EIP 70

The route would start with boat. Once they arrived at their destination, vehicles would be arranged. It will take a while before reaching the drop-off point.

This sounded like a simple enough task, but the boss from the south, now addressed as Boss Xu, had other plans. The day before departure, Boss Xu took Zhou Jun to pick some tools in an underground room at his residence. Guns and ammunition were wrapped in hay.

When Boss Xu noticed that Zhou Jun didn’t flinch at the sight of so many firearms, his admiration for him grew. He patted Zhou Jun on the shoulder and said, “Brother Zhou, do you know how to use one? Need me to teach you?” Zhou Jun shook his head and casually picked up a gun, testing its weight and balance. It fit well, easy to carry. His skillful handling made Boss Xu curious. “Brother Zhou, you seem familiar with this…”

Zhou Jun smiled and replied, “Big Brother Xu, it looks like this trip won’t be peaceful.” He smoothly changed the topic, and Boss Xu played along. “That’s true. Times are chaotic now. Peaceful days are hard to come by. If we could make a living without trouble, who wouldn’t want that?”

Boss Xu’s words struck a chord with Zhou Jun. Lately, he had come to realize how difficult it was to run a business. After the Zhou family suffered a major setback, their long-time clients stopped giving them face. New clients were even harder to secure. During his time running around for business, Zhou Jun had seen all kinds of people and endured scorn and humiliation he’d never experienced in his life. He thought he still had time and could hold on, but reality proved otherwise.

He had already turned all the gold bars in his bank into cash to fund a business deal and barely managed to secure an export order. But the deal took too long to bear fruit, and his elder brother’s medical bills couldn’t wait. Left with no other choice, Zhou Jun had to take this risky path.

After showing him the weapons, Boss Xu prepared food and drinks. Zhou Jun didn’t refuse and stayed until they were almost done. Then, he made his excuses and left. With the trip starting the next day, he wanted to visit his elder brother first. Drinking and driving wasn’t an option, but luckily, he had come by rickshaw, so he simply hired one for the ride back.

As the rickshaw passed the café where he once met Yong Jin, he called for the driver to stop. Slightly drunk, he stumbled out of the vehicle, took off his gloves and handed over the fare.

He originally intended to have a cup of black coffee at the café to sober up. However, just as he was about to drink his coffee, two customers at the front entrance started making a scene. Zhou Jun frowned, not wanting to get involved, and chose to leave through the back alley instead. Unexpectedly, he bumped into someone familiar standing by the alley smoking.

The man hadn’t expected Zhou Jun to come out that way. Startled, he quickly pulled down his hat and walked off in a hurry, disappearing into the crowd.

Zhou Jun didn’t give chase. He leisurely strolled out of the alley and hailed a car to head to the hospital. For some time now, someone had been following him. That brief encounter just now was another run-in with the person observing him. It was the man in the gray coat he’d seen before. Zhou Jun had suspected that Yong Jin had placed someone to keep an eye on him.

After all, how else would the ring have ended up in Yong Jin’s hands?

By now, Zhou Jun was almost certain it was Yong Jin’s man. No one else would bother with this sort of thing. He sat in the swaying rickshaw and chuckled softly, “Always underestimating me.” His tone was teasing, with a hint of sweetness.

At the same time, far away in another place, Yong Jin was inside a medical tent. A piece of shrapnel had sliced through his upper right arm, the wound deep enough to expose bone. A medic was urgently stitching him up, but Yong Jin’s expression remained unchanged. Using his uninjured left hand and his teeth, he opened a letter.

A photo and a note fell out. Ignoring the letter, Yong Jin picked up the photo first.

His hands were bloodied, and as his fingers brushed against the face in the photo, they left a stain. Yong Jin quickly pulled his hand back, careful not to touch it again. Staring at the person in the photo, who was smiling brightly, he couldn’t help but smile too.

By the time Zhou Jun arrived at the hospital, it was already late. His elder brother was still awake, going over the accounts. Zhou Jun didn’t stop him. After all, during his stay in the hospital, his brother had been constantly worrying about the business. Forbidding him from looking at the accounts only made him restless.

