Returning to '97, creating a new life

How did you come up with the idea to do this?

After listening to Xu Kai's explanation, Xu Dalong frowned slightly. He was familiar with the business Xu Kai wanted to do, but he wondered why Xu Kai would think of doing it.

Xu Kai feigned a look of delighted surprise: "So, Uncle Long, this business is viable?"

Xu Dalong pondered for a moment: "Yes, but we have to keep a low profile. As you said, the main business will still be renting VCDs. And this business definitely won't last long. Who knows when the policies will tighten a little and we'll have to stop. Think it through."

Xu Kai nodded repeatedly: "I know the rules, Uncle Long. There's no problem with the initial investment on my side. We can use the profits to replenish the stock later. The rest we'll cover with 31%..."

Xu Dalong waved his hand: "Let's not talk about that, I can still make money off you..."

Xu Kai could tell that the other party wasn't just being polite or being sincere. He quickly understood. After all, it wouldn't be appropriate for anyone to do it, and it would be a slight violation of the rules. It's just that there's no explicit rule right now, so everyone does it. From mahjong parlors to arcades to those video arcades near the train station, there are people who take care of them. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to run a business smoothly.

Xu Kai hired Xu Dalong to play this role. Everyone inside knew this, so no one would cause trouble. If anything happened, they could give him a heads-up. Most importantly, Xu Kai wanted to use Xu Dalong to put pressure on the business partner he was planning to find.

Not talking about money now is out of caution. Xu Dalong has always maintained an attitude of knowing and understanding that he can help, but it is a voluntary help. If you want to open a small VCD rental shop and are worried that you are too young to manage it, as a relative or elder, I will take care of you, that's all. I don't know about your other businesses. I always say this.

Xu Kai followed Xu Dalong's lead and didn't bring it up again, but if the future benefits generated were even slightly less, it would be embarrassing for everyone.

Xu Kai has found a place, another garage next to the arcade. It used to be a laundromat, but it wasn't doing well, so he's selling it.

Xu Kai found the landlord and refused to take over the shop. However, since the laundry shop had undergone some simple renovations, he was willing to pay a little more in addition to the rent. In other words, the laundry shop owner would take what he could, the rent that had been paid in advance, and a little extra money that had been paid for the shop as the transfer fee.

Unlike the arcade next door, which uses a small door leading to and from the garage, this laundromat has a glass door installed inside the lift-up garage door, ensuring that it is bright and airy during the day.

The partitioned area perfectly met Xu Kai's requirements. The area in front for renting DVDs didn't need to be large; the area behind was the main battleground. One large area was where the original laundry equipment was located, and a small area was a partitioned living room. A toilet was also built in the corner of the garage where the water supply and drainage were connected.

After Xu Kai came in, all that was needed was a simple tidying up. It was ready to use without any high requirements. All that was added were benches and sofas.

"Brother Song, what do you think? Two color TVs, one 25-inch and one 21-inch, two VCD players. My uncle found me a supplier for the discs, and I have my own. Ostensibly, we'll focus on rentals, but actually, we'll mainly operate the illegal video arcade in the back. We'll play some American and Japanese adult films all night long, so we won't have to worry about customers. I need your help. The young people around here are all potential customers. With you here, we don't need to advertise, and we don't even need to entertain strangers. We can just have a friendly gathering of acquaintances..."

Yes, the partner Xu Kai chose was Brother Song, Song Jun. He was an idle person, a street hustler, and he would care a lot about having a business to make a living. The location was in an area he was familiar with, so it wouldn't interfere with his continued life of casual living.

He had a clientele; he knew all the young, unemployed, and petty thugs in the area. He was also well-known at No. 2 Middle School, No. 5 Middle School, and nearby vocational schools like the nursing school and the finance and economics vocational school. He made money off these young people; he was the boss, and those kids dared to come and hang out.

Xu Kaiming knew this was wrong, but in this last barbaric era, he felt no moral pressure to make a quick buck by skirting the edges. He was well aware that Wang Lei had handled several videotapes that kept choppy, yet he still treated them like treasures. With the widespread availability of VCDs and the influx of more and richer content, this was the perfect opportunity.

In two years, once internet cafes sweep across the city like a plague, the content on the internet will be even richer, and this business will become more difficult.

If you want to make quick money with low initial investment, you always have to take some shortcuts.

With Xu Dalong around, Song Jun can be kept in check. In the future, this place will make money, and Song Jun will inevitably have some ulterior motives. As long as he can keep him in check for about a year, Xu Kai doesn't mind eventually transferring this "underground video parlor" to Song Jun.

"Xu Kai, you little rascal..." Song Jun didn't know what to say. This Xu Kai was really good at causing trouble.

The secondhand TV and VCD player cost Xu Kai nearly four thousand yuan. Song Jun could never afford such an investment. Even if he had the capital to start a business with his family, he wouldn't dare to invest it. The difference in their understanding made Song Jun's heart race and his excitement reach its peak when facing this business opportunity.

