Chapter 35: Making Use Of One's Seniority

Many years later, after drinking, Li San would hiccup and point at the ubiquitous Jinxiu Group adverts, while recounting the few episodes in his plain life that were worth mentioning.

“That day Little Red Robe just handed me a Zhonghua cigarette and told me to take it to the gate guard. Said there’d be a lot of people coming to eat and to give a heads-up early so there’d be no misunderstanding.”

At that point someone would ask, “Why would you call President Su of Jinxiu Group ‘Little Red Robe’?”

Li San would squint and smile casually, “You don’t understand what we were back then. Anyone who knows the name Little Red Robe is an old friend of President Su. Back in ’92, they handed me a Zhonghua like it was nothing.”

Someone impatient would politely light a cigarette for the middle-aged Li San. He would take a pleased drag and continue the story.

“Man, Master Lin and the others were really skilled at their job, the food came out fast. And really, Master Lin’s craft was just good. Little Red Robe was something else then — refrigerated light trucks kept shuttling in rare stuff you haven’t even tasted now. That day was the best meal I’ve ever had.”

“What was there?” nosy eavesdroppers who had heard the tale liked to chime in.

“Wild deer and sika deer aside, there were tiger penises and royal bee honey, bear paws and the like — a lot of it.” Saying this, Li San wore a look of superiority as he eyed the envious men in the cheap restaurant, smacking his lips as if savoring the memory.

“Go on, Uncle.”

Li San tilted his head back, as if he had returned to that night.

“One call from Brother Red Robe and in under ten minutes, five Land Cruisers arrived, dozens of young men in black got out, and soon hundreds of taxis had ferried the city’s ruffians who had gathered outside the knitting factory — that scene, that scene…” Li San marveled.

“Did Little Red Robe have that many people back then?” another middle-aged man at a different table interjected.

Li San’s face flushed red with anger. He swore, “If I’m lying, may my whole family meet a bad end!”

“So many, it was just a sea of black, and they were completely silent — I knew then that as long as Little Red Robe lived five more years, not just Wucheng but the whole Tiannan Province would be like this!” Li San raised his thumb high.

“The now-famous folks like Yang Qianli, Zhang Tong and those people were all polite to me back then. Do you know who Guo Guangyao is?”

“Sure, he’s one of Jinxiu Group’s big shots.”

“He’s my classmate — you think I’d lie?” Li San said proudly to the man who’d interrupted.

“Brother San, why didn’t you stick with them? These people are so big now.”

Li San smiled, “I’m a family man, very dutiful. They were wild then and we didn’t run with the same crowd.”

Li San repeated the lies he’d told countless times, as if that could mend the regret in his heart from the past decade.

That night, Su Pingnan’s men took up every table in the knitting factory canteen. Su Pingnan said only one sentence: “Tonight Master Lin will show his skill, so do me a favor — no loud talk.”

As a result, the large canteen was silent all evening except for the sounds of people eating and serving themselves food.

When Su Pingnan left, he looked at Li San, shook his hand and said, “Thanks for your work. I owe you a favor — if there’s anything you need, look for Guangyao.”

Li San nodded obediently but said nothing. The next day at work, he discovered that Master Lin and his nine apprentices had all resigned.

That same night, Su Pingnan, with Yang Qianli and a few others, rushed to Tiandu. Except for him, no one knew that those green and gold boards would, within a few years’ time, sweep across the entire nation and become a cherished memory for many.

They arrived in Tiandu at three in the morning. Su Pingnan didn’t go straight to the Gao brothers. Instead he found lodging not far from Tiandu City Electronic University.

Early the next morning, Su Pingnan called a big boss in Tiandu who dealt in pine nuts.

After the call, Su Pingnan quickly wrote an address on paper and handed it to Guo Guangyao.

“Find this man and bring him here.”

Su Pingnan was arrogant and ruthless by nature but very careful. Through connections he had found a technician from the electronic university to vet the deal.

The Gao brothers had been waiting early at the repair shop. Around nine, three cars that looked extremely familiar to them drove into the yard one after another. Su Pingnan stepped out with a dozen burly young men and a refined-looking middle-aged man.

“Old Gao, sorry to keep you waiting,” Su Pingnan politely greeted the Gao brothers, then his gaze fell on another unfamiliar man.

Little Red Robe was now stirring things up in Wucheng so the Gao brothers were naturally full of smiles. Seeing Su Pingnan glance at the other man with them, they said, “Brother Red Robe, you’re very powerful now — we really appreciate your interest in this deal. This is a brother from the sea, just call him Brother Liu.”

Su Pingnan could smell the sea from the man’s very aura. He nodded at the older man as a greeting.

Liu Han smiled, revealing yellow teeth stained by cigarettes, and spoke bluntly, “Not that old and already calling yourself ‘brother’ — your swagger’s big enough to make old Liu wait on you for half a day, huh.”

The moment he uttered these words, the atmosphere grew tense. Su Pingnan’s expression turned sinister and the Gao brothers looked displeased.

Yang Qianli and Guo Guangyao immediately strode toward Liu Han, their faces grim with one hand already reached toward their waists.