the Eastern Shipping Company continue purchasing them; I estimate they'll arrive in about a month." He Yuzhu told a lie. "I'll go pick them up then; there definitely won't be another hijacking."

"But that must cost a lot of money!"

He Yuzhu's smile held a hint of craftiness. "I managed to get some money on the side... the wool comes from the sheep's back."

The Secretary didn't press further. He knew He Yuzhu too well; there were some things better left unknown.

He Yuzhu lowered his voice. "I also brought back some bad news this time; it seems someone is planning to make a move on you or on our factory."

"Tian Dan already told me about this." The Secretary put down his tea mug and smiled. "I'm not afraid, though."

"That won't do." He Yuzhu shook his head. "I was originally going to transport a large batch of goods, but when I heard this news, I hurried back."

"Then what do you want me to do?" the Secretary asked.

"My suggestion is to have Tian Dan transferred here for a while. Her scouting skills are very strong, and we've always worked well together. However, I don't have the standing for this; I need you to negotiate it." He Yuzhu said tentatively.

The Secretary pondered for a moment and nodded. "Let me think about this."

"Also, recently, it's best if you have me with you whenever you have business. With me around, those spies won't have the ability to harm you!"

The Secretary smiled. "That's a good idea."

He Yuzhu continued, "I have one more thing I need your help with. I hope to have a warehouse at Huangpu Port that only I can use. Goods from Hong Kong will be arriving continuously, and it's inconvenient to send trucks to pick them up every time."

"That's no problem." The Secretary agreed readily. "I'll call Mayor Zhu right away. How big do you want it specifically?"

"The bigger, the better."

"I'll give you the information in a day or two."

When He Yuzhu left the City Government, the sky was already turning dark.

He pushed open his door and saw He Daqing sitting on the bed, looking worried. There were already quite a few cigarette butts on the floor, and the room was filled with smoke.

"Dad, are you missing Bai Yi?" He Yuzhu teased him on purpose.

He Daqing suddenly looked up, picked up a cloth shoe from the floor, and threw it at him. "You brat, your skin is itching for a beating, isn't it!"

He Yuzhu dodged it with a grin.

He Daqing lay back on the bed, staring at the rafters, and said, "The work the workers are doing now is too tiring; they all want to eat meat. But where are we going to find meat? We've bought up all the pigs in the surrounding villages."

He Yuzhu stood up and said, "I'll go fishing, how about that? I heard the sea around here is full of Big Yellow Fish and Small Yellow Fish."

He Daqing laughed, "That could actually work. But, how many fish can you manage to bring back?"

"With my intelligence, isn't learning to catch fish easy?" He Yuzhu blinked, "Right, I can temporarily help you get some rice and canned pork."

He Daqing sat up with a "whoosh": "Good! Can you get some over here by tomorrow?"

"No problem!" He Yuzhu readily agreed.