A life of success begins with being a landlord.

A dark night for murder, a windy day for arson.

Murder and arson have been equated since ancient times. The idea that arson equals murder seems to have become a kind of consensus.

My father wasn't stupid; he knew that conflicts between neighbors wouldn't escalate to the point of arson.

I quickly tried to smooth things over: "Yes, Dad is right. We're all neighbors, even if there's a conflict, it wouldn't lead to arson... Maybe some drunkard came home drunk in the middle of the night and threw his cigarette butt on the haystack."

My dad dismissed my guess: "That doesn't make sense either. Who drinks until midnight? Besides, our house isn't on the side of the road; very few people walk this way."

"That's strange..."

I pretended to have a sudden realization: "Spontaneous combustion, this must be a spontaneous combustion phenomenon. The inside of the haystack heated up and started a fire on its own, just like a person has a fever."

I think I really have a fever; I'm so feverish that I'm talking nonsense and don't even know what I'm saying.

The old man sighed and said, "Forget it, the haystacks aren't worth much. Let them burn. You focus on making money outside, don't worry about these little things at home."

"Okay, Dad. Don't overwork yourselves, take good care of Grandma."

I hung up the phone, and through my blurry, tear-filled eyes, I seemed to see again my father's back as he carried a load of manure along the country path...

Sister Li nudged me and whispered, "What happened? Is the house on fire?"

"It was Liang Laosi who sent people to do it, it must have been them!"

I snapped out of my daze and gritted my teeth: "This bastard is determined to fight me."

Sister Li pulled me into the bedroom and called Erxia in as well, so we could discuss it together.

Erxia asked, "What do we do now? We have no evidence to prove that Liang Laosi's family set the fire."

"They're all smart people; they don't need evidence."

I shook my head: "Old Liang wouldn't dare do anything, he just secretly set a fire to scare me. Because my haystack is below the threshing ground, far from the house. He knew it wouldn't burn anyone, that's why he dared to set the fire."

Sister Li frowned: "But Liang Laosi and his brothers cause trouble every now and then, it's not a good thing."

"I understand, I will handle it."

I suddenly had an idea: "I made an appointment with Zhang the Scarface this morning to withdraw his 800,000 yuan to him first."

Last time, Sister Li transferred 800,000 yuan to me and asked me to give it to Zhang Bazi.

But Zhang Bazi wanted cash, and I was busy, so the 800,000 yuan just sat in my account.

Sister Li was worried: "Call Gao Jianfeng and the others, and go together."

I nodded, then called Gao Jianfeng and Ye Xiaotian, asking them to follow me on their motorcycles.

Zhang Bazi also made an appointment to wait for me at the bank.

However, there was a slight inconvenience when withdrawing money due to the limit.

According to bank regulations, I cannot withdraw more than 500,000 yuan at a time. For amounts exceeding this, I must make an appointment.

I discussed it with Scarface Zhang: "Scarface, let's transfer the rest."

Zhang Bazi remained silent for a while, then said, "Never mind, we'll come back another day."

I didn't say anything, got on Scarface's bread cart, and then said, "Brother Scarface, I've been very busy these past few days. I've got some troublesome stuff on my hands."

"What's wrong? Do you need my help?"

"Are you sure you can handle things back home?" I lit a cigarette and recounted the grudges between me and Liang Laosi in detail.

After listening silently, Zhang Bazi asked me, "Are we going to kill him?"

"Murder is illegal, I won't do it." I shook my head.

"If you can handle this, I'll go back to my hometown, find Liang Laosi's house, and teach his brothers a lesson. The operation must be swift and decisive, leaving no evidence. Can you do that?"

"No problem, I'll help you, it's free this time." Zhang Bazi said expressionlessly, as if he were discussing what to have for lunch.

"Great, thanks a lot, Scarface." I then asked, "When are you planning to go?"

"We'll leave after we eat. We'll take a plane, and the round-trip ticket is on you."

"No problem!" I nodded. "I'll treat you to dinner when I get back."

"No need for a meal, but you'll need to help out in Songyuli."

"It's a deal." I agreed.

Another business deal was happily concluded.

I drove back to Hongxing Village and had dinner with Sister Li and Erxia.

Erxia was eating when she suddenly slammed her chopsticks down: "I understand, Brother Zu! It must have been that bastard Tiger who tipped off Liang Laosi!"

"A tiger?" I was stunned.

"Yes, it's a tiger!" Erxia insisted.

"Brother Zu, think about it. You're Dao Zai Xiong's right now, and Tiger is the manager of the entertainment center. If one day you go and become the manager of the entertainment center, Tiger will become your subordinate. As long as you're alive, Tiger's position won't be secure!"

That makes sense.

I suddenly realized: "I remember now, Tiger was in the car when I talked to Daozai Xiong about this last time. Tiger is a despicable and vile person; he's perfectly capable of doing something like this for his own position."

Sister Li frowned: "We have no evidence, and we can't touch Tiger. He's the manager of the entertainment center now, and Dao Zai Xiong won't let you touch him."

"It doesn't matter if we confront him or not, as long as we know it was him, we'll be more wary of him in the future." I sighed.

It's not that I can't handle a tiger, it's just that I don't think it's necessary right now.

If I find solid evidence, I still won't let him off the hook.

There are ways to get to him.

While we were discussing it, Niu Jie called again and asked me to meet him.

I thought about it and decided to have Niu Jie go to Jin Sangzi Hospital to talk about it in person.

After lunch, I took a short nap.

Ah Xiang was very well-behaved. She slept beside me without disturbing me, just quietly curled up in my arms.

At four o'clock in the afternoon, I went to Jin Sang Zi.

Niu Jie had arrived early and was waiting for me.

I took Niu Jie upstairs to the office and cut to the chase: "Is it still about Liang Laosi?"

"Yeah, Brother Zu, I had no choice..." Niu Jie sighed.

"I got a call from home early this morning; the house is on fire." I remained calm, looking at Niu Jie: "It was Liang Laosi who arranged it; I know."

"Holy crap, Liang Laosi wouldn't be that bold, would he?" Niu Jie exclaimed in surprise.

"If you don't believe me, call and ask."

"Okay, I'll ask." Niu Jie hesitated for a moment, then dialed Liang Laosi's cell phone in front of me and put it on speakerphone.

The call connected, and Liang Laosi asked, "Second Brother, what did Wang Yaozu say?"

"Brother Zu said that his hometown caught fire last night."

Niu Jie roared, "You bastard, tell me honestly, did you do this?"

Liang Laosi neither admitted nor denied it, but asked instead, "Was there a fire? Were there any casualties?"

Niu Jie roared, "I asked you if you did it, you tell me!"

"I don't know, it's none of my business."

"Bastard," Niu Jie cursed, hung up the phone, and looked at me.

"Whether it was his arrangement or not, he knows it in his heart, and so do I."

I lit a cigarette and said, slowly and deliberately, "Tell Liang Laosi that I can get Liang Sanjie out without paying a single penny in compensation. But there's a condition."

Niu Jie was overjoyed: "What are the conditions, Brother Zu?"