Ma Yunfei asked, "Wife, what's the name of Erlv's general store?"
"Hehe... Your buddy is really good at bragging. He actually named his general store 'The Number One Store in the World.' Tell me, isn't that a bit too much?"
"Haha... The number one shop in the world, not bad, my buddy here has big ambitions. Honey, how big is Erlv's general storefront?"
"Hehe...it's only about two zhang wide."
Ma Yunfei pondered for a moment and said, "I'll visit Erlv tomorrow. Wife, give me fifty yuan."
Chen Yuyan asked, "What do you need so much money for?"
"I'd like to invite Erlv to dinner and, while I'm at it, find out how his relationship with his aunt is."
"Yunfei, what... what are you trying to do?"
“Wife, I want to start a business, but I don’t have any capital. I can only try to make money out of thin air. With my social status, I can’t even catch a mouse, let alone a wolf in sheep’s clothing. So, I have to curry favor with the powerful, or to put it bluntly, climb up to the mayor.”
Chen Yuyan said worriedly, "Yunfei, we only have 150 yuan. If you take another 50 yuan, we'll only have one 100-yuan bill left. Right now, you're unemployed, and I'm working a temporary job at a restaurant. I don't know how many days I can keep this up. We need to keep some money on hand. I'm really worried that you'll lose everything, like throwing good money after bad."
"Honey, as the saying goes, 'You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub.' We have to suffer small losses to gain big benefits. It's not possible to expect to get away with not spending a penny. I've thought about it and I'm about 70% sure of success."
Chen Yuyan took out fifty yuan from the drawer and handed it to Ma Yunfei, instructing him, "Yunfei, you must not spend money recklessly. Every penny must be spent wisely."
"Honey, don't worry."
The next day, Ma Yunfei went to Qinglong Town.
The town has only one cross street, and Erlv's No. 1 Shop in the World is located at the intersection of the cross street, which is a pretty good location.
The shop's storefront is indeed a bit small, and the signboard of "Number One Shop Under Heaven" is even taking up space in someone else's storefront.
The shop next door must have been angry but dared not speak out, and had no choice but to give in to Erlv.
A young man with a pointed face and monkey-like features was sitting behind the counter. Ma Yunfei guessed that he must be Erlv.
"Hello, Erlv."
Erlu raised his head, squinted at him, and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, it's you, Boss! What brings you here? I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to visit you in Majiawan."
"Hehe... Second brother, you don't have time, but I have plenty of time. That's why I came to see you."
Erlv stood up, pulled up a small stool, and said, "Boss, please sit down. Have you had breakfast?"
"Hehe... The sun is already high in the sky, and my breakfast is almost digested."
Erlu took a cigarette out of his pocket and handed it to Ma Yunfei.
Ma Yunfei shook his head and said, "I don't smoke."
Erlv asked in surprise, "Boss, you've quit smoking?"
In his previous life, Ma Yunfei neither smoked nor drank. After being reborn into the body of Ma Yunfei in the next life, he continued his old habits.
"I've quit, completely quit."
Erlv asked, puzzled, "Boss, are you short on cash? You can't even afford cheap cigarettes?"
"yes."
"Boss, are you having a run of bad luck lately, always losing money at the gambling table?"
"Let's not talk about gambling anymore, second brother. You close the shop, let's go to a restaurant for dinner, it's on me."
Erlv felt a little uneasy, thinking that Ma Yunfei wanted to borrow money from him, so he quickly said, "Boss, it seems that neither of us brothers is very lucky. Recently, business at my shop has been very slow. The goods I bought are piling up in the warehouse, and my cash flow is not good. Alas! I'm afraid my shop is going to go bankrupt."
Ma Yunfei, of course, understood the implication in Erlv's words and said, "Second brother, as the saying goes, even a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Although I haven't been on a winning streak lately and haven't won much money, I still have some savings."
When Erlv saw that Ma Yunfei had no intention of lending him money, he finally felt relieved.
"Boss, since you've come all this way, I should be the one to treat you. How can I let you treat me to a meal? Wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"
"Second brother, I remember you used to always treat me to meals. As the saying goes, 'You have to give and take to stay in touch.' I feel really bad if I keep eating your food. So today, let me treat you this time."
"Very well, since the boss insists on treating, then I will respectfully accept."
Erlv pulled down and locked the shop's roller shutter door, then went to the restaurant with Ma Yunfei.
He suggested, "Boss, there's a local restaurant at the east end of town. It's delicious and inexpensive, and you can also feast your eyes while you eat there."
Ma Yunfei asked, puzzled, "Does this Baixing Restaurant have a color TV?"
"Hehe... Boss, the owner of Baixing Restaurant is a young widow, about our age. She has a model's figure and a face like a peach blossom. You'll want to keep looking at her, you'll never get enough of her."
"Second brother, do you want to marry this young widow?"
"Hehe... I'm still a virgin. If I were to marry a young widow, wouldn't I be at a huge disadvantage? Oh, right, boss, I almost forgot to tell you. Recently, I started dating a girlfriend named Li Sha, nicknamed Sha Sha."
"Second brother, this is great news! What does Sasha do?"
“Her father ran a barbershop at the south end of the town, and she learned the barbering skills from him.”
"Your girlfriend must be very beautiful."
"It's alright, but we've only just started dating, so it's hard to say how things will develop in the future."
As they talked, they unknowingly arrived at the Baixing Restaurant.
A voluptuous young woman swayed her hips as she came out to greet us with a broad smile: "Erlv, it's been so long since you've been here. You haven't forgotten about me, have you?"
Erlu reached out and pinched the young woman's face, saying, "Mengmeng, you're getting more and more tender. If I pinch you lightly, I can squeeze water out of you."
Mengmeng said with a smile, "Erlu, I heard that you and Shasha are dating? You'd better watch your behavior and stop flirting with me. If Shasha sees you, she'll kick you eight feet away."
"Hehe... I already scouted the area before I pinched your cheek, and there was no sign of Sasha nearby."
The two entered the restaurant and chose a seat near the window.
Mengmeng brought over the menu, placed it on the table, and looked at Ma Yunfei, asking, "Handsome, is this your first time visiting my restaurant?"
Ma Yunfei said half-jokingly, "Beautiful lady, although this is my first time visiting your store, I have long admired the proprietress's name and have been eyeing her beauty for a long time."
"Oh! You called me beautiful? This is the first time I've ever heard someone call me that, it feels weird."
Ma Yunfei suddenly realized that he had traveled from thirty years in the future. In the 21st century, people call women "beauty," even a fifty-year-old woman likes to be called that.
However, in 1990, the most fashionable term for a woman was "Miss".
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