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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
Damn it, why does my memory keep failing, but the memory of the Fire Spirit Pearl is the one that’s broken? Do I have a grudge against you?
By the way, those amnesiacs on TV always recover their memories with some external force, like falling or hitting a wall. How about I give him a beating and see if a few punches to his head will help?
Tian Zhiyong looked at me and cleared his throat, "Don't rush it. Maybe in a couple of days he’ll remember. Our boss has great physical fitness; he’s the champion of Yasheng in Sanda."
"Huh?" I shot a sideways glance at Tian Zhiyong. Seriously, is it enough for amnesia to last just two or three days?
"Well, here's the thing: our boss hasn't been feeling well lately. He faints every few days, and each time he does, he forgets some things. But strangely enough, after a couple of days, he remembers them again. So regarding your Fire Spirit Pearl issue, if all goes well, you should have an answer in two or three days," Tian Zhiyong explained, scratching his head and rambling.
"Alright then, I guess I'll wait another two or three days." Hearing this from Tian Zhiyong surprised me; what on earth is going on?
The two of us walked back to the bedside where Xiao Yuan and Fatty were deeply engaged in a discussion about how to determine if a girl’s chest is real or just padded. They were animatedly debating when I finally managed to interject, "By the way, Boss Xiao, is there anything else we can help with during this time? We’re willing to go through fire and water as long as we don’t have to sell ourselves; everything else is negotiable." Since I had nothing better to do, it wouldn’t hurt to do something to gain Xiao Yuan's favor.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuan paused his discussion with Fatty and furrowed his brow in thought. "Tian Laoshu, why don’t you take them to collect the Protection Fee? Those people outside are from headquarters; I’m not at ease with them around."
Collecting the Protection Fee? Fatty and I exchanged glances filled with nostalgia. Back in the day, we also did this part-time job; our exploits still echo in the underworld: "Everyone fights for the Protection Fee; I contribute to Yuhua." The grand award ceremony for ten thousand merchants remains an insurmountable milestone for Star City Gang.
Ah, those youthful days of ours! The dubious author Cao Dama Zi has shown great interest in our past and plans to adapt it into a book titled "Those Years We Collected Protection Fees Together"...
...
After leaving the hospital, Tian Zhiyong took us out for a meal. After eating, he led us to prepare the necessary tools.
Collecting Protection Fees is also a profession, and it is one that places great importance on appearance; aura is crucial. If someone who stutters and has shifty eyes goes to collect Protection Fees, they might end up getting beaten up. On the other hand, a person with a fierce gaze and a strong physique gives off a completely different visual effect. This is something that can only be understood intuitively; those who are perceptive will grasp it.
First, we bought two temporary tattoos. I chose a Green Dragon, while Fatty picked a White Tiger. These tattoos are quite convenient; you just stick them on, peel off the backing, and rub them a bit. They are waterproof and can last for about a week.
Next came the most important props: golden chains. Tian Zhiyong generously handed us two shiny, heavy chains made of oval gold beads, about the thickness of a finger. Hanging from one was a Jade Guanyin: "Men wear Avalokiteshvara, women wear Buddha; give this a try."
"Isn't this too valuable?" Fatty weighed the chain in his hand and laughed, "This must be over a hundred grams! At market price, it's worth several thousand!"
"Valuable my foot! I bought these at a street stall for twenty bucks for three, and they even threw in a roll of toilet paper," Tian Zhiyong laughed heartily. "When we fight, we always wear fakes. No matter if we win or lose, we just rip off the chains around our necks and demand compensation from the other party..."
You guys are really something else; no wonder you're called gangsters.
With the tattoos and gold chains as props, all we needed was to get crew cuts at the barbershop to complete our gangster look.
"Actually, there are only about ten shops on Old Street that really collect Protection Fees; the rest are all connected," Tian Zhiyong said as he led us to Old Street, pointing at the endless row of shops.
"This pedestrian street looks quite prosperous; there must be over a hundred shops here?" Fatty's eyes nearly popped out. "So many connections?"
"Well, which family doesn't have a mistress or two? Look at that store, the Unforgettable Western Pants Specialty Store; it's run by County Party Secretary Liu Bingkuan's mistress. And that Red Dragonfly Specialty Store is opened by the goddaughter of County Public Security Bureau Chief Wang Mao. Then there's this one, run by Boss Xiao's wife's cousin's neighbor—this neighbor seems to be surnamed Wang..." Tian Zhiyong recounted each shop with familiarity.
"Alright, this one—we're going to collect fees!" Finally, Tian Zhiyong pointed at a Fruit Store.
As soon as the three of us entered the store, the owner—a middle-aged man with a slightly balding head—immediately welcomed us with a smile and offered us cigarettes: "You guys have worked hard; would you like some fruit?"
"Forget about fruit! Hurry up with this month's management fee!" Fatty was in his element; I wasn't surprised at all since that's how we used to do things.
Tian Zhiyong and the middle-aged boss stared blankly at Fatty, as if they were looking at a wild boar that had escaped from the zoo.
"What are you looking at? Damn it, do you believe I’ll flip your stall?" Fatty cursed as he moved to overturn the merchandise rack. The middle-aged boss quickly grabbed Fatty's arm and shouted at Tian Zhiyong, "Tian Laoshou, what's going on here?"
Tian Zhiyong also shouted loudly, "Stop it, stop it."
