After leaving the teahouse where I had just met Fangyuan, I drove through the deepening night toward the “Kongchengli” music restaurant. When I arrived, most of the diners had already left, leaving only a few tables still drinking beer and eating spicy hotpots, causing the air to lose its original freshness.
It was only then that I realized I hadn’t had dinner yet. I ordered fried rice with eggs and two cold dishes from a waiter. While waiting, I drank water and listened to the female singer on stage, constantly imagining her as CC, because I had become so accustomed to CC’s presence here. The way she played guitar with a cigarette tucked between her fingers was deeply etched in my mind.
During dinner, I called over the restaurant’s manager, trying not to upset her too much, and tactfully laid the groundwork for my question: “Yiqing (the manager’s name), how was the restaurant’s performance last month?”
The manager looked puzzled and replied, “General Manager Zhao, we already submitted last month’s business report to the headquarters last week. Haven’t you seen it?”
“I did see it, but the figures are hard for me to accept. After all, this restaurant was still profitable half a year ago, and now it’s suffering serious losses!”
The manager’s expression darkened. After a long silence, she asked, “So what are you implying, General Manager Zhao? Are we going to reform, or abandon this restaurant?”
“I hope another individual or organization can take over this restaurant.”
As soon as I said this, tears welled up in the manager’s eyes. She choked up and said, “A few days ago, some employees told me about the restaurant’s heavy losses last month, and that the company would definitely take action. I comforted them, saying that the headquarters had a clear vision for this restaurant, valuing its cultural significance over profit, and that General Manager Zhao would definitely keep the restaurant open. I didn’t expect… you to give up on it so easily. Is the headquarters really in such a financial crisis that they have to abandon Kongchengli?”
Looking at her, I felt a sense of guilt despite knowing this was just an act. However, since I had already started, I had to continue the performance, so I replied, “Even if Kongchengli is eventually transferred, the headquarters will properly relocate all of you and provide better job opportunities, because I have always appreciated your work. It’s just that the current business model of this restaurant is problematic…”
The manager interrupted me, saying, “General Manager Zhao, do you really think we work at Kongchengli just for future promotions in the company? Let me tell you, everyone who works at Kongchengli does so out of belief. Take Brother Sunyao, for example; he has been the chef here since CC started managing the restaurant. Over the years, many other restaurants have offered him high salaries to leave, but he has always stayed loyal to this restaurant. Can you tell me why? Is it for promotions and raises? No, it’s CC’s charisma and the sentiment behind Kongchengli that kept him here… Perhaps, in your eyes, it’s just a business venture, but in ours, it’s a city with flesh and blood, with spring, summer, autumn, and winter…”
Her words moved me, and I remained silent for a while.
“General Manager Zhao, you’ve really changed. CC would be heartbroken and scold you if she knew you were giving up on this restaurant. You’ve betrayed her trust.”
“I’ve already discussed transferring the restaurant with CC, and I decided to give it up only after receiving her approval.”
The manager looked at me through her tears, her faith seemingly collapsing, leaving her speechless.
I sighed and said, “Maybe I have changed… But Yiqing, let me tell you: beneath human nature lies the ever-changing sky. There’s no one who remains unchanged in this world, including you who have placed your faith in Kongchengli. One day, when you start families and face the harshness of society, you’ll understand deeply.”
The manager no longer acknowledged me, crying as she leaned on the table. Meanwhile, Luo Ben had somehow appeared at the restaurant and sat down beside me. He picked up the Hongmei cigarette I had placed on the table, lit one, and said, “Did you take some pretentious pills? You actually said something like ‘beneath human nature lies the ever-changing sky’!”
In fact, after saying that, my heart also felt heavy. Although that sentence might sound pretentious, it contained a sense of sorrow similar to that of changing times and things remaining the same while people change, as well as the helplessness of a strong heart corroded by a fame- and profit-driven society. I had truly experienced it before, which was why I once gave up my beloved music and chose to work a regular job instead.
Looking at Yiqing, who was crying in front of me, Luo Ben asked, “Why is she crying? Did you scold her again?”
I looked at Luo Ben, and after a moment of silence, I said, “…I’m planning to transfer Kongchengli. It’s been losing too much money recently!”
Luo Ben’s eyes suddenly became as sharp as knives, staring at me intensely, and said, “I didn’t hear clearly. Say it again.”
The manager seemed to harbor resentment toward me, and Luo Ben, reacting strongly, became her lifeline. She lifted her head, wiped away her tears, and answered Luo Ben instead of me: “General Manager Zhao is going to abandon Kongchengli. He wants to transfer Kongchengli.”
Luo Ben forcefully crushed the cigarette with his fingers, his expression dark and stormy as he looked at me. Suddenly, he grabbed my neck and said, “Are you out of your mind… Who the hell approved this? Do you really think this restaurant belongs to you alone?!”
As I struggled to breathe, I kicked Luo Ben’s chair over and waved my hand to push him away. We then stood about a meter apart. Luo Ben narrowed his eyes and looked at me, saying, “Zhaoyang, you’d better explain clearly today why you want to transfer this restaurant?… Your Luku has always been financially strong. Could it possibly be short of the money Kongchengli has lost?”
“Luku doesn’t belong to me alone. I have to be responsible to the investors… I originally wanted to save Kongchengli, but the investors and senior management believe that Kongchengli will negatively impact other restaurants, so they’ve decided to forcibly transfer it. Can I really go against the collective will to protect this restaurant?”
“Transfer my ass, just close it down!”
My argument with Luo Ben immediately drew the attention of everyone in the restaurant, making this performance even more realistic. The remaining customers began to criticize me and some rationally urged me to keep the restaurant running, even offering to pay market prices or more for their meals at Kongchengli.
I told everyone, “Since you’re all willing to pay market prices for your meals at Kongchengli, after the transfer, we can change the payment model to a transparent pricing system. You can still come here to eat as usual!”
Most of the people dining here had characteristics of literary or rebellious personalities. Immediately, a voice filled with disdain replied, “We come to Kongchengli because we like the feeling of trust between people. Implementing a transparent pricing system would be an insult to this restaurant. It would be better to just close it down!”
I focused on the regular customers of Kongchengli, trying to find a clue in their anger to identify a suspect. However, it seemed like anyone could be involved, and this wasn’t something that could be resolved by suspicion alone. Further investigation was needed. I gritted my teeth, took out the prepared notice of closure with the company seal from my briefcase, and handed it to Manager Yiqing, saying, “Post this notice of closure. The restaurant will either close or be transferred; it can’t continue operating in its current state… Deep down, I really want to save this restaurant, but the bigger picture of the company is more important.”
My determination left everyone in collective silence. Finally, someone spoke up, saying, “It seems our time with this restaurant has come to an end. Over the years, we’ve come here whether we had money or not, and we’ve taken advantage of it a lot. This must be our last night. Let’s show some humanity and leave all the cash we have on us to commemorate this restaurant that gave us faith but is now closing down!”
Everyone looked at each other, then took out their wallets from their pockets, placing one thousand, two thousand, five hundred, two hundred, and so on on the table. Before leaving, they took out their phones to take photos, commemorating the irreplaceable Kongchengli and the lost faith, to the point that even I believed “Kongchengli” was really going to close down in this harsh reality, and I felt waves of sorrow in my heart…
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