123 The real gang (2/2)
”OK! My precious medicine is very valuable. Every time I use it, it's a little less.” Smiling, he stands up, puts the bottle back in the room, and draws a basin of water. We both wash our hands and remove the medicinal smell.
Later, he asks Dorra to take a rest in the inner room. I see that he seems to want to talk to me, so I motion Dorra to go. Now the little girl is very dependent on me, if I do not speak, she simply refuses to leave my side half a step.
The fat fellow stands up and closes the door of the room. Then he turns back and finds out the tea without hurry. He makes two cups of tea and puts them on the table. Then he sits down. He seems to be in no hurry at all. When he's finishing these things slowly, He's still looking at me with a smile in his eyes. ”Although I have been in the south for many years, I still like drinking tea with a big cup.”
I say thanks to him politely and take out the last half pack of the cigarettes.
His eyes are bright and he looks at me. ”You have this?” Then he graciously takes a cigarette from my hand and lights it. He takes a leisurely breath, and after a while, he sighs, ”Okay, Chen Yang, I know you're in doubt now. You can ask slowly. I'll say what I know. But you won't have the answers of what I don't know, or what I can't say.”
”How is Juan going to arrange us?” I ask slowly with a low voice.
”First, Juan is not my boss. I have no direct connection with him. So how he is going to arrange you, I don't know, I can't care so much.” he says lightly, ”Secondly, I think it's very difficult for him to do anything with it,”
I laugh, but it is a helpless laugh: ”I know, Juan can't help it too. It's a too big trouble this time.”
”Juan and I don't have much connection with each other. I just help Jim. Maybe you can guess that Jim and I were old comrades in the army and climbed out of the dead together. If he hadn't climbed all night with me on his back, I would have thrown my life in that mountain.” Fat man smiles faintly, with a faint wrinkle between his eyebrows.
”When can I see Juan or Jim?” I look at him and say, ”When I called you that day, didn't you say that as long as I got here in two days, you could arrange our way out?”
He shakes his head. ”Jim asked me to tell you that. When I went to pick you up this morning, I had already spoken to him by phone. He would come to see you soon. As for me, I'm only responsible for bringing you here.” He looks at me and says, ”At least my place is safe.”
I don't say anything anymore. I feel a little empty in my heart. It seems that I have to wait until I meet Juan or Jim.
Fat fellow looks at me with great interest. He stares at me for a long time, and suddenly says in a strange tone, ”I admire you very much actually. Do you know how big trouble you've made this time?”
I laugh bitterly and say nothing.
He seems to be addicted to cigarettes. After smoking one cigarette, he immediately lights another and stares at me. ”Juan is a man with a deep background. I don't like dealing with him very much. Jim fellow is dead-hearted because Juan saved his life. He just sold himself to Juan since then. He doesn't understand. In this world, in addition to the kindness of parents, all other kindness, no matter what kind of, is not worth the life of their own to return! He's such a stubborn fellow.”
He takes another hard smoke and continues, ”Juan's background, others don't know, but how can I don't know? Hum... That guy went down south with thundreds of dollars. What dirty work had not been done? You are young, you have not experienced that era. If you had courageous to carry a bag of gold and dare to cross the border smuggling, as long as you can live back, you can make a lot of money! Juan was lucky enough to be saved by Jim several times. He also wanted to ask me to go and work together. I was lazy to go. I didn't want to go through the days of greedy in the morning and begging for my life on the sharp edge of the knife. But a lot of people I know went. Alas, once you get involved with gangs, it's just a lifetime. Jim, this fellow is dead-hearted and can't come back anymore.”
He grins bitterly, rubs his big nose, looks at me, and his eyes are cold and quiet: ”Boy, I admire you very much, I know you don't know that you had offend a big boss of the QH family, you beat their boss's only son into a eunuch. Damn, you're too bold!”
”QH family” I'm stunned.
”FXXX!” He's laughing and scolding, ”You had worked for Juan before but still don't know? But it's not your fault. Nowadays, all the little messes on the street think they are the gangsters. In fact, how many of them know QH family? Do you think that if you dare to go out with a knife and cut people to collect protection fees, you are a gangster? Far from it!”
I frown: ”QH family? It's too old, isn't it?”
”Old ass!” He continues to smoke.