Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 117 Xia Maosheng's Ideas

Xiao Wei and Xia Maosheng were overjoyed with their newly signed contracts. Even the usually composed Xiao Wei jumped up and down several times, almost shouting with excitement. Their wishes had come true. What does it mean for wishes to come true? This is it.

They circled the small building several times, then went to the back of the large bungalows and peered through the cracks in the doors. It was pitch black inside, and they couldn't see anything, but they were still engrossed in looking around, until an old man who had just come out of the toilet appeared: "What are you two doing? You've been wandering around here for so long, what are you looking for? It's all empty, there's nothing here."

Xiao Wei blushed a little and said, "No, sir, we know it's empty inside, we just wanted to take a look."

The old man sized them up a few times and said, "Who's making this? You even know who it is. Did you think there must be a lot of stuff inside this big house? Are you from out of town? It's really empty. My family lives in that building over there. Hurry up and leave. This used to be a grain depot. What do you think there could be? You might actually find some corn kernels on the ground."

Xia Maosheng glanced at Xiaowei, who was looking at the old man and was speechless, forgetting what he wanted to say.

The old man, looking completely at ease, said, "See, I told you so! What's wrong with such a handsome young man? Looking for work? My son works as a manager at the market up ahead. If you don't mind, I can talk to him and ask him to help you out for a few days to earn some food. You can leave once you find a better job, okay? You can't do that kind of work. Once you start, there's no going back. Your life will be ruined. You're so young, it's a waste. It'll be too late to regret it later."

Xiao Wei glanced at Xia Maosheng and said to the old man, "Grandpa, you're overthinking it. It's really not what you think. Well, we'll be going now. Thank you, Grandpa. Goodbye." The two of them got up and ran. What were they waiting for if they didn't run away from this kind-hearted old man with an insane sense of justice? Were they going to be re-educated here?

The two of them ran and laughed, enjoying themselves as they went. They ran for a block before stopping, and their excitement wore off. They then returned to the guesthouse.

After going inside and lying on the bed, the two of them took out the two contracts and looked at them again. Only then did they breathe a sigh of relief and feel full of energy.

After lying down for a while, Xia Maosheng sat up cross-legged on the bed and asked Xiaowei, "Xiaowei, what do you think we should do first?"

Xiao Wei put his hands behind his head and looked at the ceiling, saying, "We'll definitely open the restaurant first. It's all here, we just need to find a decent chef. The rest is opening for business. Oh, and we also need to host a banquet. Let's set a date for the opening, and then we'll host a banquet on opening day, okay?"

Xia Maosheng thought for a moment and said, "Okay, this side can be done faster. How do we open it up? Do we open the whole thing up? Should we tidy up the inside, like the Cultural Palace? That would look so awesome."

Xiao Wei thought for a while and shook his head, saying, "It won't work. I've looked around, and your spending power isn't that high. Doing that would cost a lot of money, it's not worth it. Let's clean it up, change the lights, repaint the wooden things, and hang some pictures on the walls, that should be about it. At most, we can fix the roof, that won't cost much. Can we find a carpenter? Let's ask someone."

Xia Maosheng rolled over and lay down, saying, "Okay, I'll go find it tomorrow. By the way, once the contract is signed and things are almost settled, I have to go back to work. I can't afford to lose my job, so I'll have to rely on you a lot. I can only come over a few times a month on Sundays at most. Let's agree in advance that you'll take a salary of two thousand yuan a month, and whatever you earn in the end, you'll take 60% and I'll take 40%."

Xiao Wei was taken aback for a moment, then turned to look at Xia Maosheng and said, "What? What kind of salary do I get? No need. We'll split the profits 50/50, didn't we agree on that?"

Xia Maosheng said, "No way. We've been together for over ten years. It's not worth it for us brothers to fight over a little money. Don't argue with me about this. Although you're smarter than me, you haven't experienced enough. There are many things you don't know. When you're doing business together, the worst thing is when people feel unbalanced. Right now, it's fine, but once you make money, your thoughts will change little by little. It's not worth taking that risk. Besides, you really have to rely on yourself. I'm just trying to find connections. I can't really help much when it comes to actually doing it, and I don't have the time. So you have to take the lion's share, and I'll just make a little bit."

