Chapter 8

"Big Brother, this matter is easy to handle."

Upon hearing Hao Lao's words, Liu Zi's face showed a hint of viciousness. "When the time comes, we'll pierce the child's eardrums and give him a dumbing drug. After getting in the car, we'll give him some knockout powder. He probably won't wake up until we reach our destination. Once we're in our territory, what's there to fear?"

Liu Zi was responsible for finding homeless children in various cities across the country. Using this method, he had brought back no fewer than twenty or thirty children, making him quite experienced.

Seeing that Hao Lao was somewhat swayed, Liu Zi continued, "Big Brother, since the Liu family treats us like this, there's no need for us to give them any face. Once we leave, it will be a long way from the emperor's reach, and we won't have any further dealings with them."

"That's true. Liu Zi, have you found a target yet?"

Hao Lao was somewhat swayed by Liu Zi's words. After all, they would be traveling by train in sleeper cars, and no one would suspect anything if they brought an extra child.

"Big Brother, we need to find a local thug for this."

Liu Zi finished his drink, stood up, and said, "Big Brother, I've invited the two Sun brothers. They should be here soon. I'll go out to meet them."

After less than five minutes, two middle-aged men with similar builds and appearances followed Liu Zi into the room. As soon as they entered, their eyes lit up at the sight of the alcohol on the table.

After inviting the two men in, Liu Zi gave Hao Lao a look and said, "Brothers Sun, this is Mr. Chi from the north. I, Liu Zi, am just a middleman. You can discuss the details with him."

People in the underworld, especially those involved in illegal activities, rarely reveal their true intentions to outsiders. Although Hao Lao was from the south, Liu Zi referred to him as a boss from the north.

Moreover, Liu Zi's words distanced himself from Hao Lao, making the Sun brothers less wary and less likely to suspect a conspiracy.

"Brothers Sun, I've heard much about you. Whether you call me a boss or not, we are all brothers. Come, let's sit down and have a few drinks."

From the moment the Sun brothers entered, Hao Lao could tell they were fond of alcohol. He stood up and spoke in a Northeastern accent, without a trace of a Southern accent.

"That... how can we possibly accept that?"

Although they protested, Sun Lao and Sun Er couldn't help but sit down at the table, their eyes fixed on the food and drinks.

The Sun brothers were originally railway workers, considered to have stable jobs in this era. However, they were lazy and unwilling to work hard. When the reform and opening-up policy made some people rich, the brothers dreamed of getting rich quickly.

In the mid-1980s, they took sick leave and started doing business. However, their short-sightedness and focus on immediate gains led them to narrow paths, eventually losing all their capital.

While doing business, some people made money, and others lost. It wasn't unusual, and they could have returned to work. However, the brothers had other ideas and turned to fraud.

In 1986, they defrauded 5,000 yuan from an agricultural company in the provincial capital, Shijiazhuang. Before they could spend all the money, they were caught and each sentenced to two years in prison.

Liu Zi was a cellmate they met in the labor camp.

After being released from prison, they lost their jobs and became lazy. Unwilling to work hard, they started drinking heavily, unable to go a day without alcohol.

In 1990, Liu Zi found them and took them on a trip around the Beijing-Tianjin area, bringing back three children. He gave them 500 yuan, which they quickly spent.

However, in the tough region of Cangzhou, they had to keep a low profile, living off their father's pension. Life had been difficult for them in recent years.

So when Liu Zi mentioned another deal, the brothers rushed over faster than rabbits. A few years ago, they had earned 500 yuan by helping Liu Zi deceive a few children. If they hadn't lost contact with Liu Zi, they would have joined him long ago.

"Come, brothers, let's drink to this!"

Hao Lao raised his glass to the two men. The Sun brothers, already stimulated by the alcohol, quickly finished their drinks, wiping their mouths contentedly without touching the food.

"Mr. Chi is indeed a generous man. I'll drink to you again!"

Sun Lao, without hesitation, refilled his and his brother's glasses and poured another for Hao Lao. Without waiting for Hao Lao to speak, he drank it down.

