At the age of 38, he went to college and his children were classmates.

Chapter 209, The Red Rose Tavern and the Band (Please Subscribe)
Friday.

11:58 AM.

The Red Rose Tavern is now open!

Since this place was originally a bar, the renovation was easier than expected.

The most crucial changes actually only involve two points.

First, the stage was enlarged, which improved the sound effects.

Secondly, the signboard and the exterior decoration of the store were replaced.

The new store has a more artistic style and has lost some of the old-fashioned feel.

The bar reopened with a small ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Shen Qiushan, the owner, stood in the center, flanked by Lin Xiamo, the actual manager of the bar, and Hu Tingting, who had resigned from her job.

When a bar opens, the most important thing is naturally its popularity.

Shen Qiushan deliberately chose to open the business during his lunch break. As the class monitor, he directly brought all the students from Class 1 of Electrical Engineering to boost the business.

Even counselor Liu Guangming and deputy counselor Liu Qingwu came to show their support.

Shen Qiushan was no ordinary student, after all.

Although he is studying at Sanjiang University, his influence is even greater than that of the university's president!

Liu Guangming was just a junior counselor, so naturally he wanted to get along well with Shen Qiushan.

Who knows, one day I might need their help.

Needless to say, Liu Qingwu has always been "scheming," although she is now almost certain that Shen Qiushan is with Lin Xiamo!

But she still wouldn't give up.

As the saying goes, there's no wall that can't be broken down, only mistresses who don't try hard enough!
Besides, Liu Qingwu didn't really expect to be able to completely win over Shen Qiushan, the famous writer, and she could accept not having a formal title.

With this purpose and idea in mind, the Red Rose Bar opened, and she, as the deputy counselor, worked exceptionally hard, running around doing everything. People who didn't know her might have thought she was the bar's owner!

In addition to the students from Class 1 of Electrical Engineering, Shen Yixiao's roommate, Shen Yanran's roommate, Lin Jiayu, Fang Xiaoya, and others were all present.

In addition, the Literature Club, Go Club, and Pop Music Club also sent almost all their members to show their support.

As a result, the bar was completely full, and many students didn't even have a place to sit. But they were unwilling to leave, and each used their own methods to find a seat. There was even a row of people sitting on the bar's windowsill.

After the opening ceremony.

The Red Rose Tavern was then officially open for business.

The pub doesn't usually have performances at noon, but today is its opening day, so there will be live music all day.

Shen Qiushan made good use of the resources, as the singers performing in the bar during the day were all from the school's pop music club.

Of course, Shen Qiushan would also pay performance fees, but as students, their fees were lower than those of established resident singers.

Behind the bar, Xu Pipa, who had long been "requisitioned" by Shen Qiushan, was extremely busy.

Having learned in advance that Shen Qiushan was going to open a bar, she even taught herself how to bartend.

What's terrifying about top students is their exceptionally strong learning ability. In less than half a month, Xu Pipa's bartending skills were almost on par with those of a new bartender who had been working for about a year.

"Loquat, when did you learn bartending?"

“That’s so cool!”

Because the opening was quite busy, Lin Jiayu, who had been drafted into the bar, was also busy behind the counter. She was naturally shocked to see that Xu Pipa had even learned how to mix drinks.

"I learned it by watching videos, and I'm still not proficient."

As Xu Pipa replied, her hands never stopped moving.

"Cattle!"

Lin Jiayu gave a thumbs up, then nudged Shen Yanran, who had also been conscripted, with her elbow: "Yanran, look at Pipa, she's even learned how to mix drinks."

"This is your family business, can't you at least pay a little more attention to it!"

"I'll pass on it!"

"You're clumsy!"

Shen Yanran shrugged. After class, she went to the bar and saw Xu Pipa trying to mix drinks, so she followed suit and tried to learn, but ended up breaking a glass.

the other side.

Shen Qiushan was busy greeting his classmates and club members.

Opening a tavern wasn't exactly unfamiliar to him, since he had experience running a noodle shop before.

Both are in the catering industry and have similarities.

However, the state and purpose of opening a tavern now are completely different from those of opening a noodle shop back then.

I opened the noodle shop to make a living; making money was my only goal!

Now that he's opened a bar, Shen Qiushan doesn't care about profits or losses at all. His main goal is to have fun and give Lin Xiamo a place where she can sing freely.

Therefore, he is very relaxed now, after all, he has already achieved financial freedom.

This little tavern was, in a way, his "base camp" at Sanjiang University.

"Xiao Shen, congratulations!"

"Opening a store is such a big deal, and they didn't even give us a heads-up!"

Just as Shen Qiushan was busy, Liu Hongyu, the vice president of Sanjiang University, walked in with a smile.

Behind him were two young teachers from the school, one of whom was holding a "Jade Cabbage" ornament.

