More than two months slipped by, and the Lunar New Year drew near.
During that time, little changed in the lives of Su Tianyu and the others. The Dirty Gang's business ran as usual, and they completed another three smuggling runs under the table.
With the first successful run paving the way, the shipments kept growing. On the last run, Su Tianyu and the others unloaded more than four hundred crates from the ship, and the three speedboats originally used to collect the cargo had become seven. All in all, their offshore operation was taking clearer shape, and everyone's responsibilities were becoming better defined.
As business improved, everyone's share grew too, gradually rising from a little over twenty thousand to forty thousand, then sixty thousand. On the last run, the Su Family took home nearly eighty thousand.
Those enormous profits also made the Su, Bai, and Kong Three Families more eager to do the work. By the third shipment, Su Zhengcai and the old men from the Bai and Kong families were already calling in favors everywhere, looking for new distribution channels. Yu Mingyuan had made it clear that the supplier could provide more. As long as they had the connections to move it quickly, there would be no shortage of goods.
Until those new sales channels were established, however, the team's profit split would remain unchanged. The Su, Bai, and Kong Three Families would still receive ten percent.
To be fair, that percentage was a little high. The work the Su, Bai, and Kong Three Families currently did required no specialized skills. At most, they could use their garbage trucks as cover during distribution to reduce the risk of exposure, but that alone hardly justified a ten-percent share.
So the rate Yu Mingyuan offered was more about the three families' potential to expand their sales channels. They all had local networks. Once those connections opened up, the volume they could take might multiply several times over. Giving them a little extra money at the start to keep them on board was perfectly normal.
On Saturday night, torrential rain battered Dragon City. Thunder rolled outside, and mist shrouded everything.
At the Su Family Garbage Dump, Su Tianyu sat in Tian Nan's office, holding his phone as he asked Yu Mingyuan, "There's another shipment coming tomorrow night, right?"
"Right," Yu Mingyuan replied with a nod. "Make the arrangements ahead of time. Pick it up and distribute it as usual."
"Okay, got it." Su Tianyu hung up and stretched. "Fuck, another all-nighter tomorrow."
"If you're tired, I can have Tianbei cover for you."
"No need. I only do one or two runs a month. No reason to bother my second brother." Su Tianyu smiled and pointed toward the door. "I'll go give Big Xiong a few instructions."
"Okay." Su Tiannan nodded.
Su Tianyu left the main building, opened an umbrella, and headed toward the workshop. Standing beneath the awning, he called, "Big Xiong!"
"Coming, Brother Xiao Yu!" Big Xiong ran out, bent forward.
"We're picking up a shipment tomorrow night. When you get back to the Third Floor today, get things ready," Su Tianyu said quietly. "Check all the equipment, diesel, and everything else. Call Zhang Hao if anything's missing."
"O-okay... I... got it." Big Xiong was now the team's storekeeper. Not only did Su Tianyu let him stay at the Third Floor for free, he also paid him an extra three hundred a month as a night watchman, specifically to look after their work equipment.
"All right, that's it. I'm heading home."
"Okay," Big Xiong replied. "I'm off work. I'll... head back now."
"Stay safe!"
"I'll... I'll be fine, Brother Xiao Yu." Big Xiong grinned.
After their conversation, Su Tianyu drove home in the company vehicle, while Big Xiong put on a raincoat and rode his bicycle back to the Third Floor. The trip took him more than forty minutes.
Along the beach, waves roared and fierce winds howled.
Big Xiong stopped his bicycle and looked up to see a Coast Guard Vehicle and two SUVs parked outside the Third Floor. The lights were on inside.
The sight did not surprise him. Tang Baiqing and the others worked nearby, and when they were on night duty, they sometimes came to the Third Floor to play cards. Put plainly, they were dodging work. Ordinary coast guards patrolled the sea in boats, while these well-connected young men could not be bothered to spend the night aboard. They clocked in at their station, then drove off under the pretext of patrolling and found somewhere to kill time.
Tang Baiqing and the others did not just come here to play cards. Whenever they had time, they also went to Longkou to party and find women. Their lives were carefree, and they seemed to have it made.
Still wearing his raincoat, Big Xiong hurried into the Third Floor. Sure enough, Tang Baiqing and six or seven others were sitting around a table playing Texas Hold'em. The stakes were high, too. The table was covered in banknotes of the largest denomination.
"Brother Tang, Brother Zhou... you're here!" Big Xiong greeted them.
