Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 585 Face

The bespectacled man smiled and said to Hao Chengguang, "This boss is really something. It seems he wants us to apologize to the waiter, doesn't he?"

Chen Hui said, "Shouldn't you apologize for swearing at people for no reason? My staff are more subservient than you, aren't they? Let me tell you, you're far inferior to her in terms of class, you know? A bunch of ignorant idiots."

With an incredulous expression, the burly man said to Hao Chengguang, "Damn, he's not going to give us any face at all, he's going straight for the kill."

Hao Chengguang frowned and said, "Alright, boss, I understand what you mean. Let's settle the accounts."

Chen Hui turned to the waiter and said, "Calculate the bill."

The waiter said, "Table fee is 150, dishes are 1130, beer is 120 (12 bottles), champagne is 6600 (2 bottles), cigarettes are 150 (5 packs), tea is 360 (3 pots), totaling 8510. I don't know if the sofa is damaged from being heated; it's 1800." He went to the side counter, got the bill, and handed it to Chen Hui.

Chen Hui glanced at it, handed it over, and asked, "Who's paying?"

Hao Chengguang's face was a little gloomy. He took the document and said, "I'll sign it for you."

Chen Hui said, "Sorry, this is a small shop, we don't offer credit or IOUs. Please pay in cash."

The bespectacled man said, "Weren't these cigarettes a free gift? What kind of junk cigarettes are thirty-one yuan a pack?"

Chen Hui said, "I'll give you two packs for each table at the general tables, and one pack per person in the private rooms. I didn't charge you for those two packs. These cigarettes are specially supplied by the central government; thirty yuan is already the cost price. If you think it's too expensive, you don't have to take them."

The bespectacled man scoffed, "You think your little, run-down place is some kind of central government special supply? You're exaggerating a bit, aren't you?"

Chen Hui said, "You can check if the cigarettes are from the special supply workshop of the Meigouying Cigarette Factory. Only you guys would be so particular about something that costs only a few dozen or a hundred yuan. The batch number is on the cigarette box, and the manufacturer has it on file. Go check it. If there's a mistake, I'll compensate you tenfold."

The burly man took the champagne bottle and looked at it: "What kind of lousy wine is this? Over three thousand a bottle? It's just soda!"

Chen Hui said, "It's French-made sparkling champagne. Do you want to see the customs documents? There's only a supply of 3,600 bottles in China a year, and I've got the whole supply."

The bespectacled man said, "So you're planning to show no respect, huh? Do you even know what the Health Supervision Bureau does? Are you planning to fail at your job?"

Chen Hui laughed and said, "You're unreasonable with the waiter, but you're concerned about saving face with me. I run a business, it's only right that you pay for your meal. Do you rely on saving face when you eat out elsewhere? You're quite shameless, and you're saving a lot of money. Besides, do you work at the Health Bureau? Let me see your work ID."

Hao Chengguang took out his work ID from his pocket, placed it on the table, and said, "This is my work ID."

Chen Hui gestured with his chin towards the bespectacled man: "I'm asking him. You're also at the Health Bureau? Weren't you guys hosting a welcome dinner for Director Hao today? Why aren't you planning to pay for the drinks? Is this a welcome dinner for him or for you?"

The bespectacled man pointed at Chen Hui and asked, "You fucking don't want to work here anymore?"

Chen Hui glanced at him sideways and said, "Whose decision is it whether I do it or not? If you're capable, show it; if you're not, don't act tough, understand? He's a cadre from the Health Bureau. I could understand if he tried to show off to me, but who the hell do you think you are? Director Hao, with your bunch of rotten garlic, won't you get sick later? You're showing off on your first day at work. Are you getting too cocky?"

Hao Chengguang said with a dark face, "My friend is none of your business. Eight thousand five hundred, is that it? Come to the station tomorrow to collect the money. Let's go." He stood up, grabbed his coat, and walked out. The burly man with broad shoulders and a thick waist gave Chen Hui a smug look and followed behind. The bespectacled man walked at the back, pointing at Chen Hui and saying, "Wait, we'll see you tomorrow. You really don't know what's good for you."

