bookbashuk Chapter 40 Zhao Jianjun Returns
Chapter 40 Zhao Jianjun Returns
Lin Zhou was driving his Mustang at a slow speed. Ever since Zhao Jianjun secretly returned to the mainland under the pretext of looking for someone more than half a month ago, Lin Zhou had been uneasy. In these days, the situation in the mainland is unclear, and cross-border travel is inherently risky. Moreover, Zhao Jianjun was also on a mission to contact old comrades. If something went wrong, not only would Zhonghua Security lose a capable man, but Lin Zhou would also feel guilty.
As the car rounded a bend, the temporary warehouse of Zhonghua Security came into view. The warehouse was a converted abandoned warehouse with mottled exterior walls and a sign that read "Zhonghua Security Company" hanging at the entrance. Originally, Zhao Jianjun had asked Lin Zhou to hang a sign for a certain warehouse at the entrance as a cover, but Lin Zhou refused, saying that they had licenses and were legal, so there was no need to hide anything.
As soon as Lin Zhou parked the car, he saw the warehouse door open and several figures in faded old military uniforms were busy around a pile of luggage. The tall, dark-skinned man in the middle of the crowd was none other than Zhao Jianjun.
"Jianjun!" Lin Zhou greeted him with a smile.
Hearing the voice, Zhao Jianjun turned around abruptly, a hearty smile instantly spreading across his face. He strode forward, extending his large, fan-like hand to pat Lin Zhou's shoulder with such force that Lin Zhou stumbled. "Boss! I'm so glad to see you!" His voice, though weary from the journey, was still booming. "This trip back was exhausting, even more tiring than military training!"
Lin Zhou looked him up and down, and seeing that apart from some redness in the corners of his eyes, he seemed fine, and his heart finally settled down. "You didn't encounter any danger on the way, did you? I've been thinking about you every day for the past two weeks." He pulled Zhao Jianjun to the car outside the warehouse, took a bottle of Coke from the car and handed it to Zhao Jianjun. He had specially bought it from the city. In those days, Coke in Hong Kong was a rare commodity, and it was even imported from the United States.
Zhao Jianjun unscrewed the bottle cap, gulped down more than half of it, let out a satisfied burp, wiped his mouth, and said, "I didn't encounter any real danger, but I had a lot of trouble. I secretly took the train back, and when I transferred in Guangdong Province, I was checked for tickets several times." A hint of pride appeared on his face. "Luckily, I'm quick-witted. Every time I saw a train attendant coming, I would hide in the toilet or behind the luggage rack, and I managed to avoid being checked."
"You're really brave." Lin Zhou was a little scared. "The checks are very strict in the mainland at this time. If you're found to be without proper procedures, you might be detained as a bad guy."
"That's right." Zhao Jianjun's smile faded, and his tone became serious. "So when I came back, I made a point of going to the Revolutionary Committee at night to get a letter of introduction so that I could buy a train ticket openly. To my family, I only dared to say that I worked in a factory in Guangdong Province, and that it was a formal job assigned to me after my military service. I didn't leave them an address; I just said that I worked in a classified unit."
Lin Zhou nodded, deeply agreeing. "You did the right thing." His tone became serious. "The mainland is very sensitive about 'overseas connections' now. If you tell the truth, your family will inevitably be labeled. Being ostracized by your neighbors is a minor issue. They might even be forced to sever ties with you, and then you'll truly be unable to go home."
Zhao Jianjun sighed heavily. "Yes, my parents are getting old, and my younger brother and sister are still in school. I can't be a burden to them. Fortunately, they didn't ask too many questions. They just told me to work hard and take care of myself." He paused, a hint of longing on his face. "Everything is fine at home. My parents are still in good health. My brother got into the county high school this year, and my sister is sensible now, helping with housework. I left them some money, which I exchanged with people on the black market using my savings. I didn't dare leave them too much, afraid they would become suspicious."
Lin Zhou patted him on the shoulder and comforted him, "Things will get better and better in the future. Once our business is stable, we might be able to go back and visit more often."
As they were talking, the men surrounding the luggage walked over. Each of them was tall and straight, with sharp eyes; even in their old military uniforms, their rugged military bearing was undeniable. Zhao Jianjun immediately introduced them: "Boss, these are all my comrades from the same platoon in the army, brothers who would die for me!"
He pointed to a slightly shorter man with exceptionally bright eyes and said, "This is Li Tieniu, our class's machine gunner. He's an excellent marksman and very strong. He can carry a machine gun for five kilometers without getting out of breath."
Li Tieniu grinned, revealing two rows of neat white teeth, and nodded憨厚ly to Lin Zhou: "Hello, Boss Lin!"
"This is Wang Yong, a former reconnaissance soldier, best at tracking and infiltration. During an exercise back then, he single-handedly took down an enemy command post," Zhao Jianjun said, pointing to a lean, agile man.
