“When I got out of prison, more than a dozen luxury cars were parked at the prison gate. When hundreds of brothers saw me, they all knelt down in unison and said, “Brother Long!””
They opened the door of the leading Rolls – Royce and begged me to go back and take charge of the overall situation.
I turned around and left, leaving behind a sentence, “From now on, there will be no more Over – river Dragon.”
Fifteen years ago, I was alone by the river with a knife, fighting against a thousand people.
The blood stained half of the river, and the world respected me as the Over – river Dragon.
Until my girlfriend came to visit me in prison with a big belly. She said I was going to be a father.
Because I had killed someone, no unit was willing to take me.
I also wanted to get along well with my daughter whom I hadn’t seen for fifteen years. Just then, I heard my wife complaining that the cafeteria boss was very bad and often gave the children rotten meat to eat. She had reported it several times but it was useless. So I set up a food stall selling boxed lunches at the school gate.
Because the food was good and the price was cheap, many students were willing to buy my boxed lunches after school.
My daughter Nuonuo was not the well – behaved girl I had imagined. At a young age, she had dyed her hair, wore earrings, and hung out with a group of sisters.
As soon as they saw me, her sisters giggled and said, “Isn’t that your father who has been in prison?”
I didn’t say a word.
One of her red – haired sisters sneered, “Uncle, I heard that you stole waste products back then and dug up the cable and were sentenced to fifteen years in prison. How could you be so unlucky?”
Nuonuo just felt ashamed. She quickly walked up to me and pleaded with me, “Can you stop embarrassing me? You make me lose face in front of my friends.”
I handed her a boxed lunch and said gently, “Your mother said you complained that the cafeteria food was not delicious. These are all the dishes you like.”
“Get out!”
Nuonuo threw the boxed lunch at me.
She was so angry that she was shaking all over and said to me, “Stop embarrassing me! You were imprisoned for such a humiliating crime when I was a child, making me a father – less child and being bullied. Now that I’ve finally got a group of brothers and sisters, you still come to embarrass me!”
The red – haired girl laughed and said, “Uncle, haven’t you considered appealing? My big brother only got three years for breaking someone’s leg. You stole waste products and got fifteen years. It’s so funny.”
They burst into another burst of wild laughter.
The real reason for my crime, my wife had never told the child.
She couldn’t let people know that she was the daughter of the Over – river Dragon, otherwise countless enemies would come.
I wiped the food residue off my face and said softly, “Going to prison is not a glorious thing. You should study hard.”
I took out another boxed lunch and handed it to Nuonuo.
She said through gritted teeth, “Having a cowardly father like you is the most embarrassing thing!”
Nuonuo turned around and left, and her little sisters burst into laughter again before following her.
But just then, the cafeteria boss came towards me in a hurry with a group of people.
He picked up the boxed lunch I had prepared for Nuonuo, threw it hard on the ground, and pointed at my nose, cursing, “Son of a bitch, are you stealing business from my cafeteria? Didn’t I tell you that if you dare to come here to sell boxed lunches again, I’ll kill you!”
Everyone turned their eyes towards us, and so did Nuonuo.
I squatted down to pick up the boxed lunch on the ground and whispered an apology, saying I would leave right away.
The cafeteria boss kicked me and cursed, “Didn’t I tell you for the second time!”
I was kicked over by him. The red – haired girl saw it and quickly said to Nuonuo, “Look, your dad is being beaten!”
Nuonuo stared at me, clenching her fists.
I knew she was expecting me to fight back.
But I wouldn’t fight anymore.
I said sincerely to the cafeteria boss, “Boss, we both sell the set meal for fifteen yuan. I’m not cheaper than you. How can it be considered stealing your business? The children just want to eat something better.”
He sneered and said, “So you mean my cafeteria food is not good? Let me see how good your food is!”
The leader of this group was a strong man. Hearing what the cafeteria boss said, he grabbed my food stand and directly overturned it!
Several large plates of food fell to the ground and all splashed on me.
The boss squatted down, grabbed my hair, and said through gritted teeth, “Son of a bitch, more than a dozen parents reported me but couldn’t do anything to me. Now you want to mess with me? Do you know how many people I know on the street?”
I said sincerely, “Boss, if you don’t like my food stand, I’ll move away, okay?”
My concession made Nuonuo dissatisfied.
She shouted at me through gritted teeth, “Coward! You’re such a wimp!”
After she shouted, the red – haired sister quickly covered her mouth.
