Chapter 45: You, Hou San, Are Not Bai Laoqi!

Seeing the excited looks on Ah Zhe and Hou San’s faces, Li Xiangdong just smiled and didn’t say a word, deliberately keeping them in suspense.

Hou San reached out, took the cloth bag off Li Xiangdong’s shoulder, and slung it over his own. “Brother Dong, it must be tiring for you to carry this. I’ll carry it for you.”

Ah Zhe was also quick-witted. He hurriedly took out the Daqianmen from his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, stuck it in Li Xiangdong’s mouth, and even helped strike a match to light it.

Li Xiangdong was very comfortable being served by the two. He took a drag from his cigarette and stretched. “You two, don’t be anxious. This isn’t the place to talk.”

Hou San’s face was all smiles, “Right, right, right, let’s go to my dad’s office to talk. My dad went to the Beijing Railway Bureau for a meeting, so there’s no one there. We can talk freely.”

Hou San and Ah Zhe acted like two lackeys, waiting on Li Xiangdong hand and foot.

The three arrived at Hou Jianshe’s office.

“Brother Dong, would you like some tea? I’ll pour it for you.”

As he spoke, Hou San found a tin box filled with tea leaves. He grabbed a handful and threw it directly into the enamel mug.

“Put less!”

Li Xiangdong’s reminder was a moment too late. Looking at the tea leaves in the mug, he was at a loss for words.

In this era, it was not easy for ordinary people to get a cup of tea. Hou San’s act of grabbing a large handful was simply that of a prodigal son!

Li Xiangdong’s heart ached, but Hou San didn’t care at all. He patted his chest and smiled, “It’s okay, Brother Dong. As long as you lead me to make money, I’ll give you this whole box of tea.”

“This is your dad’s tea. Are you in a position to give it away?”

“My dad only has me, one son. Do you think I can’t make that decision?”

Li Xiangdong waved his hand, not taking the bait, and also motioned for Hou San to stop talking.

Ah Zhe, standing to the side, saw that Hou San had even contributed tea leaves for the sake of making money. He hurriedly picked up the thermos, “The water inside isn’t hot anymore. I’ll go get a pot of hot water. Hou San, where’s the water room?”

“There’s a water room at the east end of the corridor.”

Seeing the two of them being more attentive than the other, the corners of Li Xiangdong’s mouth curled up slightly. He was very satisfied with their attitude. Even blood brothers need to settle accounts clearly!

He was the one coming up with the money-making idea, so he would definitely be the leader in the future. He also had to take the largest share of the profits, so it was necessary to establish himself as the head of the three right now.

Ah Zhe returned with the thermos, filled the mug with hot water, and handed it over.

Li Xiangdong took the cup from Ah Zhe and took a sip. “Uncle Hou’s tea is so fragrant! Alright, let’s not stand around. Let’s sit down and talk.”

The three sat down. Li Xiangdong looked at Hou San and asked, “Do you know how other people bring things back?”

“Of course, I know. They just take money, go to other places to buy watches, radios, televisions, and fashionable clothes, as well as beef jerky, mutton, and chocolate. They bring back anything that we don’t have in Beijing.”

Hou San raised his arm to show off, “This watch I’m wearing, I had someone buy it for me from Shanghai.”

Seeing that Hou San was about to continue showing off, Li Xiangdong interrupted, “Alright, I get it. In other words, everyone just brings money with them when they follow the train to other places.”

“The efficiency of making money this way is too low. Can’t we bring less or no money, exchange the money for goods first, sell them in other places, and then exchange them back for money? This way, we can earn more from one trip.”

Hearing this, Ah Zhe and Hou San’s eyes lit up. No matter how foolish they were, they understood that this was a faster way to make money!

Hou San asked, “But what kind of goods should we bring?”

Ah Zhe followed up, “That’s right, Dongzi. No one is stupid. If they could bring goods out, who would bring money! But what do we have in Beijing? Roast duck? Tianfuhao’s braised pork knuckle? We can’t possibly bring those things out, can we?”

Li Xiangdong said speechlessly, “And Liubiju’s pickles too!”

At this moment, Hou San suddenly said excitedly, “I know what to bring!”

Ah Zhe looked at Hou San with anticipation, “Quick, say what to bring!”

Hou San stood up, stuck out his neck, and said triumphantly, “Neiliansheng’s cloth shoes!”

“Hou San, you sit down for me!”

Ah Zhe pushed Hou San back into the chair. He felt so stupid for actually believing that a fool could come up with a good idea!

Hou San said anxiously, “What did I say wrong? Neiliansheng’s cloth shoes are so comfortable to wear. I don’t wear anything other than Neiliansheng’s cloth shoes!”

Li Xiangdong rolled his eyes at Hou San. You, Hou San, are not Bai Laoqi!

He’s so damn particular about his life, even insisting on wearing Neiliansheng for his old cloth shoes…