The other person was holding a plaque with four large characters written on it: "May wealth flow in from all directions!"
"It's just a small matter, yet it has alarmed Principal Liu."

Shen Qiushan and Liu Hongyu had always had a good relationship. After Shen Qiushan entered Sanjiang University, Liu, the vice president in charge of admissions, fulfilled all his promises.

In other matters, they also gave Shen Qiushan the green light.

"No matter how small your matter is, it's not a small matter!"

"This ornament was a gift from me, and this calligraphy was delivered to me by Principal Zhu!"

Liu Hongyu pointed to the two gifts he had brought and said with a smile.

"Ouch!"

"It even alarmed Principal Zhu."

Shen Qiushan was shocked, then quickly thanked them with a big smile: "Thank you, leaders."

Come visit me more often when you have time!

"that's for sure!"

"You own a tavern, so I have to come and support you!"

"But you have to give me a discount!"

Liu Hongyu joked with a big smile.

"What kind of discount?"

"If Principal Liu comes, the meal will definitely be free!"

Shen Qiushan quickly replied.

"When you open a business, you can't afford to lose money."

"Just give me a discount next time."

As Liu Hongyu spoke, he looked around and was taken aback by the crowd in the bar.

Among these students were several familiar faces, all of whom were active members of the student council.

The two were chatting.

Another familiar figure walked into the tavern.

"Congratulations, Mr. Shen!"

The woman who walked in was a rather charming middle-aged woman, wearing a beige business suit, flesh-colored stockings, and black high heels.

The visitor was Chen Min, the editor-in-chief of Huawen Publishing House.

She only found out about Shen Qiushan's tavern opening because her daughter, Chen Jiahuan, told her.

Otherwise, she would never have known that Shen Qiushan actually ran a small bar near Sanjiang University.

Chen Min did not come alone; she brought her assistant Zhang Huihui and subordinate Zheng Sihai with her.

However, most of Zheng Sihai's body was blocked by a very artistic sculpture that he was holding.

Clearly, this was a gift from Chen Min.

"Mr. Shen, this sculpture is a personal gift from me."

"This red envelope was from the publishing house!"

As she spoke, Chen Min took out a thick red envelope from her handbag and handed it to Shen Qiushan.

After learning from her daughter that Shen Qiushan's tavern had opened, Chen Min immediately reported the matter to the publishing house owner and applied for a gift of money.

The owner of the Chinese Language Publishing House readily agreed. For the publishing house at this point, Shen Qiushan's matter was of paramount importance; nothing was more important than maintaining their relationship with him.

For Huawen Publishing House, Shen Qiushan was a cash cow.

The Three-Body Problem has sold a total of 130 million copies.

The book has received rave reviews, and its sales are steadily increasing.

foreseeable.

The final sales figures for "The Three-Body Problem" will definitely be a terrifying number!

In the long run, the wildly popular "Three-Body Problem" will definitely be reprinted, and there may even be "condensed editions" or "revised editions".

The Chinese-language publishing house naturally wants to continue its cooperation with Shen Qiushan, so maintaining a good relationship with Shen Qiushan is of paramount importance.

Upon hearing that Shen Qiushan's tavern was opening, the publishing house owner generously approved 50,000 yuan as a gift.

"Thank you, Sister Min."

"This sculpture is really quite artistic!"

"Xiao Zheng, stop holding it, put it next to the stage!"

Shen Qiushan first expressed his gratitude, and then directed Zheng Sihai to place the sculpture aside.

He then gave Liu Hongyu and Chen Min a brief introduction.

"Sister Min, this is Principal Liu of our Sanjiang University."

“Principal Liu, this is Editor-in-Chief Chen from Huawen Press.”

After exchanging a few polite words, Shen Qiushan led everyone inside to sit down.

"Old Shen, Principal Liu, please have a seat here..."

The tavern was packed right now; there were no seats available.

Wu Junming, the president of the Go club, was quite perceptive. When he saw that Vice Principal Liu Hongyu had come to congratulate Shen Qiushan, he quickly offered to give up a table.

Shen Qiushan glanced at Wu Junming. This guy was mediocre at Go, but he was very good at interpersonal relationships.

Yes, the young man has potential.

in the afternoon.

Shen Qiushan had thought there would be fewer people in the tavern.

After all, many students have classes in the afternoon, and the group of people who came to support the event have gradually left.

But to Shen Qiushan's surprise, the news that he had opened a tavern spread rapidly through his WeChat Moments, school forums, and various social media platforms.

Almost all the students at Sanjiang University knew that Shen Qiushan had opened a tavern near the school.

Students who don't have classes come in groups of three or five to check in.

As a result, there were hardly any empty seats in the tavern on its first day of operation.

It's incredibly popular.

Because it was located near a school, Shen Qiushan didn't plan to make any money from the bar, so the drinks and food in the bar were priced relatively low.