Sure enough, the cafeteria boss turned around, glared at Nuonuo viciously, and the brothers and sisters around her were so scared that they hid in the crowd and didn’t dare to stand by Nuonuo.
For these little hooligans and tomboys, it’s okay to bully honest people, but once they face people in society, they immediately become cowardly.
The cafeteria boss said coldly, “Do you think it’s that easy to leave? Let’s discuss the compensation issue first. I heard that you can sell three hundred boxed lunches every day. That means you make me lose three hundred customers every day. My unit price is fifteen yuan, so it’s four thousand five hundred yuan a day. You’ve been setting up the stall for ten days, a total of forty – five thousand yuan. Pay up right away.”
I was stunned.
I did sell that many boxed lunches, but in order to let the children eat well, I made small profits but quick turnover. My own profit was only ten percent.
I whispered, “Boss, aren’t you bullying me?”
The cafeteria boss sneered, turned his head to the strong man and said, “He made me lose money, but now he doesn’t want to compensate. What should we do?”
The strong man squatted down, picked up the shredded pork with green peppers on the ground.
He clicked his tongue and said, “Damn, there’s more shredded pork than green peppers. You do business like this. Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”
He directly smeared the shredded pork with green peppers on my face, pressed my head, and rubbed it hard.
The chili juice got into my eyes. I covered my face in pain, gritted my teeth, and didn’t say a word.
The students next to me were indignant when they saw me being beaten.
“He sells food with a black heart and doesn’t allow others to sell!”
“But this vendor is really a wimp. If someone treated me like this, I would have fought back long ago!”
“Yeah, a coward will be bullied!”
I struggled to sit up, wiped the chili juice off my face, and when I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Nuonuo’s disappointed face.
She asked me blankly, “Now that someone is hitting you, you won’t fight back anymore, right?”
The cafeteria boss said impatiently to Nuonuo, “Little girl, what does this have to do with you? If you say one more word, do you believe I’ll find someone to get you expelled from school?”
“No, boss…”
I quickly grabbed the cafeteria boss’s arm and said sincerely, “I’ll leave right away. Do you want compensation? I can’t pay the full amount. How about you tell me the profit and I’ll compensate you for the profit? I admit I’m a coward.”
The cafeteria boss’s face suddenly turned cold.
He leaned close to my ear and said in a low voice, “Do you think I’m an idiot? Will I tell you my profit? Do I still want to do business?”
After saying that, he still wasn’t satisfied. He raised his hand and slapped me twice hard on the face.
Seeing me being slapped again, Nuonuo was so angry that she shouted, “Why don’t you fight back! How long are you going to keep embarrassing yourself!”
The cafeteria boss had had enough of Nuonuo for a long time. He pointed at Nuonuo impatiently and said to the strong man beside him, “Go, pull that uneducated little bitch over here.”
The strong man turned around and walked towards Nuonuo. The red – haired girl was so scared that she quickly dodged and made it clear that she had nothing to do with Nuonuo.
I was anxious. I quickly got up and rushed towards Nuonuo. As a result, the cafeteria boss grabbed my clothes.
I was wearing a shirt. With one pull, he directly tore my shirt.
My tattoo pattern was suddenly revealed in front of everyone.
King of Hell.
The moment they saw my tattoo, everyone exclaimed.
The strong man walking towards Nuonuo also opened his eyes wide and said blankly, “King of Hell… Isn’t that the tattoo of the Over – river Dragon?”
The cafeteria boss couldn’t believe it. He reached out his hand and rubbed the tattoo on my body, muttering, “Could it be a tattoo sticker?”
He rubbed it hard twice, but it couldn’t be rubbed off.
When he found out that the tattoo was real, he burst out laughing, “You, a street vendor selling boxed lunches, dare to tattoo the King of Hell of the Over – river Dragon?”
The strong man said worriedly, “Could he be the Over – river Dragon? I heard that he was released from prison recently.”
The cafeteria boss rolled his eyes, “The chairman’s position of Yuanda Group has been vacant for the Over – river Dragon. Do you think he would give up being the chairman and come here to sell boxed lunches? And also…”
He didn’t finish his words. Suddenly, he punched me in the stomach.
I covered my stomach, and he said with a sneer, “You really dare to tattoo. Back then, the Over – river Dragon fought against a thousand people alone with a knife. And you? You’re just a useless person looking for death!”
He took out his phone and took a picture of me.
Then he said cheerfully, “You’re finished. I sent your photo to my friends in Yuanda Group. They’ll be here soon. Now you’re really going to die.”
Nuonuo’s face turned ashen. She stared at me blankly.
