He replied: "Shui, have you ever been to the northeast of China?"
"Damn, I have never been there before. I had such a poor family and the longest time I was away was when I sent my brother to university" I said to him.
There was a faint smile on Feng Chunsheng's face. He said: "So, that's why you didn't know how serious it was there. There are five folk masters and there are very many shrines for them in many households. Those masters… They are the fox, the weasel, the hedgehog and the mouse, and you should never offend any of them. Liao Min and Xiao Hong are like this just because they offended the weasel."
"It's rather complicated; you'd better not get involved or you might lose your life too." Feng Chunsheng said.
I asked him why Chen Yuhao could be involved.
Feng Chunsheng shouted at me: "You are such a fool; do you know who Chen Yuhao is? He has such powerful strength in this business that he can't be compared to us. He can fight against the nine dragons so he can also fight against those folk masters… He is very fierce.
"Remember what I've told you. Just don't get involved in this matter, or else you may lose your life… Just earn your money through Yin and Yang tattoos. Anyway, safety first." After he finished talking, he hung up.
I got confused when I heard what he said. So did I have to see Liao Min tomorrow?
I thought about it for a while and judged that I had to do it since I'd promised. I would take Feng Chunsheng with me tomorrow and find out about Liao Min's story, and make the decision later.
…
I made a call to my mother when I arrived home. After that I was lonely in the house in a daze, still thinking about how to change the pattern for Chen Yuhao. I had to do something since he was such a great master, and I also didn't want my reputation ruined by him.
I was drawing on a piece of paper while thinking about the similarities of those two patterns in my mind.
The change was based on the similarities of those two patterns.
I almost figured it out when I was interrupted by a phone call.
"Hello, Shui!" I could hear the laughter from the phone.
It was the voice of one of my best friends - Li Xiangbo.
Li Xiangbo was a society person.
I usually called him "Mr. Bo from the society."
During the daytime, Li Xiangbo was a chef, and in the evening, he would go out to collect money for the manageres. He also had a few brothers. They were not so strong but looked scary.
During my childhood, he lived next to my master and we were good playmates.
This guy remained faithful to his friends and obeyed the rules too. Though he was a society person, whenever we drank wine, he might tell me he was there not for money but for entertainment, and he also got a normal job.
What impressed me most was when he went to work as a chef for the first time.
The restaurant manager never knew about Li Xiangbo's other job - a so-called small scoundrel - so he would always give him a hard time.
And he would always deduct from Li Xiangbo's salary for trivial things.
But Li Xiangbo was so generous, he didn't care about it and he didn't say anything when he lost money, since he had disobeyed the rules.
What's more, Li Xiangbo enjoyed playing. He would always go to a bar to entertain when there were no customers; he didn't care about his salary.
That manager was supposed to give him three thousand per month as his salary, but at the end of the month, Li Xiangbo would only get a little more than two thousand.
However, Li Xiangbo didn't mind.
It was on the third month when Li Xiangbo really pissed off his manager.
Because there were not so many guests in the restaurant, that manager told Li Xiangbo: "You were late too many times, so you don't need to come starting tomorrow. Just stay at home."
Li Xiangbo didn't care about it at the time. In any case, it was only a matter of going to work or not. He didn't lack money and had good skills, so he thought he could find a new job.
That night, after he finished collecting the money with his two brothers, he went to that manager for his salary.
At that time, that manager was drinking in the restaurant alone and having the moo shu pork. He just told Li Xiangbo, "No money for you."
"What? No money?" Li Xiangbo thought he heard wrong and asked him: "I worked almost thirty days this month, so why don't I get a salary?"
"You were playing outside every day and now I don't have so much business. How dare you ask for the salary?" That manager wanted to go back on his words.
Li Xiangbo scolded him to his face: "Are you a fool? Did I give you trouble when you cooked while I was outside? Do you know why you have such poor business? That moo shu pork only costs eighteen, but you ask for twenty five. One must be a fool to eat here. How can you blame me for this situation? Let me tell you now, I will smash your shop if I don't get the money today."
That manager felt strange. Li Xiangbo was always so humble, so why was he so arrogant today? Because he brought two other people with him?
He refused to believe him, stood up, and showed him his fist: "Show me!"
"Hey," Li Xiangbo told his two brothers: "Just stay there, let me fight him alone."
Li Xiangbo came up and gave that manager a thorough beating.
Li Xiangbo was strong and fierce, he always fought on the street. He was cruel and it was an easy thing to beat his manager.
He pressed him to the ground and beat him.
