Chapter 3: Wu Yongsheng

  I'm sorry to disappoint everyone, I'm not a special forces soldier nor do I know martial arts, and I'm definitely not Superman. But give me and Superman a phone booth and we can solve problems just the same - he can change into his red underwear, and I can call up a dozen or so brothers... The reason I dare to intervene in other people's business is because my dad is Lung Pao-hua.

  Besides, I didn't plan to force it, I thought that as long as I mention the old man's name, these bastards should weigh their options carefully. Now isn't being a second-generation rich kid very popular? I'm an authentic black second-generation rich kid! Unfortunately, those two students messed things up and I couldn't even say "My dad is XX" with a loud voice, what a pity!

  After getting out of prison, I took a taxi heading east. The driver kept turning his head to look at me and finally asked: "Brother, what's wrong with your hair?"

  I rubbed my head and smiled bitterly: "Do you believe me if I say it was a lightning strike?"

  "Are you the one from bus 24?" the driver asked in surprise.

  "I burst out: 'How did you know?'"

  The driver immediately straightened up: "Really is you? The traffic broadcast said that the No. 24 bus was struck by lightning, and there was a guy... Oh, sorry, someone was struck by lightning." He held onto the steering wheel with one hand and stretched out his other hand to me, "Nice to meet you, big brother! This is my first time being so close to a celebrity!"

  I knocked his hand away and said angrily: "Just drive your car well, you also want to be on the radio?"

  "Haha, what's the big deal about going on radio, I've even been on TV before."

  "What's wrong?"

  The driver said with a smile: "During the college entrance examination, we will provide free pick-up and drop-off services for candidates. I am a representative of volunteers and a model of learning from Lei Feng."

  I said: "Then you're also a celebrity, why shake hands with me?"

  "Hmph, I'm no match for you."

  ……

  When I arrived at the East Railway Station, the driver asked me: "Big brother, where are you getting off?"

  "Go further ahead."

  "It's all gone from here on out."

  The train station is near a large area of wilderness, except for the waiting building there are no other buildings, and it's desolate. The driver slows down carefully, constantly turning his head to look at me: "Brother, if we go any further forward, there really isn't a road."

  "It's almost here."

  The road became increasingly desolate, and the driver's face turned uglier. I could tell he was scared. Recently, there have been several robberies targeting taxi drivers in our area. The young man's hair stood on end, and just as he was about to abandon the car and run for his life, I pointed to a small two-story building dozens of meters away by the side of the road: "It's that one."

  On the second floor of the small building, words such as "Music Tea Bar", "Elegant Environment", "Accommodation" and "Free Internet" were pasted on the windows in a disorderly manner. The driver let out a sigh and said: "Does anyone come to this place? It's as if they're afraid people will find it, who knows which fool opened it."

  "I'm paying," I said, digging into my wallet and pointing at my own nose.

  "Wow, big brother, your taste is really unique."

  I handed him the money and said, "Welcome to come and sit down when you have nothing to do."

  The driver dryly said: "Next time I may not be able to find it."

  "I pointed outside the window and said: 'Alright then, I'll tell you. After passing the train station, when you see a crooked-necked tree, turn left, and you'll definitely find it.'"

  The driver handed me the money while wiping his sweat.

  I laughed and said: "You just didn't take me for a robber?"

  The driver looked into my eyes and said sincerely, "No, really, but I know that Big Brother is definitely not an ordinary person - just because of where you live, to be honest, if you weren't a man, I would have thought you were a fox spirit."

  I gazed at him faintly and said: "You go back home and see if the money I gave you has turned into chicken bones or not."

  The driver shrunk his neck and stepped on the gas pedal to escape quickly.

  I sighed and opened the chain lock on the glass door, came in, first went to the public toilet on the second floor to wash my face, brushed off the scorched particles from my hair, then went downstairs to soak a bucket of instant noodles with water from the drinking machine, lit a cigarette and sat behind the counter waiting.

  This is the hotel I opened, about a mile away from the train station. This should be a golden location, and more than a decade ago, this land was already a hot commodity. My dad and Aunt Meng had to fight with competitors to get this plot of land, and after finally getting it, they built this hotel. The second floor has over ten guest rooms, all equipped with bathrooms and air conditioning. Downstairs is a small restaurant, with tea-colored glass tables and two-person sofas. At the time, my dad's ambition was not small, money was secondary, he mainly wanted to start a legitimate business, so the decorations were all top-notch. I, who had just graduated, took over this place with high hopes, waiting for it to open and make money... then... then China Railways started to speed up...

  In just two years, the Chinese Railways Department has sped up three times. The railway stations that were once relied on for survival have been changed from solid lines to dotted lines with a 2B pencil on the blueprint of the motherland. Most trains now stop at West Station, which has better hardware facilities, and since then, East Station has been left far behind in the wheels of history...

  The East Station is far from the city, and there are no decent buildings around. In the past, at most, someone would sell tea eggs and set up an iron shed to sell breakfast - later I was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred for these people, they picked up their baskets and ran away, leaving only me and my small two-story building standing alone in the wilderness, becoming the exterior of the Dragon Gate Inn.

  I also thought about selling the land, but it's hard to implement. Building a commercial district next to the railway is definitely not feasible. Residential buildings are uninhabited. It was difficult to find someone interested, and finally, a professional cattle breeder showed interest, but he concluded at the last minute that the noise from the train would affect the cows and delay their calving.

  Later on, I simply gave up and let the loneliness return to its former state. However, unlike a grocery store that never closes, there were several old green-skinned buses that would drop off a few people at 4 or 5 in the morning, like they were shaking off fleas. These people had nowhere to go in the desolate wilderness, so I just pretended to be serving the people.

