"Xiao Rui's here! You two brothers went to Tibet and each brought back a dog? Wow, this little guy you brought is quite domineering. You know, Da Chuan is such a good-for-nothing, even his dog is just like him, no sense of propriety..."
Right now, those two little guys are being bullied by the little white lion, their tails tucked between their legs, running around the house, which greatly displeases Liu's mother.
"How can you talk about your son like that? He's better than a blockhead, isn't he? Ask him, he's still all alone."
Liu Chuan was very dissatisfied with his mother's attitude. She couldn't even distinguish between friend and foe. This was unacceptable, so he quickly started to criticize Zhuang Rui.
"You've had quite a few girlfriends, seven or eight in the last few years, haven't you? Every time I set my sights on one, you dumped her. Let me tell you, Liu Chuan, I think Lei Lei is a great girl. If you dare to mess around again, I'll have your dad beat you up..."
Liu's mother was a teacher her whole life, and disciplining her son had become a habit. Besides, she also had a father who used his fists to reason with him. Hearing this, Liu Chuan could only obediently slip into the kitchen and take on the role of a waiter.
Chapter 98 The Unlucky Guy (Part 1)
"Godmother, let's eat together when Godfather comes back. I brought some Tibetan medicine that the Living Buddha gave me, let me apply some medicine to your waist first."
Since he had nothing else to do, Zhuang Rui thought he should first help his godmother get better. When his godfather came back, he would also need to infuse him with some spiritual energy. The old man was from the army and had served on the front lines of Laoshan. Although he hadn't been shot, he still had quite a few old injuries from training.
Since they had all grown up together, Liu's mother didn't hold back with Zhuang Rui. Once inside, she lay on the bed and pulled up her clothes around her waist. Zhuang Rui took out a small box of Tiger Balm, about the size of a thumbnail, containing some dark Tibetan medicine. This medicine was indeed genuine Tibetan medicine, but Zhuang Rui didn't know what it was for, or whether it was for internal or external use.
After several days of observation, Zhuang Rui had gained a general understanding of the recovery speed of the spiritual energy in his eyes. Using one-tenth of the spiritual energy at a time would take about a day to recover, a speed that allowed Zhuang Rui to consume the spiritual energy in his eyes without any worries.
However, for Liu's mother's back pain, he only used one-third of the spiritual energy he used to treat his own mother. This was not to show favoritism, but the treatment he gave his mother had also cured her insomnia and headaches. If it had such a miraculous effect on his godmother, then Zhuang Rui probably wouldn't need to go back to work in Zhonghai. He would be immediately grabbed by this group of old men and women and made into a friend of elderly health care.
"Xiao Rui, this medicine is really amazing! My back doesn't hurt at all anymore. By the way, how much medicine do you have left? Give it all to me, my godmother still needs it."
Even though Zhuang Rui used very little spiritual energy, Liu's mother felt much better in her lower back, which had been bothering her for a long time. It was as if a huge stone had been lifted off her back. She excitedly pulled Zhuang Rui and asked him to leave some more Tibetan medicine so she could give it to her old friends.
“Godmother, this medicine is very precious. I heard it uses some kind of ancient snow lotus and thousand-year-old pearl. The Living Buddha only gave me this much. I used most of it for you. Look, this is all there is. When Godfather comes back later, you should give him some too.”
Liu Chuan handed the small tin box of medicated oil to his mother. Inside the tin box was only a layer of dark ointment, which had a pungent smell. At this moment, Zhuang Rui was secretly glad that he hadn't been prepared, otherwise he might have been exposed.
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui mention the preciousness of the medicine, Liu's mother stopped talking. Although Zhuang Rui was not an outsider, she couldn't make things difficult for the child. Besides, Zhuang Rui was thinking of his old husband, so Liu's mother couldn't say anything more.
"Liu Chuan, you're getting bolder and bolder! You even dared to borrow your Uncle Gu's hunting rifle. If Old Gu hadn't brought it up in conversation today, I would still be completely in the dark. And Xiao Rui, aren't you getting a little cheeky too? Did you and this scoundrel keep it from me?"
