Chapter 4 Four-party talks
After exchanging words with the workers, Su Tiannan drove Su Tianyu home after midnight.
"The workers' emotions won't last long. If you think they'll help us fight against Changqing Company, then you're wrong," Su Tiannan was calm and thoughtful. "Uniting workers means uniting for a common interest, but it also comes with risks."
Su Tianyu nodded slowly. "I understand."
"Tomorrow, you and I will visit the other three families and have a talk with them," Su Tiannan had already regarded his younger brother as a capable person to discuss family matters with.
"Big brother, I've just arrived in Dragon City and I'm not familiar with the situation here. I'm guessing a lot of things, so you have to decide how to handle them," Su Tianyu didn't like to talk too much and reminded his brother.
As Su Tiannan drove in silence for a moment, he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Sixth brother, do you have any plans for the future in Dragon City?"
"I want to take the civil service examination," Su Tianyu replied frankly.
"What I mean is, if our family can get through this crisis, it's better for you to stay and work at home," Su Tiannan said softly. "Although the dirty work of the gang can't be brought to light, there's still great potential for growth. Our generation of brothers should stick together and make a career in Dragon City."
Su Tianyu paused and replied, "Brother, I still want to take the official route. It can also help the family."
Su Tiannan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, having someone who's eating official rice in the family is convenient for many things. If we can get through this, we'll spend as much money as it takes to get you into the system."
"Hehe," Su Tianyu grinned.
These two brothers were very clear-headed people. Not only could they discuss things thoroughly in a few words, but they also didn't like to express their personal feelings on the surface. Many family emotions were conveyed through their silent interactions.
Su Tiannan glanced at his cousin from the corner of his eye and suddenly felt that this little guy had changed since he was in preschool, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
—---
After the two brothers returned home in the early morning, they each went back to their own rooms.
Su Tianyu entered his room and found that his second brother had not returned yet, and the situation inside the room was the same as when he left. He quickly freshened up and called Tianbei: "Brother, you haven't come back yet?"
"I'm busy whoring, I won't be coming back tonight," Su Tianbei bluntly replied.
"What? It's already this late and you still have the mood for that?" Su Tianyu was full of question marks in his head.
"I found a friend in the city to take care of your uncle, I have no choice but to treat them, sorry," Su Tianbei belched after drinking. "Let's talk about it when you come back."
"Okay, then you rest early."
"Okay, you sleep too."
After the call ended, Su Tianyu yawned and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the sun rose in the east, and the sunshine was beautiful.
Su Tianyu habitually got up early and ran four laps outside the courtyard.
"Hey, Sixth brother, you're still exercising in the morning?" Su MiaoMiao, his cousin, was wearing pajamas and wiping her cheeks with a towel, standing in front of her own door.
"I'm used to practicing at school." Su Tianyu's white T-shirt was soaked with sweat, and his short hair was also wet, looking very sunny.
Su MiaoMiao looked at her cousin and joked with a little surprise, "Wow, you have a good figure! I can't even tell when you're wearing clothes, and you even have a six-pack!"
"I have less body fat, so my muscles don't show." Su Tianyu actually had the type of physique that looked thin when wearing clothes but was very strong when not wearing them.
Su MiaoMiao raised her beautiful hair and walked up to Su Tianyu, patting his abdomen with her hand in a casual manner. "Wow, it's still quite hard."
Su Tianyu immediately tightened his stomach muscles. "Can you be a little serious?"
Su MiaoMiao, who was three years older than Su Tianyu, beautiful but had a bold personality. When they were young, she could fight with Su Tianbei, which shows how fierce she was. So since childhood, Su Tianyu was more afraid of her and was given the nickname "coward" by her.
"Oh, are you shy now? Have you forgotten when you and your second brother were caught by me watching a romantic movie when you were young?" Su MiaoMiao teased.
"You're crazy!" Su Tianyu was sweating profusely and ran away.
"Go to the front hall, it's time for breakfast," Su MiaoMiao smiled and shouted.
"I know."
—---
There are many people in the Su family, and when they have a meal, they have to set up five or six tables inside and outside the front hall. The food such as rice porridge, steamed buns, and fried dough sticks are all served in large pots and placed on the tables, making it look very lively and warm.
