Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 165 Renting a House (jasonn+1)

Xiao Wei took the knife and cut the meat open, saying, "The meat we buy is cut by the butcher. They don't care which piece is which, they just cut it open and call it a day. But there's a problem with cutting the lean meat like this. Sister Zhang, look, the meat isn't a whole piece; it's small pieces squeezed together, with a layer of connective tissue in the middle. It's fine if you slice it and stir-fry it, but if you make chunks of meat, these connective tissue pieces are too big to chew. It doesn't matter otherwise, but when you make chunks of meat, it's best to remove this membrane next time. That's all."

Xiao Wei skillfully separated a piece of meat along the tendons and fascia, then removed the whole piece of meat, cut it into strips half a centimeter square, and then cut it into sections at an angle. He said, "The meat sections should be cut like this, the rest doesn't matter. Just try not to let the customers have any problems eating it. You all know our customers. We say we can't say anything, but over time, everyone will have a sense of responsibility, right?" He put the cut meat sections on a plate and handed them to Chef Zhai.

Master Zhai took the meat and started to marinate it. The oil was already heating up on the stove. As he worked, he said, "Xiao Wei, this piece of meat is cut perfectly. Da Zhang, you should cut it like this from now on. I've been too embarrassed to say it." For a chef to have his dish rejected is like being slapped in the face, and not just once, but twice. Master Zhai was feeling extremely upset, especially since it wasn't his fault but a problem with the cutting technique. He couldn't very well say it outright.

Sister Zhang, with her large face, chuckled and said, "Okay, I've learned another trick, but it looks a bit wasteful. What should we do with all this? Just throw it away?" She ran her knife across the bits of meat and tendons on the cutting board. Small restaurants are careful with their money and couldn't bear to cut it like that; it would really increase the waste.

Xiao Wei said, "No need to throw it away, just keep it separately. We can fry it ourselves, it's quite delicious. I'll make it for you guys later." He learned this from Sister Jin in Fengtian.

Master Zhai quickly stir-fried a plate of pork slices, and Xiao Wei took it outside, placing it in front of Huang Laowu, saying, "Try this. Next time you come, if you find anything wrong, just tell me. It'll help us improve. If your feedback is correct, I'll give you a free meal, how about that?"

Huang Laowu was a little embarrassed, so he gave Xiaowei a thumbs up and said, "You're really something, boss. You're sure to make a fortune. You handled things so well that I'm almost embarrassed."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "I run a restaurant, you pay for the food, and if you're not satisfied, just say so. It's only natural, since you paid for it."

Li Wen chimed in, "Boss, Fifth Brother and his group want to rent the house behind ours to open a billiards hall. Should we rent it?"

Xiao Wei was stunned for a moment. Huang Laowu nodded, and Lao Hou and Hei Zi both looked up at Xiao Wei.

Xiao Wei was stunned for a moment, but immediately realized what he meant and asked, "Which room do you want to rent? You guys have a good eye, you're quick on the uptake."

Huang Laowu said, "We can't afford the big one, so how about the one at the very back, the smallest one on that side, I remember?"

Xiao Wei said, "I haven't even been inside yet, but those rooms inside are much smaller than the ones outside. Tell me how they're rented."

Huang Laowu said, "There aren't any proper billiard tables around here. They're all wooden tables, and there are only a handful in the whole of Longcheng with marble tables. You have to walk quite a distance to find them. The three of us really enjoy playing this. This place used to be public property, so we wouldn't have dared to dream of playing here. But now that it's yours, we're just asking around. You're free anyway, aren't you?"

Xiao Wei asked, "How big are you planning to go?"

Huang Laowu said, "How big can we do? Each case is worth more than ten thousand, but we only plan to set up three. It's mainly for fun."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "You guys eat first, and then we'll go take a look together. I've never been inside before, so I can't really explain it right now."

Several people agreed, and they were quite happy. If they didn't refuse, then there was hope, and if there was hope, then there was potential.

Xiao Wei returned to Chen Hui and the others, and Xiao Hong asked, "What did you say to them? Didn't we remake the dishes? Are you still not satisfied?"

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "It's fine if we don't redo it. This is normal and unavoidable. They just habitually tinker with things."

Xiao Hong said, "Then why did you even bother with them? You even made a new dish for them. What were you saying for so long?"

Xiao Wei said, "They wanted to rent the house behind us to open a billiards hall, and they said a few words."

Chen Hui slammed his hand on the table and said to Xia Maosheng, "See, see, I told you! This thing would definitely work, and look, someone's already eyeing it."

Xia Maosheng asked, "Would you like to rent it?"

Xiao Wei sat down and said with a smile, "Why not rent them out? What are you going to do with your money? Renting out the houses will create more business opportunities, which will benefit everyone here. If all the houses in this area are put to use, this place will become a hot spot."

Xia Maosheng asked, "You agreed?"

Xiao Wei said, "No, let's go take a look together after they finish eating. I've never been inside before, let's see first."

Xia Maosheng said to Chen Hui, "If only we had money now, we're about to lose it all to someone else."

"Boss, boss." Liu Hongliang, carrying a red ICBC bank bag and looking quite a bit chilly, emerged from the kitchen and jogged to the table, with Li Gengsheng following steadily behind.

Xiao Wei glanced at Liu Hongliang and said, "You got it back?"

Liu Hongliang put the red bag on the table and said, "Here it is, boss, you can count it. Hehe, this is the first time I've ever received so much money. Although it's not mine, I'm still quite excited."

Xiao Wei reached into the pocket and took it. Inside lay several bundles of banknotes, still cool from the outside air. Thirty-seven thousand eight hundred yuan was a huge sum of money in those days.

Xiao Wei counted out eight hundred yuan and put it in his pocket, saying, "Give this back to me. You can keep this two thousand. Old Xia, keep this thirty-five thousand. We'll go to Fengtian to buy the equipment tomorrow or the day after." He counted out two thousand and handed it to Li Gengsheng, then pushed the rest towards Xia Maosheng.

Li Gengsheng took the two thousand and counted it. Then he rummaged in his pocket for a while and finally pulled out a handful of change. He counted out thirty-five and handed it to Xiao Wei, saying, "835. Boss, your account is settled. The rest is mine." Xiao Wei didn't refuse and took the money, stuffing it into his pocket. When you do business, you have to be straightforward. This is the most basic financial attitude.

Xia Maosheng, standing to the side, held the money in his hand and said with a smile, "This is the first time I've ever held this much money. I must say, it feels really good. I don't even feel the wind is cold anymore."

Chen Hui looked at the money and said, "Xiao Wei is probably the only one here who has ever touched this much money. I've never taken any, let alone taken any. This is the first time I've ever seen any money like this."

Xia Maosheng fiddled with the money in his hand for a few moments, then handed it to Xiao Wei, saying, "You should keep it. My heart races when I hold it; it's practically written on my face. A thief would spot me instantly." The group laughed. He was right. These days, most people would break out in a cold sweat if they suddenly had that much money on them. Xiao Wei was different; he had taken it before, so the thrill was much less intense for him.

That's all for today. I've been writing since yesterday until a little after 10 this morning, and I just took a short nap. Keep going! Feel free to discuss the plot or share your stories. Leave a comment below; I read them every day. You can also join my QQ group: 601928557. Welcome home!

(End of this chapter)