After a while, Liu's father also returned home. The old man still had two or three years before his official retirement. He was currently in the position of the head of a branch bureau and was doing a great job. When he entered the house and saw Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan, he immediately put on a lecturing tone.
"Oh, Godfather, you are wise and mighty! This is not my fault. Liu Chuan was just itching for a fight. But we are also fortunate to have this gun. If we hadn't had this gun, we probably wouldn't have made it back from the grasslands. Back then, it was..."
Seeing that things were not going well, Zhuang Rui quickly changed the subject. Liu's father loved listening to stories, and Zhuang Rui happened to have a talent for storytelling. Every time he used this trick, it worked. Sure enough, Liu's father was attracted by Zhuang Rui's story. When he heard the thrilling parts, he wished he could go and kill a few wolves on the grassland.
"Hmm, you two are finally showing some ambition. Da Chuan is planning to start a mastiff kennel, right? That's good. It can supply some good police dogs to our bureau's police dog base in the future. Xiao Rui, you need to keep an eye on Da Chuan and make sure he doesn't go astray."
After Liu Chuan returned, he told his family about his idea. He told his father that he wanted him to use his connections to help him get a piece of land. Although it was impossible in Pengcheng City, it didn't matter if it was further away. After all, buying land involved many aspects, and there were some connections that Liu Chuan couldn't handle.
Upon hearing that his father had his eye on Tibetan mastiffs, Liu Chuan quickly said, "Dad, Tibetan mastiffs can't be police dogs. They're too wild and undisciplined. If you anger them, they'll even bite their owners. They're not suitable as police dogs."
"Nonsense, it's good that they're wild. Our police dog trainers can handle any dog. You little brat, are you just being reluctant to give them up?"
Liu's father's temper flared up again, and Liu Chuan lowered his head, simply remaining silent. He thought to himself, "Just wait until you've bitten a few of you, then you'll know what's what."
"Godfather, we do want to do something, but building a mastiff kennel will require at least ten or twenty acres of land. We don't have much money on hand, so you'll have to help us with this."
Upon hearing Liu's father mention the mastiff kennel, Zhuang Rui quickly shared his thoughts. He and Liu Chuan had initially underestimated the situation. After returning to Pengcheng, the two inquired about land prices and, after discussing it, realized that after buying the land with their six or seven million yuan, they probably wouldn't have much left. Although Zhuang Rui kept saying he wouldn't get involved in the mastiff kennel, this was his first business investment in his life, and he was quite serious about it. He had spent the last two days at home researching a lot of information.
"I've taken care of this for you. The bureau has twenty acres of land next to the police dog base. It was originally planned to expand the base, but the plan was canceled, and the land has been idle ever since. I went to the city bureau today to inquire, and they said they can rent the land to you for twenty years, but they can't sell it to you, and the rent you're owed will not be reduced by a single penny. Also, when the lease expires, all the facilities on that land will be given to the bureau free of charge. If you two agree to these conditions, go and sign the contract and complete the formalities yourselves tomorrow. If you don't agree, I'm not going to get involved in your business anymore. I've really swallowed my pride to say this today."
Upon hearing this, Liu Chuan and Zhuang Rui were overjoyed and nodded repeatedly. The conditions proposed by Liu's father were nothing compared to what they expected. Even with highways, ownership eventually reverts to the state after a certain period of use. Renting without buying was exactly what they wanted, allowing them to use the funds to build kennels and expand the area. This way, the mastiff kennel could open for business in no time.
More importantly, the police dog base is not far from the city center, only an hour or two's drive away. Moreover, building the mastiff kennel next to the police dog base can also prevent thieves from stealing puppies. You know, such things have happened in many mastiff kennels. These days, there are plenty of people who would risk their lives for money.
