After washing up, I finally lay on the bed that Mi Cai had prepared for me. This was the first time I stayed here with a peaceful mind since Mi Cai bought the house. I just hoped that Mi Cai wouldn’t suddenly get angry with me and use her newly regained landlord status to drive me away again.
I thought I should have a serious talk with her about renting tomorrow. Of course, I wouldn’t stay here for free. We could sign a formal rental contract.
Resting my head on my arms, I thought again about the main purpose of my coming to Suzhou. I needed to help Leyao manage the bar well, preferably achieving profitability in the short term. However, the urgent matter was helping her resolve the debt issue of 1 million yuan, because repaying the high-interest loan was the most pressing matter.
But who could I ask for help? Among my friends, only Xiang Chen and Jian Wei had the financial capability, although it would be very difficult to ask for such a large sum.
Suddenly, I thought of Mi Cai. She could definitely come up with the 1 million yuan, but I was reluctant to borrow from her, as if it would put her in my debt. At least if I had a choice, I would rather borrow from Xiang Chen, despite the awkwardness between us now. However, when it came to important matters, I couldn’t afford to be embarrassed.
I turned over and saw the endless darkness outside the window, suddenly feeling upset again. This frustration stemmed from my worry that I might not be able to help Leyao get rid of the trouble of the high-interest loan.
…
I had a light sleep that night and woke up early, unable to fall back asleep. So I got up in the still-dark early morning before sunrise.
After washing up, I made some porridge and then went downstairs to the familiar breakfast shop to buy some food. When I returned, Mi Cai had already gotten up and was washing up in the bathroom.
In the living room, I said to Mi Cai, “I bought some pot stickers and steamed dumplings. Do you like them?”
“Not bad. Did you buy soy milk?”
“I made porridge, so I didn’t buy any.”
“Oh.”
“If you want to drink soy milk, I can go back down and buy some.”
“No need to go to so much trouble.”
“No problem, it’s not a big deal.” I said, putting on my shoes and quickly running downstairs again.
When I came back, Mi Cai had already finished washing up and was sitting at the dining table, pouring herself a bowl of porridge. I handed the soy milk I had bought to her and said, “Didn’t you want to drink soy milk? Why are you eating porridge now?”
“I was hungry, so I ate a bit first.” She took the soy milk from my hand but didn’t touch the porridge anymore.
I frowned and asked, “You’re not going to drink this porridge anymore?”
“I have soy milk now.”
“This is really a bad habit. If you don’t drink it, it will be wasted!”
“If you think it’s a waste, why don’t you drink it then?” Mi Cai said indifferently.
I immediately refused seriously, “How can I do that? This is what you’ve already drunk. What kind of behavior would that be?”
“Then why didn’t you say that when you used my toothbrush?” Mi Cai brought up the old issue.
“These are two different situations and cannot be compared.”
“Then it’s up to you. Anyway, I can’t eat anymore.”
I didn’t argue with Mi Cai and took the bowl of rice porridge she had only eaten a few bites of to my side. I didn’t mind eating after her, and besides, it would be a real waste otherwise. These were the rice that my father had sent, all bought with real money.
“You just said you wouldn’t eat it, right?” Mi Cai asked in a mocking tone.
“I really don’t want to waste it. You shouldn’t waste either. It’s a bad habit. Let me tell you: many of my relatives are from the countryside, and they work very hard in the fields, but you just haven’t seen it.” I said earnestly.
Mi Cai finally nodded, as if she had made a mistake, and said to me, “I understand. Next time, I will take as much as I can eat.”
I also nodded but didn’t say anything else. My thoughts returned to the crisis I was about to face. Last night, I had indeed planned to borrow money from Xiang Chen, but when I faced it today, I felt there was a barrier I couldn’t cross. Moreover, I really couldn’t be sure whether Xiang Chen would lend it to me, because the amount was too large. More importantly, I had no ability to repay it at all.
Because I was distracted, I ate slowly, while Mi Cai finished before me. Then she took out a set of keys from her bag and handed them to me, saying, “Here are the keys to the house.”
I took the keys from Mi Cai, smiled, and asked, “So you really plan to let me stay here now?”
“You stay here. I’ll move to the other place.”
I naturally knew what other place Mi Cai was referring to—her other house in Suzhou. I wasn’t surprised by her decision, after all, she had always disliked living together with a man alone, and there were indeed many inconveniences, especially for her, a woman who had high demands for quality of life.
I nodded and said, “Then let’s talk about the rent. Can I pay you the same rent as I paid Lao Li?”
“Up to you… I need to go to work now.” Mi Cai said, getting up and heading to the shoe rack to change her shoes.
“Then I’ll just pay whatever I want, right?” I shouted at her.
“Fine.”
“When will you move your stuff out? Or will you leave it here?”
“Leave it here.” Mi Cai made the choice without hesitation.
“Oh, so you plan to come back occasionally?”
Mi Cai had already changed her shoes. Whether she didn’t hear my question or chose not to respond, in any case, she just left, and by then it was already morning.
…
I cleaned up the dishes, lit a cigarette, and sat on the sofa feeling lost for a while. Then I took out my phone from my pocket and called Leyao. I wanted her to take me to the bar first to understand the situation.
After calling Leyao, I separately called Luo Ben and CC, making plans to meet with them. For example, I guessed Luo Ben might know more about the bar’s current business situation than Leyao herself.
Shortly afterward, I arrived at the bar where Leyao worked. None of the three had arrived yet. I walked along the street and found it was a newly developed commercial street, mainly for entertainment purposes. As for the commercial prospects of this street, I couldn’t make a judgment, but Leyao’s decision to open a bar on a new commercial street with an unclear outlook was a very risky move. However, I guessed she had no choice, as it wasn’t easy to squeeze into an established commercial street to open a bar.
Besides Leyao’s bar, there was another bar, a disco, two newly opened KTVs, and several restaurants on this commercial street. However, the commercial atmosphere hadn’t yet formed, as nearly a third of the shops were still unrented.
I quickly analyzed the street’s geographical location, transportation, and surrounding commercial facilities. It might take a year or two to develop a commercial atmosphere, but it would require sufficient funds to support this development. If Leyao could sustain the bar until then, the prospects wouldn’t be too bad. However, she clearly didn’t have enough capital to sustain it now, and transferring the bar in the short term wasn’t very practical. The only option now was to grit her teeth and keep running it. Once the business improved, there might be an opportunity to transfer the bar, or she could choose to continue operating it. But these were all future considerations. The real problem I faced now was the truly difficult one.
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