He's dying,
The head hangs between the broken glass,
Vulture stared at himself,
The mouth dripping with blood is closed one by one,
In the clear air,
Release the last heat of life.
1
"Murder and arson gold belts, build bridges and repair roads, and there are no corpses. ”
Yang Xiuming heard this sentence from a movie, and it is not very appropriate to describe himself. In a case he did when he was young, he broke one of his legs and spent eleven years in prison, but he never earned half a gold belt. And after making a fortune in his later years, he also donated money for road repair for his hometown, but he didn't see corpses on the streets.
Today's Yang Xiuming is over half a hundred years old, dragging his long and short legs every day, and is responsible for takeaway packaging in the Japanese restaurant opened by his son. Behind the counter where he works, there is a four-character block script written by himself - only people introspect. He liked this work very much, and claimed that it was a masterpiece that condensed his years of cultivation. However, I don't know calligraphy and don't know anything about it, so I can only nod my head when I see him talking about the skills of one stroke at a time.
Yang Xiuming studied calligraphy in the second year after he was released from prison, and he was instructed by a senior monk of the Mahayana Temple in New York to enter this way. When he was young, the focus of his life was not ink and blue, after all, it was a stormy era of licking blood.
In 1987, Yang Xiuming set out from Mawei, Fuzhou, traveled all the way to several rivers and oceans, and escaped death several times before he was able to successfully land in the southern United States. At the same time, his cousin Yang Renyu has become the new president of the Xinglong Village Association in New York's Chinatown.
"Foreigners say that our fellow villagers are the underworld, but in fact they are all businessmen, whose hands are clean? To put it mildly, I am also a businessman. When it comes to the "prejudice" of mainstream society against the organization, Yang Xiuming is still depressed.
New York in the 90s of the last century was full of gangs. Blacks were based in the Bronx and extended their tentacles to Brooklyn's avenues, while the Italians entrenched themselves in the area of Mauppel Street in Downtown, competing with Chinatown. During this period, there were also Irish gangs and Russian gangs, guerrilla warfare, and constant attacks. On the surface, Manhattan is prosperous and orderly, but underneath the underneath is rushing, black and white interests are intertwined, and every Chinese who tries to gain a foothold in a foreign land has to survive together.
From left to right: the Bronx, Maubilly Street, and Chinatown
There are many exaggerations in the depiction of gangsters in Hong Kong movies, such as "triads" and "Blue Dragon Gang", all of them are allied by blood, living and dying together, but the actual situation in New York is actually far from the same. As far as the Fuzhou gangsters are concerned, they do not have a unified alliance, but use the township and village associations as units to gather township parties of the same clan and surname. These exiles, only the chief of the horse, in the name of doing business, conquered the city and seized the territory in the streets and alleys of Chinatown. Although there were occasional short-lived alliances of common hatred when being violated by black gangs, most of the time they were scattered, and it was more common for Chinese gangs to fall into each other's hands.
After working in a Texas Chinese restaurant for half a year, Yang Xiuming came to New York at the call of his cousin. Through Yang Renyu's introduction, he married a Chinese-American and obtained a license, and successfully obtained legal immigration status. In return, he helped his cousin smash a Cantonese minibus company. Because things were done neatly and neatly, without leaving any hands and tails, Yang Xiuming soon became the most effective "business manager" in the hometown association.
2
In 1995, Yang Renyu's nightclub opened in Flushing, a burgeoning Asian neighborhood at the time. At that time, although Flushing had many oriental faces, all of whom were mainly Koreans, Chinese were rare. Coupled with the fact that the black blood gangs and the lame gangs have been attacking endlessly for many years, and the Mexican gang also wants to make a difference in the new territory, and then mix with the local Korean gangs, the situation in Flushing is even more dangerous than that of Chinatown.
Flushing
However, in such a Longtan tiger's den, Yang Renyu was able to plant a flag in the most prime area of Myanmar Street as a mere Fuzhou native, which was a good talk in the Chinese circle for a while. Yang Xiuming didn't care, he said, there are eight successful labors here that should be his.
The origin of the matter was also unintentional. At that time, it was the end of the year, and Yang Xiuming was entrusted by his cousin to come to Flushing to send a "New Year's gift". During that time, Yang Renyu was planning for the property rights of the nightclub, and was eager to make friends with Park Mouzheng, a Korean-American parliamentarian who had great power in the local area.
The gift was a large box of Fuzhou specialties, pickled green olives, but under the olives were neatly stacked with 300,000 US dollars.
At the agreed Korean barbecue restaurant, Yang Xiuming waited for two hours, and was finally told that Congressman Park was going to attend an annual meeting, and he could not come to the appointment, and the gift was also refused. The other party's words were tactful, but Yang Xiuming knew that the Koreans did not intend to make friends with the Fuzhou gang at all, and the fat water in the nightclub was always to be reserved for his own ethnicity.
