After a peaceful afternoon, Coach Ma, Tie Nan, and I sat by Erhai Lake and talked about the guesthouse. Longkan was still deserted, but our guesthouse, due to its unique characteristics, was still full of guests.
Several guests said they liked the quiet atmosphere; if Longkan became lively one day, they might not choose to stay at our inn.
Indeed, some tourists do choose to stay in quiet, secluded places in order to maintain a sense of peace and tranquility while appreciating the beauty of Dali and Erhai Lake.
...
As I handed Coach Ma a cigarette, I also said to him, "I talked to Taozi this morning, and she's not as resolute as before, so I think there's still a chance for things to turn around regarding the inn."
Tie Nan chimed in, "After you went back to sleep last night, Michael and I talked for a while... We both felt that leaving like this was a bit unfair to our past selves, and even more unfair to you, our buddy!"
Coach Ma took a deep drag on his cigarette and replied, "If you guys can really stay in Dali, I'll go to Gantong Temple to burn incense and pray to Buddha tonight!"
I chuckled and said, "We can talk about jokes later. Let's discuss a few things first... What will happen to Zhao Jing's shares if the inn doesn't go through with the business? I think she's in a real hurry to get the money."
Coach Ma thought for a moment and replied, "Let's transfer it to Sun Jiwei's friend... anyway, he also wants to buy our inn."
After weighing the options, I said, "If he's willing, it would be a win-win situation... but I'm afraid Sun Jiwei and his buddy are too ambitious and not satisfied with just 20% of the shares."
Tie Nan said, "We're all acquaintances, so this shouldn't be difficult to communicate about."
"Well, if Taozi agrees not to transfer it, I'll call Sun Jiwei and see if his friend can accept this compromise."
Tie Nan lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and then, as if remembering something, said to me, "Michael, if the inn ends up still in our own hands, wouldn't that be too unfair to Sisi...? I think it's even more unfair to Sisi than breaking the contract with Sun Jiwei!...She really put in a lot of effort for our inn!"
“That’s easy. We’ll buy her a plane ticket and have Michael bring her back.”
After Coach Ma finished speaking, he turned his gaze to me, as if I was the one who drove Yang Sisi away and now I had to take responsibility for bringing her back.
I squeezed the cigarette in my hand, trying not to let my emotions get the better of me, and replied, "Forget it, even if we bring her back, she won't stay here for long... We should focus on finding a receptionist who can stay long-term, that's the more reliable thing to do."
I said that, but I couldn't help but think of all the little things from when we met to when we parted ways. I felt a little sad... But reason reminded me that if she came back, she would only face another separation. It would be better to let her go abroad and live the life she should live as soon as possible.
I admit I am conflicted, but I also believe that such conflicts have occurred in most people.
...
In the evening, Taozi and Bailu cooked dinner at the inn. While eating, Ma and I gave Tienan a lecture, saying that he shouldn't have argued with Taozi like that in the morning. For the sake of the bigger picture, Tienan repeatedly apologized to Taozi.
Peach only held a grudge against him because she had a grudge against him, so she made him drink a few cups of wine and then forgave him.
After a moment, Bai Lu looked at everyone and sighed, "Ever since Sisi left, our inn has become so deserted. I don't know what you all think, but I miss her terribly."
Coach Ma chimed in, "I also feel it's rather deserted. Without her, it feels like something's missing from the house... When the rest of us sit together, it feels more like a bunch of business people!"
As they were saying these things, I paid special attention to Peach's expression; she seemed to be deeply moved by what they were saying.
I felt it was time, so I interrupted everyone and said, "Before we talk about Yang Sisi, let's confirm something... Do you all still want to transfer ownership of this inn?"
Bai Lu replied first: "Before, I was indifferent to transferring the inn, but since Sisi left, I've realized that our inn truly has a family atmosphere. We're not just business partners, but also members of this family... So, I've changed my mind. I don't want to transfer the inn anymore, but I have one condition: whoever drove Sisi away must find a way to bring her back. Otherwise, I don't think this is a complete inn."
Everyone turned their attention to me, and I replied, feeling quite aggrieved, "Why are you all looking at me? When we were talking about transferring the inn, you all had a share. Her anger wasn't about me, but about the transfer itself. So, everyone who agreed to the transfer is responsible."
“We don’t agree with what you’re saying. Whoever took her to the airport is the one who deliberately wanted her to leave. We are at most secondarily responsible.”
"That's really unfair of you to say that!"
At this moment, Taozi seemed to have found a way to back down. She said to me, "I share the same view as Bai Lu. The inn can remain as it is, but the family atmosphere must be preserved. So you have to take responsibility for finding Sisi."
I smiled helplessly and replied, "Okay, every team needs a couple of pushovers, so feel free to pick on them!" After a slight pause, I added, "As long as everyone can work together to get this done, I don't mind sacrificing a little... I'll send her a message later to ask her to come back. Are you all satisfied?"
Everyone nodded, their mood noticeably improving. Bai Lu then said to me, "Let's work hard for a year, and next year we'll talk to the farmer next door and rent his house. Then we can combine it with our inn and increase the number of rooms to 20. Our income will double, which is definitely more valuable than transferring the inn!"
Everyone agreed, and the gloom that had shrouded us for several days seemed to have been swept away at that moment. I stood up again and said to everyone, "It's good that everyone can reach a consensus, but there are two issues we need to address... First, what about the shares that Zhao Jing wants to transfer? And we also need to give Sun Jiwei a proper explanation."
Tie Nan replied, "Let's stick to what we discussed before and have Zhao Jing transfer her shares to Sun Jiwei and his friends at the 2 million ratio. This will benefit everyone."
Bai Lu praised, "This method is feasible... It would be really unfair to unilaterally break the contract. Doing it this way will give them some comfort. In fact, 20% of the shares is not a small amount."
I nodded, then pondered for a moment how to talk to Sun Jiwei in a way that would make the situation sound smooth.
...
Just as I was about to make the call to Sun Jiwei, Tie Nan stopped me again, saying, "Don't rush to call Sun Jiwei... I've already dialed Sisi's number. You should think about how to talk to her first... Let's make this work, it can only succeed, it can't fail."
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