Chapter 23 – The Crafty Old Fox

Chapter 23 – The Crafty Old Fox

After the visit to Ah Du, Yang Wendong and Zhao Liming successfully reached agreements with two more people in the shantytown, making a total of three local suppliers now producing traps for their operation.

If the business continued expanding, and more traps were needed, Yang planned to let them compete internally. He didn't even need to negotiate prices aggressively—just let them vie on quality. That way, he could always pick the best output.

With the supply chain stabilized, Yang could now stop worrying about production and focus on what mattered most: service, strategy, and growth.

While his current rat-catching strategy involved various tricks and contraptions, the bamboo tube trap remained the core equipment. All other DIY devices he'd developed were useful, but secondary.

For the next week, the four-person team resumed their systematic work, rotating through the Jordan warehouse and the six surrounding warehouse clients they now served. With the experience they had built up, each new location became easier to manage.

At Henry Warehouse, one of the newer clients—

"Little Yang, you really are something, huh? Less than a week, and you've already caught over a hundred rats?" chuckled a plump, middle-aged man whose belly looked like it could tip over his belt at any moment.

"Just trying to make a living, Mr. Qian," Yang Wendong said humbly with a smile.

While he had secured extermination contracts with all these warehouses, not all of them had managers like Brian who would casually chat or collaborate on logistics. Most, like this one, required dealing with Chinese foremen or minor bosses who were much more... pragmatic.

He didn't even know the man's full name. Everyone in the warehouse called him "Qian-ye", or "Boss Qian." Behind his back, people referred to him as Qian Si-Yan—meaning "Four-Eyed Qian."

Rumor had it, he had a reputation for being greedy to the point where money glowed in his eyes.

Qian Si-Yan nodded. "Very good. As long as you can keep the rats down in this warehouse, we'll have a long-term partnership."

"Thank you, Qian-ye," Yang replied politely.

"Hmm." Qian looked him over for a moment, then said, "Your price is still twenty a week?"

"Yes," Yang confirmed.

Qian tapped his fingers on the railing beside him. "Look, I know you're also handling several other warehouses in the area. But our goods are different. This place stores furniture—imported, high-end furniture. One bite from a rat and it becomes unsellable."

He leaned in. "Other places store grain or food. If it gets chewed on, it's a loss, sure—but you can salvage some or toss it. Our goods are expensive. One rat can cost us a hundred dollars."

Yang understood immediately.

"So, what I'm saying is," Qian continued casually, "I want you to spend more time here. As for your payment, I'll raise it to forty a week."

"Forty?" Yang was briefly stunned.

But when he saw Qian's calm expression, the pieces clicked.

"I see," he said with a polite smile. "Thank you for your generosity, Qian-ye. And… I understand your meaning."

Qian nodded in satisfaction. "You're smart. I hope your business keeps growing."

"Thank you for your kind words," Yang replied with a deep bow.

Qian walked away, his heavy steps echoing like he owned the ground.

Later that evening, after the team regrouped at a small alley to review their day, Yang told the others about Qian's offer.

"Wait, what?! That guy gets paid twenty bucks just for letting us work, and now he wants forty?" Zhao Liming was speechless. "We're the ones sweating and hauling traps around!"

Yang shrugged. "That's how the world works. We're part of a system. If we want to play the game, we follow the rules. It's just a bit of money—not the end of the world. This won't be the last time we deal with this sort of thing."

In this era, even the Hong Kong police and government were far from clean. Bribes, cuts, and under-the-table deals were practically institutionalized. Compared to that, a little local "tribute" to warehouse supervisors was nothing.

Back when he was just a laborer or street vendor, as long as he paid the daily fees, no one bothered him.

But now, he had real business. He was starting to make money. And once you reached a certain level, those in charge would naturally want their cut. Refuse, and you might as well pack up and leave.

"You're too smart, Brother Dong," Zhao Liming said, shaking his head. "If it were me, I wouldn't have figured that out so fast."

Yang chuckled. "That's why we need to be careful going forward. Rule one: no one will think for you—they only think of themselves. Rule two: business is about mutual benefit, even if one side benefits more than the other."

"Man, I've still got a lot to learn," Zhao Liming said, rubbing his head.

Yang said, "If you're ever not sure what to say, just say you're not the one in charge. Keep things vague. I can handle these things for now."

Zhao Liming nodded quickly. "Got it."

Su Yiyi spoke up, "Brother Dong, what about the Xuan Ni Warehouse? They haven't signed with us. Are you still planning to follow up?"

Yang shook his head. "No point. Their manager is difficult. Likes to squeeze people. I think they saw that we killed a bunch of rats in the first week, and now they think they don't need us."

Lin Haoyu frowned. "Scumbags. They're just trying to get the benefit for free. They knew the first week would be the most effective!"

"Get used to it," Yang said with a shrug. "We'll run into a lot worse in the future."

He had seen worse in his previous life. One time, a factory hired a janitor to clean their filthy canteen, restrooms, and warehouse. After three days of back-breaking work, once the place was spotless, they told her she wasn't 'a good fit' and fired her.

Why? Because they got the cleaning done for free.

"Focus on the five warehouses we've already secured," Yang continued. "We're making steady income."

Everyone nodded.

With more clients and more money, morale in the group was higher than ever.

Including the Jordan warehouse, they now served six locations. At twenty dollars each per week, their revenue was 120 HKD/week, translating to nearly 500 a month.

Yang paid Su Yiyi, Zhao Liming, and Lin Haoyu each fifty dollars a month—more than what they had earned in their previous jobs.

The business also required buying some tools—besides bamboo traps, they had also started experimenting with custom mechanisms using plastic buckets and wires. These new tools had cost around 100 HKD so far.

With meals and other expenses included, Yang's net profit for the month was about 200 dollars. Not a fortune—but a solid gain.

He now had over 400 dollars saved—the result of two months of focused effort since arriving in Hong Kong.

One afternoon, the four of them sat around a plastic table at a street-side noodle stall, eating wonton noodles and—splurging a little—a side of cold vegetables.

Yang said, "Now that the rat population at our six warehouses has dropped significantly, we don't need to work quite so intensely anymore. I'm planning to start visiting potential new clients."

Su Yiyi looked concerned. "But won't we be too short-staffed to handle more?"

Yang nodded. "Exactly. That's why the next step is to expand the team. Otherwise, we can't grow any further."

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