Returning to '97, creating a new life

An arcade with two finance staff—it sounds ridiculous, but it's true.

Yang Yu, Wang Jianshe's sister-in-law, and Xu Meilan, Xu Dalong's distant cousin and Xu Kai's second aunt.

They were all connected, and Xu Kai took the initiative to ask his partner to send a trusted confidant over, not to supervise the finances, a reason that demonstrated his high emotional intelligence.

Yang Yu came from the countryside and had been doing odd jobs.

Xu Meilan has just become a laid-off worker.

Xu Kai manages the entire arcade, and Yunshang, his girlfriend, is a frequent visitor. With this cross-supervision, all four partners feel at ease about the financial situation here.

Yang Yu and Xu Meilan weren't here to act like big shots. They were responsible for preparing lunch and dinner using the simple kitchen utensils in the corner, and they had to take turns, with one of them staying on duty at night.

There are two rooms partitioned off by plywood. One is Yang Yu and Xu Meilan's office and rest room, which also contains a small safe. The other is a dormitory for employees to rest temporarily. Don't be picky about the environment; lying down is the only advantage.

There was no need for advertising, nor was there any form of advertising.

Without any opening ceremony or even a signboard, it quietly appeared inside the fruit wholesale market.

One yuan for five game tokens—Xu Kai didn't care about that money at all. What he cared about were the octagonal roulette machine, the mahjong machine, and the poker machine in the animal park.

There are five regular fruit machines and five horse racing machines, both of which are quite popular recently, so there's no shortage of customers to play.

Xu Kai had already tested all the machine's difficulty and probability in the south, such as the probability of getting four of a kind in the Golden Gourd 888, the probability of doubling down the machine, the probability of a Grand Slam with the God of Wealth, and the probability of winning with a Grand Slam hand...

Neither the mahjong machine nor the poker machine supports coin-operated play; they all use keys to directly add points for trial play.

Early in the morning, the chairs I ordered were delivered. The gaming machines all come with backrests, while all the other arcade machines that you can sit and play on are all plastic chairs.

Xu Kai knew the exploratory abilities of young people, especially those interested in certain things. In less than a day, a large number of primary and secondary school students on holiday had entered the arcade. As a fruit wholesale market, it also had no shortage of customers with purchasing power. The wholesalers didn't think there was much to win or lose; they just thought it was fun and came in thinking that a few dozen yuan could buy them a good time.

Some fruit wholesalers suggested that since your place is so big, you should install two of the new automatic mahjong machines that are currently available in the south. If the goods arrive early, while waiting for the goods to be delivered in the early morning, everyone can get together and play cards.

Xu Kai fully satisfied everyone's requests. Wang Jianshe made a call and got two mahjong machines. Xu Kai also bought two folding tables so that if anyone wanted to play cards, they could set them up anytime.

The space was large enough, so the mahjong machine was placed at the innermost part of the warehouse, adjacent to two rooms partitioned by plywood, temporarily encroaching on the area that was originally used as a "temporary kitchen." Since it was summer, there was no need to worry about the temperature, so Xu Kai hired workers to temporarily build a shed under the wall outside the back door, where he cooked, thus avoiding the smell of cooking fumes inside the warehouse.

That evening, Wang Jianshe and Xu Dalong, dressed in casual clothes, came to the arcade. They took a look around and found it packed with people during the peak summer season.

The front and back doors were open, and two exhaust fans on the walls were always running, expelling the smoke from the warehouse.

The warehouse was spacious and cool, and even with many people around, it wasn't hot. The air conditioning inside wasn't needed yet. As for keeping warm in winter, that wasn't a concern for now. With so much money invested, Xu Kai didn't want to waste a single minute of this prime summer season.

With variations like "Peerless Hero," "Peacock Flies Southeast," "A Touch of Red Amidst a Sea of ​​Green," "Nine Lotus Lanterns," "Grand Slam," and "Four Joys," the "Grand Slam" mahjong game is far more fun than the previous "electronic baseboard" mahjong machine. It has won the hearts of many adults.

With the mahjong table set up, the back half of the warehouse became a bit more lively, while the number of people in the front decreased slightly.

Parents are in the back, and children are in the front?

Some middle school students saw their parents here and could only leave quietly. This arcade owner is really something else. Where are the customers? Isn't this just giving parents an easier way to drag their kids to the arcade?

This arcade isn't making any money.

Some children have come up with this definition.

In the evening, the Golden Gourd 888 game became popular. When people started doubling their bets, they would get a 10 yuan bonus for doubling and a 5 yuan bonus for four bets. The game, which seemed simple but was actually full of gambling fun, began to attract the attention of some adults.

After several long-haul truck drivers brought the fruit to the market, they parked their trucks at the location designated by the cargo owner or in front of the designated warehouse. Before that, they would find a place to drink or play cards in a corner with lights.

In this era, dashing truck drivers don't stay up all night. If you want them to speed up, you have to pay extra. Normally, by nine or ten o'clock at night, they would definitely be looking for a place to sleep. The situation of drivers in later generations going to sleep as soon as they arrive at their destination is simply not the case.

Inside the warehouse arcade, both mahjong machines and two folding tables were occupied, as were the "God of Wealth" and "Golden Gourd" games. Some people, bored from the excitement, bought ten yuan worth of game tokens to play the fruit machine and horse racing machine, but were soon drawn to the more exciting "Animal Paradise."

Compared to the small screen of a fruit machine where you spin and bet on patterns, "Animal Paradise" can accommodate at least eight people at the same time, and even a single seat with fewer bets can accommodate several people.

