A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1482 It's time to go out and see the world! (Please subscribe!)

Although the Russian experts failed to repair the machine, the machine factory still paid every penny they were owed. Their travel expenses, lost wages, and food and lodging expenses were all reimbursed, totaling more than four thousand yuan, which was almost equivalent to a year's salary for an engineer in the factory.

Of course, this is still considered good. A few years ago, during the S era, according to the agreement signed in June 1990, the monthly compensation standard for various SL experts working here was stipulated. Consultant-level experts received a monthly subsidy of 6 francs, which would be tens of thousands of RMB. Now that the S region has dissolved, the price has dropped considerably.

After seeing off the Russian experts, Factory Director Chen was somewhat frantic. The Russian experts had said that only Cui Guoming could fix it. How could he, the director of a large factory with tens of thousands of employees, really be outmaneuvered by a mere engineer?

Seeing the factory manager's gloomy face, Secretary Zhang quickly suggested:

"Factory manager, this is easy to handle!"

Factory Director Chen immediately perked up: "Xiao Zhang, what do you think we should do about this?"

Secretary Zhang grinned slyly: "Cui Guoming has a good relationship with Zhao Hailong and Liu Ye. If we start with those two, we can make Cui Guoming obediently submit?"

Factory Director Chen frowned and said, "You mean I should use my power to coerce Cui Guoming by using Zhao Hailong and Liu Ye?"

He slammed his hand on the table: "Then what kind of person do I become? Isn't that the behavior of a despicable person?!"

Secretary Zhang cursed inwardly, "You're trying to have your cake and eat it too!"

However, as his secretary, he naturally knew that leaders cared about their image, so he had to appease them and quickly smiled apologetically:
"You misunderstand. Zhao Hailong and Liu Ye are technicians. The factory assigned them tasks to repair imported machines. There has to be a clear system of rewards and punishments. If they repair them well, they get a bonus. If they don't, they fail to complete their job and there has to be a punishment, such as being sent to the workshop to move steel or clean toilets!"

Factory Director Chen looked enlightened and smiled.

"Hey, you know what, you're right, it makes sense! The technical department can't just be a bunch of freeloaders!"

He made no mention of the fact that even Russian experts couldn't fix it, and immediately said:
"Okay, I'll leave this to you. Make sure you get the machine fixed as soon as possible and resume production!"

Secretary Zhang went directly to the technical department to find Zhao Hailong and Liu Ye, and said that the factory director had made a decision: if the machine could not be repaired within three days, the two of them could not stay in the technical department. One of them would go to the workshop to move parts, and the other would go to the sanitation team to clean toilets.

When Zhao Hailong and Liu Ye were dumbfounded, Secretary Zhang hinted to them, "If you can't handle it, you can ask Cui Guoming for help."

He finished speaking with a smug smile, looking like a petty tyrant, and walked away humming a song. Hmm, the song he was humming was actually "The You of the Past," the one Hua Shier sang in the karaoke competition!
Both Zhao and Liu looked miserable.

Zhao Hailong asked, "What should we do?"

Liu Ye suggested, "Why don't you treat us to some barbecue tonight and talk to Brother Cui about it!"

Zhao Hailong was exasperated: "Can't you stop being such a miser, stingy person?"

The two called Dingqinglou and received news from Li Xiaozhen that Hua Shier had gone out in the morning and had just called to say that he wouldn't be home until after 10 p.m.

Nighttime, at the Nightclub.

The hall was dimly lit, and the seats around the dance floor were almost full. A musician was playing the saxophone on stage.

Hua Shier waited backstage with a microphone in hand. He had his hair done and changed out of the leather jacket he wore during the day, wearing a bright silver sequined jacket. Under the lights, his whole body reflected the fine sparkles, like he was wearing a flowing starry sky. Combined with his already high-scoring good looks, he was exceptionally dazzling.