Fatty looked at Tian Zhiyong in confusion, "What do you mean?"
"Quality, pay attention to quality! We need to enforce the law civilly!" Tian Zhiyong yelled at Fatty in exasperation.
Both Fatty and I looked at Tian Zhiyong with puzzled expressions. You dressed us up like a 'gang,' and now you're talking about quality? It felt like I was ready to share my heart with Qingfeng, only for you to show me Master Cang's video instead. Who can handle that kind of disappointment?
After a heated exchange with the boss, Tian Zhiyong finally managed to get over a thousand yuan in Protection Fee from the visibly unhappy boss through discounts and promises of better service.
We both emerged with grim faces alongside Tian Zhiyong. Damn it, is this what collecting Protection Fees looks like? It felt more like begging.
"You don't understand; there are only a few places that pay Protection Fees. If we offend them, no one will pay anymore!" Tian Zhiyong explained with a look of melancholy.
"What's the worst that could happen? I see your financial sources aren't really dependent on this; controlling the mine is your main source of income," I pointed out bluntly.
"Regardless, we have to maintain appearances. If you're in the gang and can't even collect Protection Fees, it means you've lost control of this street. At that point... sigh, there's an old saying: when Qin loses its deer, the commoners chase after it. The deer refers to the people," Tian Zhiyong sighed deeply again. "So we must establish good relations with these more than ten shops."
"Being in a gang like this is worse than moving bricks," Fatty disagreed vehemently as he lit a cigarette. "Then why did you prepare so many props for us?"
"I'm afraid of being beaten by them."
……
Next, we witnessed the most humiliating side of the Sun City gang. Tian Zhiyong was bowing and scraping in front, asking for the Protection Fee, while the two of us remained silent behind him. I swear, this was the most absurd collection of Protection Fee I had ever seen. Some bosses wanted to develop invoices, some were asking for kickbacks, and others were demanding installment payments with IOUs. Even more ridiculous was a Spicy Hot Pot owner who pointed directly at the meat and vegetables on the table: "The money is right here; you can eat as much as you want. Once you hit a thousand bucks, it's all good!"
……
Finally, after collecting the Protection Fee from over ten shops, it was time for dinner. Tian Zhiyong treated us to a meal and then suggested we go have some fun. We both shook our heads repeatedly, claiming we needed to go back to sleep. Damn it, for the first time, I felt that being involved in the underworld was a disgrace.
Back at the hotel, after showering and watching TV, I quickly grew bored. At that moment, Fatty started getting restless: “Ghost Brother, let’s go find a place for some Health Treatment.”
“Can’t you think of something else? Can’t you be a bit more positive?”
“Exactly! That’s why I… owe the sun!”
“Fine!” I knew that if I didn’t indulge Fatty in this hobby of his, he would come up with all sorts of excuses to avoid doing work for me later.
Downstairs, Zhou Li had taken over the shift. It wouldn’t be easy to ask her about this; should I really ask her, “Hey, do you know where to find cheap and good Health Treatment?”
I still had around seventy or eighty thousand cash in my Spatial Bag, money that Ma Zhenkai had given me and which I hadn’t used much. Thinking of going to a high-end place to treat Fatty well and also reward myself.
I hailed a taxi outside, but before I could say anything, Fatty hurriedly said from the back seat: “Driver, take us to the best club here.”
The taxi driver, a Square-Faced Man, had thick eyebrows; he looked like a decent guy at first glance. However, that face was twisted into a lewd grin: “Are you two looking for a proper Massage, or are you after some Health Treatment, or maybe both?”
Sitting in the passenger seat and seeing the driver’s pig-like lewd expression, I realized he was cut from the same cloth as Fatty. They definitely had common topics to discuss. Upon hearing this, Fatty immediately leaned forward eagerly and asked with a smirk: “Where do you think I should go?”
The driver nodded knowingly and soon brought us to a club called 'Upper Realm', saying with a smile, "Although the price is a bit high, it's worth it!"
Just as we got out of the car, I happened to see an acquaintance walking through the doors of Upper Realm. There aren't many familiar faces in Sun City, and this one turned out to be Mao Shun, the captain of the Public Security Team at the Yangcheng Public Security Bureau.
I couldn't believe it; the Public Security Team was openly visiting a health treatment center. Fatty and I exchanged glances and found it amusing. Fatty even remarked, "Is he planning to sacrifice his looks to gather intelligence?"
Amidst our laughter, we stepped into Upper Realm.
As for the sauna, it was just a matter of showering, steaming, soaking, and finally getting a massage. We naturally followed the standard procedure.
After washing off the sweat, we entered a sauna room. The sauna was divided into several private compartments. The larger rooms could accommodate about ten people, while the smaller ones could hold only four or five. Once full, the doors could be locked from the inside. This was just a formality to ensure privacy; after all, being naked in a sealed room with unfamiliar people could be awkward for some, and that awkwardness applied to both genders.
In the room we entered, there were two middle-aged men with potbellies casually chatting. Fatty ignored them and eagerly poured water on the stones to increase humidity. As steam filled the air with a hissing sound, we were sweating profusely when we faintly heard voices from next door. For ordinary people, it would be hard to make out what was being said in this room, but Fatty was no ordinary person; his vision and hearing far exceeded that of an average individual.
"It's Mao Shun!" Fatty whispered with a laugh. After listening for a while longer, his expression changed: "He's talking to Gu Quan!"
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