"Off work, Silly Xiong?" Tang Baiqing asked with a smile.
"Yeah." Big Xiong never corrected what people called him. He seemed thoroughly used to it.
"Damn, we're out of water and booze." Tang Baiqing casually picked up three hundred-denomination notes from the table and handed them to Big Xiong. "Go buy some, and get snacks, spicy stuff, whatever. Keep the change."
Big Xiong nodded. "Okay, Brother Tang!"
Whenever Tang Baiqing and his friends came here, they had Big Xiong run errands and wait on their card game. They never asked for any leftover change, either. Sometimes, when a friend forgot to pay him, Tang Baiqing would even tease, "Fuck, you're making Silly Xiong work for free? At least give him a tip!"
Big Xiong took the money, ran outside, and pedaled toward a supermarket three or four kilometers away.
Inside, the others continued playing. Tang Baiqing was on a lucky streak and won three or four thousand in just over twenty minutes. He was in a good mood-until someone who could not take a hint showed up.
A little after nine that night, a white sedan stopped outside the Third Floor. A fashionably dressed young woman threw open the door, got out, and stormed into the three-story building.
Hearing the noise, Tang Baiqing glanced back. He frowned and sniffed out of habit. "What are you doing here?"
"Tang Baiqing, are you even human?! I've been calling you for days, and you haven't answered once! What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"Keep your voice down," Tang Baiqing replied darkly. "Wait a minute. We'll talk when I'm done playing."
"Fuck your game!" The young woman looked terrible, her face sickly pale. She marched up to the table, eyes wide, and swept the cards into a mess. "You're giving me an explanation today!"
"Are you fucking crazy?!" Tang Baiqing sprang up and shoved her. "Can't you see I'm playing cards?"
They launched into a heated argument. Seeing that the game clearly could not continue, everyone else picked up their money and stood.
"Tang, let's call it a night."
"You two, stop arguing. We'll leave first. Sit down and talk it out."
"...!"
After a jumble of farewells, everyone gathered their belongings and left the Third Floor, giving Tang Baiqing and the woman some privacy.
Outside, the rain poured down with a deafening rush.
Inside, the lights were dim and yellow, and the atmosphere was oppressive.
Tang Baiqing sat on the sofa, lit a cigarette, and took two deep drags. "What's wrong with you? We both wanted it. Now you're clinging to me?"
"Fuck you! How can you even say that?!" The young woman was no pushover either. "You got your fun, and now you don't give a damn about anyone else? I'm fucking pregnant. You figure it out!"
"What do you want me to do?" Tang Baiqing demanded with a frown. "You expect me to marry you?! I already have a girlfriend, and we're about to register our marriage. You know that, don't you?"
"Then what about me?"
"Get an abortion. I'll give you some money later." Tang Baiqing sniffed, tossed away his cigarette butt, and turned toward the door.
His attitude sent her into a rage. She grabbed Tang Baiqing's arm and shouted, "You think I'm some hostess you can pay off? I'm telling you, you're giving me an explanation today...!"
"Don't touch me. Let go!" Tang Baiqing struggled with her, trying to leave.
The young woman broke down in tears, clawing and hitting Tang Baiqing as she screamed, "If you don't give me an explanation, I'll go make a scene with your girlfriend! If I can't have peace, nobody can!"
"You're fucking insane!" Tang Baiqing had been trying hard to control his temper, but he had plenty of ugly habits. He could rein himself in a little around outsiders, but with people he knew, his moods were unpredictable. She kept pestering him and had even started hitting him, and now his eyes reddened with rage. "I'm telling you, fucking you doesn't mean I owe you shit! We both wanted it. Go complain to whoever the hell you want!"
"Don't think I won't! Tomorrow, I'm going to your house and your girlfriend's house. None of us will have any peace!"
"Fuck you! Are you ever going to stop?!" Driven into a fury by her scratching, Tang Baiqing grabbed some unidentified object from the cabinet and swung it down without thinking.
Thud!
At the dull impact, the young woman, who had been fighting him a moment earlier, suddenly stiffened.
Tang Baiqing shoved her away. "Get lost!"
She hit the floor with a thump and immediately began convulsing. Tang Baiqing turned to leave, but when he saw her fall, he instinctively looked back.
On the floor, her eyes rolled back and her whole body convulsed. Blood seeped from her temple and the back of her head, visibly spreading.
Tang Baiqing froze.
Clatter!
The door opened, and a powerfully built young man walked in, carrying several bags of food and dripping wet.
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