“Boss, let’s first investigate if someone like that exists in Boss Du’s circle. If it’s true, we can both make money and establish a connection with Boss Du…”

Cao Liu was bolder than Ke Yixiong.

He wasn’t stupid either, just not as shrewd as Ke Yixiong.

Ke Yixiong gave Cao Liu a look. Despite typically having an amiable face that easily earned people’s goodwill, this particular glance made Cao Liu’s scalp tingle.

“What, you think following me as your boss isn’t promising enough? Looking to switch to someone else?”

Cao Liu’s face turned pale with fear. “Boss, that’s not what I meant!”

In ’85, Yangcheng had changed considerably. Compared to when the Reform and Opening first began, within just a few years, a portion of Yangcheng’s population had become wealthy. Between collecting protection money at the train station and running various scams, they weren’t doing badly. However, with so many brothers to feed, and Ke Yixiong being quite generous, there wasn’t much left after dividing the money.

Cao Liu felt it was a waste for Ke Yixiong. Others involved in smuggling were losing money hand over fist, which made one envious. Even clothing wholesalers were now opening clothing factories, and individual merchants were living more respectable lives than them. Cao Liu was anxious!

Ke Yixiong understood.

Among his subordinates, Cao Liu was loyal.

While Ke Yixiong didn’t consider himself the most capable, he took pride in being able to command so many thugs at such a young age.

Previously, they had dismissed the Bai Family Martial Arts School as declining and hadn’t taken Bai Zhiyong seriously.

Now even Bai Zhiyong’s sister, a woman, had made a name for herself. Ke Yixiong had heard that Bai Zhenzhu was running a big business in Shenzhen, and it left him with mixed feelings. Violence and intimidation seemed to be losing their appeal, and if a boss couldn’t provide money, fewer brothers would follow… While Ke Yixiong could still maintain control for now, the fact that even Cao Liu was looking for new revenue streams proved the situation wasn’t optimistic.

“Liu Zi, I’m not doubting you. I know you’re thinking about our brothers. Your idea about connecting with Boss Du and finding a new revenue stream isn’t completely unreasonable. Let’s have someone look into it first.”

Since Cao Liu was genuinely concerned for Ke Yixiong’s interests, Ke Yixiong compromised.

Investigating Boss Du’s inner circle wasn’t easy, but after the recent ambush attempt on Airport Road where Du Zhaohui offered a million-yuan reward for catching the culprits, the underground world in Yangcheng knew quite a bit about that night’s events. Du’s driver had died on the spot, and a bodyguard had rescued Du but was severely injured… The police had taken statements – the bodyguard’s surname was Xia.

“Hong Kong bosses are generous. When the bodyguard was severely injured and local hospitals said he might be paralyzed, they sent him back to Hong Kong for treatment. Wonder how he’s doing now.”

While some spoke of it as gossip, others listened with purpose. Cao Liu confirmed there really was someone surnamed Xia in Boss Du’s circle.

“Boss, this Xia person seems to be quite trusted by Boss Du.”

That meant they could extort some money.

Ke Yixiong waved his hand: “First deliver them to the buyers, but make sure no one touches the young one. If people are paying, we need to deliver undamaged goods.”

As for the old woman?

Don’t dump her in the countryside; just leave her in another district of Yangcheng. Have two people watch her to ensure she doesn’t starve to death.

If they wanted to get close to Boss Du, they couldn’t appear as kidnappers.

When handing over the Xia family members, they could only present themselves as helpers.

Ke Yixiong specifically ordered that Xia Hongxia shouldn’t be harmed. Usually, to make women compliant, others would rape them first, beat them severely, and starve them for several days until even the most virtuous women became docile. Brothels have existed since ancient times and persisted despite repeated bans. When the People’s Republic was first established, there had been a severe crackdown, but after several years of Reform and Opening, some had begun running prostitution businesses under the guise of small beauty parlors.

Ke Yixiong wasn’t specifically in this business, but he wouldn’t object to selling a few young women when the opportunity arose.

If they couldn’t do this or that, they might as well run a charity.

“Boss, I’ll make sure they behave properly.”

She wasn’t even that beautiful; they could restrain themselves. Even extortion had its rules – they needed to return undamaged goods.

After Ke Yixiong and Cao Liu reached an agreement and prepared their scheme, the four drugged members of the Xia family were sent to different locations.

Due to the earlier disagreement between Cao Liu and Ke Yixiong causing delays, all four people woke up shortly after arriving at their destinations. Wang Jingui and Xia Hongbing were sent to two small brick factories, Xia Hongxia woke up in a small beauty parlor, and Old Lady Xia was found sleeping next to a garbage bin, awakened by a sanitation worker doing morning cleanup.

“Auntie, why are you sleeping here?”

Indeed, why was she sleeping next to a smelly garbage bin?

Old Lady Xia instinctively reached for the money sewn into her clothes but found nothing.

“Money… my money…”

She didn’t worry about losing her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter first; her initial concern was for her money.

The sanitation worker felt sorry seeing her crying with snot and tears, but one spoke Cantonese and the other spoke South Henan dialect, making communication impossible.

Finally, a passerby who could speak Mandarin heard Old Lady Xia’s rambling account of her experience and understood: “Nobody’s money comes easy these days. They invited you home for food and drinks, even took your introduction letter – Auntie, you’ve encountered human traffickers!”

Similar incidents happened daily at the Yangcheng train station.

When traveling, don’t trust strangers easily, don’t follow strangers to secluded places, and don’t be greedy for small advantages – these could reduce the chances of being deceived.

Cases like Old Lady Xia’s family of four being tricked were common – the other three, being young and strong, could be sold for money, while the old lady was worthless and thus dumped by the garbage bin.

When Old Lady Xia heard that Xia Hongbing and the others had been sold, she forgot about her lost money and began wailing, slapping her thighs.

“How can Yangcheng people be so wicked!”

The passerby, feeling sorry for the old woman, didn’t take offense at her words and bought her two steamed buns from a breakfast stall.

“Sigh, after you finish eating, I’ll accompany you to the police station.”

This was another kind person, but Old Lady Xia had just been deceived by kind people, so she clutched her buns without speaking. The passerby pointed to the sanitation worker, “Auntie, don’t worry, others will come along too.”

The sanitation worker wore a uniform and didn’t look like a bad person.

Old Lady Xia had nothing left to be tricked out of anyway, so she could only follow them to the police station.

The train station area saw countless scam victims daily, but elderly people like Old Lady Xia rarely traveled far. The police, unaware of how detestable she was, felt somewhat sympathetic when she came to report the crime with her crooked face and eyes.

They assured Old Lady Xia they would do their best to find the three Xia family members, but meanwhile, what could be done about Old Lady Xia, who had no money?

“Auntie, you came to Yangcheng looking for relatives. Do you know their workplace and address?”

“Not Yangcheng, Shenzhen. We were going to Shenzhen but couldn’t get papers… I remember, I remember, my son works for a Hong Kong boss. His name is Xia Dajun, something about a group company.”

Old Lady Xia felt another pocket – while the introduction letter and money were gone, this note remained.

The police officer took a look: Cheng Rong Group, Xia Dajun.