Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

That evening, Cheng Dong suddenly received a call from his brother, Lao Chengxi.

"Hey! Bro, you still know how to call back? I've been looking for you for days!" Cheng Dong picked up the phone and unleashed his fury. He had been holding back his anger for a while and could finally vent it.

"Looking for me?" Lao Chengxi hiccuped on the other end of the phone, slapped his forehead, and continued, "Oh, I heard a few words from your sister-in-law, but I was busy with the restaurant renovations and forgot. So, Xia Shang Restaurant opens tomorrow, let's get together tonight..."

Cheng Dong was about to say something more when the other party hung up. Fortunately, Cheng Dong knew the location of the restaurant, otherwise the two brothers would have had another round of "ineffective communication".

After unloading the goods, Cheng Dong said a few words to the shop assistant Tingting and then drove towards Chengguankou.

Traffic was heavy on the road, and when he encountered a congested section, Cheng Dong had no choice but to brake. While waiting, he rolled down the window and looked at the neon-lit shops lining the street, overwhelmed with mixed feelings.

Back when the two brothers returned from the south, there weren't many private cars on the streets. In just a few years, even the city gate is now bustling with traffic.

Time flies!

Cheng Dong sighed, recalling the days when he was making a living in the town. Back then, he was just a greenhorn, and his brother was just an unknown nobody. Many years have passed in the blink of an eye. Both brothers have stable careers now, but their brotherly bond has faded considerably.

Cheng Dong was filled with mixed emotions. Just as he was lost in thought, a rapid honking sounded from behind. The road was clear, and he quickly shifted gears and stepped on the gas, soon parking the car in front of a uniquely designed five-story building.

The building isn't particularly grand, but it has a strong European style, which is quite rare in Yanghe County, a relatively remote area.

As Cheng Dong got out of the car and looked up, the four neon characters "Xia Shang Restaurant" on the rooftop were flashing with colorful lights. He only glanced at them a couple of times before feeling dizzy. He rubbed his eyes and continued walking towards the restaurant entrance. After passing the huge Roman columns, he finally saw the gold-rimmed revolving door.

Just as Cheng Dong was about to push open the door, a burly young man came up to him, "Brother Dong, you've finally arrived! The boss is waiting for you in the private room on the second floor!"

This man is Tie Zhu, the brother's personal driver. He is extremely enthusiastic towards Cheng Dong, showing concern for his well-being and helping to open doors. He seems to be very good at handling things.

"There are two cases of Fenjiu liquor and a few cartons of cigarettes in the car. We'll unload them together later," Cheng Dong instructed, tossing the car keys over.

"Okay!" Tie Zhu replied, and only after watching the other person leave did he go to the car to get the gift...

Cheng Dong went straight up to the second floor and could hear the noisy drinking games through the door of the private room. Just as he frowned, the door was suddenly pushed open from the inside.

An ugly man with a round head, a pot-cut face, and a full beard stumbled out and almost bumped into Cheng Dong!

"Ouch! I fucking..." The ugly man's eyes widened, his eyebrows stood on end, and he was about to curse when he looked up and saw Cheng Dong. He swallowed the swear words back and immediately squeezed out a lewd smile.

This man was none other than Zheng Zhongyi—the Butcher Zheng—who had a grudge against Cheng Dong. Instead of greeting Cheng Dong, he turned and yelled at the man with the square mustache at the head of the table, "Old man! Look who's here so late! If you don't punish him with three cups, I'll be the first to object!"

As soon as he finished speaking, seven or eight pairs of eyes on the large round table swept over. These were all old acquaintances. In addition to the eldest brother's men, there was also Zhang Tuanjie, the deputy captain of the county security team who had a falling out with Cheng Dong that day.

Cheng Dong disliked such smoky and chaotic occasions, but he wasn't intimidated. He calmly walked forward, offered cigarettes, and greeted everyone.

After exchanging pleasantries, the man at the head of the table tapped his wine glass and said, "Second brother, please sit down. We've been waiting for you to start the meal!"

The speaker had sharp eyebrows and piercing eyes, exuding a powerful aura. His facial features and demeanor bore a striking resemblance to Cheng Dong, so there was no need to guess; he was none other than Cheng Dong's elder brother, Lao Chengxi.

Before Lao Chengxi could say anything more, the heavily made-up young woman next to him burst out laughing: "Dongzi! We've been waiting for you to come! Knowing your brother's temper, if you hadn't come tonight, nobody would have touched their chopsticks!"

It's clear that this flirtatious young woman knows how to liven up the atmosphere. Before, Xiao Hongjuan was just a shampoo girl at a hair salon in the suburbs. After doing "business" with Lao Chengxi a few times, she switched careers and joined his team. With this eloquent "social butterfly" present, the banquet is sure to be lively.

Cheng Dong had some opinions about the various people around his elder brother, just like he did with Zheng the Butcher. Cheng Dong didn't respond to their conversations, but nodded to Zhang Tuanjie and then sat down in the empty seat.

With everyone present, Lao Chengxi was in high spirits. He poured a glass of wine for Zhang Tuanjie and Cheng Dong, picked up the decanter, and said, "This drink is twofold: first, to celebrate the hotel's completion, and second, to assign tasks for tomorrow's opening ceremony. Enough talk! Come on! Let's toast to our new business!"

After saying that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp, leaving not a single drop.

Everyone had been drinking and waiting for the next part to continue, but Zheng the Butcher, feeling neglected, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Old Xi, stop your nagging! I still have some old scores to settle with Er Dong! If we don't get to the bottom of this, this drink will be a real pain in the teeth!"

Upon hearing this, the atmosphere in the room immediately became tense. Everyone knew that Cheng Dong and Zheng Zhongyi were at odds. Not long ago, Cheng Dong had even given Zheng Xiong, the butcher's son, a severe beating. These two were incredibly strong, and if they were to overturn the table here, probably no one could stop them.

"What do you want to argue about? Your son messed with my brother, so I beat up your son. That's only fair! If you're not happy, let's go outside and have a go at it?" Cheng Dong stared coldly at Zheng the Butcher and said very rudely.

Zheng Zhongyi originally wanted to talk about the penalty for being late, but Cheng Dong insisted on steer the conversation toward Zheng Xiong, which made Zheng the Butcher lose face.

Seeing that Butcher Zheng's expression changed and he was about to lash out, Lao Chengxi quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Let bygones be bygones. Everyone sitting here tonight is one of us. So, Second Brother should be punished for being late. Let him have three drinks to liven things up!"

Upon hearing this, the ruthlessness on Zheng Butcher's face vanished instantly. He squinted and chuckled, then deliberately picked up three glasses and filled them with baijiu.

Cheng Dong knew, of course, that this guy wasn't up to any good ideas, but he had a high alcohol tolerance and wasn't afraid of the other party's provocation at all. Without waiting for everyone to urge him to drink, he strode over and gulped down three cups in a row, then slammed the empty cups upside down in front of Butcher Zheng.

The whole table cheered and applauded, and Zheng Zhongyi joined in the clapping.

In the end, Butcher Zheng was just a simple-minded, physically strong brute. In his shallow worldview, as long as the other party drank those three cups of wine, it was already giving him enough face. If he were to nitpick over these trivial matters, he would only make himself look bad.