It was better to let him work until he tired himself out and went to sleep on his own. Zhou Jun believed that treating his brother as a capable man rather than a patient was far better for him.

Zhou Yan knew he was leaving the next day. Although he didn’t show it on his face, he was worried. He even insisted that Zhou Jun call or send a telegram home every week. If that wasn’t possible, he should at least write a letter.

Zhou Jun couldn’t help but laugh. “Brother, my dear brother! I’ll be stuck on a ship for at least half a month before I even reach land. How am I supposed to send you anything? Don’t worry. I’ll be back in no more than two months.”

After spending some time in the hospital room, Zhou Jun returned home to pack. He took out a brocade pouch containing a pocket watch and a copper coin. Tying the coin with a red string, he wore it around his neck. The next day, carrying his suitcase, he dressed simply and took a rickshaw to the dock.

Gone were the days when he paid attention to appearances. Now, even leather shoes were a luxury he couldn’t afford to wear. Back when he first started running around for work, his leather shoes gave him painful blisters.

Feeling sorry for him, Aunt Li from home had made him a pair of cloth shoes with thousand-layer soles. They didn’t look particularly stylish, but they were comfortable. Despite his plain linen outfit, Zhou Jun’s good looks and demeanor still stood out.

As soon as he arrived at the dock, Boss Xu spotted him and waved his hat, calling out to him. He was with three men. Zhou Jun skipped the formalities of the business world and shook hands with them, though it wasn’t a custom they cared much for.

The tall one was called Bigfoot, known for his speed. The darker-skinned man was Old Mao, an excellent swimmer. The sharp-looking one, Xiao Ren, was quite handsome and said to be an experienced hand who had made this trip many times. He also had a knack for gathering local information. Zhou Jun greeted them politely, saying, “Just call me Xiao Zhou.”

Once they had all gathered, they checked their tickets and boarded the ship. Zhou Jun put down his luggage and joined the others, including Boss Xu, for drinks. As they drank, they played cards and swapped bawdy stories.

It wasn’t long before the others started teasing Zhou Jun, urging him to share his own stories. Someone even joked that once they arrived, they’d take him to the best brothel to find the finest lady. Zhou Jun, of course, had no interest in such things. He had far too much on his mind to entertain such notions.

He had no choice but to pull out the pocket watch from his chest and show it to the group. “My fiancée gave this to me. Once this job is done, I have to go back and marry him,” he said lightly.

Bigfoot burst out laughing, slapping his knee. “Zhou Jun, are you even a man? Scared of your own spouse?” The others joined in the laughter. Before long, the group shifted their teasing to Xiao Ren, the youngest among them. Xiao Ren took it in stride and began sharing his opinions on women from various places, describing who had the smoothest skin and were the easiest to get along with.

The first day passed like that. Zhou Jun ended up slightly tipsy. The alcohol these merchants carried was strong, likely meant to keep them warm during nights spent outdoors. It burned going down and packed a punch afterward. Zhou Jun excused himself midway and returned to his room to sleep.

It wasn’t a restful night. In the middle of the night, he jolted awake to find someone sitting by his bed. Startled, Zhou Jun froze for a moment, and the figure seemed equally surprised to see him awake.

Boss Xu hadn’t been stingy this time, arranging rooms with only two people instead of cramming ten into one. Zhou Jun shared a room with Xiao Ren. Sitting up, Zhou Jun lit the oil lamp. The flickering light cast long, swaying shadows across the walls as the ship rocked gently.

Xiao Ren, clearly drunk, sat by Zhou Jun’s bedside, staring at him with a foolish grin. “Your eyes are so beautiful,” he said dreamily.

The room had two fixed beds, and Zhou Jun didn’t believe Xiao Ren’s late-night visit was simply drunken antics. He had always been highly perceptive about such things. Leaning back slightly, he spoke calmly, “Xiao Ren, it’s late. You should go to bed.”

Xiao Ren chuckled foolishly for a while before saying, “You say you have a fiancée, but I don’t believe it.”

Zhou Jun’s expression didn’t change. “I do,” he replied firmly.

Xiao Ren stared at him deeply and muttered, “You’re just like me. I can tell.”