Chapter 98: Dazzling Gold and Silver (Second Update)

Liu Yong looked at Zhao Jin with gratitude, his face flushed bright red with emotion. This was his livelihood, and today he had leapt from the very bottom straight to the top — it was a single step to heaven. Yesterday, he could never have imagined such a change.

"Now that you've made it, you have to look after us more. My dad's stall shouldn't have to pay that ground rent anymore." Ji Xiang also spoke with a smile, and Liu Yong nodded vigorously.

Just then, Wang Zhaojing smiled and reminded him, "Xiao Yong, be careful as Chen Ergou's deputy. Keep an eye on things for our big brother. Don't let him pull the wool over our eyes."

Hearing this, Liu Yong's body jolted. Zhao Jin smiled and nodded, but inwardly he thought that Wang Zhaojing was indeed astute and thoroughly versed in the ways of the world. That had been his intention all along, only it was more appropriate for Wang Zhaojing to voice it than for him.

"Rest assured, Big Brother!" Liu Yong answered solemnly. Zhao Jin beckoned everyone to head inside, but he himself lagged behind and gave Liu Yong a few words of instruction: "Just keep your eyes open. You still have to treat Chen Ergou as the boss in charge. If anything's uncertain, come ask me."

Liu Yong again gave a solemn promise. There was no one else in the Temple of Wealth at the moment. Chen Ergou, the newly appointed "Head Brother," was bustling about, boiling water and brewing tea with practiced ease.

They trained in martial arts and sparred every day, so life was actually quite tedious. Everyone was intensely curious about this "gambling den," and several of them went inside to take a look. Wang Zhaojing, however, stayed in the courtyard chatting idly with Zhao Jin.

Once the others were far enough away, Wang Zhaojing's face showed puzzlement as he asked, "Brother Zhao, over these years, we've always been together during martial arts practice. Outside of that, you seemed to spend all your time learning martial arts from Uncle Zhenxing. Yet, seeing your conduct and bearing today, it's clearly the manner of a seasoned old hand of the underworld. How did you learn that?"

"You've spent your whole life studying and practicing martial arts — what would you know about people of the underworld?" Zhao Jin countered with a smile.

The reason he understood so much about the ways of the underworld was from forming cliques and brawling at school in that other life, and from being constantly exposed to all kinds of media. With experience and having seen so much, he naturally carried it off with great authority. Of course, Zhao Jin would never explain all that; he simply deflected with a question.

Hearing this, Wang Zhaojing protested indignantly, "Brother Zhao, don't look down on people. On my return this time, I saw the grain transport laborers on the canal conducting themselves with a certain set of rules in both word and deed. My father told me those are precisely the so-called underworld figures. Although what Brother Zhao does is different, your authority and bearing are very much the same."

"Don't forget what my father does for a living. I've picked it up through constant exposure," Zhao Jin said with a smile, brushing it off vaguely.

Wang Zhaojing looked as if he suddenly understood, then lowered his voice and said, "Brother Zhao, your aspirations are lofty. You shouldn't waste your energy on such filthy, trivial matters. If your reputation gets tarnished, you'll lose the greater for the lesser."

Just as he finished speaking, Chen Ergou's voice rang out from inside: "Young Master Jin, everyone, the water's boiled. Please come in and have some tea."

Zhao Jin smiled at Wang Zhaojing, and together they stepped into the building.

The small room at the back of the gambling den had been tidied up a bit. Chen Ergou had actually produced ten quite decent-looking porcelain cups and was pouring tea. The teapot and cups clearly didn't match in style; they were probably stolen goods or items pawned at the gambling den — things of dubious origin.

The heated brick bed took up half of that inner room, leaving little standing space. With nine people crammed inside, it was a bit crowded. Chen Ergou repeatedly urged everyone to sit down. The group exchanged glances, then nudged Zhao Jin to sit on the edge of the brick bed. Everyone else remained standing, ignoring the chairs even though they were there.

Chen Ergou handed out the cups of tea one by one, then went to a corner of the room. He pried up two floor tiles behind him, revealing a small wooden chest underneath. Carrying the chest over to Zhao Jin, he said, "Young Master Jin, this gambling den always keeps sixty taels of silver on hand for daily operations, to cover tribute payments and payouts. Please accept this, Young Master Jin!"

With that, he opened the chest. Inside were bits of broken silver of varying purity, along with several strings of copper coins.

At the sight of this money, everyone's breathing grew a little heavier. Only Sun Dalei remained composed. Among their group, quite a few came from well-off or even wealthy families, but apart from Sun Dalei, the others all had very strict upbringings and received little daily spending money. Seeing these sixty taels, they couldn't help but get excited.

Zhao Jin took the wooden chest and dumped its contents directly onto the brick bed. With a sweep of his hand, he roughly divided the pile in two and said, "This gambling den still needs to operate. You still have plenty to do with this setup. I'm leaving you half."

"Th-this... how can I accept this?" Chen Ergou said nervously. He couldn't believe that someone as shrewd as Zhao Jin would help him for nothing.

"Why couldn't you? I want you to keep this operation going for the long term, not just for a single day!" Zhao Jin said frankly.

Chen Ergou nodded repeatedly. Zhao Jin paused thoughtfully, then added, "You don't need to be so cautious either. You are the boss here. If you come to me for every little thing, you won't be able to run the place yourself. Only come find me for help when you can't handle something."

The group standing by all felt they couldn't get a word in. Listening to Zhao Jin's confident and easy arrangements, each of them felt they were far behind him. But the moment they thought that they also had a share in this whole situation, they couldn't help but feel excited and thrilled.

