A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1473 Donglin Football God, Karaoke Competition! (Please Subscribe!)

Sunday arrived in the blink of an eye. Early in the morning, Hua Shier rode his bicycle with Cui Mengmeng and Erpang on his back to the Workers' Cultural Palace to participate in a billiards competition.

He originally wanted to take Li Xiaozhen with him to this chance to win the championship and show off his extraordinary ball skills in front of his wife. Unfortunately, although the factory was closed on the weekend, restaurants like Dingqinglou were busy on weekends, and Li Xiaozhen couldn't leave at all.

So he decided to take his daughter Cui Mengmeng, who was on vacation, and his nephew Erpang with him.

Well, the main reason is that Hua Shier found this girl to be a bit disrespectful to him, so he decided to show her what her father was capable of.

As for why we went to the Workers' Cultural Palace instead of the billiards hall, it's because plans can't keep up with changes.

The original plan was to use Mr. Li's billiards hall as the competition venue. If there were many participants, we would book several billiards halls nearby, since it wouldn't cost much anyway.

But to my utter surprise, last night before Hua Shier went home, he went to the billiard hall and was told by Boss Li that the number of people who had signed up had exceeded three thousand, to be precise, three thousand and thirty.

Even if we booked all the surrounding billiard halls, we still wouldn't be able to accommodate everyone.

Moreover, even if the first and second rounds eliminate most of the players, those who remain will definitely be tough opponents. The competition will inevitably become more and more exciting as it progresses. Even if those registered billiards enthusiasts lose, most of them will be reluctant to leave and will probably stay to watch the game.

With so many people crammed together, it's no wonder things are bound to get out of hand.

When Hua Shier met Boss Li last night, the latter was racking his brains in worry. Hua Shier gave him a suggestion: find the leaders of the Workers' Cultural Palace and rent all the pool tables in the cultural palace's billiard room and move them to the square outside the cultural palace.

The venue was changed to an open-air setting, so no matter how many people came, it was bright and spacious.

Upon hearing this, Boss Li slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Great idea!"

He asked around overnight to find a way to secure the rights to use twenty billiard tables in the Cultural Palace for a whole day, plus free use of the plaza.

Moreover, Mr. Li felt that twenty pool tables were not enough, so he borrowed ten pool tables and transported his own ten pool tables to the Cultural Palace Square overnight.

When Hua Shier arrived at the Workers' Cultural Palace by bicycle today, he saw forty billiard tables set up in the square in front of it, surrounded by people.

Colorful flags fluttered in the square, making it look like a sports meet. A banner was even hung next to the statue of the elderly person.

The First Donglin City Amateur Ball Master Championship!

Hua Shier almost fainted when he saw the banner. Did they just take the name "God of Gamblers Tournament" from the movie and change a word?

Calling him a "god of football" is an exaggeration.

His 'Fiery Chariot' was placed under the old man's statue, adorned with a large red flower, and many people were gathered around it.

Hua Shier pointed at the car and said, "Mengmeng, that's our car!"

His words made many of the other participants in the competition laugh, because that's what they all thought too.

Cui Mengmeng liked the motorcycle even more after seeing how cool it was just like in the movie. She hoped that her father would keep his word this time, win the race, and bring home the cool motorcycle.

Then she'll have something to brag about to her classmates. What's a Xiali car? These kinds of motorcycles are supposedly impossible to buy even if you have the money, let alone the same model worn by Andy Lau.

At 8 a.m., the first round of elimination matches began, and Boss Li announced the rules with a megaphone.

The first round of the competition will use a "rabbit-catching" game format (three players per game; for details on the gameplay, please search online if you're interested!).

Based on the order of registration, three people will play one game, and the order will be determined sequentially.

The elimination mechanism adopts a single-elimination tournament, which means that the winner is determined in one round. According to the "rabbit" rule, there are three people in one round, and two people can be eliminated in each round.

After the first round, only one-third of the contestants remained.

While luck plays a role in the outcome, there's nothing that can be done about it given the large number of participants and the fact that it's an amateur competition.

Besides, isn't luck also a part of ability?

So when the rules were announced, no one stood up to object.

