Chapter Thirty-Two: A String of Pearls

Guan Wei’s expression stiffened. Although he quickly regained his composure, that brief moment of hesitation had already confirmed Jiang Xiaodao’s theory.

"What are you talking about? What 'big-toothed guy'?"

Jiang Xiaodao, having already made up his mind, couldn't help but ask, "The business with the Changfeng Escort Agency is over, so why are you still hiding it from me?"

Guan Wei looked a bit awkward. He glanced into the room and tentatively asked back, "Did Old Seven tell you?"

"I’m not brainless; I figured it out myself!"

Guan Wei sucked his teeth, weighed his options for a moment, and finally sighed. "It wasn't that we were intentionally keeping it from you. Your father was afraid you’d overthink things and planned to tell you himself."

"And if you had told me, what would have happened?" Jiang Xiaodao said, a hint of resentment in his voice. "At least I could have had some mental preparation."

"It seems you still don't get it! We didn't want you to be prepared. Like I said, the less you know about this, the better you act, and the cleaner the job gets done!"

"But I suspected you were that big-toothed guy ages ago!"

"Ha! The more you talk, the more ridiculous it gets!" Guan Wei curled his lip in disdain. "Give you a megaphone and you really will blow it, won't you?"

"You don't believe me!" Jiang Xiaodao stiffened his neck. "The first time I met Seventh Uncle, he threw a hidden weapon at me and asked if I knew who had taken down that big red-faced man. From that moment on, I suspected you guys were disguised as that big-toothed guy. I just didn't know who 'Head Escort Hu' was at the time."

Thinking back, it wasn't some miraculous art of disguise; it was just that Hu Biao’s face was so distinctive that it was unforgettable. Since it had been late at night, sticking on a beard, painting on a few freckles, and putting a black strip between his teeth made it easy to impersonate him.

Guan Wei hadn't known that Gong Baonan had had that conversation with Jiang Xiaodao, and upon hearing this, he immediately flared up.

"Wait a minute, so Old Seven was the one who helped you take down that red-faced guy? That beast—it’s bad enough he’s lazy and gluttonous, but he acts on his own initiative and can’t keep his mouth shut. He’s going to ruin everything sooner or later!"

Halfway through, Guan Wei felt something was off and asked, "Then why didn't you suspect he was 'Hu Biao'?"

Jiang Xiaodao replied, "I did suspect him at first, but your voice sounded more like it."

"Just by the voice?"

Jiang Xiaodao shook his head. "Not entirely. Sixth Uncle, I’ve been called all sorts of things my whole life, but only you and that big-toothed guy that night called me 'Little Brother'."

Guan Wei couldn't help but narrow his eyes. He hadn't expected the kid to be so observant.

"Anything else?"

"Yeah!" Jiang Xiaodao continued on his own. "Remember when I asked you about underworld slang that day? The words I asked you about were the ones you used on me that night."

Guan Wei suddenly recalled the incident. At the time, he had even joked that Jiang Xiaodao wasn't learning the slang from him, but testing him on it.

"But in the end, you were still just guessing."

"I never said I had proof!" Jiang Xiaodao went on. "Also, my father didn't want me to go home at first, but after that night with Old Lady Feng, he said I could go back. When I did, I discovered the head was gone."

"Mm, keep going."

"On New Year’s Eve, when you brought dumplings to me and Old Cui, you were carrying two bags, but you only gave us one."

"Wait!" Guan Wei couldn't help but interrupt. "You’re telling me you knew I was carrying a head back then?"

"Not exactly. At the time, I just thought you were being stingy. I didn't even think about it when I saw the head at the Changfeng Escort Agency; it was only later that it dawned on me."

"So you just decided that the Hu Biao from that night was me in disguise?"

Jiang Xiaodao shook his head. "No, those were all just wild guesses."

"Then you were talking about it like it was the truth..." Guan Wei realized. "You kid were playing a bluff on me?"

Jiang Xiaodao looked slightly smug. "Old Cui told me that when fortune tellers run into something they aren't sure about, they bluff to catch people off guard. If they flinch, it’s true; if they don’t, it’s not."