Seeing that the other party had a firm attitude, Yang Xiuming had no intention of wasting time, and was about to go back immediately to report the bad news, but was blocked by two African-American young people at the door of the store.
The gun, the muzzle of the black hole hole, was pushed out of the opponent's fat jacket, and it was on Yang Xiuming's chest at that time. Seeing that the two black men were each wearing a blue headscarf, Yang Xiuming immediately realized that the person who came was a lame gang. With a low roar from the other party, he subconsciously put a box of gift money on the counter.
The representative color of the Cripples is blue
Because of being mixed in the Chinese circle for a long time, Yang Xiuming's English level is a mess, but when he saw that the clerks were going to the back kitchen one after another, and the customers were lying on the table with their heads hugged, he immediately spread his hands and put on a gesture of giving up resistance.
"Robbery is easy to do, I'm afraid it's a bureau, but the Korean stick is black. Yang Xiuming said.
Fortunately, the two black men opened the box and saw a pile of olives inside, and they didn't pay attention to Yang Xiuming anymore. After pushing Yang Xiuming to the corner of the counter, one of them closed the door, and the other turned into the counter and went straight to the cash register.
If this happened in a Chinese restaurant, it would have been robbed, anyway, the store had insurance, and the loss was not its own, and it was safe and sound. However, the same thing is spread out on the heads of Koreans, and people don't think so.
While the black youth was busy taking out change, a clerk suddenly flashed out from under the counter, and immediately stabbed the black man and snatched the gun he had in his trouser pocket.
"To say this, we Fuzhou people really can't compare. When someone has a utility knife in their hand, they dare to argue with a pistol. Speaking of the scene at that time, Yang Xiuming admired the ruthlessness of the Korean clerk.
However, the lethality of the utility knife is not on the same level as the pistol after all. After a short panic, the black young man who opened the door shot him three times, and the Korean clerk didn't snort, he planted in front of Yang Xiuming, and the gun he had just grabbed also took off his hand and slid to Yang Xiuming's feet.
"Have you ever shot?" I asked.
"Why haven't you played before? But it's the first time. ”
In fact, this matter has nothing to do with Yang Xiuming, as long as the box of bribes is not touched, whether the Koreans are alive or dead, he can completely ignore it. However, in a panic, he picked up the gun by surprise. This pick up added two lives to his hands.
3
That shootout was soon over. The first to die was the wounded black man who pounced on him for his gun, and the bullet hit him in the major artery of the neck. The black man who held the door quickly reacted and fired three shots at Yang Xiuming, all of which hit the marble partition on the counter. Immediately afterwards, Yang Xiuming got up and fired two shots, one hitting the glass door and the other hitting the vest.
"Think about the gun that shouldn't have been fired, he was pushing the door, he was supposed to run. Yang Xiuming shook his head, but he didn't stop at the bottom of his hand, quickly packed a package and handed it to the little brother who delivered the takeaway.
Less than three minutes after the shooting, three police cars arrived and blocked the front and rear doors. Yang Xiuming knew that he was in a catastrophe, so he only wanted to dispose of the box of bribes so as not to affect his cousin. However, when I looked back, the gift box on the counter was long gone.
At the police station, the Chinese police told him in Chinese that one of the two black men died on the spot and the other died on the way to the hospital. Yang Xiuming just nodded and said, I know, at that moment, he was more concerned about how many years he was going to be sentenced.
"How many years?" I asked.
"No, not guilty, the police said that the gun was not mine, it was also murder, and I called it righteousness and bravery. ”
Three days later, Yang Renyu was the owner of the Jingong Restaurant and invited all the colleagues in the hometown association to celebrate Yang Xiuming's achievements. It turned out that the Korean barbecue restaurant was the property of Congressman Park Mouzheng, and the clerk who was shot was his own uncle. On the afternoon of the day of the incident, Yang Renyu received a call from Park Mouzheng personally, saying that he had taken care of the nightclub and Yang Xiuming's affairs, and he should repay the 300,000 yuan and the barbecue restaurant.
"Didn't you say that you were not guilty? This thing still needs to be operated by the councilors? Is it because you are afraid of the retribution of the lame gang?"
"Haha, what a lame gang, we found out later, and it has nothing to do with the lame gang. The two little were local thugs, and the headscarves were bought improvised on Main Street that day. ”
"The surname Park is talking about the New York Honorary Citizen Award. ”
Yang Xiu Ming Dynasty restaurant on the front desk of Nunu mouth. On the wall of the counter was indeed a certificate in English, with a golden sunburst emblem and two red and blue ribbons printed underneath, and the badge had faded to a dark bronze color.
