Leopard didn't respond. Anyone who does this kind of work wants to make money quickly. To put it bluntly, they're all risking their lives to earn money to save their own lives.

They smuggled so much cargo; getting caught and sent to a labor camp would be too lenient a sentence, they could even be shot.

"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. I see your appetite is getting bigger and bigger. You can earn 20 yuan by delivering a batch of goods to me without any danger. You can't even earn 10 yuan a month by working in the fields."

People should be more content.

The people who did business with him changed batch after batch; those who were bold were all arrested, but those who were cautious and careful survived until now.

"If you want to do it, then go do it yourself, don't ruin my life."

The others, hiding in the distance, heard their argument and quietly looked up. Leopard Brother's sharp eyes swept over them, and they all silently squatted down.

"You're the same. Better safe than sorry. If you think my business is too small, then leave. My place is too small to accommodate you."

"If it weren't for you, Brother Leopard, we wouldn't have any money to make."

"Yes, yes, that's good enough for now. We're not greedy."

"Brother Leopard, that's not what I meant. Something really happened at home that cost me over 2,000 yuan. If I were to follow this route for a shipment, I'd have to make a hundred or so trips, and I really can't wait."

It's not that I look down on the current business, but if you have extra work, you can assign it to me.

Zhou Han made up a lie, saying that his father had lost some of the factory's public funds and now he had to make up for it or he would be arrested and imprisoned.

Although Brother Leopard is cautious, he's also loyal. "This money was stolen, didn't you report it to the police?"

“Our factory is a big factory, and my dad is in charge of finance. The factory was going to buy a batch of machines, and all the money was paid out. I never expected that they would be stolen.”

The factory manager is preventing us from reporting it to the police; he insists it's my father's fault.

He knew he couldn't tell the truth. Leopard and his gang were in the business of licking blood off the edge of a knife. They didn't care about the law, but they wanted everyone to spit on those corrupt officials who plundered the people. They couldn't possibly sympathize with corrupt officials.

Not to mention that his father was a member of the Revolutionary Committee. When the Revolutionary Committee and the guards fell, everyone would just applaud and cheer.

Leopard frowned deeply. "Does what he says mean?"

"We need to find someone to take the blame."

After he said that, Brother Leopard understood everything. He believed that the credit of those above belonged to him, while any mistakes were the fault of those below.

"I don't care whether what you're saying is true or not. Since you're willing to make money, I have a way to help you. But let's make it clear first, if you get into danger, it's your own problem and has nothing to do with me. I'll take half of the profits."

Zhou Han nodded.

There is a port more than 100 miles away, and there is an island near the port called Bian Island. Cargo ships frequently come and go in the port. The goods they smuggled were hidden in those cargo ships and were secretly transported to the nearby island by small boats before entering the port.

This route used to be quite stable, but this year more people are doing it, and the government has discovered the shady dealings and is cracking down hard near the port. Now, Brother Leopard basically doesn't run that route anymore.

"There's a batch of goods that got soaked in water. I heard the situation isn't too serious. As long as we can get them to the island and get them out, we can make a lot of money in one trip."

There are police and maritime officers at the port, and people patrol the nearby villages. Even if you can get things to the island, it will take a lot of effort to get them out.

"If there are checkpoints outside, leave the goods on the island first. If not, transport the goods over in batches."

Leopard Brother had known about this batch of water-damaged goods for a long time, but he had never dared to go. It would be even better if Zhou Han was willing to go.

Zhou Han quickly agreed. His mother was waiting for him to wire the money home. He knew that the bold would get rich while the timid would starve, so he had to make the trip.

Once this deal is closed, Brother Leopard will take him on to do more work in the future.

"Brother, I can do it too."

A thin man standing nearby heard the two of them reach an agreement and quickly stepped forward. He had saved up almost 100 yuan recently, and if he saved a little more, he would have enough for his wife's dowry.

"Fuck your ass!" Leopard Brother glared, then slashed at the man with a chop to the neck. "Look at your pathetic state."

For safety reasons, the transportation, assembly, and delivery are all handled by different people who do not know each other. This way, if someone is arrested, they cannot provide information about the entire line.

Most importantly, they don't know each other, and they can't work together secretly.

For Brother Leopard, sending Zhou Han to transport that batch of waterlogged goods was already an exception. If these people were tempted by money and wanted to do the transporting themselves, things would get chaotic.

Skinny Monkey quickly ran to the side after being hit, glancing at Zhou Han with some envy.

"Come here," the two men walked over, and Leopard Brother looked Zhou Han up and down for a long time. "Be smart, or you'll get surrounded and killed."

There's a lot of smuggling going on the island, and the small fishing villages nearby aren't safe either; they'll be under police surveillance sooner or later.

He thought highly of Zhou Han, believing that people with attachments who needed to make money were easier to control and he didn't want him to fail there.

“Your current situation is too complicated.” The round trip plus the time spent there will take at least a few days. “Are you able to get leave? And if you do, what will you say?”

"I have a way." He had asked the captain for leave to go back to Xin'an these past few days, but the captain wouldn't approve it. He knew he couldn't ask for leave again.

We have to think of other ways.

----

Bai Rongjun now knows what Zhou Han is doing outside, and she stays in the dormitory worrying about him. Even though she is sore all over and exhausted, she still can't fall asleep.

"If you don't sleep, others will!"

Perhaps the noise of her turning over disturbed others, Bai Rongjun quickly stopped and lay straight on the kang (a heated brick bed) listening to the sounds outside.

When the night was deep, she finally heard the sound of the door opening in the courtyard, and she quickly and carefully crept out.

Why are you so late?

"Rong Jun, I have something to tell you."

Zhou Han pulled her aside and whispered what had happened that night. Bai Rongjun was so frightened that her throat tightened and she kept swallowing. Doing business on the black market is different from smuggling.

"No! This is too dangerous. What if we get caught..."

"No, Rong Jun, believe me, I won't get caught," Zhou Han quickly reassured her. "Only you can help me now."