The "Engineer Li" whispered in my ear, "Li Yun, the Blue-Eyed Tiger, is in charge of building houses in Liangshan..."
No wonder! He managed to arrange such beautiful and well-maintained housing for tens of thousands of people in Liangshan, so this small school is even more so. He just came at the wrong time; if he had come a year or two earlier, the "Bird's Nest" wouldn't exist. Li Yun told me that the school will be ready for occupancy in another two weeks, and he's already planning the campus layout, including artificial hills, bridges, and flowing water. I had originally wanted him to build me a plum blossom stake structure, but since he didn't mention it, I guess those didn't exist in the Song Dynasty, so that's a matter for later.
I greeted Lu Junyi, then got on the motorcycle with Zhu Gui and Du Xing, with Zhu Gui sitting in the back. Just as we were about to leave, Dai Zong arrived, saying he wanted to go into town to buy a pair of shoes. I had him sit in the back of the back, using his legs to hold Zhu Gui so he wouldn't fall off. The Ruan brothers had been wanting me to take them to find water, but I was too late. Seeing the motorcycle so badly damaged, I could only promise to take them next time.
I drove along the path for a while, and the farmers didn't seem surprised to see the four of us like this. It's said that on the day the village chief's son got married, he used this motorcycle to pick up people, and once carried as many as seven at a time, not counting the driver. Those seven people, with their stunning peacock-like display, roamed the village and eventually earned the nickname "Calabash Brothers."
Once we got on the highway, we started being ridiculed. Dai Zong finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "I'll just run." I stopped the motorcycle. After he put on his leg braces, he drove at over 50 mph without a care. As I drove, I asked him, "Brother Dai, how long can you keep going at this speed?" Dai Zong leisurely rode beside me and said, "I can't run anymore when I'm hungry. I'm just an engine that burns grain."
I was amused by him: "So, what's the fastest you can run?"
"The number of participants can reach 100 once the event starts, but it can't be sustained for very long."
I laughed and said, "Then you'd better watch out for speeding. The speed limit in the city is 40. If you speed, you might get caught by the police." Dai Zong chuckled and said, "If they catch me, they'll just confiscate my vehicle. I'll give them my shoes and they'll have everything."
I laughed out loud. It seems that people who exercise regularly have sharp minds.
Just then, a Nissan caught up with us from behind. The driver's eyes practically glued to the right window the moment he saw Dai Zong. He followed us for a while, and I waved him off. The guy gave us the middle finger, stepped on the gas, and sped away. Dai Zong cursed and took off after them. I couldn't keep up with them; those motorcycles were making a lot of noise at 60 mph. I just watched helplessly as the car and the man disappeared from sight.
I chased him for almost 15 minutes and saw the Nissan parked on the side of the road at the intersection ahead. Two policemen were standing in front of the kid with serious expressions. The kid was pointing at Dai Zong across the road with a smile on his face and desperately trying to explain something. The two policemen looked at each other, quickly took out a breathalyzer, and ordered him: Blow!
Zhu Gui, Du Xing, and I all gave him the middle finger and laughed loudly: "Serves you right! You little bastard."
Chapter Fifty-Seven: I'm a Good Person
We parted ways with Dai Zong at the intersection leading into the city. I was now very envious of his skills and asked him if he could teach me. Dai Zong pinched my leg and said, "Even if I teach you for half a day, you can only run a little faster than the average person. If you run too fast, your legs will wear out easily."
If something travels at 100 miles per hour, it will fall farther than a long jumper, so that advertising slogan is quite true: If I could run a little faster, I think I could fly.
Dai Zong meant that my physical condition wasn't good enough, just like how applying the theory of maglev to a Xiali car wouldn't work. So that saying is also very true: "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their will and strengthens their body..."
This is like expecting a child who has been deeply poisoned by Confucianism since childhood to be as shameless as I am when they enter society—that would be unrealistic.
