Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 448 Settling Accounts?

Xiao Wei said, "Let's go, the food up there is delicious!"

Xiao Hong said, "I've never eaten here before, it's just something new and exciting. It's hundreds of meters high, and she said there are huge glass walls beneath your feet, so you can see the whole city of Fengtian while you eat. I think I should go and experience it, what do you think?"

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "If you want to go, just go. Why are you pretending and asking me like that? It's like if I said I wouldn't go, I really wouldn't. How fake are you?"

Xiao Hong chuckled a few times and said, "Our whole family is going. My mom and dad have never been before."

Aunt Wang said, "Oh no, I'm not going. It's hundreds of meters high. How can I swallow my food like that? Besides, how would I get up there? Climb up?"

Xiao Hong laughed heartily, and Uncle Wang hugged Aunt Wang and said with a smile, "There's an elevator, you can just stand up and go up."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, I'll go to Wanliu tomorrow and talk to Engineer Wang about it. Then our whole family will go. My uncle and aunt have been here for so long and haven't been anywhere yet. The Forbidden City, the TV Tower, the zoo—we've been staying right at the entrance of Nanhu Park and haven't even been inside the park. We've been busy all day."

Aunt Wang said, "You're all so busy, aren't you? It doesn't really matter whether you watch that stuff or not, it just costs money. A meal at that tower must cost a lot, right? Xiao Hong, how much does it cost?"

Xiaohong said, "My classmates said they spent over two hundred yuan. Whether we spend more or less depends on ourselves; they can't force us to pay, can they?"

Aunt Wang nodded and said, "That's true."

As the car traveled from the Beijing-Harbin Railway to Shenliao Road, Xiaohong looked out the window and said, "This building really is the tallest! It's so tall! How come I never noticed it before?"

Xiao Wei said, "Seeing during the day is different from seeing at night. During the day, your eyes see too much. Are you going to walk with your head up? Besides, you usually only move around in this area downstairs. You've never seen anything this far away."

Xiao Hong nodded and said, "It seems the power bureau is really rich."

In fact, the record for the tallest building in Fengtian, under the Northeast Electric Power Bureau, stood until 2009 when it was broken. It was over 188 meters tall. Before that, the tallest building was the 16-story railway guesthouse at the train station, which was the tallest building in Northeast China at the time, completed in 1978.

……

Dragon City.

It was completely dark, with only a few scattered streetlights dotting the city.

In the backyard of Jubinge, the dance hall had already closed, and the staff were cleaning up. People singing in the karaoke room were drinking tea and queuing up, while some idlers crowded around the doors and windows to watch the excitement and applaud. As usual, the billiards hall was the liveliest place, filled with teenagers inside and outside, smoking cigarettes and making a racket.

Huang Laowu was singing in the karaoke bar, while Lao Hou, carrying a money bag, was lazily leaning against the wall by the entrance of the billiard hall, smoking.

"Old Hou." Old Hou turned his head and saw Hei Zi and four unfamiliar faces walking over.

"Hey Hei Zi, what's up?" Old Hou threw his cigarette butt under his foot and stomped it out.

The middle section of the dam has already been excavated, leaving only a path less than three meters wide in front of the billiard hall and its row of buildings. The entire area needs to be paved with cement, so it needs to be dug up and a layer of stones laid first, otherwise it will subside.

As they approached, Kuroko looked at the dug-out area and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Old Hou glanced at the group of people who had come with Hei Zi and said, "Lay cement. This whole area needs to be paved."

Hei Zi nodded and said, "The boss let you set up this shop? That's fucking rich. Where's Lao Wu?"

Old Hou pointed to the karaoke room and said, "They're playing music. What's up?"

Hei Zi scratched his head and said, "Something came up. Well, I was thinking of leaving my money with you guys this month instead of coming to collect it, but I still need it. Let's call Lao Wu over so we can split the money. I have to leave soon, I have something to do."

Old Hou asked, "What are you doing? You've already taken tens of thousands, isn't that enough? What big deal are you up to?"

Hei Zi licked his lips and said, "I'll talk to you when I have time. Can you tell Lao Wu to divide the money first? I need it."

Old Hou shook his head and said, "No, putting everything else aside, you already owe us more than enough, so what's the point of dividing it up? Besides, forget it, let Fifth Brother talk to you about it. I can't argue with you about this."

Hei Zi glanced at the people following him, looking a little embarrassed, and said, "How much do you two owe me? You always bring it up. It's just a few thousand yuan from you. I was short of cash, you know. I earn 10,000 or 20,000 a month, why would I be short of you?"

Old Hou said, "When did you ever earn 18,000 a month? You're so powerful now, huh? Then pay me back!"

Hei Zi said, "Old Hou, what do you mean? Are you deliberately trying to embarrass me? So what if I didn't watch the shop? Is Lao Wu guarding the karaoke bar every day our shop? How much does the dance hall pay us? Do we have to settle this?"

Old Hou said, "I don't want to argue with you about this. You, the hater, know what you're doing. Everyone has their own opinions; who's stupid?"

The guy next to Hei Zi patted him on the shoulder and asked, "Who owns this shop anyway? Didn't you say you owned it?"

Hei Zi said, "It's a partnership. If it were just my own money, I could earn 30,000 a month. I didn't have enough capital at the beginning."

The man glanced around the billiard hall and said, "Business is booming, and you made a profit, didn't you? Just kick them out, that's all. I'll cover whatever you're short. Why are you bothering to serve them when they're just keeping quiet and not wanting to share their profits?"

Hei Zi was a little uneasy. He shifted his body a couple of times, licked his lips, and said, "Third Brother, don't talk nonsense. Why are you saying such things when we're all fine? Just wait a moment."

The third brother looked at the billiard hall and nodded, saying, "Okay, you can handle it as you see fit. Just give me the money today. If all else fails, you can use a case as collateral. I won't take advantage of you; I'll make up the difference."

Old Hou tilted his head and asked, "Dude, you're talking pretty cool. Which area are you from?"

Third Brother glanced at Old Hou but didn't say anything. He shook his head and looked around. One of the young men who had come with him said, "This is Third Brother. Make sure you recognize him. Stop talking nonsense, you're getting too big for your britches!"

Old Hou glanced at him and asked Hei Zi, "Hey Hei Zi, what exactly did you come here for today? Bringing people to cause trouble?"

Hei Zi said, "These are all my buddies, don't take it to heart if I say something harsh. Why don't you call Lao Wu over?"

Old Hou looked at him, nodded, and said, "Okay, I'll call Lao Wu over." He went over and spoke to a waiter in the karaoke bar. A moment later, Huang Lao Wu came out, looked at Hei Zi and the others, and asked Old Hou, "What are you doing?"

Old Hou pointed at Hei Zi and said, "He's here to collect the money. That guy said if he can't pay, he'll just have to take the case."

Huang Laowu turned to look at Third Brother and his group and said, "Who are you guys? What area are you from, trying to show off? Have you even looked it up?"

Hei Zi said, "Fifth Brother, stop bringing up other things. I'm here to settle accounts with you. Just give me this month's pay, and we'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

Huang Laowu asked, "What money?"

(End of this chapter)