After a simple breakfast, Su Tiannan whispered to Su Miaomiao, "You and the second brother go to the goods yard later and keep an eye on things. Don't cause any trouble. I'm going out with Tiangyu."
"Okay," Su Miaomiao nodded.
After giving instructions for the affairs at home, Su Tiannan drove away with Su Tianyu, but at this time, Su Tianbei still had not returned home.
On the way, Su Tiannan whispered, "I made an appointment with people from the Bai family, Liu family, and Kong family to have tea at Fuhai Teahouse in Zhanan. These three families are similar to us in terms of scale and have about 1,800 workers under their command."
Su Tianyu nodded slowly, "Are they close to us?"
"Not really. In recent years, the influence of Changqing Company in Zhanan has been growing, and our several families have close ties to seek comfort. In fact, a few years ago, we fought with the Bai family because of the contract for the follow-up treatment of garbage," Su Tiannan replied.
"I understand," Su Tianyu nodded.
"The Bai family is now also in contact with the police station. They have prepared a lot of money and want to get the old man Bai classified as an accomplice, so that he may be sentenced lightly. If Old Bai is classified as an accomplice, your second uncle is likely to be pushed to be the principal offender," Su Tiannan continued to introduce, "The Liu family has always been relatively timid. They are quite afraid now and are preparing to submit to the Changqing gang and hand over their territory to seek peace. Finally, the situation of the Kong family is similar to ours. They do not want to give up their territory, but their connections are not strong enough. Currently, they are also looking for relationships everywhere."
Su Tianyu frowned, "So, the four families involved in this incident all have their own ideas?"
"Yes," Su Tiannan nodded, "Do you have any thoughts?"
"We need to band together," Su Tianyu decisively replied, "I think when you talk to them, you can use what happened last night."
Su Tiannan pondered for a moment, "Do you mean surrendering the guns and letting the murderers go?"
"Yes, that's what I mean."
"Okay, I understand," Su Tiannan nodded slowly.
—---
At ten o'clock in the morning, in a private room at the Fuhai Teahouse on Guangyin Avenue in the Zhanan district.
Bai Hongbo, the eldest son of the Chaozhou Gang's Bai family in the Zhanan district, Liu Jialao'er from the Shanghai Gang, and Kong Zhenghui, the eldest son of the Kong family, were all seated in the private room.
At the end of the table, Su Tiannan took the initiative to pour tea for the three men and said in a soft voice, "The reason why I invited everyone here today is to discuss how we can solve this case and break the deadlock."
On the sofa, Su Tianyu observed the three leaders of the families at the table, who remained silent. He had just arrived in Dragon City and did not fully understand the situation, so he intended to just listen in and see how his elder brother would handle things.
"What deadlock? The Management Association and the Police Department have both been taken care of by Changqing Company. We have no one to speak for us in the judicial system, so how can we break the deadlock?" Bai Hongbo, who was in his early thirties, spoke loudly.
Liu Jialao'er was not of the same generation as Su Tiannan and the others. He was the younger brother of the head of the Liu family, so his words carried more weight. "Tiannan, now that things have come to this point, we should be more cautious. The heads of our four families have been taken to the police station, and the fate of our families is in their hands. If we are not careful, there could be serious consequences."
Kong Zhenghui listened to everyone's words but remained silent.
After Su Tiannan filled the teacups and pushed them in front of everyone, he said in a soft voice, "Let's not talk about breaking the deadlock for now. What if we all just submit to Changqing Company, hand over our businesses, and play it safe? Will they let us go?"
Everyone remained silent.
"My personal opinion is that even if we give up everything, Changqing Company will not let us go," Su Tiannan had a calm and steady demeanor. Although he was the youngest person at the table, he spoke in a clear and organized manner. "The heads of our four families have been detained for several days, but the police department has not yet officially classified the case. They are still saying that they are investigating. If Changqing Company wanted our businesses back so urgently, why haven't they put more pressure on us by quickly classifying the case?"
"Why do you need to think so much? They are just playing with us and making us anxious," Bai Hongbo spoke bluntly.
"That's the thing, and yet it's not the thing," Su Tiannan waved his hand and replied, "I think Changqing Company's idea is to wait for us to surrender our guns before killing us."
"What does that mean?" Liu Family's second son asked with a frown.
