Chapter 960
A Reprimand
Seeing that his apprentice Yue Feng had taken his advice to heart, Zhao Dashan's expression softened considerably.
"You! It's a good thing that you're honest and kind to your friends in everyday life, but you can't be so honest on such a crucial issue!"
Zhao Dashan shook his head, his tone full of vicissitudes.
"I understand, Master. I will definitely learn from this experience! As soon as I get down the mountain, I will do as you said and call Wang Hu and Jin Long to coordinate the follow-up matters!" Yue Feng reiterated.
"Alright, just keep that in mind! You have a whole bunch of brothers behind you who are eating your food, so be careful in everything you do!"
Oh, and there's something else I wanted to tell you!
"Hmm? What's up? Please tell me!"
"Has Xiao Tao been in charge of maintaining contact with Zhang Wenhui's distribution channels in our area?"
"I guess so. Before I left, I made a special arrangement to have Xiao Tao keep an eye on these little things for me. What's up?"
"Keep an eye on him. I feel like Xiao Tao's gotten a bit cocky lately. Don't let him go astray and cause trouble!"
Yue Feng was slightly taken aback: "Getting a little cocky? This kid may be a bit of a troublemaker sometimes, but he's always been quite reliable when it comes to serious matters! What did he do to offend you? I'll deal with him later!"
Based on Yue Feng's understanding of his master, Zhao Dashan, he was never one to nitpick. Whenever he spoke, it was always based on facts. The two of them had gotten used to each other over the years and understood each other's feelings perfectly.
Zhao Dashan waved his hand: "I haven't offended you. Xiao Tao usually comes up the mountain to deliver supplies and things, and he's always been very respectful to me!"
When I said he was arrogant, I didn't mean he was rude to me, but rather that he's been a bit flamboyant and restless lately!
Last time I came to the mountain, I was taming my falcon in the yard when this guy insisted on showing me his newly acquired Russian military watch!
He made contact with Zhang Wenhui's downstream distributors, and through his daily interactions and favors, he easily gained their flattery.
He's young to begin with, and with an older brother like you backing him up, plus he's a bit reckless and can't keep things to himself, so if he gets too outspoken, he's likely to cause trouble.
You need to get him to focus and understand why people are giving him kindness and resources!
After listening to his master's reminder, Yue Feng nodded: "Okay, master, I understand. I'll find a chance to give him a good talking-to later!"
Xiao Tao is getting married in a couple of days during the National Day holiday. On this trip back, I specially brought back a lot of special supplies for the wedding, such as alcohol!
I just got back today and came up the mountain to see you. I haven't seen the rest of them yet!
"Just keep it to yourself. The old man has food and drink on the mountain and nothing's wrong with him, so you don't need to worry about him too much."
You must have been exhausted from traveling back from Beijing for several days!
"If there's nothing else, you should go back down the mountain and rest early!"
Zhao Dashan waved his hand, somewhat distressed, and gave his apprentice the order to leave.
Yue Feng knew his master cared about him, so he nodded, got up, said goodbye to his master, and took the little one with him as he rode his motorcycle down the mountain.
Zhao Dashan is right. Yue Feng is exhausted and hasn't had a proper rest for several days. Now that he's back on his own turf, his tense nerves have relaxed, and he really needs to rest and recuperate.
Yue Feng bid farewell to his master and rode his motorcycle down the mountain. On his way back to the village, he deliberately took a detour and came to the mountain produce sales point.
The courtyard of the purchasing and sales point was bustling with activity. Several Jiefang brand trucks were parked in front of the warehouse, and workers were constantly counting the mountain products and loading them onto the trucks.
Wang Xiaona, who is the "boss's wife" when Yue Feng is not at home, is currently busy on the front line of the mountain products purchase and sales point.
She was wearing a headscarf and a sun hat, sitting at a small table next to the courtyard gate. On the table were ledgers, an abacus, a water cup, and other odds and ends, meticulously recording the shipment details and related accounts.
"Wife!" Yue Feng ignored everyone else in the yard and shouted as soon as he saw Wang Xiaona.
When Wang Xiaona heard Yue Feng's greeting, she looked up, put down her work, and came over to greet him.
"When did you get back? Did you go to your master's place?"
Yue Feng grinned and touched his wife's small hand: "Yeah, we didn't bring the key to the new house, so we went to our mom's to get the key and opened the door!"
I brought back a lot of cigarettes and alcohol from Beijing this time; I packed some to take to my master up the mountain! How long until you're finished here? I'm going back to the old house tonight to have dinner with my parents!
