Chapter 12 Wang Chuang

Chapter 12 Wang Chuang

At the vocational school, around six in the evening, Wang Chuang, his ample frame jiggling, huffed and puffed his way down the dorm stairs. Jiang Luo was waiting for him in a dilapidated pavilion in front of the building.

Wang Chuang ran closer, gasping for breath: "Man, I'm exhausted."

He stepped into the pavilion, hands on his hips: "What's up, Luo? At this hour, aren't you usually at Oriental No. 1—"

Jiang Luo pulled one hand from his jacket pocket, holding several hundred-yuan bills.

"Whoa."

Wang Chuang's face lit up at the sight of the money. He reached out, grinning: "You're here to return the money? That was quick."

He took the cash, counted it—exactly a thousand.

Wang Chuang beamed: "You didn't need to give this much. I lent you three hundred, my friends lent three hundred, that's only six hundred."

Jiang Luo didn't respond, pulling his other hand from his pocket. It held a thick wad of cash, all hundred-yuan notes.

Wang Chuang's eyes widened: "HOLY SHIT!!!"

He looked from the money to Jiang Luo, then back at the cash, utterly stunned: "Where'd you get all this?! This much cash?!"

Wang Chuang had never seen so many hundred-yuan bills in his life. Two years ago, when his family bought a new TV, his dad had pulled out a bunch of tens and fives at the counter, painfully scraping together eighteen hundred.

Seeing this much cash, Wang Chuang's scalp prickled. His eyes bulged, face full of shock: "Struck rich?! Really struck rich?!"

He grabbed Jiang Luo's wrist, the one holding the money, and leaned in for a closer look.

Then he threw an arm around Jiang Luo's shoulder, buzzing with energy: "Where the hell'd you get this?! My parents together don't make this much in a year!"

"You're unbelievable!!!"

Suddenly remembering something, he glanced around, grabbed Jiang Luo's hand, and shoved it back into the jacket pocket: "Hide it, quick, hide it."

"Our school's full of hoodlums. Don't let any of them see, or they'll mug you."

He hurriedly stuffed his own thousand yuan back into his pants pocket.

Jiang Luo tucked both hands into his jacket pockets, a lazy grin tugging at his lips. He finally explained: "I made it from stocks."

Wang Chuang had no idea what stocks were, didn't understand.

Jiang Luo didn't need him to understand: "Don't worry, it's legit money. Clean."

Wang Chuang grinned again: "With this much, we could go to Oriental No. 1 every day and still not spend it all!"

Jiang Luo chuckled: "All you think about is Oriental No. 1."

Wang Chuang grinned goofily.

Jiang Luo tilted his chin: "Let's go, live it up."

Wang Chuang was supposed to attend evening class, but he skipped it and took off with Jiang Luo.

They caught a minivan at the school gate, headed to a nearby Western restaurant for steak. After eating, they played pool for an hour, then hit the arcade. Amped up from gaming, they went to a dance club.

At the dance club, Jiang Luo drank soda and ate fruit while Wang Chuang bounced and swayed to the music on the dance floor. Jiang Luo watched, laughing his ass off.

Wang Chuang stopped dancing, came back, turned down soda, insisted on alcohol.

Jiang Luo handed him a canned beer. Wang Chuang took a sip, hated the taste, and spat it out.

Jiang Luo howled with laughter at the sight.

Past midnight, they left the dance club, walking down a poorly lit, deserted street.

Wang Chuang had drunk a little, his face flushed, still excited and full of energy. He babbled nonstop, rambling about everything.

Jiang Luo walked beside him, listening to the bragging and nonsense, quietly entertained.

Wang Chuang slung an arm around Jiang Luo's neck, bursting with confidence: "Someday! Someday, I'll open my own 'Oriental No. 1'! I'll be the big boss! Charge fifty just to get in! No, a hundred! A hundred! I'll make a killing! Buy myself a car!"

Jiang Luo said lazily: "Sure, big boss."

Wang Chuang kept his arm around Jiang Luo's shoulder: "What are stocks anyway? How do they make so much?"

"Like gambling? Big or small, bet right and you win?"

"So the money comes fast?"

Jiang Luo replied calmly: "You can think of it like gambling, pretty similar."

Wang Chuang immediately said: "Then I'm buying stocks too! Buy! Start with five hundred or a thousand, make some pocket money!"

Jiang Luo pushed his head: "That's all you aim for."

Wang Chuang started singing again, belting out Hou Dejian's "Descendants of the Dragon":

"Far in the East flows a river, its name is the Yangtze;

Far in the East runs a river, its name is the Yellow River;

Though I've never seen the Yangtze's beauty,

In dreams I often roam its waters…"

His young voice tried to sound rough, but the rhythm was upbeat.

To that melody, on that quiet late-night path, arms around each other, Jiang Luo suddenly said: "Fatty, I'm starting a business. You in?"

Huh?

Wang Chuang cut off his song, stopped walking.

Jiang Luo halted too, hands in pockets, calm and steady as he looked at the young man: "If you're willing, we'll team up. I'll show you the ropes, we'll build wealth together, make money, become big bosses."

"If not, no hard feelings."

"You go back to school. In a couple days, I'll head to Wencheng alone."

Wang Chuang naturally asked: "What are you going to Wencheng for?"

Jiang Luo said calmly, his tone laid-back and unhurried, "What else would we do? Business, of course."

Wang Chuang was surprised: "You? By yourself? Alone?"

Jiang Luo: "That's what I'm asking you."

"If you come along, there'll be two of us."

"If you don't, then it'll just be me by myself."

Jiang Luo's tone was offhand: "It doesn't matter to me. See, I'm just putting it out there."

"If you're willing, I'll bring you along."

"If you're not, just go back to school."

