Chapter 342 - 342: I'm Rich Now
"No need!" Ye Qing replied decisively.
"Huh?" Yuan Xiaoyu was stunned; she knew Ye Qing's character well—he generally wouldn't accept things that didn't belong to him. Therefore, she still intended to discuss with Ye Qing before using the money sent by Boss Yang. However, she had not expected Ye Qing to refuse outright. Didn't he worry about his father's condition?
"Dad's injuries still require him to stay in the hospital for observation, and his heart isn't good, costing quite a bit everyday. If we don't use Boss Yang's money, we... we probably won't have enough to pay the hospitalization fees..." Yuan Xiaoyu said in a low voice.
Ye Qing said, "Don't worry, I have brought money."
"Huh?" Yuan Xiaoyu was taken aback again and looked at Ye Qing in astonishment, saying, "Brother, dad's hospital stay costs at least over six hundred a day. Last time for the surgery, we still owed the hospital over twenty thousand. How... how much money did you bring back?"
Yuan Xiaoyu knew Ye Qing was no ordinary person, but no matter how capable Ye Qing was, he had only been away for two months. How much could he have possibly earned? Thus, she didn't believe Ye Qing could have brought back much, merely hinting him about the significant daily expenses.
Ye Qing didn't say much, just went over to the hospital ward and asked Mad Dog and Da Fei to bring the money up.
Seeing the respectful manner of Mad Dog and Da Fei towards Ye Qing, Yuan Xiaoyu was even more astonished and couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Brother, who are these two?"
"My friends," Ye Qing replied.
"Friends?" Yuan Xiaoyu scratched her head. The way Mad Dog and Da Fei treated Ye Qing didn't seem like they were just friends. Yuan Xiaoyu was doing quite well working for Old Fifth Yang, and she even occasionally had meals with him. She saw that Old Fifth Yang's subordinates treated him in the same manner. No, the respect Mad Dog and Da Fei showed to Ye Qing was even greater than that.
It took Mad Dog and Da Fei about fifteen minutes to run upstairs carrying two bags, rushing to Ye Qing's side, saying, "Big brother, we've got the money."
"Big brother?" Yuan Xiaoyu was stunned again. That title was no simple matter.
Ye Qing took one of the bags and handed it to Yuan Xiaoyu, saying, "Here's one hundred fifty thousand. Take this first to pay for dad's hospital fees and the deposit. Keep the remaining money for dad's medical expenses."
"Huh?" Yuan Xiaoyu took the bag, opened it, and was utterly shocked.
The bag was neatly filled with one hundred fifty thousand. Though not a huge amount, for Yuan Xiaoyu, whose monthly salary had just increased to slightly over four thousand, it was an astronomical figure. Earning over four thousand a month and even if she saved half of it, she could only save twenty-five thousand in a year. For her, one hundred fifty thousand meant scrimping and saving for six years.
When Ye Qing went to Shenchuan City, he only had a few thousand yuan with him. It had only been two months, and he had returned with such a large sum of money—how was that possible?
Yuan Xiaoyu glanced at the other bag, estimating clearly in her mind that it contained at least another one hundred fifty thousand. That meant, Ye Qing had brought back three hundred thousand this time!
Three hundred thousand, what an amount—enough for a down payment on a house in this county town, and not just any house but one in a new, luxurious, beautiful complex.
Yuan Xiaoyu held the money, lost in thought for a while before suddenly tugging at Ye Qing's sleeve and asked quietly, "Brother, did you... did you get involved in something big in Shenchuan City?"
Yuan Xiaoyu's intent was to ask whether Ye Qing had resorted to burglary in Shenchuan City since earning three hundred thousand in two months was beyond her imagination. More importantly, the respectful way these two people called him 'big brother' made her suspect if Ye Qing had really been involved in a major robbery outside.
Yuan Xiaoyu, inexperienced and unaware of the outside world except through movies, recalled scenes of people with machineguns robbing Gold Buildings—wasn't it just like this? Plus, with all the money Ye Qing brought back, she had every reason to suspect him of major robbery!
However, Da Fei, unaware of what she meant, immediately said proudly, "Of course, brother made several big moves in Shenchuan City!"
"Huh?" Yuan Xiaoyu was immediately alarmed, asking anxiously, "Brother, then... what's your situation now? Won't there be trouble with you coming back like this? Maybe you should leave first, I can take care of things here!"
Da Fei, thinking Yuan Xiaoyu was inquiring whether Ye Qing's departure would cause trouble for their operations in Shenchuan City, immediately waved his hand, "No trouble, everything there has been settled clearly. Those who didn't obey were subdued by big brother. Not to boast, but even our local police deputy chief was ousted by big brother!"
Da Fei's words made Yuan Xiaoyu even more astonished, urgently saying, "Brother, what... what exactly did you do? Weren't you just going out to find Ye Jun? How did you end up causing so many issues? Brother, you know, dad would rather be poor all his life than see you become anything less than a righteous person!"