Who can earn their own money and would be willing to become an unemployed vagrant or a social idler?

"Don't worry, with my brother here, there won't be any problem with customers."

Xu Kai led Song Jun and Xu Dalong to a meal together, without mentioning the business. In the end, Xu Kai took the initiative to let Song Jun ask for Xu Dalong's pager number.

Xu Kai understood that Xu Dalong was young and cautious, and it was okay if things weren't discussed openly. He would talk to Song Jun alone after they got back.

The initial costs are all attributed to Xu Kai. The costs of purchasing and replacing discs will be included in the overall store costs, along with potential maintenance costs for the TV and VCD player. The remaining monthly profits will be divided into three parts. Once the business is on track, Song Jun will receive a separate salary after six months.

"No, no, brother, you're looking down on me. Your brother Song isn't an unreasonable person, how could he be so shameless..."

Song Jun also brought in 1,000 yuan and strongly demanded that the costs of subsequent benches, sofas, etc., be included in the store's costs.

Xu Kai didn't argue. This is what he thinks now: once things are on the right track, making money will be fun. There are two partners, one standing behind and the other taking the capital, while I have to stay here every day. Over time, I will definitely have some other thoughts, and I might even feel unbalanced, thinking that I do more work but get less.

At that time, what I said today will be the best weapon to calm my unbalanced mind and allow the harmonious cooperation to continue for a while longer.

On the weekend, at the flea market, Song Jun watched Xu Kai haggling over outdated leather sofas, wooden sofas, wooden chairs, and folding chairs. He couldn't help but admire Xu Kai, even though he was thinking of buying new ones himself. His perspective had shifted. Was it really necessary to buy new things? Absolutely not. Even without wooden benches, we could say our seats are more comfortable.

As for the source of the discs, it's not difficult to find out if you're shameless enough. Xu Kai had called the arcade manufacturers before and communicated with them. They could also help him get some VCD discs. The way to obtain these kinds of things in the south is much easier than in the northeast. Who wouldn't want to do something that makes money?

Seeing that Xu Kai was very sensible, Xu Dalong went from being indifferent at first to taking it to heart. Although he said he was just helping his relative out, he also did his part by introducing Xu Kai and Song Jun to a local scoundrel who had a lot of connections and directly connected them with the local business channels.

The other discs were fine; they were all new since we paid for them. But the ones that couldn't be shown to the public were different. Xu Kai said he wanted to preview them to confirm the contents. He fast-forwarded through one disc in a few minutes and watched it, which made Song Jun excitedly pat his chest and say that the discs would definitely be full every night.

After saying that, he went to the toilet.

Seeing that Xu Kai had prepared high-end toilet paper in the restroom instead of newspapers and used notebooks, Song Jun spat out, "Damn it, no wonder he dares to set up such a place. He's got some brains."

He stayed in the toilet for a few minutes, felt better, lit a cigarette, and returned to his sage-like state.

"If you know someone there, you can rent one without worry. It's five yuan apiece and you can watch it for two days."

Hearing Xu Kai's words, Song Jun's eyes lit up. Yes, it was cheap to watch it here, but it was a group of people watching together. If they got a good one, they could have their own camera at home and watch it with a woman. Just thinking about it made Song Jun feel incredibly comfortable. He was guaranteed to have a great emotional atmosphere.

"We usually show the show during the day, and the price is cheaper per person. For friends or family, we can show it when it's not busy, and occasionally when it's crowded, we can charge a fee. Friends are our customer base, and we can get referrals from them..."

Song Jun offered Xu Kai a cigarette, his eyes filled with excitement. He couldn't wait to get to work and admired Xu Kai so much; every word he said resonated with him.

The most important thing in this business is customers, of course. This is our advantage now. When we go to vocational schools or financial schools, we won't be just messing around. We'll be surrounded by friends and acquaintances. If we have nowhere to go during the day, we can come here, spend less money, and spend the whole day here. We even have video recordings to watch. That's how we'll make more friends and more money.

"Brother Song, be sure to keep a low profile tonight. Those who are dishonest or who have been drinking and are talking nonsense, we'd rather not make this money than let them come. Our principle is to make money discreetly. If we become a public spectacle, it will be difficult to explain to anyone."

Song Jun nodded. He understood. Gambling machines in arcades definitely needed to be operated discreetly, and occasionally they even had to be closed and moved to a corner. Mahjong parlors weren't open 365 days a year either; they would close from time to time.

Think about it, you've heard of some families making a lot of money, but have you ever seen any of them doing it with great fanfare?

"Don't worry, I understand. We'll sneak into the village quietly, and no shooting."

"I usually rely on Brother Song. I have to go to school, so I can't come here often. I'll come to help more often when I have more time during the holidays."

Song Jun laughed heartily: "What are you talking about? We have so many guys here, we don't need any more people. You should go to school and take care of your business. Don't blame me for letting some of my guys hang around here. They're already grateful enough. They're happy to do cleaning, chores, and help watch the shop."