Wang Xiaona withdrew her hand, glanced at the others around her to make sure no one had seen Yue Feng touching her hand, and then said, "It'll take me another half hour to load the last truck! Once I'm done and the accounts are settled, I'll head back! Our son is with his maternal grandmother!"
"Okay, I'll go pick up the child first! I'm off!"
"Slow down, it rained a couple of days ago, the roads are slippery!"
"understood!"
……
Yue Feng spent a little while cuddling with his wife, then got back on his motorcycle and went into the village to pick up Kaixin from his father-in-law's house. Only then did he hum a little tune as he returned to his new home.
Just as Kaixin, supporting her little one with one arm, sat down inside the house, less than five minutes later, the sound of another motorcycle approaching and the courtyard gate being opened came from the doorway.
"Brother, are you home?" Xiao Tao asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips, as he swaggered into the yard.
Yue Feng pushed open the door to the north room and waved to Xiao Tao: "Just got back, come in and sit down!"
Xiao Tao immediately quickened his pace, and in a few quick steps, he entered the north room and sat down in the Federal Chair in the living room.
"Hehe, what good stuff did you bring back from your trip to Beijing? Didn't Brother Ye, Brother Jin, and Brother Hu get you any local specialties?"
Xiao Tao, thinking he looked very cool, blew out a smoke ring and then asked Yue Feng without any hesitation.
Yue Feng did not answer Xiao Tao immediately, but instead turned his head slightly to look at Xiao Tao.
"It's only been a few days, and you've already learned to smoke?" Yue Feng asked with a smile.
"Hehe, I'm just smoking for fun, it's not a big deal!" Xiao Tao didn't think it was a big deal and continued to puff away with a shameless grin.
“Smoking isn’t a big deal, but it’s best not to learn it if you can avoid it! We go into the mountains many times every year, and if we’re covered in cigarette smoke, we’ll be killing far fewer animals!” Yue Feng said very rationally.
"Yeah, I know! I'm just smoking for fun. I won't smoke when I go into the mountains!"
Xiao Tao nodded, then quickly stubbed out the cigarette butt at his feet and put it in the ashtray on the coffee table.
"How are the goods Zhang Wenhui brought in while I was away? Are there any problems?" Yue Feng asked.
“Everything is normal. While you’re away, I’ll go to pick up the goods with the supplier on time and settle the payment according to the same ratio as before! I’ve brought all the money back and given it to my sister-in-law!” Xiao Tao said seriously.
Yue Feng nodded, glancing at Xiao Tao's wrist.
"Hey, what kind of watch is this? It looks pretty good!" Yue Feng teased. "Hehe, it was a gift from Panpan's boss, General Manager Meng! Apparently, it's military equipment from Russia. Brother, take a look and see if you like it. If you do, I'll ask him to help me get one later!"
Xiao Tao completely failed to perceive Yue Feng's scrutinizing attitude towards him. He took off his watch from his wrist like a treasure and showed it off to Yue Feng.
It must be said that Master Zhao Dashan has an excellent eye for people.
He said Xiao Tao was getting a bit cocky, and the reality is that he really is a bit cocky.
From the moment Xiao Tao entered the room, Yue Feng had been paying close attention to Xiao Tao's various subtle actions and mental state.
This guy has learned to smoke, and judging from the cigarette holder, he's smoking a high-end foreign brand. He's also wearing the watch the old man mentioned.
These are just the details. What displeased Yue Feng the most was that this guy actually said that if Yue Feng liked it, he could ask Yu Panpan's boss to help him get another one of these watches.
Yue Feng has always been very composed and reserved when interacting with his friends in society. But Xiao Tao, in such a short time, has already started to act out of line when dealing with the leaders of the department store.
Needless to say, besides this watch, they must have had private contact, and in Xiao Tao's opinion, their relationship was already quite good.
Yue Feng did not respond, but instead watched Xiao Tao's performance with a smile.
A few seconds later, Xiao Tao felt a chill run down his spine from the look in his older brother Yue Feng's eyes.
"Brother, what's wrong? You seem a little unhappy!"
Xiao Tao scratched his head, his tone becoming noticeably more guilty.
"Do you know what my master told me when I went up the mountain just now?"
Yue Feng did not answer the question, but changed the subject.
"what?"
"My master reminded me that you've been getting a bit cocky lately, and told me to find a chance to teach you a lesson, otherwise you'll get into trouble!" Yue Feng said bluntly without any pretense.
"No, I... I didn't do anything wrong!" Xiao Tao scratched his head, his tone tinged with grievance.
"It hasn't been long, and you're already smoking foreign cigarettes and wearing a Russian watch. You even asked me to get one for you!"
"Master is right. If it weren't for those two balls in your crotch holding you back, I think you'd be flying to the sky!" Yue Feng said with a sneer, showing no mercy.
