Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1326 Bar

Inside the bar, a band was belting out some kind of song on stage. The space inside was quite large after the two sides were opened up, and a second floor had been suspended.

The entire renovation had a wild vibe, and I don't know why everyone likes this style these days, but Xiaowei just can't appreciate it.

Inside, various colored lights were flashing, which made my eyes a little uncomfortable. At that time, the concept of light pollution didn't exist yet.

Tables were filled with men and women holding various kinds of alcohol, some dancing and shouting along with the band on stage, others laughing and yelling wildly. Occasionally, a few people sat there with their legs crossed, looking quite profound, but their eyes kept lingering on the buttocks of the women in the room.

The boss had a low ponytail and a tuft of beard, which was the standard look for an artsy person in this era.

They welcomed Zhang Wu and Xiao Wei and their group in and led them to a private room on the second floor, which was suspended in the air. From there, they could overlook the entire venue. If they didn't want to listen to music, they could simply close the window; the soundproofing was quite good.

Xiao Wei sat down, turned to Wang Lihua, and said, "I was interrupted just now. Did you two need something from me?"

Wang Lihua leaned close to Xiao Wei's ear and said, "Alcohol. We've already made a name for ourselves in the wine market, and we've opened up some venues here. Now we need to add some spirits and beer, and I wanted to ask you guys for advice."

Xiao Wei looked at the small bottle of beer on the table; it was all written in British English, which he didn't recognize.

Wang Lihua said, "This is Budweiser, the American brand. There's also Heineken, Tsingtao, Yanjing, and Harbin beer. Budweiser is the most expensive. Foreign brands can command higher prices. These small bottles are everywhere in bars and nightclubs, you guys have some, right?"

Liu Jiaming leaned closer: "There's also Russian beer, but it doesn't sell very well. German dark beer is the most famous, but there aren't many of them, and the ones I've seen are all fake."

Xiao Wei asked, "What kind of foreign liquor are you talking about?"

Wang Lihua said, "Colorless, strong, whiskey, liqueurs, these are for mixing drinks. Right now we only have red wine and champagne, which is a bit limited. Some places hesitate because they see that we don't have all the wines."

Chen Hui leaned closer: "Beer is no problem. We can produce whatever kind and taste you need ourselves. As for imported spirits, just make a list and I'll help you get them. Please write down the approximate price range."

Liu Jiaming nodded.

Zhang Wu handed over a few small, opened bottles: "Here, have some. This stuff doesn't make you drunk. Come and try it out."

Xiao Wei took it, looked at it, and took a bite.

The band then changed acts, and those guys who were sweating profusely went off to rest amidst the enthusiastic shouts.

Xiao Wei said to Chen Hui, "Do you think the singing is good? I just can't appreciate it. It's so noisy and it's giving me a headache."

Chen Hui said, "There are nice names. This place is full of people who are neither here nor there. You can't hire the really famous ones, because how much would that cost? These are people who have been around here for years. They're quite famous here, but they're really just average."

Changqing leaned against the window, watching people below sip their wine, and said with a smile, "Don't say this in front of them, and don't spread it around. These musicians are all self-centered; they all feel like they have profound talents but are not appreciated."

Zhang Wu said, "All writers are the same, they all think their stuff is so great, but it's all the same old thing. There are too many Chinese people, it's not easy to stand out, the number of those who are buried in obscurity is probably equal to the population of European countries."

Xiao Wei nodded: "Indeed, it's too difficult to make a living here."

Zhang Wu clenched his fist: "Resources. Controlling resources is fundamental; that's what makes you superior. Having a voice is incredibly powerful; whatever you say goes."

Chen Hui leaned forward and clinked bottles with Zhang Wu: "So we have to work hard. Waiting for others to give it to us is impossible; we have to fight for it ourselves."

The boss walked in with a smile, toasted and greeted everyone, and brought over a few young women. Zhang Wu glanced at Chen Xiao and then pretended not to understand, not keeping any of them.

The boss was a shrewd and perceptive man. He sent the waitress away, sat down, opened a bottle of wine, and got to know Xiao Wei, Chen Hui, Wang Lihua, and Liu Jiaming. He was mainly there to keep Zhang Wu company.

The boss's surname is Zhuang, and his name is Zhuang Mazi. He and Changqing are childhood friends; they lived in the same courtyard when they were young.

Back then, social classes weren't so clearly defined, and each work unit had its own compound.

Zhuang Mazi's family were middle-level managers in their work unit. He didn't want to stay in the unit, so he took advantage of the reform and opening up period to start a business. He set up a stall and traveled all over the country. After a few years, he had made a small fortune and opened a bar in Houhai.

Changqing had helped him a lot in the past, so he was a kind of backer in a way. Zhuang Mazi was also good at handling things. He borrowed 200,000 yuan from Changqing, but after a while, he said he didn't have the money and couldn't pay it back, so he gave him 20% of the bar's shares.

Actually, everyone understood what was going on, and Changqing didn't take it too seriously and accepted it.

With Changqing behind him, Zhuang Mazi's business grew rapidly and he became quite a prominent figure in the Houhai area.

The higher you climb, the more you realize the importance of social class and status.

Today, Zhuang Mazi invited Zhang Wu over to pray to Buddha, ostensibly to pray for longevity during his business opening.

Zhang Wu came over to give Changqing face, and also brought Xiao Wei and Chen Hui over with him.

A few people sat there chatting idly, while Xiao Wei sipped his beer and listened to music, not paying attention to what they were saying; he wasn't interested.

After sitting for a while, each of us had drunk about two small bottles. The band changed three times, and Huaiyuan and Changqing gave tips, not much, five hundred or a thousand yuan, mainly to save face for the boss.

These so-called bands are incredibly energetic, but they only earn a few hundred dollars per show. A thousand dollars is considered top-tier in this area.

After listening to a few more folk songs, Xiaowei said to Chen Xiao, "Shall we stay? Let's go back?"

Chen Xiao glanced at the time: "Oh dear, it feels like just yesterday, and now it's almost ten o'clock. The kids are probably going to start fussing by now."

Xiao Wei said to Zhang Wu, "Brother Wu, you guys stay here and have fun. We're going back. The kids can't make it, and my wife will probably have to wait for me."

Zhang Wu nodded: "Okay, let's get together again another day. I'm not going down now, you guys take your time."

Xiao Wei and Zhuang Mazi nodded and went downstairs with Chen Hui and Chen Xiao, while Wang Jiwei and the other two followed behind.

Nothing unexpected happened. In reality, there aren't that many accidents. A bump or knock is just a minor bruise, and nobody gets worked up over it.

Zhuang Mazi asked Changqing, "Who are these people? I've never seen them before."

Zhang Wu said, "You're such a narrow-minded person, Zhuang Mazi. You can't even grasp a Buddha statue right in front of you. Others are much more capable than me."

Zhuang Mazi laughed and said, "Fifth Brother, you're joking. How many people in the whole of Beijing can compare to you? You're kidding me."

Zhang Wu said, "There are two of them. In terms of money, I'm nothing in people's eyes. In terms of power, their families are on par with my old man. They brought you opportunities, but you couldn't seize them."

Changqing smiled and nodded: "Indeed, if you catch their eye, even a small slip through their fingers will keep you busy for half your life."

Huaiyuan said, "Neither of them are interested in this. They're only here out of courtesy. I doubt they'll get involved."

Just two chapters today, the kids are here on holiday. Also, I've been having some writer's block these past few days, I haven't figured out the rest of the story yet. I know what you guys want to read, but I really don't want to write anything mindless with conflict, and there are too many minefields in the real estate genre. I need to think about it carefully.

(End of this chapter)