The matter that had troubled Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan for several days was resolved by Liu's father. Seeing that Liu's father's anger over their unauthorized possession of firearms had also subsided, Zhuang Rui hurriedly took out his panacea ointment as if presenting a treasure and applied it to all of Liu's father's old joint injuries.
The result was a quick cure, but Liu's father wasn't so easy to talk to. He almost ordered Zhuang Rui to get him another ten or twenty catties of ointment. Helpless, Zhuang Rui could only nod in agreement, and he took Liu Chuan and the three Tibetan mastiffs with him and left the house. As for the ointment, with Liu's mother's help and some persuasion, the matter would naturally be dropped.
It was only 1 p.m., and Song Jun estimated that he wouldn't be back in Pengcheng until 4 or 5 p.m. Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan didn't have anything to do, so they decided to go to Liu Chuan's shop in the flower and bird market. From now on, Liu Chuan would focus his main attention on the mastiff kennel. As for the pet shop, Liu Chuan planned to promote one of the current employees to the position of shop manager and give him a 10% share of the business. He would let them handle any issues that arose in the future.
"Hello, who is this? Brother Zhou, what did you say? You're at Pengcheng Railway Station! Just wait at the exit, Mu Tou and I will come pick you up right away..."
Just as Liu Chuan parked the car, his phone rang. He answered and heard it was Zhou Rui calling, saying he had already arrived in Pengcheng and gotten off the train. Liu Chuan quickly hung up and started the car again.
Liu Chuan had spoken with Zhou Rui on the phone just two days ago and learned that his resignation had gone smoothly and that he had returned to his hometown in Shaanxi. However, Liu Chuan still had no idea about the land needed to build the mastiff kennel, so he told Zhou Rui to spend more time with his parents in his hometown and come to Pengcheng in half a month. Unexpectedly, Zhou Rui's actions still retained the style of a soldier, and he was decisive and efficient.
The antique market was very close to the train station. In just five or six minutes, Liu Chuan drove to the train station and spotted Zhou Rui immediately. Zhou Rui was standing empty-handed at the place he had arranged to meet Liu Chuan, carrying only a simple backpack.
After all, they were friends who had gone through thick and thin together. Although they hadn't seen each other for only a few days, the three of them were very happy to reunite in Pengcheng. Liu Chuan made a phone call home and asked his mother to clean the apartment that her work unit had allocated to her so that Zhou Rui could stay there temporarily. In this way, Zhou Rui and Zhuang Rui became neighbors, because Liu Chuan's apartment was right above Zhuang Rui's.
Liu Chuan often stayed in that house. The furniture and everything else were already there, so there was no need to buy anything. He just needed to clean it a little.
"Brother Zhou, if you're not tired, come sit at my shop for a while. You can get acquainted with the place. We'll have a nice meal together tonight to welcome you back."
Liu Chuan is being generous with other people's money again.
"Not tired, I slept on the train last night."
Zhou Rui spoke simply as always, but you could hear a hint of excitement in his tone, after all, Liu Chuan had said that he owned 20% of the pet shop.
Liu Chuan didn't say anything more. After driving back to the flower and bird market, he took Zhou Rui to his pet shop.
"Hey, Xiong Ge, Monkey, you two are rare guests. What brings you to my little shop?"
Before even entering the pet store, Liu Chuan saw two faces he didn't particularly like.
Chapter 99 The Unlucky Guy (Part 2)
In Pengcheng Flower and Bird Market, there are always some idle people who initially relied on their thick skin and cunning tricks to extort money from honest stall owners and make a meager living. However, after the market was regulated, these people had no way out, so they changed professions and started setting up stalls themselves. But old habits die hard, and they still cheated and swindled, only now their targets were customers.
A few years ago, Da Xiong used to hang out in the flower and bird market before it was expanded. When Liu Chuan first opened his pet shop, Da Xiong and Monkey came over. After a few words, they smashed one of Liu Chuan's glass doors. Liu Chuan had only recently graduated and was used to being a bully in school. He hadn't yet adapted to the rules of the underworld, so he immediately grabbed a large wrench that the workers had forgotten to take with them from the shop and smashed Da Xiong and Monkey's heads open. It's said that Liu Chuan chased them for dozens of meters and made them beg for mercy on their knees before he stopped.
Although Liu Chuan acted rashly, his father cleaned up the mess afterward. However, after this incident, Liu Chuan became famous in the antique and flower market. The idlers who were close to him would greet him warmly as "Da Chuan," while those who didn't have much contact would call him "Boss Liu." Fewer people tried to trip him up. After all, in this world, the ruthless fear the reckless, and the reckless fear the reckless. But Liu Chuan hadn't met anyone reckless yet. With his father's connections, he naturally thrived in the flower and bird market.
Perhaps because they were scared by Liu Chuan, Da Xiong and Monkey disappeared for a while. When they reappeared, they set up a stall on the antique street. However, they usually avoided Liu Chuan. Even after they found out that the cricket gourd they sold to Zhuang Rui was real, they didn't dare to cause trouble. But today, for some reason, they actually came to the shop and sat down properly.
"Hey! Da Chuan, you're finally back! We've been waiting for you for ages!"
Upon seeing Liu Chuan push open the door and enter the store, Da Xiong and Monkey immediately stood up from the sofa and greeted him with beaming smiles.
"Hey, Xiong Ge, Monkey, I didn't keep you waiting. Our shop is too small to fit two great masters like you. Just tell me what you need, I have to go out in a bit."
Liu Chuan was too lazy to waste words with them and got straight to the point.
The monkey felt a chill run down its spine upon seeing Liu Chuan. It touched the scar on its head and took a few steps back. Da Xiong, who used to be considered a big shot in the market, was also afraid of Liu Chuan, but he didn't care about that now.
"Da Chuan, it's like this, last time your buddy got a gourd from Sanhe Liu at my place..."
"Hey, wait a minute, Xiong-ge, you've been in this market for more than just a year or two, you know the rules better than I do. What's up? Here to settle scores with my brother?"
Before Da Xiong could finish speaking, Liu Chuan interrupted him, his expression turning grim. He had thought the matter was long over, but these two dared to cause trouble again; they really didn't learn their lesson.
"No...no, Da Chuan, let me finish. We're not looking for trouble later, it's just like this..."
Seeing Liu Chuan raise his eyes and look like he was about to turn hostile, Da Xiong waved his hands repeatedly and said something that made Liu Chuan, Zhuang Rui, and the others realize what was going on. They looked at each other and couldn't help but find it funny.
It turned out that after Zhuang Rui snagged a bargain from Da Xiong and sold it for a staggering 150,000 yuan, the news spread throughout the entire antique market within days. Da Xiong was filled with regret and slapped himself repeatedly. However, he knew he couldn't afford to offend Liu Chuan, so he didn't dare to cause trouble. He could only swallow his anger and suffer in silence.
Afterwards, Da Xiong was filled with resentment and frustration. Tens of thousands of yuan had just slipped through his fingers. Anyone would be furious in that situation. After much thought, Da Xiong remembered that he had found the item in Tianjin. He vaguely remembered that when he found it in Tianjin, there were many cricket gourds on the stall. Maybe if he went there, he could find one.
Once the idea took hold, Da Xiong was restless, like being scratched by a cat. He couldn't stay still for even a day. He immediately found Monkey, and the two of them pooled all their savings, along with some relatives and cronies, and scraped together 30,000 yuan. Da Xiong then took a train straight to his uncle's house in Tianjin.
Speaking of old Tianjin, during a particular period in the Republic of China era, the prosperity of the antique market far surpassed that of Beijing. This was because many remnants of the Qing Dynasty, descendants of the Eight Banners, lived there. Lacking any other means of survival, they could only sell the old objects left by their ancestors, which led to the flourishing of the Tianjin antique market at that time.
