A leisurely life starting in a bar after being reborn

Lin Xiaochen only took two days.

On the morning of the third day, she arrived at the hotel with one person.

"Mr. Fu, this is Qiu Kai, 42 years old. He worked as a bar manager in Beijing for six years. He previously worked at a bar near the Workers' Stadium for four years, and then moved to a club in Sanlitun for two years."

Fu Yan sized up the newcomer.

Qiu Kai was of medium height and on the thin side, with a buzz cut and sharp facial features. He looked like someone who had spent a lot of time in nightclubs, and there was a calm and collected look in his eyes. He wore an old leather jacket, carried a canvas bag, and stood there silently.

"Manager Qiu, please have a seat." Fu Yan gestured to the sofa.

Qiu Kai sat down and, without any formalities, asked directly, "Mr. Fu, may I ask first, does your bar sell counterfeit alcohol?"

Fu Yan paused for a moment, then laughed: "If you were selling counterfeit alcohol, I'd fire you first."

Qiu Kai's gaze softened, and he nodded. "That's fine then. I quit my previous job for the same reason. The boss insisted on adulterating the liquor, and when I refused, he made things difficult for me, so I couldn't stay."

What is your understanding of a quiet bar?

"We don't make money by selling in large quantities; we rely on word-of-mouth and atmosphere." Qiu Kai's words were brief but to the point. "The wine must be good, reasonably priced, and without any flashy gimmicks. The music is the soul, not background noise. The service doesn't need to be obsequious, but it must make people feel comfortable."

Fu Yan glanced at Lin Xiaochen, who stood expressionless beside him, like a statue.

"Manager Qiu, my bar is located in Houhai, a good location, two floors with a small courtyard. My idea is to create a quiet, unassuming bar where you can sit down, drink, and listen to music, nothing noisy."

"That's exactly what Houhai is lacking right now." Qiu Kai nodded. "Most of the bars there are either noisy and designed to steal customers, or they rip off tourists. There aren't many that genuinely focus on quality."

So you're willing to do it?

"I'm willing," Qiu Kai said without hesitation, "but I have one condition."

"explain."

"I'll take full responsibility for the beverages; I'll choose the suppliers, so please don't interfere. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that this industry is murky, and as an outsider, you can't tell which supplier is adulterating their products."

Fu Yan looked at him, and after a few seconds, reached out her hand.

"make a deal."

Qiu Kai squeezed his hand firmly.

"When are we going to check out the venue?"

"This afternoon," Fu Yan stood up, "Lin Xiaochen, you go with Manager Qiu to coordinate with the renovation team. You know people at the renovation company, right?"

"We've already coordinated." Lin Xiaochen opened her notebook. "The bar is handled by Ruihe Decoration, and the project manager's surname is Wang. I spoke with him on the phone yesterday."

"Okay, let's arrange it that way." Fu Yan patted Qiu Kai on the shoulder. "Manager Qiu, I'm leaving everything at the bar to you. The decor, the staff, the training—you handle it. If you need anything, contact Lin Xiaochen. If she can't handle it, then contact me."

Qiu Kai nodded, picked up his canvas bag, and followed Lin Xiaochen out.

Fu Yan stood by the window, watching the two figures walk out of the hotel lobby.

One was plain-faced, the other wore an old leather jacket.

When these two stand together, they look like a makeshift troupe.

But Fu Yan felt at ease.

With Lin Xiaochen handling daily affairs and Qiu Kai keeping an eye on the bar, he finally didn't have to shoulder everything himself anymore.

-

In the days that followed, three things were pursued simultaneously.

Over at the courtyard house, Su Qing's team was working feverishly. The water and electricity renovations were the first thing they started; the ditches were dug, the pipes laid, and the workers were constantly moving around the yard. Fu Yan would come over every few days to check on things, and each time he'd first look at the old locust tree—thankfully, not a single branch had been touched.

Su Qing came very frequently, almost every other day to check on things. Once, when Fu Yan came to visit, he happened to find her arguing with Engineer Li, their voices so loud that they could be heard across the alley.

"I told you to keep this window, keep it. Why are you changing it? Do you think the customer won't notice?"

"Mr. Su, this wood is rotten..."

"If it's broken, fix it! If you can't fix it, find some old materials from the same era to piece it together! If you replace the windows of a courtyard house with new ones, is it still a courtyard house?"

Fu Yan stood at the door for a while, listened, but didn't go in; instead, he turned and left.

This woman is reliable.

At the bar, Qiu Kai was even more dedicated. He arrived at the construction site at eight o'clock every morning, earlier than the construction workers. Fu Yan once passed by and took a look, and found Qiu Kai squatting on the ground measuring the height of the bar counter with a tape measure. Next to him was a thick notebook, densely filled with handwritten layout plans.

"Manager Qiu, this notebook of yours is quite detailed." Fu Yan leaned over and took a look.

"I've been running bars for over a decade, and I remember every single one of them," Qiu Kai said without looking up. "The most comfortable bar height is 95 centimeters. Too high and you're tired sitting; too low and you're tired standing. The seat spacing can't be less than 70 centimeters, otherwise customers will have trouble turning around. These details make all the difference in the experience."

Fu Yan didn't speak, but nodded silently in his heart.

We've found the right person.

Lin Xiaochen, on the other hand, was constantly spinning like a top. In the morning, she would coordinate with Yang Yi on real estate and financial matters; in the afternoon, she would run to the bar construction site to coordinate with Qiu Kai and the renovation team; and in the evening, she would organize the schedule for the next day and send it to Fu Yan. She did everything methodically, never made a mistake, and never asked a question she shouldn't have.

Fu Yan sometimes felt that this assistant was unusually quiet, like a highly efficient machine.

But machines also have their advantages—they save you trouble.

As for when they could move into the courtyard house, Yang Yi was right; they definitely couldn't move in before the new year. Su Qing estimated that it wouldn't be completed until March of next year at the earliest. The bar, on the other hand, would be a bit faster; Qiu Kai said that if everything went smoothly, it could have a trial opening in February or March after the new year.

Fu Yan wasn't in a hurry, since staying in a hotel was convenient anyway.

Sometimes when I return to the hotel at night and sit alone in the empty room, I feel inexplicably like something is missing.

It's not that we lack people, it's that we lack a certain feeling.

That feeling of having your feet on the ground, a tree overhead, and the warmth of everyday life right outside the door.

He took out his phone and scrolled to Xu Wenshu's chat window.

The last message was from him: "I've chosen a courtyard house, near Yandai Xiejie in Houhai. Come visit sometime."

No reply.

Fu Yan glanced at it for two seconds, then exited the chat window and placed his phone face down on the table.

Outside the window, the winter night in Yanjing was dry and cold, and the streetlights illuminated Chang'an Avenue brightly.

He suddenly had a strong craving for a hot meal.

It wasn't a hotel restaurant, and it wasn't instant noodles; it was the kind of meal that was hot and lively, with the aroma of a wok and lots of people talking.

Fu Yan picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"Xiaoxiao, let's have dinner together tonight. It's my treat, I won't be in the cafeteria."

On the other end of the phone, Fu Xiao's voice immediately lit up: "Yay! Bro, you're finally done with work, right? You're really going to treat me to something nice?"

"real."

"Then I'll call my roommate!"

"...Alright then."

He hung up the phone and shook his head.

Oh well, it'll be more lively with more people.