For Wang Zhaojing, Chen Sheng, Sun Dalei, and Dong Bingfeng, this small share was truly insignificant to them. But this wasn't given by their families — it was earned by themselves. The significance was extraordinary, which was why they were especially stirred.

Chen Ergou's expression relaxed a little, tinged with a hint of excitement. Although he knew that all of this was given to him by Zhao Jin and that he would have to obey in everything from now on, he still wanted a bit more autonomy. Zhao Jin's words were exactly what he wanted to hear.

"Please rest assured, Young Master Jin. This lowly one would never dare forget his roots. From now on, I will still need to rely heavily on your help, Young Master." Chen Ergou understood in his heart that the only strength he could currently depend on was these eight young men before him. Without them stepping forward, Scraggy Mao and Big Head Huang, or even the underlings beneath those two, could swallow him up at any moment.

Zhao Jin held a piece of broken silver in his hand, tapping it lightly against the edge of the brick bed. He paused thoughtfully, then continued, "What you need to do in the next few days is get the accounts straight. What sources of income does this Copper Head have? How much silver comes in each month? How much has to be paid out in tribute? You need to get all of this clear. This is the most critical thing. I'm giving you two days. I want an answer then, and we'll discuss it in detail. Understood?"

This was entirely a tone of issuing orders, yet everyone in the room felt it was only right and proper. Chen Ergou hastily bowed and agreed.

"The gambling den opens for business this afternoon. Don't let any of the men under you go running around outside. In the next few days, you should also find more people to be here, to guard against anyone who hasn't given up."

After he finished speaking, Zhao Jin glanced at his companions and said with a smile, "Does anyone else have anything to add?"

"Brother Zhao, I have a few words I'd like to say," Wang Zhaojing said with a smile. Zhao Jin nodded. Wang Zhaojing said to Chen Ergou, "When trouble arises, Brother Zhao will lead us all to help you. However, while you're here, try to mention Brother Zhao and the rest of us as little as possible."

Seeing Zhao Jin nod, Chen Ergou hastily agreed. Wang Zhaojing had thought it through very carefully. Apart from Liu Yong, the worst-off among the eight of them was still from a respectable family, and many had even higher status. If their names were constantly on the lips of underworld figures, it would be inconvenient if the authorities or their elders heard about it. This was especially true for Wang Zhaojing, who had already earned the rank of Licensed Scholar; being accused of disgracing scholarly dignity would be a huge problem.

Chen Ergou listened very attentively. Just when he thought these young masters were finished and was about to offer some polite words, Zhao Jin suddenly smiled faintly and said, "Brother Chen, Copper Head died at his mistress's place. His mistress must have been terrified out of her wits and can't help but blab nonsense. Send her back to her home village in the countryside as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Chen Ergou couldn't help but shiver and quickly nodded.

Having said all this, Zhao Jin wrapped up the silver, stood up, and said with a smile, "It's getting late. Everyone, come back with me."

Chen Ergou saw them out. As they were leaving the outer gate, Zhao Jin turned back, patted Liu Yong on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Remember to go to that courtyard later."

After Zhao Jin left, there were already people waiting at the entrance of the Temple of Wealth's courtyard — some of those from the crowd of dozens earlier. They were likely the various underbosses coming to pay their respects to the new boss.

They certainly knew who had put Chen Ergou in this position. Seeing Zhao Jin and the others emerge, obsequious smiles appeared on every face. When they saw Zhao Jin pat Liu Yong on the shoulder and exchange a few warm words, everyone looked thoughtful.

Although they had left early, after all that commotion, by the time they returned from the southern part of the city to that courtyard, it was already time for everyone to disperse and go home for their meals. They hadn't gone far when Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang took their leave of Zhao Jin, wanting to head home since it was on the way.

"You two go home first and let them know — just say I had urgent business at noon," Zhao Jin said, not letting them leave. Hearing this, Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang quickly agreed.

Once they reached the courtyard, Zhao Jin told Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang to wait inside, then added, "Everyone go home and let your families know. Come back here in a quarter of an hour to discuss things. Make sure you come."

After he finished, everyone scattered and went home.

When he got home, he found that his father, Zhao Zhentang, hadn't returned yet. Zhao Jin went straight to He Cuihua and told her he wouldn't be eating lunch at home.

Naturally, Zhao Jin received a good scolding from his mother, He Cuihua. However, He Cuihua also knew that Zhao Jin was increasingly making his own decisions, so scolding him to vent her frustration was enough. Mu Shulan had wanted to follow him out but was again refused by Zhao Jin, leaving the girl quite dejected.

Grabbing a freshly baked flatbread and stuffing it with two pieces of pickled vegetable, Zhao Jin headed straight for that courtyard.

As soon as he arrived, he found that Sun Dalei was already there. Living on his own, his life was completely free. He hadn't even gone home, instead going to a nearby tavern and having them deliver food — two food boxes, lavish and plentiful.

Originally, Zhao Jin had planned to let Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang eat the pastries stored there, but now that wasn't necessary. Sun Dalei even more enthusiastically invited them to come over and eat together.

Halfway through the meal for the four of them, Wang Zhaojing, Dong Bingfeng, and Chen Sheng all returned. Some had eaten lunch at home, others had brought food with them. They gathered together, eating in lively spirits, discussing the morning's glorious victory. Everyone was thoroughly delighted.

After the meal, the food boxes were placed at the courtyard gate for the tavern's waiter to collect later. Just as they set the boxes down, Liu Yong arrived carrying a bundle. The bundle was certainly not light; sweat was already beading on Liu Yong's forehead.

Zhao Jin hurried forward to take the bundle. It sank heavily into his hands — it weighed twenty or thirty catties. Liu Yong had carried it all the way from the southern part of the city; no wonder he was so tired.