Even today, more than half a century later, the antique craze in Tianjin is still thriving. Da Xiong wandered around the Tianjin antique market for several days, but he didn't understand ceramic and bronze antiques. He knew that most of the calligraphy and paintings by famous people were fake. He knew the tricks better than anyone else. After several days, he still couldn't find a single item he liked.
Just as Da Xiong was about to give up and return to Pengcheng, he saw a simply dressed but very clean old man at the antique market. He looked like a retired worker. There were more than a dozen cricket gourds on his stall. Da Xiong took a liking to one of them, which was extremely similar to the gourd from Sanhe Liu that he had sold to Zhuang Rui.
Da Xiong chatted with the old man and learned that the old man was a descendant of the Eight Banners who fled from Beijing to Tianjin during the Qing Dynasty. After liberation, he became self-reliant, got a job in a factory, raised his children, and lived a peaceful life until retirement.
The old man thought he could finally enjoy a few days of peace after retirement, but who knew his children would be so unfilial? Not only did they refuse to provide any support, but they also took his retirement pension every month. Enraged, the old man went to the police station and the neighborhood committee, but they couldn't do anything about his unfilial children. Driven to desperation, the old man remembered some old things his father used to play with. He had someone take a look, and they said they were worth 30,000 to 50,000 yuan. So, the old man set up a stall at the antique market.
Da Xiong himself was a folk singer and had fooled many people in the antique market. However, after chatting with this old man for a long time, no one tried to help him out, so he was already somewhat convinced. Then, when the old man took out a photo of his ancestor dressed in Manchu clothing and pointed to the child, saying that the child was himself, Da Xiong looked at the photo and saw that the child did indeed look somewhat like the old man in front of him. He was now eighty percent convinced.
At that time, Da Xiong pointed out that he wanted the cricket gourd that resembled the one from Sanhe Liu. The old man asked for 50,000 yuan, not a penny less, saying that it was his father's heirloom and he would never sell it if his children weren't so unfilial. Da Xiong haggled with the old man for a long time, and even treated him to a good meal at a restaurant, finally getting the price down to 30,000 yuan. He was overjoyed and immediately took the train back to Pengcheng that night.
The next day, Da Xiong took the gourd to Shopkeeper Lü and asked him to take a look. After examining it for a while, Old Master Lü immediately determined that it was an old imitation, quite old, probably from the mid-1980s. The imitation was quite well made and worth about a hundred or two hundred yuan.
Da Xiong was so angry that his face turned green. He hated the old bastard for his convincing acting and the old man Lu for his nasty words. It was something from over ten years ago, and he was still saying it was old. But Da Xiong didn't even have the money for a train ticket back to Tianjin. He knew that the old swindler with such a good acting skills wouldn't stay there waiting for him to come after him. Besides, this matter was hard to explain, and even if he found the old man, he couldn't do anything to him.
Da Xiong, who had originally hoped to make a fortune from this item, was completely dumbfounded. Not only had he lost all his savings, but he also owed his relatives and friends several thousand yuan. These were all poor relatives who had lent him the money because they saw him turn over a new leaf. Now that they heard he had lost money in the antique business, they all came knocking on his door, almost wearing down his doorstep. This made Da Xiong even consider robbing a bank.
Finally, the monkey came up with an idea. He had heard rumors circulating in the market these past few days that Liu Chuan had gone to Tibet and bought several purebred Tibetan mastiff puppies, each worth millions. The two of them discussed it and realized that after all these years in the antique market, they hadn't made a penny and were now heavily in debt, while Liu Chuan, at such a young age, had become a millionaire in just a few years.
Da Xiong and the monkey decided to talk to Liu Chuan and ask if he could point out a way to make money, or even work for him. They knew that Liu Chuan was very generous to his own people.
After hearing this bizarre and convoluted story, Liu Chuan was both amused and exasperated, while Zhuang Rui, standing to the side, was gloating. Who told this guy to be so petty? The rumor about a puppy worth millions was probably something he had spread himself.
