The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

I left the Youth Video Hall.

Looking back at the sign hanging on the wall, he realized that youth was such an ironic word, both for Xu Damao and for himself.

Neither of them could be said to have had a youth; one spent his youth in prison, went to a labor camp, and came back middle-aged.

Another youth was spent in the orphanage. Banggeng longed to leave his youth in that warm home he once knew, but his memories were already starting to fade.

I can no longer remember my mother Qin Huairu's face. That bullet on the shooting range shattered this family.

If the sisters were still alive after being separated for so many years, they would probably be married by now.

Youth, gone forever; youth, a casual scribble.

He was a child without a youth, and perhaps Xu Damao didn't either, which is why he was given such a name.

"A millionaire!"

Bang Geng took a deep breath, his expression solemn, but a hint of a smile appeared when he uttered those three words.

Bang Gengmu felt no affection for his stepfather, who had barely raised him for more than a few days. On the contrary, the fact that his stepfather recounted his past with his mother only brought him shame.

"A household with ten thousand yuan is great, that's exactly the kind of household we're looking for."

Yan Jiecheng invited Xu Damao to dinner that night, to Bianyifang roast duck. It was the perfect time to make a move. Tiantan Park wasn't close to the Workers' Stadium, so after scouting the area, they finally found something!

It wasn't that he couldn't see it; Brother Pi and Sister-in-law Pi were conspiring to set him up, using the excuse of bullying his sister-in-law as a convenient way to kick him out of the capital.

When a theft gang grows to a certain size, it's only a matter of time before it breaks up. A team is built up by two people, and eventually one of them has to leave.

Anyway, Beijing is a place of heartbreak, and Bang Geng doesn't want to stay there any longer.

But that doesn't mean he has to swallow this bitter pill.

Xu Damao's residence was not part of their gang's territory. If they went to steal from him, they would be overstepping their bounds, which is definitely not allowed in the underworld.

But his stepfather, Xu Damao, is rich. Yan Jiecheng said he was a "ten-thousand-yuan household" (a household with ten thousand yuan in savings), and Xu Damao didn't deny it, which proves that his family has some wealth.

This trip to Tangshan is destined to be a long journey. Since we're poor, we should be rich on the road. We can only try to take advantage of Xu Damao; after all, his video arcade is still open, and if we lose money, we can earn it back.

"Xiao Si, keep an eye on the door. We'll stop when it's almost time. We're not letting anyone stay out at night these days!"

Around six or seven o'clock in the afternoon, Banggeng bought a sesame seed cake and ate it bite by bite at a corner not far from the video arcade. He even used his fingers to stick the sesame seeds to his mouth, eating very carefully.

Seeing Xu Damao bring out a bicycle, greet his underlings, and then ride off south, Banggeng leisurely stood up and patted his bottom.

This stepfather no longer recognized him as Jia Geng. When he rode his bicycle past him, he glanced at him with the same look he would give a stray dog.

His stepfather probably doesn't know that stray dogs can also bare their teeth and bite.

I followed the bicycle at a leisurely pace toward Xu Damao's rented house. The area around the Workers' Stadium was visibly chaotic, with all sorts of shady characters converging there.

Boss Xu has been running a video arcade here for several years now. He must have connections in high places and some familiar cronies in the underworld. We need to act quickly.

All the money collected by the video arcade that day was in Xu Damao's bag. He might have been going to a banquet, or he might have been putting the money he collected that day at home first.

Actually, Bang Geng could do this kind of lock-picking by himself, and he's been eyeing Xu Damao for quite some time.

Giving half to Lao Pi was a way of involving him; no matter how things developed, Lao Pi, who remained in Beijing, would become his shield. Upon arriving at Xu Damao's rented house, seeing no movement at the door or inside, Bang Geng turned and left.

Inside the hideout.

Several young men were squatting in front of the table, counting the money their men had made that day under the warm orange light, and then distributing it through Brother Pi.

Summer is not a good time to commit crimes because people wear lighter clothing and are more easily spotted. This requires cooperation from others, such as someone to distract the target.

Secondly, people tend to carry less money, unlike in winter, especially during the Lunar New Year period.

"how's it going?"

Pi Ge, with a toothpick in his mouth, looked like he had just finished eating. He had one foot on the stool, his eyes fixed on the banknotes on the table. When he saw Bang Geng return, he took his foot off the stool.

The other monks who were counting money also slowed down their work. There were only some loose change on the table, and they couldn't count any more.

On the contrary, Mr. Xu, the owner of the Youth Video Hall, was rich and could pull off a big heist, ensuring everyone ate their fill.

"We've scouted the location. The people are going out for dinner tonight. If you're going to make a move, hurry up!"

"Let's go then, Yingzi. Put the money away, we'll talk about it when we get back!"

Upon hearing this, Brother Pi couldn't contain himself any longer. If Bang Geng said he could get to work, then there was absolutely no problem. The only difference in this job was how much money he would make.

"Wait a minute!"

Hearing Banggeng tell everyone to stop, Pige turned around with a puzzled look on his face. However, he was deep in thought, unlike Banggeng, which was why he was able to oust Banggeng.

The other monks looked at Jia Geng in confusion. It could be said that everyone here had been trained by Jia Geng, and their skills in picking locks and entering doors all came from him.

However, no one wants to get involved in the affairs of the top two leaders. That's how the underworld is. If you seduce the sister-in-law, you'll be disliked everywhere, regardless of whether it's true or not.

"As you all probably know, after this job, I'll leave Beijing. Brother Pi has introduced me to some guys in Tangshan, so I'll find a new place to make money."

"Among you, there are some I personally taught and mentored. I don't know if you all remember those past relationships. In the martial arts world, it's all about parting amicably. I'll take half of this deal, and everything from before is wiped clean!"

"If things go well in the future, you can continue to eat meat with Brother Pi. If your skills aren't up to par and you make a mistake, at least you'll have a place to stay in other places."

The words were meant for the Buddhas present, but also for Brother Pi, who had tricked them. After all, splitting the spoils in half was something the two of them had discussed privately, and these "key members" were unaware of it.

He forced Brother Pi to make a public statement now. He used his seduction of his sister-in-law to control him, while Brother Pi used his withdrawal from the capital to demand a 50/50 split. It's a reasonable and fair trade.

All eyes of the monks were immediately focused on Brother Pi. No one knew how much they could win from this deal, and in order to get a bigger share, they didn't even call on their underlings.

It's a bit of a loss that half of it was taken away, but the person said they were leaving, and the prison even gave them repatriation travel expenses!

"Hey, you promised half, Bang Geng, don't you trust me? If you want it, I'll even give you Yingzi. Money is nothing to us brothers!"

The others remained silent. Since Brother Pi had already made his decision, there was nothing more to say. However, Brother Pi knew that after the fishing incident, Bang Geng had started to be wary of him, so he would still say nice things.

There's no need to make things too awkward. Many people in the team were brought up by Bang Geng, so they still have some influence, to be honest.

They've already agreed to leave; it's not worth it to fall out now.

"I'm fine now, let's leave it at that!" (End of Chapter)