Siheyuan: Starting from a Truck Driver

"Having said that, there are always people who want to stay. I think Fatty's business is pretty good. It not only makes money, but also helps people solve problems. Just imagine, if there was no Fatty to act as a go-between, some people might not even be able to exchange tickets, and might even go hungry," Li Xiaodong explained.

"…You have a point."

During the conversation, Li Xiaodong followed Uncle Yu through the crescent-shaped gate to the backyard. He stopped and looked around, but did not see Fatty Yu.

"Let's go, don't worry about that guy, it's just a few tickets, I'll get them for you if I see him." When the two were about to enter the spacious main house, Fatty Yu pushed the door open from the wing room, still holding the black leather bag in his arms. He looked at Li Xiaodong and Uncle Yu, his chubby face full of confusion.

What exactly happened? Did I miss something important?

Did the old man suddenly decide to switch careers and become a ticket scalper? But this can't take away my business!

Twenty minutes later,

Li Xiaodong left Uncle Yu's house holding a black fan with gold sprinkled on it and a thick stack of banknotes. Yu Erze looked depressed, and Xiao Pang's face was full of wrinkles, and he kept sighing along the way.

Fatty Yu was deeply distressed. So many tickets were worth at least tens of yuan, but they were given away so easily. What made it even more difficult for him to accept was that he didn't even have the courage to refuse. Because the lucky guy was Yu Li's husband, his cousin's husband.

You still want money between family members? Is that reasonable? Is that reasonable? Is that reasonable?

Li Xiaodong certainly wouldn't let Fatty Yu suffer. When he reached the gate, he stopped, took out ten large-denomination bills from his pocket and handed them to him: "Brother Yu, I don't know how much these bills are worth, but here are 100 yuan, take them."

"We are family, why do we need money! Wouldn't it be a slap in the face of my Yu family? Although my family is in decline, we are of royal blood after all. I, Fatty Yu, am also loyal. These tickets are nothing." Yu Er's eyes were fixed on the tickets. He swallowed the saliva in his throat, but shook his head repeatedly to refuse.

Li Xiaodong stuffed the money directly into Uncle Yu's cotton-padded jacket pocket, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Just accept it. I see that the old man's expenses are not small. It's really not easy for you to support it alone." During the brief conversation in the main room before, Li Xiaodong had already found out the situation of Uncle Yu's family.

Yu Dabo's family did accumulate some wealth. However, after years of war, most of the gold and silver treasures have been consumed. Although there are still antique treasures in the mansion, Yu Dabo is reluctant to sell them. On the one hand, these antiques are not valuable, and a Ming Dynasty porcelain can only be sold for about 100 yuan; on the other hand, he believes that selling the family property is unfilial to the ancestors and a waste of money. Despite this, as long as they live frugally, the Yu family can barely survive.

However, Uncle Yu himself was a man with a wide range of interests and a love of spending. He spent several kilograms of pig intestines every day, which was unimaginable for ordinary families. He was indeed proficient in learning and singing, but he was lucky to avoid being arrested for these hobbies during the turbulent times, so he dared not perform on stage in public. He performed for the elderly in the park just for fun. The family's financial situation was declining.

More than a decade ago, Yu Li's parents often helped them. As Fatty Yu grew up, the situation changed. He was quick-witted and daring, and he grew up in the alleys and made many friends. At first, he bought extra bills from his neighbors and then went to the pigeon market to make a profit. Later, he mobilized those friends and used various relationships to resell bills, gradually becoming a big bill dealer in the pigeon market. With a stable income, the family's financial situation improved, and Uncle Yu had the capital to pursue his many hobbies. "

"Then I'd rather obey your command. But I'm so embarrassed. If Yu Li knew about this, she would definitely blame me. That girl has a very stubborn temper." Seeing that Li Xiaodong treated him sincerely, Fatty Yu no longer refused.

His grandfather once said that Li Xiaodong was a driver, and this profession made a lot of money, and he could earn dozens of yuan for a long-distance trip. …

With this family relationship, Li Xiaodong no longer hid his intentions and directly stated his intentions. "These bills are nothing, but I have a big project. Are you interested in participating?"

"Big project?" Yu Er covered his pocket in surprise, his eyes full of confusion.

Li Xiaodong did not respond immediately. He handed Yu Er a cigarette and lit one for himself. He took a deep breath, exhaled the smoke slowly, and asked, "You mentioned that you are very familiar with the pigeon market. Is this true or false?"

"Oh, Daqianmen, my brother-in-law is doing pretty well!" Fatty Yu smoked a cigarette and patted his chest, saying, "Of course, there's nothing I'm not familiar with in the pigeon market in Beijing. Take these cloth coupons, for example. I got them from a section chief in a textile factory. You know how popular they are."

"What kind of business is this?" Fatty Yu asked anxiously.

Ticket scalpers sound glamorous, but in reality, the profits are slim and the risks are high. Hearing about the big project, he naturally didn't want to miss it. Li Xiaodong still didn't reveal the details, but asked calmly: "How many trustworthy people do you have?"

"Three or four people, all my friends since childhood, the kind that can be useful in the police station." When Fatty Yu heard that more people were needed, the smile on his face disappeared immediately.

