As I was finishing my cigarette, I finally spoke to Sun Jiwei: "Brother, thank you so much this time. If it weren't for the information you brought me, I might have blindly started investing on this street before long!"

"Well, I'm not very optimistic about this street either. In any case, it missed the best opportunity for development."

I smiled helplessly and replied, "It's a real shame, such a nice street!"

Sun Jiwei smiled at me, and then didn't say anything more.

Not long after, I received a call from Tie Nan. He said that he and Tao Zi were going to stay at Shanshuijian Inn and asked me to go back early to take care of the inn.

I thanked Sun Jiwei again, and after agreeing to meet again another day, I took a taxi and left "Jiulongju".

...

Back at the guesthouse, Tie Nan and Tao Zi were already gone. Standing alone in the courtyard, looking at the barbecue grill that had brought us so much joy on so many nights, I felt inexplicably lonely. This loneliness gave me a lot of motivation, making me really want to find a place near Erhai Lake and start the guesthouse again. I also hope that those friends who have gone far away can return to Dali one day, and that we can all completely let go of the mental burdens brought on by worldly affairs, and live a leisurely and painless life together at the foot of Cangshan Mountain and by Erhai Lake.

This desire gradually turned into motivation, so I wanted to make a quick buck by using the limited resources at my disposal. I felt that I had the ability and resilience to do so, and deep down I had not completely given up on the place "Jiulongju".

I believe that since the rent over there has reached its lowest point, there must be corresponding business opportunities waiting for me, and all I need to do is patiently search for them.

...

I took two bottles of beer from the liquor cabinet and sat alone in the bar, drinking them. After finishing one bottle, I received a call from Old Mi...

I've noticed a strange phenomenon: ever since Dai Qiang went to work in Shanghai, Lao Mi has been calling me more frequently. I don't know if there's any necessary connection, but I know that Lao Mi's calls are mostly about Ye Zhi.

In fact, my guess was right. Lao Mi probably racked his brains at home, so he came up with another reason to ask me to take Ye Zhi back to my hometown for a visit after the New Year. His reason was rather far-fetched. He said that my second aunt insisted on meeting Ye Zhi in person to thank her for helping Dai Qiang solve his job problem in Shanghai.

I think Lao Mi shouldn't have tried to trick me like that, because it would have been more effective for him to force an order than to use my aunt as an excuse, since such a reason would have been too easy for Ye Zhi and me to refuse.

...

After ending my call with Lao Mi, I inexplicably wanted to chat with Ye Zhi for a while, not about going home for the New Year, but simply to have a chat.

Just as I was about to edit the message, I suddenly received another message. The person who sent me the message was the woman who had taken Lu Jia's number. I was really surprised because we hadn't been in contact for far too long.

When I opened the message, I was even more surprised. This is what she said: "Hey, I want to go to Dali for the Chinese New Year. I heard that it's quite difficult to find a place there during the New Year. Can you help me find one in advance?"