Chapter 6: Wealth

Dingyang Temple. It was a temple located on the outskirts of Jiami Town. The temple was small, consisting of three rows of single-story buildings in the front and back, with two additional rows of side rooms on either side. On the east side outside the main gate, a long, reddish-brown sunshade had been erected.

Just before one o'clock in the afternoon, a dilapidated small van wobbled into the back gate of the temple. As soon as the vehicle entered, it came to a halt. Shortly after, "Xiao Jiu" and Xiao Hua were dragged out of the van.

A young monk in robes emerged from somewhere, glanced at the two of them, and then calmly looked away. "The basement has been cleaned up. Be careful; there are guests in the front yard today, so don't make any noise that might disturb them," the young monk instructed before turning and walking away.

Brother Xiao Ka gestured for his men to drag Xiao Jiu and Xiao Hua into the side room on the west. The room was piled with miscellaneous debris. In a corner, a wooden board lay on the floor; lifting it revealed the entrance to a basement, which was pitch black below.

Xiao Jiu and Xiao Hua had their heads covered by black cloth bags, so they could not see their surroundings, but they were conscious of their movements. As soon as they entered the tunnel, Xiao Jiu knew they were being taken into a basement. Once below, the two were tied to separate chairs, and their hoods were removed.

Xiao Jiu scanned his surroundings. The basement was primitive, with four concrete walls. A ventilation fan was installed at the top of one wall, and there were no windows. The only light came from a bulb of less than twenty watts, making the space incredibly dim. The air was foul, a mixture of mold and an indescribable fishy stench; after breathing it for a while, one felt a dizzy sensation, as if suffocating. The concrete floor was covered with patches of dark, dull stains, the origin of which was unknown.

Just as he was observing the room, the man called Xiao Ka pulled out his phone, displayed a photo to compare with the two of them, and then typed a string of Southern Thai text into a translator before holding the phone up to Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Jiu looked down and saw a passage of broken, poorly translated Chinese. The rough meaning was: Your brother refuses to pay the ransom, so the higher-ups now demand that we remove some parts from Xiao Hua to send to your brother. Tell us, which parts should we take?

Xiao Jiu’s heart skipped a beat. He looked up and forced a fawning smile at the man, saying, "My brother won't pay, but I will! Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you!" He spoke so quickly that the man couldn't understand him at all. The man waved his hand impatiently and was about to order his subordinates to move on Xiao Hua.

Seeing this, Xiao Jiu hurriedly shouted, "Money! Money!" This time, he spoke in Southern Thai, albeit with a poor accent.

The man was taken aback and looked at him in surprise. "What did you say? You have money? How much?"

Xiao Jiu didn't understand the question and just kept repeating the word "money." The man frowned and stared at him for a moment before picking up his phone and typing another line of Southern Thai for Xiao Jiu to see: You just said you have money! Do you mean you have a way to pay the ransom?

Xiao Jiu nodded eagerly. "Yes, I have a way!" He switched back to Southern Thai, repeating, "Money! Money!"

Upon hearing this, the man smiled and typed on his phone: How much? Can you come up with one million US dollars?

When Xiao Jiu saw the figure, his face turned pale. The man noticed this immediately and understood. He snorted with dissatisfaction, thought for a moment, and typed again: What about five hundred thousand US dollars? Do you have that?

Xiao Jiu’s eyes lit up, and he nodded repeatedly. "Money! Money!"

The man’s eyes brightened as well. He quickly typed another message: Where is this money?

Xiao Jiu answered immediately, "It’s in my bank account; I can transfer it to you!" But as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized the man didn't understand Chinese and grew anxious.

The man thought for a moment and then turned to his subordinates, ordering, "Untie one of his hands!"

Soon, Xiao Jiu’s left hand was freed. The man handed the phone to Xiao Jiu, gesturing for him to use the translator. However, Xiao Jiu fumbled with the device for a long time without success. He looked at the man with a face full of anxiety and helplessness, shouting in Southern Thai, "Money! Money!" Then, he switched to English in desperation: "Card! Card! Bank! Bank!"

Fortunately, among the five men, one understood his broken English. "Brother Xiao Ka, he seems to be saying his money is in the bank!"

Brother Xiao Ka took the phone and typed into the translator: The money is in the bank; can you transfer it out?

Xiao Jiu nodded eagerly, but after a pause, he quickly shook his head.

Before Brother Xiao Ka could get excited, he saw the head shake and immediately frowned, asking, "What does that mean?"

Xiao Jiu was frantic, opening and closing his mouth, but ultimately could only repeat, "Money! Bank Card!"

Brother Xiao Ka felt helpless. After a moment’s hesitation, he took the phone and walked away to call Old Pu. "Brother Pu, that guy says he has money, five hundred thousand US dollars, and that it's in a bank. But he’s speaking Chinese, and we can’t understand him. We can’t get any more information out of him. What should we do?" He likely assumed Xiao Jiu and the other couldn't understand Southern Thai, so he made no effort to keep the conversation private.

On the other end of the line, Old Pu’s eyes widened at the mention of five hundred thousand US dollars. He asked in disbelief, "Are you sure? Did he really say he has five hundred thousand dollars in the bank?"

"Yes!" Xiao Ka replied.

Old Pu was silent for a moment, then said, "I’ll go ask Brother Wei." With that, he hung up.

At this moment, Xiao Jiu saw him hang up and started shouting again, "Money! Money! Bank Card! Bank Card!" He was desperate to survive, his fear laced with anxiety, and his anxiety laced with hope.

Xiao Hua, watching him from the side, hesitated for a moment before joining in, "Money! Money! Bank Card! Bank Card!"

Xiao Ka was struck with a headache and shouted for them to stop with a dark expression. Xiao Jiu stopped, but Xiao Hua didn't follow the rhythm in time and kept shouting. As a result, he was slapped across the face. With a sharp crack, his already swollen face became even more so. He looked at Xiao Jiu with a sense of grievance.

Xiao Jiu glanced at him, shuddered instinctively, and then turned his head back toward Xiao Ka with a look of terror.

Xiao Ka handed over the phone, which read: Stop shouting for now, wait until I ask!

Xiao Jiu blinked, then immediately flashed a fawning smile.

Not long after, Old Pu called back. After Xiao Ka answered, Old Pu told him to put the phone on speaker and place it in front of Zhong Da—that is, Xiao Jiu.

Xiao Ka complied. Soon, Old Pu’s voice came through the phone.

"You said you have five hundred thousand US dollars?" Old Pu’s Chinese was not great, but it was understandable.

Xiao Jiu, alias Zhong Da, nodded while answering, "Yes, I have five hundred thousand US dollars in the bank. I can transfer it to you at any time, as long as you are willing to let us go!"

After he finished speaking, the phone went silent. After a while, Old Pu said, "We can let you go, but we have to see the money first."

Xiao Jiu agreed without hesitation. "No problem. I can log into the bank on my phone to check. Just give me my phone."

"Tell me the account number and password; I need to confirm you actually have the money first!" Old Pu replied.

Xiao Jiu looked troubled. "I can give you the account number and password, but logging in requires facial recognition!"

The line went silent again.

Xiao Jiu looked anxious. After waiting for a few seconds, he couldn't help but say, "I’m not lying to you. If you don’t believe me, I’ll give you the account number and password; you can try it and you’ll know!" As he spoke, he recited the account number and password, not caring whether the other party was listening. After finishing, he asked, "Did you write it down?"

Old Pu finally spoke. "I’ll call you back in a while." With that, he hung up.