"It's simple. They not only want our work area but also want us to give up all the profits we've earned over the years. Why is the police station helping Changqing Company? It's for their own benefit! If we don't pay, Changqing Company will have to pay, so they're waiting for us to surrender our guns." Su Tiannan said in a cold and stern tone, following Tianyu's thinking. "We have to be in a hurry while we're still inside the bureau. If we find someone to send the money up, and the police station still doesn't release anyone and still wants to sentence the four old men, what can you do? At that time, you'll still have to give up the work area, right?"
Everyone's face darkened when they heard this.
"Since we've torn our faces apart, if I were Changqing Company, I would definitely take down the four families at once without giving you a chance to fight back," Su Tiannan continued, "I've been networking these days, and I've had contact with the people at the police station. I'm telling you all honestly, it's impossible to use your own money to find someone to solve this matter. The second in command at the police station is very close to the management committee in Fuzhou, and the people underneath want to take money to help us, but they don't dare to reach out."
"Tiannan isn't lying. I've been networking these days, and the situation is indeed like this," the silent Kong Zhenghui interjected.
"Damn it, we can't just give up the work area. They want us to surrender our guns before they kill us," Bai Hongbo gritted his teeth. "This is too much!"
"I think we need to band together and make some noise," Su Tiannan looked at Tianyu with a knowing look and said, "We'll die if we don't fight back, so we might as well give them a taste of their own medicine."
"What if we break something?" Liu Family's second son worriedly asked, "Your father is still in their hands!"
"Uncle Liu, if we don't fight back today, they'll finish your grandfather tomorrow and come for you the day after tomorrow," Kong Zhenghui said concisely.
Liu Family's second son pondered for a moment. "Okay, Tiannan can take the lead, let's give it a try!"
...
An hour and a half later.
Su Tianyu left the teahouse and said to his cousin, "We have to act quickly. These people are uncertain and could easily change their minds."
"Yes, we should go talk to our connections at the police station first..."
While the two brothers were discussing, Su Tiannan's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Tianbei is in trouble, he's been stabbed."
"What?" Su Tiannan raised his eyebrows and asked, "Where is he?"
Chapter 4 Four-party talks
After exchanging words with the workers, Su Tiannan drove Su Tianyu home after midnight.
"The workers' emotions won't last long. If you think they'll help us fight against Changqing Company, then you're wrong," Su Tiannan was calm and thoughtful. "Uniting workers means uniting for a common interest, but it also comes with risks."
Su Tianyu nodded slowly. "I understand."
"Tomorrow, you and I will visit the other three families and have a talk with them," Su Tiannan had already regarded his younger brother as a capable person to discuss family matters with.
"Big brother, I've just arrived in Dragon City and I'm not familiar with the situation here. I'm guessing a lot of things, so you have to decide how to handle them," Su Tianyu didn't like to talk too much and reminded his brother.
As Su Tiannan drove in silence for a moment, he suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Sixth brother, do you have any plans for the future in Dragon City?"
"I want to take the civil service examination," Su Tianyu replied frankly.
"What I mean is, if our family can get through this crisis, it's better for you to stay and work at home," Su Tiannan said softly. "Although the dirty work of the gang can't be brought to light, there's still great potential for growth. Our generation of brothers should stick together and make a career in Dragon City."
Su Tianyu paused and replied, "Brother, I still want to take the official route. It can also help the family."
Su Tiannan thought for a moment and said, "Alright, having someone who's eating official rice in the family is convenient for many things. If we can get through this, we'll spend as much money as it takes to get you into the system."
"Hehe," Su Tianyu grinned.
These two brothers were very clear-headed people. Not only could they discuss things thoroughly in a few words, but they also didn't like to express their personal feelings on the surface. Many family emotions were conveyed through their silent interactions.
Su Tiannan glanced at his cousin from the corner of his eye and suddenly felt that this little guy had changed since he was in preschool, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly how.
—---
After the two brothers returned home in the early morning, they each went back to their own rooms.
Su Tianyu entered his room and found that his second brother had not returned yet, and the situation inside the room was the same as when he left. He quickly freshened up and called Tianbei: "Brother, you haven't come back yet?"
"I'm busy whoring, I won't be coming back tonight," Su Tianbei bluntly replied.
