I only gave Jiang Qingbo a brief glance, not daring to look closely. Sir Niu had said I couldn't show even a hint of deliberation.
Hearing Jiang Qingbo's hearty voice, Old Man Li chuckled lightly. "It's been ready for a while, just waiting for you."
Jiang Qingbo waved his hand, signaling the seven or eight big men to wait outside, and stepped through the main gate alone.
Just at that moment, I finished scraping the last bit of food from my bowl and stood up abruptly.
"Master, do you need me to help out?"
Jiang Qingbo's brows furrowed slightly, and his hand moved subtly toward his lower back.
I noticed this tiny movement and couldn't help but suck in a cold breath.
The Southwest is not a safe place. Diannan is even less so. And Lincang City in Diannan is definitely not a safe place.
It's close to Myanmar. Major thieves running rampant across the country, ruthless bandits who kill without blinking, and fierce men just trying to scrape a living on the border all frequent this area.
I could guarantee that what Jiang Qingbo carried at his back wasn't a knife; it was definitely a gun.
To become a Big Brother in such a chaotic place, his mind had to be extremely meticulous and delicate, following the principle of caution, caution, and more caution in everything.
Seeing a fresh face suddenly appear in the medicine shop where he regularly took his baths, his first reaction was to reach for his gun.
In the instant he reached for his gun, we came face to face. For just a split second, a look of shock flashed through this Big Brother's eyes.
But this shock was quickly hidden, and he returned to his previous calmness.
He asked Old Man Li, "Where did this young man come from? I haven't seen him before."
Old Man Li laughed heartily. "This is the new apprentice I recruited. I'm getting older, so I need a young lad for some things."
Old Man Li paused, then asked me, "By the way, you haven't said what your name is or where you're from."
I cleared my throat and spoke in Mandarin thick with a Qianyang accent. "My name is Chu Shanhe. I'm from Qianyang, Guizhou."
I didn't mention Liu Xiang Town. Usually, people away from home would only mention their city at most. If no one asked, specifying the county or town right away would be a bit too deliberate.
Unless you're from the same place, you wouldn't know which county or town someone is talking about.
Right now, I was truly dancing on the edge of a blade. A Big Brother who deals with drug traffickers is no fool.
It came back to Sir Niu's words: I couldn't show even a hint of deliberation.
Old Man Li said "Oh," and didn't press further.
Jiang Qingbo's expression changed slightly but immediately returned to normal. He asked casually, "Qianyang is much more stable than Lincang. Why run all the way here?"
I pretended to look embarrassed and gave a bitter smile. "Young and dumb. I messed with someone I shouldn't have. Had no choice but to hide far away."
Old Man Li chimed in, "Oh, I just remembered, Old Scarface, you seem to be from Qianyang too!"
Jiang Qingbo narrowed his eyes. "Yeah, I'm from Qianyang too."
Old Man Li pulled on my arm, urging me forward a few steps. "Young lad, tell Brother Scarface who you messed with that you had to run away. Brother Scarface is a respectable Big Brother in Lincang; maybe he can help you out."
Old Man Li meant well. If it were truly a small matter, something Jiang Qingbo could solve with a word, he might actually do it for me.
Of course, this doesn't mean a Big Brother has a soft heart and loves helping people.
A Big Brother's heart isn't soft, but his face is. Asking him for a small favor at a time like this... for the sake of face, he wouldn't refuse.
My heart skipped a beat, wondering what excuse I should use to justify running all the way to Lincang.
But seeing Jiang Qingbo's calm face, my spirit trembled, and I decided not to lie.
"Young and didn't know better. I was following a Big Brother in the underworld, then offended him. Was afraid he'd handle me, so I had to run."
Jiang Qingbo's face remained expressionless, making it impossible to read his thoughts.
He asked indifferently, "Oh? Big Brother from where? So narrow-minded, wanting to handle a kid like you."
The topic was moving toward Liu Xiang Town. I rejoiced inwardly but kept a troubled look on my face.
"A small place. A Big Brother in Liu Xiang Town named Chen Qiang."
Jiang Qingbo had followed my brother, and Chen Qiang had followed my brother too. They definitely knew each other.
I stared at Jiang Qingbo's face, trying to find something in his expression, but he was just too calm.
Except for that slight shock when he first saw my face, which resembled my brother's by sixty or seventy percent.
Throughout the conversation, he was like a deep lake with no ripples, making it impossible to guess what lay beneath.
I thought that having said this much, Jiang Qingbo would reveal he was also from Liu Xiang Town and ask if I was Chu Jianghai's brother.
Contrary to my expectations, Jiang Qingbo just nodded. "Mm, indeed a small place."
Then he ignored me and went into the inner room with Old Man Li.
My heart instantly became anxious. Motherfucker, was Jiang Qingbo, this Old Scarface, pretending not to know me so I wouldn't use the fact that my brother once stuck his neck out for him to demand a favor?
If that was the case, I was really screwed.
Don't blame me for thinking this way. I was born a piece of scum destined for the jianghu and the underworld.
I wouldn't tell Lin Changzai that he accidentally saved my life, because I couldn't repay a life debt.
People like me are naturally cold-hearted. I didn't even trust Xu Rang; I speculated about everyone with the greatest malice.
Jiang Qingbo's medicinal bath lasted nearly three hours. I sat by the door, smoking one cigarette after another.
Two voices kept arguing in my mind.
One said: Jiang Qingbo is a Big Brother who came up from the eighties. Naturally, he still has some shadow of the old-school brotherhood. He wouldn't be this disloyal.
The other said: Don't you know what kind of people are in the underworld? Don't waste time. Hurry up and notify Sir Niu to send someone else.
These two voices argued in my head all afternoon until Jiang Qingbo finished his bath and walked out looking refreshed.
Only then did I break free from this internal struggle.
He didn't even look at me, leading his men straight away.
Watching his receding back, I felt a wave of disappointment.
Bad start!
This job was probably botched. The first thing I tried to do for Sir Niu, I failed. The "protective umbrella" was likely just empty talk now.
I don't know when Old Man Li came up behind me. He coughed lightly. "First is Yunyan, second is Guiyan, third is Zhonghua. Below Hongtashan is Ashima. You smoking these ten-kuai-a-pack Small Pandas... doesn't look like someone running for their life in distress."
My hand holding the cigarette trembled, and I hurriedly hid it behind my back.
I had told him I was penniless and came here to be an apprentice just for a bite to eat.
Now, lighting up Small Pandas one after another, at ten kuai a pack... I certainly didn't look like I couldn't afford a meal!
Old Man Li looked at me meaningfully. "Old Scarface was asking me about you the whole time just now."
A thought instantly rose in my heart. The old man was sharp as a tack. I had only been here half a day, and he had already seen through something.
"Ma... Master..."
Old Man Li waved his hand. "Go chop the herbs. He's coming back for a bath in six days. He should have something different to say to you then."
Old Man Li ignored me, picked up his tobacco pipe, sat on the recliner, and started puffing away ba-da ba-da.
I stood at the door for a good while before returning inside to continue sorting the herbs.
I couldn't see through this Old Man Li, but he seemed to have seen through me, and maybe even through Jiang Qingbo, the society Big Brother.
He told me to wait six days, that when Jiang Qingbo came for his next bath, he would say something different... What did that mean?
Looking at Old Man Li, whose face was obscured by smoke, I understood a truth for the first time.
Society is too big. You must hold a sense of awe for everyone you meet.
Especially those you've just met. You never know what kind of intricate, cunning heart lies beneath an ordinary-looking face.