MMB Chapter 74 The Feast at Hongmen
Chapter 74 The Feast at Hongmen
Chapter 74 The Feast at Hongmen (Part 1)
"Chicken, Li Gang, how's it going? You two have been doing this for over a month, what's your impression of this line of work?"
On the way, Mao Xiaoyu led Ji Fei and Li Gang toward their house, asking them with concern.
"It's alright. To put it bluntly, the real estate brokerage industry is quite lucrative as long as you're willing to swallow your pride."
Li Gang is a bit older and has often faced discrimination since childhood due to polio, so he has a more mature personality. When Mao Xiaoyu asked him this question, he gave a fair answer.
"I feel it's a bit easier than earning money at home. But I also feel that I'm not doing a good job. I keep making mistakes and often get scolded by Manager Xue. I don't do many things as well as Li Gang."
Ji Fei followed behind Li Gang and said apologetically.
"It's okay, you'll get used to it after a while. Everyone starts from not knowing and gradually learns. As long as you're willing to learn and do, you'll definitely get better every day," Mao Xiaoyu comforted her softly.
After all, these two people really didn't have a good life in their past life, and Mao Xiaoyu also hopes that they can have a better life in this life.
Hearing Mao Xiaoyu's words of comfort, Ji Fei and Li Gang both nodded silently.
At this moment, Li Gang looked troubled and hesitated for a long time before whispering, "Mr. Mao, if Brother Yong does anything later, please don't take it to heart, considering we've known each other since childhood."
"I know, I'm really not angry. We've known each other since we were kids. If I got angry just because he said something nasty, what kind of friend would I be!"
Besides, if I were really angry, I wouldn't have come to drink with him tonight. Since I'm here, I just want us to sit down and have a drink to deepen our brotherly bond.
"I believe he has a big misunderstanding about me, so I want him to talk about it and clear up the knot in his heart. I'll help him untie that knot, and I believe we can still be good brothers in the future," Mao Xiaoyu said sincerely.
"Hmm." Ji Fei and Li Gang nodded again upon hearing this.
Because the real estate agency and their residence were both located in a demolition area, and the distance was very short, the three of them arrived at their place in just a few minutes.
When Li Gang arrived at his door, he didn't knock. Instead, he opened the door with his key. But as soon as the door opened, a strong smell of secondhand smoke hit his nose.
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This caused all three of them to take a step back. After a minute, when they felt that the smell of smoke in the house had lessened considerably, they went inside.
The first thing you see when you walk in is Liu Yong sitting on the sofa, smoking a cigarette. His eyes are a bit vacant, and he doesn't stand up to greet the three of them. Instead, he just sits there blankly.
"Brother Yong, Boss Mao is here." Seeing Liu Yong like this, Li Gang called out softly.
Upon hearing the shouts, Liu Yong looked up and saw Mao Xiaoyu, Ji Fei, and Li Gang.
"Oh, Mr. Mao is here? Wait a minute, I'll cook you a couple of dishes in a bit, and we brothers can have a drink." Liu Yong stood up with a cigarette in his mouth and a forced smile on his face, pretending to go to the kitchen to cook.
The problem is that the house is empty and there's nothing prepared. What should I cook in the kitchen?
"Since we haven't cooked yet, why don't we go out to eat? After all, the four of us brothers haven't had a proper drink together yet. We don't have to cook today, so we can have more time to drink tonight."
Mao Xiaoyu had already looked around the place and knew from the environment that she wouldn't be eating there tonight. So when she saw Liu Yong pretending to stand up, she politely said...
"Yeah, Yong-ge, let's go out to eat. After all, we don't have any seasonings or rice at home, and we don't usually cook when we get back. It's too much trouble for you to cook now. It's more convenient to eat out," Li Gang chimed in.
Liu Yong glanced at Mao Xiaoyu and the other two, nodded silently, and said, "Alright, let's go to the restaurant we went to yesterday. I thought the food was pretty good."
"Alright, let's go." Mao Xiaoli called out.