Yang Baihui came out of the manager's office and saw Hua Shier waiting to go on stage. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled as she went over to straighten his collar, showing him great concern and intimacy.
"Don't be nervous, your 'Wild Wolf Disco' will definitely blow the house away tonight. Oh, by the way, although the announcer will introduce you, it would be best if you did a self-introduction after your song to welcome the guests and interact with them. That way, you'll get more flower baskets."

Hua Shier did not object to Miss Yang's intimate gestures and nodded, saying:
"Okay, don't worry, I'm not nervous. I'll just introduce myself: Hello everyone, my name is Not Nervous!"

Last year, Benshan's line from the Spring Festival Gala became a viral hit, making Yang Baihui laugh so hard that she put her hand on Hua Shier's shoulder and almost leaned against him.

Hua Shier helped her up and gently pushed her away a little:
"The name 'Wild Wolf Disco' isn't suitable. I'll talk to Xiao Liu later and change it to 'Night Disco' when we announce the show!"

Yang Baihui, who had been pushed away by Hua Shier, had a hint of disappointment in her eyes, but after hearing what the former said, her eyes lit up again. She felt that the song "Wild Wolf Disco" was bound to be a hit. If it were changed to "Night Colors," it would refer to her "Night Colors Karaoke Bar," which would definitely elevate her, the largest nightclub in the provincial capital, to another level.

She whispered, "Thank you!"

After the saxophone player finished playing on stage, Xiao Liu, the announcer, came on stage:

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome the winner of the city's first Karaoke Competition, Cui Guoming!"

"He's going to perform an original song for everyone, 'Night Disco'!"

The disco ball spun, the spotlights flashed, and as the band's intro began, several glamorous female dancers started to sway their bodies.

"The flower in my heart, I want to take you home."

As the song began, the female dancers parted to the left and right, and Hua Shier made a dazzling entrance with the most handsome demeanor of the entire event.

The moment the Cantonese part started, the people in the audience who were drinking and chatting unconsciously stopped what they were doing and looked at the stage.

This melody is so catchy. I'd never heard it before, but as soon as I heard it, it felt like it was going to seep into my heart.

Some people started to gently shake their heads to the rhythm, their bodies swaying involuntarily.

After the Cantonese part ended, the audience's reaction was just "this song is pretty good," but immediately, the rap section came.

"Slicked-back hair, pager, 007 on the dance floor, the original Northeastern breakdunk lad, even the DJ gets impatient with me. No matter how hot it is, I can't take off my leather coat."

The rhythm is so catchy! Hua Shier waved his hand down and said, "Come on, draw a dragon with me on the left!"

All the waiters in the restaurant raised their hands and made the gesture.

"Draw a rainbow on your right!"

This time, not only the waiters, but several guests also stood up, laughing and gesturing along.

Hua Shier continued: "Come on, draw a rainbow with me on the left!"

This time, even more people stood up.

"Draw another dragon on your right! Don't stop!"

"Draw a picture of Aaron Kwok on your chest!"

This time, most of the people in the venue stood up, laughing, shouting, whistling, and gesturing along.

When the song was sung for the second time, the whole place went wild. Some people were swaying to the rhythm with their glasses in hand, while others were whistling.

Just as the second chorus began, seven or eight people walked in through the door of Nightfall.

The woman at the head of the group, with her permed hair and wearing a wool coat, was none other than Cui Xiaohong.

She was invited by some old classmates to a reunion today. They hadn't seen each other for more than ten years. After dinner, someone suggested coming over for drinks. As soon as they entered, they were stunned by the scene before them.

Almost all the guests in the hall stood up, singing and gesturing along to the rhythm on the stage, creating an atmosphere so enthusiastic it felt like the roof was about to be lifted.

"What's going on? Why are they so hyped?"

The only man among them was Wang Bing, the father of Wang Ning, who was Erpang's classmate. He curiously took a few steps forward.

Cui Xiaohong looked over and saw the stage lights flashing, a strikingly handsome man swaying in unison with his backup dancers, shouting to the audience:
Come to the left and draw a dragon with me.

Both the waiters and the guests below the stage followed along with the gestures.

