The door of the courtyard house has been welded dead

“Buzz buzz buzz~!”

An old-fashioned ceiling fan spun on the roof beam, bringing a touch of coolness during the summer.

For the first time, video arcades in Beijing were subjected to rigorous inspections by tax authorities in various districts.

Suddenly realizing he wasn't the only one in trouble, Xu Damao was amused. The other customers, scared by the inspectors' arrival, ended up going to his video arcade to watch videos.

Because Xu Damao had already paid the fines and overdue taxes issued by the municipal tax bureau, this place had become the only place where he could watch movies in peace, and no more tax authorities would bother him.

Unlike Xu Damao, a bachelor, the other video arcade owners were able to save money. How much money they made and how much wealth they accumulated were all unknown.

Facing a huge fine from the tax authorities and previous tax arrears, it won't be so easy to get away with it.

Because Xu Damao laundered the money he earned from his shady business into the revenue of the video arcade, he inevitably increased the amount of tax he had to pay.

The video arcade owner said he didn't make much money, but with Xu Damao's income of 18,000 yuan and annual income of 5,000 to 6,000 yuan as a counterexample, the tax inspectors won't believe him.

"Brother Mao, won't everyone hate us now?"

Xu Damao's hired henchmen obediently poured cold boiled water into Boss Xu's teapot, but looked rather worried.

The boss lost money, so those who occasionally sell tickets won't be able to easily embezzle any money as before.

"Hate? They can't hate me. I even suffered a loss. Damn it, I shouldn't have reported it that day. If they want to hate, let them hate that damn reporter. They just want to make a scene. Our video arcade was doing just fine, how did it become a social problem? It's obvious they're trying to frame us!"

Although Xu Damao was a bit rough around the edges, he was still educated and considered a highly qualified person among the small business owners of video arcades. The root of the problem was that the newspapers portrayed video arcades in a very negative light.

Is it easy to run an honest business? One minute a thief has been caught, the next the newspapers are practically writing about video arcades as filthy dens at the foot of a sacred mountain, wishing all video arcades in the city would be shut down.

It's estimated that some businesses might actually go bankrupt. If they can't pay the fines, the tax authorities won't take that lightly; they won't just shut them down.

"Listen up, starting tomorrow, ticket prices will go up by 10 cents for this show and 15 cents for a full day show. Damn it, we have to make up for this loss!"

He stole over three thousand and handed over seven thousand. Xu Damao's assets shrank dramatically, losing almost half. He couldn't bear to think about it. He couldn't sleep at night when he thought about it, and he wished he could stab the burglar to death.

"Don't say we won't give you a chance to get some soup. From now on, the ticket sales will be strictly regulated, and you can't interfere anymore. Don't give me a penny less. But as for the sunflower seeds and peanuts you sell, you two figure out where to get cheap stock. Consider it extra income for you!"

With the smuggling business shut down and his biggest source of extra income cut off, Xu Damao can only try to recover by focusing on his core business. Although there have been no layoffs, he still needs to cut costs and increase revenue.

Xu Damao didn't disclose some details. Anyway, he listened to Li Feng's advice and was indeed afraid of going to jail, so he didn't go into those kinds of movies. Recently, he guessed that the police wouldn't let go of the video arcade area either.

If they continue showing those movies, giving them leverage, they'll really become easy targets. And then there's the cultural market inspection team. Just thinking about it gives Xu Damao a feeling that a storm is brewing, and the crackdown is about to hit the video arcades.

"Boom~!"

“Crack~!”

First came a sidecar motorcycle with a single wheel, followed by a Dongfeng brand tricycle painted with the words "Police" on it, which stopped in front of Xu Damao's Youth Video Hall. The idlers who were originally going to watch a movie scattered like birds and beasts. The police officers who got off the vehicles went directly into Xu Damao's yard, where the two video halls were being inspected by the police.

"Crack~!"

"Who the hell turned on the light?!"

The audience, who were initially immersed in the film, stood up noisily, but fell silent the moment they saw the police officers at the door.

"Everyone, put your hands behind your heads, move to the sides, and stand against the wall!"

The smell in the video arcade was never pleasant, but at least Xu Damao's place had a ceiling fan, so it was slightly better. The police officers, with their serious expressions, began to investigate one by one.

"Wait a minute, what's going on? Instead of catching the thief, you're investigating the video arcade!"

Xu Damao, who rushed over from inside the house, never expected that his prediction would come true: the video arcade, which had been quietly making a fortune, had been targeted by the police.

"Liu Guangqi, Guangqi, what's going on here?!"

Upon seeing that there were familiar faces among the team leaders, Xu Damao slapped his thigh, his face immediately turning ugly. He hadn't shown any pornographic films here, and he had already paid taxes, so why were they still here?

"Xu Damao, the entire city's public security brigade has received a notice for a major security inspection, strictly checking loitering individuals in video arcades. Let me tell you, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you!"

As a former member of the Siheyuan (courtyard house), Liu Guangqi knew that Xu Damao was timid and that the youth video arcade didn't show explicit films, but the formalities still had to be followed. They couldn't just investigate other video arcades and let him off the hook.

Xu Damao's mouth was full of bitterness. These words coming from Liu Guangqi's mouth meant something; the newspaper had ultimately added fuel to the fire.

"Moreover, this won't be the first time. From now on, these random inspections should become a regular practice. I know you show martial arts and gunfight movies here, but we have to treat everyone equally!"

"I hope you can keep this up and not make things difficult for me. If you can't show a certain kind of film, then don't show it in the house!"

He patted Xu Damao on the shoulder and said that friendship is friendship and work is work, and the two should not be mixed up. He was only telling him this because Xu Damao was honest and hardworking.

"I get it, we just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time. Damn it, those reporters, they're just afraid the story isn't big enough, they're trying to ruin us!"

"Your thinking is wrong. This is called playing a supervisory role in society. If journalists don't dare to tell the truth, only know how to flatter and fawn over leaders, and act as mouthpieces, then what use are they? The role of journalists is to speak for the people, expose some of the contradictions and problems that exist in society, make the administration more transparent, and enable the people to live and work in peace and contentment. This is the responsibility that society has given them."

"Like in your video arcade, can you guarantee that none of the people watching movies here are fugitive criminals? Do you know that the suspect who robbed your house might have been in your video arcade before, or even sat right next to you?"

The two men had different perspectives, so they viewed the issue from different angles. Xu Damao felt that the reporter was adding fuel to the fire, but Liu Guangqi thought that video arcades, places where all sorts of people gathered, should be investigated.

"Alright, stop with the high-sounding talk. Just get on with the investigation. Oh well, I guess it's bound to happen sooner or later anyway. What's all this talk about supervision? In the end, everyone's going to be after money. You two can just say whatever you want!"

Xu Damao, having lost his temper, was in a terrible mood. Anyway, now that the smuggling business was over, he was clean. It wouldn't hurt to investigate those competitors who would do anything to grab business. (End of Chapter)