She murmured, “What did you tattoo on your body?”
I forced a smile and said to her, “You go home first.”
Suddenly, Nuonuo started to cry.
She cried and said, “You, a scrap – stealing person, why did you tattoo the King of Hell on your body! Do you know that over the years, many people who pretended to be the Over – river Dragon to swindle were eliminated by the people of Yuanda Group! Run away!”
I stared at Nuonuo stupidly.
Was she caring about me?
Even if she despised me as a cowardly father, she still didn’t want anything to happen to me.
Seeing her care for me, the guilt in my heart became even stronger.
The cafeteria boss grabbed me and said, shaking his head, “Don’t even think about running. Originally, I just wanted to teach you a lesson. Who knew you were tired of living. You…”
He was talking when suddenly his phone rang.
He picked up the phone and said carelessly, “Hello, bro… Hahaha, this guy is so messy because I beat him. Are you coming? Wait, what did you say!”
He suddenly opened his eyes wide and stared at me blankly.
After he hung up the phone, he swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said stupidly, “The board of directors of Yuanda is coming.”
In an instant, the whole audience exclaimed.
The strong man asked in disbelief, “You know them?”
The cafeteria boss said, “How could I know such big shots? But they just called and said they would be here soon!”
The strong man sighed with emotion, “Loyalty! Just because someone pretended to be their big brother, they all came out!”
The cafeteria boss said coldly to me, “I think it’s because the Over – river Dragon’s dignity can’t be challenged by anyone. Son of a bitch, you’ll soon know how to write the word ‘death’.”
Nuonuo was already extremely anxious.
Despite the cafeteria boss’s previous threat, she ran to my side and pushed me hard.
She cried and said, “Run! You’ve made my mom wait for you for fifteen years. Do you still want her to become a widow! Run!”
I looked at the distraught Nuonuo, and my heart was filled with another wave of guilt.
It was all my fault that made their mother and daughter suffer for fifteen years.
Nuonuo cried and said to the cafeteria boss, “Don’t call them, okay? He’s just a scrap – stealing person. He doesn’t know anything about the Over – river Dragon. He was ignorant fifteen years ago and was imprisoned for digging up the cable. He hadn’t even heard of that big shot’s story when he was imprisoned. It’s just a coincidence.”
“Scrap – stealing person?”
The cafeteria boss was stunned, and then burst out laughing, “Hahaha, imprisoned for stealing scrap? Is there anything more humiliating than this?”
Nuonuo’s face was full of humiliation.
But she still took my hand and pulled me out.
The boss immediately led people to block our way.
He sneered and said, “Want to leave? Is it that easy? Yuanda has already said that anyone who dares to tattoo the King of Hell again is openly against them.”
Nuonuo cried, “I’ve said that he tattooed it more than ten years ago!”
The cafeteria boss said with a sneer, “Whether he was wronged or not, I don’t care. Son of a bitch, if you die today, remember not to steal business from others in your next life.”
Seeing that we were surrounded, Nuonuo was so anxious that she didn’t know what to do.
She looked at her brothers and sisters in a panic and said, “Aren’t you going to help?”
Those people didn’t dare to speak. The red – haired girl said, “Are we really that close?”
Nuonuo was stunned.
She couldn’t help but say, “We sworn an oath of brotherhood!”
The red – haired girl shook her head and said, “If you were really a good sister, you wouldn’t drag friends into trouble at this time. You want to drag us into such a big disaster. You’re not worthy to be our sister!”
As soon as she spoke, those little hooligans and tomboys agreed.
“Yeah, you want us to die. Do you still have the face to say we sworn an oath of brotherhood?”
“Playing around is okay on weekdays, but who would really accompany you to die!”
“I can’t afford to mess with Yuanda!”
Nuonuo said anxiously, “I’m not asking you to go against Yuanda. Just help us leave, okay?”
Her friends remained silent.
I knew that at this moment, the world in Nuonuo’s heart must have collapsed.
But I could only feel heart – ache.
Having been in prison for fifteen years, I knew that Nuonuo must have suffered a lot of bullying over the years.
She just didn’t want to be bullied anymore, so she played around and became sworn friends with these hooligans.
In a hurry, Nuonuo tried to break through the crowd, but how could her delicate body be a match for these people?
The cafeteria boss impatiently raised his hand and slapped hard towards Nuonuo, cursing, “Can’t you be quiet, you little bitch?”
The slap didn’t land on Nuonuo’s face. I caught it.
The cafeteria boss was stunned. He said in disbelief, “What, do you still dare to fight back?”
