Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

In Cheng Dong's eyes, his older brother is a ruthless businessman who will stop at nothing and has no bottom line. In Lao Chengxi's mind, his younger brother is a naive and immature young man who sees things in black and white. Under such circumstances, the two brothers would most likely part on bad terms. But just then, Cheng Dong brought out his "trump card".

"Brother, sister-in-law says you're never home. Fine, since you won't listen to anything we say, I'm going back to our hometown tomorrow and telling Mom everything you've done. She'll be sure to twist your ears off!"

Mentioning his mother, Lao Chengxi couldn't help but shudder. It wasn't that he was afraid of hurting his ears, but he was genuinely terrified of his mother's endless nagging.

The two brothers lost their father at a young age and were raised by their mother. As the eldest son, he received more discipline and understood his mother's hardships even more. In short, he could wrong anyone but his mother; in this world, she was probably his only weakness.

Lao Chengxi, who had just been full of hostility, had already calmed down. He rubbed his ear and explained to his younger brother, "We became acquainted with Lao Zheng through a fight. If we didn't win them over, would such a big farmers' market in Chengguankou have fallen into our hands? I'll say it again: if you want to do great things, you have to learn how to use people. Whoever is useful to us, we'll use them! Otherwise, if we two brothers rely solely on our own efforts, we'll only stay in this small county forever!"

Lao Chengxi's values ​​may not be entirely correct, but what he said was basically the truth. If it weren't for Zheng the butcher's constant threats and intimidation, Lao Chengxi would never have been able to amass his fortune in the farmers' market and restaurant. He wouldn't dare to speak ill of other places, but in Yanghe County, when encountering all sorts of scoundrels, violence was the only effective method.

"So, you're letting that woman surnamed Xiao be the hotel manager? Brother, let me warn you, don't cause trouble at home. Mom and I definitely won't be on your side then!"

Faced with his younger brother's sarcasm, Lao Chengxi laughed and patted his chest, assuring him, "That's all an act for others! You know how good my relationship with your sister-in-law is; she'll always be number one in my heart!"

Lao Chengxi said this without batting an eye. Although he was not clean in his relationships with women, he was indeed good to his wife, and Zhou Xiangyi never made a fuss about it.

Cheng Dong knew his brother had a dirty past, but he absolutely refused to believe that his brother had fallen out with his sister-in-law for another woman. After all, his sister-in-law got along very well with their mother, and with their mother backing him up, he figured Lao Chengxi wouldn't dare to act recklessly.

Just as Cheng Dong was pondering this, Lao Chengxi smoothed his slicked-back hair and teased in a relaxed tone, "Don't talk about me, I told your sister-in-law that you hired a pretty girl at your shop? Is that true? Hahaha..."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong immediately rolled his eyes. "Brother! He's only 18, don't talk nonsense..."

Cheng Dong didn't really have many thoughts about Tingting. The girl was introduced by Aunt Zhao, and if something went wrong, he would probably offend a lot of people. Even if he was stupid, he knew the principle of not eating the grass near his burrow. Besides, he still had another girl in his heart.

"I know! My brother has high standards. Back in Dongguan, he almost snatched away the Taiwanese boss's girl! Hahaha..." Recalling his brother's romantic escapades over the years, Lao Chengxi slapped his thigh and laughed.

Cheng Dong's ears burned bright red: "I've told you eight hundred times! We just sang some songs together, we didn't do anything else..."

He felt guilty saying that—after all, he had held the other person's wrist. If the Taiwanese businessman hadn't looked down on Cheng Dong, he and Miss He might have sparked something between them.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Lao Chengxi waved his hand and said, "I still remember He Yingming's old face! When he heard you took his daughter to Shenzhen, that old guy flew into a rage on the spot! He always has 'be patient and patient' on his lips, but when it comes to this, he's like a mad dog! I've been his driver for so many years, and I've never seen that guy He lose his temper before!"

Recalling the past, Cheng Dong would sometimes smile shyly, and sometimes frown deeply. This expression amused Lao Chengxi, who was standing next to him. In this way, the two brothers joked with each other, and it seemed that their old brotherly affection had returned.

"I was only seventeen back then, and I really didn't intend to do anything to his daughter. But no matter how I explained it, the old man just wouldn't listen..." Cheng Dong muttered, scratching the back of his head.

Upon hearing this, Lao Chengxi's face suddenly darkened, and he coldly snorted, saying, "These guys look down on us mainlanders to the core! Just wait and see, one day we will definitely surpass those surnamed He!"

A fire burned in the man's eyes, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. Thinking of the humiliation the two brothers had suffered years ago, Lao Chengxi gritted his teeth in hatred. Perhaps it was because of that incident that he vowed to rise above others. Over the years, he had schemed and plotted everywhere, and even though he had achieved some success, he was still not satisfied.

Lao Chengxi always taught his younger brother to do great things. How big? The two brothers knew perfectly well—it had to surpass the business empire of Taiwanese businessman He Yingming!

People have vastly different ideas. Cheng Dong was clearly the one who was hurt the most, but he was not forced to develop great ambitions. He remained the same as before, content with a modest life. If it weren't for people like Butcher Zheng, Cheng Dong would never have started his own business. Is running a wholesale store really more profitable than working under his brother? Not necessarily. He just wanted to be more comfortable.

After talking for a long time, neither brother could convince the other. However, most of the knots that had accumulated over the past six months were untied. After all, they were born of the same mother, and even if the bones were broken, the tendons were still connected!

The private room was filled with drunkards lying haphazardly late at night. Even Butcher Zheng, who was known for his invincibility, was slumped on a chaise lounge and snoring.

Strangely, Xiao Hongjuan showed no signs of intoxication; at that moment, she was leading the waiters to clean up the mess.

Seeing the two brothers return, Xiao Hongjuan quickly stopped what she was doing, her eyes sparkling, and said softly to Lao Chengxi, "Eldest brother, how about I arrange for Dongzi to rest upstairs? The empty rooms are all ready..."

"No need, we all have to go home tonight." With that, Lao Chengxi gestured with his chin towards the drunkards. "These men are yours, especially Captain Zhang, you'd better make sure they're properly taken care of!"

"Don't worry!" Xiao Hongjuan readily agreed, but a hint of disappointment flickered in the corner of her eye.

Just then, the driver, Tie Zhu, came running up. He said something to Lao Chengxi, and the two of them went downstairs first.

Xiao Hongjuan tried to persuade him a few more times, but Cheng Dong had no intention of staying overnight. He reluctantly started the car, and after driving onto the main road for a short while, he stepped on the brakes and turned back to the restaurant.

The bread cart was hidden behind a big tree. Cheng Dong crouched down, like a private detective, observing the revolving door of the restaurant.

It wasn't hard to guess what he wanted to do; he simply wanted to see if his brother would stay at the restaurant tonight. Not long after, Xiao Hongjuan came out arm in arm with Lao Chengxi. When Chengdong saw his brother shake off the woman and get into the back seat of the car without looking back, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Cheng Dong grinned as he turned the key. The next second, the ripped bread "buzzed" into the night. Amid the jolt, he hummed a nonsensical Cantonese tune.