Sitting there, smoking, with rows of buttons in front of you, competing with others on a machine, like a Russian roulette machine, feels more real, especially when you see others lose while you win, the feeling of victory comes, which is more meaningful than fighting against a machine.

Comparing the card table, I definitely won't play with people who are too unfamiliar with me. Who knows if they're part of the "Blue Road" group? I won't allow it.

This machine acts as a referee. Whether the boss cheated or not is unknown, but he doesn't participate. Everyone else is in a "relatively fair" environment to consider their "vision." Soon, it attracted the wholesalers and truck drivers in the market who had money in their pockets.

Xu Kai stayed with the group the whole night. Later that night, fewer people were around, and there were no people playing the regular arcade games. Eventually, even fewer people were there, so only one person was needed to keep an eye on things.

The game consoles that allow you to score points have backend data that can be reconciled.

The number of game tokens that the coin-operated game machine gives to Da Liangzi and his brother each day is equal. The price of one game token is the amount you pay. Take the corresponding amount of money to the inner room, report to Xu Meilan and Yang Yu, and then continue to receive new game tokens.

There's a small profit to be made; five game tokens for one yuan. Some kids who don't have much money only have fifty cents, so they can only buy two. Accumulating similar transactions, you can earn a few game tokens a day, which is a small perk for the token seller.

Having traveled all the way back from the south by train, and then spent the entire day following the opening ceremony, Xu Kai hadn't had a proper night's sleep for five or six days.

Yunshang came to arrest him, and his second uncle Sun Mingyi and mother Sun Xiuyun also came to arrest him, telling him to rest quickly.

"Your eyes are all bruised, and you're still staying up? Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"I'll be right back once everything's arranged."

A salesman from the grocery store supplier delivered a refrigerated display case for free use.

The sales volume of beverages here is sufficient to support the speed of restocking, allowing the sales staff to apply to their superiors for free use of a refrigerated display case so that customers can enjoy their drinks chilled. The trade-off is that the arcade must source its beverages from them, and there are also requirements regarding product placement: whichever company provides the refrigerated display case must have its beverages displayed in the most prominent position.

Xu Kai also bought kettles and teapots, instructing all staff to ensure that jasmine tea and hot water are always available and provided free of charge. He emphasized that they shouldn't just focus on selling drinks, but also ensure that customers always have access to free items.

No need for fancy smiling service; basic operational services from later generations are enough to make adult customers who come here to play cards and spend money feel at home and think that this place is really amazing. There's even free lunch and dinner; the owner is so generous.

Second Uncle Sun Mingyi gathered a group of people to play mahjong with, while Sun Xiuyun was pulled into the "office" by her sister-in-law Xu Meilan for a chat.

In Xu Meilan's eyes now, Xu Kai is no longer that little guy. By the way, his attitude towards his sister-in-law has also changed completely. He is incredibly warm and friendly, constantly praising how amazing our little Kai is. He is so young, yet he has managed to take care of such a big business.

………………

"call."

Xu Kai stretched and lay down on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove) in the main room of his house. The kang had been very hot before his mother went to the arcade that morning. When he came back, he added some coal, and the temperature was just right. After working so hard for so many days, lying on the kang felt incredibly comfortable.

Yunshang looked around without any unusual expression, just as Xu Kai didn't care when Yunshang saw him selling apples on a tricycle in the dead of winter.

This is me and my family.

"Come here, let me hug you. You have no idea how I've been these past few days."

Xu Kai opened his arms, and Yunshang embraced him, turning her longing of the past few days into a hug.

Xu Kai took a deep breath, smelling Yunshang's pleasant scent and feeling the softness of her body. Embracing her was an act that required no mental preparation; the physical touch and the words of longing ignited the energy within the young man and woman.

Kissing is a tireless way to convey longing and the affection that comes from spending time together.

Yunshang can immerse herself in this way and experience the thrill of youth, but Xu Kai cannot. His adult way of thinking makes him not reject such a prelude, but he will not take this as the end point. Taking things step by step is almost instinctive.

Boys of that age might even deliberately hunch over or cross their legs to avoid their reactions being noticed and causing them embarrassment. But nothing like Xu Kai's reaction. This is my genuine reaction to liking you; how could I hide it? This proves I'm a man, okay?

Yunshang gasped for breath, her hands shielding her body. She had no strength left; only her last shred of reason allowed her to push Xu Kai away. If he didn't leave, she knew she wouldn't have the strength to push him away.

The buttons on her back were already undone, and her clothes were somewhat disheveled. Xu Kai's hand was in the gap between her jeans and skin. Given Yunshang's good figure and how well her body fit, there was no room for a hand to slip inside. This startled Yunshang and made her put up a final resistance.

"sorry……"

Xu Kai hooked Yunshang's chin with his finger: "You have nothing to apologize for. Don't say things like that again."

After saying that, he put his hands behind his head and leaned back on the rolled-up quilt in a very natural way. His obvious erection was right in front of Yunshang's eyes, making her blush. She lowered her head and muttered "You naughty thing," and subconsciously slapped it with her hand.

"Ah!!!!" Xu Kai exaggerated his pain, prompting Yun Shang to ask with feigned concern and apology. Too embarrassed to check, she paced anxiously, "Should we go to the hospital?"

"Hahaha..." Xu Kai laughed loudly, reached out and hugged the other person, and then had another round of increasingly thirsty play that only lasted for the first half.

Faced with the blossoming Yunshang, even thirst is worth it. It would be painful not to be able to eat her, but this kind of nurturing system is something that Xu Kai, at forty years old, can only dream about. He has no chance to actually do it.