Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 265 Old Manual

Xiao Wei scratched his head and said, "It depends on how much money Brother Xu will get in the end; I can't estimate it right now."

Old Xu said, "Including labor and materials, I estimate it will cost around 100,000 to 150,000 or 160,000."

Xiaowei said to Xiaohong, "The whole thing might cost around 400,000."

Xiao Hong stuck out her tongue and asked softly, "Then you'll have to come up with 120,000? Do we have that much?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Yes, the money I prepared for the car wasn't needed; around 100,000 yuan was enough."

Xiao Hong linked arms with Xiao Wei and said, "You're really amazing."

Liu Hongliang said, "Do you recognize that person if you peek through the door?"

Xiao Wei turned his head and saw An Laowu, wearing an earmuff, peering into the house through the gate. Several people were standing near the back door; the room was darker than outside, so An Laowu probably couldn't see him clearly from the outside, but he could see him perfectly well from inside. He said to Liu Hongliang, "Go and bring him in. Call him Fifth Brother."

Liu Hongliang ran out the back door. A moment later, An Laowu followed Liu Hongliang in.

Xiao Wei asked, "Fifth Brother, when did you come over?"

An Laowu smiled and said, "I came yesterday. I didn't know the exact location, I just looked around and this one looked like what you described, the others were all too small. When did you go to Fengtian?"

An Laowu said, "I couldn't stay at home after handing the restaurant over to Bozi. I wanted to come to Fengtian to check things out. I need to find the seasonings and ingredients to have a better understanding of them. I was thinking of going to see Uncle Chen tomorrow to deliver that old brocade to him. It's such a coincidence that we ran into each other here."

Xiao Wei smiled and said, "It's fate that you have this place. This is Brother Xu, from the Longcheng Timber Yard. I'm planning to build this whole house out of wood, so I'll have Brother Xu do the calculations and we'll make it. Brother Xu, this is Fifth Brother, surnamed An, who runs a bone restaurant in Longcheng. He'll be the head chef here from now on."

Old Xu nodded to Lao Wu and said, "I know it. I've eaten at the bone restaurant before, and it's really delicious."

Old Man An smiled and said, "I know you too. I bought timber from you before, but we've never really dealt with each other."

Xiao Wei said, "It's perfect timing, Fifth Brother, you're here. Do you have any ideas? Tell Brother Xu about them."

Old Man An reached into his pocket and, after a while, pulled out a cloth bag. He carefully opened it and took out two yellowed pieces of paper. He said, "These are the recipes I took from the old family tree. The tree is a collection of recipes passed down in our An family. These two pieces describe how our family started making bone broth from the first generation to my great-grandfather's generation, as well as the origin of the bone broth recipe. I was thinking if I could carve these out and hang them on the wall."

Xiao Wei didn't take it, but looked at it in An Laowu's hand. It was handwritten with a brush, looked quite old, and was written in traditional Chinese characters.

After taking a look, Xiao Wei said, "Okay, this is the essence of the family, it's perfect. Brother Xu, downstairs, on the screen wall, put the old banner on the front, and carve this on the back, okay? Also, carve the names of the successors of the Fifth Brother's family for several generations, from the first generation all the way to the Fifth Brother."

Old Xu glanced at the score in An Laowu's hand, considered it for a moment, and said, "It'll do. There aren't many words. We don't need to carve it. I'll find someone to heat it for you, just heat it according to the characters on this score. Let's make it the original. Laowu, take a picture of this score for me, and also take pictures of the names of the successors for each generation. Take this back, paste it up carefully, and keep it safe. Don't damage it."

The fifth brother nodded, carefully wrapped the sheet music pages and put them away, his face beaming with joy.

Xiao Wei said, "Fifth Brother, don't worry. I'll come find you once Brother Xu has finished this. We'll come together then. If the renovations aren't finished before the New Year, your coming won't be of much use."

Old Man An nodded and said, "Okay, call me after the New Year. To be honest, I won't feel at ease if I don't make this trip; I can't stay at home. Where are you planning to put the kitchen?" He turned his head and looked around the house.

Xiao Wei said, "The kitchen is upstairs. Let's go, you can go up and take a look too." He led An Laowu up to the second floor again, accompanied him to see the kitchen, and explained the layout.

Then, An Laowu clearly calmed down and asked, "Aren't you going back to Longcheng? When are you leaving?" He glanced at his watch and said, "Have you bought the tickets yet?"

Xiao Wei said, "Those who came to pick up the car have to drive it back. These are all drivers we hired from Jian'an to help out."

An Laowu glanced at them and said, "Three cars? You have a Hiace over there, right? You're using these cars?"

Liu Hongliang said, "Six vehicles: three sedan chairs and three bread trucks. All of them are imported."

An Laowu was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "Why are you getting all these cars?"

Xiao Wei said, "The sedan is for my own use, and Hongliang drives the other one for my dad. He uses it to transport bread to the factory, for hauling goods back and forth, and one car isn't enough."

Old Man An laughed and said, "You guys are being too extravagant, using imported vehicles to haul goods? What kind of vehicles are they?"

Xiao Wei said, "They're all parked outside. I don't know much about cars."

Liu Hongliang said, "The young boss drives an Omega, Boss Chen's is a Kosica, and I drive an Audi 100. The bread is all Japanese: Hiace, Wanlit, and Mazda 2000. There's also a Banning over there that Boss Chen kept here. Actually, I'd really like to drive that one too."

Xiao Wei said, "From now on, you'll drive this 100. My dad can't drive. We'll see if we can find a few more drivers. We were originally going to ask Huang Laowu to help us find some, do you know any drivers around here?"

Liu Hongliang said, "I'll go back and ask. Those with work permits can't come; we need to find a private person with a license."

An Laowu said, "You got paid for these cars? You guys are really rich! Do you even need so many?"

Xiao Wei said, "The company's vehicle exceeds the standard, so we definitely can't afford to buy it at the original price. Anyway, we'll need it in the future, so we'll buy it when we have the chance. The food factory needs it, the pig farm needs it, and we've opened several stores here."

An Laowu shook his head and said, "That would still require hundreds of thousands, which I can't afford. I used to think I was doing well with a hundred thousand or so when I had a small shop, but after meeting you guys, I realized I'm just a complete pauper. There's really no comparison."

Xiao Wei said, "Take it slow. We've already started. In a couple of years, you'll be able to buy whatever you want."

Old Man An nodded and said, "Yes, yes, it definitely can."

Xiao Wei took out cigarettes to offer as a gift, and a driver from Jian'an named Hu Jun took one and asked, "Boss, how much do I get paid to drive for you?"

Xiao Wei asked, "How much do you get paid at your company?"

Hu Jun said, "I drive a small truck now, and I make about three hundred to four hundred yuan a month from miscellaneous expenses."

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "Four hundred it is then, wanna come?"

Liu Hongliang asked Hu Jun, "You don't even have as many boilers as we do?"

Hu Jun said, "There are more people driving sedan chairs, that's how it is for us truck drivers. Boilers definitely have more than us, those are considered special positions."

Liu Hongliang turned to Xiaowei and asked, "Hey boss, how's my salary now that I'm driving?" His original job was in logistics, earning less than 300 yuan a month. Xiaowei replied, "400. That's how much all the drivers here are paid for now."

Old Xu wandered around the room, muttering calculations and scribbling as he went. Xiao Wei, An Laowu, Liu Hongliang, and the others stood there chatting idly. After waiting for more than an hour, Chen Hui returned, with Chen Xiaoyang following behind him with a smug little face.

(End of this chapter)