Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 242 This calculation is brilliant (Double monthly tickets are here)

Everyone nodded in agreement. Liu Huasheng turned and walked out. At the door, he said to the real and fake thugs blocking the entrance, "If you want to have fun, then have fun properly. Listen to me? Be smart when you're in this area. Figure out all the messy stuff yourselves, understand? After the dance halls and karaoke bars open here, be the better behave yourselves. If you want to cause trouble, come find me directly, and I'll take care of it."

The thugs at the entrance made way, and Liu Huasheng strode out, got into his jeep, and drove off. The police station was indeed poor; even now, they were still driving green-topped jeeps, not even owning a 212.

Inside the room, Chen Hui and Han San played more and more seriously, becoming evenly matched. Both were determined to win, thinking carefully about each ball, and their game slowed down. Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng stood on the sidelines watching. Xia Maosheng had played before and knew a little about it, while Xiao Wei was playing for the first time and kept asking questions. Xia Maosheng explained the rules and some techniques to him.

"When playing normally, you hit the middle of the headball so that the ball travels in a straight line. If you raise your cue a little, the ball will go faster; if you lower your cue a little, the ball will go slower. If you hit the very bottom of the headball with enough force, the headball will come back. This is called a draw shot."

"Hitting the ball to the left or right creates spin, making the header follow a slight curve. Then, the ball you hit will also follow a curve. This is not something you can usually do; you have to calculate it."

"You stick your left thumb up like this to support the club. It has to be steady. Your four fingers have to be spread out as far as possible; the wider the spread, the more stable you are. Then you have to calculate which hole you're going to put in. Imagine a straight line from the center of the hole to the center of the ball, like here. Then head the ball to that spot, and it'll go in."

"You can't just use a lot of force when playing ball; you have to consider the situation. The straighter and farther the ball goes, the more force you need. But when you're brushing the ball at an angle, you need to use less force and brush it gently."

"You also need to pay attention to the direction of your head. After you finish this shot, what you hit next depends entirely on how your head moves. You have to learn to slowly control the direction and position of your head. I'll teach you a trick: if you're not sure if you can make the shot, just ignore it and hide your head. Make it difficult for him to hit, and your opportunity will come."

Chen Hui and Han San played two rounds. Han San put down his cue, straightened his back, and said, "Oh dear, I'm getting old now, my back can't take it anymore. I got tired after playing two rounds."

Xiao Wei asked curiously, "You're tired just from playing ball? It hasn't been that long, it's only been half an hour."

Chen Hui, leaning on the golf club, said, "This thing looks light, but it's actually quite tiring. You have to keep walking, standing, walking. Here, you hold the club but don't hit it. Walk around the table for half an hour to get a feel for it. Come on." He handed the golf club to Xiao Wei.

Xiao Wei took the club, weighed it in his hand, and said, "It's quite heavy."

Han San leaned against the pool table, lit a cigarette, and said, "Playing for half an hour can leave you walking several kilometers. Don't you think that's tiring?"

Boss Shi finished setting up those two tables, and as the worker tidied up his tools, he walked over with a smile and said, "How's it? Not bad, right?"

Han San nodded and said, "Okay, Xiao Bang's ball bounce is good, and it goes straight." He pointed his cue at the basket and said, "Right here. The basket is a bit tight here, it's hard to hit."

Boss Shi laughed and said, "Everyone's in the same boat. If you can't hit it, others can't either. Besides, if you hit my basket every time, it'll be a struggle on other tables. Hehe, the baskets on this table are indeed a little tighter than those of other brands."

Xiao Wei checked the time and said, "Let's go eat. The billiards club opens tomorrow. Lao Wu, have you guys made all the arrangements?"

Huang Laowu set up Chen Hui and Han San's golf clubs on the rack and said with a smile, "What's the plan? Just give a shout, let people in and collect the money. No need for any fancy setup. Look how many people have come even before it's open." He pointed to the crowd of onlookers blocking the entrance.

