The Jade Garden (The Barrington Patch Book 2) by Emmy Ellis (reading diary txt) 📗

“Great minds and all that.” Her phone buzzed, and she took it out, glancing at the screen beneath the lip of the table.

Doreen: She’s swallowed it.

Cassie: Come round mine. Have a chat with me and Mam.

Doreen: On my way.

Cassie rose. “I have to go. See you in The Donny. I’ll get him there for six so there’s plenty of time for him to get bladdered.”

Jimmy stood and held out his hand for her to shake. “You won’t regret this.”

She clutched his fingers tight and squeezed. “See that I fucking don’t. And message me about Shirl. If she’s with us, expect someone to drop the phone and her envelope round later. You’ll be at The Donny, so tell her to listen for the knock on the door. I’ll see myself out.”

Cassie rushed into the lift and down to the ground floor. She got in her car and sped to Mam’s, eager to know what Doreen had to say.

Chapter Sixteen

Zhang Wei had arrived in the UK. His wife clutched his hand, and their small children, Jiang and Yenay, rushed ahead down the street towards the Jade Garden, a place that promised riches and their dreams of a better life coming true. As far back as he could remember he’d wanted better, more, believing there was something out there waiting for them if only they could root it out. Li Jun had found it, and now they’d run an empire together.

Zhang Wei stared at the fancy sign lit up from within and smiled at the yellow glow, the red writing. It seemed to solidify things, proving this wasn’t his imagination that he stood on a northern street in England, his English limited, stilted, but enough to get him by. Li Jun had taught himself the language three years ago in readiness, knowing this island was the place they’d end up, and he’d passed that teaching on to Zhang Wei, who in turn had educated his wife and children so they had the basics.

Over the phone, Li Jun had explained the deal here, how he’d come to run the takeaway, and what they had to do in order for them to remain in Lenny Grafton’s employ. Zhang Wei was willing to do it all, despite it being wrong, but he’d wrestled with his conscience for days and many sleepless nights prior to coming here—people taking those drugs could harm themselves, maybe die if they overloaded on cocaine—and his morals had been tested. Yet he was here anyway, his family his main priority. He didn’t want to admit money was also his primary goal.

Life in their tiny village in China had been akin to a prison, crushing their souls, their spirits whispering that they’d never make anything of themselves if they remained—“Look at your mother and father, slaves to work with little to show for it. Do you want to be just like them?” Now he’d been let out on parole, given the chance not many had, to help run his brother’s business and step up the ladder. If he reneged on the deal, if he broke any of the parole rules, he’d find himself in another form of prison, one where Mr Grim Reaper came calling, whisking him away.

A frightening prospect and one that would ensure he kept his mouth shut.

This Lenny was not a man he could cross. Li Jun had expressed how important it was for Zhang Wei and his wife, Hua, to follow the rules, and Zhang Wei had no intention of breaking them, especially after Lenny had spoken to him on the phone, too. What a scary man, so very able to kill the smaller Zhang Wei with just his fists and his heavy boots, kicks that would ruin his insides, Lenny describing how he would be killed.

Zhang Wei pulled himself out of his head and into the present. Jiang and Yenay waited outside the Jade, jumping up and down with excitement, their dreams also realised. They’d get a decent education, wouldn’t be stuck in the village classroom with seventy other children, and their prospects were good here. Yes, Zhang Wei would prefer them to remain in the takeaway business once they became adults, all of them sticking together, but if they chose to branch out, he wouldn’t stop them. Not everyone wanted to be a chef.

He pushed open the door, and the familiar scents of Li Jun’s cooking enveloped him. He’d craved that smell since Li Jun had moved away, the reminder of it bringing memories of standing beside his brother in the market, helping to dish meals out. It would be the same here but on a bigger scale, and they’d never have to hope some food was left over so they could eat. Never have to return home to their parents and tell them their bellies wouldn’t be filled today—the money they’d made on the stall had to pay rent, and their mother and father didn’t earn much, so food was scarce.

Funny how they’d fed others but went without themselves.

“Ah, you’re here.” Li Jun lifted a hatch in the counter and came through, hugging Zhang Wei and mumbling how much he’d missed him. “This is what we always wanted, and we have it in our hands now. A chance to do well.”

Time had passed, the children growing, enjoying school and new friends, Nuwa giving birth to her sons, and life was as good as the promise, except Zhang Wei still couldn’t get over the drugs and their effects on people. They came in, these customers, some of them looking as though they smoked weed rather than eat, their hair unkempt, shadows beneath their eyes, solid proof that the ‘gear’ did harm. Nightmares had plagued him since the day Li Jun had told him how things were going to be, and there came