I said, “I don’t fight anymore.”
He said arrogantly, “Then let go!”
I shook my head, “You can hit me as much as you want, but if you touch her, I’ll make you die.”
Hearing this, the cafeteria boss couldn’t help laughing.
“A boxed – lunch seller dares to threaten me? Fine, you don’t let me hit this little bitch, right? I’ll hit her right in front of you!”
Although his hand was caught by me, he immediately kicked towards Nuonuo!
However, I was faster.
The moment the cafeteria boss lifted his foot, I had already kicked his other leg.
He immediately lost his balance and fell heavily to the ground, landing on his face.
Many people in the crowd couldn’t help laughing.
The cafeteria boss lost face. He got up and roared at me in anger, “I’ll cripple you right now, break your hands and feet, and then hand you over to Yuanda!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the strong man led the people and rushed towards me.
Nuonuo was anxious. Taking advantage of the chaos in the crowd, she cried and said to me, “Run!”
I looked at the people rushing towards me and sighed.
I reached out my hand, gently stroked Nuonuo’s head, and said softly, “Do you admire the Over – river Dragon very much?”
She was stunned for a moment, “Huh?”
I said softly, “Then I’ll show you how to fight.”
The strong man had already rushed in front of me, raised his fist, and smashed it hard towards my face.
I didn’t dodge.
I just grabbed his wrist with one hand, and no matter how hard he tried, his fist couldn’t move forward even a bit.
When the others saw that their boss was suppressed, they quickly surrounded me, trying to beat me up.
But I just lifted the strong man up and threw him out hard!
The strong man was thrown onto his subordinates, and several people fell down in a row. People were screaming in pain.
The cafeteria boss was anxious and shouted, “Come on! There are so many of you. Can’t you beat a boxed – lunch seller?”
Nuonuo saw the opportunity and quickly grabbed my hand, trying to run.
But I didn’t move.
She quickly said, “Let’s go! The people from Yuanda will be here soon!”
I said, “If we leave, they will come to cause trouble again in the future. It’s better to solve it once and for all.”
Nuonuo said anxiously, “Stop boasting. Take care of yourself first!”
I said softly, “I’m not pretending.”
She was stunned and looked at me in confusion.
I knew that I couldn’t hide it anymore today.
Just then, there was a sudden noise in the sky.
People looked up at the sky in confusion. Two helicopters were flying towards us.
On the helicopters, the words “Yuanda Group” were printed.
The cafeteria boss was overjoyed. He pointed at me and said excitedly, “You think you’re so good at fighting? I’m telling you, you’re finished! The people from Yuanda are here. Today is your last day in the world!”
The on – looking crowd lined up on both sides.
At the end of the road, one Rolls – Royce, Maybach, and G – Class drove towards us.
Seeing such a grand scene, Nuonuo started to tremble all over.
She cried and said to me, “My mom raised me alone and waited for you for fifteen years. She always said that I shouldn’t hate you, that you were actually a reliable man. But where are you reliable? You’ve caused such a big disaster for yourself!”
I sighed, “I’m sorry.”
I held Nuonuo’s small face. Seeing her crying hysterically, my heart was torn with pain.
The motorcade stopped, and my brothers got out of the cars and walked towards me one by one.
The cafeteria boss quickly ran to them and said excitedly, “Bosses, this son of a bitch…”
He pointed at me, spitting and exaggerating, “He pretended to be the Over – river Dragon. When I heard about it, I wanted to teach him a lesson for Yuanda. Who knew he didn’t take Yuanda seriously at all and even wanted to leave!”
The people present couldn’t help but start discussing excitedly.
“It’s really Yuanda Group. My God… This guy is dead!”
“We usually can’t even see these big shots. Today, they’re all gathered here!”
“Oh my god, I really want to go up and recognize one as my big brother.”
“Don’t look for death! Do you think these people are playing around like little hooligans?”
Even the little hooligans who had been hanging out with Nuonuo before were now excitedly taking out their phones to record us.
The weakness of this so – called loyalty was both sad and ridiculous.
Unlike Nuonuo’s so – called friends, the brothers looked at me, and I let out a deep sigh.
They were all my brothers who were loyal and righteous.
I had been in prison for fifteen years, and they had waited for me for fifteen years.
For more than five thousand four hundred days, their loyalty remained unchanged.
They were just waiting for me to come out and hand everything over to me.
I originally thought I wouldn’t see them again, but who knew we met again, and in such a special occasion.
