Chapter 95 Goodbye, Old Times (Request for Collection! Request for Recommended Tickets!)

At night, under the moonlight as cold as snow, a motorcycle chugged along the empty street. The speed was not fast, but the weather was bitterly cold, and both riders on the bike were shivering with chill.

The motorcycle turned into the alley and slowed down.

Upon returning to the Friendship Guest House, Wang Qiang and Zhu Xiaofeng worked together to lift the motorcycle inside.

In the lobby, Zhu Xiaofeng’s face was flushed from the cold, yet he could not contain his excitement as he said, “Today’s business volume is more than ten yuan more than yesterday’s.”

Already exhausted, Wang Qiang showed a satisfied smile. “Yeah, it wasn’t in vain that we stayed up until ten o’clock.” He glanced at his watch. “It’s almost ten thirty now. Hurry up and wash up so we can get some sleep early. We still need to get up early tomorrow to open the door.”

Zhu Xiaofeng muttered, “Running a shop is really tiring. If only my dad were here, then every morning I could send him off and come over at noon to take over. I could even sleep a good night’s rest.”

Hearing this, Wang Qiang was momentarily speechless. Old Zhu’s son had a decent personality, just a bit lazy. He had only lasted three days before complaining nonstop. But Zhu Xiaofeng’s words stirred something in Wang Qiang’s heart. Yeah, Old Zhu’s couple had been away for two days. When would they return? Over these two days, the business volume had almost reached his target. Maybe one more day tomorrow and they should be able to make up the shortfall.

If Old Zhu’s couple did not come back, they could not simply leave Zhu Xiaofeng alone in the game room, could they?

Not to mention whether it was kind or not, just his lazy nature—if they truly left Zhu Xiaofeng to manage the shop, he might not even open the door at noon. In any case, whether out of affection or reason, Wang Qiang could not abandon him.

It should be said that the time spent offering incense and worshiping ancestors would not be long.

Instead, the round-trip journey was the real hardship. Transportation was not convenient, and although Wuhu to Shanghai was only about three hundred kilometers, taking the bus would take eight or nine hours.

I hope they can make it back tomorrow.

“I’m going to sleep. You should rest early too.” After saying that, Wang Qiang headed upstairs.

On the second floor, Wang Qiang walked alone down the corridor, savoring the faint, sweet fragrance of osmanthus flowers drifting in from outside the window. A refreshing, revitalizing sensation filled his chest and lungs.

Thinking about soon returning home, he could not help but sigh inwardly. These days had been so exhausting, finally able to rest for a couple of days. An inexplicable drowsiness had vanished a great deal. Looking up at the night sky, only then did he realize that the autumn night sky was as beautiful as his own mood. The crescent moon hung in the pale blue expanse like a small boat drifting in a clear stream. His emotions were calm and serene, a quietness born of newfound wealth and confidence.

Money is the courage of a man.

The founding ancestor once said that mastering mathematics, physics, and chemistry makes one fearless even when traveling the world. Wang Qiang felt even more strongly that it should be not being afraid to travel the world with money in one’s pocket.

Wang Qiang suddenly recalled his cousin’s daughter. Every time she fell ill, his aunt would cook a bowl of instant noodles for her, which for the cousin was a rare delicacy. People are poor in spirit but fat in flesh—an eternal truth. Later, when his uncle went abroad to work and earned money, and Wang Qiang asked his cousin again whether she found instant noodles delicious, her face full of disgust spoke volumes.

Perhaps money is not omnipotent.

But having no money is absolutely unbearable.

In *The Killer Is Too Cool*, two lines of dialogue deeply touched the heart—

“Is life always so hard? Or is it only in childhood that it feels this way?”

“Always like this.”

Wang Qiang did not want to live “always like this,” and even less did he want his own children to endure it. So he was using his own two hands to create a dream, a dream that would prevent him and his family from living “always like this.”

The next day, a little past three in the afternoon.

Old Zhu’s couple stepped off the car, chatting about the ancestor worship.

“Old Zhu, how has the game room been doing?”

“I don’t know. Xiao Wang is a steady person, should be fine.”

“Why don’t we go take a look?”

“Alright, take the bus. And by the way, we can pick up the motorcycle.”

The couple chatted as they hurried toward QH Road and soon reached the game room.

When they arrived at the door, they saw inside at least thirty to fifty customers, many smoking while playing games, the air thick with smoke and haze.

Originally the landlady had a bit of a cleanliness fetish, but after seeing the scene, she did not feel repulsed. Instead, she exclaimed in surprise, “Old Zhu! The game room is doing so well?”

Old Zhu was dazed. “When I left, there wasn’t much business.”

“Xiao Wang is really capable.” The landlady clicked her tongue in admiration. “In just two or three days, he’s turned the game room into such a lively place. No wonder he said he wanted to open a game room. I asked if he was making money, and he modestly said maybe, but now it looks like it’s so profitable?”