  As I ate my noodles, I stuffed a stack of crisp new bills into the bill counter, listening to the "whooshing" sound flowing out, watching the numbers in the small window changing rapidly, and my heart felt much smoother. Suddenly, with a "click", a business card mixed among the bills was popped out. I calmly took out the business card and the bills, changed the position of the business card and continued to count. After another round of "whooshing" sounds, the business card was again clearly popped out.

  This has become a way for me to kill time when I'm bored. The total amount of money is 56 yuan, all in one-yuan bills.

  Just then, a man in his forties came in from outside, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, regular features, and an unusually luxuriant head of hair that seemed to be the combined output of several people's scalps. He was wearing a simple white shirt, and his face was radiant with smiles.

  I hastily stood up and asked: "Are you here to stay or eat?" Rarely having a customer, I was very enthusiastic.

  Someone smiled and said: "I want to stay here for a while, I don't know if it's convenient or not?"

  I smiled and said: "Convenient! Of course it's convenient - so you're not in a hurry to catch a train?"

  "Oh, no, I just think this environment is great and want to stay for a while."

  "Is this environment good?" I looked at him in surprise and could only follow his tone, saying "Yes, it's rare to have such a...in the city."

  Just as I was about to finish speaking, a train flew by quickly from beside my restaurant, making a huge "ka-cha ka-cha" sound that shook the soles of my feet.

  The man asked loudly: "What do you want to say?"

  In the midst of the great noise, I shouted at the top of my lungs: "It's rare to find such a secluded place in the city—"

  He looked at me and smiled.

  I'm also embarrassed: "Actually, I don't usually let cars pass."

  "It doesn't matter if it's past, I've taken a liking to this place."

  I blushingly said: "The standard room is 100 yuan per day, if you stay for a long time, I'll give you an 85% discount." For a long time, there has been no customer flow, making me feel like I'm not even doing business, and it's especially embarrassing to talk about money with people.

  "What does it mean?"

  "Let's just say 85 a day, okay, 80 then." I cut my own salary first, so I can take home 80 a day and not have to pay for utilities.

  His eyes widened even more: "You want money?"

  "Uh... big brother, this is a restaurant, not a fellow villager's home where you can stay for free."

  He spread out his hands and said: "But I have no money."

  "I'm so angry: 'You don't have money, what kind of hotel are you staying at? Are you taking me for a fool?'"

  "He looked even more bewildered: 'What do you want money for?'"

  What do you want money for? This question is well asked! Its depth is only next to "Who are you" and "What's the meaning of your existence in this world", which can drive people crazy. I found myself unable to answer it for a moment, what do I want money for? I don't have to worry about food and drink, and buying cars and houses isn't a big deal for me either. If I insisted, I could live a life of extravagance, but I stubbornly stick to this place, relying on 56 yuan to survive. What am I doing it for? Thinking of this makes me feel particularly heavy-hearted, with a sense of indignation at being snooped on. I blurted out: "I'm just counting for fun, does it concern you?"

  He seemed a bit dazed, nodded and said: "I understand." After saying this sentence, he quietly walked out and even helped me close the door, sitting on the steps outside.

  "You're crazy!"

  As a result, this old man sat for an entire morning and afternoon, from the scorching sun to the darkening sky, without changing his posture. His hands were steadily placed on his knees, his head slightly raised, and only occasionally did the gentle breeze rustle through his dense short hair, making it quiver like a plant.

  Actually, I had already lost my patience that afternoon. He looked quite old, and his attire didn't seem like that of a sly old man who takes advantage of others. In the afternoon, I gave him several identities: a down-on-his-luck outsider, a failed businessman, and a middle-aged man with family problems. Finally, I thought the last one was more plausible. The main thing is: I really worried that this guy would die in my place, originally there were no customers, if the Dragon Gate Inn became an ancient tomb, I would become a fox spirit.

  As the sunset floated red, I had calmed down, lit a cigarette and walked out leisurely. Squatting beside him, I puffed on my cigarette while watching the sunset and asked: "Had a falling out with your wife?"

  After sitting for so long, he didn't seem to be affected at all, and still smiled: "Where did I get a wife?"

  I comforted him: "You're just talking big, at such a ripe old age and still no wife?"

  He looked at me strangely and said: "You also know that I'm so old now, what's the point of finding an old lady?"

  I don't want to continue arguing with him on this issue, so I took a deep breath and said: "If you really have nowhere to go, just stay here, wait until your anger subsides before talking about it. Actually, I'm not short of those two dollars either, but business is business, Bill Gates has money, aren't we still using pirated Windows 7?"

  He said: "I understand, little brother, you don't have to take care of me, I'm fine outside."

  I laughed and scolded: "You're still pretending to be dignified? Come on, follow me in. As for the money, we'll talk about it when you have some."

  He stood up and said: "Since you have your rules, I also cannot break them. The money will definitely be returned to you."

  After entering the house, I took out a bucket of instant noodles and said, "You must be hungry, this is all I have."

  "Are you hungry? Do you have water here?"

  I pointed at the water dispenser: "Get it yourself, and also for your brother - can I see your ID? I just need to make a simple record, not that I don't trust you, but in case of some unexpected checks."

  He took a cup of water and held it, but didn't drink, saying: "ID card? Don't have."

  "How come you go out with nothing? What's your name?"

  "Wu Yongsheng, Wu is the heavenly mouth of Wu, and Yongsheng means that eternal life, that eternal existence."

  "I understand." I wrote down three words "Wu Yong Sheng" on the registration book, looked up and said: "Brother Wu, this surname is not too good, huh?"

  Wu Yongsheng smiled and said: "Whatever."

  Division line

  Five-man mode is starting...