Chapter 120: The White Powder Dealer

“Mo Jie, do you think I wouldn’t know that?” Golden Teeth smiled broadly. “This is how I make my living; how could I not know the well diggers?”

“That’s good to hear,” Li Momo inhaled sharply on her cigarette. “Although the plantation isn’t directly managed by the boss, it’s still important. In principle, I shouldn’t interfere, but your management is far too lax.”

Golden Teeth nodded repeatedly. “Whatever advice you have, I’m all ears.”

“What advice can I offer? It’s not under my jurisdiction,” Li Momo smiled, then her tone suddenly turned cold. “But if I catch you bringing strangers into the plantation again, the boss will have to deal with you.”

Golden Teeth stiffened his neck and nodded awkwardly.

He was just trying to earn some extra income, after all.

No one in the plantation dared touch those precious treasures; anyone who did would be hunted down by everyone.

Still, Golden Teeth only dared to entertain the thought quietly. If he offended Li Momo by speaking out, there was no doubt he would suffer under the boss’s wrath.

Li Momo understood pharmaceuticals and could make improvements. After so many years with the boss, she had become an even more treasured asset than the plantation itself.

Flowers can be replanted, but talented people are hard to come by.

“First, clear these people out,” Li Momo gestured with her eyes. “I don’t want to see them here again.”

Golden Teeth nodded eagerly. “Right, right, I’ll take care of it immediately.”

He hurried over to Mo Fei and his group. “Gentlemen, we’re closing for the day. Please, make your way out.”

“Closing?” Mo Fei’s gaze flicked between Golden Teeth and Li Momo. “Are you really closing, or is someone forcing you to close? Be clear.”

“A bit of both,” Golden Teeth waved his hands. “Come along, come along.”

Unfamiliar with the situation, Mo Fei looked to Long Er for guidance.

Long Er glanced away. “Let’s go, genius.”

“Hey, Brother Long, it’s great you’re being so generous. How about this? I’ll treat you all to a meal!” Golden Teeth eagerly led the way. “Authentic fish noodle soup, fresh shrimp hotpot, and tea leaf broad bean salad—you haven’t tried these, right?”

“Never had them!” Mo Fei perked up, stepping closer to ask, “Do you really know how the flavors are here? And you’re treating? No limits on how much we eat?”

“Of course!” Golden Teeth chuckled. “The tastes here aren’t too different from back home, just a bit heavier on the curry—Southeast Asia style!”

Mo Fei looked surprised. “So, Golden Teeth, you’re not from back home? You’re a local from here?”

“Yeah, my family’s been overseeing the plantation for generations.” Golden Teeth spoke proudly. “Otherwise, the boss wouldn’t have given me this job.”

“Then you must know the area well,” Mo Fei smiled knowingly. “Do you happen to know—”

Golden Teeth gave a sly grin. “Hey, didn’t expect you to have that hobby. But our girls here aren’t exactly top quality; they probably can’t compare to your own reflection.”

Mo Fei’s smile faded. “I meant the places selling potassium nitrate and white phosphorus. What are you thinking?”

“Potassium nitrate and white phosphorus?” Golden Teeth paused. “You’re in the same business?”

“Same business?”

“Anyone in our line knows a bit about making homemade explosives. It’s just the difference between making them and whether they actually detonate.”

“You know how hard it is to get these materials back home, right?”

“You think these black market goods at the border come from where? Let me tell you—”

The two lowered their voices to whisper while Long Er and Long Si trailed behind.

“I don’t think he even needs bodyguards,” Long Si hoisted his luggage on his shoulder. “Just give him alone eight seconds and he’s brother-buddy with the other party. No one else in the trade does it like that.”

“That’s because you haven’t seen what he was like before.” Long Er shook his head. “He was perfectly normal—only after that incident with Da Fei did he change.”

Long Si laughed. “Da Fei has that kind of power?”

“Just that he... was normal?” Long Si shook his head. “I really can’t imagine what ‘normal’ looks like for him.”

In Director Wang’s films, he played a psychopath—and after meeting him, it was clear the role was well cast.

Indeed, he had that potential.

Mo Fei and Golden Teeth were already whispering about whose potassium nitrate was purer and whose red and white phosphorus processing was safer.

“This is just about making gunpowder. Let me tell you, if you want to deal in heroin, come to me—I won’t steer you wrong,” Golden Teeth said confidently. “I’m no big dealer, but I can supply a small-time user.”

“Better not. I’m fine just playing with explosives,” Mo Fei declined repeatedly. “Back home, they crack down hard on this stuff. The whole world knows it.”

Golden Teeth nodded. “True, after the ’90s, our plantations shrank. It’s only recently that we’ve started expanding again.”

“With the current economy, it’s tough. Better to play it safe with thin profits but steady sales.” Golden Teeth gave a thumbs-up. “You know, sales have actually been better lately than in past years!”

Mo Fei’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Absolutely!” Golden Teeth said seriously. “That’s why I say there’s great potential here.”

Such potential, however, was hardly necessary.

The disdain for these things was ingrained in the Chinese people. Even thieves and robbers looked down upon drug dealers—utter contempt and rejection.

But as an actor with self-restraint, Mo Fei didn’t let Golden Teeth see any of his disdain and continued chatting amiably.

After the meal, Golden Teeth promised to take Mo Fei to meet arms dealers the next day and arranged accommodations for them.

The lodging and dining in the city center here were comparable to those back home. But near the plantation, conditions were rougher—looking like any ordinary rundown roadside inn, only with a bit of local flavor.

It was that local flavor that stirred some unpleasant memories in Mo Fei.

In many of his dreams, he’d encountered strange occurrences in places just like this—ghostly infants, female spirits summoning souls, and the like.

This environment was all too familiar.

Mo Fei stayed close to Long Er, asking if there were any unclean things around.

“Unclean things?” Long Si raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“Like ghost children, infant spirits, the red-clad senior sister.” Mo Fei’s voice grew tense. “Are there any? Any at all?”

“I don’t know about those, but the ghost children come from Thailand,” Long Si said. Seeing Mo Fei’s slight relief, he added, “But since this area borders Thailand, it’s possible some things have spread here.”

Mo Fei’s anxiety flared up again.

Long Si seemed intrigued. “I heard a story: a newlywed couple said that whether a ghost gets into bed depends on the direction the shoes point. If one shoe points inward and the other outward, ghosts can’t get on the bed.”

Mo Fei listened thoughtfully and nodded.

Long Si grinned mischievously. “Later, when the husband got up to use the bathroom, the wife whimsically arranged their shoes that way. The result—”

“The husband came back and kept circling the bed,” Long Si lowered his voice. “He said, ‘Why can’t I get into bed?’”