The four of them then went to the restaurant where they had eaten the day before, booked a private room, and ordered some dishes and drinks.
After the waiter finished serving the dishes and drinks, there were only four people left in the private room. Li Gang, being very perceptive, opened the bottles and poured a glass for each person.
"Today, our General Manager Mao—is giving me face and thinking highly of his brother—by inviting me to dinner—I'm very happy. Come on, everyone, let's have a drink first."
As soon as the wine was poured, Liu Yong stood up, raised his glass, said a lot of things, and then drank it down.
Seeing this, everyone raised their cups and took a small sip.
Then we toasted each other, and everyone seemed quite happy.
Mao Xiaoyu wasn't in a hurry. If this meal really was a trap, she would eat first and talk later. If the talks really fell apart, at least she got to eat, so it wouldn't be a loss.
And so, after a few rounds of drinks and a few bites of food, more than an hour later, Liu Yong's face turned red without him realizing it, and he was even walking unsteadily. It was obvious at a glance that he was quite drunk.
"Xiao Mao, aren't we brothers? Aren't we brothers? — Tell me honestly, — how's our brotherhood? — How have I, Liu Yong, treated you? — Have I ever considered you a brother? — Think back to when we were kids, I only had one yuan in my pocket — and I'd give you two mao to buy food — I can say I've never forgotten you, brother, you're my own brother." Liu Yong put his arm around Mao Xiaoyu's shoulder, pretending to be drunk, and kept complaining to Mao Xiaoyu.
"We're brothers, of course we're brothers! We've been brothers for over ten years, we grew up together. Not only are you my brother, but Ji Fei and Li Gang here are also my brothers. If I didn't approve of the three of you, I wouldn't have brought you all from home to work in Shanghai." Mao Xiaoyu said, pretending to be drunk.
Actually, Mao Xiaoyu really wanted to say that when we were little, if you had a dollar in your pocket, you would give me 20 cents, but if I had a dollar in my pocket, I would also give you 20 cents. I didn't shortchange you.
What's more, my parents live in Shanghai and give me 30 yuan of pocket money every month, while you only get 3 yuan a month. You spend at least 8 out of 10 days using my pocket money, and I haven't said anything about it, since we're brothers. But now you're talking about brotherhood with just one or two cents, which is a bit strange, since I've given you much more in that area.
Of course, Mao Xiaoyu knew that saying this would be hurtful, so she gave a vague reply.
"Good, I'm happy to hear that. We're all brothers, brothers. Since we're brothers, why can't you think of your brothers when you're making money?" Liu Yong asked, pretending to be drunk.
"Ah Yong, it's not that I don't want to help my brothers get rich. I took out a loan to buy a house, and I'm taking on risks. I can't let you brothers take risks with me, can I?"
As for the demolition here, I had no idea this place was going to be demolished. If I had known where there was going to be demolished, I would have been rich by now, and I wouldn't still be like this.
"Besides, as you've seen, besides the houses that were demolished, I also bought a lot of houses that weren't demolished. So demolition is a low-probability event; I just got lucky this time," Mao Xiaoyu said, feigning surprise.
"You're kidding me. It's so obvious—anyone can see it—I, Liu Yong, am not stupid. I know what you're trying to do; you're just trying to minimize the impact. After all, if all the houses you bought were resettlement housing, people would know immediately."
"To avoid suspicion—you bought some properties that wouldn't be demolished, just to confuse things a bit—but when you finally paid the deposit and asked for the penalty for breach of contract—it's clear you've planned everything perfectly." Liu Yong explained to Mao Xiaoyu, pretending to have a lisp.
Upon hearing Liu Yong's analysis, Mao Xiaoyu glanced at Liu Yong's flushed face and was speechless.
Mao Xiaoyu didn't know whether Liu Yong was drunk or not.
If you say he wasn't drunk, his face was bright red!
Saying he was drunk is quite an accurate analysis.
But even if your analysis is correct, you can't admit it yourself, otherwise, the next question will be, "Where did the information come from?" That would be even more troublesome.
