This Matter Is Settled
Changan Street was developed as an urban-rural combination area in Shaojiang a long time ago. It was said that the government had decided to plan for reconstruction, but there had been no action yet. The road was uneven due to long-term wear and tear, with deep and shallow ruts. The road was narrow, cluttered with miscellaneous items, and sometimes it was challenging for two cars to pass each other.
There were quite a few shops on the street, including snack shops, restaurants, hair salons, and clothing stores. Most of them retained the old style, with signs painted on oiled cloth, and some even had colorful LED lights. Half of the people living here were original residents, while the other half were a mix of tenants—shop owners, workers, students, or those who seemed to do nothing at all.
For example, a young man squatting on the sidewalk smoking a cigarette. When Jiang Zhijin stopped the car by the roadside, the young man kept an eye on him, probably waiting for the car owner to leave, hoping for an opportunity to gain something.
It wasn’t until Jiang Zhijin got out of the car that the young man, upon seeing his face, was momentarily stunned. He immediately stood up and tried to walk towards a nearby alley.
“Stay there, continue smoking your cigarette,” Jiang Zhijin pointed at him, his voice calm and steady. “Take one more step and see what happens.”
The young man immediately froze in place, turning to look at Jiang Zhijin, moving his mouth but unable to utter a word. Jiang Zhijin walked past him and went into the alley.
The alley was very narrow, with old and dilapidated residential buildings on both sides, piled up with neatly tied plastic bottles and cardboard boxes. A household must have poured vegetable wash water on the ground.
Jiang Zhijin held a black plastic bag in his right hand, square and thick. He avoided the water stains on the ground and walked to the entrance of a staircase.
The corridor had no lights, and a huge sign hung on the side, saying “Good Luck Mahjong Parlor.” Jiang Zhijin went up to the second floor, where he could already hear the distinct sound of mahjong tiles being shuffled, accompanied by a few men’s profanity and women’s laughter. The door wasn’t locked, and he pushed it open, entering the room. A pungent smell of smoke greeted him.
There was little furniture in the living room, only four mahjong tables, all occupied by men and women. Three or four people stood next to them, watching the game. Jiang Zhijin walked through them and opened the door that should have been the master bedroom but was now likely used as a private room.
Inside, there was only one mahjong table. Four men were seated around it, with the back of one about thirty years old, wearing a gold necklace and having tattoos all over his two arms. Unaware of the door opening, he was swearing and fondling the tiles.
“What bad luck, I haven’t won a game all afternoon…”
Jiang Zhijin placed the plastic bag in his hand on the shoe cabinet at the door, then took two steps forward. Suddenly, he kicked the back of the man with the gold necklace!
“Bang!!!”
His force was much stronger, and the man with the gold necklace was kicked straight onto the mahjong table, causing the entire table to move a bit. Mahjong tiles scattered everywhere, making a chaotic loud noise.
The remaining three people were scared by this sudden change, quickly standing up and stepping back a few paces. The man with the gold necklace struggled to get up, turning his head to see Jiang Zhijin about to charge towards him.
“Fuck, Jiang Zhijin—”
Jiang Zhijin didn’t let him finish. He went up and kicked him in the left side of his waist!
The remaining words that the man with the gold necklace intended to say were all swallowed. Intense pain made him break out in a cold sweat, and covering his waist, he let out a muffled groan. Jiang Zhijin grabbed his arm, reversed it, and pressed him hard onto the mahjong table.
His face rubbed against the green velvety surface of the mahjong table, extremely uncomfortable. But when the man with the gold necklace tried to struggle, he found that Jiang Zhijin’s grip was like an unyielding vise.
Bending down slightly, Jiang Zhijin looked at the man beneath him with a calm tone, “You blocked my family in the alley next to Shaojiang High School yesterday, right?”
The man with the gold necklace bit his teeth, not saying anything, which was considered an admission. Jiang Zhijin, expressionless, word by word, said, “You people have rules—never involve family matters. Do I need to teach you this?”
“Jiang Zhijin, don’t act arrogant in front of me.” The man with the gold necklace, full of unwillingness, said with a hint of bitterness, “The matter at the bar isn’t settled yet.”