Mr. Li arranged for Hua Shier to register as number 32, mainly to avoid acquaintances who registered at the same billiard hall. His opponents were numbers 31 and 33.

Hua Shier was lucky and won the right to break. From the moment he started breaking the ball, he didn't give his two opponents a chance. Numbers 31 and 33 didn't get a single shot and watched helplessly as Hua Shier used up all his balls, eliminating them.

The staff at the cultural center who were brought in to act as referees all laughed. These two really spent their 100 yuan registration fee very quickly.

With over three thousand people and forty pool tables, it took more than four hours to complete the first round of the competition.

The second round of matches then began.

The second round had 1010 people remaining, and the 'rabbit-catching' rule was also used. This time, two people received a bye, and Hua Shier was one of them, advancing directly and winning without lifting a finger!
The second round of the competition was completed in an hour and a half, after which Boss Li announced a lunch break to give the contestants time to eat.

The match resumed half an hour later.

By the afternoon, only 338 contestants remained. The competition was about to begin, and the rules were changed from the "rabbit-catching" game to the national standard, where contestants would fight in pairs. After several rounds, the final match finally arrived at 3 p.m.

As expected, one of the two who made it to the end was Hua Shier.

He advanced easily all the way and even received two byes, which some contestants jokingly said was due to his incredible luck.

Hua Twelve's final opponent was a young worker from a flax factory, who smiled arrogantly and said:

"That motorcycle was destined to be mine; everyone calls me 'Number One Pole of the Flax Mill!'"

Hua Shier suddenly felt a sense of awe and wonder.

Mr. Li personally announced the rules: the final will be a best-of-five series, using the national standard playing style.

After consulting with both sides, Hua Twelve and "Flax Mill First Shot" both confidently decided to adopt the "winner's tee shot mode".

Logically, the first game should have been decided by a coin toss, but "First Shot from the Flax Mill" was a bit too confident, generously letting Hua Twelve tee off first, and even said with a smile:

"You won't get many chances to touch the cue stick when we play pool, so I'll let you break first!"

Hua Shier smiled and thanked him, then picked up his cue and started hitting the ball.

With a bang, as he struck the ball, sixteen billiard balls scattered and exploded, one solid-colored ball fell into the pocket, and he immediately cleared the table in one shot. Various positions and cueing techniques were used with ease and grace.

The outstanding ball skills were met with cheers. Cui Mengmeng and Erpang blushed and clapped their hands excitedly.

The 'first pole of the flax mill' looked a little grim:

"You're pretty lucky! Don't get too excited yet. It's just a matter of bombing and clearing the table. I can do that in six or seven out of ten games!"

Hua Shier laughed and said, "You're quite something, don't forget to go easy on me!"

By this time, the referee had already set up the balls. Following the 'winner's break' rule, Hua Shier broke again, broke the shot, and the ball went in, clearing the table in one shot.

The third shot was the same; Hua Shier didn't give 'Yanma Factory's first shot' any chance, winning three consecutive shots to end the battle.

The "first shot from the flax mill" has now become "flax mill stunned," and he really wants to yell: What are you doing? I want to play pool!
Hua Shier smiled and put down his club, then laughed at the stunned first player:
"I didn't expect you to be so accommodating on the first shot, letting me win without even making a single shot!"

The surrounding area erupted in laughter.

Brother Li came up and shook hands with Hua Shier, smiling broadly as he said:

"Hey bro, there's a reporter here, hurry up and show him a smile!"

He had barely finished speaking when a man who looked like a reporter came over with a camera and started snapping photos, flashing his camera repeatedly.

Then, he specially took a photo of Hua Shier with the "Fiery Chariot" he had "won" and conducted a brief interview.

As for the second and third place winners, they only received prize money, but they didn't get any interviews with reporters.

Six o'clock in the evening, at the entrance of Dingqinglou.

Hua Shier stopped the motorcycle, and Cui Mengmeng, who was on the back seat, jumped off and rushed upstairs, shouting:

"Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, come quick!"

When Li Xiaozhen saw the motorcycle, she was overjoyed.
"Okay, you really rode it back?"