Moreover, Mao Xiaoyu had already made up her mind that no matter who asked, she would always say it was luck. Even if they didn't believe her, so be it, they could guess whatever they wanted.
"Brother Yong, that's not right. I treat you like a brother, but don't you treat me like a brother too? When have I ever lied to you? I really didn't know this piece of land was going to be demolished. If I had known, how could I have bought this little bit?"
As for the deposit and penalty for breach of contract, it depends on my financial situation. If I really had that much money, I would have bought the house long ago. Why bother with deposits and penalties? It's so troublesome.
So, brother, you have to believe me. I never lie to my brothers. I swear to God, I've never heard about the demolition from anyone else. It's really just luck. If you don't believe that, then you're not my brother." Mao Xiaoyu directly turned the tables on the other party.
Upon hearing Mao Xiaoyu's words, Liu Yong was stunned. If he said he didn't trust her, she would accuse him of not trusting his brothers.
But if I say I believe you, then that's the end of it. After all, if I say it again, it's like contradicting myself, and then how can I continue?
I didn't realize Mao Xiaoyu was so smart.
You use brotherhood to pressure the other party, and the other party uses the trust of brotherhood to pressure you in return.
If you don't even trust your brothers, then there's no point in using brotherhood as an excuse.
Impressive, what an impressive general!
What's even more impressive is that the other party actually dared to swear an oath. Could it be that I'm just overthinking things?
However, Liu Yong wasn't so easily fooled. Even if he was overthinking things, there must be some problem. So, a thought popped into his head, and he immediately came up with another idea.
"Look at you, look at you, of course I believe you, brother. After all, what kind of relationship do we have? We grew up together, like brothers who grew up wearing the same pair of pants."
However, if an opportunity to make money ever comes along, I should at least lend a hand to my brothers. After all, when brothers are of one mind, their strength can break even metal.
Alright, let's just let it go this time. After all, things have already come to this point, so let's not talk about it anymore. Talking about it will only hurt our brotherhood, so let's not say anything more.
"Next time, if there's another good thing like demolition and relocation, you have to give your brother a hand, what do you say?" Liu Yong asked, pretending to be drunk.
Liu Yong's mind worked quickly. Since Mao Xiaoyu had said that, he decided to put aside what had already happened. After all, Mao Xiaoyu had made money and bought a house. He couldn't make any more money by stirring things up. So, he decided to take him on the ride next time. Therefore, Liu Yong launched another attack.
Moreover, Liu Yong had another intention in launching this attack: he wanted to confirm whether there was any inside information regarding this demolition.
If Mao Xiaoyu says she'll take me out next time, it means there must be inside information about this demolition, which would make the tape recorder in my pocket valuable.
"Brother Yong, to be honest, I really don't know where there are demolitions. If I did know, look at all these demolitions in Shanghai, why wouldn't I just go and take them down?"
To be honest, I just happened to see a lot of houses for sale in this area, and the prices were really cheap.
Before buying, I did the math. If I bought these houses and rented them out, the rental income would offset the loan amount. So why wouldn't I buy them?
After all, the house I bought is right here, and its value appreciates every year. In a few years, even if I haven't made any money, the appreciation in property value is equivalent to me making a profit.
"But who knew that right after I bought it, they would suddenly demolish it? I don't even know what happened. Now my brother is misunderstanding me. If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have bought so many." Mao Xiaoyu said with a regretful look on her face.
Hearing Mao Xiaoyu's regret, Liu Yong felt awkward no matter how he listened.
What do you mean by "not buying so many back then"?
You've already bought so many things and made so much money, who are you going to tell me about this regret now?
If you really regret it, give it to me, brother. I don't mind helping you regret it.
Thinking of this, Liu Yong couldn't help but complain about God.
God is really good to Mao Xiaoyu. He gave him parents in Shanghai, making him richer than others from a young age, and also gave him such a great opportunity to make money in Shanghai.
As for myself, my parents back home can't offer me any help at all, and in Shanghai I can only earn a fixed salary. The chances of getting rich are extremely slim. This is just too unfair.