I picked up the Americano that Brother Ping had made and took a sip. It was just average for a coffee shop, nothing particularly outstanding. Actually, I didn't have high expectations for it. If Brother Ping really had a good eye for coffee, he wouldn't have opened a coffee shop on this commercial street. He could easily have chosen a better location. After all, people in Dali are generally quite leisurely and love drinking coffee, so good coffee shops usually don't get overlooked here.

I put down my cup, not wanting to take another sip, but Brother Ping asked me expectantly, "How does the coffee taste?"

I replied casually, "It's alright. I think I can finish the whole glass by the time we're done chatting."

I don't know if Brother Ping was joking with me, but he actually breathed a sigh of relief and said to me, "I think your evaluation is quite high. You have no idea, with no business every day, my skills have become rusty... Now I'm afraid that a customer will suddenly come in and say that my coffee is not good!"

I took the opportunity to comfort you, saying, "I don't think you need to worry about that. People who come here to eat are definitely not here for the taste. Anyway, I think the environment here is more likely to give people a sense of satisfaction than coffee."

"Are you insulting someone without using any swear words?"

"Please don't get me wrong... I mean, the coffee is good, the environment is good... but this is even stranger. Since your coffee shop has both good facilities and services, why is it not doing well?"

Brother Ping twirled the large ring on his finger, then complained, "This isn't my fault, nor is it my coffee shop's fault. It's mainly because this commercial street is deserted... If you don't believe me, just stand at the street entrance and look. Even if fruit falls from the trees and hits you ten times, not a single person will glance into this street!"

I smiled and asked, "How long have you been running this coffee shop here?"

"Two years, until next month, exactly two years!"

"Wow...you're pretty tenacious!"

Brother Ping first tidied his thinning hair before saying to me, "I'm a slow-paced person, I can endure... Don't laugh at me, but the deal I made three days ago, strictly speaking, couldn't even be considered a business transaction... That noon, an old lady who collects trash had come all the way to this street. I felt sorry for her, so I brewed her a pot of tea. I didn't intend to charge her, I just wanted to chat with her for a bit... Unexpectedly, the old lady was quite considerate. After finishing the tea, she insisted on leaving me a few empty bottles that she had picked up from somewhere as payment for the tea... I figured I hadn't made any business for almost a week, and I wanted to try my luck, so I accepted the bottles... But can this really be considered a business transaction?"

"That makes sense... Back when there was no currency, wasn't this kind of bartering the norm?"

"Okay, I like hearing that."

I smiled, picked up my ordinary Americano and took a sip before saying to him, "Brother Ping, if I may ask, what kind of belief has kept you going all this time, with no business every day?"

"Well, that's a long story."

"You know... I'm just a free person anyway, and I love listening to people chat."

Ping glanced at me, and I offered him a cigarette. Cigarettes are a good thing; as soon as Ping lit it, before he even took a puff, his face already showed an expression of brewing emotion… After a moment, he squinted at me and said, “Why was I able to hold out for two years?… It’s because the property rights to this house are mine.”

I exclaimed, "No wonder... You don't have to pay rent, so you can live comfortably for as long as you want!"

"That's right. I had a renovation company remodel the floor upstairs, and now that's where I live. So it doesn't matter whether I run a business or not. I just treat it as a house I bought in Dali and live in it myself... Look, isn't the environment here quite livable?"

I smiled, but I didn't know whether to say he had good taste or bad taste.

Once Brother Ping started talking, he didn't seem to care about my silence at all, and asked me again, "Judging from your expression, are you planning something on this street?"

I answered truthfully, "I do have some spare cash on hand right now... I'm thinking of seeing if there are any opportunities here, after all, it's a commercial street and the rent isn't high..."

Before I could finish speaking, Brother Ping interrupted me, saying, "Dude... since we've gotten along so well, I have to give you some advice... if you have this money, take it back to your parents and don't waste it here... this place is really cursed. Those Sugar Card Coffee and Elephant Tavern have both opened branches here before. These two shops are big names in Dali, but as soon as their branches opened on this street, they immediately failed. In the end, they didn't last more than half a year before they slunk out... I'm telling you, those two shop owners have money and manpower. If they can't run a business, what gives you the right to mess around here?"

I replied patiently, "Brother Ping, let's not look at the previous examples. Just calm down and analyze why this commercial street, with its decent location and environment, can't do business."

"Think about the name of this street carefully. Doesn't 'Jiulong' sound like 'nine dragons'? Since ancient times, anything associated with the aura of the emperor has been something that ordinary people cannot suppress... So in the end, it's still the evil spirit of this place!"

"Could you explain this scientifically?"

"When it comes to doing business, feng shui matters, not science... Anyway, I've already said my piece. If you're not afraid of dying, feel free to try... I'd actually love to have someone come and keep me company!"

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