Wang Yong gave Lin Zhou a crisp military salute and said in a crisp tone, "Boss Lin, please guide me in the future!"
Next, Zhao Jianjun introduced the remaining three: Zhang Meng, who was skilled in combat; Liu Junyi, who knew a little about medicine (that's what his comrades called him, his real name was Liu Jianguo); and Chen Mo, who was meticulous and in charge of communications. Each of them greeted Lin Zhou, their eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.
Lin Zhou smiled and returned the greeting, calling out their names one by one: "Tie Niu, Wang Yong, Zhang Meng, Doctor Liu, Chen Mo, welcome to Hong Kong! Since Jianjun brought you here, we are now family. From now on, Zhonghua Security will rely on us to work together."
Looking at their travel-worn appearance, he said, "You must be exhausted after your long journey. This warehouse is our temporary base. We've set up a few cubicles inside. Take a few days to rest and get used to the environment in Hong Kong."
"Thank you so much, Boss Lin!" the group said in unison, their faces showing gratitude. They had just arrived in Hong Kong and everything here was unfamiliar to them, so Lin Zhou's hospitality made them feel much more at ease.
Lin Zhou continued, "I've already bought a piece of land in Yuen Long. The factory is under construction. Once it's finished, you can move in and live there. After that, we'll build a dedicated security training base next to the factory. Training, accommodation, and offices will all be in one place, and the facilities will be much more complete than they are now."
Zhao Jianjun's eyes lit up: "That's great! This warehouse is too small now, we can't even train properly."
"Yes, there's something else I need to tell you." Lin Zhou changed the subject. "Please don't train at night for a while." He pointed to the residential area around the warehouse. "Our warehouse is too close to the neighbors. They've complained several times in the past few days that the noise from our training at night is too loud and keeps them from sleeping. It's different here in Hong Kong than on the mainland. If there are too many complaints from residents, the police will come knocking and make us close down or move out. That would be more troublesome."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jianjun immediately nodded in agreement: "No problem! Boss, don't worry, I'll tell the brothers right away that there will be no training tonight, and we'll try not to disturb the neighbors." He turned around and went back to the door to say to the team members inside: "Everyone, don't train at night anymore. Be quiet at night from now on. Schedule training during the day, and be quiet. Don't cause trouble for Boss Lin."
"Understood, Captain!" everyone responded in unison, their tone respectful. Zhao Jianjun was their captain, and even after so many years in the army, they were still used to following orders.
Lin Zhou was very satisfied with their neat and uniform appearance. He knew that these veterans were highly disciplined and had strong combat capabilities; with proper training, they could definitely become the core force of Zhonghua Security.
Lin Zhou turned to the group of people who had just arrived and said, "You've just arrived in Hong Kong, so you might not be familiar with the rules here." He continued, "Over the next few days, I'll have someone from the company show you around the area to familiarize you with the environment and explain the laws and precautions here. In the security business, we must first abide by the rules. We can't act like we do in the military, or it's easy to run into problems."
"Boss Lin is right, we'll all listen to you," Wang Yong said. He was perceptive and had already realized the differences between Hong Kong and the mainland.
Lin Zhou took out a wad of change from his bag and handed it to Zhao Jianjun, who was walking over: "This is a resettlement allowance for the brothers. Take 100 yuan each first, and let me know if you need more. You've just arrived, so you'll need to buy some daily necessities. You can also go to the city center to explore and try some Hong Kong specialties."
Wang Yong declined, saying, "Boss, isn't this too much money? We can't accept it."
"Take it." Lin Zhou gestured for Zhao Jianjun to take it. "This is a settlement allowance for you brothers who came to me for help. Since you were willing to come and help me, I can't treat you unfairly. Work hard in the future, and your salary and benefits will only get better and better. When the company becomes profitable, you will also receive dividends."
Seeing Lin Zhou's resolute attitude, they stopped refusing. Zhao Jianjun distributed the money to his comrades, saying, "Take it all. This is Boss Lin's kind gesture. Let's work hard from now on and not let Boss Lin down!"
The men accepted the money, their faces showing gratitude. One hundred yuan was a considerable sum in mainland China at that time, enough to live on at home for several months. Lin Zhou's generosity further strengthened their resolve to work for him.
Lin Zhou chatted with them for a while longer, asking about their experiences in the military and their respective strengths, and got a general idea of what was going on. He planned to assign tasks based on each person's strengths after they adapted to the environment, so that everyone could make the most of their advantages.
As evening approached and the setting sun cast a golden glow upon the warehouse, Lin Zhou glanced at the sky and said, "It's getting late. I'll take you to the city for something to eat, as a welcome-back dinner."
Zhao Jianjun and his comrades exchanged glances, their faces filled with anticipation. They had just arrived in Hong Kong and hadn't yet tasted the local cuisine. Not only had they not tried it, but Zhao Jianjun himself had never eaten anything in downtown Hong Kong.