Hearing this, the manager's wife came out from the house and wanted to hit Li Xiangbo.
It was just then that seven or eight other gangsters went into the shop. They wanted to help Li Xiangbo as they saw he was fighting with two people. He was a little famous in that area and those gangsters all knew him.
Li Xiangbo blocked them, saying that he could deal with his own matters and didn't need others to help him.
One of the gangsters just laughed at the manager and his wife, saying they were such awful countrymen and how dared they hit Mr. Bo.
Now that manager could understand that Li Xiangbo was a tough man.
The manager's wife just made the concessions to avoid trouble, she said she would give Li Xiangbo five thousand Yuan and never be held responsible for it.
Ordinary people would just take the money and go away.
But Li Xiangbo was not willing to do so. He sat at a table and calculated: "Manager, now listen, I was late four times this month and I was absent five times, so seven hundred should be deducted. I should get three thousand per month, but now after this deduction, the number is two thousand and three hundred, so give me this money and I won't cause any trouble to you in the future."
The manager was confused, he wondered whether there was something wrong with him. He didn't want the five thousand, but only two thousand and three hundred?
Actually, that was exactly Li Xiangbo's character. He dared to stand up for himself without fear but never abused his power and bullied people. He would take only what was owed to him.
I always thought Li Xiangbo was a very reliable and elegant gangster.
When he called me, I replied immediately: "Mr. Bo, what's up?"
He spoke directly and asked me: "Shui, did any ruffians come to you studio recently?"
"How dare they come when you support me?" I smiled and said to him: "Mr. Bo, tell me, what can I do for you?"
"Nothing, I just miss you, so come out and let's drink?" said Li Xiangbo.
I replied: "My Mr. Bo asked me, so I must go now."
Then he continued: "Well, Shui, I'd heard that you got a new business of Yin and Yang tattoos, right? There was also the advertisement, Yin and Yang tattoos, the tattoos for Yin and Yang, for riches and honor and a safe journey."
"Oh, that's not its advertisement, it is a prophecy that can be believed to be fulfilled in the future." I asked him: "So you want to have a try?"
"Yes, I do. Let's meet at the Time Reflux Bar, my treat." So Li Xiangbo wanted to know something about Yin and Yang tattoos from me.
I said I would come soon.
I dropped the pen and paper and rode my bike outside.
The Time Reflux Bar was not far from my place and it took only ten minutes for me to arrive.
Li Xiangbo was waiting for me at the gate, he punched out his cigarette and waved to me, "Shui, come here."
I came and hugged him.
He took my arm and went to the bar.
There were many people in the bar who knew him, one with long yellow hair and a smart hair style waved to him: "Mr. Bo, come here, I've a new girl, she's very nice, my treat."
"Damn treat." Li Xiangbo gave a blow direct in his face: "All you know about is how to have sex, what a guy with knowledge and culture. Do you know what age it is? It's the information age, you need to get more knowledge and don't think about girls every day, so forget your smart hair style."
I almost wanted to laugh when I heard what he said. Actually I knew Li Xiangbo was a good person, but he was also a gangster and those girls would be very proactive to get close to him.
Or that's to say - there were so many girls around him every day, it was such a different situation while so many men remained single.
But today, there seemed to be something unusual about him.
Because after he finished scolding that gangster, he took me to a private room upstairs without noticing those women.
"Oh, Mr. Bo, you've changed your preference today", I said.
Li Xiangbo looked anxious: "Don't mention it now, I was very annoyed recently. Let's talk inside the room."
When we were in the room, Li Xiangbo closed the door tightly, and said to me: "Well… Shui, let me ask you one thing."
"What's that?" I replied.
Li Xiangbo asked me: "Are your Yin and Yang tattoos used as medical treatment?"
"It depends." I said.
Then he took out a box of cigarettes. When he opened it, he took out one cigarette and bent it gently. He asked me: "What about this one?"
"Oh…"
I looked at him seriously: "Mr. Bo, have you been… changed by a man? You like men now?"
"Damn it." He was so angry he threw the cigarette away and said to me: "You have even studied in high school, why don't you know about it? It was such obvious indication, but you didn't understand?"
Li Xiangbo told me: "Damn, I just can't… make myself erect firmly."
"What? You cannot?" I got a little surprised. Li Xiangbo couldn't make it well?
"When did it start?" I asked him: "You need to go to the doctor, you shouldn't wait any longer."
A successful man should not only be ambitious when he worked, but should have a good relationship with his wife.
Now, it was really a bitter blow to him when he couldn't erect firmly.