As they walked towards me, the cafeteria boss, as if asking for credit, said to them, “I really tried my best to beat him just now to vent your anger for Yuanda. Look at his embarrassed appearance. I did it just now.”
Seeing these people approaching me, Nuonuo panicked. She stuttered and said, “Gentlemen, please listen to me. This is my father. He was imprisoned many years ago, and this tattoo has been there for many years. After he came back, because I hated that he had been in prison, I didn’t want to get close to him. So this is the first time I’ve seen his tattoo. If I had known earlier, I would definitely have warned him well!”
Nuonuo became more and more scared as she spoke.
But she still stood in front of me.
She said in despair, “My mom really waited for him for many years. He has no intention of provoking Yuanda, nor does he want to pretend to be the Over – river Dragon. Please spare him. I’ll kneel down for you!”
Nuonuo knelt down.
For me, she knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
My heart ached so much that it was hard to breathe.
I would rather see her always dislike me than see her weakness after being let down by me for fifteen years.
The cafeteria boss laughed loudly, “She really knelt down. But I’m really confused. What do you think you are? How much is your knee worth?”
As soon as he finished speaking, all the directors of Yuanda suddenly knelt down in unison, not daring to accept Nuonuo’s courtesy!
In an instant, everyone present was stunned!
They respectfully replied in unison, “Brother Long! Miss!”
The sudden change made Nuonuo dumbfounded.
Perhaps for her, Yuanda Group was something she didn’t even dare to look at more than once on weekdays.
But now, the directors were all here, pledging their loyalty to her.
Nuonuo turned around, her eyes full of confusion.
She probably couldn’t understand how her father, who was supposed to be a scrap – stealing person, suddenly changed his identity.
The cafeteria boss also turned pale. He exclaimed, “Bosses, are you mistaken? He’s just a boxed – lunch seller!”
As soon as he finished speaking, his subordinates had already pinned him to the ground. They roared with red eyes, “Today is your last day in the world!”
The cafeteria boss shouted anxiously, “Misunderstanding! It’s all a misunderstanding!”
I walked to Nuonuo’s side and helped her up.
Nuonuo stood up, but the directors were still kneeling. Without my order, none of them dared to move.
She swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said stupidly, “I… I’m the daughter of the Over – river Dragon.”
“I’m sorry for hiding it from you for so long.”
She opened her eyes wide and asked me, “Fifteen years ago, the legend that you fought against a thousand people alone with a knife and the blood stained half of the river, is it true? How could a person fight against a thousand people?”
I said, “It’s true. I’ll tell you after dealing with this guy.”
I glanced at the cafeteria boss, and the brothers understood what I meant. They immediately dragged him towards me.
The cafeteria boss was already terrified. He shouted for help in horror, being dragged on the ground like a dead dog.
The strong man was also dumbfounded. He had been so fierce just now, but now his legs were so weak with fear that he was trembling and trying to escape from the crowd.
But he was too scared.
Perhaps he had done a lot of evil deeds before, perhaps he had participated in many fierce battles, but some things were more terrifying than everything he had experienced before.
Such as my name.
The moment he learned my name, he was already scared out of his wits.
When people are extremely frightened, they can’t control their weak legs. He was originally running away, but his legs became weaker and weaker, and finally he directly knelt on the ground.
He crazily hit his legs, praying that he could stand up.
But it was useless.
In front of me, he had lost the courage to stand up.
The brothers had caught him and were dragging him towards me, along with each of his subordinates.
I glanced at the red – haired girl and casually said, “Bring those few here too.”
The red – haired girl who had been humiliating us before was stunned. Her face turned extremely terrified. Before she could react, the crowd was so scared that they all backed away.
Originally, they were hiding in the crowd, but under the name of the Over – river Dragon, no one dared to get into trouble. These brothers and sisters who had been leading Nuonuo astray were like clowns, standing in place in a daze.
They lowered their heads and walked towards me tremblingly.
When they stopped in front of me, the red – haired girl said to me with a sobbing voice, “Uncle, I didn’t mean to mock you just now… I was just joking. Nuonuo, we’re good sisters. Please help me say something!”
Nuonuo said coldly, “Who’s your good sister?”
Mentioning this, Nuonuo gritted her teeth a little.
“Just now I begged you to help me once, but you sneered at me. Now you say you’re my good sister… I’ve seen through all of you!”
A brother came to my side and asked me respectfully, “Brother Long, what should we do with these guys?”
I looked at the cafeteria boss.
He was so scared that he trembled all over and cried, “Brother Long… No, Boss Long, Chairman Long, I really didn’t know your identity. If I had known earlier, even if you gave me a hundred guts, I wouldn’t have dared to provoke you!”