Old Zhu patted his chest. “Of course. Don’t you know who our brother is?”

“Pfft.” The landlady said with disdain. “You are mostly fox friends and dog parties. How many solid people like Xiao Wang are there?”

They walked inside while talking. No sign of Zhu Xiaofeng, only Wang Qiang at the counter engaged in conversation with a knife-scarred man whose arm was wrapped in a plaster cast.

“…The Falling Thunder Array—how can I break it no matter how I try the up-down-left-right codes?”

“Are you not putting Zhuge Liang at the front?”

“Ah? There’s such a saying?”

“Yes, Zhuge Liang must be placed first, otherwise it won’t work.”

The couple eagerly approached. Old Zhu called out loudly, “Xiao Wang, where’s this kid Xiaofeng?” Then he added with a smile, “The business here is so good. You have real talent.”

Wang Qiang turned his head and saw it was Old Zhu’s couple. He set aside his conversation with Dong Xiaowu and replied immediately, “Xiaofeng went downstairs to buy lunch. It was too busy at noon, so we never got to eat.” His heart swelled with joy. The couple had finally returned. According to the current trend, after business closed today, they should be able to raise the money needed.

Hearing this, the landlady felt a pang of distress. “Why don’t you eat on time?”

The three stood chatting for a while about everyday matters.

“Zhu Ge, big sister, I have an excessive request.” Wang Qiang looked at the couple earnestly. “Tomorrow I need to return home for a trip and need some money. The game room is a partnership, so I want to discuss dividing the earnings from these few days first. As for the future, weekly and monthly settlements are fine. You think it’s okay?”

The landlady smiled cheerfully. “You’re the big boss. The game room is up to you.”

Old Zhu followed up with concern. “Is the money enough? If not, I can borrow some more from here.”

“It’s enough, enough. Thank you, Zhu Ge.” Wang Qiang waved his hand, already thinking about whether to bring Old Zhu into the business with him. Having known each other for so long, Old Zhu truly had nothing to say. Wang Qiang felt that running a business alone was difficult to sustain, and even if successful, it would not help expand the scale.

As the saying goes, with money you earn together, many people piling wood makes the flame high—an eternal truth. One person cannot accomplish great things.

Zhu Yuanzhang had eighty-one founding meritorious officials.

Jack Ma had eighteen Luohan who created Alibaba.

Too many such examples. Wang Qiang’s ambition was not so grand, but he understood that more people meant more strength, and perhaps some profits would be shared. The value created by more people would be greater, and he was already planning the path ahead.

That evening, thanks to Old Zhu’s return, Zhu Xiaofeng—who had not slept well for several days—left at five o’clock. Today’s business had slightly slackened, perhaps because some customers had finished their intelligence card games.

Around nine twenty, the game room was emptied of people.

Wang Qiang and Old Zhu counted the accounts together, as always verifying the machine usage time.

Suddenly, a stack of bills was handed over.

He was slightly startled and looked at Old Zhu.

Old Zhu smiled and said, “Just now I looked at the ledger. Including today, our total business volume is 2,200 yuan. You hold seventy percent shares, so you should get 1,575. I’ve prepared 1,600 for you.”

Wang Qiang did not refuse and accepted the money with a smile. “Fine. From now on, the electricity bill is on me. Don’t fight me for it.”

Old Zhu said, “I’m not fighting with you. When are you coming back?”

Wang Qiang replied, “Probably in two or three days. Help me look around nearby if there’s any house for rent, preferably a two-room one-hall. Then I may bring my mother to Shanghai with me.”

Old Zhu agreed without hesitation.

Locking the door, the two brothers went downstairs.

When they reached the ground floor, Wang Qiang looked up at the game room on the second floor. This was his first industry, temporarily achieving a small success. At least the money spent on the game machines and intelligence cards had been recovered, and there was even a small profit. His gaze grew complex for a moment. He knew the game room could still earn quite a bit more in the future, but he could not help but laugh softly. Because Wang Qiang understood that the game room was only a temporary transitional industry, soon to be replaced by newer and stronger ones.

In the night, he sat behind Old Zhu on the motorcycle, his mood extremely excited. Why? Because Wang Qiang had fulfilled the agreement with his mother—earning ten thousand yuan in half a month. From now on, he had broken free from the shackles of school and could unleash all his ambitions.

A month had passed since returning home.

Time was neither long nor short.

Yet his life had undergone a thorough change.

In the cold night wind, Wang Qiang’s gaze grew deep as he looked toward the star-filled sky. He longed for tomorrow to arrive sooner. Farewell, old times. My dream has begun. The sky’s pattern is still small for now, but what he desired was to spread his wings and soar freely. So, carrying a heart full of hope, he prepared to step into the era of wind and clouds. Passion slowly boiled, igniting his seventeen-year-old youth and illuminating the path ahead.