Xu Damao's Thirty-Six Stratagems in Siheyuan

A round of family meetings without any objections basically set the tone.

Xu Ning and Xu Yuan took Tan Yali back to Hong Kong, where they had two children, Bai Wenting and Bai Wenming. Lou Xiaoe was already pregnant and not fit for traveling, so Tan Yali, her grandmother, had to take care of the affairs in Hong Kong. Fortunately, Tan Yali had made arrangements for the Lou family's assets in Hong Kong in advance, so there wasn't much dispute.

Xu Damao has a broad vision for the future. What he hates most is the quarrels between brothers and sisters. Now that there are many children, Xu Damao has to be on guard. So after careful consideration, Xu Damao made detailed arrangements for the New Year after discussing with his three wives. He felt that it was still necessary.

The reason why I didn’t tell my children that there are a lot of antiques, gold and other assets in the family is that I don’t want them to lie down in the nest of wealth and rely on the old. Every child must have his or her own pursuits and goals.

This decision was greatly supported by Lou Xiao'e and Fang Xiaoru. Gu Meifang fully agreed without any objection. Xu Damao's impartiality in taking care of her first two children had made this devoted woman love him even more wholeheartedly.

Because the children were about to start school, Xu Damao and others moved back to their home in Dongshishi Street.

After a passionate conversation, Xu Damao hugged Gu Meifang, who was over 800 years old but looked less than 40 under Xu Damao's care. She was graceful and said,

"Meifang, I think starting this year, you should no longer be involved in the Sichuan Restaurant. The restaurant business will be handed over to Brother Zhuzi and his men. Let's withdraw 20% of the restaurant's shares to avoid hurting our brotherhood. What do you think?"

"Master of the household, I have no objection. Xiao'e is going to give birth soon, and Yueyue is still young. If Hanhan and Dandan go abroad together in the second half of the year, I am afraid that the three little ones at home will be emotionally unstable. I will just stay at home. As you said, our family is not short of money. I have no objection."

"Meifang, your opinion is also very important. Now that you have been running the business for several years, you have the ability and potential to be an entrepreneur. Don't worry, wait until Jianjian and Jiajia graduate from high school, and your father will fulfill your wish to be an entrepreneur. Society is progressing rapidly now, and all walks of life are booming. In the future, as long as you have funds, you can make money by investing in anything. Didn't you hear what Brother Huan said? His composite material technology is first-class. Xiaoru is a professor in a college, and you can definitely run a composite material company. If you don't want to take over and want to start a business on your own, there are many things you can do, such as clothing, beverages, and food. I guarantee that you will make a lot of money every day and make money until your hands cramp."

"Go away, it's not that simple."

"Really? If you really feel bored, let's invest in an instant noodle business this year. I'll have Xiao'e import a set of instant noodle production lines from Hong Kong. I guarantee you'll make so much money that your hands will cramp."

"What is instant noodles?"

"In fact, Kyoto has it now. It's a kind of fried noodles produced by flour mills. You can eat it by soaking it in boiling water for a few minutes. But it's not widely available on the market. Now in Japan, Xiangjiang is very popular. The investment is also very small. If you want to do something, you can do it this year."

"Boss, do you really think I can do it?"

"Absolutely. Do you want to try? I'm still at home, right? I'm a free man now, and I don't really have much desire to make money. I still like to watch you make money and spend the money you earn. It's more interesting. Am I not being good and ambitious?"

"How could that be? You are the most powerful person. Without you, I am nothing."

"Fang, I just like the way you cling to me. Come, let's do it again today. I'll help you sort out your skills. You've made some progress in your training now."

"Well..., come if you want to. If you don't come, you will get old."

Gu Meifang had to pounce on him when she got the chance. Only one-third of her man belonged to her. She would never let him go if she could dominate him, not to mention that he had a strong body, extraordinary abilities, and a strong body.

Nini's murmuring and lascivious music was played in the main room again...

After the Lantern Festival, the Beijing-style Sichuan restaurant in Fuxingmen has been open for a week.

"Brother Zhuzi, Happy New Year!"

"Hey, Damao, I was supposed to go to you on the third day of the Chinese New Year to pay you New Year's greetings, but when I got to your house, no one was there. Where did you go?"

"This year, my children came back from abroad. I have a house in Beiqijia, which is big, so the whole family spent the New Year there. We only returned to Dongsi on the twelfth day."

"I was wondering why there was no one here during the Spring Festival. I thought you were out of town for fun."

"It's inconvenient to go anywhere on a snowy day. Brother Zhuzi, have you dealt with the matter of the old man in the courtyard?"

"It's been dealt with a long time ago. Alas... that old hag of the Jia family is such a scoundrel, she doesn't care about anything. Fortunately, the neighborhood office stepped in and forced her to give enough money. Although the eldest uncle is not a good person, he has taken care of me after all these years as a neighbor, so it's okay to send him off at the last minute. The main thing is that we can't find a suitable person in the compound now. Our compound is completely finished."

"Brother Zhuzi, just live your own life well. As for the others, everyone should live their own lives. I have something to tell you today." Xu Damao took the hot tea from the waiter, handed He Yuzhu a cigarette, lit it for He Yuzhu, and lit it for himself, taking a puff.

"Da Mao, you and I are still so polite. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am today."

"It's like this. In a few months, Xiao'e will give birth again. She is definitely an elderly mother, so I let her stay in Kyoto to give birth and recuperate. Meifang also said that Yueyue is still young, so she will no longer ask about the Sichuan restaurant. So I want to ask you, what new ideas do you have this year?"

"What new ideas can I have? The sound of the waves remains the same. It doesn't matter if Meifang doesn't come. At most, we can ask Yu Li to come and take care of the accounts. We can just close the small restaurant over there. It's not a big deal."

"Brother Zhuzi, that's not what I meant. I meant that you and Yu Li are fully capable of working on your own now. Meifang and I also feel uncomfortable having you and your wife work so hard to earn money for us over the past few years."

"Da Mao, look at what you said. Without your help, how could I survive? No matter how good my cooking skills are, I would still be a chef in a steel mill, earning a meager salary every month. You want me to be a worthless son and poke my spine. You absolutely cannot do that. I am not the kind of person who would burn bridges after crossing them and lose my conscience."

"Brother Zhuzi, since Meifang is no longer here to ask about this, the profit distribution plan we originally discussed must be changed. This is a must."

After much persuasion, the two argued until their faces turned red. Finally, Xu Damao gave in and agreed to He Yuzhu's profit distribution plan, in which Xu Damao would take 40% and He Yuzhu would take 60%, and the annual rent for the venue would be one thousand or twelve thousand yuan per month.

Within a month, Yu Li closed her original small restaurant and came to Fuxingmen to take charge of the management of the Beijing-style Sichuan restaurant.