Wealth Wins Hearts

Inside the residence of Third Master Hu in Shunyi Ward.

Third Master Hu toyed with the silver Su Xin had sent over, a smug smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Master Li, what do you think of this foster son I've taken in? It's only been a little over a month, and he's already raked in thirty thousand taels of silver for me. Hahaha!" Third Master Hu burst into laughter.

They say you shouldn't compare people; as the saying goes, compare a man to a man and he'll die of shame, compare goods to goods and you'll throw them away.

As for Chen Dao, the foster son he had taken in previously, Third Master Hu had poured countless efforts into him, throwing away tens of thousands of taels in silver alone.

Practicing the Iron Sand Palm required soaking one's hands in vast quantities of medicinal herbs to complement the training.

Over twenty years of cultivation, Third Master Hu had dumped several cartloads of herbs into him.

But what was the result? He had nearly cultivated a dangerous threat to himself.

Now that he had taken in Su Xin as a foster son, all he had spent were a few words, yet in less than a month, Su Xin had delivered such a grand gift.

Master Li, standing to the side, flattered him: "It's all thanks to your foresight, Third Master. If we had just killed that Su Xin back then, we wouldn't have had such a steady stream of income coming in."

As the two were speaking, a gang member entered and handed a small slip of paper to Master Li.

"Who sent this message?" Third Master Hu asked.

Master Li hesitated for a moment before saying: "It's a message from Ji Gang. It says that the total dividends Su Xin received this month amount to eighty thousand taels."

Third Master Hu tossed the silver in his hand aside, the smile on his face gradually fading.

Meanwhile, inside Happy Forest, Su Xin had men carry a chest of silver directly into their new hall.

The original Shunde Casino had finished its renovations; they had simply removed some gambling equipment, replaced it with a large batch of tables and chairs, and given the exterior a slight touch-up before hanging a new plaque with gold characters on a black background: Flying Eagle Gang!

By now, all the members of the Flying Eagle Gang had gathered. Over the past month, due to the booming popularity of Happy Forest, dozens more had joined Su Xin's ranks, bringing his total force to over one hundred and ten men.

"Boss Su!"

Seeing Su Xin enter, the group of gang members stood up in unison and shouted, their momentum quite impressive.

Su Xin waved his hand, signaled for them to place the chest in the center of the hall, and said in a clear voice: "I've called everyone here today for two reasons. The first is that I'm ready to distribute your pay."

With a loud clang, Su Xin kicked the chest open, and the sight of that gleaming white silver instantly dazzled the eyes of the gang members.

It wasn't that they hadn't seen silver before, but seeing so much of it piled together held an immense impact for these gang members at the very bottom of the hierarchy.

It had always been the rule of the Flying Eagle Gang that the more money the boss made, the higher the monthly pay for his subordinates.

If the boss was penniless, his men could only drink the dregs.

They had all witnessed the business in Happy Forest over the past month, so they knew their pay wouldn't be meager.

Sure enough, Su Xin continued: "If you follow me, Su Xin, I won't let you gnaw on corn buns and drink cold water while risking your lives for others. This month's pay is ten taels of silver per person!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the gang members present nearly screamed with excitement. The pay Su Xin was offering was far, far more than they had ever imagined.

Looking at the income of ordinary people in Joyful District, those working as waiters in taverns or laboring honestly for others would be lucky to earn one tael a month, barely enough to support a family.

Those in the gangs had it even worse. While some might look imposing, the lowest-ranking members were often no better off than the laborers and handymen, and some were even worse.

Following a good boss might get you one or two taels, and for the unlucky ones, they might not even see a single tael.

In the Flying Eagle Gang, even the direct subordinates of the gang leader only received five taels a month. Now that Su Xin was giving them ten taels each, they all wondered if they were dreaming.

"However!" Su Xin waited until their excitement had died down before changing his tone. "If you take my silver, you must follow my rules!"

"As the saying goes, you eat what you work for. I'm sure you've all shaken down the merchants in Happy Forest plenty of times before, haven't you? Eating without paying, sleeping with women and pulling up your pants to leave—I'm sure you've done plenty of that, right?"

Su Xin scanned the room, and many of the gang members lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

They had indeed done such things, and in truth, they had done even worse; some had even quietly skimmed off the top while collecting the monthly protection fees.

