Chapter 276: Persuading a Drink (Qixi Festival Special)

These events happened a very long time ago. To me, many of the details feel like a terrifying nightmare, though describing them as such isn’t entirely accurate. Thanks to Fourth Brother, He Yu, and the others, I still managed to spend a relatively simple and happy period in my early twenties.

But the person ultimately responsible for me living to see thirty has to be Lu Ayao. Many years ago, after I dropped out of school, I took a trip to western Hunan. A Bimo priest^[1] there performed a divination for me. His words were obscure when translated into Mandarin, and I didn’t understand much of it, but I caught the word “variable.”

Generally speaking, my life followed a predictable trajectory. Before twenty, I focused on exams, where the outcomes were binary: failure or admission. After twenty, I began dealing with the mess left behind by the Five Masters, and I gradually discovered that the outcomes there were also binary: win and live, or lose and die.

The only person who could tip the scales of my life or death was Lu Ayao. Or rather, he was the only friend besides He Yu whom I could truly rely on to have my back.

Now that we are scattered across the country, we don’t have much contact. It’s only when business in the south is slow that he comes to my place looking for work. Over the last few years, I’ve managed a few small shops in the north, and every year, some haunted houses with strange Feng Shui or the residences of certain nouveau riche types crop up.

I usually save these jobs for him. On one hand, I’m too lazy to travel that far, and on the other, it’s a way of showing professional courtesy to the southern circles.

But this time was different. Lu Ayao hadn’t given me any prior notice, so I was quite surprised when he appeared at the entrance of Yinggan Tang early in the morning. At the time, I still had a toothbrush sticking out of my mouth, my face covered in white foam I hadn’t spat out yet.

He dropped his meager luggage in the shop and left without even saying hello. The shop assistants were stunned. It’s likely that in the last two years, few people have dared to use Yinggan Tang as a mere rest stop.

I wasn’t particularly curious about what he was up to, though. A man in his thirties wasn’t going to get lost. I simply went out for some breakfast. I’d suffered from insomnia the night before, so upon returning, I instructed the assistants to watch the shop, then headed back to my room to take my medicine and catch up on sleep.

The potency of the medicine hit quickly. By the time I woke up, it was already afternoon. Rain was drifting down outside, and Lu Ayao had long since returned. When I came downstairs, he was sitting in the foyer drinking tea.

There hadn’t been many good customers lately, so the assistant was leaning back in a chair in the foyer, dozing off.

I walked past Lu Ayao and sat down in a lantern chair a table away from him. Reaching for the teapot he’d brewed, I uncovered a cup and poured myself a drink. As soon as the tea hit my tongue, I smacked my lips, unable to taste much of anything.

“Which steep is this?” I asked him.

Lu Ayao glanced at me. “Only the second.”

“Too weak,” I said.

He was brewing Tieguanyin, a gift from someone at a recent industry gathering. It was the mildest tea in my shop. Over the years, I’d grown accustomed to drinking strong tea to stay alert. Suddenly switching to a weak brew always left me feeling like something was missing, making me restless, so I rarely touched it.

Lu Ayao blew on a tea leaf floating in his bowl and shook his head. “The Maojian tea in your shop is too strong. I want to take some of it with me. I’ve tried this kind; it’s palatable enough. Having something light once in a while isn’t a bad idea. It won’t interfere with your rest.”

“If you take the Maojian, how will I…” I drained the bowl of tea with a blank expression, as if drinking plain water. The words were on the tip of my tongue when I suddenly realized I no longer needed strong tea to stay awake. I shifted my tone.

“I’ll have someone pack it for you later. Take it all.”

Lu Ayao knew about my sleep disorder and that I was on medication. Consequently, for the past six months, whenever he came to Henan, he made a point of making off with ninety percent of my tea. It made it look less like he was here to inspect a house and more like he was buying tea in bulk.

The rain continued to fall, seemingly growing heavier. I gestured for the shop assistant to set up the awning at the entrance. Soon, passersby began trickling under the canopy for shelter. I lowered the bead curtain of the inner doorway, leaned back in my chair, and closed my eyes to listen to the rain.

After a while, Lu Ayao spoke again. “Xu Zhicai from Liu Village wants me to help them move their ancestral graves. They’re repaving the roads there with asphalt, and the planned route runs right through their ancestral plot.”