I walked in front of him and looked down at him.
The guy became more and more scared. His pants even started to get wet. He was so scared that he peed his pants.
I sighed and said, “I’m not stealing business from you. Our boxed – lunches are priced the same. If the students buy yours, they just need to sit and eat slowly in the cafeteria. But if they buy mine, not only can’t they avoid the wind and rain, but I don’t even have tables and chairs. They have to walk out of the school and eat squatting by the roadside. Why do they choose me?”
The cafeteria boss swallowed a mouthful of saliva and stammered, “Because I’m unscrupulous person, because I’m not a human being. I was wrong. I really know I was wrong.”
I said, “You don’t really know you’re wrong. You just know you’ve offended someone you can’t afford to offend. You’re admitting your mistake verbally just to avoid punishment.”
A brother walked to the broken food stand and said softly, “Brother Long can sell three hundred boxed – lunches a day. Did you knock these over or did you buy them?”
The cafeteria boss quickly said, “I bought them! I saw that Brother Long was working hard and bought them on purpose.”
I asked, “Then do I still need to compensate you?”
The boss was so scared that he knelt on the ground and stammered, “Of course not! I didn’t recognize your true status. You’re magnanimous and don’t need to hold grudges against me!”
I said, “Oh, since you bought them, then eat them.”
He was stunned. He pointed at the mountain – high food on the ground and said blankly, “Eat?”
A brother roared, “Isn’t the food made by Brother Long worthy of you?”
“I’ll eat! I’ll eat right away!”
The cafeteria boss quickly crawled to the food and lay on the ground like a dog, gobbling up the food on the ground.
I asked, “How does it taste?”
As he ate, he said obsequiously, “It’s delicious. It’s much better than mine.”
“Then finish it.”
“Ah?”
The boss said blankly, “How can I finish three hundred people’s worth of food?”
The brothers were immediately angry when they heard this.
“Can’t finish it? We’ll help you!”
The boss’s head was pushed hard into the food.
He ate the food on the ground with difficulty. I glanced at the strong man and the others and casually said, “Aren’t you going to help eat?”
Just this one sentence, the brothers understood what I meant and dragged them to the cafeteria boss’s side, pushing their heads into the food.
A brother said coldly, “Eat up. Eat well so you can go on your way.”
This simple sentence scared the cafeteria boss and the others silly.
“Boss, what way are we going?”
“We have mines abroad. But because of the war and malaria in that place, many people have died. If you’re lucky, you’ll lose an arm or a leg and can come back after working for ten years. If you’re unlucky, at least we’ll bring your ashes back.”
The cafeteria boss and the strong man were so scared that they started crying when they heard this.
“Can we not go?”
“You can not go, but Yuanda will make you beg to go.”
The cafeteria boss was anxious. He knelt and moved towards me on his knees, crying, “Brother Long! I’m really wrong. Please, don’t let them send me abroad! I’ve heard about the group’s mines abroad. The laborers there are either blown up half – body by bombs or have their hands and feet cut off by local armed forces. It was said that local laborers would be used. How can you send me there? I’m also a human being. I just made one mistake. Is it really necessary to do this?”
I said, “I heard that the principal is your cousin. You’ve been reported several times, but nothing happened to you in the end. And those parents were just trying to safeguard their rights, but their children were expelled from school just because they reported you. Is there such a thing?”
He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said in a low voice, “Well… that’s because their children didn’t study well. They couldn’t get into public schools. They came to a private school and still dared to make trouble…”
“Oh, so in your eyes, the strong can bully the weak. Does that mean I can also bully you?”
“Brother Long, I…”
I interrupted the cafeteria boss and reached out to pat him on the shoulder.
I sighed and said, “The children are in the stage of growing up. I know that doing business needs to consider profits, but for the children, at least have some conscience. You hope I’ll be nice to you, but have you been nice to the children? If it wasn’t out of desperation, who would want to go out of the school and sit by the roadside to eat boxed lunches?”
“I was wrong. I…”
The cafeteria boss didn’t finish his words and was dragged away by the brothers.
Just as they said.
Whether they go or not is up to them.
But in the end, Yuanda will definitely make them beg to go.
At this time, Nuonuo’s so – called brothers and sisters were already trembling with fear.
The red – haired girl cried and said, “Uncle, we won’t dare to mock you anymore…”
I reached out and touched her red hair, saying softly, “I don’t want to do anything to you. I just want to say, study hard. Don’t worship meaningless things. Acting tough in school and recognizing a bunch of so – called big brothers, you think you’re great. But in society, these bad habits will ruin you.”
