In the noisy private room, Guan Dahai was loudly talking to his three subordinates. At this moment, Wang An, the top lackey of Guan Dahai, excitedly ran into the private room, came to Guan Dahai's side, and said with a joyful expression, "Boss, the news is confirmed. I saw with my own eyes that Hailong was leading the kids from the small fishing village to catch crabs near the Devil Sea. They caught about a thousand crabs, all wild ones."
Hearing Wang An say this, Guan Dahai laughed heartily and said, "Good, it's like a pillow coming when you're sleepy. I've been worrying about not making money recently. You four, follow me. Let's go find those little bastards and ask for money. They're young, but they have a lot of money, and they don't even think about giving it to their grandfathers."
In Guan Dahai's memory, these young people from the small fishing village were still the little kids he could bully, around eleven or twelve years old.
Since yesterday, when his subordinates reported that the young people from the small fishing village had gone out to sea with a man named Hailong to catch crabs, and they had caught a thousand crabs, Guan Dahai couldn't sit still. People by the sea knew the prices. These crabs were now 80 yuan per pound. A thousand crabs would weigh at least 2,000 pounds, which was nearly 200,000 yuan. That's 200,000 yuan in a day. If this continued for a month, it would be several million yuan. How could Guan Dahai not be envious? That day, he gathered a few of his top subordinates to discuss a plan and sent Wang An to gather more information. This morning, Wang An went to the small fishing village. Guan Dahai, sitting in the private room of the hotel, was waiting for news. He was still skeptical, but when Wang An told him it was true, Guan Dahai couldn't sit still anymore. He immediately called his subordinates to drive to the small fishing village.
When Guan Dahai arrived at the small fishing village, he found that Hailong and his group had just returned from the rich neighborhood. After selling the crabs, Hailong gave each person a thousand yuan as wages. Everyone was in high spirits. Seeing Hailong and his group return, Guan Dahai felt as if he saw pink banknotes. He gave a signal to his subordinates and walked up to Hailong with a sly smile, saying, "Hailong, it's been a long time."
Hailong didn't expect Guan Dahai to be so impatient, rushing over like a fly at the first taste of sweetness. He looked back at the group and saw that they were all looking at Guan Dahai with fear. Hailong knew that this time, it was up to him. He smiled and said, "Isn't this Guan Dahai? You're bringing your four brothers out to work again."
Guan Dahai didn't catch the sarcasm in Hailong's words and laughed wildly, saying, "My four brothers aren't easy to provoke. I heard you've been catching crabs in the Devil Sea recently, and business is good. Why haven't you come to report to me? You don't take me, Guan Dahai, seriously."
Hailong pretended to be frightened and said, "Oh, I forgot, I forgot. I'll come tomorrow, I'll come tomorrow. How could I forget that this is your territory? I'll definitely bring a gift tomorrow, and I'll make sure you're satisfied."
Guan Dahai laughed and said, "No need. Don't drag it out. It's not good to drag it out. We brothers have time today, so let's talk about it today."
Hailong smiled and said, "You speak, I'm listening."
Seeing Hailong so cooperative, Guan Dahai became even more arrogant and said, "Since you're doing business in my territory, you have to pay protection money. You know that, right?" Hailong nodded.
Guan Dahai continued, "Good to know. I like to be straightforward. 200,000 yuan in protection money per day. Pay it, and I won't bother you anymore."
Every time Hailong took money, he did it in front of the group, so they knew how much he made each day. Hailong only made about 100,000 yuan per trip, and they only went out to sea twice a week. But Guan Dahai was asking for 200,000 yuan per day, which was clearly an unreasonable demand.
Hailong looked back at the group and saw that their faces were gradually showing anger. Hailong knew that his plan was almost successful. He smiled and said to Guan Dahai, "Guan Dahai, I can pay you protection money, but I can't give you that much. I only make about 100,000 yuan per trip. The amount you're asking for exceeds what I earn. For the sake of my subordinates' livelihood, I can only agree to give you 100,000 yuan per trip. Any more, and I can't afford it."
Guan Dahai couldn't agree to a price that was cut in half. He glared at Hailong and said, "What, you don't want to pay? Asking for death, huh?"
He gave a signal to his subordinates, and the four of them instantly surrounded Hailong, ready to fight if things got out of hand. Looking at the four people surrounding him, Hailong said to Guan Dahai, "It's not that I don't want to pay, but I really can't afford that much. I have to give each of my subordinates 1,000 yuan per trip, which is nearly 30,000 yuan for twenty people. The diesel for four boats costs a few thousand more. What's left is about 100,000 yuan. I can give you all of it, but I can't afford 200,000 yuan."
The group couldn't believe that Hailong would give up his own profit for them. They were angry at Guan Dahai's behavior. If Hailong could see their anger, he would find that it had already reached a breaking point, on the verge of eruption.
