Chapter 9

After this incident was resolved, just before the auction began, Jim Milne killed Chu Song, the second son of the Chu family, on the spot as he provoked him. This act of force served to intimidate all the guests. Jim also vowed to seek revenge for the Bessie family’s bloodshed. His domineering behavior forced the Barnard family to cancel the auction.

The auction was delayed due to all these complications. Once we reached the private room, we sat together, ordered some snacks, and began drinking tea. After that, we started discussing various matters. The first person to speak was the patriarch of the Johnson family. His face looked somewhat pale, clearly indicating that he had just recovered from a serious illness.

“Master Milne, I never expected to meet you here. I was planning to thank you properly for your life-saving help these past days. What a coincidence.”

Jim Milne stood up and said humbly, “You flatter me too much. I’m just someone who happens to be able to help with medicine. It’s all about fate.”

“Ah, Master Milne, please don’t be so modest. To be honest with you, I came here with the intention of introducing you to the local elite. But I never expected that you already knew our Johnson family. Then there’s no need for me to say anything further. After all, our Johnson family is a respected and influential family in this area.” Old Simon praised the Johnson family highly.

The old man of the Johnson family laughed heartily and said, “Simon, you really know how to tell jokes. Who doesn’t know that in Birmingham, when you, Old Simon, shout, the heavens seem to shake! Whether it’s dragons or insects, everyone obeys you when they see you, Old Simon.”

The two of them praised each other. After all, it’s just business flattery anyway, so it doesn’t really matter.

Then, Mr. Johnson turned to Jim Milne and said, “Master Milne, please forgive me for being blunt. Calling you ‘Master Milne’ doesn’t quite suit my status. I’ll just call you Milne. Wouldn’t it be better if we treated each other as brothers? I feel like Milne and I are similar people. If you don’t mind, I’ll call you Milne from now on.”

“Brother Sheng, you flatter me. If you’d like, I can also call you Brother Sheng.”

Mr. Johnson wants to be on good terms with Jim Milne, simply because he wants to build a closer relationship. After all, Jim is quite capable at such a young age. To win his favor, Mr. Johnson has to lower his stance a bit.

Then Jim Milne said to Mr. Simon, who was standing nearby, “Of course, Mr. Simon, you may also call me Milne.”

Because just now, Jim Milne heard Mr. Johnson call him “little brother”.

“Simon, since I’m already on a first-name basis with Jim Milne, then Simon should also establish a proper relationship with Jim Milne based on seniority. There’s no need to be so formal.”

Mr. Simon stood up and said, “Then, from now on, let’s call each other brothers.”

Ida Nahum, standing nearby, was completely stunned. This Birmingham boss had two men who called their own boss “brother”. What on earth was going on?

Then, Mr. Johnson, who was standing nearby, said, “Milton, you saved my life. I still haven’t thanked you. If you need anything, just tell me directly. There’s no need to be polite.”

Jim Milne bowed slightly. “I really don’t need anything else. I’ve already written down the list of herbs I need. Once they’re ready, I’ll come and pick them up.”

Whenever the topic of medicinal herbs came up, Old Johnson would frown and say, “In the past, our Johnson family was wealthy and powerful. To be honest, even obtaining those extremely rare medicinal herbs wasn’t difficult at all. But things are different now. During the time I was ill, that bastard Burke Johnson teamed up with outsiders to take away much of our family’s wealth. Even our family’s largest business, Sheng Pharmaceutical, has now been transferred to Burke Johnson’s control. All I can do now is try my best to help, and get as much as I can.”

“It doesn’t matter. As long as you do your best, Mr. Johnson, that’s all that matters.” Jim Milne said nothing more. After all, Johnson surely had his own difficulties to deal with.

“Mr. Johnson, don’t you want to get back the property you’ve lost?” asked Mr. Simon, who was standing nearby.

“Heh, it’s not that simple. Burke Johnson somehow managed to get his hands on a prescription for a miraculous medicine that can cure high blood pressure and cerebral infarction. Now, those people have made a lot of money by following Burke Johnson. Of course, they don’t want to return to my embrace anymore.”

“Hmph, isn’t this simple?”

“He has a prescription. Don’t you have one? Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll give you a prescription. The medicines on it can not only treat asthma, but also heart disease, which is a major problem these days. Take these medicines with you. Then those guys will figure out on their own whether to follow Burke Johnson or you.” That’s what Jim Milne said next.

“Oh! How could I possibly do this?”

Although he said he was sorry, Mr. Johnson was very interested. After all, heart disease is one of the most difficult diseases to treat nowadays. Surgery isn’t an option because the heart is too fragile, and there aren’t any effective medications for treating it.

If I could get my hands on such a prescription, I’d definitely cherish it greatly.

“That’s not a big deal. Since we’re brothers, what’s one prescription worth? Besides, since Brother Sheng has achieved success, I can surely benefit from it too, right?” Jim Milne said, half-jokingly.

“Good, then thank you, Mil .”

Jim Milne then asked the waiter to bring paper and pen, wrote down the prescription, and handed it to Mr. Johnson. Mr. Johnson kept the prescription. Jim Milne said, “My second request: I have something I need you to do today.”

“Milton, it’s fine to speak freely.”

Jim Milne thought for a moment, organized his words, and then spoke them into Old Johnson’s ear.

Mr. Johnson felt very sorry upon hearing this, as he could only do his best to fulfill the two requests put forward by Jim Milne, without any guarantee of success.

At this moment, Mr. Simon, who was standing nearby, spoke up: “Actually, there’s not really no way out. I have a plan.”

“Then go ahead and explain,” said the head of the Johnson family immediately.

“I’m sure everyone knows about the Hope family. They’ve always been arch-rivals of our Simon family. On the surface, the Hope family seems like the local power brokers. But every time they face difficult problems, they manage to resolve them effortlessly. There must be some kind of backing behind the Hope family.”

“How dare they come to Birmingham and compete with my Simon family for territory and resources! That’s why the Hope family and the Simon family have been at odds lately. There’s only one way to deal with the Hope family: destroy their main source of income. Once that’s done, we can force the Hope family to hand over that person.”

Although Old Mr. Simon said this, he certainly had his own ulterior motives: using the influence of Jim Milne and the Johnson family to pressure the Hope family.

But Jim Milne thought for a moment. This method actually sounded good. “So, how exactly should we go about it?” Jim Milne asked again.

“The mainstay of the Hope family’s business is the pharmaceutical industry. First, you all possess excellent medical skills and can treat many difficult diseases. Moreover, Mr. Max here is an expert in the pharmaceutical field. If we work together, who could possibly defeat Myron Hope?”

Mr. Simon said with confidence.

After that, they discussed some details further before reaching an agreement. As it was getting late, Jim Milne stood up and said, “It’s getting late. Let’s all go back and rest.”