A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

"Yanzi! I've arrived in Yanjing! No—I haven't arrived yet, the plane just took off, and I'll land at the Capital Airport in two hours!"

Fu Yan moved the phone a little further away. Chen Jian's voice was almost as loud as when he got drunk and shouted at the Old Captain's Restaurant back then. It was deafening.

What are you doing here?

"Damn~ Didn't you say you wanted me to open a shop in Yanjing? I've been thinking about it for days and I think this is a good idea! I'm coming here to check out the market and see how things go."

Fu Yan was taken aback. "Did I say that?" He had indeed mentioned it casually at the time, but he didn't expect Chen Jian to take it so seriously. Although this kid seemed carefree, he was a practical person at heart. Since he came, he must have thought about it back home for a while.

"Okay, I'll come pick you up."

"No need, no need, I'll take a taxi myself..."

"What the hell are you trying to do? Do you know how long the taxi queues are at the Capital Airport? You'll be waiting until it's dark by then."

Chen Jian chuckled on the other end of the phone: "Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Yan."

"roll!"

……

Zhao Gang drove an A8, with Fu Yan sitting in the passenger seat—his standard setup for picking people up.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Chen Jian strolled out of the station exit. He was still the same as before—not tall, round-faced, wearing a dark blue jacket and carrying a backpack. He hadn't changed much since ten years ago in Bincheng, except that his belly was rounder than before.

"Yanzi!"

As soon as Chen Jian saw Fu Yan, he opened his arms, but Fu Yan reached out and pushed him away, saying, "Stop with the formalities, get in the car."

Chen Jian chuckled and climbed into the back seat, looking around. "This car's nice, an Audi A8?"

"Yes, it's from the company."

"Your company still has this car?" Chen Jian reached out and touched the leather seat. "This leather is really soft."

Fu Yan didn't reply, but only asked, "Have you eaten?"

"I ate a boxed meal on the plane, and it wasn't good."

"Let's go home first, Sister Zhou will cook."

Chen Jian nodded, then suddenly realized, "Go home? Where do you live?"

"Yandaixie Street".

Chen Jian remained silent—he didn't know where Yandai Xiejie was, but the name sounded like something out of old Beijing.

The car drove off the airport expressway, crossed the Second Ring Road, and turned into the Shichahai area. The road narrowed as it drove, lined with old houses with gray walls and tiles. An old man squatted at the entrance of an alley, playing chess, and a bicycle was tied to a tree. Chen Jian peered out the car window, and the more he looked, the more uneasy he felt—this place didn't seem like a place for ordinary people to live.

The car stopped.

Fu Yan pushed open the car door and got out: "We're here."

Chen Jian followed him down and looked up—the storefront wasn't large, with two red-lacquered wooden doors and a pair of copper door knockers hanging on them. Next to it was an old locust tree, its branches already sprouting green buds.

He followed Fu Yan inside.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Chen Jian stopped.

The courtyard was square and symmetrical, with blue bricks paving the ground. There were five main rooms and three rooms each in the east and west wings. In the middle of the courtyard stood an old grape trellis, with two rattan chairs beside it. Sister Zhou was coming out of the east wing, her apron still covered in flour. When she saw Fu Yan, she said, "The food will be ready soon." Then, seeing Chen Jian following behind, she smiled and nodded.

Chen Jian stood there, his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

"This...is your home?"

"Um."

"A courtyard house?"

"Um."

"Next to the Forbidden City?"

"It's not that close, it's about a ten-minute walk." Fu Yan came over after changing her shoes, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Don't just stand there, wash your face first, we'll talk after we eat."

Chen Jian changed his shoes as if in a daze, and followed Fu Yan inside, muttering to himself, "I knew you were rich, but I never imagined... this much rich. How much did this courtyard cost?"

"Don't ask about the price, or you won't be able to sleep." Fu Yan pushed him into the bathroom. "Come out and eat after you've finished washing up."

Chen Jian stared blankly at himself in the bathroom mirror for a while. The mirror had an old-fashioned brass frame, the faucet was antique-style, and even the towels on the towel rack were the kind of thick towels only found in hotels. He wiped his face with the towel, and only one thought kept running through his mind—that kid Fu Yan has really made it big.

-

For lunch, Sister Zhou cooked four dishes and a soup, adding a braised pork knuckle for Chen Jian. After a couple of bites, Chen Jian gave a thumbs up: "Sister, this cooking is amazing! It's even better than the old captain's in Bincheng!"

