21: Zhang Erwan was stunned, while Lin Chuan returned home laden with his loot.

The afterglow of the setting sun faded away.

The neon lights of Harbin began to flicker.

In a luxury private box at the Oriental Grand Hotel.

"Ugh..."

Zhang Erwan groaned as he lifted his head from the table, feeling as if his brain was about to split open from the pain.

He rubbed his bleary eyes, his throat feeling so dry it was as if it were smoking.

"Lin Chuan? Pour me some water, damn it... I'm dying of thirst..."

"Lin Chuan, where the hell are you?"

He subconsciously waved his hand but caught only thin air.

The private box was silent, with only the wall clock still ticking away.

Oh, crap! Where is everyone?

Zhang Erwan suddenly jolted, and half of his drunkenness vanished instantly.

He looked around; Lin Chuan and Long Wu, who had been sitting across from him, as well as that Qiang Zi who didn't look very bright, had all disappeared.

On the table, only a pile of leftover lobster and abalone shells remained, along with Moutai bottles lying scattered about.

"Damn, did they go to the bathroom?"

Zhang Erwan muttered and stood up unsteadily.

He grabbed a half-bottle of mineral water from the table, took a swig, wiped his mouth, and swaggered out of the box.

Just as he pushed the door open, two burly male waiters in uniform blocked his path like door gods.

"Hello, sir."

"Where are you going?"

Zhang Erwan rolled his eyes and vulgarly spat a toothpick onto the floor.

"What? Do I have to report to you just to go to the bathroom?

Do you know who I am? I'm Zhang Erwan!

My brother-in-law is Lin Chuan, and he's loaded!"

"Sir, your friends left two hours ago."

At that moment, a lobby manager dressed in a suit with slicked-back hair walked over.

Although there was a smile on his face, it looked incredibly cold.

It was like a frozen pear in winter, hard as a rock.

"Before leaving, that Mr. Lin specifically instructed that this meal is on you, and you are to settle the bill."

"What the hell?!"

Zhang Erwan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his voice instantly jumped an octave.

"Me? Settle the bill? Like hell I will!

He's the one who dragged me here! He's the one who insisted on treating me!

Is this a tourist trap?!

Are you trying to extort me?"

The manager wasn't annoyed; he just slowly took a long bill from his pocket and held it up in front of Zhang Erwan.

"Sir, please take a look."

"Three and a half catties of Australian Lobster, unit price 120 per catty.

Eight Premium Abalones.

One Steamed East Star Grouper.

One serving of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.

Two bottles of Feitian Moutai, two bottles of Wuliangye... including the service charge, the total is exactly 2,200 yuan."

"Two thousand two hundred?!"

Zhang Erwan felt the world spinning. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.

What did 2,200 yuan mean?

He worked himself to death at the video hall for a month and only earned a bit over 100 yuan!

If he had to pay this back, how long would he have to save without eating or drinking!

"I'm not paying! Why should I pay!

This is a scam! I'm leaving! Let's see who dares to stop me!"

Zhang Erwan's eyes turned red with desperation; he didn't care about acting tough anymore and turned to bolt.

"Trying to run?"

The smile on the manager's face vanished instantly, and his gaze became extremely sinister.

"Pin him down!"

The two burly men nearby had long since lost their patience.

They lunged forward, grabbed Zhang Erwan's floral shirt collar like they were picking up a chick, and twisted his arm behind his back.

"Ow, damn! It hurts, it hurts! Let go! Do you know who I roll with?"

Zhang Erwan began to howl like a slaughtered pig.

"Who the hell do you think you're pretending to be!"

The manager sneered as he stepped forward and slapped him across the face.

*Slap!*

"Why don't you go out and ask around who covers the Oriental Grand Hotel!"

"Daring to eat a meal without paying in Fourth Master's territory? I think you're tired of living!"

"What, Fourth Master!"

Hearing the name Fourth Master, the last bit of Zhang Erwan's rowdy courage instantly vanished into thin air, and his whole body shook like a sieve.

