Before I knew it, it was noon. Brother Ping ordered two bowls of vegetarian noodles and invited me to stay for lunch. I took the opportunity to chat with him about his four shops. I smiled and said to him, "Brother Ping, when I said five thousand yuan per shop, I was exaggerating. Honestly, in the current market, are your shops really worth five thousand yuan a month in rent?"
Brother Ping replied with a smile, "You mentioned the rent casually, and I mentioned it casually too... How about this, you go and talk to other people first, and whatever price they offer you, I'll offer you 500 yuan less. Is that fair enough?"
“Absolutely right! ...By the way, could you help me find out who the owner of these 16 shops is? Otherwise, I can only have ideas but no way to put them into practice.”
“Okay, I’ll inquire for you, but don’t put all your hopes on me. You’d better find someone from the government; if they’re willing to help, their efficiency will definitely be high. You know, the guy who bought these 16 shops will have to go to the relevant authorities to get the permits, right? Once he gets the permits, there will definitely be a record.”
"Yes...you're so quick-witted, I didn't think of this method."
Brother Ping smiled knowingly and replied, "You young people are the ones who are truly quick-witted, but when it comes to social experience, you can't compare to us old hands... Let me put it this way... Dealing with government officials frequently is definitely a way to make money. Putting aside the power they wield, as long as you can share in the information resources they control, you'll achieve twice the results with half the effort in whatever you do."
I responded to Ping Ge with a smiley face, and then jokingly said, "Looks like you've benefited a lot from this experience!"
"If I could profit, I wouldn't be in this penniless state now."
"You've already bought five shops in Jiulongju, and you still call yourself a poor wretch? How are we supposed to live?"
"Young man, this world is far more unfathomable than you imagine. If you want to do big business, you have to have a big vision. Otherwise, you can only end up like me, stuck in this godforsaken place, just waiting to die."
Brother Ping's seemingly joking words made me feel ashamed. Over the years, I haven't really opened my eyes to see the world properly, so I've been living a miserable life in my own little world.
...
After leaving "Jiulongju", I called Sun Jiwei, hoping he could use his connections to help me find the owner who bought 16 shops. He readily agreed, saying he would call me as soon as he had any news.
I desperately needed his call because it was crucial to the success of my plan. In the entire Jiulongju commercial street, only this owner had a sufficient number of well-renovated shops. If things didn't work out with him, my plan would be ruined.
...
Back at the inn, neither Peach nor Iron Man were there. Since they moved to Shanshuijian, they didn't seem to focus much on the inn anymore. I could understand them, since the inn was going to be demolished sooner or later, and they were busy finding another way out while they had the time.
Taozi told me that she hasn't been idle these past few days, looking for a bartender job around the ancient city. As for Tienan, I really don't know what he's been up to. I really hope to find an opportunity to have a good chat with him and see if he's interested in going to Jiulongju with me to make some money. I consider him a brother, so of course I wouldn't forget about this kind of money-making opportunity.
I really hope his financial situation can improve as soon as possible so that he and Taozi can live a peaceful and stable life together. Yes, in my heart, Taozi's happiness is especially important because she is not only Wang Lei's best friend, but also has Wang Lei's shadow. I always think of Wang Lei because of her similar experiences, so I hope that all the good things I couldn't repay for Wang Lei can be realized through her.
...
I sat alone in the guesthouse's small bar all afternoon. Compared to before, the guesthouse was much quieter. Due to the demolition, the environment here is not as good as before, so many guests prefer to stay in the old town rather than in this place with a sea view.
It felt like only a moment had passed before dusk arrived. The construction team outside the inn had also left the site half an hour earlier, and everything seemed unusually quiet. As usual, I took my beer and cigarettes and went to the shore of Erhai Lake at this time.
When the wind blew fiercely from Xiaguan, I even forgot about some of the things that happened with Yang Sisi here last night. I just felt that my hair was being blown around in a mess by the wind, but my heart was very calm.
A seabird suddenly skimmed across the water, and ripples spread out in circles, like a key unlocking a door in my heart. Only then did I recall what Yang Sisi had said to me last night, and I felt a pang of bitterness. As the ripples continued to widen, I inexplicably thought of Ye Zhi, and how she had jumped into Erhai Lake with boundless courage and swam around with me. But could that be considered a blissful union?
I can't explain it clearly, but I think it's quite bold of me to think this way.
...
The darker it got, the stronger the wind blew. I gradually felt restless, but I didn't want to leave easily because I was afraid that without the magnificent Erhai Lake in front of me, I would start to have all sorts of wild thoughts when I was alone. But I didn't realize that even when I was facing Erhai Lake, my thoughts didn't diminish at all.
Amidst the howling wind, my phone rang again. I picked it up and saw it was Sun Jiwei calling... His efficiency is truly remarkable; he must have already found out who the owners of those 16 shops are.
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