Wang Chuang let go of the arm slung over his shoulder: "Just the two of us, with no one to guide us—can we really pull it off?"

"We don't know anything either."

"Are we gonna get scammed?"

Jiang Luo said calmly: "You don't, but I do. Whatever you don't know, I'll teach you."

"You?"

Wang Chuang had been about to say, "Get outta here, you're gonna teach me? You don't know squat either," but then he remembered how much money Jiang Luo had made from stocks lately and thought he might actually have some skills, so he held back from mocking him.

After a pause, Wang Chuang asked uncertainly: "You're for real?"

Jiang Luo shot back: "Do you trust me?"

Then he said: "If you trust me and are willing to follow me, I'll take you to Zhejiang with me. I'm not saying we'll go through hard times together, but at least we can share the rewards."

"If you don't trust me, have fun tonight, then go back to school—attend class, go to work. I'll go alone."

Wang Chuang hesitated.

Of course he trusted Jiang Luo.

Even if Jiang Luo hadn't made any money, given their relationship, Wang Chuang would've been more than willing to tag along with him.

Unlike the other kids from the workers at the Second Silk Factory, he and Jiang Luo had been tight since they were little. In his eyes, Jiang Luo wasn't a loser—Jiang Luo was smart as hell, it's just that no one else saw it or believed it.

But doing business—that meant going out into the world.

They had no one to guide them and knew nothing—could they really do it?

Wang Chuang blurted out: "Can't I go back and think about it?"

"Think about what?"

Jiang Luo teased: "That pea-sized brain of yours, what could it possibly come up with?"

Then he added: "Is it really that hard to make a decision?"

"Yes or no, in or out—it's just a word."

"Or are you scared?"

"Scared to go out? Scared to put yourself out there?"

Wang Chuang was a little riled up. He fell silent, hesitated for a few more seconds, took a breath, and said impulsively: "Fine! I'll go! So what if it's doing business and making money? I'm gonna be a big shot anyway! What's there to be scared of!"

"I'll go, I'll go with you!"

"Zhejiang, Wencheng—I'm not scared of any of it!"

Jiang Luo laughed, reached out, and put his hand on Wang Chuang's back, giving his neck a playful squeeze.

Wang Chuang shrank his neck, feeling a little less sure, and said: "Anyway, stocks can make money. Can't we just rely on stocks to make some money first?"

Jiang Luo: "Too slow."

"Huh? That's still slow?"

Wang Chuang: "You've got a pile of cash, and it's only been a few days. How is that slow?"

Jiang Luo squeezed the back of his neck again, this time with a bit more force: "Are you dumb? With just five or six hundred, you think you can multiply it that much? Dream on."

"I got the money from another source—a few grand—that's how I made this much."

Wang Chuang shrunk his neck: "Oh, oh, that makes sense."

Then he asked: "Where'd you get the money? Mug someone on the street?"

Jiang Luo kept squeezing as they walked, then lifted his leg and gave him a kick in the ass: "Yeah, robbed. Robbed your family's ancestral grave."

Wang Chuang, also joking around, laughed: "My great-grandparents must be living large down there."

Two days later, in a private room at the Peace Hotel, Xue Zhizhong was entertaining Huo Zongzhuo while waiting for Jiang Luo.

Before coming, Xue Zhizhong had thought: This time, Lu Fuhua came through. As long as Huo Zongzhuo is happy, everything will be fine.

Knowing Jiang Luo had agreed, he'd even had Lu Fuhua get him some new threads a couple of days earlier.

No matter what, he had to look respectable in front of Huo Zongzhuo.

But now, today…

Xue Zhizhong checked his watch. It was already past the agreed-upon time, and Jiang Luo still hadn't arrived. Xue Zhizhong put on a strained smile and told Huo Zongzhuo that the person they were waiting for was probably on his way and should be there soon. Huo Zongzhuo didn't react, his expression revealing little.

Xue Zhizhong stepped outside the private room, and his face immediately turned cold.

He went to the front desk, borrowed the phone, and barked into the phone at Lu Fuhua: "What the hell time is it!? Where's that kid you promised!?"

"You're asking me!?"

"I'm fucking asking you!!"

"I've been waiting since eleven!!"

"He didn't come! He's a no-show!"

"Lu Fuhua, are you screwing with me!?"

On the other end of the line, Lu Fuhua was shocked.

Little did they know, at that moment, Jiang Luo wasn't even on his way to the Peace Hotel—he and Wang Chuang had already boarded a train bound for Wencheng.

The green train had not yet started, the window was slid open. Inside, Jiang Luo sat by the window, with Wang Chuang beside him. After stowing their light luggage, Wang Chuang placed a large bag of food on the small table.

Jiang Luo glanced at him sideways and teased with amusement, "Are you here to have fun? Bringing so much food."

Wang Chuang rummaged through the bag, saying, "It gets boring on the road."

As he spoke, he took out an apple and shoved it into Jiang Luo's hand.

The apple had been washed and was clean.

Jiang Luo took a bite and turned to look out the window.

Outside, it was a bright, sunny day with bright sunshine, blue sky, and white clouds.

In the private dining room at the Peace Hotel, Xue Zhizhong wasn't there, and Huo Zongzhuo wasn't at the table either. Instead, he stood by the window, holding the note Jiang Luo had written: "Thanks, till we meet again."

Huo Zongzhuo thought to himself that Jiang Luo had not taken the stock profits earned from the 100,000 yuan principal and had returned the money along with the suit.

The young man hadn't gone back to the Jing'an Branch afterward.

Had he gone somewhere else?

Huo Zongzhuo lowered his head to look at the note, then folded it and tucked it into his wallet.

At the train station, the green train slowly started moving, heading toward the distance.

Author's note: