Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 241 Special Business License

They left the truck in the yard and a group of people arrived at the restaurant in a sea lion. Boss Shi was still working there.

After parking the car in the courtyard, I saw a group of teenagers blocking the entrance of the billiard hall, looking inside. Billiards was just as attractive to young people in those days as games like Honor of Kings and PUBG in later years, and perhaps even more so.

The karaoke and dance hall area hasn't attracted much attention yet because the doors are locked, but the billiards area is different. People inside are busy hanging lights, setting up tables, and installing equipment. Posters have already been put up on the walls, and the cues are neatly arranged and fixed along the wall. All that's missing is someone to come in and play.

The billiard table has been installed, and they're currently doing a final leveling test to ensure it's perfectly level. Fortunately, the construction quality here was excellent, and the floor level error isn't too significant. The workers back then were incredibly responsible.

Several people shouted, "Make way, make way," and squeezed through the crowd to get inside.

Boss Shi was measuring with a level, while two workers squatted under the table, busy at work. The marble billiard table was divided into many parts. The rough legs were just for support and did not ensure levelness. Leveling was achieved by adjusting the stone slabs, and then the large and small balls and pockets were installed according to the level of the stone slabs.

Nowadays, most billiard tables have tabletops made of three slabs of bluestone. Bluestone reduces costs, and dividing them into three pieces makes them easier to transport. However, in the early 90s, tables made from a single slab of bluestone were commonly available, though some were made from two slabs. These were all made of marble, which is more durable and resistant to impacts.

Level the slate, place it on cork pads, and then seal it with glue. This will fix the slate in place horizontally. Then lay the tablecloth, install the large and small balls, and hang the golf bags. The table is now set up. Each table has a light box hanging from the tabletop to maintain brightness without being glaring.

Han San walked over, touched the already adjusted table, and asked, "Old Shi, how much longer?"

Without even looking up, Boss Shi said, "Almost done, two more sheets. Are you done on your end?"

Han San said, "Well, it's all done. I've already installed and tested all these things, and you haven't even finished these six tables. Your efficiency is too low. How can you make money like this?"

Boss Shi stared at the level and gestured to direct the workers, laughing as he said, "That's right, I don't earn as much as you do. This thing is both troublesome and time-consuming."

Han San turned to Xiao Wei and asked, "How's your game going? Shall we play a round?"

Xiao Wei touched the table and said, "This is the first time I've ever seen something like this in my life. What do you think of my skills? How about we have a farming contest?"

Even Boss Shi laughed, almost dropping the level in his hand. Everyone around laughed, and Chen Hui said, "Come on, Third Brother, I'll play a game with you. I'm not very good, so you have to let me win."

The two of them found the cue sticks and got the powder, and Huang Laowu came over to set up the balls. This was a women's billiards match outside the hall, and everyone was quite excited.

Boss Shi said, "Okay, but don't lie down on it. You can't press down on it now, but it'll be fine tomorrow. You can even sleep on it then."

Han San said, "Only you have the habit of sleeping on this, it's so hard, there's nowhere more comfortable than this."

Boss Shi smiled and winked at Han San, but unfortunately, only the two of them were experienced enough to understand. Boss Shi said, "I can say it loudly: the men at the pool table are the most damn handsome and coolest! Can you compare? Come on, you shout to them, 'The men at the dough mixer are the most handsome!'" This made even the people blocking the doorway to watch the fun laugh. Han San laughed and cursed, then turned to play pool with Chen Hui, ignoring Boss Shi.

Chen Hui's breakaway shot showed he plays regularly and had decent power. His breakaway wasn't a simple, mindless slam; he used a short ball to create a bounce, making the ball explode at the top but then hiding inside, creating a slight challenge.

In China, American-style poker, also known as 14+1, has always been the most popular game. Snooker was extremely rare at that time because very few people played it.

While they were playing pool, Boss Shi said to Old Huang, "Don't bother looking at how to set up the pool table. It's useless for you to learn. Once it's installed, you'll never need to touch it again unless you move or smash it. At most, you'll just need to change the tablecloth. When you officially open for business, I suggest you hang two TVs in the corners and play some game recordings to attract more people."

Huang Laowu nodded and said, "Okay, we'll figure it out when things are back to normal. Let's leave it for now."

Mr. Shi said, "I'm the provincial distributor for this table. I'll put up a sign here, put up a few poles, and you can sell to anyone who wants to buy. If you need more, just call me and I'll send it to you. I'll give you the city distributor price. Is that okay?"

Huang Laowu laughed and said, "Sure, making money is definitely possible. But who's going to install it? None of us know how to install it."

Boss Shi said, "I'll send someone over. You can receive them and make arrangements, just make sure they don't get ripped off."

Huang Laowu said, "Alright, no problem with that. If I can't protect you, our boss will. He'll keep you safe in Longcheng."

Someone at the door said, "What are you all doing crowding here? Make way." The thugs, both ordinary and fake, who were blocking the doorway made a noisy scramble to move aside. Liu Huasheng, dressed in a police uniform, walked in carrying a rolled-up item. As soon as he entered the room, his stern face turned into a smile. He said, "So fast? You've already started fighting."

Everyone nodded and greeted him.

Liu Huasheng handed the things in his hand to Xia Maosheng and said, "Just take a picture and stick it on the wall."

Several people opened the documents and looked at them: business license, special industry permit, health permit. They wondered what the health bureau had to do with opening a billiards hall. Xia Maosheng looked up and asked, "Where are the frames? How are we going to hang them?"

Liu Huasheng said, "That thing is hard to carry, so I didn't take it. You can just stick it on the wall." Standing by the table watching Chen Hui play ball, he said, "You're good at it. Let's practice sometime. I like playing this, but it's inconvenient to wear this outfit. Now that you guys have it, I can play."

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "Okay, there are so many tables. We'll have a competition, and the loser will treat everyone to a meal at my restaurant."

Xiao Wei asked, "What are your plans now? Tiezi left without saying a word that day."

Xia Maosheng said, "Oh right, I haven't told you about this yet. We still need to get the photos taken. I wasn't planning on doing it at first, but then I thought, it's just sitting here anyway, so why not get it done? People who have business to attend to can do it here, and those who don't can dance and sing."

Liu Huasheng smoothed his hair, put his hat on, and said, "There are dance halls open, but I haven't heard of any karaoke bars opening there. I'll go back and ask, and if it's okay, I'll bring them over for you tomorrow or the day after. Once they're set up, we'll open them. What are you afraid of? Who's going to stop us?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's better to go the normal way, otherwise it will cause trouble for everyone, and it's not worth it."

Liu Huasheng nodded and said, "Then I'll head back; I have something to do at the institute."

(End of this chapter)