Xiao Wei sat up and looked at Xia Maosheng, saying, "If that's the case, without you pulling these strings, would we have been able to sign this contract? You should take the lion's share."

Xia Maosheng laughed, took out a cigarette and tossed one to Xiaowei, saying, "To be honest, if you didn't have money in your pocket, I wouldn't dare to make arrangements. It's a matter of luck that we didn't have to spend money, it has nothing to do with us. Besides, we still have to spend money. We need to buy some equipment and play some games, which will cost money. You have to pay for it all, I can't afford it. And we've been dating for two months now, I can see what kind of person you are. Although I'm only a year older than you, I live in the city and have seen much more of what's going on at home and outside than you have."

Right next to my house, those two grew up together, they're as close as brothers. One of them even got stabbed for the other, that's a deep bond, right? One of them took over a job at the mining bureau, and the other farms. About half of the people in our city are from rural areas.

A few years ago, I can't quite remember the exact time, that guy who worked at the mining bureau was doing pretty well at the mine. He became a minor cadre and managed some people. You know, coal-producing areas were popular these days, and people treated you like royalty wherever you went. Over time, he made a lot of connections outside the mine. He raised some money, bought a truck, and started transporting coal. He then asked his childhood friend to work for him.

This guy was so poor from farming that he could barely afford to eat. His friend paid for most of his child's schooling. Without hesitation, he started working. At first, he was stuck with the truck, but then he complained that the drivers were too expensive. These days, drivers are all employed by companies, and when they go out to do private work, they can't really manage their time well, and they ask for higher prices. So he got a license and started driving himself.

Farmers are hardworking. He treated this as his own business, working from dawn till dusk, saving every penny. Sometimes, to earn a few hundred yuan more, he would travel dozens of kilometers. That's how he persevered. At first, the mine worker said they would split the profits equally, but the farmer refused, feeling he was taking advantage of his friend. He only wanted his wages. In the end, the mine worker insisted, and he took 20% of the profits, plus his wages.

Over the past few years, they've made a lot of money, built two small houses, and the children and adults are finally enjoying a comfortable life. But last year, before the year-end profit sharing, the two men got into a fight, both ending up bleeding and hospitalized. If it weren't for others helping them, the farmer would have been in jail. So what are they supporting? The farmer felt he wasn't getting enough, that he'd contributed too much, while the mine owner just stayed home waiting to get his share. That's why they support that guy.

The guy at the mine was also aggrieved. He was the one who found the connections, approved the coal, bought the trucks, and even insisted on giving them 20% of the profits. What was he after? He almost lost his life. Now both families have moved away; one went to Sanbao, and the other one's gone somewhere unknown.

Xiaowei, do you understand what I'm saying? Chi Zhiqiang's song is great: "Money, you're a knife that kills without drawing blood." Money is a knife; nothing works against it, understand?

I felt things were going well between us today, so splitting the profits evenly was fine. But our contract is for ten years, ten years! How much can we earn in ten years? What will we be like in ten years? By then, our kids will be running around everywhere, right? And then there's your wife, and my wife... well, who knows what might happen then.

So Xiaowei, you have to listen to me on this. Let's not talk about feelings, let's talk about money. You have to invest money, do the work, and manage the stall. As for me, I'll just look for connections and pull strings. You're more important than me, so you have to get paid. It's only right that you get paid for working here; it would be a bad thing if you didn't. Then, even close brothers like us will keep clear accounts and split the money according to actual contributions. I'll use my connections, pull strings, and handle the external affairs, while you manage the business. So, you get 60%, and I get 40%, okay? It's settled then. I'm going downstairs to find a pen and paper; let's write this down."

Xia Maosheng got up, put on his shoes, and went downstairs to get paper and a pen. Xiao Wei lay there thinking about what Xia Maosheng had just said.