In Guan Dahai's view, since Hailong could lure crabs out of the Devil Sea, he could easily make 100,000 yuan per trip. It was just a matter of bringing more people and more boats. He walked up to Hailong, patted his shoulder, and said with a cold smile, "That won't do. 100,000 yuan per day is the lowest price. Don't refuse the offer and end up regretting it."
Just as Guan Dahai was about to teach Hailong a lesson, Liu Yong'an and the others moved. Liu Yong'an shouted, "Brothers, protect the boss." In an instant, the four subordinates surrounding Hailong were pushed aside, and Hailong was protected by Liu Yong'an and the others. Liu Yong'an said to Hailong, "Boss, we won't give him the money. If he dares to ask for it again, we'll fight him." Everyone shouted, "We'll fight them."
When the four subordinates were pushed back to Guan Dahai, he was stunned. He never thought that the kids he used to beat up and who could only beg on the ground would dare to resist him now. Looking at the group's angry faces, Guan Dahai was intimidated. He suddenly realized that the kids he used to bully had grown up. Seeing that they were now as tall as him, Guan Dahai knew he had to retreat. He only brought four people, while the other side had 24.
Afraid of being beaten, Guan Dahai laughed and said, "Oh, just kidding. I wouldn't really ask for money from you, Hailong. Just kidding. We're leaving." He then fled with his subordinates.
Seeing Guan Dahai's embarrassed retreat, the group felt a sense of relief for the first time. Hailong believed that they would increasingly realize the power of unity. He took the group to Liu Yong'an's house and said, "Guan Dahai has found out about our crab-catching. Although you drove him away today, we all know he's a thug and will come back for trouble. Be careful and don't go out alone. Try to go out in groups."
Hailong continued, "Also, we can still catch crabs in the sea we went to today for one more day. I have to go back to school on Monday, so Liu Yong'an will lead the team. I've already arranged with the rich neighborhood. You take the crabs there, they'll give you the money, and you can deposit it in my account later." Liu Yong'an nodded.
After Hailong finished speaking, Liu Yong'an and the others said to Hailong, "Boss, you should leave quickly. We have 24 people here, so Guan Dahai won't dare to do anything. But you're alone, and we're afraid he'll come after you."
Hailong understood the situation and smiled, saying, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." He gave some instructions to Liu Yong'an and the others and then went back to school.
Sitting in the car, Hailong thought with a cold smile, "Guan Dahai, you're so impatient. You come to collect protection money as soon as we start catching crabs. You haven't changed a bit."
Hailong knew that after today's embarrassing retreat, Guan Dahai wouldn't give up. Instead, he would come back with even more force. Given Guan Dahai's impatience, he would likely attack by the next day. Hailong needed to gather his subordinates in the afternoon to prepare. The plan was working, and now he just needed to wait for Liu Yong'an and the others to confront Guan Dahai the next day.
On Monday morning, Wang An brought a lot of food and entered the old house before dawn to clean up. By 8 a.m., he suddenly heard movement from Liu Yong'an's house. Peeking through the door, he saw that the 24 young people from the small fishing village had gathered, and many of them were holding fishing nets, heading towards the sea. Wang An thought, "Are they going to catch crabs again today?" Seeing them disappear, Wang An immediately ran to the window and looked out at the sea. Sure enough, four small fishing boats were already prepared, and the group was loading the nets onto the boats, ready to go out to sea. Wang An was delighted, thinking that he had obtained important information on the first day of surveillance. Seeing the group board the boats, Wang An immediately called Guan Dahai to report the situation. Guan Dahai then followed Wang An's plan and set up an ambush.
Guan Dahai was surprised and delighted that Liu Yong'an and the others dared to go out to sea again today. After hearing Wang An's report, he immediately gathered his subordinates to ambush Liu Yong'an on the way back from selling the crabs. This way, he could take revenge for yesterday and also get 100,000 yuan. It was a two-for-one deal.
Knowing that the group from the small fishing village would still come to the rich neighborhood to sell crabs, Guan Dahai set up an ambush in a forested area on the way. Liu Yong'an and the others went out to sea today but didn't catch many crabs, only about a thousand. They finished in two hours and then pushed the carts full of crabs to the rich neighborhood to sell. They made 80,000 yuan from selling the crabs, and Liu Yong'an distributed the wages to everyone. Seeing the extra 1,000 yuan in their hands, everyone was eager to go out and have fun. Yesterday, with the boss around, they were restrained, but today, without any restrictions, they were determined to have a good time. In their excitement, they forgot about the threat from Guan Dahai and were ambushed in the forest. When they saw Guan Dahai with 30 subordinates armed with sticks, they knew it was over. Surrounded on all sides, Liu Yong'an and the others were beaten up by Guan Dahai's subordinates, and the fight was over in less than ten minutes. Guan Dahai stepped on Liu Yong'an's arm and, seeing that Liu Yong'an wouldn't let go, knew the money was in his hand. He smiled wickedly, took a baseball bat, and, seeing Guan Dahai's action, the group from the small fishing village shouted, "No!" Guan Dahai, hearing their shouts, felt even more triumphant and swung the bat, breaking Liu Yong'an's wrist with a loud "crack." Liu Yong'an, a true man, didn't even cry out in pain, only letting out a low growl.