Fourth Master of Harbin!

He was the true underworld godfather of this area!

It was said he had several lives on his hands and even had a solid network of connections; even the police station had to give him some face.

If you offended Fourth Master, you really would be chopped up and fed to the dogs!

"Big brother! Big brother, spare my life!"

"I didn't know this was Fourth Master's place! I failed to recognize the mountain!"

"But I really don't have any money! I only have ten yuan on me!"

"No money?"

The manager squatted down and patted Zhang Erwan's swollen face.

"No money is easy to handle."

"According to the rules of the underworld, it's one finger for every thousand yuan."

"Two thousand two hundred—then leave behind a hand."

As he spoke, a hotel security guard walked out, holding a switchblade and gesturing in front of Zhang Erwan.

"Don't! Don't! Big brother, please don't!"

Zhang Erwan was so scared his crotch felt warm.

He actually wet himself from fear!

"I'll call! I'll call home! I'll have my parents send money!

Please don't cut off my hand! I need this hand to eat!"

"What a spineless bastard."

The manager stood up in disgust.

"If the money isn't sent by the end of today, prepare to become a one-armed hero."

Zhang Erwan tremblingly picked up the phone, his face covered in tears and snot.

Communication in '92 wasn't as convenient as it is now.

In the entire Red Mangrove Village, only the village brigade, the village chief's house, and the wealthy families had landlines installed.

The Zhang family naturally didn't have that kind of money, so he could only call the brigade to tell them who he was looking for, and then the brigade staff would notify the Zhang family to come and take the call.

Over twenty minutes passed.

"Dad! Bring money to save me! If you don't come today, my hand is going to be cut off!"

...On the other side, on the dirt road leading to Red Mangrove Village.

A dark green Jiefang Truck was roaring through the night.

Qiang Zi was at the wheel, his face glowing with excitement as he hummed a popular song.

"If the sea could... bring back the love of the past, let me wait a lifetime~"

Lin Chuan sat in the passenger seat with a cigarette in hand, watching the passing shadows of trees outside the window, feeling exceptionally relaxed.

In the truck bed, Long Wu sat there like a guardian deity, surrounded by piles of bags and boxes.

Besides the large appliances to be delivered tomorrow, they had also raided the home textiles and furniture sections of the department store today.

Brand new down duvets, silk pillows, and pure wool blankets.

There were also high-end four-piece bedding sets for his eldest brother and sister-in-law, a leather jacket for his second brother, and new clothes for his parents.

All in all, the truck bed was packed full.

"Beep beep—!"

The truck drove into Red Mangrove Village, its two snow-white headlights illuminating the village entrance.

In this era, if any family could have a truck deliver goods to their door, it was definitely big news for the whole village.

The vehicle came to a steady stop at the Lin family's main gate.

Lin Jiang and Father Lin were smoking pipes in the courtyard; hearing the commotion, they quickly came out to greet them.

"Oh my goodness! What's going on?"

Lin Jiang looked at the truckload of things, and the pipe in his hand almost fell to the ground.

"Second Brother! Dad! Come help!"

Lin Chuan jumped out of the truck and called out.

The whole family scrambled to start moving the things.

The scene was even more lively than the New Year.

By the time everything was moved into the main room, the originally spacious room was suddenly so packed there was almost no place to step.

Under the light, the colorful, high-end packaging was dazzling.

"This... this..."

Mother Lin touched the fully automatic washing machine, which hadn't been connected to the pipes yet but looked incredibly grand; her hands were trembling.

The washing machine's casing was shiny white, and the lid was transparent, showing the stainless steel drum inside.

"How much does this cost?

Does this thing really not need hand scrubbing? You just throw things in and they get clean?"

Mother Lin had never used such a high-end item in her life.

With the old twin-tub washing machine, she had to bring out her large wooden basin to fill it with water, and to spin-dry, she had to fish the clothes out.

It was common for her hands to turn bright red from the cold in winter.

"Mom, this is fully automatic!"