I remembered something; I need to get two phones for Zhu Gui and Du Xing first. I was thinking of giving them my current phone with the blue screen, but their humble conversation made me change my mind. They said: "The resolution doesn't need to be too high, 1.3 megapixels is fine..."
When I got back to the same secondhand phone shop, I bought two of the best phones they had. While I was there, I called Chen Kejiao and told her to go to the "Reverse Time" bar to get ready. When the shop owner saw that I was still using his "signature phone," he said excitedly, "Dude, you're so picky! You buy such good phones for your friends and you're using this yourself—is it even good?"
I said, "It's pretty good, and several keys are still working." The shop owner blushed a little and said, "I'll ask around for you when I have time. It seems the manufacturer is buying back these kinds of old machines."
The reason I haven't changed my phone yet is actually quite simple: I'm someone with a little money now, and I need to spend time figuring out a phone that suits me. Baozi's boss has always been my imagined enemy: why is it that, as a fellow man, my woman has to work for him? Looking back, he's not so great anymore; he only makes 100,000 a month, right? Before I knew it, I was supporting a bar that pays 200,000 in welfare. I used to feel resentful working for him, but now I'm just experiencing life.
I plan to have an open and honest talk with Baozi after I finish this busy period. Of course, I can't tell her about the time-traveling client yet, but at least I can tell her that her man can support her now and buy her a car, and then arrogantly tell her: "You can crash the car however you want, as long as you're okay."
Although Jin Shaoyan owns a Ferrari, I would at most buy her a QQ (a small car).
Given that local housing prices were already low, and considering the impact of the earthquake, I decided to buy a duplex villa with a small building. As we drove our QQ past the entrance to the complex, the security guard snapped to attention and solemnly reassured us: "Please drive carefully, we look forward to your safe return." His words were so sincere.
We also lay on the floor reading. We read Playboy, the Hong Kong edition, the Equatorial Guinea edition… Back then, our house was so clean you could make love anywhere. I was like a Californian rabbit, every place my battlefield. I bought a huge rear-projection TV, installed a home theater, and strung rows of tiny speakers on the baseboards. We watched the Japanese version of Animal World, its narrative weak but lyrical arias filling our ears: "Yamadad—deceased, deceased—"
It's all so wonderful to think about. But then I realized the reason I keep thinking about these things is because Baozi and I haven't been intimate for a long time. That's really hard to do at our age. No wonder An Daoquan said my kidneys were fine. Speaking of kidneys, I know a guy whose kidneys are incredibly healthy. In his early twenties, he went to Shenzhen and filmed porn for two years. He got married two years ago, but hasn't had any children yet. His sexual function is perfectly fine; he just has a habit of pulling out at the last minute…
I had arranged to meet Chen Kejiao at the bar at 2 PM, and I arrived at 1:55 PM. I parked my motorcycle at the entrance and led Zhu Gui and Du Xing inside. Normally, the bar wouldn't be open at this time, but it seemed Chen Kejiao had given the instructions; not only was the bar open, but all the staff were there, currently cleaning and turning over the tables and chairs. The overhead lights were on, and sunlight streamed in from outside. I had never observed a bar under such lighting conditions before.
As soon as Zhu Gui entered, he pointed to the rest booths and said, "Smash this wall, it'll be more spacious." Then he pointed to the main stage and said, "Move the ring outside, it's in the way here, smash it."
I said, "I brought you here to mind the shop, not to demolish walls. Don't say anything out of line."
A particularly energetic young man in the bar greeted us with a smile and offered us each a glass of orange juice, but he didn't seem to be the manager. We'd only been sitting for a short while when Chen Kejiao strode in, head held high. I glanced at my watch; it was exactly 2:00 PM.
This time, Chen Kejiao was dressed much more formally than the previous two times: a women's round-neck blouse and a beige cardigan suit. Her chest appeared full and elastic, and the blouse, stretched taut by the lines, looked exceptionally well-pressed, making every man (especially me) want to grab it and wrinkle it. Seeing that we were already sitting to the side waiting for her, she smiled approvingly again, gave us a slight nod as a greeting, and then clapped her hands. All the employees quickly gathered and lined up. I also led Zhu and Du up. Looking at her employees, Chen Kejiao suddenly showed a complex, almost imperceptible expression, a mixture of regret and relief, like a poor mother giving her child to a wealthy family.