She couldn’t stop trembling and crying.
I said, “Next time you come to play with my daughter, remember to dye your hair back, okay?”
She nodded, sobbing.
At this moment, she finally couldn’t hold back the fear in her heart and softly knelt on the ground.
I sighed and started to clean up the food stand on the ground by myself.
I originally intended to keep a low profile. If they hadn’t kept pestering me, I wouldn’t have intended to show off.
When the brothers saw me doing it myself, they were all anxious and quickly came to help me tidy up.
I asked, “Why are people so afraid of us? It seems that Yuanda is like a gang.”
They were stunned. Finally, they said in confusion, “We don’t know. Maybe it’s because we’re really too rich.”
I said “oh”, tidied up the food stand, and then waved to Nuonuo, indicating that she should come back with me.
Nuonuo followed me. She would look back from time to time because the brothers were still following us and refused to leave.
I handed her the last boxed lunch left and sighed, “It’s a pity. I carefully arranged a heart shape in the boxed lunch I prepared for you at first.”
Nuonuo took the boxed lunch, wiped her tears, and said in a low voice, “I thought something bad was going to happen to us. You should have told me earlier that you were the Over – river Dragon!”
I asked, “You were so scared. Why did you still stand in front of me?”
She cried and said, “Even though I hated you for leaving for fifteen years, you’re still my dad, and the man my mom has been waiting for day and night!”
I smiled, wiped her tears, and said softly, “I’m sorry for not being there for you in the past fifteen years. I’ll never leave you and your mom again.”
Nuonuo got tired from walking and wanted to sit on a stone pier by the roadside. I quickly took out a tissue and wiped the stone pier clean for her.
After she sat down, I helped her make soup and handed her chopsticks, doing what a father could do.
Nuonuo held the chopsticks and asked, “What happened when you fought against a thousand people back then?”
“It wasn’t a glorious thing.”
I looked into Nuonuo’s eyes, recalling, “Fifteen years ago, I founded Yuanda Group with my brothers. We did business honestly. But at that time, it wasn’t as peaceful as it is now. There were evil forces that used violence to seize our business several times. We all hated them deeply and wanted to have a big fight. I said that my brothers all had families, and fighting with the underworld would only ruin themselves. It would be better to capture the ringleader first.”
Nuonuo swallowed a mouthful of saliva, “I know. I’ve heard your story. You were bullied so much. In order to resist, you drew lots for life and death, and then you… drew the short straw.”
I said sincerely to Nuonuo, “Yes, it was that life – and – death lottery. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to reincarnate after death, so I tattooed the King of Hell on my body, praying to Buddha for mercy, hoping that I could be a human again in my next life.”
I told Nuonuo everything that happened fifteen years ago.
I tied layer after layer of iron sheets on my body. Because it was not convenient to move flexibly, I chose to bury myself under the sand field of my enemies.
When the leader appeared and stood above me, I directly stabbed his crotch with a knife. Then I had to face all the people in the sand field alone.
I couldn’t remember how many knives I was stabbed with. I was lucky that I had tied so many layers of iron sheets on my body. At first, they were confused. Later, when they cut through my clothes and saw that I had tied the iron sheets like medieval armor, they were furious and wanted to run over me with a sand – field vehicle.
The police arrived in time, and I survived. People called me the Over – river Dragon, but I also paid the price and was sentenced to twenty years in prison.
After I was imprisoned, I thought my life was over. Until I found out that I was going to have a child.
I said to Nuonuo gently, “In order to be a good father, I actively reformed and was released from prison five years early, just to not miss the day when you grew up.”
Nuonuo swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
She murmured, “Why didn’t mom tell me these things over the years…”
“Those were evil forces. How could we say it? We were worried that the enemies would come after us. Over the years, we didn’t even dare to let the brothers help your mother, nor let anyone know your identity.”
“Then now that you’re back, why didn’t you tell me?”
I pointed to the brothers behind me and said, “Do you know why, after fifteen years, everyone still wants me to be the chairman?”
Nuonuo shook her head.
A brother said sadly, “At that time, Brother Long didn’t have an heir. Each of us had elderly parents and young children. It was only after he was imprisoned that we found out that he had tampered with the life – and – death lottery! He proposed the lottery, but from the very beginning, he had decided to sacrifice everything for us!”