"Why isn't big brother straight with me?" Da Fei looked at Mad Dog in astonishment, asking, "Why do I feel more and more confused the more I listen?"
Mad Dog glared at him, saying, "You'd better keep quiet!"
"Why? Why?" Da Fei kept muttering until Mad Dog quickly pulled him away, finally reducing one chatterbox.
Seeing Yuan Xiaoyu's worried expression, Ye Qing felt warmth in his heart and said, "Xiao Yu, don't worry, your brother hasn't done anything bad!"
"If you haven't done anything bad, then... where did all this money come from?" Yuan Xiaoyu looked at Ye Qing and asked, "Don't tell me that you just went away for two months and made all this money. Brother, I might not have traveled much, but I know there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world. What exactly did you do? Tell me.
I'm your family, and if there's any problem, we can solve it together!"
Ye Qing felt even warmer inside, gently patted Yuan Xiaoyu's shoulder, and laughed, saying, "I really haven't done anything bad, and I don't know how to explain Shenchuan City to you. It's true there's no such thing as a free lunch, but this time, I just happened to come across one!"
Ye Qing's rise in Shenchuan City was solely because of Huangfu Ziyu's entry into Shenchuan City. Zhao Chengshuang exploited the discord within the Fierce Tiger Gang, helping Ye Qing take over twelve of the gang's venues. It can be said that Ye Qing's rise was an opportunity given by Huangfu Ziyu, and with Zhao Chengshuang's collaboration, he seized this chance and leapt to his current fortune.
Although Ye Qing's current expenses were mostly borrowed from Li Lianshan, his fortune was still substantial. Once the Southern Suburbs Dogfight Arena opened, the daily income was going to be substantial. Also, with ten venues under his name, although Ye Qing hadn't seen the money yet, as soon as he found someone capable of managing all the venues, they were going to fully profit.
It can be said that Ye Qing's fortune was no less than Li Lianshan's!
Ye Qing briefly recounted his experiences in Shenchuan City to Yuan Xiaoyu. Even so, it took him more than an hour to finish. After all, the major events he encountered in just two months in Shenchuan City were probably more than most people would experience in a lifetime.
After hearing about the situation there, Yuan Xiaoyu was completely stunned. Her vocational school was in Dengyang City, she had hardly ever traveled far, and was very unaware of the outside world. Especially the practices in Shenchuan City of crippling adults for begging and using children to traffic drugs, or the trade of living human organs, were unheard of to her.
The monstrous woman Huangfu Ziyu and Chen Si, whose mere names could terrify gang members, were beyond anything she had ever imagined.
However, after hearing that Ye Qing had become the owner of ten nightclubs, she was overjoyed. No wonder Ye Qing was able to bring back so much money; with ten venues as a foundation, three hundred thousand yuan was nothing!
Yuan Xiaoyu looked at Ye Qing and whispered softly, "Brother, you've suffered during this time!"
"It's nothing!" Ye Qing shook his head, looking at his father in the hospital bed, his thoughts inadvertently turning to his brother, Ye Jun. He had originally gone to Shenchuan City to find his brother, but now, with his brother's fate unknown, no amount of wealth could fill the void in his heart.
After chatting idly with Yuan Xiaoyu and seeing that she was getting sleepy, Ye Qing had Mad Dog take her home first. He and Da Fei stayed to watch over their father, Ye Changwen, both exhausted from traveling all day. Taking turns to rest for two hours, it was almost dawn.
In the morning, Ye Qing, groggy, was leaning over Ye Changwen's bedside when suddenly he was startled awake by the voice of his stepmother, Zhou Hongxia.
"Qingzi, is it really... really you?" Zhou Hongxia's voice was filled with joy, and seeing Ye Qing seemed to release the agony she had endured these past few days, her voice was somewhat choked.
"Auntie." Ye Qing stood up, seeing several scratch marks on Zhou Hongxia's neck, his heart filled with even more emotion. Regardless of whether Zhou Hongxia was his biological mother, her staying up all night to care for Ye Changwen in the hospital was enough for Ye Qing to respect her.
"When did you come back? Ah, was it Xiao Yu who called you? I told her not to contact you, it's not easy for you to come back from so far away..."
Although Zhou Hongxia said this, it was clear that she was truly happy to have Ye Qing back. After all, with the household matters, she and Yuan Xiaoyu couldn't make any decisions.
Ye Qing was just about to answer when suddenly a clamor came from the corridor.
"Where's Ye Changwen? Where does Ye Changwen stay? I'm asking you, where does Ye Changwen stay? Stop talking nonsense!"
"Is this the quality of hospital nurses? I'm asking you a question, don't you know how to answer?"
Zhou Hongxia's face paled, and she stepped back in panic, whispering softly, "Qingzi, it must be... it must be your cousins coming over..."