VIP Volume, Chapter 092: True Strength

For the past two days, he had been worn to the bone. After supper, Ye Xiaoxuan went straight to bed and slept until dawn.

The moment he opened his eyes, Ye Dajun barged in, pointing outside and stammering, “H-hurry...”

Ye Xiaoxuan shot him a sidelong glance. “Hurry what? Is your wife about to give birth?”

Ye Dajun said nothing more. He clamped his mouth shut, seized Ye Xiaoxuan by the collar, and hauled him out of bed and all the way to the front gate.

“Boss!”

The shout that rang out the instant they stepped outside made Ye Xiaoxuan jump. Looking more closely, he saw a full twenty young men gathered around them, with Iron Head and Chen Tianfeng actually at the front.

What stunned Ye Xiaoxuan even more was that every single one of those twenty had shaved his head clean. From a distance, it looked as if twenty monks were standing before a ruined temple, waiting for morning roll call.

“What on earth are you doing?” Ye Xiaoxuan was practically beside himself. Twenty bald heads standing outside his gate at daybreak—anyone with a weak heart would have dropped on the spot.

Iron Head stroked his freshly shaved “lightbulb” of a head, gazing at Ye Xiaoxuan with adoration. “Boss, I, Iron Head, keep my word. I’ve brought the brothers to join the Bad Boys...”

Beside him, Chen Tianfeng sprang up and bonked him on the head, cursing, “It’s Bad Boys! You can’t even get our own banner name right—are you trying to make the boss lose face?”

Iron Head clutched his head and quickly corrected himself. “Right! Boss, from now on, the brothers and I are following you! Whatever you need us to do, just say the word!”

The rest of the crew bent toward Ye Xiaoxuan and shouted together, “Boss, just give the order!”

Ye Xiaoxuan nodded, then pointed toward the west side of the village. “Do you see that orchard over there?”

Iron Head and the others nodded blankly.

Ye Xiaoxuan said, “No one’s been taking care of it this year, so it’s gone to ruin. Starting now, weed it, protect the saplings, spray for pests, prune the branches. From this point on, all your time goes into that orchard. I want to see it make money by next year.”

The group exchanged glances. Iron Head scratched his scalp and said miserably, “Boss, didn’t you raise the banner so you could recruit workers? We’re fine with stealing chickens and sneaking around, but who among us knows how to farm?”

Ye Xiaoxuan snorted. “If you don’t want to do it, you can leave. I won’t stop you.”

Iron Head stood there in difficulty, saying nothing. Chen Ergou waved an arm and said, “I thought once we joined your banner, we’d be able to swagger through the village. I figured even when we saw my cocky cousin, we could stand toe to toe with him. Never thought we’d still be smashing clods and planting fields. Then why did we even join your banner?”

The other followers all nodded as well, looking as though if someone took the lead, they would leave at once.

Iron Head’s face darkened. “Whoever leaves is no longer my brother. If things ever come to a head, don’t blame me for turning my face away and not recognizing you!”

Chen Ergou was taken aback. Frowning, he said, “Iron Head, aren’t you making things hard for the brothers? We were hoping that after joining the banner we’d at least get to act impressive for once. And now this—turns out we’re still farmers. What are we getting out of it?”

Iron Head gave a cold snort. “I don’t care! What I say counts. The boss beat me into submission, so I’m a man of the Bad Boys now!”

Ye Xiaoxuan drew a deep breath and walked up to Chen Ergou. “You want to hold your head high in front of Chen Tianlei?”

Chen Ergou glanced at Chen Tianfeng and nodded.

Ye Xiaoxuan snorted. “You want to fight him? See whose fists are harder?”

Chen Ergou shrank back and said, “Not necessarily. He never even looks at people straight on, and I can’t stand that kind of attitude.”

Ye Xiaoxuan gave a faint, mocking smile. “So you want a day to come when you don’t look at him straight on either?”

Chen Ergou flushed and lowered his head.

Ye Xiaoxuan took another deep breath. “True strength isn’t about how well you can fight. It’s your efficiency in solving problems, the way you influence people, and the changes you can bring to your surroundings. Anyone who only knows how to use fists is just a brute.”

The brothers scratched their heads, looking at him with expressions half understanding and half lost. Ye Xiaoxuan pointed toward the orchard. “Take that orchard, for example. If I wanted to expand by Chen Tianlei’s methods, I’d have to rob, seize, cheat, and swindle—every dirty trick in the book. I’d end up stirring up resentment everywhere, and it still might not work. But if I simply buy it for twice the price, everyone walks away happy. That’s strength.”

The others’ brows relaxed. Iron Head asked, “Boss, do you mean strength is money?”

Ye Xiaoxuan shook his head. “Not money alone. It’s also prestige and presence. Take that orchard again. If I go now and contact the fruit merchants to reserve next year’s crop, nobody will pay me any attention. But if next year we grow a real harvest, then without us saying a word, the merchants will come asking to book the year after next’s produce. That’s strength.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up. With that explanation, they all understood. Even those who did not fully grasp it knew one thing: Ye Xiaoxuan was not asking them to go out and work the land for nothing—he was leading them to make money.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Ye Xiaoxuan said to them, “I’ll put my words here first. As for how much we harvest, that depends on all of us working together. The split is fifty-fifty. Half goes to me, and the rest is divided among the brothers. How much you can take home depends on your own ability. I’ll ask one more time: are you in or not?”

“We’re in!”

The brothers clenched their fists and shouted at Ye Xiaoxuan in excitement.

Chen Ergou, his face full of shame, said, “Boss, I... I was wrong. From now on, I’ll never have a second heart!”

Iron Head bowed his head before Ye Xiaoxuan and said, “Boss, I’m completely convinced now. Even if your skills weren’t so terrifying, I’d still admire your vision and your brains. People keep saying you’re worthless, but with your head, we’re the ones who are truly worthless!”

Ye Dajun laughed heartily and came over to throw an arm around him. “Enough of that! From now on, we’re all brothers!”

Iron Head wrapped an arm around his shoulder too. “Right, we’re all brothers! What about the things I told you to prepare?”

Chen Ergou pointed to several burlap sacks by the doorway. “They’re all here!”

Ye Xiaoxuan had not even noticed such a pile had been left at his gate, and he nearly jumped. No need to ask—just by the way some of the sacks twitched and writhed, he could tell they were all live chickens, ducks, and the like.

“Did you go and take someone else’s stuff?” Ye Xiaoxuan frowned and asked the group.

The brothers all lowered their heads and did not dare answer. Iron Head also shrank his neck and said, “I thought once we raised our banner in the village we could swagger around however we wanted. I never expected the boss to be leading us down the proper road... I’ll return the stuff right away!”

Ye Xiaoxuan spoke to them earnestly. “Remember this well: we’re ruffians, not bandits. We have to have professional ethics. It’s enough to take one or two at a time—how could you take so many?”

“And besides, we can’t even finish it all! When we leave later, send back whatever we didn’t eat. Don’t do this again next time.”

The crowd: “...”

Ye Xiaoxuan’s home had not been this lively in a very long time. In the courtyard, three round tables had been set up, laden with chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Everyone was drinking until their faces and necks were red, and the atmosphere was loud and exuberant.

At last, the banner of the Bad Boys had been raised in Reed Village.