Lin Chuan explained with a smile, "In the future, you just throw the dirty clothes in, pour in some detergent, and press a button.

You can cook or chat as usual.

When it stops, just take them out and hang them to dry."

"Oh my! That's so convenient!"

Mother Lin couldn't stop smiling, her eyes sparkling, "We'll really be living the good life in winter from now on!"

Nearby, the Eldest Sister-in-law was holding a brand new down duvet, unable to put it down.

She pressed her face against the surface of the duvet.

"Look, dear, why is this duvet so soft?"

"It's like a cloud and hardly weighs anything."

"Our old cotton quilts are so heavy they make it hard to breathe."

"Can this be warm enough?"

"Sister-in-law, this is down; it'll definitely be warm!"

Lin Chuan said, "This thing is breathable yet warm. When you and my brother sleep under it, you're guaranteed to sleep until dawn!"

The Eldest Sister-in-law was a beauty, but she was always taking medicine, making her complexion look a bit pale.

At this moment, hearing Lin Chuan's words, her face instantly turned red.

She smiled shyly, but the joy in her eyes couldn't be hidden.

"Brother, this fridge is just too good!"

Over there, the second brother, Lin He, circled around a huge cardboard box several times.

It was a Siemens double-door refrigerator.

Although it hadn't been unboxed yet, just looking at the size of the box was impressive.

"Second Brother, didn't you always complain about having nowhere to get cold beer in the summer?"

Lin Chuan patted the box, "There's a huge freezer compartment at the bottom.

You can go to town and buy several boxes of those delicious Modern Ice Pops or cream pops.

Freeze a bunch, and you can eat them whenever you want—super convenient!"

"Oh man! Hahaha!"

Lin He rubbed his hands, his eyes glowing as if he could already see the wonderful life of lying on the heated brick bed eating ice pops in the summer.

"Brother, you understand your second brother too well!"

"We used to have to ride a bike to the supply and marketing cooperative just to get an ice pop, and they'd be half-melted by the time we got back."

"Our place will be like a convenience store from now on!"

The family was full of laughter and joy.

But soon, Father Lin took a few puffs of his pipe, and the joy on his face gradually faded, replaced by a look of gravity.

He looked at the room full of high-end goods and the expensive-looking suits Lin Chuan and Long Wu were wearing.

"Third Son."

Father Lin tapped his pipe and asked in a deep voice.

"These things must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"Where did you get all this money?"

"Our family is honest; you can't be doing anything illegal!"

This truckload of things must have cost at least ten thousand yuan.

Where would a college student get so much money?

Lin Chuan had already prepared his excuse.

He pulled over a stool and sat down, unbuttoning his suit jacket, his tone relaxed and natural.

"Dad, don't worry."

"This money is clean."

"When I was at university in The Capital, didn't I get to know a few classmates with some background?"

"We went into business together, trading some electronic products and such."

"As you know, with the reform and opening up, business in the south is easy to do."

"So, they mailed my share of the profits to me."

This reason was a catch-all in this era.

In the early '90s, traders were everywhere.

Everyone knew money was easy to make in the south, but no one knew exactly how.

Although Father Lin and Mother Lin only half-understood, they believed most of it.

"That's good, then, that's good."

Mother Lin patted her chest, "As long as it's not illegal, it means you're capable!

My son has made something of himself! So young and already making big money!"

"By the way, Mom, Dad, there's one more thing."

Lin Chuan stood up and looked at this simple but warm home, his eyes full of anticipation for the future.

"This is all just small stuff."

"Tomorrow morning, one of you should stay home."

"People from the department store are coming to deliver and install some things."

"What? There's more?" Lin Jiang's jaw almost hit the floor.

Lin Chuan gave a mysterious smile and held up one finger.

"A big item!"

"A 29-inch Sony Trinitron color TV!"

"When it's placed on our cabinet, the whole village will come to our house to watch the News Broadcast!"

"From now on, our Lin family will be the number one family in Red Mangrove Village!"