1994: I Became a Literary Master in America

Chapter 19 A Glimpse of Back

The car was driving on Second Avenue.

When passing by the old Stefford High School, Zhang Ping'an slowed down.

This section of road has heavy traffic and a speed limit!

Do you remember this place?

"where?"

"Old Stefford... after Sarah transferred schools, you were fighting every day at school."

Remember that black cannon? You beat him so badly his head was bleeding, and old Jeremy wanted to expel you. Kenny had to go to James Wong in the end to save you from expulsion; instead, you transferred to Francis Lewis School.

Ok?

Xu Shengjie's eyes narrowed.

He turned to look at the high school in the distance and suddenly said, "Jeremy has retired, hasn't he?"

I remember the year I transferred schools, he was already of retirement age! By the way, what about that guy, Black Cannon? How were his college entrance exam results?

"Black Cannon is dead!"

"what?"

"In your second year after transferring schools, he was beaten to death for participating in a gang fight."

He was found in an alley on 13th Street, the one next to the arts center. He had seven or eight bloody holes in his body; I heard he died a gruesome death.

"His mother would be devastated."

"It's alright. I heard that she moved away with her two sons and a daughter not long after, but I don't know where she went."

The area around 13th Street is quite chaotic.

It's considered the outer edge of Chinatown, and gang members, mostly Black, hang out on every side street.

To be honest, Xu Shengjie couldn't remember who Hei Pao was at all.

That was the original owner's business; it had nothing to do with him.

What he cared about was Zhang Ping'an's statement, "Kenny found James Huang."

The meaning behind this sentence is quite profound!

James Wong was a police officer who had risen to the position of Fifth Precinct Chief and had no connection with Kenny.

But Kenny...

A thought struck him, and he immediately understood.

Kenny must know Xu Jiadong's identity.

However, by then, Xu Jiadong had already died at the hands of BTK, and Xu Shengjie had grown up in Chinatown, essentially a child Kenny and his gang had watched grow up, so they didn't hold a grudge against him. Besides, Xu Jiadong was already dead, and he died for the Ghost Shadow Gang. With death absolved, Xu Shengjie was finally able to grow up peacefully.

After Mr. Yin returned, he immediately made him leave the gang.

I guess he knew about this too... That's normal. Kenny is Mr. Yin's loyal dog; if he knew, then Mr. Yin would definitely know as well. It's also fortunate that Mr. Yin and Kenny are law-abiding people and didn't take their anger out on Xu Shengjie.

But should we continue to keep him by our side?

I imagine Mr. Yin must feel very awkward about it.

So, letting him leave the gang can be considered a way of putting an end to the matter...

That must be it, otherwise many things would be difficult to explain.

Xu Shengjie felt a chill run down his spine, but at the same time, he also felt a faint sense of relief.

Justin, assuming he was unaware of these things, inadvertently brought up the past, which brought Xu Shengjie to his senses.

Originally, I felt that living on East Broadway was quite safe.

But suddenly, he felt a little panicked!

……

"By the way, what are your plans now that you've taken the money?"

As Zhang Ping'an drove, he handed Xu Shengjie a Red Marlboro cigarette.

Xu Shengjie lit a cigarette and rolled down the car window.

"Take out 50,000 and give it to the eldest uncle, then return 3,000 to you."

David still owes two hundred dollars, and Old Cai's outstanding debt from last month, around three hundred dollars, should also be cleared by now.

Zhang Ping'an was delighted.

"Forget about my three thousand. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have earned this windfall."

"Taking you to buy lottery tickets is one thing, but the money I owe you is another."

By the way, do you know any recording studios?

"What are you doing? Recording a song?"

"Yeah, 2Pac said my song was pretty good, so I thought I'd record it and maybe I could make some money."

"Are you serious?!"

"A bastard wouldn't take the money."

Since we've already copied it, we might as well find a way to monetize it.

Even professionals like 2Pac say it's good, so maybe it will really surprise you.

Yes, in this era, it is very difficult for Chinese people to get ahead.

But what if?

Anyway, trying it won't kill me... right?

"Okay, I'll ask later, but I'm not too familiar with this. If you want to find a reliable recording studio, you might as well ask Aunt Zhang. Although she sings opera, she's close to that circle and can find out more easily."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about Aunt Zhang."

