The kang (heated brick bed) for left-behind women

Chapter 114 I'm the Boss - Part 1

He and Li Ruoxue were so affectionate that they didn't get up until nine o'clock the next morning.

As soon as I opened the door, a head was swaying back and forth.

This startled Lin Dachun.

It's Scarface.

"Are you stealing? You're scaring me half to death!" Lin Dachun joked.

"Hehe, I had to ask around about this place, I'm not familiar with the address," Scarface said with a smile.

Lin Dachun was surprised to see that he was carrying a gift.

"What are you doing? Sit in the yard." Lin Dachun pointed to the stone benches in the yard, then called out to the inner room, "Ruoxue, bring some tea."

"Okay, got it."

A short while later, Li Ruoxue came out with two cups of tea.

Scarface stared wide-eyed.

"Brother Da Chun, is this girl your daughter? Or...? Surely not your wife?" Scarface joked.

"No, that's not it. What do you want? It can't just be to give me a gift, can it?" Lin Dachun asked.

Scarface chuckled and handed me a cigarette.

Scarface lit a cigarette for Da Chun, saying, "I need to talk to you about something."

Hearing the noise in the kitchen, Li Ruoxue peeked out, then quickly withdrew.

Who in town doesn't know Scarface's reputation?

Inside that red shop, there were always some inexplicable noises at night.

The two sat down on the stone stools in the courtyard.

Scarface looked around and lowered his voice: "Business at the shop has been pretty good lately."

Lin Dachun hummed in agreement: "That's good."

"I hope no one's causing trouble?"

"Not yet, but definitely in the future," Scarface replied.

"Well..." Scarface rubbed his hands together, the scar gleaming in the sunlight, "...I'm just lacking women."

Lin Dachun tightened his grip on the cigarette butt in his hand.

"Look at them," Scarface leaned closer, blowing smoke from his mouth, "those long-haul truck drivers, they're gone for ten days or half a month at a time, and when they come back they just want to stretch their muscles. And those from out of town, all alone..."

He chuckled twice. "Men, they only have those basic needs."

"Why are you telling me this?" Lin Dachun's voice deepened.

"I need your help," Scarface said bluntly. "You know the area well and have a wide network. Could you help me go around and see if there are any... willing girls? Widows are fine, women left behind in rural areas are fine, and women from impoverished families are fine too. The price is negotiable."

"You're asking me to force a good woman into prostitution?" Lin Dachun understood.

"No, no, of course not." Scarface hurriedly shook his head and said, "Although I, Scarface, am evil and bad, I still have principles. I won't harm this woman and child."

"That's more like it."

Lin Dachun's gaze fell on the few epimedium plants in the corner of the yard.

In early summer, the leaves are lush and green.

"Da Chun, this is a good thing," Scarface continued, his tone like he was selling something great. "Those women, toiling away at home, what's the point? Come to me, it's easy, and the money comes quickly. Three or five yuan at a time, save up for a month or two, and it's better than farming for a year."

Three or five yuan.

Lin Dachun recalled Li Ruoxue selling tofu. She earned five cents per pound of tofu, and sold fifty pounds a day for only two yuan and fifty cents.

They had to get up early and work late, grinding grain and preparing brine, their hands covered in blisters.

"No," Lin Dachun said.

Scarface's smile faded slightly: "Brother Dachun, don't rush to refuse. I know you're a decent man. But not everyone in this world is as upright as you. Those women... you haven't seen them. Some widows will do anything for their children's food."

He paused, his voice lowering further: "Last month, there was a widow in Hougou Village whose child was sick and she had no money for medicine, so she came to me... Just once, five yuan, and the child was saved. Tell me, was I committing a sin or doing a good deed?"

These words seemed to have touched a nerve with Lin Dachun again.

"You can ask someone else to introduce you to this. There are plenty of matchmakers and middlemen out there," Lin Dachun replied.

"Of course! Aren't I letting you earn your commission and referral fee? Besides, if something really goes wrong, you being the middleman is better than them, right? It's also being responsible to the women. And to put it another way, with you there, those women trust you, so I can't resort to underhanded tactics, right?"

Scarface's theories are actually quite sophisticated.

"Okay, I can ask around for you. If they are genuinely willing, or if it's just a temporary job, I won't stop them. But I have a condition." Lin Dachun wanted to make his point clear upfront.

"you say."

"They should be treated well."

"That's for sure, Brother Da Chun. You yourself are one of the shareholders," Scarface said.

These words reminded Lin Dachun.

Am I one of the bosses too?