Returning to '97, creating a new life

The floods devastated the fruit wholesale market, leaving it virtually devoid of long-distance freight for a long time, except for some locally sourced fruit. Consequently, business was nonexistent, and the number of customers dwindled significantly.

The arcade business, however, was not affected. The fear and lack of customers caused by the flood did not impact the arcade business.

While many primary and secondary school students may be restricted from going out by their parents, thus affecting the arcade sector, the gaming machines in the truly core areas have not been affected at all. On the contrary, they are showing a trend of making a fortune, with the machines always packed during peak hours.

In just over a month, they gained fame and made money. Xu Kai discussed with his partners that they would not split the profits for now. Apart from daily expenses and employee salaries, all the remaining money would be used to purchase machinery and add equipment to the premises.

The "Full House God of Wealth" and "Golden Gourd 888" are very popular, even surpassing "Animal Paradise," which Xu Kai highly favored. This fact makes him sigh that the aesthetic perceptions and preferences of the times really exist.

When purchasing inventory, I inquired about the upgraded version of the AAAKK online poker machine, but found that it had not yet appeared. I could only continue with the single-player Golden Gourd. I wasn't worried that the old machines would become worthless after the new version came out, as many small arcades would be willing to take over discounted gambling machines.

Xu Kai maintained constant contact with Fang Ming, the owner of the game console factory, so that when the new version was released, he would have the time to deal with the old version machines he had.

Ten mahjong machines and ten poker machines were installed.

They bought two more of the popular horse racing machines, and the house was bustling and noisy from morning till night. The so-called mahjong parlor setup was just a way for Xu Kai to attract customers, and he didn't listen to the suggestions of some customers to expand the business.

If you wanted to do this, you shouldn't have chosen an arcade in the first place. Instead, you should have partnered with Xu Dalong to open a mahjong parlor. No matter how good the business was, you would only take a cut. Compared to the profits from gambling machines, that would be nothing. If you expanded the operation, you would have needed to hire a master of the underworld to oversee the place and prevent any cheating or fraudulent activities from happening there.

During this period, they encountered some trouble caused by idle members of society. Not only did Da Liangzi step in, but later his older brother Zhang Xu also intervened, directly addressing the issue beyond the proper channels to avoid escalating the situation. This show of force in the underworld also made people realize that the arcade had powerful backers, thus avoiding unnecessary trouble.

The sweltering summer is gradually subsiding, and after several days of intense sunshine, the river level is steadily declining. Perhaps never before have people wished for even hotter weather.

Inside the warehouse arcade, two large standing air conditioners and four exhaust fans were running, completely unconcerned about wasting electricity, as they needed to keep the area cool while also expelling as much smoke as possible from the warehouse.

Song Jun had borrowed enough money and directly bought the video arcade for 38,000 yuan, becoming its sole owner. Xu Kai and Xu Dalong split the money, and the three parted ways amicably. Song Jun even treated everyone to a farewell dinner, during which he expressed his gratitude to Xu Kai and Xu Dalong, and said that they would get along better in the future and that they could talk if needed.

With the start of the new school year approaching, Xu Kai is about to begin his high school life. Meanwhile, the newly purchased machines at the arcade have arrived. As the owner and technical expert, he has spent the last two days at the arcade debugging the machines, maintaining and repairing some of the existing ones, and teaching Xu Meilan and Yang Yu how to view the back-end data of the gambling machines so that they can reconcile accounts daily. Once school starts, Xu Kai won't be able to come here every day.

The warehouse was bustling with noise from morning till night. Large crowds always surrounded the gambling machines, and customers would stand behind the mahjong and poker machines to watch the excitement.

After completing the final adjustments, Xu Kai straightened his back, looked at the clock on the wall, and saw that it was already 11:30 p.m. He washed his hands and left without lingering amidst the noisy commotion.

With the money from the sale of the video arcade and the booming operation of the arcade for over a month, Xu Kai began to learn to "disappear".

He rarely comes to the arcade unless absolutely necessary. It's foreseeable that the arcade will generate substantial monthly revenue in the future; according to his plan, this could be his first pot of gold.

However, this first pot of gold was tainted with something that wasn't entirely clean, and the path he's taking now is to slowly extricate himself from that.

Yun Sheng only came once, and Wang Jianshe and Xu Dalong only came to visit twice secretly.

A while ago, I got an entertainment business license for the arcade, using my second aunt Xu Meilan's name. For the name, I get an extra two hundred yuan a month; some people don't understand, while others praise it.

