Family connections: From special recruitment by the county committee to the pinnacle of power

As Xu Hansheng squeezed his way in, he shouted to the people around him, "Excuse me!"

At this moment, a disabled man guarding the chess stall looked up, sized up Xu Hansheng, and said, "Young man, want to try your luck? Red has the advantage, a sure win!"

"One hundred yuan a round. If you lose, you lose one hundred; if you win, I'll give you double!"

As he spoke, the man's eyes were fixed on Xu Hansheng.

Xu Hansheng glanced at the chessboard on the stall and said to the middle-aged man, "Brother, could we find a quieter place to play this game? There are too many people around here, it's too noisy, and it's affecting my performance."

Before the middle-aged man could speak, several middle-aged onlookers in the crowd squeezed around Xu Hansheng and said coldly, "If you want to play, play here. If not, get out of here and don't keep others from playing!"

The next second, a short, fat man squeezed behind Xu Hansheng and pressed a switchblade against Xu Hansheng's waist.

Seeing that things were not going well, Old Chen behind Xu Hansheng tried to push forward to protect Xu Hansheng, but the middle-aged men forcefully separated him from Xu Hansheng.

Xu Hansheng was well aware that these people were all in cahoots, fighting for every win and losing, and specifically targeting out-of-town tourists.

Ordinary outsiders wouldn't dare to argue with them, and even if they lost all their money, they could only accept their bad luck.

Xu Hansheng turned his head slightly, glanced at the short, fat man behind him who was holding a switchblade to his lower back, and said to the middle-aged man who had just spoken, "Brother, don't misunderstand, I'm here to deliver money to you."

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged men surrounding Xu Hansheng were stunned for a moment, but the next second, they looked at Xu Hansheng warily.

But no matter how you look at it, Xu Hansheng doesn't seem like an undercover officer, which puts me at ease a little.

"Kid, what do you mean? Looking for trouble?"

The middle-aged man squinted, lowered his voice, and asked in a threatening tone.

"I told you, I'm here to give you money. Let's find a quiet place and play a game of chess. I have plenty of money on me," Xu Hansheng said calmly.

What does this mean?

For a moment, none of them were quite sure who Hansheng was.

Seeing that everyone was staring at him without saying a word, Xu Hansheng smiled faintly, recalling a few well-known gangsters from his previous life, and casually mentioned one of them, saying, "Brother Bo sent me to learn a trade from you guys. Are you relieved now?"

The person Xu Hansheng mentioned was a well-known figure near the train station, which both intimidated the group and put them at ease.

At least Xu Hansheng's words can prove that he is not a policeman.

After a brief conversation, the middle-aged man led Xu Hansheng to another alley nearby.

"Kid, what exactly do you want?"

The middle-aged man stared at Xu Hansheng with a fierce expression.

"To be honest, I just want to learn the chess game you just set up. I can pay three thousand yuan, and I promise I won't set up a stall around here."

At this point, Xu Hansheng took out three thousand yuan from his pocket, thumped it in his hand, and handed it to the middle-aged man, saying, "If you agree, this money is yours."

Every trade has its rules, and Xu Hansheng knew very well that these people wouldn't commit robbery. Otherwise, they wouldn't be using chess puzzles to scam money near the train station. That's why he handed over the money without any hesitation.

Looking at the hundred-yuan bill in Xu Hansheng's hand, the middle-aged man and the two burly men next to him exchanged a glance.

After a moment of internal struggle, the middle-aged man snatched the banknotes from Xu Hansheng's hand and said, "Deal, come with me."

After saying that, the middle-aged man led Xu Hansheng to a small courtyard in the back alley.

The middle-aged man quickly set up the chessboard and gave a very detailed explanation of the several endgame puzzles that Xu Hansheng had wanted to learn. Finally, he said, "This last puzzle is called 'Horse Leaps Over the Pool.' Remember, if Red has an extra elephant, the final result is a draw; if Red has no elephant at the bottom, Red will definitely lose!"

After giving his instructions, the middle-aged man said to Xu Hansheng, "Alright, you can leave now. I've taught you everything I needed to."

"Thank you, brother. Can we go through it again?" Xu Hansheng looked up, took out another five hundred yuan, and smiled at the middle-aged man.

For the sake of money, the middle-aged man carefully went through the process with Xu Hansheng again.

After memorizing every step, Xu Hansheng stood up and said, "Thanks, brother!"

More than half an hour later, Xu Hansheng came out of the alley, and Old Chen hurriedly went to greet him.

"Hansheng, are you alright? You..." He was about to say something more, but when he remembered what Xu Hansheng had just said to him, he swallowed the rest of his words.

Xu Hansheng smiled and glanced at his watch. Seeing that it was only 4:30 in the afternoon, he said, "It's alright, we can go back now."

The purpose of studying the chess notation for this endgame was to prepare it for Tan Zhifei.

To be honest, Xu Hansheng knew quite a few things in his past life, such as calligraphy, Go, and Tai Chi, but he couldn't play Chinese chess. Therefore, if he wanted to arouse Tan Zhifei's desire to teach, he had to learn on the spot.

But chess is not something that can be learned overnight. If your skill level is too low, it won't interest Tan Zhifei at all. The best way is to set up a chess endgame.

The outcome of the game was entirely in Xu Hansheng's control. He could make Tan Zhifei win if he wanted him to, and make him lose if he wanted him to. Only in this way could he control Tan Zhifei's emotions according to the situation, making Tan Zhifei unable to stop himself.

Sitting in the car, Old Chen was still quite puzzled. Xu Hansheng had traveled all the way from the county to Qingshan City just to spend a few thousand yuan to learn that game of chess.

He really couldn't understand the world of the rich.

"Several thousand yuan has just gone down the drain... It's such a waste." Old Chen couldn't help but say with a bitter face.

Xu Hansheng smiled and shook his head, saying, "Uncle Chen, as a person, you can't just look at what's in front of you. Only by being willing to put in the effort will you reap the rewards."

He's no longer the spoiled brat he used to be, and he certainly won't squander a single penny of his parents' hard-earned money.

However, Xu Hansheng knew that in interpersonal communication, flattery and gifts could not leave a deep impression on the other party. So, the only way to make the other party remember you after a formal meeting was to give them an opportunity to teach you.

Paying three thousand yuan and spending an afternoon to leave a deep impression on Tan Zhifei in the future is well worth it for Xu Hansheng.

Before the car even entered the county town, Xu Hansheng's phone suddenly rang. Seeing that it was Su Qing calling, Xu Hansheng answered the phone without hesitation and asked calmly, "What's up?"

"Xu Hansheng, are you even human? All I did was break up with you, and you got your parents to fire my mom?" Su Qing, on the other end of the phone, completely lost control of her emotions and roared angrily at Xu Hansheng.