A life of success begins with being a landlord.

Then I remembered that we were going to start refining silver today.

But I still need to handle A-Qiang's matter, and I'm not sure I'll have the time.

Li Jie and Er Xia were both interested in silver refining, so they went to watch together, ostensibly to help with the work.

I'm waiting for Daozai Xiong's call, and I'll also take a look at the operating procedures.

Uncle Ding put on an apron and started doing it himself.

First, stir-fry the black silver halide powder in a large iron pot, and add some chemical reagents.

The pungent smell of medicine permeated the processing workshop.

Ding Zhili assisted us and acted as our guide.

I studied science in high school and learned chemistry, so I understood it immediately. I knew all the chemical reaction processes involved.

As Ding Zhili spoke, I took notes and even wrote down the chemical reaction formulas.

Sister Li was deeply impressed by me and exclaimed in genuine amazement, "My brother is awesome! He's a scientist!"

Although Erxia is a college student, she studied humanities and had long forgotten her chemistry knowledge. She was also very impressed with me.

Uncle Ding laughed and said, "No need for such trouble, just remember the fixed procedure."

That makes sense. It's just a few simple procedures. Operators don't need to understand the principles; they just need to follow the instructions.

For ordinary people, drinking water doesn't require knowing that water is composed of dihydrogen monoxide.

A chef doesn't need to know that salt is sodium chloride when cooking.

The black silver halide is fried until it is slightly smoking, then put into a crucible, pure alkali is added, and it is sent into the furnace for refining.

The furnace was built with refractory bricks and refractory mud, and it burned raw coal.

With the blower attached, it didn't take long for him to develop a skill that was quite proficient.

Half an hour later, the black silver halide in the crucible had turned into liquid.

Then, use large pliers to remove the crucible and pour it into the steel plate mold. The first silver plate is officially produced!

It was indeed snow-white, gleaming with a dazzling light.

On the silver plate, you can also see fine lines, like ripples on water.

"This is snowflake silver, 99% pure."

Ding Zhili, beaming with pride, picked up the silver plate with pliers and dipped it in water: "We used a three-kilogram template, so this silver plate weighs three kilograms and is worth nearly three thousand yuan."

Sister Li and Erxia snatched the silver coin to look at it, admiring it and revealing silly smiles.

No wonder, how many ordinary people have ever seen such a large silver coin?

"Brother, take this silver and buy a few concubines!" Sister Li tossed the silver coins to me after she had finished playing with them.

"Thank you, sister."

I took the silver coin and played with it for a while before handing it to Erxia. I then patted Erxia's face and said, "Little girl, I've spent money to buy you. Come with me."

"Shameless! I'll smash your dog's head with silver!"

Erxia laughed and scolded, chasing after me while holding up the silver coin.

Sister Li and Uncle Ding were overjoyed.

Just then, the phone rang; it was Dao Zai Xiong calling.

I answered the phone, and Dao Zixiong said, "Brother, come over here for a second. I'm at the entertainment center. Send Ah Qiang the one million over first."

"Okay, Xiong-ge, I'm coming."

I hung up the phone, left the silver refining site, and headed to Sanlichuan.

Refining silver is so much fun, sigh!

When we arrived at Sanlichuan, I called Gao Jianfeng and the old squad leader, and we took a taxi together to Daozixiong's entertainment center.

I only felt at ease with the two guardians by my side.

When I met with Dao Zaixiong, it was already midnight.

Dao Zai Xiong invited us to eat first, pointing to two large bags: "This is one million. Count it, and I'll send someone to deliver it to you later."

I won't stand on ceremony, I'll count the money first.

I did a quick check, and it should be one million.

There's so much money, I can't possibly count it one bill at a time.

During mealtime, the old squad leader and Gao Jianfeng ate outside.

Dao Zixiong said to me, "Tell A-Qiang that I don't have that many schemes and tricks up my sleeve. Let him take this money and live out the rest of his life in peace. If he ever really runs out of food, he can come to me."

I nodded: "Qiang will definitely understand Xiong Ge's care."

After the meal, Dao Zixiong arranged two cars to accompany me to deliver the money.

