Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 219 Return to Dragon City (Wow, that's impressive +2)

"Let's wrap it up then," Xia Maosheng said, "I chose a beige embroidered pattern. The cake shop chose a milky white one, and Xia Maosheng added, 'Then let's wrap it up in the private room too.'"

Xiao Wei and Chen Hui discussed it and decided to make a bag; it wouldn't cost much anyway, only 1.2 yuan per meter of cloth.

After buying the cloth, the shopkeeper was very happy; this was a big customer! While issuing the receipt, he said, "Can you find a good carpenter? He can add patterns to the pine boards, brush on some varnish, and use that to press the cloth down. It'll look neat and nice. I heard they sell ready-made ones in Tiexi, but I haven't been there. Why don't you go look for them?"

The three men exchanged glances, checked the time, and realized it would be dark by the time they reached Longcheng. Xiaowei said, "Forget it, let's go back and figure something out. Let Master Gong help us out. But Xiaohui, you can go to Tiexi and see if you find anything suitable."

After paying, the boss helped call a yellow-vested man to deliver the cloth to the car, and well, the car was now packed full.

After leaving the knitwear section, the three of them asked around and then went to look at billiard tables. The place mainly sold Star, Shendi, and Odway brands, with Star being the most expensive, and Shendi and Odway about the same price. After discussing it, and on the shopkeeper's advice, they ordered six Shendi tables at 13,500 yuan each. Including the cue holders and other accessories, the total came to 94,300 yuan. They signed a contract and were given a deposit of 14,300 yuan.

After leaving, the three of them drove towards the power company. Chen Hui said, "Old Xia, why don't you look around there and put flooring in all the rooms? It'll keep them cool and clean."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "That's a good idea, I'm thinking about it too."

Xia Maosheng said, "I don't know if they have any. I've never done this before. I'll go back and look for them. If all else fails, I'll find a lumberyard to process a batch."

As they were talking, they returned to the power company, refueled the car, and added snow chains. Chen Hui ran upstairs to get the gas receipt from Sister Liu and came down. Old Chen had gone to Beijing and wasn't in the office.

After getting everything ready, the three of them went to buy some cooked food and soft drinks and put them in the car before setting off for Longcheng. Since they had eaten late in the morning, they weren't hungry yet, so they decided to buy something to eat on the way and have a proper meal when they arrived.

He traveled from Hong to Liaozhong, Heishan, passed through Qinghemen in Fuxin, and then through Sanbao via Beipiao to Longcheng.

We set off at 11 a.m. and arrived in Longcheng after 6 p.m. because of the snow on the roads, we didn't dare to drive fast.

They went straight to the Electric Power Guesthouse to stay, and then went out to find something to eat, naturally opting for Old Man An's Big Bone Stew. As for going back to their own restaurant, none of the three seemed to have thought of that.

Back then, in the winter evenings of Northeast China, by around 6 PM, the streets were practically deserted; all kinds of shops had already closed or were in the process of closing. Only a few restaurants were able to stay open because they had customers to eat at.

An Laowu's place is actually closed, but the owner is drinking with people there, so it can be considered open. Yingzi and Bozi have long since disappeared.

Among the people drinking was an acquaintance, Blind Qu.

Xiao Wei lifted the curtain (it wasn't used during the day, but hung up at night and taken down in the morning) and entered the house. Blind Qu immediately stood up: "Hey brother, come on over and have a drink! I've been wanting to have a drink with you for ages, and now we're finally together." The person next to him turned around, not recognizing him, and asked, "Who's this?"

An Laowu stood up and greeted him, asking, "What brings you here? Where have you been?"

Xia Maosheng and Chen Hui squeezed in after Xiao Wei. As soon as Chen Hui came in, he shouted, "Fifth Brother, get the food ready! Damn, I'm starving! Hurry, hurry!"