Riding Yunshang's motorcycle, I sped home. When I reached the alley entrance, I stopped revving the engine; it was too late and I'd disturb the neighbors.

"Um?"

It was close to midnight, but the lights were on inside, the curtains were not drawn, and the television was not turned on.

Sun Xiuyun sat leaning against the headboard, her eyes bloodshot, her whole being devoid of energy and spirit, looking utterly dejected.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Xu Kai strode into the house, asking with concern.

Sun Xiuyun looked up, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably: "Son. Mom... Mom has been laid off. Mom has no job."

The more she talked, the more tears she shed, and the harder she cried.

The passing of Xu Kai's father was the first time the sky fell for her. Today is the second time. In her more than forty years of life, starting work was a milestone in the minds of people of her generation. From then on, she worked for the country and ate from the same pot. She would be a factory worker for life.

The layoffs had a huge impact on them, and an even greater impact on Sun Xiuyun. She even felt that she could not go on living her life. She had no goals in life and was filled with fear and anxiety. Her son was so promising and got into a top provincial high school, but she was laid off and had no income. How could she support her child's education?

"Mom, Mom, Mom, look at me, look at me!!!!"

Xu Kai took out a bank passbook from the house. Nowadays, bank cards and passbooks are integrated. Bank cards are convenient, while passbooks are more intuitive and three-dimensional. This is also a transitional phase, allowing people to gradually become familiar with the more convenient bank cards.

"Mom, look, here's 20,000 yuan. The video arcade was sold, and this is the money we got. The arcade made 40,000 yuan last month, but we didn't get any of it. We used it to buy a lot more machines and air conditioners. From now on, I'll get at least 10,000 yuan every month. We're not short of money. Now that I can earn money, I don't need to support the family anymore. If you don't get laid off, I'm even planning to let you stay home and enjoy your retirement..."

No amount of advice can be as convincing as the machine-printed balance figures on your bankbook.

I traveled south alone before, enduring hardships and giving it my all. What was the purpose? Making money was only one part of it, not the whole thing.

Right now, Xu Kai feels this is the most worthwhile time. He can confidently tell his mother that being laid off is not a big deal and that she doesn't need to feel any pressure. He is about to start a new chapter in his life—a new chapter of enjoying happiness.

"Mom, I'll give you two thousand yuan every month from now on. You can just play mahjong every day. There are neighbors all around, so I don't mind. If there's no one around, you can go to my arcade. There are people playing there every day."

Sun Xiuyun burst into laughter through her tears and patted her son on the shoulder: "You're just being silly, playing mahjong every day, you'll become a parasite..."

"So what? Your son is capable. As his mother, you just need to enjoy life and don't need to worry about anything else. He's in a top high school now, and he'll send you to university in the future. Our family will have a college graduate too. If you meet someone you like, your son will even cover your wedding expenses and buy you a big house..."

The most effective comfort comes from loved ones.

The numbers in her bank account and her son's performance over the past year are Sun Xiuyun's greatest source of confidence. She has never had any great ambitions growing up and doesn't have high demands for life. She is carefree and easygoing. At this moment, her son has dispelled most of the gloom in her heart.

"Are you hungry? Mom will steam you some egg custard."

"Okay, add some dried shrimp."

The color TV that Xu Kai bought was turned on inside the house. Although there was no laughter or cheerful conversation, the house regained its former "vitality".

Not only did Xu Kai install a color TV, but he also installed cable TV and a landline phone at home. Since they got cable TV programs, it wasn't just a matter of two or three channels as before; there were dozens of channels to choose from at will. Every night, the various movie recordings alone were enough to keep Sun Xiuyun entertained until midnight.

"Mom, I'll have someone redo the front storage room these next few days. We'll put a shower room in it, which will be perfect since you have time now. It'll also be good to have someone watching over it so they don't cut corners."

"Why bother with that? It's a waste of money..." Sun Xiuyun was about to say that she had been laid off and had no income at home, but then she remembered how much money her son could earn in a month, and she suddenly became speechless.

"I play ball and train every day, so I'm used to taking showers."

Xu Kai was worried that his mother would overthink things again, so he decided to keep her from having time to do so by assigning her the task of supervising the work. This would keep her from overthinking for at least ten days. Given her personality, she would probably accept the situation after ten days.

As for what will happen in ten days, Xu Kai has several options in mind: whether to let her enjoy herself first or find her a job. He will choose whichever option will make his mother happiest.

Although the arcade business may seem a bit lowbrow, it is Xu Kai's source of confidence right now, the reason he can provide his mother with any lifestyle he desires.