It's already 5:30 in the afternoon, the time for the catering industry to open for business.
Although the food in this simple restaurant was extremely vulgar, and only Fang Bingsheng drank wine, and the other two had never touched their chopsticks, diners came in in an endless stream. At first glance, they were young coolies or workers, probably singles who came to the capital to work hard. Or a bachelor who has not yet married a wife, so there is no one to cook for him. The single Xianyun Yehe often spends money lavishly and likes to invite friends to eat in dirty restaurants, so the tables and chairs in the restaurant slowly It was full.
It's just that the people who came in were all poor people. When they saw Li and Kui dressed like that, they were surprised and a little scared. After all, in this era, the rich scolded and beat the lower class at will. Looking at the world, it was not a big deal, because the elite They are often the defenders of morality in their respective cultures, and the poor are not more moral than the rich. Coupled with the devil of poverty, they sometimes need bread more than conscience.
So, it was rare for this restaurant to be so quiet even though there were many people there. Only the sound of drinking orders could be heard from places far away from Fang Bingsheng's table.
"Mr. Fang, look at it, how much is the initial investment? Is it better to be the leader right away, or to run behind the leader and exert your strength at the end?" Li Jinren and Mr. Kui were still concentrating on asking questions, and Fang Bingsheng was completely distracted. They were shocked by what they saw. The two of them nodded and bowed to Fang Bingsheng, which made the people eating around them keep glancing sideways from the corners of their eyes. People who didn't know Fang Bingsheng thought to themselves: Who is this gentleman wearing glasses? What is he wearing? It's so shabby, but it can make that kind of rich man so respectful. Could it be Mr. Lai, the legendary Shiligou Feng Shui master?
Fang Bingsheng picked up the wine bowl and took a sip. Only then did he realize that the earthenware bowl was empty, and the earthenware wine jug on the table was also empty. Because he was so happy, he unknowingly drank two jugs of spirits. He turned around and looked around and said, "It's time to eat now." , I have many eyes and ears, so I can¡¯t talk in detail; my child still has to take the scientific examination, and now I have to go home and cook him something delicious. That¡¯s it for today. Let¡¯s meet up another day.¡±
This is an excuse to drive away guests.
Of course Fang Bingsheng didn¡¯t want to drive these two away. On the contrary, he just wants to stick to him all the time. It sounds like both guys are wealthy businessmen. His future may depend on these two people.
Listen to what Fang Bingsheng said. Li Kui and Li Kui turned their heads in shock. Only then did I realize that I was so fascinated by Fang Bingsheng¡¯s instructions that I didn¡¯t know when there were so many diners around.
The two of them looked at each other and took out the pocket watches in their arms. Mr. Kui was a thin man with nimble hands and feet. He took it out first, took a look at it and shouted: "Mr. Fang is right! It's time for dinner! Let's borrow Brother Li's carriage and we go to Qilihe. Jiangge, there is nothing you can do about it in the outskirts of the city, that is the best restaurant. Brother, you must treat Mr. Fang to a meal and express your feelings."
"I beg, I beg, this is my territory! The boss of Wangjiang Pavilion is also my buddy! Let's go, let's go." Li Jinren laughed, but his eyes were fixed on Fang Bingsheng, like a poor man who bought a bride and brought his wife. When I came out, I was always afraid that she would turn around and run away.
Mr. Kui thought for a while, nodded and said, "Okay! Brother Li is here tonight. Tomorrow, how about I invite Mr. Fang to have dinner at Bawanglou on Imperial Avenue in Beijing? The Hunan cuisine there is authentic, and even Foreign Minister Qin Liansheng is a regular customer."
"No, no, no, don't bother! I'm very busy. My children are preparing for the imperial examinations. I also have to prepare for the imperial examinations. The Dechang store cannot do without my study room." Fang Bingsheng waved his hand and refused.
"Oh, what are you afraid of? Your son is very talented. If you don't tutor him for one night, he won't be far behind. He must be in high school. He just needs to practice running to get the top prize! Dechang store? If it doesn't work, I'll go buy two from his house. Bucket of carriage lamp oil, can I still give you a holiday? Let's go, let's go, such a good friend, you should always reward him with a meal, right?" Mr. Kui grabbed Fang Bingsheng's arm with a smile on his face, but he held it so tightly As if afraid that he would fly.