I knew about this. In fact, for major matters like relocating ancestral graves, ever since I took over my Fourth Brother’s position, everyone for miles around would notify me first. Those with connections would ask me directly, while those without would use various intermediaries to seek my opinion. But this man named Xu had a bit of history with me, so I hadn’t intended to pay him any mind.

I just hadn’t expected the guy to be well-connected enough out there to find his way to Lu Ayao.

I turned to look at the curtain of rain outside the door and chuckled. “I ignored him before. It seems the fellow has quite the nerve.”

Lu Ayao frowned and looked up. “What do you mean? He said he had no way of contacting you, which is why he came to me for help.”

I didn’t plan on answering him. Ultimately, Xu Zhicai’s grudge was with me and had nothing to do with Lu Ayao. I couldn’t let my personal issues ruin Lu Ayao’s chance to make some money.

So, I changed the subject. “What are we eating tonight?”

“Xu Zhicai wants to treat me to dinner at Bayi. He asked if you wanted to come along,” Lu Ayao said, setting down his teacup. “But I don’t really feel like going anymore.”

“Invite me?” That guy named Xu was definitely not that kindhearted. I knew his character. Inviting me now probably meant he couldn’t make it in the Central Plains anymore but couldn’t bring himself to come to my shop and beg for peace. Since Lu Ayao happened to be here, he planned to use Lu Ayao’s connection to curry favor with me.

I slapped my thigh and sat up straight. “How can we not go? Look at how dead my shop is. It’s been ages since I made a sale. I’m tightening my belt these days, and the man has already set a banquet to welcome you. There’s no reason to miss out on a free meal!”

In truth, I wanted him to go by himself and bring back some leftovers for me, saving the cost of a takeout meal for two. Back then, I didn’t run the household and didn’t know how expensive basic living was. Now, I save whenever I can. The utility bills for Yinggan Tang this summer have been making my hair fall out. Every time I look at the statement, I break out in a cold sweat.

Lu Ayao didn’t know the exact history between that guy Xu and me, and since I refused to talk about it, he was clearly a bit annoyed that evening. Still, since he had already agreed to help relocate the graves, and both parties were set to negotiate the price for the new site over dinner, the Lu Clan’s way of doing business was absolute. Once a deal was set, they rarely went back on their word.

When evening came, Lu Ayao went to keep the appointment. Fearing that bastard Xu Zhicai might pull some kind of stunt, I sent two sharp, unfamiliar-looking workers to go with him.

As it turned out, less than two hours had passed before one of the workers called back. I was a bit puzzled, thinking that a dinner party shouldn’t have ended quite so quickly.

“Boss, help! How can the Xu family drink this much? They didn’t plan on eating at all today. From the moment they sat down, they’ve been forcing drinks on him. They probably want to get Brother Lu drunk before they start haggling. A-Hao and I have already knocked back nearly a pint for him!”

He was speaking softly, likely hiding in the restroom to make the call on the sly.

Lu Ayao had a decent alcohol tolerance, but no one could withstand being force-fed drinks like that. The Lu Clan’s asking price was high, which Xu Zhicai must have anticipated. He had brought along a crowd of companions under the guise of being guests, but in reality, they were all seasoned lushes just waiting to get Lu Ayao wasted so they could slash the price.

My temper flared. I hung up the phone and brought some men from the Pankou to go cause trouble.

It was peak dinner hour and raining outside, so many people were huddled at the restaurant entrance. Consequently, no one noticed our large group getting out of the cars and heading upstairs. I reached the second floor and located the private room. The door was slightly ajar, and the clinking of glasses could be heard from a distance.

I kicked the door open. When Xu Zhicai saw me, he spat out a mouthful of liquor on the spot. The crowd surrounding Lu Ayao slowly scattered because of the commotion I caused. I scanned the room. There were hardly any dishes on the table, but there was plenty of booze: red wine, white liquor^[2], and beer. I thought to myself, they really covered all the bases; they truly intended to fill up on booze today.

A-Hao looked at me as if he’d seen a savior. Lu Ayao took the opportunity to step away from the crowd. The drinks being pushed on him had been intercepted by my two workers, so he probably hadn’t had much.

“How long has it been, and you’ve already forgotten whose territory this is?” I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and lit it.