I smiled bitterly at Nuonuo, “I didn’t know about your existence at that time. I was even stupid enough to write a letter, asking her to find another man. If I had known she was pregnant with you, I would never have been so reckless. That year, I chose to abandon your mother, and that’s why I felt ashamed to tell you! Okay, you all don’t follow me anymore. People might think I’m some kind of gangster.”
The brothers became a little nervous and looked at Nuonuo for help.
“Miss, Brother Long refuses to go back to Yuanda because he values friendship. He said that a gentleman’s friendship is as pure as water and he doesn’t want our financial rewards!”
“Fifteen years ago, we were weak and were bullied by the underworld, and could only be protected by him. Fifteen years later, things have changed. It’s our turn to repay this kindness!”
“Please persuade Brother Long to go back to Yuanda!”
I frowned and said, “You all go. I didn’t do it for your rewards. If you come to my food stand to buy a boxed lunch in the future, that will be enough to support our brotherly friendship.”
People were in a dilemma.
Nuonuo suddenly said, “But I want to be a rich second – generation!”
I was stunned.
I said, “I learned a truth in prison. People should be down – to – earth and create wealth with their own hard – working hands.”
“What, didn’t you use your hands to hold the knife and fight back fifteen years ago? Were you using your feet?”
“This is quibbling…”
Nuonuo was anxious, “I want to be a rich second – generation! You were in prison for fifteen years, making me and mom suffer for fifteen years. Now that others are coming to repay you, isn’t it good for you to let me be a rich second – generation? Isn’t it good for you to let mom be a rich lady?”
I said, “This is about a man’s dignity. How can I take money as a reward for helping my brothers?…”
She wiped her tears and said with a bit of hatred, “I don’t care if you’re the Over – river Dragon or not. If you keep refusing, I’ll hate you forever for sacrificing our future for your stupid pride today!”
I was speechless.
After hesitating for a moment, I finally turned to them and said, “If you really want to repay me, can you buy that school cafeteria for me?”
The brothers immediately gathered around when they heard this.
“Brother Long, one school cafeteria is definitely not enough. How about this? Yuanda Group has twenty – five thousand employees and twenty – five cafeterias. How about contracting them all to you? We’ll sign a contract. You can operate them first and pay the rent to the group next year.”
“How can that be? That’s almost like getting it for free!”
“Brother Long, we’re all brothers. Don’t be so particular!”
I really wanted to refuse, but for Nuonuo’s sake, I could only put aside my male pride and accept the contracting rights of a total of twenty – six cafeterias.
I didn’t like this very much.
I thought that brotherhood was in the heart, and it was wrong to ask for financial rewards.
A month later, I bought two Porsches. One was for my wife to drive, and the other, inlaid with diamonds, was given to Nuonuo as a decoration. Seeing them happy, I thought, forget it. Taking care of my own small family is more important than anything. A man’s pride can be sacrificed.
Nuonuo no longer behaved in a wild and unruly way. Instead, she studied seriously, and her grades began to rise steadily.
She said she wanted to study catering management so that she could help me manage the family business in the future.
Seeing that my daughter had become well – behaved, I was very touched.
Nuonuo also secretly wrote in her diary, “I used to think the name ‘Over – river Dragon’ was cool. But after learning the truth, I found out that it meant my dad was a fool in the past. He was so stupid as to go to prison for helping others. Dad said I was stupid for not being well – behaved, but I think people in the old days were really stupid. How could someone be so stupid as to go to prison for others? Such a stupid person still has the nerve to teach me to be a good person. But now he’s very rich. Although he refused the position of chairman, he’s so rich that he can earn millions a month. And he doesn’t have to bear the burden of running Yuanda Group. He has a lot of time to accompany us every day. I love him very much now. Dad also said he would give me a Ferrari when I turn eighteen. I love him so much. I lost fifteen years of fatherly love, but fortunately, he has enough money to make up for it. I have to study hard and firmly hold this family business in my hands. My dad is so stupid. Whenever a down – and – out brother or relative comes to the door, he lends them hundreds of thousands of yuan, but those people never pay him back. He’s too stupid. He says that if you’re a brother, you can’t urge them to pay back the money, or you’ll lose your loyalty! His loyalty is not a good thing. Maybe one day he’ll lose all his wealth for the sake of loyalty. I have to graduate and take over the business as soon as possible!”
I secretly read her diary and sighed deeply.
My daughter really didn’t take after me at all.
It was all my fault. During those fifteen years I was away, she must have had a very hard time to become like this.
I have to make it up to her double.
I won’t lend money out anymore. My daughter already thinks I’m a fool.