“First,” Jiang Zhijin looked at him, “I don’t allow anyone to steal things in my bar; that’s an old rule. Second, since there was bloodshed last time, according to the rules, that matter should have been settled.”
The man with the gold necklace sneered, “Bullshit! The one who ended up in jail is my brother, not you—”
“Watch your language.” Jiang Zhijin patted the man’s face, “I’m already pretty angry now; don’t force me to punch you.”
The man with the gold necklace hadn’t spoken yet, and the door to the private room was pushed open again.
“Who are you going to hit?”
Everyone in the room looked towards the door.
Several people were standing at the door, mostly with a sturdy build, holding sticks or wooden clubs. The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, with an ordinary appearance. He wore a gray linen shirt, and a string of amber Buddha beads hung around his neck, shining brightly and appearing quite valuable.
The man with the gold necklace seemed to have seen a savior and shouted loudly while lying on the table, “Brother Hong!”
Jiang Zhijin released his grip and nodded at the man, also shouting, “Brother Hong.”
“Know that I own this place, and you come here to smash my business. Is that appropriate?” The man called Brother Hong looked at Jiang Zhijin, and there was no trace of anger in his tone.
“Not appropriate,” Jiang Zhijin nodded.
In the gaze of everyone, he walked to the door, picked up the plastic bag lying there, and tore it open, revealing a thick stack of bright red banknotes inside.
“There’s ten thousand here.”
Without bundling the money, Jiang Zhijin threw it onto the mahjong table, scattering it into a pile.
“Two things.”
He looked at Brother Hong and spoke, “Today, I broke the rules in my impatience. My mistake, we can settle it however you like. As for what happened with my family yesterday, my kid said he went a bit too hard on the guy. I’ll compensate for the medical expenses, and that matter is settled.”
One matter at a time.
His voice echoed clearly in the room, and the face of the man with the gold necklace turned green.
Last time, he indeed hadn’t expected a little kid to have such fierceness. He hadn’t paid attention and ended up being humiliated. He hated it to the point of grinding his teeth. However, no matter how audacious the kid was, he was still just a student. He had already contacted over a dozen of his buddies, ready to block the kid again someday and teach him a lesson.
But he hadn’t expected Jiang Zhijin to dare to come to the mahjong parlor the very next day.
The noisy sound of mahjong outside had somehow stopped at some point. The entire room was now silent, with everyone’s eyes fixed on Jiang Zhijin.
Brother Hong stared at Jiang Zhijin for more than a minute, and Jiang Zhijin neither avoided nor broke eye contact.
Brother Hong finally spoke, “Alright, you can go.”
However, Jiang Zhijin didn’t move.
Brother Hong furrowed his brows.
In the silence, Jiang Zhijin heard someone in the crowd opening a truncheon.
But in the end, Brother Hong spoke again.
“Considering Lao Yang’s face,” he said, “today’s matter and your family’s matter are settled.”
A huge weight was lifted off Jiang Zhijin’s heart, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
If Brother Hong said it was settled, no one would dare to continue laying hands on him.
Finally straightening up, Jiang Zhijin nodded at the man in front of him.
“Thank you, Brother Hong.”
After saying this, he gave a warning look at the man with the gold necklace beside him, passed through the crowd, and left the mahjong parlor.
It was unclear which households in the residential buildings on both sides were quarreling again. The sharp curses of women and the vulgarities of men echoed in the entire alley, mixed with the loud noises of pots and pans being thrown to the ground. At the entrance of the alley, the young man with the yellow hair was still standing there. Jiang Zhijin had the mood to smile at him.
It wasn’t until he sat in the car that Jiang Zhijin relaxed completely, leaning back in the seat, closing his eyes, and letting out a long breath.
In thirty-degree weather, after such a commotion, his back was already soaked.
He took out a cigarette from the pack, thinking about reaching for a lighter. Today, he didn’t have one on him. After some effort, he finally found one in the storage box on the passenger side. At the moment he was about to light it, he stopped again.
It seemed like he remembered something. After pausing for a few seconds, he sighed, a mix of frustration and amusement, and put both the cigarette and the lighter back into his bag, starting the car.