"I was careless!" Guan Wei slapped his forehead. "You really are a natural for the underworld. No wonder the Big Brother dotes on you."

"If he really doted on me, would he let me do this? I almost got snatched by the Russians!"

"If you had been snatched, your father would have found a way to pay the ransom to get you out. Why else do you think he had me steal He Lishan’s nest egg?"

Thinking back on it, Guan Wei still felt a lingering fear. That was an escort agency! If Jiang Chenghai hadn't ordered Guan Wei to steal He Lishan’s funds to ensure there was money to maneuver if Jiang Xiaodao got caught, Guan Wei could have hidden the head anywhere—given the Russians' penchant for looting, they would have found it eventually.

However, Jiang Xiaodao wasn't appreciative; he was more concerned about why he had been chosen for the plot.

Guan Wei gave a bitter laugh. "Xiaodao, you aren't special. This role could have been played by anyone."

Jiang Xiaodao was confused. "Then does my father really think of me as his son or not?"

"Of course he does. That’s why when he wanted to adopt you, the others objected! Concern leads to chaos, and mistakes are easily made. It was best to keep you in the dark, let you be a pawn without you knowing any better. That way, the job gets done cleanly!"

"Then at the beginning..."

"We originally wanted Wang Youcai to report it to the authorities and frame the Changfeng Escort Agency. Once the officials investigated and the head turned up, someone would inevitably tip off the Russians. I had already stolen it before you and I met that night; I was just waiting for the right moment, for someone to see 'Hu Biao' stealing."

Jiang Xiaodao pondered this for a moment and suddenly shivered.

"Then if I had been caught by that red-faced guy, wouldn't it have been over?"

"That’s exactly what we wanted—for you to be caught!" Guan Wei said without hesitation. "That way, when the officials investigated, you would point the finger at 'Hu Biao,' we’d hide the head at the Changfeng Escort Agency, blow a little wind toward the Russians, and the job would have been done long ago!"

"Your job would have been done, but what about me?"

"You weren't the Big Brother’s son back then, so who cared?" Guan Wei explained. "The only reason we left the head with you later was to see if you would go to the Russians to report it for a reward. It turned out you didn't pay it any mind at all!"

At this point, Jiang Xiaodao tilted his head and looked through the gap in the door at Gong Baonan, who was sleeping on the kang. He didn't have a good impression of this Seventh Uncle; the first time they met, Gong Baonan had slapped him several times. Yet, looking at it now, if Gong Baonan hadn't taken down Er Qiang that night, Jiang Xiaodao would likely have been arrested by the authorities long ago.

"Then if I had never reported it to the officials, what were you planning to do?"

"What else could we do?" Guan Wei shrugged. "Find someone else, I suppose. Sigh, using others to do your dirty work is always a hassle, but there’s no other way. The Changfeng Escort Agency has been in Liaoyang for decades, with connections and skills—without using the Russians' hands, we might not have been able to clear them out."

"Was this all my father’s idea?"

Guan Wei sighed. "If the Big Brother had this much cunning, would he still be running errands for the old man? This was your Third Uncle’s plan—the one with the beard, Sun Chengmo."

Jiang Xiaodao nodded. Third Uncle Sun Chengmo had been a scholar.

Jiang Xiaodao had thought that knowing the truth would make him feel clearer, but now he only had one thought: lingering terror.

Seeing Jiang Xiaodao’s silence, Guan Wei realized he had said too much and feared he might have hurt his feelings, so he reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Xiaodao, there’s a saying in the underworld: friends are made through fights. Don't blame your father and these uncles for being ruthless. You were an outsider back then, but now you’re family—that’s different! If we were kind-hearted every day, how could we survive?"

Jiang Xiaodao remained silent, lost in thought. After a long while, as if he had suddenly reached an epiphany, he wiped his face, looked up, and gave a fawning smile.

"Sixth Uncle, you’re really capable, stealing from an escort agency! Teach me how to do it!"