Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 270 My Little Brother Goes to School

Director Li said, "It's nothing. It's just that this car was making quite a fuss a while ago. It's a nice car, only bought a few months ago." Xiao Wei quickly walked a few steps and opened the small door. Director Li lowered his head and walked out, waving his hand as he drove off in his Santana.

Xiao Wei's dad asked, "What happened to the car?"

Chen Hui said, "It's nothing. It turns out that the subordinate units bought cars that exceeded the standard. The news spread quite a bit, and the bureau chief who bought the cars was dismissed. It has nothing to do with us."

Xiao Wei's dad said, "You just buy a car and leave? Oh dear, that's not worth it. Where is it from?"

Chen Hui said, "It's in Harbin, which is far away from us."

Xiao Wei said, "Wow, this is a brand new car? Did you get a good deal?"

Chen Hui said, "Almost all the vehicles that exceed the standards are new cars. If you're allowed to drive them for three years, how can it still be considered exceeding the standards? Besides, vehicles that exceed the standards cannot be kept and must be disposed of. It's not like you're getting a bargain."

Xiao Wei asked in a low voice, "Then why is it so cheap?"

Chen Hui said, "If it's discovered internally, it needs to be dealt with promptly. It can't be sold as a new car, nor can it be sold at a higher price than other cars being disposed of. Otherwise, would the higher-ups be stupid enough not to notice? It would become a system-wide issue. Compared to this, what are a few hundred thousand or a few million?

Xiao Wei nodded, understanding.

Xiao Wei's dad went to the boiler room to keep watch again, letting Hao Xiaodong get some sleep. Mom started washing and preparing lunch—food for about ten people. Xiao Bing went into the old building to watch Sister Shang and the others work.

Xiaowei and Chen Hui opened the garage door, cleaned the several unused storage rooms, and parked several cars inside. They left the smallest car, 100, in storage room number one for it. They backed out the old Hiace and parked their own car in rooms two and three. They parked the Wanlit in room four.

Then Xiaowei went over and opened the old building's main door. Chen Hui moved the two Hiace cars, one large and one small, into the empty room on the left, then parked the Mazda E2000 inside and closed the main door. For now, one car outside is enough; these three can be stored inside for the time being.

They put the car keys in a drawer in the living room and the two sat down to talk.

Chen Hui said, "Han San said he'd cover the GG fee upfront, and we'll settle it together when he brings the invoice, saving us the trouble of running back and forth. It's already started and will continue until the Lantern Festival."

Chen Hui said, "Okay, I'll take care of it when I get back."

Xiao Wei said, "You need to do some promotion on this side too, make a big splash, advertise on TV, radio, and in newspapers for a week or two before opening, get the name out there first. Have you found a place to order the tableware and utensils yet?"

Chen Hui said, "My dad has all the connections. We can order it after the New Year. But this cigarettes, are you really going to order them?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Really?"

Chen Hui said, "Let's order from Meigouying. My dad said the cigarettes there are pretty good; some of the cigarettes supplied to the central government are from there."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, actually even Fengtian Tobacco Factory is fine. It's just a matter of how high your requirements are, you know? From the tobacco to the packaging, everything has to be of high standard. It has to be good to smoke and it has to be high-end."

Chen Hui said, "Then there's definitely no problem with the No Gouying brand. We don't need the quality of the special supply; it just needs to be a bit better than regular cigarettes."

Xiao Wei asked, "You just said that the food factory will contact us for consignment sales before the New Year. What are the specifics?"

Chen Hui said, "Right now, the products aren't fixed, so opening my own shop would definitely result in losses. Besides, how can I figure out where to open a shop? I think we should set up a few sales points in markets, near residential areas, department stores, and grocery stores. We can give the sales staff a bonus based on sales volume. We can see where is suitable to open a shop, what sells quickly, and then open a shop after the New Year when we've stocked up on pastries. In the meantime, let Sister Shang and the others get a little bit of everything, and then adjust production based on actual sales. We should be able to make it through in two or three months."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Okay, I'll do as you say. But I think we should look for houses in densely populated areas first, and prepare in advance. We can open the shop as soon as the birthday cake is served next year. We don't need many, just a few in the most densely populated areas will do. What do you think?"

Chen Hui thought for a moment and said, "That works too. The one behind the restaurant is definitely not enough. People who live far away might not come. Besides, look, Fengtian already has one, and Longcheng might have one next year. Let's secure the good spots first."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, let's do it this way. Drive around sometime when you have time. What are you doing later?"

Chen Hui stretched and said, "Let's go check out the restaurant area. We can go billiards and stuff, and all the karaoke bars and dance halls are open. Why don't you go check them out?"

Xiao Wei said, "I'll take my brother to get his school registration done this afternoon, and tonight I'll take Xiao Hong over to play for a while."

In the afternoon, Xiaowei, along with his parents, took his younger brother to Longcheng No. 5 Middle School to complete the transfer procedures for his brother.

Longcheng No. 5 Middle School was founded in the 1950s. It has a very historical feel with its Soviet-style red brick corner building. For some reason, Soviet-style buildings are always either in the shape of an "I" or have corners. The school is only about 600 meters away from the campus, a five-minute walk. My younger brother can easily walk to and from school by himself.

After completing the enrollment procedures and being assigned to a class, Xiaowei met his younger brother's future homeroom teacher. He left his brother in the classroom to get acquainted with the teacher, and then Xiaowei returned to the courtyard with his parents. Longcheng is located between the inland and coastal areas of Liaodong, so the locals have a slight coastal accent, but it's not too strong, and communication and understanding lessons are not a big problem. Besides, children are naturally adaptable.

In the evening, after dinner, Xiaowei, Xiaohong, Chen Hui, and Liu Hongliang, who had already moved in, drove to the restaurant together.

At this moment, the area around the restaurant has become the liveliest place in the surrounding area for several kilometers. Hundreds of people have gathered here, dancing, singing, playing billiards, and watching the excitement. The open space is full of people, and cars can only be parked in the open space between the restaurant and the side store.

After getting off the bus, the group first went to the restaurant for a look around. After the renovation, business was indeed better than before. There were too few private rooms before, and some businesses that booked a little late could only sit in the open seating area and then stopped coming. Now it's much better. There are six enclosed private rooms and three open private rooms in total, which is enough for everyone.

There were four tables upstairs tonight. Xiao Wei went up to greet them, toasted each table, served them a dish, and then came down to the back with Xiao Hong and the others. Under the night sky, the area around the restaurant was as bright as day. The restaurant itself had been covered up, and the elevator and the original chimney had been wrapped into a pagoda shape and decorated with colorful lights, which ironically became a scenic feature.

When the group arrived at the back, they saw several little girls standing in the dam taking pictures with the elevator and chimney as a backdrop.

By this time, there were already people who made a living by taking photos for others. They charged two yuan per photo, and they would wait in scenic spots at specific times, waiting for customers to come and take their pictures. Customers would pay first, and the photos would usually be collected three or four days later. They would run away without taking the money, and those who paid never worried about not getting their photos. In this era, there was still trust between people.

Xiao Hong and Xiao Wei walked slowly in the courtyard, while Liu Hongliang and Chen Hui had already gone into the billiard hall.

Today is the seventh day after the New Year. Here, I wish the owners and staff of pirate websites a happy family life free from corruption, and healthy children free from chemotherapy.

(End of this chapter)