"In that case, why did you go in again?"
"That's something else. ”
June 30, 1997, this day Yang Xiuming will never forget.
Half a year ago, his immigration application had just been approved, and he finally saw his wife and children at New York's JFK Airport, who he hadn't seen for more than ten years. Thanks to Yang Renyu, his son was sent to Eleanor Roosevelt High School, New York's ace high school. Yang Renyu also claimed that he would ensure that his child would go to Stanford University for further study after graduation.
Yang Xiuming felt that he owed his cousin a great favor, and he worked harder during that time, and even the original plan of "washing hands in the golden basin" had to be postponed temporarily. It was also at this time that Yang Renyu made a reluctant request to his cousin.
At that time, Yang Renyu was already a big man in Flushing, and his shadow was behind supermarkets, car dealerships, restaurants, karaoke, and seventy percent of the Chinese businesses on Main Street. However, under the golden body with infinite scenery, the debts of the early years have also piled up, and the karma has come one after another. The FBI and the IRS launched an offensive against this sanctimonious "Chinese dragon" almost at the same time. One of the most serious charges was arson murder.
"Are you involved in this?"
Yang Xiuming shook his head.
"It was '92, and it was burning an old Mo pizzeria on Grand Street, and I was helping him watch the casino, so I didn't go there. ”
"Why set fire?"
"The business is good, Yuzi fell in love with other people's shops, and Lao Mo refused to transfer it. ”
The fire was lit from the back door, and the time was specially chosen for midnight when no one was in the store. The original intention was just to scare the other party, but when the goods were purchased that night, Lao Mo piled several buckets of olive oil on the front counter before getting off work, and the small pizza shop was suddenly on fire, and the landlord who rushed upstairs to fight the fire was smoked alive in the stairwell.
The street after the fire
In order to quell the incident, Yang Renyu operated in many ways, and finally sent Lao Mo's family to Illinois at the cost of 110,000 US dollars in hush money. The "Chinatown arson case", which was originally published on the front page of the "World Journal", later changed its tone and became "Aging circuits in the Chinese community caused a tragedy".
It wasn't until 1996 that Lao Mo, who was hiding in Illinois, was arrested by the immigration bureau for drunkenness in a small town, and an old case was unearthed.
4
The next year, Yang Renyu learned through his network that Lao Mo was placed in a hotel in Queens under the protection of the FBI. A "business plan" to erase witnesses quietly unfolded. The content of the "business" is very simple, three people, a car, stay in a block outside the hotel day and night to wait for the opportunity, and when Lao Mo goes out alone, he will immediately start, trying to create a seemingly unexpected traffic accident. And the "person in charge of business", Yang Renyu has already had a candidate, that is, his cousin Yang Xiuming.
"Why don't you refuse? Even if it's a traffic accident, you can't get away with the driver, right?"
This is clearly going to use him as cannon fodder, and I am a little puzzled by Yang Xiuming's decision.
Yang Xiuming's explanation is: "Some love debts have to be repaid with their lives. ”
On Astoria Avenue in Jackson Heights, Queens, Yang Xiuming waited in a second-hand Lexus car for more than ten days. Finally, on the night of June 30, the opportunity came.
Astoria 大道
It was the eve of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. At nightfall, his son called him four times in a row, asking him when he would go home to watch the live broadcast of the return party with him. This event, which all Malaysians are proud of, has not been diminished by the distance of the ocean, and Chinatown has been in full anticipation for it as early as a month ago.
That night, Yang Xiuming, who had nothing to do for days, also imagined that his life was the same fate as the city of Hong Kong, and after a long period of ups and downs, he was finally about to usher in a bright new century that belonged to him.
Just when he hung up the phone and was about to ask Yang Renyu for leave, the big brother in his hand rang. In the microphone, the little brother in charge of squatting only said two words - start work.
After that, just like Yang Xiuming said, it was too late to think about it, and it would take half a lifetime to explain.
Lao Mo, who went downstairs to buy cigarettes alone that night, was hit by a Lexus car at a high speed of 80 miles and flew more than ten meters when he was crossing the street, and smashed his head on the fire hydrant on the side of the road, killing him on the spot. The runaway Lexus car also hit a street lamp pole 20 meters away, the front of the car was seriously dented, and Yang Xiuming was stuck in the deformed cab and was seriously injured and in shock.
After the incident, the police found a box of XO from the vehicle that caused the accident, and Yang Xiuming was arrested on the spot and sentenced to 11 years in prison for injuring people to death while driving drunk. On the way to the hospital, he woke up and asked the first thing he asked: "Has Hong Kong really returned?"
