A life of success begins with being a landlord.

Sister Li stared at me for a long time without saying a word.

Just as I was about to ask, Sister Li raised an eyebrow and smiled, "It's a woman, prettier than Bobo. I'll introduce her to you. You can bring her home to sleep tonight."

"Then I won't go." I shook my head.

"Fool, it's a man."

Sister Li slapped me: "Go change your clothes, I'll wait for you."

I breathed a sigh of relief, washed my face, and changed my clothes.

Sister Li wanted to take a shower and put on makeup, which made me wait for ages.

It was already dark when I went out.

The neon lights of Sanlichuan Street are dazzling and the lights are bustling, making it impossible to feel that it is dark, and there is none of the quietness that comes after dark in the countryside.

"Here you go. I'll get a new phone in a couple of days, and you can have this old-fashioned mobile phone."

Sister Li handed me the mobile phone: "I used to have a brand new Motorola phone, but it was stolen ten days ago. I'm so unlucky."

"Sister Li, who would dare to rob you here?"

I was surprised.

They were also surprised by Sister Li's wealth.

She's richer than I imagined; she can afford the latest Motorola and is so generous as to give me her old mobile phone.

Although mobile phones are gradually being phased out in big cities, a poor person like me will never be able to afford one in my lifetime.

"That night, I was coming back from playing mahjong across the street. It was just a few steps away, and my phone was stolen."

Sister Li shook her head: "Those out-of-town motorcycle gangs didn't know me. They attacked me because I was alone. Later, Dao Zai Xiong led his men to chase after them, but they couldn't catch up. If they had, Dao Zai Xiong would have killed them!"

"Who is Dao Zai Xiong?"

"This is the person you're meeting tonight. His name is Zhan Shixiong, nicknamed 'Knife Xiong.' When you meet him, call him Brother Xiong."

Sister Li led me to hail a taxi right in front of Fatty's fried rice noodle shop, and introduced me to Daozai Xiong as she did so.

Dao Zixiong is a local who lives in Sanlichuan. He has five brothers and is the boss of Sanlichuan. No one dares to mess with him.

Moreover, Dao Zixiong is also the deputy captain of the joint defense team, and he is doing very well in this town and the nearby industrial park.

As they were talking, the taxi arrived.

Sister Li sat with me in the back seat, holding my arm and resting her head on my shoulder:

"Yaozu, I'm really tired being out here all alone. Xiaogang is in jail, so I have no choice but to ask you to help me. Once Xiaogang gets out of jail, you'll have established yourself here too. If you two brothers work together, you'll definitely make a lot of money."

Faced with Sister Li's intimacy, I didn't dare to move, and just nodded: "Xiao Gang will be out in a little over two years."

Hu Xiaogang's imprisonment was purely an impulsive act.

After the college entrance examination last year, a few of us classmates had a farewell dinner in a rented room in the county town, and we all drank too much.

I drank too much and slept like a log.

Fueled by alcohol, Hu Xiaogang embarked on a momentous undertaking—seeking revenge on Liang Laosi, a local thug. Liang Laosi had bullied and beaten Hu Xiaogang twice.

Hu Xiaogang bought a string of firecrackers, sneaked to Liang Laosi's window, smashed the window, threw the firecrackers in, and ran away.

Liang Laosi and his many brothers immediately caught up.

In a panic, Hu Xiaogang rushed out of the alley, stole a passing woman's Mulan motorcycle, and drove away.

After the incident, Hu Xiaogang was arrested and convicted of arson and robbery, and sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

By a twist of fate, Hu Xiaogang's ID card showed him as a year younger than his actual age, meaning he was under eighteen. His student status also protected him, resulting in a lighter sentence. Otherwise, he might have been in jail for at least ten years.

Sister Li sighed, "But Xiao Gang hasn't had an easy time either these past two years."

I sighed too: "When I have money, I'll go visit him at Baihu..."

"Let's go see him together in the summer."

The taxi turned a corner and stopped in front of the Jinlong Hotel.

Sister Li led me inside, but suddenly stopped and whispered, "If Dao Zai Xiong asks you to work for him, don't agree. Just say you're here to help me..."

I nodded: "Understood, Sister Li."

There were already four people in the private room on the second floor, and it was filled with smoke.

A short, stocky man with a crew cut, about thirty years old, had a cigar in his mouth, and was flirting with two young women, one on each side.

The two women were dressed very lightly and snuggled up to the man with the buzz cut, acting coquettishly.

There was also a young man wearing glasses, who looked about sixteen or seventeen years old. He was rather thin and sat there politely, like a high school student.

"Brother Xiong, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

As soon as she entered, Sister Li greeted the crew-cut man with a big smile, then looked at the refined-looking boy beside her and asked, "This must be Wen, right? Aren't you in school today?"

He's still a student after all.

"Sister Li, I've been waiting for you for ages."

The man with the buzz cut, Dao Zai Xiong, nodded and said, "If you don't come soon, I'm leaving."

"What, you've changed girlfriends again? Looking to start a new relationship?"

Sister Li sat down and introduced Daozai Xiong to me: "Yaozu, this is Brother Xiong."

I nodded: "Brother Xiong."

"Brother Xiong, this is my brother Wang Yaozu. He's here to help me out. I'll be relying on you to take care of me here from now on."

After saying some polite words, Sister Li introduced the boy to me: "This is Brother Xiong's nephew, Wen, who will be graduating from high school soon."

I nodded to Awen, who gave me a shy smile.

It's clear that this uncle and nephew are not on the same wavelength; Awen is still a good kid.

"Sister Li's younger brother is my younger brother too, of course I have to take care of him."

Dao Zixiong laughed loudly, then suddenly shoved a woman in a miniskirt next to him toward me: "Go, keep my brother company!"

His actions were brutal and showed no mercy or tenderness towards women.

Caught off guard, the woman stumbled and lunged at me.

I instinctively jumped to the side and avoided it.

thump!

The woman fell to the ground, her short skirt lifted up, leaving her barely clothed, and she cried out in pain.

I felt a little embarrassed and regretful. Should I have caught her just now?

Dao Zixiong's expression changed as well. He frowned and looked at me, "What do you mean, brother? Are you looking down on Brother Xiong? Or are you looking down on this woman?"

"No, that's not what I meant."

I shook my head and helped the woman up: "Brother Xiong, I came out to work, I... can't afford a woman."

The woman was very angry. After getting up, she glared at me.

"What do you mean you can't afford it? Do you expect me to pay for the woman I'm giving you?"

Xiong Ge also stared wide-eyed.

I couldn't help but frown.

What kind of customs are there in this godforsaken place? Giving women to people the moment you meet them?

Last night, Sister Li was like that, and today, Dao Zai Xiong is the same. Are there so many women here that there's nowhere to put them all?

Sister Li quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Brother Xiong, my little brother just arrived and hasn't seen much of the world, so please don't be angry. I'll have a couple of drinks with you later."

"I'll let it go today, but if it happens again, it's disrespectful to Xiong Ge."

Dao Zixiong's expression wasn't good: "Sit down and eat."

I sat down next to Awen.

The waiter began serving the dishes, which were very plentiful.

They also opened two bottles of foreign liquor, one white and one red, both called vodka.

"Yaozu, pour the wine," Sister Li instructed me.

I took the bottle and poured wine for everyone.

After a few rounds of drinks, Dao Zai Xiong looked at Sister Li and said, "Nothing else? If there's anything you need my help with, just say so."