Chapter 39 The First Pot of Gold

"Steamed buns, soy milk..." Jiang Butong, eyes still closed, ordered two items for breakfast, then turned over and went back to sleep.

"Hmph, lazybones!" Chen Pan'er gave a soft snort, grabbed her purse, and headed out.

Jiang Butong dozed for a while longer until the sound of a key turning in the door roused him. Under Chen Pan'er's interruptions, he lazily got up, washed, and changed his clothes.

As he was eating breakfast, Chen Pan'er asked, "Boss Jiang, what's on your schedule today?"

Jiang Butong took a bite of pickled vegetables, then of the bun, mentally running through the day's agenda.

"If no one comes looking for me, then nothing's planned. It's the weekend, so I can take a day off."

"It's summer vacation now, what weekend are you talking about?" Chen Pan'er reached out and tapped Jiang Butong's forehead, as if she thought he was still half asleep.

"Then after breakfast, I'll just keep sleeping," Jiang Butong replied.

"Aren't you going to the wholesale market with me? I still want to sell some tapes—yours sell so well." Chen Pan'er looked at Jiang Butong with eager eyes.

Jiang Butong scoffed inwardly: the tapes sell well, sure, but it’s profit for you with no capital—all at my expense.

He wasn’t planning to let Chen Pan'er interact with Wang Yun anymore; if the two women started getting jealous over him, it would be a headache.

"I'll stop by the restaurant later," Jiang Butong said.

"Hmph, not going with me again." Chen Pan'er snatched the bun from Jiang Butong's hand and took a bite herself.

"I didn’t say I wouldn’t go with you. We’ll visit the restaurant in the morning, then head to the wholesale market in the afternoon," Jiang Butong replied with a smile.

Hearing this, Chen Pan'er realized she’d misunderstood him. She grinned, stuffing the bun back into his mouth.

"That's more like it."

After breakfast, Chen Pan'er prepared to tidy up the room and do some laundry.

Jiang Butong drove his van to the private kitchen; he estimated Jiang Yuan might also show up today.

After Jiang Butong left, Chen Pan'er looked at the clothes he’d changed out of, picked them up, and secretly took a sniff—a faint scent of soap mixed with a trace of sweat.

She muttered to herself, "Hmph, lazy man. Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll begrudgingly wash these for you."

When Jiang Butong arrived at the private kitchen, workers were already installing the glass doors. Chen Sheng was shirtless, wearing flip-flops, looking every bit the slacker. Jiang Yuan seemed in high spirits, as if something good had happened, chatting idly with Chen Sheng.

When they saw Jiang Butong arrive, both broke into smiles.

Jiang Butong parked the van and, noticing their mischievous grins, asked, "You two look up to no good—what's on your minds?"

"We were just praising you," Chen Sheng said.

"Oh? Is that right, Yuan?" Jiang Butong raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely! If not for you, none of us would be having such a leisurely day today." Jiang Yuan gave Jiang Butong a friendly punch on the shoulder.

After some friendly banter, Jiang Yuan called Jiang Butong and Chen Sheng into a private room at the restaurant.

Jiang Yuan pulled two bundles wrapped in newspaper from his backpack.

Jiang Butong noticed they were wads of cash.

"Chen, Butong, these are yours," Jiang Yuan pushed the money towards Chen Sheng and Jiang Butong.

Chen Sheng eyed Jiang Yuan and asked, "How much is here altogether?"

"Seventy thousand in total," Jiang Yuan replied, "You and Butong each get twenty thousand, one for Da Zhuang, and I’ll keep twenty thousand myself."

Jiang Butong knew this was the money Black Dog paid for his leg, essentially compensation for Jiang Yuan’s medical expenses.

In these days, seventy thousand was no small sum—a typical person’s annual earnings were barely ten thousand.

Chen Sheng shook his head and said, "You keep it, you’ll need to pay your brothers' wages later."

Jiang Butong also declined; he didn’t need the money right now—there would be plenty of opportunities to earn in the future.

Jiang Yuan grew anxious. "You both have to take it, no matter what. If not for you two, Black Dog wouldn’t have been defeated so quickly, and I’d still be stuck in the hospital. If you don’t accept it, what face will I have next time I need your help?"