Xiao Wei said, "Alright, Fifth Brother, could you please get us a few dishes? The three of us just drove back from Fengtian and arrived. We haven't had lunch yet."

An Laowu paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, alright, drink some hot water first. Pour it yourself, and I'll go get some vegetables for the three of you."

Blind Qu said, "Let's drink together here. There are no outsiders, just Lao Wu's friends."

Xiao Wei smiled at Blind Qu and said, "Forget it, you guys drink yours. We've been starving all day, so let's eat something and not drink anymore. We'll drink again another day."

The blind man said, "What's wrong? Haven't you eaten all day?" He then brought over cigarettes and lit them for the three of them.

Xiao Wei said, "I went back to Fengtian and just arrived today."

Blind Qu glanced at his watch and said, "So, at this time, everyone drove here? Alright, I won't try to persuade you anymore. Let's have a good drink sometime." The three of them responded with smiles. Blind Qu went back to the table, and the three of them poured themselves a cup of hot water and waited for the food.

The three of them didn't realize it themselves, but Xiao Wei and Chen Hui were dressed in school uniforms with military-style hooks, while Xia Maosheng wore a long leather overcoat with military-style hooks, which was quite intimidating for that era. Especially recently, their business had taken off, they had made money, and they had accomplished big things, so their mentality and temperament had changed. Combined with their clothes, they exuded a truly domineering aura.

As the blind man returned to his seat, someone next to him nudged him and asked, "Blind man, who are those three?"

Blind Qu lit a cigarette and said, "From Lao Wu's perspective, he's a friend, but we can't compare. Let me tell you, remember these three, don't mess with them one day. Let me tell you, these three are powerful figures from Longcheng to Fengtian. If Lao Wu wants to leave this time, he'll go with them, understand?"

The guy next to him said, "Damn, that's awesome? I've never seen anyone like that before. Are you from Longcheng?"

Blind Qu said, "The one in the leather coat is... those two are from Fengtian. They do business around here. I heard from Lao Wu that they're making a fortune. That restaurant near the old grain station over there is theirs now. Let me tell you, even the mayor went to the opening ceremony. They made it look like a government meeting. Those guys from the police station tried to show off, and they almost peed their pants, you know?"

"Really? Who told you that?"

"That's what Lao Wu said. You can ask him later if you don't believe me. You know people at the police station, so go ask him and see if I'm just bragging."

About ten minutes later, An Laowu came out with a large pot of stewed sauerkraut, carefully placed it on the table and said, "I've turned it off. The dishes are almost ready. Just have a bite. Do you want steamed buns or rice? Forget about dumplings."

Xiao Wei picked up his chopsticks and said, "Steamed buns, steamed buns, as long as there's food, I'm starving." He then picked up a piece of pickled cabbage and started eating.

An Laowu said, "Okay, I'll go get some steamed buns. You guys eat slowly. The bones are still warm. I'll weigh something else for you."

Chen Hui took a bite of pickled cabbage and mumbled, "That's enough. A little more bone would be enough. You can drink yours."

An Laowu went into the back and brought out a large plate of steamed buns. A few minutes later, he brought out a large plate of bones and put it on the table. Xiao Wei said, "Fifth Brother, that's enough. Go have a drink with your friends. We've been waiting for you for ages."

An Laowu turned his head and glanced at the table, nodded and said, "Okay, you guys take your time eating. I'll go have a drink with them for a while. They're all friends, so don't leave now. Let's all get together."

An Laowu returned to that table, and the three of them ate their steamed buns in silence, starving.

As soon as An Laowu sat down, the man next to Blind Qu asked, "Laowu, what's up with these three? Blind Qu bragged about them, saying that when they opened a restaurant, even the mayor came, and the police were scared to death."

An Laowu glanced at him and said, "That's all the truth. What are you bragging about? Do they need to brag? Let me tell you, if you run into these three anywhere in the future, be polite. If you offend them, no one can help you."

(End of this chapter)