Cui Xiaohong was stunned by that figure and that voice.

Wang Bing recognized him and blurted out, "Hey, isn't that your younger brother, Cui Guoming!"

Cui Xiaohong didn't say anything, she just stared at Hua Shier on the stage.

When the song ended, the applause and cheers almost lifted the roof off. Hua Shier smiled and introduced himself:

"Hello everyone, my name is Not Nervous!"

Yang Baihui was doubled over with laughter backstage, and the guests in the audience were also laughing.

Hua Shier pointed backstage: "I'm going to rest for a while, and I'll perform for everyone later!"

One customer shouted, "One more song!"

Hua Shier joked in a Northeastern accent, "Can't we take a break? Get me a few flower baskets first, then we can come up and keep the party going!"

Laughter erupted from the audience, and several well-off men immediately called for waiters to present Hua Shier with flower baskets.

Cui Xiaohong and her group were then led to their seats by the waiter, and ordered a dozen beers and several fruit platters.

One of Cui Xiaohong's high school classmates was still excited:

"Xiao Hong, your brother is amazing! He sang so energetically, it gave me goosebumps!"

Another female classmate chimed in, "That's right, anyone who didn't know better would think some Hong Kong or Taiwanese pop star had arrived."

Cui Xiaohong smiled but didn't reply.

A girl looked up at the stage and said, "He's off the stage, right? Let's invite him over for a drink, so we can get to know each other."

Before Cui Xiaohong could speak, Wang Bing suddenly interrupted:
"Stop calling him. What's the point of calling him over? You don't know her brother's temper, he's got a really bad temper, like a sour-faced monkey, he can turn on you in an instant!"

Everyone looked at Wang Bing, and Cui Xiaohong turned to ask, "What's wrong? Did my brother turn against you?"

Wang Bing took a sip of his drink and began to pour out his grievances:
“Let me tell you, I ran into Cui Guoming the other day, and I made a joke, and he immediately turned on me. Seriously, he didn’t give me any face in front of my son!”

Someone asked curiously, "What kind of joke are you making?"

Wang Bing waved his hand: "I just said it casually, and he even used Huo Dongfeng to scare me, talking about gangsters and shady dealings. Tell me, is it really necessary?"

When Cui Xiaohong heard him mention Huo Dongfeng, she was about to ask for more details.

But suddenly a voice broke in:
"Brother Wang, what did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly, could you say it again?"

When Wang Bing turned around, he saw Hua Shier holding a bottle of red wine, looking at him with ill intent.

The others didn't notice anything amiss and assumed that Hua Shier was holding the red wine to toast Cui Xiaohong.

Several of Cui Xiaohong's female classmates greeted her: "Guoming, right? We were just talking about you with your sister."

Hua Shier smiled and nodded: "Sisters, please wait a moment, I need to say a few words to Brother Wang!"

Wang Bing hadn't expected that the person he was talking about behind his back would overhear him, so he chuckled dryly:

"Hey, Guoming, sit next to me right now!"

He was about to get up when Hua Shier pressed his shoulder down and pushed him back down. The latter bent down and gently patted Wang Bing's face.

"Brother Wang, do you want to tell everyone why I turned against you that day?"

The movement looked effortless, but Wang Bing's face instantly turned red.

Being slapped in the face in front of so many old classmates, where does that leave your pride?
Wang Bing, steeling himself, also put on a cold face and said:

"What are you doing, Guoming? I'm a customer, you know? I'm here to spend money, you have to be polite to me."

The bottles of Hua Twelve red wine were all raised when Wang Bing waved to the front:

"Waiter, bring my brother ten flower baskets!"

After Wang Bing finished speaking, he said:

"Brother, you sang so well just now! I have to support you today!"

The female classmates who came with him thought the two were joking, and when they saw Wang Bing giving Cui Xiaohong's younger brother a reward, they all cheered.