Xiao Wei asked, "Have you finalized the price?"

Huang Laowu said, "Other people's wooden tables are one piece per plate, but our marble ones are two pieces each. Fifteen yuan for an hour to rent the table, is that okay?"

Xiao Wei glanced at Huang Laowu and chuckled, saying, "Your calculations are truly amazing. You won't sell them for five cents for two dollars, or even one dollar?"

Huang Laowu scratched his head and asked Xia Maosheng, "What's wrong with my accounting?"

Chen Hui asked, "How many games can you play in an hour?"

Huang Laowu thought for a moment and said, "Three or four rounds, then five rounds in a row, what's wrong?"

Chen Hui asked, "How much?"

Huang Laowu said, "Eight yuan? Ten yuan? What's wrong? Damn, haha, I'm totally confused, I made a mistake, please excuse me."

Xiao Wei said, "It's five yuan for a single bet, fifteen yuan for a table for an hour, that's how it's charged. If it's betting, it's charged per bet, the amount depends on the stakes."

Hei Zi said, "What if you encounter a game that can last for an hour or more?"

Huang Laowu said, "Fine, it'll be fifteen a hour. Take it or leave it. Those who bet on the game will be charged per bet."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and nodded, saying, "Okay, let's get some water. You can drink water for free when you play ball here. In the summer, we'll give you a free drink when the table is set up, and then we'll charge you afterward."

Huang Laowu stared wide-eyed and said, "Then we'd have to boil water every day? How many thermos flasks would we need?"

Han San said, "I forgot. I'll get you a few water dispensers tomorrow. Just plug them in and you can fill them up when you want water. It'll be so convenient."

Huang Laowu asked, "It's automatic, right? And it has all kinds of drinks?"

Han San said, "Yes, we have everything you need. If you want hot water, get hot water; if you want cold water, get cold water. There are two spouts."

Huang Laowu laughed and said, "This works! It makes you look much more classy."

Xiao Wei asked, "Where's the water? Where does the water come from? Do you connect a water pipe?"

Han San said, "There's a bucket over there. You can fill it yourself. One bucket will last you a day or two."

Back then, water dispensers were considered high-end consumer goods, and there was no bottled water. The water dispensers came with separate containers, with a filter in the middle.

Xiao Wei said, "That works. Let's get a few, five or six. One for the restaurant, and another for karaoke bars, bakeries, and home. It'll be convenient."

Xia Maosheng said, "That's not enough. We need at least ten to get accepted. You're not letting the schools send them? The factories? Send them all over here, Third Brother, get at least ten."

Han San laughed and said, "What you've done is more than what the sellers order in one go. Okay, more is more, so we can negotiate the price."

Boss Shi had finished packing up, and everyone turned off the lights and went outside. Huang Laowu smiled and said to the real and fake thugs blocking the doorway, "We're opening tomorrow morning at 8:18. Come and have some fun. Bring a string of firecrackers before you come. If you don't set off firecrackers tomorrow, don't come in." The group noisily agreed.

Chen Hui said, "Holy crap, you can do that? Tomorrow's going to be a huge event, the firecracker sellers are going to make a fortune."

Huang Laowu shook his coat and said in a low voice, "I'll have my sister bring over some whips tomorrow. We can just put them on our heads then. Who would dare to buy them elsewhere? The money we earn will go to the shop."

Xia Maosheng said, "No, if your sister sells it, she can keep it. If there's extra, you guys can share it. When the others open here, we can do the same so your sister can earn some money too."

Huang Laowu laughed and said, "That's good, then I won't be polite at all, hehe, I can earn quite a bit."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "You guys can make your own money. If you have the ability to get all the teenagers in Longcheng to come and place a bet, then you're good to go."

Huang Laowu said, "If I had that ability, I would have been rich long ago. Why would I need to work this lousy job every day?"

(End of this chapter)