He Gongxiang respectfully offered a glass of wine to both Qin Hao and Li Bao before leaving.
Qin Hao said to Li Bao, "This kind of money can be taken, but there are certain things you must never do. Do you understand what I mean?"
Li Bao knew what he was referring to and nodded.
He didn't want to engage in illegal activities, but earning some money from gray areas was still acceptable.
Li Bao: "Hao, what should we do next?"
Qin Hao looked at him and said, "Feel free to share any ideas you have."
Li Bao: "There are three KTVs and several bars on Yonghe Street, as well as some small hotels. I want our brothers to take over these places and collect some protection fees. This should more than suffice to support them monthly."
Kang Youyi nodded, "This way, we'll also have extra funds for other activities."
Qin Hao thought for a moment and nodded, "Being in this industry isn't a long-term plan. I have some ideas too. Eventually, you'll follow me into legitimate businesses."
"What kind of legitimate businesses?" Li Bao and Kang Youyi asked curiously.
Qin Hao: "You'll know when the time comes. Right now, your task is to generate more income. Li Bao, you handle the remaining KTVs. Any problems with that?"
Li Bao confidently replied: "Don't worry, Hao, there are no problems. Right now we are considered the second in command on Yonghe Street, no one dares to claim they are the top."
Qin Hao nodded slightly, "Whether it's making roast duck or something else, it all requires capital."
He was currently a senior high school student, utterly broke, and didn't have a penny to his name. Right now, he could only rely on this to raise some funds.
Qin Hao took a stack of money, probably ten thousand yuan, "Take half of this money and distribute it among the brothers, the two of you keep the rest."
When Li Bao and Kang Youyi heard this, they quickly said, "Hao, isn't what you're keeping too little? Also, isn't fifty thousand too much to give to those guys?"
Qin Hao: "Although I don't have much social experience, I know that if you treat others well, they will treat you well in return. Fifty thousand for the brothers, and out of the remaining fifty thousand, each of us takes ten, and we keep twenty as capital."
Li Bao and Kang Youyi were moved, "Hao, you take thirty thousand, and Fatso and I will each take ten thousand, the rest goes to the brothers."
No matter what Qin Hao said, the two were adamant, and ultimately Qin Hao took thirty thousand, Li Bao and Kang Youyi each took ten thousand, and the remaining fifty thousand went to the brothers.
After sorting out the money, Li Bao said to Luo Hao, "Hao, I, Li Bao, am fortunate to have met you in this life. I mean what I say, from now on, you are my big brother."
Kang Youyi said earnestly too, "Hao, although we are older than you, you have the capabilities and the means. From now on, you are my big brother."
The herbal market was bustling with people and many herb shops; he walked around inside and soon arrived at a shop called the Hundred Medicine Pavilion.
This shop was almost the largest in the herbal market.
Qin Hao stepped inside and saw the shop filled with densely packed cabinets of herbs, incredibly numerous at first glance.
Inside the shop, a middle-aged man and a young, pretty girl were talking with an old man.
As Qin Hao walked in, a girl at the counter smiled and asked, "What would you like to buy, sir?"
"Licorice, Angelica, Solomon's Seal... Do you have these?" Qin Hao listed all eighty-one types of traditional Chinese herbs in one breath.
The girl behind the counter stared at him blankly. Big brother, have you memorized all these herbs?
Are you a practitioner of Chinese medicine or what?
Seeing her in a daze, Qin Hao curiously asked, "Are you alright?"
The girl snapped back to reality, her cheeks slightly blushing as she hurriedly said, "Sir, could you please speak a bit slower?"
After speaking, she couldn't help but steal a few glances at Qin Hao. He appeared to be only about eighteen or nineteen and spoke with an air of familiarity about herbal materials.
Perhaps his family was a line of traditional Chinese physicians, or maybe they dealt with herbal materials, Liang Ya speculated in her mind.
At that moment, the old man not far away said to the girl at the counter, "Xiao Ya, bring out that top-quality ginseng."
The girl at the counter apologized to Qin Hao, "Please wait a moment, sir."
She hurriedly went upstairs and then came down carrying a wooden box about fifty to sixty centimeters long.
The old man, as well as the middle-aged man and the young girl, came over.
The old man, named Liang Chengwang and the owner of the Hundred Medicine Pavilion, smiled and took the box, saying, "Mr. Xu, you check the goods first."
Xu Jiekang opened the wooden box, which was wrapped in a vacuum-sealed plastic bag. The ginseng inside was about thirty centimeters long and was free of wormholes, a rare top-quality specimen.
Standing beside, Qin Hao also couldn't help but take a few more glances, internally marveling at the robustness of this ginseng which must be several hundred years old.
The price of such ginseng must be astronomical.
Having observed the ginseng, Qin Hao glanced at Xu Jiekang and the young girl beside him again, realizing that those who could afford such premium ginseng must be no ordinary people.