Wang Bing's blustering yet cowardly demeanor completely broke Hua Twelve's defenses. Hua Twelve placed the bottle of red wine on the table and couldn't help but laugh.
"Then thank you very much, Brother Wang. This bottle of red wine is a gift for my brothers and sisters. Have a good time!"

Wang Bing breathed a sigh of relief: "Brother, you're so generous! Waiter, bring ten more flower baskets!"

Each flower basket cost a hundred, and two thousand had already been spent. But Wang Bing felt it was worth it. He had clearly seen Hua Shier's initial move of swinging the wine bottle, and he felt it was a close call.

A woman with curly hair smiled and spoke:
“Guoming, come here, sit here. Do you remember me? Your sister Bo used to visit your house a lot back in the day.”

Hua Shier glanced at her, vaguely recognizing her. Sun Bo? Sister Bo!
He remembered that this woman was Cui Xiaohong's classmate, and they had a good relationship back then.

He smiled, didn't sit down, and just stood there nodding:

"Sister Bo, it's been a long time."

Sun Bo nodded with a smile:

"That's right, you've grown up so much. Let me tell you, you should thank me. If I hadn't stolen money from home to lend to your sister, she wouldn't have had the money to go to Japan. She wouldn't be living such a good life now."

Hua Shier paused for a moment, then looked at Cui Xiaohong.

Cui Xiaohong's expression changed. She wanted to say something, but didn't know how to start. She was quite afraid that her younger brother would turn on her on the spot.

Hua Shier withdrew his gaze and looked back at Sun Bo, his smile deepening.
"Really? Then I really have to thank Sister Bo. I was wondering how my sister, a small woman, could do something like abandoning her parents and son and running off to Japan all by herself. Where did she get such great ability? It turns out it was you who helped me, Sister Bo."

Sun Bo's smile froze on her face. Although she had drunk some alcohol during the previous dinner, she could tell that Hua Shier's words had a hidden meaning. It sounded like gratitude, but the tone and the look in his eyes were just not right.

Hua Shier asked with a smile, "Sister Bo, are you married? How old are your kids? Are they well-behaved?"

Sun Bo answered subconsciously:
"I'm married now. I started school early, so I'm two years older than your sister, and I got married early too. My son is eighteen this year, but he's always so rebellious and hard to manage."

Hua nodded, his smile unchanged: "Eighteen years old, that's the time when you have your own ideas, that's good."

After he finished speaking, he waved to the people in the booth:

"Have fun, everyone. I won't bother you any longer."

He turned and left.

Cui Xiaohong opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

As Sun Bo watched Hua Shier's retreating figure, he felt that the phrase "pretty good" sounded strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

Wang Bing let out a long sigh, plopped back down on the sofa, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"That ancestor is finally gone."

Cui Xiaohong burst out laughing: "Are you that afraid of my brother? Come on, tell me, why did my brother turn against you?"

Wang Bing chuckled repeatedly, "Let's drink, let's drink."

Backstage.

When Yang Baihui saw Hua Shier return, she smiled and handed him a bottle of mineral water: "Did you run into someone you know?"

Hua Shier picked up the water glass and took a sip:
"Mr. Yang, I have a question for you. Do you know anyone who runs a travel agency? Or someone who can handle travel permits for going abroad?"

Yang Baihui was somewhat surprised: "You're going abroad?"

Hua Shier shook his head: "It's not me. I want to sponsor a child to travel abroad. Japan is fine, it's close and convenient."

Yang Baihui was even more confused: "You're sponsoring a child to study abroad? Whose child is it?"

Hua Shier smiled and said, "It's a friend's son. He's eighteen now, it's time for him to go out and see the world."

Donglin is the provincial capital, and Yang Baihui is able to run the biggest nightclub in Donglin, so she must have connections, if not absolute influence. She smiled and said:

"It's rare for you to ask me for help, so fine, I'll take care of it. But you have to promise me one thing: don't call me Boss Yang, it sounds too formal. Just call me Baihui!"

Hua Shier had just taken a sip of water when he heard this and almost choked. He quickly pointed ahead:

"It's my turn to go on!"

