Although these makeshift entertainment venues in the 1990s weren't exactly high-end entertainment spots, they were very popular.
In the morning, this place attracted a group of girls, and in the afternoon, seven or eight young men came.
After lunch, Liang Liang took a nap in the greenhouse. He had just woken up and was exchanging playing techniques with Cuihua and Lanzhi in the greenhouse.
Ming Hongling took the other three girls in a truck to the foot of Shannantou Commune to advertise, while Cuihua and Lanzhi were left behind to practice with Liang Liang.
Although Liang Liang performed in his hometown yesterday, his act has been relegated to the second-to-last performance tonight.
This is basically equivalent to half of the grand finale.
This was Mu Shuihua's idea, and it's clear that Liang Liang has gained her favor.
After making the arrangements, Mu Shuihua led his people down the mountain to Nantou Village to do advertising.
Both girls are quite intelligent. Although they are not formally trained, they have been in the song and dance troupe for many years and have a wealth of performance experience.
Liang Liang grasped the concept almost instantly, and after a few rounds of practice, she started to get the hang of it, which made her very happy.
Just as the three were practicing together with great enthusiasm, several young men walked into the greenhouse.
The young men ranged in age from seventeen or eighteen to twenty-five or twenty-six. The last person to enter the greenhouse looked somewhat familiar to Liang Liang, but he couldn't quite place who it was.
"Who is the troupe leader?" asked a young man who looked to be only seventeen or eighteen years old, standing in the most advanced greenhouse, with a blank stare.
The 1990s were an era when street thugs were everywhere. Wherever people gathered, you could find these people.
Liang Liang could tell at a glance that these young men were street thugs.
These seemingly intimidating thugs, who appear to be seven or eight carefree and eight nonchalant, are nothing more than bullies in Liang Liang's eyes.
Actually, he doesn't have much ability.
If anything goes wrong, all they can do is run away.
Bi Sheng was fanning himself in a chair when he heard this, so he quickly stood up and bowed.
He was a seasoned veteran, having seen plenty of makeshift gangs like theirs. He knew that if you didn't deal with hoodlums in any new location, you weren't worthy of being called a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws) figure.
For him, putting on a smile and saying a few sweet words was commonplace and nothing special.
"Brothers! I am the troupe leader. What are your orders?"
"Who gave you permission to set up a tent here for your performance?"
Bi Sheng smiled broadly: "Brothers! We've registered with the police station, and we also have a business license and a cultural performance permit. We've paid all the taxes."
The implication is that we have all the necessary permits and are operating legally.
"But have you paid your respects to the authorities?"
Upon hearing this, Liang Liang felt utterly exhausted.
These guys have watched a few Hong Kong police and gangster movies, what are they pretending to be from?
They're just some country thugs, what's the point of them paying respects to anyone?
Where did the dock come from?
You think you can open a dye shop with just a few dyes? You're not fit to be a dockworker!
Bi Sheng is a seasoned veteran; he saw through these things at a glance—they were here to ask for benefits.
"We're new to your area, so please forgive us if we've done anything wrong. May I ask which leader you belong to?" Bi Sheng asked seriously.
Although he knew that the people in front of him were just ordinary rural thugs, he believed that in the underworld, harmony was the key to making money.
Even though he knew the other party had no martial arts skills, he still had to greet them with a smile and say some common martial arts phrases.
In such scenarios, those who take the lead are usually the ones with cat-like faces and dog-like ears, and Bi Sheng, who is loud and boisterous, is undoubtedly one of those characters.
Now the cat-head and dog-ear thing should step aside; it's time for the real thing to make its appearance.
The cat-headed, dog-eared man stretched his hand behind his back and spoke to a young man who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six.
"This is Brother Tao from Shannantou!"
As soon as the cat-headed, dog-eared man mentioned Brother Tao, Liang Liang immediately remembered who he was. No wonder he looked familiar earlier.
Yan Tao! This guy is indeed the big boss of Shannantou Township. It seems that from now until the next ten years or so, he will be a powerful figure in the Shannantou area.
Liang Liang and he belonged to different townships and didn't usually interact much. Even if they met, they weren't particularly close.
"Hello, Brother Tao!" Bi Sheng was clearly more than ten years older than the other man, but he didn't hesitate to call him Brother Tao.
Calling him "brother" is nothing; as long as nothing bad happens, he won't even blink if you call him "Second Uncle."
After calling out "Brother Tao," Bi Sheng quickly took two steps to Yan Tao, took out two packs of Camellia cigarettes, and stuffed them into Yan Tao's pocket.
In the rural areas at that time, these petty thugs didn't know anything about demanding money or protection fees. They simply smoked, drank, and ate. Sometimes, two packs of cigarettes were enough to get rid of them.
A pack of Camellia cigarettes costs a little over four yuan, which is a genuine high-end cigarette.
"Brother Tao! Our little gang makes a living by working in the underworld. We're asking for a meal in your esteemed place today, so please do us the honor."
Yan Tao stood there with his hands behind his back, not saying a word, looking like a big shot.
A voice emerged from behind him: "Give us face? Who's going to give us face?"
"Brother! What do you mean?"
"Our Brother Tao is unhappy today. If you can make him happy, this matter will be over. If you can't make him happy, then you're not leaving here!"
That person was clearly playing the bad cop, making demands, but it's unclear who was playing the good cop.
"Brother! You really need to give us some pointers. We're completely unfamiliar with this place and its customs. How can we make Brother Tao happy?"
"That's easy! One way is to treat us brothers to a meal."
Look at these people, all they care about is a meal.
"Besides eating?" Since the one playing the bad cop suggested one solution, there must be other solutions as well.
"Apart from meals? Any method is fine as long as it makes Brother Tao happy."
Bi Sheng lit a cigarette and began to think.
Liang Liang counted the number of people on the other side; there were more than ten.
Even if the food at restaurants isn't expensive now, a meal for so many people, including drinks, would still cost over a hundred yuan.
A song and dance troupe can earn four or five hundred yuan per performance, but after paying taxes, they have to pay their employees another hundred or so each day. Then there's the cost of meals and fuel for the vehicle, so they don't really have much money left after a performance.
If you spend another hundred or so to treat these people to dinner, then this whole thing will basically be a waste of time.
Liang Liang felt it was necessary to say something.
He stood up, smiled, and walked over.
"Hello, brothers from Shannantou!"
The man next to Yan Tao glanced at Liang Liang sideways and asked, "Who are you?"
"Brothers! I'm a fellow townsman of yours, I'm from Liangshuiwan, Pingshan."
"From Liangshui Bay? Spit it out!"
Just as Liang Liang was about to say something, two girls walked into the greenhouse.
The pretty girl who had been listening to music here that morning was right there inside.
"Yan Tao! What are you doing here?" The pretty girl was stunned when she saw Yan Tao as soon as she entered the greenhouse, and then called him by his name.
Analyzing the way the girl addressed Yan Tao, Liang Liang quickly realized that there must be a relationship between them.
They're either relatives or lovers.
This seems to have some use.
Liang Liang ran over excitedly: "Beautiful lady! You've arrived!"
"Hey buddy! I've contacted fifty or sixty people for you. Let's see how much of a discount you can offer us."
Just as Liang Liang was about to say thank you, a young man suddenly shoved him aside.
"Stay away from my sister-in-law! If you keep grinning like that, I'll beat you up!"
This statement undoubtedly revealed the relationship between the pretty girl and Yan Tao; she was Yan Tao's girlfriend.
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