Returning wealthy individuals develop their hometowns and become rich in the 1980s

After Wang Wenxi and the others took two thousand yuan from Huang Bingkun and left the office, Wang Wenxi gave each of them three hundred yuan, and the rest he pocketed.

"Brother Xi, how come you have so much more than us? There are four of us. Bingzi, Shui Niu, and I each got 300, and there's still 1100 left," Liu Huaqiang said, peeking at Wang Wenxi's hand in his pocket, implying that they should each get an extra 100.

"You don't know anything! If you each take so much money to go to Pepper's place, won't people immediately notice something's up?" Wang Wenxi glared at Liu Huaqiang. Liu Huaqiang retorted indignantly, "Then, Brother Xi, if you take a thousand, won't people notice something's even more suspicious?"

"So you're kidding me. I, Wang Wenxi," Wang Wenxi said, pulling his hand out of his pocket and patting his chest, "my brother-in-law is the director of the demolition department and the project manager at Huaxing Real Estate. Do you think I wouldn't have money?"

"Don't even mention this thousand and eleven, even if I took ten thousand to Pepper, that kid wouldn't suspect a thing, he'd just see me as a sucker."

"Got it?!"

After hearing this, Liu Huaqiang muttered under his breath, "Isn't all this just because you want to pocket this money, Brother Xi, and use Brother Bingkun's name to show off?"

Wang Wenxi overheard Liu Huaqiang's complaints and almost flew into a rage, ready to punch Liu Huaqiang and teach the kid a lesson for who brought him into Huaxing Real Estate.

So you think you're all grown up now, huh? You even dare to criticize me to my face.

Seeing this, Bingzi and Shui Niu quickly came over and pulled the two apart. "Forget it, Brother Xi, you know Qiangzi's foul mouth. He's notorious for being a chatterbox."

"Let's go, let's go get something to eat, and then we'll scout out Pepper's place," Bingzi and Shui Niu each pulled one of them, leading Wang Wenxi and Liu Huaqiang away.

The four walked out of the construction site gate and came to the rice noodle stall at the entrance. They found an empty table and sat down. When the stall owner saw that it was Wang Wenxi and his friends, he turned around with a smile. His hands were still skilled and fast. "Brother Xi, Brother Qiang, Brother Bing, Brother Niu, please sit down first. I'll make yours after I finish this one. It'll be ready soon!"

Wang Wenxi placed a box of Double Happiness cigarettes on the table and said to the stall owner, "Make sure all four have extra eggs and extra meat. Hurry up, we have things to do after we finish eating."

"Right away, right away," the stall owner nodded ingratiatingly, then said to a customer who was still waiting on the side, "Young man, please have a seat for a moment, it will be ready soon."

The young man lived nearby. When he saw that Wang Wenxi and his three companions were sitting sloppily, smoking cigarettes at an angle, and looking like thugs who were obviously involved in organized crime, he didn't argue. He just said, "Never mind, I'll come back later."

The stall owner had no choice but to apologize to the young man repeatedly before he started making rice noodle rolls for Wang Wenxi and the others. At the entrance of the Huaxing Garden construction site, if you wanted to set up a stall and make money here, you couldn't help but know people like Wang Wenxi from the construction site.

Normally, Huang Bingkun, the project manager, leaves the order at the construction site entrance to his brother-in-law, Wang Wenxi. If you dare to offend Wang Wenxi and his gang, they'll make sure you can't set up a stall at the construction site entrance.

The rice noodle rolls were ready quickly. Wang Wenxi picked up the satay sauce and started piling it on the rice noodle rolls like it was free. The other three followed suit, and the four of them quickly finished off half a bottle of satay sauce. The stall owner didn't dare to say a word, but instead took a new bottle from the next table and placed it on Wang Wenxi's table.

The four of them ate like starving ghosts, leaving the table covered in food. Even after they finished eating, they didn't leave, but just stood there picking their teeth with toothpicks. Wang Wenxi handed out cigarettes around and said to the three of them, "When we get there, you all need to keep quiet and watch my eyes."

Liu Huaqiang and the other two nodded and got up to leave. Wang Wenxi pretended to ask the rice noodle stall owner how much it cost, and the stall owner quickly smiled and said, "Brother Xi, no need."

"Why not use it?" he said, pretending to pull out a ten-yuan note. The stall owner quickly declined, "Brother Xi, forget it. Besides, I don't have change. Maybe next time."

Wang Wenxi casually stuffed the money into his pocket, waved, and left, saying, "Okay, I'll give it to you next time."

"Take care, Brother Xi," the stall owner waved and watched Wang Wenxi and the others walk away before spitting on the ground and cursing as he cleaned up the leftovers that the four of them had made, "It looks like a dog chewed it up, it's all over the table."

Wang Wenxi and his three companions rode two motorcycles and sputtered to their way to Jiping Town. They asked a local thug they knew about Pepper's recent situation. The thug told Wang Wenxi with envy that Pepper had been spending lavishly lately. Last year, he rented a house in town and started a mahjong parlor. In the middle of the year, he renovated the old house in the village and even bought a brand new Mutian motorcycle.

"Sure, Pepper is doing better than me now," Wang Wenxi said, pointing to the secondhand Lingmu motorcycle he had driven outside. "His card room is over there; I'll go play a few rounds."

"It's right over Dongmen Bridge Old Street, very easy to find. There are always people gambling inside, you'll know which one it is as soon as you walk over and listen."

"Okay, then I won't talk to you anymore. I'm going to take my buddies to play a few rounds. I'm off." Wang Wenxi waved and rode his motorcycle towards Dongmen Bridge. There's only one old street in Jiping Town, and locals basically all know about it when they hear "old street."

This area used to be full of small vendors and a vegetable market, a real mixed bag. Wang Wenxi and his group drove their motorcycles slowly in, and when they encountered people carrying goods and walking slowly in the way, they honked their horns as fast as they could to urge them on.

When they arrived at the outside of a mud-brick house, they heard a commotion coming from inside. Wang Wenxi knew they had come to the right place. He stopped the car and saw a bald man sitting on a small bamboo stool by the door, watching Wang Wenxi and his three companions warily as they got out of the car.

Wang Wenxi ignored him, knowing that this person was the lookout and car watcher outside the casino. He locked the car, and the four of them swaggered into the mud-brick house.

The exterior walls of the mud-brick house were painted white, and a faded sign reading "Senior Activity Room" hung above the door. However, all those coming and going were young people in their twenties and thirties. When Wang Wenxi pushed the door open, there were already two tables of people playing mahjong inside. The room was filled with smoke, noisy chatter, and the clattering of mahjong tiles filled the air.

He spotted Pepper immediately. Pepper was wearing a dark brown leather jacket, his hair was slicked back and shiny, and he had a cigarette in his mouth. He was looking down at his cards, and there was a small stack of banknotes in front of him, ten and five dollars, a thick wad, which must have been at least several hundred dollars.

Wang Wenxi walked over and patted Pepper on the shoulder. Pepper, who was still looking at his cards, immediately cursed angrily, "That son of a bitch patted my shoulder! Doesn't he know you can't pat someone while gambling? He's ruined my luck!"

Pepper turned his head, about to continue his tirade, but paused upon seeing who it was, then a smile spread across his face. "Oh! Brother Xi, what brings you here? What a rare guest!"