An hour ago, this thin man looked at me like he was a liar and didn¡¯t even want to find a decent place to sit down and talk. But an hour later, he was dragging me to dinner with the attitude of begging for a godfather.
Fang Bingsheng was proud, but his mind did not stop: While eating, he told them that there were too many unexpected events in the election. No matter how good the strategy was, it was nonsense before the election. Even Zhuge Liang had to join the Shu army first. Let's be a prime minister and get the official salary; just trap these two people and let them use the money to buy the services of their master.
"How much is it? My salary is ten yuan a month. How much bonus will I get if I am elected as a member of the parliament? Damn it, I have been led by the poor people of Shuihuo Street to the point where I don't even dare to pay my salary! How can I afford ten yuan?" Calculate the remuneration based on the number of zeros! By the way, is it hiring by one person or by two people? You have to figure this out clearly." Fang Bingsheng thought so hard that he burst into laughter, and kept saying "It's too troublesome ", "There's something really wrong", "The child can't leave there", "No need to eat" The hypocritical politeness, but there is something wrong with my legs. Being ?Pointing at the back of the short man, he explained to the two distinguished guests.
I saw the fire brigade walking downstairs to the wooden downstairs of Pi's clothing store and getting busy. Some were adjusting water hoses, some were putting down buckets, and taking out axes, iron drills and other fire-fighting equipment from the car, but not a drop of water fell into the black smoke. Upstairs of the Gungun clothing store.
When the owner of the clothing store saw that the fire brigade was coming, he immediately rushed over, grabbed Zha Zhiqing's arm and shouted: "Mr. Zha, you are here, I will give you the money! Save my store!"
"Get out of here!" Zha Zhiqing pushed Boss Pi to the ground in displeasure.
Then, the fire brigade captain pointed at the wooden building that began to spit out red tongues of flames in the black smoke and shouted: "Fire and water are ruthless. Whoever dares to make a fortune, go in and get it! God bless!"
Before he finished speaking, there was a whistle from the crowd, and a group of half-grown men who had just followed the firefighting party rushed into the smoke-filled water and fire shop. They were young, all dressed in rags, and their hair was dirty and in locks. , most people are still barefoot, like a group of little beggars, but when they move, they are like mercury pouring down the ground, hungry tigers coming out of their holes, in the black smoke that can barely open their eyes, fighting for any valuable things that can be grabbed in the store: cloth, Clothes, shoes, chairs, and even the wooden strips assembled into counters were taken apart, and even account books and abacus were taken away.
"God, please leave some for me. It has been eight years since I opened this store to save this little stuff" Boss Pi burst into tears and went to stop those people who were running away from the fire with their belongings. , but no one paid attention to him.
??We call taking things from the fire scene not robbery, but picking up.
Because no firefighting club will save a burning house, unless the owner pays a high price, a burning house is considered dead in everyone's eyes.
Just like the rotting carcass of a lion, if it rots completely, it will just return to dust; while the vulture and hyena eat the edible parts, but they do not waste this part.
So some fires are a feast, while others are too hot to get in, or the ones that die are not lions but ants, and there is no carrion to eat.
The only person who cared about the boss kicked him in the chest and threw him to the street, leaving him crying bitterly on the ground. His tears wet the water and fire street. The street was filled with oil-smelling dirt, and there were groups of people around him who had successfully 'picked up' things. People laughed and ran away from Water and Fire Street carrying their trophies.
"Damn it! You dare to sneak into our Annan Gang place?!" At the same time, two fire brigade members used sticks to knock down a gangster who tried to follow the group of beggars to rush to the fire scene to pick up bargains, and beat him in the street. Get up and beat the other party until they cry for father and mother and roll all over the ground.
"Look, this fire is about to start. How much are you going to pay me?" Black smoke billowed around him, and the flames began to flicker inside like poisonous snakes. Zha Zhiqing hugged his arms and patted the three people in a row in front of him. The trembling man spoke with the tone of a patrolling imperial minister, exuding a sense of calmness and confidence.
The three people in front of Zha Zhiqing are Boss Wang who owns a bamboo shop, Xiao Li who owns a snack bar, and Mr. Liu who works at an employment agency. The only thing they have in common is that they are in a row with the Pi's clothing store that caught fire. (To be continued)