Hearing the sound of the bone breaking, Guan Dahai threw the bat to his subordinates, squatted next to Liu Yong'an, and, pinching his broken wrist, said, "Why bother? The money isn't yours. Look at this bone, broken like this. It must hurt a lot."
Liu Yong'an looked at Guan Dahai with hatred. Seeing the intense hatred in Liu Yong'an's eyes, Guan Dahai smiled wickedly and said, "You hate me? I like it when people look at me like that because you can't do anything about it. Ha ha." He then deliberately squeezed Liu Yong'an's broken wrist, but even in intense pain, Liu Yong'an didn't cry out, only looking at him with hatred. Guan Dahai, however, had already turned away and didn't see Liu Yong'an's gaze.
Taking the 100,000 yuan from Liu Yong'an, Guan Dahai laughed and said to the group from the small fishing village, "Tell Hailong that if he doesn't pay the protection money, I'll come and take it myself. This is a warning. Next time, it won't be so easy." Not only did Guan Dahai take the 100,000 yuan, but he also took the 1,000 yuan from each person. The group could only look on in anger, but they had no way to stop him.
After Guan Dahai and his subordinates left, the group immediately ran to Liu Yong'an's side. Liu Yong'an, seeing the dejected faces of the young people from the small fishing village, endured the pain and said loudly, "Brothers, you've seen it. This is Guan Dahai, who has bullied our parents for ten years. Today, Guan Dahai beat us. If we, like our parents, just accept it and bow our heads, our lives will be over. We will have to endure Guan Dahai's beatings and extortions every day, living in poverty and unable to hold our heads high. Our children will also be bullied like us, with no way to fight back. Do you want to live like this for the rest of your lives? This can't be left alone. We must take revenge. We must take revenge." Hearing Liu Yong'an's words, the group felt as if they had been enlightened. Thinking about living like their parents, enduring Guan Dahai's beatings and extortions, and their children being bullied like them, they shuddered. The 24 young people looked at each other with bloodshot eyes, seeing the support and strength in each other's eyes. When this strength came together, they couldn't help but shout, "Revenge, revenge, we must take revenge."
Liu Yong-quan said, "Brother, we can't tell the boss about this. Let's go take revenge and get the money back." Everyone nodded in agreement.
Liu Yong-an, enduring the pain, said, "No, we must tell the boss first. Guan Dahai's matter must be known to the boss. If the boss comes and is ambushed by Guan Dahai, what will we do?" Everyone was speechless and could only let Liu Yong-an call Hailong to tell him what happened.
Although it was Monday, Hailong didn't go to class but sat in a cafe downstairs waiting for news. Hailong knew Guan Dahai wouldn't make him wait long. Sure enough, around noon, Hailong saw a call from Liu Yong-an.
After Liu Yong-an told Hailong what happened, Hailong immediately called several taxis and went to the forest. Seeing Liu Yong-an's injured hand, he scolded, "Brother, you're foolish. We can earn money again. If we were ambushed, why did you fight? The boss cares about you all, not the 100,000 yuan."
Hailong's words made Liu Yong-an cry. Even when Guan Dahai broke his wrist with a stick, Liu Yong-an didn't cry out. Even when Guan Dahai squeezed his broken wrist, Liu Yong-an didn't cry out. But facing Hailong's words, Liu Yong-an couldn't hold back and cried out, repeatedly saying, "Boss, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Hailong understood what Liu Yong-an meant by "I'm sorry." The reason for today's situation was that Liu Yong-an and his brother had overestimated their abilities and attracted Guan Dahai. Otherwise, Hailong could have continued to live a peaceful life, earning money without any danger. Now, Guan Dahai had come to confront Hailong, leaving him with no choice but to either stop the business or fight to the death.
Hailong sent Liu Yong-an and the others to the hospital in the city. Liu Yong-an and the others thought Hailong would be furious, as 100,000 yuan in cash was lost. They were afraid to face Hailong. But to their surprise, Hailong didn't blame them and even sent them to the hospital for treatment. At 16 or 17 years old, full of passion, they couldn't control their tears and cried when Hailong comforted them.
Today's beating was too humiliating. Guan Dahai, with his numbers and weapons, and the element of surprise, left Liu Yong-an and the others defenseless. Faced with Hailong's comfort, Liu Yong-quan swore to Hailong that he would get the money back.
Hailong calmed Liu Yong-quan and said to everyone, "Treat your injuries first. I've booked rooms for you at a hotel. Get a good night's sleep, and we'll talk about it tomorrow." This act made Liu Yong-an and the others even more grateful.
The next morning, Hailong went to the hotel and gathered his subordinates in Liu Yong-an's room. He sighed and said to