Chapter 2: Brotherly Love

  You Fei walked against the wind and rain, trudging through the murky rainwater on the street. He had only gone a short distance when the sudden rain stopped, and the dark clouds in the sky were quickly blown away by the wind. The sky cleared up after the rain, and the sky looked so refreshing and captivating, just like Xie Pei Shan's refreshing face and delicate skin.

  You Fei's mind was filled with Xie Peishan, humming "Eighteen Touches" as he walked, thinking about extremely dirty things, slowly heading towards his old haunt. After making several turns to avoid the narrow alleys that were barely wide enough for two people, he finally arrived at his old haunt. The gate still hung a worn-out sign - "Cuixiang Building", the former brothel.

  Yóu Fēi used all the savings from his five years of hard work with his brothers to buy this "Cuì Xiāng Lóu". Cuì Xiāng Lóu was not very big, with only two floors. The first floor was a large hall, and the second floor had rows of rooms in a standard brothel layout. Anyone who was slightly respectable or had some taste would never live here, but Yóu Fēi and his brothers didn't hesitate to buy Cuì Xiāng Lóu. This was because it was the largest house they could afford in Guangzhou at the lowest price. In their minds, having many rooms and a large space at a low price was the greatest advantage, regardless of what the house was used for before.

  There were six people who roamed the rivers and lakes with You Fei, namely He Tianhao, Jiang Zhuang, Ye Zhiming, Liu Yunqing, Huang Long, and Xu Zhiwei. You Fei was clever and cunning in his dealings, so these six people all looked up to him as their leader. Although they hadn't joined any gang, the seven of them had still managed to achieve some small success, having acquired their own homes. After all, it wasn't easy for a hoodlum like them to afford a house in Guangzhou.

  "Big brother, you're back!" Fatty Jiang rushed out to greet You Fei, his whole body shaking up and down as he ran, which could be described as "waves crashing". "Wow, I'm all wet, big brother, hurry up and change into some dry clothes, don't catch a cold."

  You Fei ignored Jiang's expression and walked into the house without a word, still smiling to himself in an eerie way before entering.

  Jiang Zhuang rubbed his head, feeling that You Fei was not quite right, and followed him into the house. Jiang Zhuang asked with a smile: "Big brother, your face doesn't look good, is there something on your mind?"

  "Go away, go away, just go." You Fei waved his hand at Jiang Zhuang like he was shooing a fly.

  "Eh!" Jiang Zuo replied foolishly, but he didn't leave and still stood there like a pillar beside him.

  You sighed and said, "Alas, Jiang Zhuang, can't you not follow me so closely? I'm thinking about something, if you have nothing to do, go get me a bowl of noodles quickly."

  "Eh, big brother. It seems like there's nothing for you to worry about lately, and the printed money has all been collected." Jiang Zhuang paced back and forth beside him, thinking deeply for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what was troubling You Fei.

  "Your grandfather's! Hurry up and go, or I'll use a broom to chase you away!" You Fei said fiercely.

  Jiang saw You Fei's furious expression today and didn't dare to ask further, but still had doubts in his heart. He muttered to himself, "What's going on? Big brother seems off, I'll go down to the kitchen."

  You Fei let out a few sighs, shook his head, and thought to himself that it was already ten years since he had been following this nagging woman around, yet he hadn't died from high blood pressure. He couldn't help but laugh bitterly at the absurdity of it all. As he pondered how to marry Xie Peishan, the beautiful woman, he suddenly burst out laughing, startling Jiang Zhuang who was running over with a bowl of noodles.

  "Big brother, are you okay?" Jiang Zhuang asked dazedly.

  "Go, go, go, what's the matter. Where are the other five people?" You Fei gestured to Jiang Zhuang to stop staring blankly and put the bowl on the tea table.

  "Oh, they're upstairs." Jiang Zhen put down his face and responded.

  "Hmm, after I finish eating, I'll go take a look at what these guys are up to. When it's time to pay the bill, no one is around, but once things are done, they all pop out again! Hmph!" Yu Fei muttered to himself.

  After finishing his noodles, You Rong walked up to the second floor. As soon as he reached the top of the stairs, he heard loud laughter coming from the room in the middle.

  "Haha, great, it's really too great! Hahaha..." He Tianhao laughed wildly.

  "Haha, the landlord is really losing miserably, haha...". Huang Long said happily.

  In the midst of a loud burst of laughter, He Tianhao, Ye Zhiming, Liu Yunqing, Huang Long, and Xu Zhiwei saw You Fei standing at the door. The smiles on their faces froze instantly, and the laughter also quietly slipped away into the cracks in the wall.

  The sly He Tianhao pushed a few people behind him to Yu Fei's side. He Tianhao chuckled and said, "Big brother, you're back! Jiang Zhuang said you went to collect debts on my behalf, did you collect them?"

  "You guys have gone gambling again and made the banker lose a lot of money, haven't you?"

  He Tianhao smiled triumphantly and said: "Big brother, we won 40 yuan today."

  You Fei heard this sentence, and he was even more furious, shouting loudly: "You bunch of useless people, how many times have I taught you? When dealing with others, remember not to be too thorough, leave some room for others and for your own future. Winning someone's money but losing their favor, in the future on the rivers and lakes, you will only be hated by others."