"Hey guys, I was really lucky to run into these two Tibetan mastiff puppies on my trip to Tibet,"
As Liu Chuan spoke, he pointed to the two little guys running happily at his feet and continued, "I'm just about to start some other business, and I guess I won't be coming to this shop as often in the future. How can I take care of you two brothers?"
“Da Chuan, since you came to this market, although we’ve caused you some trouble and been taught a lesson by you, we’ve both respected you. It’s been three or four years now, and we haven’t caused any more trouble. We’ve turned over a new leaf. But now, we’re about to go hungry. Everyone says you’re a kind and righteous brother, so please help us out.”
Da Xiong understood the evasive meaning in Liu Chuan's words, and immediately disregarded his pride, pleading with him. Then he looked at Zhuang Rui and said, "Brother, you bought that gourd from Sanhe Liu. It's just that I was blind. I never thought of getting it back. You have to say a few words for me today."
Chapter 100 Team
Zhuang Rui thought about it and agreed. Something sold for a thousand yuan could be resold for 150,000 yuan. If that happened to him, he would definitely feel disgusted. And Da Xiong had fallen for the cricket gourd again, so Zhuang Rui felt a little sorry for him. So he said to Liu Chuan, "Rogue, we're short-handed these days. You can make some arrangements."
The construction of the mastiff kennel is about to begin. When it comes to construction and getting business licenses, three or five people definitely won't be enough to handle it. What Zhuang Rui meant was that if these two are capable, we can use them for now, but the decision should still be made by Liu Chuan himself.
Liu Chuan's temperament has always been one of responding better to gentle persuasion than force. When Da Xiong mentioned the grudge from a few years ago, he seemed a little embarrassed. Back then, he'd cracked the two brothers' heads open without paying a penny in compensation. Over the years, the two brothers had become incredibly respectful to him. Now that they'd fallen on hard times and were coming to him for help again, Liu Chuan could no longer refuse.
"Hey, Daxiong, Monkey, you two brothers can help out at this pet shop, doing after-sales service for regular customers and expanding the pet market in Pengcheng. You two know the ins and outs of this, so I won't explain. As for the salary, it'll be 2,000 yuan per person per month. If your abilities can boost the shop's performance, then bonuses will be added. What do you think?"
Liu Chuan considered it for a moment. He couldn't let them interfere with the mastiff kennel's affairs, and besides, these two didn't have the ability. However, they had been hanging around this antique and flower and bird market for many years, even longer than he had been here. They were also very knowledgeable about cats, dogs, fish, and insects.
Most importantly, these two brothers are both incredibly smooth talkers, capable of convincing the dead. They're best suited to stay at the pet shop. Originally, Liu Chuan planned to have Zhou Rui handle the sourcing while he expanded the market. However, after meeting these two today, he changed his mind. Firstly, he'll definitely be extremely busy in the coming days, and secondly, with their silver tongues, these two might even do a better job than him.
"Okay, okay, Da Chuan, oh... no, boss, my brother and I promise to work hard and take all the pet business in this market from our store."
Upon hearing Liu Chuan's words, the two were overjoyed. A salary of 2,000 yuan was considered high for the cost of living in Pengcheng, far exceeding what they earned from working from dawn till dusk as street vendors. Moreover, there were bonuses. The two brothers were already scheming about how to steal business from other vendors.
"No, you two, although it's true that competitors are rivals, the Pengcheng market is huge, and the pet business can't be monopolized by any one company. You two should go out and find some new customers. Don't be up to no good and try to steal other people's business."
Upon hearing their words, Liu Chuan knew what they were up to and quickly reminded them that he had been dealing with the pet shops on this street for four or five years. Although one or two of them weren't on good terms, they hadn't fallen out. If these two troublemakers messed things up, he might be too embarrassed to come to the market in the future.
"Okay, boss, don't worry. My brother and I are absolutely reliable. We'll go to the park and find those old men and women who do morning exercises. They're very interested in flowers, birds, fish and insects."