Chen Hui said, "You're leaving after paying? Director Hao, you're a government official, shouldn't you be mindful of your image?" He pointed to the sofa, and the waiter jogged over, looked at it, and said, "There's a hole burned in it, and they even tried to pick at it with their hands."

Xia Maosheng laughed and said, "They're a bunch of clueless bastards. They're just showing off because I'm awesome."

Chen Hui stood up, took the bill, and walked to the front desk, saying, "These days, it's always the people around you who rip you off; they have no sense of right and wrong."

Upon reaching the reception desk, Hao Chengguang turned to Chen Hui and said, "Come to my office at nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

Chen Hui handed the bill to the cashier and said to Hao Chengguang, "You don't have the right to just grab my things, understand? I don't work at the Health Bureau. 10,310, pay up and go. I'll deliver that sofa to the Health Bureau for you tomorrow."

The bespectacled man shouted angrily, "Is this a rip-off? Are you trying to smash someone up? What kind of thing costs over ten thousand? Xiao Guang, you get someone to shut it down right now. What the hell is this?!"

Chen Hui said, "The sofa has such a big burn hole, and you even deliberately tried to pick at it with your hands for ages. Aren't you going to pay for it? If I smashed your things, I wouldn't have to pay for them either, would I?"

The burly man said, "You're running a shop, understand? It's a public place. What do you mean 'your place' and 'my place'? Don't you understand what a public place is?"

Chen Hui said, "So you think you can just vandalize things in public places without taking responsibility? How dare you? Outside, on the streetlights, in a public place, you went and smashed them. And that car, see it? Dare to smash it?"

Hao Chengguang said, "Alright, no need to say anything more. Ten thousand is ten thousand. Come to my office at nine o'clock tomorrow morning to pick it up."

Chen Hui said to the cashier, "Call the police."

The cashier picked up the phone and dialed a number. Hao Chengguang said, "Are you planning to leave me no face at all? I wasn't going to argue with you at first, but it looks like we'll really have to talk about this tomorrow. You might as well not open for business tomorrow; no one will help you."

Chen Hui glanced at him and said, "You really are new here. You guys came in and started eating, cursing, and causing trouble, deliberately burning and tearing open my sofa. Which place has any dignity? Do you think anyone with dignity would do this? How many years have you been working in the government? Did you get bored after being down there for so long that you're starting to act all high and mighty now that you've just risen a little higher? Let me tell you the truth, you, this so-called bureau chief, don't even have the right to act high and mighty in front of me, understand? If you want to act high and mighty in front of me, you'll have to be the provincial bureau chief, get it?"

"What's going on?" a voice asked from the side.

Chen Hui turned his head and looked over: "Oh, Uncle Mao, you're here today! If I had known, I would have gone up and offered you a toast."

Uncle Mao waved his hand with a smile, glanced at Hao Chengguang and the other four, and asked, "What's wrong? I heard a commotion on the stairs."

Chen Hui said, "This is the new Director Hao from the District Health Supervision Bureau. These guys are his classmates and buddies. They said they were having a welcome banquet here today. They're just showing off now that they're officials. They're throwing cigarette butts and bones everywhere, making a huge fuss. They even cursed at the waiters, and they burned a big hole in my sofa. After eating more than 8,000 yuan, they didn't want to pay. They told me to go to their office tomorrow to get it. This guy said he'd shut down my shop, and he's trying to save face for me here."

Uncle Mao sized up Hao Chengguang a few times, then held out his hand and said, "Give me your work ID."

The bespectacled man glanced sideways at Uncle Mao and asked, "Who are you?"

Chen Hui said, "Uncle Mao, you don't need to worry about it. I've called the police." He looked at the cashier, who nodded.

(End of this chapter)