When Grandpa Cui heard that he had won in a billiards match, he scoffed:
"This kid is good at everything, but his mind is too scattered!" The old lady was very happy: "He's still my son, he's always been better than others in everything since he was a child!"

At this moment, Li Xiaozhen realized something was wrong:

"I feel like someone's missing. Wasn't Erpang supposed to go with you guys? Where is he?"

Speak of the devil, and he appears! Erpang, riding his bicycle, came panting and sweating profusely as he rode over.

"Uncle, you're really not being fair! You didn't even give me a ride, and I made you wait for me for a while, but you still rode so fast! I'm exhausted!"

Hua Shier patted the 'Fiery Chariot':
"I wish I could go slower, but the car's capabilities just won't allow it!"

After saying that, he looked at his nephew, who had a resentful expression, and said, "From now on, you can ride this bicycle. Aren't you happy?"

One sentence was enough to make Erpang happy.

After having dinner at Dingqinglou Restaurant, the family of three returned home. Cui Mengmeng, who had been cheering for her father all day, was now past her peak of excitement and could barely keep her eyes open, so she went to bed early.

Hua Shier also wanted to sleep, but when he was half asleep, he felt someone riding on his back.

Then we heard Li Xiaozhen's voice:
"No need to be celibate and adjust your mindset today, right?"

Nothing happened that night. From the next day onward, Hua Shier was responsible for taking his daughter to school every morning and then returning to take Li Xiaozhen to Dingqinglou.

When Cui Mengmeng arrived at school, as soon as she entered the gate, a good friend whose family had bought a Xiali car greeted her:

Good morning, Mengmeng!

Cui Mengmeng replied with a smile, "How did you know my family bought the same motorcycle racing car as Andy Lau?"

good friend:
Besides Cui Mengmeng, Erpang also helped his uncle promote his "great achievements" in his class.

The impact of the billiards championship continued to spread. Two days later, the Donglin Evening News published a news article titled "The First Donglin City Folk Billiards God Championship! It has come to a successful conclusion, with the machinery factory engineer winning the title of 'Billiards God'."

They also posted a photo of the Huashi 12 team winning the championship, with the caption "Donglin's God of Football!"
In the factory manager's office, Secretary Zhang showed a newspaper to the newly arrived manager, Chen:

"Factory manager, look at this Cui Guoming. He doesn't do any proper work all day and doesn't stand out at all in the factory. He's quite good at these crooked tricks!"

Factory Director Chen took the newspaper and glanced at it:
"Is this Cui Guoming the same person who wrote over two hundred pages of comments last time?"

"It's him."

Unaware that someone was trying to sabotage him, Hua Shier was actually quite pleased with himself. Just moments before, he had received a call from Mr. Li, the owner of the billiards hall, asking him to come and collect his share of the money.

He simply didn't wait until after get off work to tell Zhao Hailong and Liu Ye to ask them to help him ask for leave, and also to ask for leave for tomorrow, because he was going to participate in a karaoke competition tomorrow.

Riding the 'Fiery Chariot' out of the factory area, the roar of the engine echoed throughout the entire factory.

Factory Director Chen and Secretary Zhang looked outside upon hearing the commotion, and the latter excitedly reported:

"Factory manager, this is Cui Guoming. Look at how smug he is! Hey, he's heading towards the main gate, isn't he? He's leaving the factory area. It's still working hours, and he's already leaving early. That's outrageous!"

Factory Director Chen's eyes were somewhat gloomy. He had just taken over as factory director and hadn't even started making any changes yet, but someone dared to be late or leave early. He thought Cui Guoming was a troublemaker, and his impression of him was getting worse.

When Hua Shier arrived at the billiards hall, he saw a row of large photos hanging on the wall, making it look like a wall of fame.

From left to right, the first picture is snooker legend Davis, and the second picture is the current snooker world champion Hendry.

The third photo is the most awesome, featuring Donglin's football god, Cui Guoming!
Okay, the third picture is the one taken when he shook hands with Mr. Li after winning the championship.

"How about it? Not bad, right? From now on, this photo will be our store's prized possession!"

Mr. Li walked over with a smile, stood next to Hua Shier, and looked at the photos on the wall with great satisfaction.