Xu Zhicai was incredibly defiant. “Gan Ji, I’ll back down because your territory is big, but I don’t think I’m doing anything wrong right now. I’m doing business with the Lu Clan. What the hell does it have to do with you? You brought so many people here; why are you sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong?”

I suppressed the rage burning inside me. He should count himself lucky he chose a restaurant in a crowded area. If there had been fewer people around and he dared talk to me like that, I would have taken his head off long ago.

I flicked away the ash with one hand, too lazy to argue with him. “Cut the bullshit. I’m taking him with me. You can move those graves of yours wherever the hell you want, but the Lu Clan isn’t taking this job.”

As I spoke, I motioned to Lu Ayao, waving him over. “Come here. We’re leaving.”

“This is our business! Who the hell do you think you are? Do you really think what you say goes?” Xu Zhicai cursed, banking on the fact that I couldn’t make a scene here.

Lu Ayao made his way around the dining table, but Xu Zhicai blocked him halfway. I watched as Lu Ayao grabbed Xu Zhicai’s forearm with a reverse wrist-lock. In an instant, Xu Zhicai was pinned against the wall. A sharp crack of bone rang out, followed by Xu Zhicai squealing like a slaughtered pig.

“Fuck! Hey, what the hell?! We had an agreement!”

“If you don’t accept the price, you’d better find another expert.” After Lu Ayao spoke, he let go and walked straight toward me.

I gave him a look, and he brushed past me, heading out the door.

Xu Zhicai’s arm was likely dislocated. He was in too much pain to stand up for quite a while. The rest of the Xu family had probably never seen anything like this before. The old lushes, still clutching their glasses, were instantly shocked sober by my presence.

I looked around the room, imprinting every face into my memory. Lu Ayao was staying with me for the next few days, so I didn’t want to cause trouble with these people just yet, but I couldn’t guarantee anything for the future. I had let Xu Zhicai off easy before and hadn’t cleaned house, but now it seemed leaving him alone was a mistake after all.

I took the cigarette from my mouth, walked over to the table, and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

“From now on, the Lu Clan won’t take any more work from your family. And don’t even think about doing business in Gan Ji’s territory. If you don’t believe me, feel free to try and see if my word carries weight.”

The mood in the private room turned dead cold, plunging the place into total silence. I pointed a finger at Xu Zhicai. “In a couple of days, set a table for me too. We’ve got some accounts to settle.”

With that, I shot A-Hao a look and walked out, leaving him behind to clean up the mess.

After scaring that bunch of drunks quiet, I waved my hand to dismiss my men and went downstairs. The rain had stopped, and Lu Ayao was standing outside waiting for me.

I walked over to him and asked, “How are you feeling? You didn’t drink too much, did you?”

Lu Ayao shook his head. “I’m fine, but if they’d kept pushing like that, I really would have ended up drunk.”

I saw him instinctively rub his stomach and realized he really must have had a bit too much to drink. Knowing how stingy Xu Zhicai was, Lu Ayao hadn’t eaten a bite of food, so the alcohol was probably burning his stomach.

“Is there food at home? Everything Xu Zhicai ordered was spicy. I couldn’t eat any of it,” Lu Ayao said suddenly.

I smiled, walked over to the car, and opened the door to get in first. “I already sent someone to buy food before I came. It’s all sweet dishes, plus those sugar cakes from the east side of town. If you aren’t sick of sweets after this, I’ll consider it my loss.”

Hearing that, the corner of Lu Ayao’s mouth curved up in a barely perceptible smile. I sighed inwardly, but then a thought struck me. Why did I feel like something wasn’t quite right?

Lu Ayao had investigated so many things in secret before. How could he not know about the grudge between Xu Zhicai and me? Since he knew, why did he insist on putting on this entire act? What was it for? To raise my standing in the underworld?

This was just great. By tomorrow, rumors would probably be flying everywhere that I’d already taken Yin Pozi as my subordinate, and that even someone of the Lu Clan’s high status had to follow my lead.

Damn it, I was played, wasn’t I?

Thinking this, I turned toward the back seat and snapped, “I’ve really had it with you! Lu Ayao, did you do this on purpose?”

Lu Ayao leaned back against the seat with his eyes closed. He was smiling, but he didn’t answer me.

Perspective: Thirty-year-old Gan Ji Timeline: Around 2012, contains spoilers