"What? It's already this late and you still have the mood for that?" Su Tianyu was full of question marks in his head.
"I found a friend in the city to take care of your uncle, I have no choice but to treat them, sorry," Su Tianbei belched after drinking. "Let's talk about it when you come back."
"Okay, then you rest early."
"Okay, you sleep too."
After the call ended, Su Tianyu yawned and fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, the sun rose in the east, and the sunshine was beautiful.
Su Tianyu habitually got up early and ran four laps outside the courtyard.
"Hey, Sixth brother, you're still exercising in the morning?" Su MiaoMiao, his cousin, was wearing pajamas and wiping her cheeks with a towel, standing in front of her own door.
"I'm used to practicing at school." Su Tianyu's white T-shirt was soaked with sweat, and his short hair was also wet, looking very sunny.
Su MiaoMiao looked at her cousin and joked with a little surprise, "Wow, you have a good figure! I can't even tell when you're wearing clothes, and you even have a six-pack!"
"I have less body fat, so my muscles don't show." Su Tianyu actually had the type of physique that looked thin when wearing clothes but was very strong when not wearing them.
Su MiaoMiao raised her beautiful hair and walked up to Su Tianyu, patting his abdomen with her hand in a casual manner. "Wow, it's still quite hard."
Su Tianyu immediately tightened his stomach muscles. "Can you be a little serious?"
Su MiaoMiao, who was three years older than Su Tianyu, beautiful but had a bold personality. When they were young, she could fight with Su Tianbei, which shows how fierce she was. So since childhood, Su Tianyu was more afraid of her and was given the nickname "coward" by her.
"Oh, are you shy now? Have you forgotten when you and your second brother were caught by me watching a romantic movie when you were young?" Su MiaoMiao teased.
"You're crazy!" Su Tianyu was sweating profusely and ran away.
"Go to the front hall, it's time for breakfast," Su MiaoMiao smiled and shouted.
"I know."
—---
There are many people in the Su family, and when they have a meal, they have to set up five or six tables inside and outside the front hall. The food such as rice porridge, steamed buns, and fried dough sticks are all served in large pots and placed on the tables, making it look very lively and warm.
After a simple breakfast, Su Tiannan whispered to Su Miaomiao, "You and the second brother go to the goods yard later and keep an eye on things. Don't cause any trouble. I'm going out with Tiangyu."
"Okay," Su Miaomiao nodded.
After giving instructions for the affairs at home, Su Tiannan drove away with Su Tianyu, but at this time, Su Tianbei still had not returned home.
On the way, Su Tiannan whispered, "I made an appointment with people from the Bai family, Liu family, and Kong family to have tea at Fuhai Teahouse in Zhanan. These three families are similar to us in terms of scale and have about 1,800 workers under their command."
Su Tianyu nodded slowly, "Are they close to us?"
"Not really. In recent years, the influence of Changqing Company in Zhanan has been growing, and our several families have close ties to seek comfort. In fact, a few years ago, we fought with the Bai family because of the contract for the follow-up treatment of garbage," Su Tiannan replied.
"I understand," Su Tianyu nodded.
"The Bai family is now also in contact with the police station. They have prepared a lot of money and want to get the old man Bai classified as an accomplice, so that he may be sentenced lightly. If Old Bai is classified as an accomplice, your second uncle is likely to be pushed to be the principal offender," Su Tiannan continued to introduce, "The Liu family has always been relatively timid. They are quite afraid now and are preparing to submit to the Changqing gang and hand over their territory to seek peace. Finally, the situation of the Kong family is similar to ours. They do not want to give up their territory, but their connections are not strong enough. Currently, they are also looking for relationships everywhere."
Su Tianyu frowned, "So, the four families involved in this incident all have their own ideas?"
"Yes," Su Tiannan nodded, "Do you have any thoughts?"
"We need to band together," Su Tianyu decisively replied, "I think when you talk to them, you can use what happened last night."
Su Tiannan pondered for a moment, "Do you mean surrendering the guns and letting the murderers go?"
"Yes, that's what I mean."
"Okay, I understand," Su Tiannan nodded slowly.
—---
At ten o'clock in the morning, in a private room at the Fuhai Teahouse on Guangyin Avenue in the Zhanan district.
