Chapter 4 Making Amends for Guilt

The middle-aged man wore a brightly colored Cantonese floral shirt, his hair styled in the contemporary Western short curls, and held an old-fashioned cell phone in his hand. At a glance, it was clear he was no ordinary person.

Chai Jin looked at him calmly. “Can I help you?”

The man smiled as he sat down, introducing himself with a heavy southern accent. “Cai Weiqiang, from Guangdong Province, just playing around in Zhonghai.”

“And you, young man? Where are you from?”

Chai Jin wiped his mouth. “Chai Jin, from Jiangnan Province.”

Cai Weiqiang nodded, remaining seated. “Do you have any stocks left?”

Chai Jin immediately understood the man’s intention for striking up a conversation.

The Zhonghai Stock Exchange had already been established for a year, but demand was so intense that black-market trading persisted despite repeated crackdowns.

This man was obviously involved in black-market stock deals.

He felt neither goodwill nor malice, and replied with a smile, “No, only a little left to save my life.”

Cai Weiqiang, of course, didn’t believe him.

At that time, stocks were pieces of paper, and many were even bearer shares. Frankly, a stock certificate was as good as cash—whoever held it owned it.

As a result, robberies and related incidents happened frequently on the black market.

He instinctively thought Chai Jin was just being cautious.

Cai Weiqiang smiled, set his cell phone on the table, opened the bag he’d tucked under his arm, and took out a business card, placing it down.

“This is my number. If you have any left, get in touch.”

“I’ll pay the highest price on the market. Also, next time, don’t come to this restaurant.”

Chai Jin glanced at him, saying little. “Why not?”

Cai Weiqiang replied, “First time in Zhonghai, right?”

“After you took out 150 stock certificates at the counter yesterday, someone started watching you.”

“Haven’t you noticed people around talking about something?”

Chai Jin instinctively swept his gaze around, and indeed, the customers in the restaurant seemed a bit odd. Many who had finished eating lingered, all loudly discussing stocks. When he looked up, a few quickly turned their heads away guiltily.

In other words, someone had been keeping an eye on him from the moment he entered.

He frowned. “Is this a black-market trading spot?”

Cai Weiqiang stood up with a smile, not answering directly, and patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck.”

Chai Jin knew he couldn’t stay there any longer.

He immediately got up, paid, and left.

By then, Cai Weiqiang had already moved to another table.

The man sitting across from him asked in confusion, “Old Cai, you’re interested in a small player like that?”

Cai Weiqiang burst out laughing. “It’s not about his stock holdings.”

“It’s the man himself.”

“The man? He’s young, what’s special about him?” the other man asked, bewildered.

Cai Weiqiang took a sip of water and glanced out at Chai Jin’s retreating figure through the window.

“He’s only seventeen or eighteen, already holding tens of thousands in cash, yet he shows none of the restlessness typical of newly rich youth. Instead, he’s as calm as an old fox. Old Liu, have you ever seen a young man like that?”

“I have a hunch I’ll see him again.”

The man across from him suddenly understood. “Now that you mention it, that kid is pretty cunning.”

Cai Weiqiang just smiled, saying nothing more.

…

In an alley beside Zhonghai Bus West Station.

Chai Jin emerged, his clothes stained with blood and his face bruised and swollen.

Cai Weiqiang’s warning had been spot on.

After leaving the restaurant, three men had followed him. Passing a hardware store, he’d bought a steel pipe to carry with him.

Once at the station, he led the three into an alley.

He attacked first, taking considerable effort to knock them down.

Behind him, the three men lay on the ground, groaning. Chai Jin tossed aside the bent steel pipe and spat, “Don’t blame me for being rough! If you follow me again, I won’t hesitate to use a knife!”

With that, he went to the station and bought a ticket.

He hopped on the bus back to Jiangnan.

He sat in the very back, eyes closed.

But his hand stayed in his bag.

Inside was ten thousand yuan—and a knife. If anyone tried to take his money, he wouldn’t hesitate to draw it.

At the same time, his mind was busy with plans for what to do after paying off his debts—what kind of work should he find for his family?

In his previous life, he’d lived in Shenzhen. That’s where he wanted to go.

At this time, Shenzhen’s real estate market hadn’t taken off. Electronics weren’t booming yet. The internet was still years away—Zhang Zhaoyang, the man who would bring the internet to China, hadn’t even returned from overseas.

Soon, the elder statesman would make his famous southern tour of Shenzhen.

That would trigger a tidal wave of entrepreneurship; countless people would flood into the city.

Shenzhen’s economy would soar.

He knew he couldn’t waste his time in Yuanli County.

But before the New Year, he had to settle matters for his sister and father.

As for his older sister, he’d see if she would come with him.

The journey was bumpy.

Luckily, no one caused trouble along the way.

Another dawn broke, sunlight slanting across the sky.

A thin autumn mist shrouded the old county town of Yuanli. The ringing of bicycle bells echoed from all directions, as if suddenly pulling his thoughts back to this era.

Those who were reborn often returned to their families and friends quietly, indulging in sentimentality and nostalgia.

But for him, there had been no time for reminiscing with those he once knew—he’d been on the move since his return.

Fortunately, the money he’d earned was enough to solve the most pressing problems.

His little sister liked apples. He remembered the way she used to watch the village kids eat apples, her mouth watering.

So he bought plenty of apples.

He also remembered that his older sister loved tangerines.

Chai Jin bought many things, as if making up for the longing and guilt he felt for his family in his previous life.

He even went to a pork stall, spending over ten yuan on ten-plus pounds of meat, carrying a big string of pork.

He imagined his sisters would eat heartily.

He boarded the bus back to Daohua Village.

These past few days, he had no idea how worried his sister had been.

It was his first time traveling far from home; how could she not worry?

After their father, Chai Minguo, returned, he scolded her harshly for letting him go—reckless!

So whenever she could, Chai Fang, a gentle girl, would take her younger sister’s hand and wait at the village entrance, watching the dirt road leading to town.

Praying her brother would return safely.

That day, after spreading the harvested grain to dry, Chai Fang took little Shan to the village entrance once again.

They waited for a long time, saw no sign of him, and had to go back to work in the fields.

Chai Fang sighed softly, biting her lip, her worry deepening.

Little Shan, not understanding much, looked up and said, “Sister, Huahua hit me yesterday.”

“Why did she hit you? Where did you get hurt?” Chai Fang instinctively crouched to check her sister.

Being hit by the village kids was nothing new for little Shan.

She sniffled, tears spilling out. “They said Chai Jin must’ve been beaten to death, that’s why he hasn’t come back.”

“Waaah, sister, do I not have a brother anymore?”

Hearing this, Chai Fang’s eyes instantly filled with tears. “No, nothing will happen to Jin.”

Guilt gnawed at her—she shouldn’t have let him go to Zhonghai.

Just as she steadied herself to comfort little Shan, the child suddenly broke free from her embrace.

She scampered toward someone not far away.

“Chai Jin, you’re not dead!”

“Shan missed you, waaah, I thought I’d never see you again!”