In this era, there are many such dilapidated courtyard houses.
Some remain vacant because their owners have left and ownership is disputed. Others are left empty because of other commitments, and no one dares to touch them. They simply continue to decay and fall into disrepair.
Kui Datou and his gang chose this courtyard as their gathering place.
At this time, it's just after dinner, and there aren't many people walking on the road.
Kui Datou weaved through the streets and alleys and arrived at a courtyard.
"Boss."
"Big brother!"
"Big Head!"
"Brother, do you think... this place might make the room dirty..."
"No, I'm telling you, Xiao Si, can you stop doing this? Can't we stop being cowards?"
Before Kui Datou could speak, one of his underlings started scolding him.
"Alright, alright, new here?" At this moment, Kui Datou was completely different from how he was at home. Here, he was a calm and steady leader.
"Boss, this is the new guy, Xiao Si. His mother is in poor health and can't find a job. It's just the two of them at home."
Hearing this, Kui Datou nodded, looked the small-statured guy, who was less than 1.5 meters tall, up and down, and said, "Do a good job."
They went inside.
Seeing that Kui Datou had gone inside, the person who brought him there slapped Xiao Si: "Next time, can you wait until the boss goes inside before asking me questions?"
"I...I don't know. But the old man is quite nice."
"Heh, if it's not good, I'll bring you here?"
Once inside, the stove was already lit. In this weather, even a normal person couldn't stand it without one.
"Big Head, you're here." Two young men were gathered around the stove, each holding a pipe and puffing away. These two young men were Big Head's childhood friends; they had hung out with Big Head's father since he was a child.
One is called Yuan Li, and the other is called Yuan Wai.
The two were easy to recognize. The one called Yuan Wai was a bit chubby, had a carefree personality, loved making friends, and was the one who brought up most of the group of younger brothers outside.
The one named Yuan Li was thin as a bamboo pole, with slightly sunken cheeks, but his eyes were bright and spirited, though he didn't like to talk much.
"Here I am. Sigh, my mother is nagging me again." Kui Datou sighed, took out a pipe from his pocket, poured some tobacco into it, and lit it for himself.
"Big Head, what are you thinking? Are you still planning to continue like this?" Yuan Wai knew there was something more to Big Head's words.
"To be honest, I don't know either." Kui Datou sighed again. "My mother isn't wrong. At my age, it's about time I got married. And there's been no news from the Lou family..."
“It’s not that we haven’t heard anything,” Yuan Li, who had been silent until now, suddenly said.
"Li Zi, what do you know? Why didn't you say so sooner?" Yuan Wai immediately became agitated: "Is it...?"
"Alright, alright, sir, don't talk so much, let Li Zi do the talking." Kui Datou knew that Yuan Wai had a big mouth and once he started talking, he couldn't stop.
"The Lou family has run away."
"They ran away? Really?" Kui Datou was stunned for a moment: "Where did you get this news?"
"Yes, Li Zi, you must have misheard. The Lou family has such a large business, how could they possibly run away? Half of Beijing belongs to them."
“They really ran away; Sister E told me that.”
At this point, all three of them fell silent.
After a while, Kui Datou said, "Sister E told you? Why didn't you say so before?"
"I'm waiting."
"wait?"
"Wait for them to come to us."
"Sister E sold us out?!" Yuan Wai stood up excitedly.
"Sit down, sit down! Things have come to this point, can't you stop being so difficult?!"
"No, Li Zi, why didn't you mention what happened with Sister E before? Aren't we still brothers?"
"Don't blow up the cat."
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Listen to what Li Zi has to say. Don't be so hasty. You only heard half of what she said."
“It was Sister E who told me not to tell you. She was afraid that if she told you, you would think about running away.” He paused, then continued, “Master, Big Head, tell me the truth. The three of us can only survive in this tiny place. Big Head, Master, can you really let go of anything above us?”
The two fell silent again.
Nobody wants to be confined to one place, but in Pigeon City, which is essentially the black market, going any further isn't as simple as just talking or who has more influence. It involves a vast array of things: power, connections, and resources. These are merely necessary conditions; the pie is only so big, and if you take a bite, someone else takes less.
People like them, without the support of the Lou family, wouldn't be able to handle even a smaller black market, let alone this one.
Now, the Lou family has run away.
If they want to stabilize the situation, or rather, want to continue expanding, then a simple declaration of loyalty won't suffice; they'll need to engage in real combat.
“The people in this courtyard aren’t exactly good people, but they’re not bad people either. Everyone has something on their mind. They can’t really fight each other.” Yuan Li said expressionlessly, smoking his cigarette. “I was originally thinking about who Sister Lou had given us to, but now it seems that they probably don’t even want us.”
Yuan Wai opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but couldn't say a word.
Don't be fooled by the fact that he's in a calm area right now. In fact, he's declared that there can't be any thieves in this area, so the thieves won't come here.
But if it were really going to be serious, he wouldn't dare.
This isn't just an ordinary brawl; it's a fight with a group of desperados.
Just like Li Zi said, he and Da Tou might actually run away.
They have some money now, so they might as well buy a job and stick with it; that's better than anything else. At least with a job, finding a wife won't be difficult.
Kui Datou puffed on his cigarette.
Yes, find a job, an apprenticeship, 18...
He wasn't very educated, and he worked his way up step by step.
His thoughts drifted outward with the smoke, and he seemed to see the back half of his body.
I spent a lot of money to buy a job, starting at 18 yuan, and did the same thing for one year, two years, three years, ten years, twenty years. From 18 yuan to as high as 42 yuan, I worked until retirement. I kept repeating the same thing.
He suddenly jolted awake.
"No way!"
"Wha...what can't be done?"
"No, do you really want to work in the factory?"
"What's wrong with going to the factory?" Yuan Wai stared with his small eyes, somewhat puzzled. Going to the factory meant he could find a wife, and once he found a wife, he could have a wife, children, and a warm bed.
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