The main focus is on affordability, making it accessible to students!
Even so, by 8 p.m., the tavern's turnover had reached 70,000 to 80,000!
It can only be said that the spending power of contemporary college students is still terrifying.

8:45pm.

The latest season of "Voice of China" has officially premiered.

The pub was still open when the Red Rose Band took to the stage, bringing the atmosphere inside to its peak.

Sanjiang City

Red Sea Home.

Hu Tingting's family lives in this community. Their house is over 120 square meters and has three bedrooms and one living room.

When Zhang Kai returned home, he found that his wife Hu Tingting was not home. He frowned, sat down at the dining table without saying a word, and began to eat the food his mother had left for him.

"Xiao Kai, you should really take care of Tingting."

"Quitting a perfectly good job and going to work in a bar, is that a place for a decent person?"

Zhang Kai's mother, Zhao Minglan, came to help take care of the child, but she looked down on her daughter-in-law who didn't work properly and was involved in a band!
Things were a bit better before; after all, Hu Tingting's job was relatively stable, even if she earned a little less.

But recently, she actually quit her stable job and went to work at a bar.

Today it was almost 9 o'clock and he still hadn't come home. Zhao Minglan was furious. When she saw her son come home, she immediately started complaining.

"Okay, I'll call her in a bit and ask how it goes!"

Although Zhang Kai was also dissatisfied, he was still rational and knew that he could not add fuel to the fire, otherwise it would only exacerbate the conflict between his mother and daughter-in-law.

In that case, his life would be even more difficult!
After dinner.

Zhang Kai turned on the TV.

Hu Tingting had previously told him that tonight was the broadcast day of "Voice of China," and that her band might appear on the show.

Although he wasn't very supportive of his wife Hu Tingting's band, now that she's about to appear on TV, what could he, as her husband, say?
Ultimately, I should offer my support.

Now, Zhao Minglan, having put her child to sleep, returned to the living room. She sat down next to her son on the sofa and said angrily, "Xiao Kai, I'm talking to you."

"We can't let Tingting run wild anymore. What's with this band? Can it put food on the table?"

"I haven't seen her earn much money!"

"When she gets back, tell her to quit her job at the bar and find a stable job like before!"

Zhang Kai nodded: "I'll try to persuade you, but it might not work."

"It's all your fault!"

Zhao Minglan complained angrily about her son's lack of ambition.

Just as the mother and son were talking, the sound of a lock being opened came from the door, and Hu Tingting returned home.

After changing into slippers, she walked towards the living room, saying, "I'm watching Sanjiang TV. They have 'Voice of China' on today. I wonder if our band will be on it."

"Isn't this Sanjiang TV?"

Zhang Kai pointed to the television screen.

"Well, you're back just in time!"

Hu Tingting sat down casually next to her husband Zhang Kai, then turned to Zhao Minglan and asked, "Mom, is Wenwen asleep?"

"I went to bed a long time ago."

"She was calling for her mom before going to sleep!"

"Tingting, I'm not trying to be mean, but you're a mother now, why are you still in a band?"

"Can that stuff be eaten as food? Or can it help Xiao Kai pay off his mortgage?"

Having been holding back her anger for a long time, Zhao Minglan finally spoke out passionately.

Hu Tingting was a little stunned by the criticism. She frowned and looked at her husband Zhang Kai: "Do you also think that my band is just a joke?"

“It’s fine if you like music, but bands are not suitable for women. Besides, you don’t make much money in a band right now, but it takes a lot of energy. The effort and reward are clearly disproportionate.”

"So my suggestion is to put the band business on hold for now, shift your focus to your family, and spend more time with Wenwen."

"I heard it."

"They still want me to stay home and take care of the kids!"

Hu Tingting pursed her lips.

"It's not that you have to stay home to take care of the kids, it's just a different division of labor."

“Our family’s fixed expenses are around 18000 yuan per month. If your earnings can cover the family’s fixed expenses, I’m willing to quit my job and stay home to take care of the children.”

Zhang Kai spoke calmly, seemingly very rationally.

He knew that Hu Tingting wouldn't make much money from forming a band, even though they had some popularity before.

But Lin Xiamo, Fang Di, and Hu Xinyue all have regular jobs; they can't possibly quit their jobs to make money through performances.

They only perform once or twice occasionally, and the performance fee, when split among the four of them, isn't that much.

"Xiao Kai is right, there should be a clear division of labor between husband and wife."

"If you really earn more than Xiao Kai, I'd even support him staying home to take care of the kids!"

Zhao Minglan echoed her sentiment.

Hu Tingting glanced at her mother-in-law, who had always looked down on her, and raised an eyebrow: "Mom, you'd better keep your word!"

"If I earn more than Zhang Kai, will I let him stay home and take care of the kids?"

"Yes, it counts!"

"I can make the decision about this!"

Zhao Minglan nodded firmly.

(End of this chapter)