"That's when the leg was reimbursed. ”
Yang Xiuming lifted the trouser tube of his left leg, and between the non-slip shoes and the fabric, it was half a silver titanium alloy prosthesis.
In court, the prosecutor kept trying to guide the case to Yang Renyu to buy murder, but because of Yang Xiuming's tight-lipped words, it was finally in vain. Throughout the trial, Yang Xiuming just kept repeating one sentence: "Yes, I'm guilty." ”
"Later, I didn't see Yuzi, and in the second year I entered, his company was terminated by the IRS and sentenced to more than 70 years, and it is estimated that I will never see him again in my life. ”
"My son comes to visit the prison every year, but he didn't get into Stanford. Fortunately, a sum of money was given in the hometown association, and you see that now, it is okay to go to a restaurant and hang out. ”
While speaking, Yang Xiuming took out an invitation, saying that it was his son's wedding card, and invited me to watch the ceremony at that time. The time is October 27, 2011, and the bride is from Shanghai and has a clean net worth.
"Man, there are two things to do when you come to this world, either to collect debts or to repay debts. I've paid off half of my life's debts, so it's my son's turn to collect the debt. ”
"Do you regret doing these things?" I asked.
"For a while, it was very uncomfortable, I couldn't sleep at night, as soon as I closed my eyes, I saw Lao Mo's face, for this, I went to ask the master, and the master said that the will of heaven cannot be speculated, but people can introspect. Later, I figured it out, and it was still the same sentence, some people are here to collect debts, and some people are here to pay off debts. ”
Yang Xiuming stared at the text panel on his head, and his expression couldn't tell whether it was relief or numbness. I opened the wedding card and took a closer look, and suddenly found that the groom's name was a little different, he was not surnamed Yang, his full name was Jiangcheng.
"Why doesn't your son have your last name?" I was a little surprised.
"Why don't you take my last name?"
Following the payment I pointed to, Yang Xiuming was stunned for a moment, then smiled and poked the voice recorder in my hand with his index finger.
"Although there is freedom of speech in the United States, there are some things that cannot be said anywhere. He laughs.
Confused, I retreated to the front desk to check the award certificate on the wall, and the name of the recipient was impressive: Da Ming Jiang (Chinese: 江达明).
I finally realized that it was worthy of the old rivers and lakes, and it did not leak. A story that is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood, and a completely fictitious name, makes a confession that is enough to return him to prison lose its legal effect at once. Although the original intention of my interview was not to seek justice for American law, I still felt somewhat offended in the face of Yang Xiuming's deep scheming.
"It's not that I can't trust you, if you do business, you have to leave a way for yourself, please understand. "When Yang Xiuming explained, I couldn't see half of the guilt on his face.
The interview after that was quite emotional, and the conversation ended hastily after about ten minutes.
After packing up my things, it was already 5 o'clock in the afternoon, which was the time when the sushi restaurant began to be busy. Threes, threes, twos and twos, accompanied by a late autumn New Jersey night, came together. Turning down Yang Xiuming's sushi dinner, I stepped on an intercity bus bound for Times Square.
On the bus, I called Mr. Jiang and gave a general account of the day's interview, admitting that I had met a scammer. However, Mr. Jiang laughed and said, "Congratulations, you have met a real brother." ”
"How do you know it's true?"
"Which brother on the road have you ever seen who claims to be in the underworld? The real underworld says they are in business. ”
"But is it necessary to use a fake name to play people? If he doesn't want to be known, wouldn't it be better if he refused to be interviewed in the first place?"
Mr. Jiang thought for a moment and suddenly asked me, "How old are you this year?"
"27, why do you ask this?"
"Then you don't understand, I'm fifty-two years old, and people at this age want to live well, but they are also afraid of being forgotten. ”
Maybe Mr. Jiang is right, I am still young, and there are still many blind spots in the contradictions of human nature, but the story has been recognized by the boss, and it can be regarded as a successful transaction. As for whether the protagonist is Yang Xiuming or Jiang Daming, it doesn't matter very much.
As the car was passing through a wooded field, I was already drowsy when I was suddenly awakened by a loud bang and hit my head on the back of the front seat. After recovering my senses, I went up to check, and saw a pair of forked horns on the windshield, which was a wild deer. While crossing the road, it crashed hard into a speeding bus.
For a moment, I seemed to see through the pupils of the dying animal a brown face lying under the Lexus car. He was already dying, his head hanging between the broken glass, his eyes staring at himself, his bloody mouth closing one by one, rushing into the clear air, releasing the last heat of his life.
Even though I never met him.
(Text/Zhong Di, this article is the exclusive first release of "Human Story Shop", enjoying exclusive copyright authorization, no third party shall reprint without authorization, and offenders will be held accountable in accordance with the law.) ）