I called A-Qiang first to ask where he was.

Ah Qiang said, "Brother Zu, I'm in Gangzhou. Come over, I'll wait for you."

"Damn it, what are you doing running off to Hong Kong?" I was furious.

It's over a hundred miles from here to Gangzhou, which will take a lot of time.

"Is it safe? It's not safe in Dongguan, it's too dangerous."

Ah Qiang grinned at me and said, "Don't worry, I won't let you come for nothing. I'll give you 50,000 yuan as a reward when you get here!"

Out of consideration for the 50,000 yuan reward, I had no choice but to drive to Gangzhou.

At 3 PM, I met with A-Qiang at the bank he specified.

A-Qiang was very careful and brought two fellow villagers with him.

In a corner of the lobby, I handed the two bags to A-Qiang and asked him to check them.

After inspecting the goods, Ah Qiang whispered, "Brother Zu, don't leave. Wait until I deposit the money before you go."

I shook my head and could only wait patiently.

It took Ah Qiang more than an hour to finish. He deposited the money into several accounts.

He kept his word and left me 50,000 yuan in cash.

I took the money without hesitation, patted A-Qiang on the shoulder, and said, "Take care, brother."

"Take care!" Ah-Qiang nodded, his eyes seemingly filled with tears.

I got on the bus and gave each of the two drivers three thousand yuan, and each of the old squad leader and Gao Jianfeng three thousand yuan as a reward for their hard work.

There's still over 30,000 left; that's my hard-earned money.

On the way back, I called Daozai Xiong to report the situation.

Dao Zixiong said, "Brother, come to Changhong Restaurant in Sanlichuan tonight, let's have a chat."

I agreed.

By the time we returned to Sanlichuan, it was already completely dark.

Dao Zixiong has arrived, along with Nie, Tang, Liu, and Hong.

Everyone was in low spirits, especially Liu Changying, who was depressed because his brother-in-law had died, just as if his brother-in-law had died.

I nodded and greeted them, reported on A-Qiang's situation, drank with everyone, and didn't ask any questions.

After a few rounds of drinks, Dao Zaixiong said, "Brother, you have to come out and help me. I'm really short-handed and can't find any suitable men."

I gave a wry smile: "Brother Xiong, this is my own business..."

"You can work for me for now, and then you can step down when a suitable replacement comes along."

Dao Zixiong waved his hand and pointed at everyone: "The two KTVs and one arcade in Sanlichuan belong to a few of us. Jin Biao used to manage them, but now only you are capable of handling them."

Director Tang said in a low voice, "One percent of the turnover will be your share. Although business isn't good, you can still make tens of thousands of yuan a month."

Nie and Hong both looked at me and said, "It's not appropriate for us to step forward. It's most suitable for you to be here, brother."

I hesitated for a moment, then said, "I need to discuss this with Sister Li. She's been quite troubled lately, as Brother Xiong knows..."

There's still a lot of unresolved conflict between Sister Li and Yuan Guizhen.

At this point, I need to give Daozai Xiong a nudge, to let him know which side he should be on.

Dao Zai Xiong immediately understood and nodded:

"I'll call Li Hanwen tomorrow and tell him to stop his nagging and just pay up to Hu Xiaoli to settle things. Or, he can just give Hu Xiaoli the apartment in Building 27 as compensation!"

He's definitely a smart person; he understands immediately.

"Brother Xiong, thank you for your help." I thanked him, then asked, "I have no experience in the entertainment industry, how should I manage this?"

Dao Zai Xiong laughed: "That's simple then. You don't need to worry about the finances; you just need to handle disputes. To put it simply, don't let customers cause trouble. If someone does, you handle it."

"How about this, Xiong-ge, I'll give it a try."

I also had a backup plan, and after some thought, I said, "Let's give him three months. If that doesn't work, Xiong will find someone else. Within three months, I'll find Xiong a suitable person, and then I'll resign. Is that alright?"

Being a bouncer is a dangerous job.

It may look glamorous, but danger lurks everywhere.

Therefore, I can't stay at the venue forever.