"Right, right, you have to find professionals for professional matters... But why don't you ask Amaru? He must have a familiar recording studio."

Xu Shengjie exhaled a puff of smoke and said softly, "His circle is fucking chaotic!"

"bright!"

As the car passed the speed limit zone, Zhang Ping'an increased his speed.

"What are the plans after this?"

"I've had a burst of inspiration lately, and I've come up with two more stories. I'm writing a book."

Finish writing "Buffy" first, then work on the other two stories.

"If I want to become a great writer, I have to work hard... Also, I have another story that I'm planning to turn into a movie script."

"Where did you get all these stories from? It's fucking unbelievable!"

"Let me tell you, I was completely wasted because of you. Just look at me, following you meant nothing more than fighting, chasing girls, and loitering around the streets. Thank goodness I woke up, otherwise, a future literary giant would have been ruined by you!"

Zhang Pingan turned his head and glanced at Xu Shengjie.

"How come I never noticed before? You're fucking shameless!"

"hey-hey!"

"But this is good too, there's no future in being a scoundrel."

Keep writing well. Once you become famous, I can brag to people that a great writer is my brother.

Originally, I was planning to bet on football during this year's World Cup. But since you have important business to attend to, I won't call you then.

"World Cup?"

"Yes, it will open on the 17th."

This year's World Cup is being held in the United States, and I even managed to get two tickets to the Giants Stadium for the Italy vs. Ireland match.

Give me one!

"Huh? Aren't you going to write a book?"

"Can't you relax a bit while writing a book?"

It's the 94 World Cup!

The image of that sad and melancholy figure immediately came to mind in Xu Shengjie's mind.

He used to love football, but after the inhumane and abysmal performance of the Vladivostok team, he gradually gave it up after 10 years. Many of his friends still love football, and they would get together to watch the games during the World Cup. But by then, he was completely indifferent; watching the games was more about socializing with friends.

But that silhouette is a memory he will cherish for a lifetime.

The car stopped at Xu Shengjie's residence on East Broadway.

"Justin, do you have connections to bet on soccer?"

"You want to bet on football?"

"The World Cup is only half the fun if you watch the games but don't bet on them."

"Ha, there's no shortage of places to bet in Chinatown. If you go to Duyee Street, almost every bar there has a place to bet."

"But I don't want anyone to know, what should I do?"

Zhang Ping'an looked at him, and after a long while said, "You should know Li Jin from Wujie, right?"

"Is that Ghost Li from the paper offering shop?"

"It's him!" Zhang Ping'an said softly, "All the big-money gambling games in Chinatown go through him."

He has connections with casinos in Las Vegas, Macau, and European betting companies, and they're all clean and safe...

"You can place your bets through him; it's 100% safe."

"He has that much power?"

"His great-grandfather was named Li Xiling, understand?"

I don't understand, but it seems really cool.

Zhang Ping'an noticed his confusion and couldn't help but scold, "I told you to learn more about Chinatown's history, but you wouldn't listen. Li Xiling, the founder of On Leong Tong, once served as the New York County Sheriff. Although the Li family has declined, even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse. The resources and connections that Ghost Li has are beyond your imagination..."

Otherwise, when Mr. Yin met him back then, he would have addressed him respectfully as "Brother Ghost."

I've heard of On Leung Tong, but Li Xiling...

I know Situ Meitang!

I have lived under the red flag all my life and grew up as a socialist successor in the new China. How could I possibly know such inside information?

"I see!"

"Play small bets, a little gambling is harmless fun, but don't go all out."

This stuff, if you're not careful, can bankrupt you.

Zhang Pingan couldn't help but remind him.

He could tell that Xu Shengjie was planning something big.

He had just won the lottery and his luck was on fire, so a little gambling wouldn't be a problem... He was worried that Xu Shengjie would get carried away and end up losing everything.

This kind of thing is not uncommon in Chinatown.

"I know, just playing around a bit."

Xu Shengjie smiled and agreed, then turned and walked into the building.

Watching his retreating figure, Zhang Ping'an frowned.

I always felt that my little brother was a bit different... like he was letting loose!

No, I'll talk to Kenny about this later. Even if he leaves the gang, in Zhang Ping'an's eyes, Xu Shengjie is still his little brother.

……