Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 259 Waiting for My Little Trouble

After everyone had loaded their things and gotten into the car, Sister Shang went over and opened the main gate. As the car drove out, Sister Shang closed the gate from the inside, so Xiao Wei didn't have to get in and out of the car repeatedly.

When they arrived at the restaurant, everyone was already there. Xiaowei tossed the car keys to Liu Hongliang, telling him that he would be the full-time driver from now on, and that he would have to go to the yard to pick up things every morning and deliver things in the evening. There wasn't much to do during the day, but that's how driving is; you can't be busy all day long.

Hao Xiaodong's younger brother arrived. He looks somewhat like Hao Xiaodong, except he has a bigger beard and looks a bit dull.

Xiao Wei asked, "Brother Hao, what's your name?"

Hao Xiaodong's younger brother smiled and said, "Hao Xiaobo."

Xiao Wei said, "This morning, Brother Hao, your brother told me that you have a boiler operator's license, so you can work on the boiler. You'll have to work on this one and the row of boilers at the grain station behind it. You and Brother Yu will have to work together, will that be enough? I'll find someone else for the odd jobs after that."

Hao Xiaobo said, "Okay, that's great. No need to find anyone else, I can handle it. I don't need to watch the boiler operation all the time either. I can finish this job before I have a break. I'm fine with a lower salary, okay, boss?"

Xiao Wei said, "Then you have to come very early in the morning and can't leave until Brother Yu comes in the evening. Can you manage that? You have to do everything, like buying and carrying groceries, cleaning the kitchen, and taking out the trash."

Hao Xiaobo nodded and said, "That's fine. I'll come at 7:30 in the morning and leave when Brother Yu arrives in the evening."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Then give it a try. The salary won't be less; you'll get whatever you're owed. As long as you can handle it, that's fine."

Hao Xiaobo said, "Okay. Let's go check out the place. I'll familiarize myself with the area, and then you don't need to worry about it."

Xiao Wei led him around the grain station and showed him the stoves. These stoves, being wall-mounted, weren't burned at night; they were started early in the morning. Hao Xiaobo got to work without a word, showing his skill; he quickly got it set up, and the fire leaped up. He added coal, saying, "Actually, you can seal it before leaving get off work at night. These kinds of earthen stoves can be sealed, just like the stoves in the kitchen. In the morning, you can just light it and add coal directly. It saves us from having to start it every day."

Xiao Wei said, "The closing time here is uncertain. They just add some coal while they're here, and then put it out when they leave. They don't know how to seal it properly, or they can't seal it well."

Hao Xiaobo said, "From now on, when I leave at night, I'll just call Lao Yu and ask him to seal it up. It won't take much effort and is much easier than going back and forth like this. It also saves coal."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, I'll tell him today."

Hao Xiaobo said, "Don't say what I said, it's not good."

Xiao Wei nodded. The two Hao brothers were honest people. Lao Yu was more slippery. He never said or did anything on his own initiative. If you didn't mention the stove, he would never come over to take a look. Actually, things like sealing the stove at night didn't take much effort, but he just wouldn't mention it.

After settling Hao Xiaobo and Liu Hongliang in, Xiao Wei looked around the restaurant. The smell of paint had mostly dissipated, and the restaurant's overall quality had improved significantly, making it much more comfortable to look at.

At 8:30, Huang Laowu arrived, and the billiard hall opened.

At 8:40, Master Chang arrived with his apprentice to install the elevator.

At nine o'clock, two tables were booked. At nine-thirty, two more tables were booked. By ten o'clock, everyone had finished eating. Five tables were booked for lunch and one for dinner. What a wonderful day!

After finishing their meal and cleaning up, Xia Maosheng, Chen Hui, and Liu Huasheng entered the room together.

Chen Hui went straight to the kitchen as soon as he entered the house; he was hungry. Sister Zhang prepared some dishes for them, and the two ate while chatting with Xiao Wei and Liu Huasheng.

"The dance hall has been approved," Liu Huasheng said, throwing his things on the table. "There's no precedent for karaoke bars, and the industry and commerce bureau doesn't have any concrete guidelines either. We need to ask higher-ups for instructions. You can keep it open for now, it's fine."

Xiao Wei asked, "What about the taxes?"

Liu Huasheng said, "You can calculate it all together here, a total of five hundred yuan a month, okay? It'll be hard to explain if you don't pay anything. The food factory over there has a fixed collection method, I'll help you find someone to talk to them later."

Xia Maosheng said, "Okay, we'll pay what we're owed. We won't let anyone cheat us, that's all. Aren't you going to eat something?"

Liu Huasheng said, "Get lost. You only remembered me after you finished eating. How's that billiards business going? Even if it opens, I can't very well go there."

Xiao Wei said, "That's good. After a month of work, we'll have a better understanding of the situation. Huang Laowu is alright; he's quite meticulous with the accounts."

Liu Huasheng poured himself a glass of hot water and said, "That's fine then. I brought all my savings for my wife. If I lose it all, my dad will kill me. I'm not as rich as Tiezi; this is all the savings we have at home."

Xia Maosheng said, "Don't worry, you'll earn it. You're so stingy. Look at Tiezi, he threw the money away and hasn't shown his face since."

Liu Huasheng laughed and said, "Say whatever you want, as long as you make money. I don't have as much money as you guys. How can I live if I'm not a little stingy?"

Xiao Wei said, "Yeah, what have you been busy with lately, Tiezi?"

Liu Huasheng said, "They're doing intensive training in Fengtian. After that, they'll become criminal police officers, and they'll be all high and mighty. They won't even give a second glance to lowly officers like us." Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "You should hurry up and climb the ranks. Once he becomes a captain, you can be the director in charge of the whole bureau and make him furious."

Liu Huasheng thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, that's how you do it! Right, right, let him show off to me. Just wait and see what happens to him, haha." Everyone laughed.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Liu Huasheng went back to his office.

The three men took the photos from the dance hall and went to the back to find Huang Laowu.

"Fifth Brother, the dance hall photos are in order, and the karaoke bar can open now. What are your plans?" Xiao Wei asked, handing the photos to Huang Laowu.

Huang Laowu took the license, looked at it, and said, "Then let's open it. We'll need to find two more people; the three of us can't keep an eye on it."

Chen Hui said, "Anyway, since you guys organized it, I'll leave it to you. Whether you handle it yourselves or find more people, you can discuss it and decide. Make a payroll. If you're going to find people, make sure they're reliable and don't cause trouble all the time, especially around the dance hall. Don't let it become a mess. If anyone gets into fights or causing trouble, I'll put them all in jail."

Huang Laowu chuckled and said, "How could that be? Don't worry. We're running this thing to make money; we won't let people come here to talk nonsense."

Old Huang flashed a bright white smile and said, "Really? Boss, you're very generous. Don't worry, leave it to us, we guarantee it'll be perfect. By the way, how much does it cost?"

Xiao Wei said, "We'll charge the same rate as the dance hall, but at the karaoke bar it's five yuan per song, fifty-one hours."

Huang Laowu said, "It's two yuan per person for the dance hall, and forty yuan for a monthly pass. Our place is big enough, so it'll work. But isn't singing a bit too expensive? Will anyone come?" Back then, the purchasing power of the RMB was quite strong; five yuan could buy several kilograms of pork.

(End of this chapter)