  He Tianhao saw that You Fei was covered in bruises, and to prevent him from continuing to scold endlessly, He Tianhao hastily changed the subject and asked: "Big brother, how did you get yourself into such a mess?"

  "Your grandfather's, if you weren't such a useless thing running off to gamble, I'd have gone to collect the debt for you. On the way, there was a sudden rainstorm and that's how I ended up like this!" You Fei said angrily.

  He Tianhao found himself surrounded and didn't dare to make another sound, honestly shutting his own mouth.

  "Big brother, shouldn't you have settled that account with Xie Zheng already?" asked 'Three-inch Ding' Ye Zhi Ming.

  "No!" You Fei laughed and stopped talking. "Actually, there are still people who dare to owe us money and not return it, I'll go and chop Xie Zheng into eighteen pieces right now!" The fiery and fierce Xu Zhiyuan suddenly drew out a large chopping knife and was about to rush out the door.

  "Halt!" Yu Fei shouted. Liu Yunqing and Ye Zhiming hastily pulled back Xu Zhiwei, and the tall and thin Liu Yunqing scolded Xu Zhiwei: "You're so impulsive! Big Brother hasn't even said what to do yet, and you've already drawn your knife. You never think things through before acting, and that's why you've caused Big Brother so much trouble in the past!"

  Xu Zhiwei didn't dare look at You Fei straight in the eye, his head hung low, and the hand holding the big cleaver also drooped down.

  "You all sit down," said You Fei, coughing. "I really didn't receive the money today. It's just that the IOU was soaked in water by Shui, so I didn't take Xie Zheng's money."

  "Big brother, why are you being so kind and not asking for the debt to be repaid? This doesn't seem like your usual self, you've never been one to turn down money." He Tianhao asked in surprise.

  "You see, the loan being defaulted on is just one of the reasons. The more important thing is that I've taken a liking to Xie Zheng's daughter and I want to marry that pretty little girl as my wife. So why would I go after my future father-in-law for money? My little Shan'er is so lovely." As he spoke, You Fei even licked his lips with his tongue.

  Six people stood stupidly in the house, no one made a sound, You Fei stopped laughing and asked: "Hey, what's wrong with you guys? Why aren't you happy for me?"

  "What's the point, we're just wondering why you'd think of getting married now. With all the chaos and war going on everywhere, it's not good to have family burdens. If something happens, one person can run away easily, but with children and daughters in tow, they can't escape." He Tianhao advised with a bitter expression.

  You Fei's face sank, and he bellowed: "Stop all this nonsense! Just think of a way to get my wife back in my hands, and spare me the rest of your useless chatter!"

  Xu Zhiwei patted his chest and said loudly, "Brother, rest assured, no matter whether that girl agrees or not, I guarantee you will get her."

  You Feng's face fell, and he shouted: "You little scoundrel only knows how to use force! Use your brain and think of a good idea for me. I want Xiang'er to marry me willingly!"

  "This is probably the ravings of a madman!" Everyone thought so in their hearts, but no one dared to say it out loud, unless they wanted to invite trouble.

  Liu Yunqing said: "Our big brother is strong and healthy, with a high income, and he also has a house. Any girl who marries him will be very lucky. Don't rush things, big brother, good things always take time to come. Let's take it slow, let's take it slow."

  Huang Long hastily chimed in, "Big brother, you're always full of tricks up your sleeve. Marrying a young girl is just a piece of cake for you."

  Yu Fei glared at Huang Long and said: "You're 'cunning and full of tricks', just like your grandfather, you can't even say a word properly!"

  "Hehe, blame me, blame me for being uncultured!" Huang Long said with a smile, but in his heart he was muttering: It's obviously a sinister plot.

  Others chimed in, "Big brother, don't worry about this. We'll definitely help you get that little girl back soon."

  You Fei nodded, his fists clenched tightly in his hands, and sneered: "Whether it's open robbery or secret theft, I must get Xie Peishan. He Tianhao, you're responsible for following up on this matter. In ten days, I'll be entering the bridal chamber. Do you understand?"

  "Of course, we won't keep Big Brother waiting for long, otherwise Big Brother's little temper will be upset and his body will be hurt. Haha." He Tianhao burst out laughing obscenely, and the others also laughed lewdly.

  "You and Tianhao go together, one soft and one hard. I'll thank Old Man Zheng even if he doesn't agree," said You Fei with a smile.

  "Yes, big brother." Ye Zhiming replied coldly, his dark and lean face as hard as iron, with a hint of ferocity that made him look even more sinister. He Tianhao hummed and said: "I'm telling you, this time it's not about fighting for your life, so be more civilized, don't mess things up because of you, or you'll have to take full responsibility!"

  "Don't worry, He Dapao, I'm more reliable than you!" Ye Zhiming replied calmly. He Tianhao was annoyed and complained to You Fei: "Big brother, look at him, what an attitude!"

  "Alright, you two had better get this done perfectly this time. If you mess it up, neither of you will have a good outcome!" You Fei said seriously.

  "Yes, big brother!" Ye Zhi Ming and He Tian Hao responded in unison.

  You Fei let out a long sigh, casually lifted his legs and started swinging them back and forth, still wearing that lecherous smile on his face.