"If you had done this in the past, I, Su Xin, wouldn't have said a word. But do you know what this means now? You aren't just skimming off the merchants; you are undermining your own foundation!

One-tenth of the dividends from every shop in Happy Forest goes to us, and your monthly pay comes from that same pool.

This month's pay is ten taels. If business in Happy Forest is better next month, you could get eleven, twelve, or even fifteen taels.

You thought you were skimming off the merchants and taking advantage of them, but in reality, you were undermining everyone and taking advantage of yourselves!"

The gang members finally realized the truth. By taking advantage of the merchants in Happy Forest, they were affecting the overall revenue, and in the end, they were the ones suffering the loss because their pay was tied to the total earnings of Happy Forest.

"If you take the money, you must follow the rules. Anyone who breaks the rules shouldn't blame me, Su Xin, for being ruthless!"

Su Xin returned to his seat at the head of the room and said in a deep voice: "Old Huang, read the names."

Huang Bingcheng nodded, produced a small notebook as if by magic from behind his back, and began to read: "Zhao Chendong, Liu San, Chen Laodao, Zhang Hu..."

After reading out over twenty names in one breath, those who were called turned deathly pale.

"Twenty lashes each, in front of everyone," Su Xin ordered.

Huang Bingcheng waved his hand, and other gang members immediately brought over clubs and began to strike under his supervision.

Regardless of how close their relationships had been before, Boss Su was watching them personally now, so they didn't dare to hold back; every blow landed with full force.

After twenty lashes, those twenty-odd men could barely crawl to their feet, their legs trembling uncontrollably.

Su Xin tapped the table and said: "Let these twenty lashes today remind you what the rules are! Now, I ask you: do you accept this? If not, you can take your monthly pay and leave right now. I, Su Xin, will not stop you."

The twenty-odd beaten gang members shook their heads frantically. With ten taels of silver a month, anyone who wanted to leave would be a fool!

"Alright, step up one by one to collect your monthly wages. The twenty-some brothers who were beaten will each receive an extra two taels as medical expenses."

As soon as Su Xin said this, the last shred of resentment in the hearts of those twenty-plus beaten gang members vanished into thin air.

Not only was there no resentment, but they were actually deeply moved; clear rewards and punishments—this was what a good boss should be.

Unlike that petty Liu Sandao who let power go to his head; what a piece of trash he was!

Standing in the crowd, Ji Gang watched Su Xin, his eyes filled with confusion.

He found this young man increasingly difficult to fathom. At only a teenager's age, how could he possess such sophisticated methods?

At this moment, Su Xin walked up to Ji Gang and Li Huai holding two one-hundred-tael banknotes and handed them over.

"The monthly wages for you two naturally cannot be compared to the ordinary gang members; this is what you deserve."

"Then many thanks, Boss Su."

Ji Gang took the banknotes with a chuckle, but Li Huai spoke up, "I cannot accept a reward for no merit."

The main reason Third Master Hu had sent them here was to help Boss Su stabilize the situation in Happy Forest.

He had not expected Su Xin's methods to be so formidable. By wielding both kindness and severity, he had made everyone, from the shop owners in Happy Forest to the gang members under his command, bow in obedience to Su Xin.

The two of them, as the top enforcers under Third Master Hu, had ended up having no use at all.

"Whether there is merit or not is for me, Su Xin, to decide. This money is what you two deserve."

Su Xin shoved the banknotes directly into Li Huai's hand. This time, Li Huai did not decline, and his attitude was no longer as hostile as when he had first met Su Xin.

After all, no matter how arrogant Li Huai was, he still had to eat.

Back with Third Master Hu, given his status, his monthly wage was only a dozen taels or so, and if he performed some meritorious service, he might get a reward of several dozen taels.

But now, to receive one hundred taels without having done a single thing—this was the first time he had ever seen such a thing.

Spending over a thousand taels to win the hearts and minds of his subordinates was a very worthwhile investment for Su Xin at this moment.

Being ruthless alone was not enough, because his seniority was shallow.

Therefore, he also needed to show grace. At the very least, the monthly wages he offered were higher than any other major leader in the entire Flying Eagle Gang could match.

Happy Forest was a scene of peace and prosperity, but some people were not feeling very happy.

These people were the members of the Green Bamboo Gang.