"Hey, hey, I'll join you," Sun Er, not wanting to be left behind, also drank his glass in one gulp.

Hao Lao wasn't in a hurry. After finishing the first bottle of Erguotou, he took out another. When he saw the Sun brothers were almost drunk, he said, "Brothers, to be honest, I'm here in Cangzhou to take two children back. Some families in our area can't have children and are willing to pay for them. Do you know of any suitable children here?"

Kidnapping children for begging was even more serious than trafficking. Hao Lao didn't want to reveal his true intentions to the Sun brothers, whose alcoholism he found distasteful.

"Mr. Chi, what age are you looking for? Newborns?"

Upon hearing Hao Lao's words, the Sun brothers' drunkenness cleared a bit. They exchanged a glance, remembering that Liu Zi had used the same excuse when he asked them to kidnap children. Sun Lao didn't suspect anything.

Hao Lao pretended to think for a moment and said, "The family I'm helping is poor. They fear the child won't survive if they keep it. I think a six or seven-year-old would be perfect."

"Six or seven years old? That's easy to find, but... they are already old enough to understand. It might be hard to deceive them."

Sun Lao frowned. In the early 1990s, people were relatively simple, living mostly in single-story houses with children running around. Adults had little suspicion.

However, six or seven-year-olds could remember things. If they were discovered, the consequences could be severe. In this tough region, people could easily be killed in a fit of anger.

A few years ago, two traffickers had kidnapped a child but were caught at the train station by angry villagers. Dozens of people rushed in and killed the traffickers on the spot. The police couldn't do much, only sentencing the leaders to two years in prison. After this incident, the security in Cangzhou improved, and petty crimes decreased.

So while the Sun brothers had the courage to steal newborns, as they couldn't speak, they were hesitant about kidnapping a six or seven-year-old.

"Brothers, I know you are powerful in this area. That's why I introduced Mr. Chi to you. If you can't handle this, don't blame me for not helping you in the future."

Seeing the Sun brothers hesitate, Liu Zi urged them, taking out a stack of "big unity" notes and tapping them. "Mr. Chi is very sincere. The money is all prepared!"

"How much for one child?"

Seeing the stack of money, Sun Lao's eyes widened. The brothers were poor, and the sight of the money made them more willing to take the risk.

"One thousand yuan. How about that, brothers? Mr. Chi is very generous, isn't he?"

Liu Zi's words made the Sun brothers swallow hard. A railway worker's monthly salary was only about 100 yuan. One thousand yuan was almost a year's salary, and they would have to live frugally to save that much.

"Deal!"

Sun Lao, greedily eyeing the money, said, "Since Mr. Chi trusts us, we won't let you down. We'll take care of it."

Sun Er, still somewhat rational, pulled his brother aside and whispered, "Brother, don't agree so quickly. This is not an easy task."

Hearing his brother's words, Sun Lao laughed and whispered back, "What's there to fear? Don't you remember the two children living by the railway? The younger one is about six or seven years old."

"Ah, how could I forget? Taking that little girl would be easy, wouldn't it?"

Sun Er's eyes lit up. They had often seen the Qin Feng siblings on the streets but never considered them worth targeting. Now, they seemed like the perfect candidates.

The Sun brothers discussed in whispers for a while. Sun Lao then looked at Hao Lao and said, "Mr. Chi, to be honest, we know of two children. The younger one is a girl, about six or seven years old. The older one is a bit of a problem, around eleven or twelve, and might not be easy to tame."

Most children kidnapped were sold to poor families in remote areas, but girls were less desirable than boys for carrying on the family name. Sun Lao was worried that "Mr. Chi" might not want them.

"It's a girl?" Hao Lao chuckled. "A girl is good. The family I'm helping wants a girl. The older one is also fine; I'll take her too!"

A deaf and mute girl would evoke more sympathy than a boy. The Sun brothers didn't know that Hao Lao preferred a girl.

As for the eleven or twelve-year-old boy, Hao Lao had a plan. He would pierce his eardrums, cut his tongue, and break one of his legs, turning him into a tool for profit.

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