Hearing this, Xiao Tao didn't dare to argue back. He had indeed been showing off a bit lately, but apart from his father, no one else had said anything to him to his face.
Now that his older brother Yue Feng had also given him a warning, Xiao Tao knew his own state and quickly lowered his head.
Seeing that Xiao Tao was silent, Yue Feng's heart softened: "Alright, lift your head! There are no outsiders in the room, you can't even stand being scolded?"
"No! Brother, I know you're doing this for my own good!"
Xiao Tao looked up, and his eyes and expression were noticeably better than when he first entered the room.
“In a few days, you’ll be getting married and starting a family! Others don’t say anything because they don’t want to offend you! But I’m your brother, so even if others don’t say anything, I have to!”
"Have you been a bit unsettled lately? You seem to feel like you're making a name for yourself wherever you go!" Yue Feng said earnestly.
"Ok!"
Xiao Tao nodded, but his expression was still a bit awkward.
Do you know why people give you face and give you gifts?
"I know, because we helped Zhang Ge get his goods through these connections. They made money through these collaborations!"
"At least you're not completely confused! I originally didn't plan to accept this commission that was offered to me, but now that I've accepted it and it's a fait accompli, I should just relax!"
However, one thing to keep in mind is that when contacting friends through other channels, you must be steady and cautious, always keep your guard up, and maintain a proper attitude!
"If you're lucky, everything will be fine, but if you're unlucky, these are all deadly devils!" Yue Feng deliberately exaggerated the consequences.
"At most, it's just smuggling some scarce goods. The channels are all in place. Even if something goes wrong, it won't be that serious!"
Xiao Tao scratched his head, somewhat disagreeing with his older brother's statement.
"Keep a low profile, be discreet, and don't let the whole city know about our affairs. Even if something goes wrong, we'll have a chance to make amends or avoid risks!"
If you're always strutting around with a cigarette in your mouth, feeling like everyone's being polite and showering you with gifts and trying to build relationships, have you ever considered that if something really happens, the more high-profile you are before, the harder it will be to extricate yourself from the situation?
"Brother, I understand! I won't hang out with them anymore!"
Xiao Tao nodded, finally understanding why his older brother had been angry and reprimanded him.
Smoking is a minor matter, it's just a watch, it's not a problem. The real problem is Xiao Tao's mentality and state of mind. He's too high-profile and doesn't know how to be restrained. When trouble comes, he's a typical example.
"I know why I'm reminding you! How are the wedding preparations going?"
Seeing that Xiao Tao had admitted his mistake, Yue Feng softened his tone and started asking about the wedding again.
"We've basically finished all the preparations! Everything for the wedding has been prepared in advance, and Mr. Meng said he'll cover all the cigarettes, alcohol, candy, tea, and the like! This money..." Xiao Tao continued.
"Of course we can't take advantage of others! You're beholden to them if they feed you, and you're obligated to give them money if they give you gifts! President Meng seems easy to get along with, but he has his own agenda in associating with you!"
"You've taken his favor and incurred his debt. What will you do if he asks you for other supplies from Zhang Wenhui in the future? Will you give them to him or not?" Yue Feng said knowingly.
"Then I'll prepare the money in advance and find an opportunity to settle the bill with him later!" Xiao Tao immediately replied.
Yue Feng pondered for a moment and shook his head: "This is not appropriate. It seems too deliberate. Once a promise is made, it cannot be broken! Let's get married first, and then repay the favor at a suitable opportunity after the wedding!"
Once you get married, you'll be an adult, and you'll have to learn how to greet and send off people in society. Outsiders aren't like us hunting team brothers who can do whatever we want!
My trip to Beijing was quite an ordeal; luckily, I was fortunate enough to avoid any major mishaps!
"What's wrong? Who messed with us? Dared to bare their teeth, I'll go kill them!"
Upon hearing that his elder brother had gotten into trouble in Beijing, Xiao Tao glared at him and immediately became menacing.
"It's not as serious as you think. I only got a little involved. I didn't follow the principle of caution that Uncle Wu told me when dealing with those young masters!"
This incident served as a wake-up call for me, and you should learn from it too!
Only in this way can we brothers hold onto the cards we've worked so hard to accumulate and play them steadily!
"What exactly happened? Who is it? Young Master Jin? Or Brother Tiger? Or perhaps a member of the Ye family?"
Xiao Tao didn't give up asking. Looking into Yue Feng's eyes, he continued to count the names one by one.
"Neither. A man named Li Wenhu is already dead!"
"What the hell? Someone's dead?" Xiao Tao jumped to his feet. (End of Chapter)