Sister Zhou smiled from ear to ear: "Eat as much as you like."

Watching from the side, Fu Yan thought that Chen Jian had one good point—he was sweet-talking and liked people wherever he went.

After finishing their meal, the two went out to investigate. Fu Yan didn't let Zhao Gang come along; he drove the Land Rover Defender himself, with Chen Jian in the passenger seat, heading south.

"What kind of shop do you want to open?" Fu Yan asked.

"Barbecue and seafood," Chen Jian said firmly. "I've been doing barbecue in Bincheng for almost ten years, and I don't know how to do anything else. But business is slow in Bincheng in winter. There are many people from Yanjing, and they still eat and drink there in winter. I think it can work."

"Have you decided on a location?"

"No, that's why I'm here to check it out." Chen Jian scratched his head. "But I think it can't be too remote, preferably in a high-traffic area, but the rent can't be too expensive..."

Fu Yan thought for a moment: "Let's find a real estate agent first to see if they have any suitable shops."

He made a phone call in the car, which He Wei answered. In less than ten minutes, He Wei found him the phone number of a real estate agent. Fu Yan called the agent and arranged to meet at a certain place.

The real estate agent, surnamed Wu, was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, tall and thin, wearing black-rimmed glasses. He looked like the kind of guy who was used to running errands. He handed over his business card first, then asked with a smile, "What type of shop are you two looking for, gentlemen?"

"Seafood and barbecue," Chen Jian said.

"Approximately how large is the area?"

"150 to 200 square meters, that's too small and there's no room to put a table."

"What about the budget?"

Chen Jian glanced at Fu Yan, but Fu Yan remained silent. Chen Jian gritted his teeth: "Let's wait and see."

Xiao Wu was quick to understand and stopped asking questions, then drove ahead to lead the way. Their first stop was Guijie Street, and Chen Jian's eyes widened at the sight of it—red lanterns everywhere, Donglaishun, Guizui, and a whole chain of grilled fish restaurants.

"This place is great!"

"It's possible," Xiao Wu pushed up his glasses, "but the shops on Guijie Street are basically never empty. Occasionally, there's a shop that's being sublet, and the transfer fee starts at least at 300,000 yuan."

Chen Jian's lips moved slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Fu Yan glanced at his expression and understood what was going on.

The second stop was Gulou East Street, where several shops were available for rent. The location was decent, and the foot traffic was good, but the shops were rather small, the largest costing just over 100 yuan. Chen Jian looked around and thought they were passable, but not entirely satisfied.

The third stop was Andingmen Inner Street. Xiao Wu said that a room there had just been vacated. It used to be a hot pot restaurant. It was a little over 200 square meters, with a kitchen and a second floor.

Chen Jian took a liking to it as soon as he entered. The location was on a street corner, the storefront was wide enough, and there could be fifteen or sixteen tables inside. There were also two private rooms upstairs, and the kitchen's exhaust pipes were already in place—the most critical thing for barbecue is exhaust, so this didn't need to be changed, saving a lot of trouble.

"How much is this one?" Chen Jian squatted in the back kitchen, staring at the chimney for a long time, before finally asking.

"Monthly rent is 22,000, three months' deposit and one month's rent in advance, transfer fee is 180,000."

Chen Jian rubbed his hands together, but didn't answer immediately.

Fu Yan stood at the door, lit a cigarette, and didn't interrupt. This was Chen Jian's matter; he could only help look into it, not make decisions for him.

Chen Jian walked around the shop three times, then stood at the door for a while, observing the flow of people on the street. Finally, he came back and said to Xiao Wu, "I'll think about it some more and give you an answer tomorrow."

Once outside, the two got into the car. Fu Yan started the engine and asked, "How does it feel?"

"The location is good, but it's a bit pricey." Chen Jian leaned back in his seat. "The transfer fee is 180,000 yuan, plus the deposit and renovation costs, the initial investment will be over 400,000 yuan."

"Do you have enough money?"

Chen Jian didn't say anything.

The car was quiet for a while.

Fu Yan didn't urge them, and slowly drove back. As they passed Shichahai Lake, the setting sun shone golden on the lake, a beautiful sight. Chen Jian looked out the window and suddenly said, "Brother Yan, let me calculate it again. If it doesn't work, I'll go back and try to scrape together the rest."

Fu Yan hummed in response, but didn't say anything more.

Some favors can only be offered after the other person asks. If they don't ask, it means they want to handle it all themselves.

That's the rule.