He quickly went up on stage, and amidst the cheers from the audience, slung his guitar over his shoulder.

"I'd like to dedicate 'The You of the Past' to everyone, and thank you to all the friends who sent flower baskets earlier!"

At 11 p.m., Hua Shier finished get off work at 'Nightfall' and was about to leave when Yang Baihui called him into her office, settled his wages for the night, and then handed him a large mobile phone.
You take this!

Hua Shier didn't answer: "Boss Yang"

Yang Baihui interrupted with a smile: "Have you forgotten what we agreed on? What will you call me?"

Hua Shier had no choice but to say, "Fine, I'll call you Baihui, but why are you giving me this? It's too precious!"

In the original storyline, Yang Baihui also gave Cui Guoming a communication tool, a Chinese pager. Now, he's been given a mobile phone, which is ridiculously expensive and has a bad signal.

Yang Baihui still tried to shove the mobile phone into his hand:

"This is for you, so we can keep in touch. Besides, the value of that song 'Night Disco' is more than this. Take it, I'm counting on you to help me make a lot of money in the future!"

Hua Shier thought about it and agreed: "Okay, then I'll take it. If you regret it someday, you can ask me for it back!"

Yang Baihui laughed and patted him on the shoulder: "You're so funny!"

Just then, Yang Baihui's best friend came in, and Hua Shier took the opportunity to say goodbye, taking his salary for the day and his mobile phone with him as he went home.

When he went out, Cui Xiaohong and her group had already left. Hua Shier rode his bicycle home and it was almost midnight.

Li Xiaozhen was still awake. As soon as Hua Shier entered the room, she pinned him against the wall, sniffed him thoroughly, and then said with disgust:

"Where have you been? You smell of alcohol and cigarettes!"

Hua Shier pulled her into the house and put over six hundred yuan in her hand:

"I just wanted to tell you something. I'm singing at a nightclub now, and this is what I earned tonight."

When Li Xiaozhen heard that Hua Shier had gone to a nightclub to sing, she was about to object, but then she was stunned when she saw the money:

"So much? Just for one night, it's more than your monthly salary?"

Cui Guoming earns a little over 500 yuan a month, and Hua Shier earned so much in just one night that Li Xiaozhen felt like she was dreaming.

"This is nothing! Look at this!"

Hua Shier took out his mobile phone and said with a smile:
"This was a gift from the boss. I've already made an agreement with him. He'll set up a music company and help me release an album. Right now, this is just small change!"

Although Li Xiaozhen wasn't greedy, seeing so much money and hearing that her husband was going to have a bright future made her extremely happy. She turned off the light and then pounced on him.

"Come on, let's celebrate!"

The next morning, Hua Shier was woken up by a knock on the door. It was Zhao Hailong and Liu Ye who came to ask for help, wanting him to go to the factory and fix the machine.

Zhao Hailong said urgently, "That guy surnamed Zhang said that if the machine can't be repaired, he'll make us move the parts and clean the toilets!"

After listening, Hua Shier directly refused:

"No, if I go back now, they'll have me under their thumb. The advantage is in my hands!"

"Even if the new factory manager really treats you like this, when he comes begging me, just say that I can repair the machine, but you two have to come with me. Does he dare to refuse? If he doesn't agree, I won't repair it for him!"

"When I get promoted to senior engineer, you two can share the bonus with me. Isn't that great? Don't worry about him!"

After hearing what Hua Shier said, the two men both felt it made sense and smiled.

Zhao Hailong said, "Alright, then it's all up to you, Brother Cui!"

Liu Ye pointed at Zhao Hailong: "Brother Cui, he wants to treat you to some skewers!"

Zhao Hailong:
Hua Shier knew that Liu Ye rarely treated people to meals, and seeing Zhao Hailong's expression, he could tell that this was another generous gesture, so he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Thank you to 08a and Little Tiger of the Demon Realm for the donations, and thank you to all the brothers who voted with monthly tickets and recommendation tickets. Thank you so much!