Bai Hongbo, the eldest son of the Chaozhou Gang's Bai family in the Zhanan district, Liu Jialao'er from the Shanghai Gang, and Kong Zhenghui, the eldest son of the Kong family, were all seated in the private room.
At the end of the table, Su Tiannan took the initiative to pour tea for the three men and said in a soft voice, "The reason why I invited everyone here today is to discuss how we can solve this case and break the deadlock."
On the sofa, Su Tianyu observed the three leaders of the families at the table, who remained silent. He had just arrived in Dragon City and did not fully understand the situation, so he intended to just listen in and see how his elder brother would handle things.
"What deadlock? The Management Association and the Police Department have both been taken care of by Changqing Company. We have no one to speak for us in the judicial system, so how can we break the deadlock?" Bai Hongbo, who was in his early thirties, spoke loudly.
Liu Jialao'er was not of the same generation as Su Tiannan and the others. He was the younger brother of the head of the Liu family, so his words carried more weight. "Tiannan, now that things have come to this point, we should be more cautious. The heads of our four families have been taken to the police station, and the fate of our families is in their hands. If we are not careful, there could be serious consequences."
Kong Zhenghui listened to everyone's words but remained silent.
After Su Tiannan filled the teacups and pushed them in front of everyone, he said in a soft voice, "Let's not talk about breaking the deadlock for now. What if we all just submit to Changqing Company, hand over our businesses, and play it safe? Will they let us go?"
Everyone remained silent.
"My personal opinion is that even if we give up everything, Changqing Company will not let us go," Su Tiannan had a calm and steady demeanor. Although he was the youngest person at the table, he spoke in a clear and organized manner. "The heads of our four families have been detained for several days, but the police department has not yet officially classified the case. They are still saying that they are investigating. If Changqing Company wanted our businesses back so urgently, why haven't they put more pressure on us by quickly classifying the case?"
"Why do you need to think so much? They are just playing with us and making us anxious," Bai Hongbo spoke bluntly.
"That's the thing, and yet it's not the thing," Su Tiannan waved his hand and replied, "I think Changqing Company's idea is to wait for us to surrender our guns before killing us."
"What does that mean?" Liu Family's second son asked with a frown.
"It's simple. They not only want our work area but also want us to give up all the profits we've earned over the years. Why is the police station helping Changqing Company? It's for their own benefit! If we don't pay, Changqing Company will have to pay, so they're waiting for us to surrender our guns." Su Tiannan said in a cold and stern tone, following Tianyu's thinking. "We have to be in a hurry while we're still inside the bureau. If we find someone to send the money up, and the police station still doesn't release anyone and still wants to sentence the four old men, what can you do? At that time, you'll still have to give up the work area, right?"
Everyone's face darkened when they heard this.
"Since we've torn our faces apart, if I were Changqing Company, I would definitely take down the four families at once without giving you a chance to fight back," Su Tiannan continued, "I've been networking these days, and I've had contact with the people at the police station. I'm telling you all honestly, it's impossible to use your own money to find someone to solve this matter. The second in command at the police station is very close to the management committee in Fuzhou, and the people underneath want to take money to help us, but they don't dare to reach out."
"Tiannan isn't lying. I've been networking these days, and the situation is indeed like this," the silent Kong Zhenghui interjected.
"Damn it, we can't just give up the work area. They want us to surrender our guns before they kill us," Bai Hongbo gritted his teeth. "This is too much!"
"I think we need to band together and make some noise," Su Tiannan looked at Tianyu with a knowing look and said, "We'll die if we don't fight back, so we might as well give them a taste of their own medicine."
"What if we break something?" Liu Family's second son worriedly asked, "Your father is still in their hands!"
"Uncle Liu, if we don't fight back today, they'll finish your grandfather tomorrow and come for you the day after tomorrow," Kong Zhenghui said concisely.
Liu Family's second son pondered for a moment. "Okay, Tiannan can take the lead, let's give it a try!"
...
An hour and a half later.
Su Tianyu left the teahouse and said to his cousin, "We have to act quickly. These people are uncertain and could easily change their minds."
"Yes, we should go talk to our connections at the police station first..."
While the two brothers were discussing, Su Tiannan's phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Tianbei is in trouble, he's been stabbed."
"What?" Su Tiannan raised his eyebrows and asked, "Where is he?"