After a few seconds of silence, the strong woman quickly regained her composure. She pointed at me and said crisply, "Let me introduce you. This Mr. Xiao will be your new..."
“Hello, I’m Ms. Chen’s friend.” I interrupted abruptly, then put my hands in my pockets to apologize for interrupting Chen Kejiao. Chen Kejiao glanced at me, and I could clearly sense her emotional fluctuation. She continued, “As for these two gentlemen, they will be your deputy managers from now on…” I could tell that Chen Kejiao was quite embarrassed that she didn’t know their names, so I quickly nudged Zhu Gui and said, “Introduce yourselves.”
Zhu Gui stepped forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said cheerfully, "Zhu Gui! From now on, we're brothers. Just let me know if you need anything!"
Seeing that some people were chuckling as Zhu Gui clasped his hands in greeting, Du Xing waved to them at the opportune moment and said, "Men are brothers, and women are sisters. From now on, let's work together to take good care of the tavern."
Although this still doesn't sound quite right, Zhu Gui seems carefree and sociable, while Du Xing is meticulous and thorough in finding and filling in gaps; these two are truly a good team.
Chen Kejiao suddenly asked an employee, "Where is your Manager Liu?"
The employee hesitated for a long time before stammering, "Manager Liu said she wasn't feeling well..."
Chen Kejiao nodded expressionlessly, then dismissed the crowd. On our way to our seats, Chen Kejiao whispered to me, "The general manager here is called Liu Xuan. He's asked me several times to bring people to the bar, but I haven't agreed. I've just transferred two deputy managers to him, so he's probably having a tiff with me."
How dare a mere employee defy his master? Could it be that the young man surnamed Liu is her lover?
Zhu Gui, still smiling, said, "We brothers are just here to make a living; we won't interfere with anything." He was quite honest, revealing everything I'd told them. It's understandable; although they'd run a business before, it was ultimately just a facade. Expecting these two bandits to engage in cunning and maneuvering was simply too high. If you wanted to play dirty, it would be better to bring Liu Bang along, instead of that kid acting like a professional gambler every day.
Hearing Zhu Gui's words, Chen Kejiao felt embarrassed. She forced a few laughs and said, "Don't say that. What are your thoughts on this bar, Mr. Zhu?"
Seeing me looking at him, Zhu Gui knew he couldn't talk about smashing the wall. After looking around for a while, he simply pointed and said casually, "I think this place must be dark at night. Why don't you put in two big windows?"
Chen Kejiao: "...Hehe, Mr. Zhu is really joking. I'll have Liu Xuan arrange the specific work, so I'll take my leave now."
I walked her to the door and watched her get into a domestically produced Peugeot. This car is considered low-end for people of her social standing. With her wealth, even if she doesn't drive a very nice car, she should be able to afford a car worth five or six hundred thousand yuan, right?
Just before getting into the car, Chen Kejiao suddenly smiled at me and said, "Thank you."
Of course I knew what she was thanking me for. I stopped her from continuing, saving her face and upholding the last shred of dignity of a female boss whose fortunes had inexplicably declined. It wasn't to curry favor with her. You know, I only had the bar leased to me for a year. If nothing goes wrong, even the most foolish person would know to take it back. After a year, how am I supposed to come here to drink? But if any disaster strikes during this year, especially an earthquake, it would be catastrophic. Everyone here would lose their job, and then people would hate me. Being a boss isn't easy!
Of course, I couldn't let her know my little scheme. In fact, I was even a little impressed with myself, constantly telling myself: You are a good person, you are a good person, you are a chivalrous person... ah, a good person!
Chapter Fifty-Eight: Two Women Serving One Husband