Hua Shier nodded: "It's good, but it's just that you're here to make up the numbers!"

After saying that, the two of them burst into laughter.

"Thanks to you this time, brother, this one's yours!"

Mr. Li handed over a anonymous savings book.

In those days, saving money wasn't done under a real-name system. It wasn't until after 2000, when the State Council issued Order No. 285, that individuals were required to use legally valid identification documents for real-name registration when opening deposit accounts within the country.

So now anyone who knows the password can withdraw money from this passbook.

Hua Shier took the passbook, glanced at the amount, and frowned, saying, "Brother Li, isn't this too much?"

Mr. Li smiled:

“There were 3030 applicants, and the registration fee was 303,000 yuan. Various expenses and bonuses totaled 7200 yuan. The rest will be split in half as we agreed, 147,900 yuan per person. I've rounded it up for you, so it'll be 150,000 yuan!”

He feared that Hua Twelve would decline:

"Brother, just accept it. You came up with the idea, and you provided the motorcycles to attract participants. I'm just running an errand. If you keep being polite, I won't be happy!"

Hua Shier didn't argue, after all, it was only a matter of a little over two thousand yuan, and his idea had earned Boss Li over ten thousand yuan.

"Thanks, Brother Li!"

"Don't be so polite with me!"

Hua Shier took the passbook to the bank, withdrew all the money, put it in his bag, and carried it home. He then presented the stacks of money to Li Xiaozhen, who was startled.
"My goodness, so much money! Where did you get it?"

Hua Shier was afraid she would overthink things, so he told her about the billiards room he was running in partnership with Boss Li. He only said that the idea was his, and didn't mention that he was the one who provided the motorcycles.

Overjoyed, Li Xiaozhen hugged him and kissed him several times:
"Honey, I feel like there's more and more hope for the future these days. Come on, come into the bedroom with me, I have something to discuss with you."

Hua Twelve:
The following day, Thursday.

Hua Shier didn't go to work; instead, he went to the Donglin Art Theater to participate in the first Donglin Karaoke Competition, jointly organized by the Municipal Trade Union and the TV station.

There were quite a few people who came to participate in the competition, and it must be said that the contestants in this era all had good musical skills, with few of the oddball contestants found in later talent shows.

Of course, there are exceptions.

For example, there was a young man wearing a leather jacket with a hairstyle like the "Shamate" of later generations, who jumped and danced on stage, singing the Little Tigers' song "A Date with the Stars," but he was just having fun and singing off-key the whole time.

The audience and judges below all showed expressions of being tormented by his singing or unable to suppress their laughter.

The contestant noticed the judges' expressions and stopped singing halfway through, exclaiming, "What the hell is this?!"

He plugged the microphone into the microphone stand, grumbled, and turned to leave the stage.

He brushed past Hua Shier backstage and glared at him:
"What are you?"

Hua Shier chuckled and replied, "What are you looking at!"

The man was taken aback, clearly not expecting this refined-looking young man to actually dare to talk back. He pointed at Hua Twelve and said:
"Fine, there are a lot of people here. You just wait. Remember, my name is Dog Intestine!"

After saying that, he turned and left, with Hua Twelve calling after him:
"I don't eat offal, so why would I need to remember this stuff!"

After Hua Shier took the stage, he sang "Red Sun" by Hacken Lee.

He was jumping and dancing, but he sang and danced well, which made the whole audience go wild. Even the judges were affected by the atmosphere and the singing, and couldn't help but sway and twist along. In the end, he passed the test smoothly!

While he was singing on stage, in the small conference room of Donglin Machinery Factory, Director Chen was holding his first factory director's office meeting since taking office.

Factory Director Chen called out names one by one from the list, offering a few words of encouragement with a smile to each face he recognized. When he got to Cui Guoming's name, Zhao Hailong raised his hand and said:

"Factory manager, Cui Guoming has asked for leave!"

The factory manager's face slowly darkened as he recalled the figure who had skipped work on his motorcycle yesterday.

Thanks to 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, and Brother Li Meng of the God of Death for their donations, and thanks to the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendations. Thank you so much!