Jiang Butong could see Jiang Yuan's point. Even among friends, when it came to money, it was better to keep things clear to avoid future discord.

Chen Sheng glanced at Jiang Butong and said slowly, "Since you insist, let’s do it like this: Butong, Da Zhuang, and I will each take ten thousand, and you keep the remaining forty thousand to split among your men."

Jiang Yuan saw Chen Sheng had decided and agreed to the arrangement.

Thus, each took ten thousand, while Jiang Yuan kept forty thousand for his crew.

Jiang Butong thought this reasonable. In fact, the sum was not much for him and Chen Sheng; business at the private kitchen was booming, and Chen Sheng’s old restaurant still ran strong. The daily cash flow from both restaurants neared eight or nine thousand—even with promotional discounts, the profits were substantial.

Once the money was divided, they rested a bit, then Jiang Butong drove Chen Sheng and Jiang Yuan to the hospital to visit Jiang Da Zhuang.

Jiang Da Zhuang was lying in bed, not seriously injured—just a bump on his head from a stick, and some glass cuts on his shoulder and chest.

His valor that night had left a deep impression on Chen Sheng. Seeing Da Zhuang covered in blood, Chen Sheng had been terrified—if anything had happened to Da Zhuang, he wouldn’t have been able to face Jiang Yuan and Jiang Butong.

Later, at the hospital, it turned out to be a false alarm.

When Jiang Da Zhuang saw Jiang Butong, Jiang Yuan, and Chen Sheng visiting, he immediately clamored to be discharged.

Jiang Butong pressed a hand to Da Zhuang’s shoulder and laughed, "Da Zhuang, you're always so busy—take this opportunity to get some rest."

"You don't know, Butong. The restaurant will get busy soon," Da Zhuang said, full of ambition for his work.

Jiang Yuan glanced at Chen Sheng and joked, "Chen, you need to hire more people. Look how hard Da Zhuang’s been working—he’s lost weight!"

Chen Sheng laughed and slapped Jiang Yuan. "We've got plenty of staff now—seven or eight between the kitchen and the servers. You wouldn’t know the cost of running a household!"

Their laughter eased Da Zhuang’s worries.

Chen Sheng promised Da Zhuang he’d come pick him up tomorrow so he could be discharged.

Jiang Butong and Jiang Yuan stayed a while, but both had things to do, so they left the restaurant.

Jiang Yuan needed to return to the parking lot to pay his men and take over Black Dog’s territory—especially the video arcade, which Black Dog had handed over without resistance that night.

In the van, Jiang Butong drove, Jiang Yuan sat in the passenger seat, and Chen Pan'er was in the back.

At the parking lot, Jiang Butong parked, and a new recruit tried to collect the parking fee, only to get a smack on the head from Jiang Yuan.

"From now on, this van is ours. No need to charge our own people," Jiang Yuan declared.

The recruit quickly apologized and handed Jiang Butong a cigarette.

"This is Brother Butong. From now on, treat him as you would me. Understood?" Jiang Yuan got out, sweeping an authoritative gaze over his men.

"Understood," they replied. Half recognized Jiang Butong, the other half were new and unfamiliar.

When Jiang Butong got out, the recruits greeted him in unison, "Hello, Brother Butong!"

He jumped in surprise, waved them off, and passed out cigarettes all around.

Jiang Butong was approachable and friendly, winning their goodwill.

When Chen Pan'er got out, the recruits shouted, "Hello, sister-in-law!"

Chen Pan'er blushed deeply and, unable to protest, quietly pinched Jiang Butong’s arm.

Jiang Butong waved Jiang Yuan off to let him get back to work.

Outside the parking lot, the flush on Chen Pan'er’s cheeks finally faded.

"Butong, are those all Jiang Yuan’s men?" Chen Pan'er asked. She didn’t know exactly what had happened lately, but could guess at some of it.

"Yes. From now on, anywhere in the southern part of the city, you can set up your stall wherever you want—no one will dare hassle you." Jiang Butong gestured to the surrounding area.

Chen Pan'er nodded, remembering the last time she set up her stall and was chased by Scarface and Blondie. Thinking back, it had been dangerous.

"By the way, have you run into Scarface or Blondie since then?" Chen Pan'er asked.

"Their influence doesn’t reach here. There shouldn’t be any trouble for a while."