"What are their names?" Li Xiaodong asked.

At this time, Fatty Yu realized that his brother-in-law's plan was extraordinary.

Indeed, the coupon was obviously worth less than 80 yuan, but the other party gave 100 yuan, which is a manifestation of sincerity.

"Wang Wu, Heizi, Gao Pao, and Liu Dapeng can barely be counted as half. That guy is not clean and the accounts often don't match." He thought about it and decided to introduce his men one by one.

...

Until the end, Li Xiaodong did not reveal the specific business plan to Fatty Yu.

Fatty Yu might be trustworthy, but it’s hard to say about his childhood friends.

We have to find a way to investigate this thoroughly.

Fatty Yu was not angry. Instead, he became more convinced about Li Xiaodong's so-called "big business".

In this industry, only cautious people can survive for a long time.

"My brother-in-law is so mean. He didn't even take me with him when he went shopping with my sister."

"Don't act like a child. They are going to buy wedding supplies. Why are you following them..."

Amid the noise,

Li Xiaodong rode a bicycle and took Yu Li away from Yu's house and headed straight to the department store in Xinjiekou.

According to the original owner's memory, he had an old classmate working as a clerk there, and he took this opportunity to visit him and enhance their relationship.

Xinjiekou Department Store is one of the largest shopping malls in Beijing.

Two-story blue brick buildings are arranged neatly, with rough white and gray slogans painted on the walls.

Lifting aside the heavy cotton curtain, what comes into view are rows of rectangular shelves.

A wooden glass counter is placed on a row of lime brick countertops, with a liftable wooden cover next to it for the staff to enter and exit.

The shelves are filled with all kinds of daily necessities, such as needles and thread, flashlights, thermos, etc.

Several large wooden barrels were placed in front of the shelves, with red paper pasted on the barrels with the words "soy sauce" and "vinegar" written on them.

A middle-aged woman wearing a white hair cap is serving soy sauce to an old comrade.

She didn't use a funnel, but held the bottle high up, and the soy sauce flowed directly into the tiny glass bottle without a drop leaking out.

The customers next to them were still chatting, and it was obvious that this kind of bystander technique was already a basic operation.

Li Xiaodong looked at her for a while, praised her a few words, then took Yu Li's hand and went straight to the second floor.

The first floor is the daily necessities area, and the second floor is the large merchandise area, where bicycles, radios, sewing machines... a wide variety of goods are available.

Li Xiaodong quickly found the original owner's old classmate at the watch counter.

This man's name was Zhang Dongfang. He was about the same age as the original owner and only a little over 1.5 meters tall. His fair face had compact features and a cheerful expression.

"Dongfang, long time no see, you are still alive and kicking!"

"Xiaodong!"

Zhang Dongfang, who was helping a customer choose a watch, saw Li Xiaodong and was surprised so much that he put the watch back on the counter.

"Would you like something to drink?"

There are differences in language and living habits between people in Dongcheng District and Xicheng District.

For example, when people meet in the morning, they often ask, "Have you eaten yet?"

People in Dongcheng District are more likely to ask: "Have you had a drink?"

"You are so biased!" Li Xiaodong punched him across the counter and said with a smile, "How come you become like an old naughty boy at such a young age?"

"Hehe, I was recently taught a lesson by my grandfather at home. He said that young people nowadays don't understand tradition, so I looked for an opportunity to practice."

Zhang Dongfang scratched his head, smiled awkwardly, turned to Yu Li next to him and asked, "What is this?"

"This is my sister-in-law. I'm getting married next month, so I came here to prepare some things." Li Xiaodong introduced.

"Hello, sister-in-law!" Zhang Dongfang greeted politely, and then gossiped, "I passed by the chemical materials store before, and heard that you no longer work there."

"I changed my job. I am now a driver in a steel factory."

"It's great to be a driver. I can enjoy the beautiful scenery of my motherland for free. Unlike me, I can't move an inch by guarding the counter."

...

Old classmates are always very cordial when they meet and they chat endlessly, which makes a middle-aged man next to them quite anxious.

"Comrade, I still need to buy a watch. Please hurry up."

Hearing this, Zhang Dongfang's eyes widened immediately and he said unhappily, "Why are you urging me? I'm busy now. I don't have time to do business today. Please leave."

Today's salespeople are so arrogant that expecting quality service is simply wishful thinking.

Seeing that Zhang Dongfang had rolled up his sleeves and was ready to get angry, the middle-aged man quickly took a few steps back.

"Don't be like this, it's just a watch. Please deal with it quickly. I'll wait for you here." Li Xiaodong quickly grabbed Zhang Dongfang.

"You are so old, but you don't have any good eyesight. If it weren't for my brother, you would have suffered today!" Zhang Dongfang muttered as he took out a watch from under the counter and put it on the counter. "This is made in Shanghai, 17 jewels and three hands, 130 yuan, a watch ticket."

The middle-aged man was probably used to the salesperson's tough attitude and knew that it would be useless to continue pestering him, so he didn't say anything more.

After taking the receipt and the watch, he didn't dare to check them on the spot and hurried away with the watch.