Chapter 256: The Con Man

Beiguan Village. State-run Restaurant!

After Li Yi and the others left, Jiang Longcheng felt completely drained.

It wasn’t really Jiang Longcheng’s fault; anyone else hearing those words would have felt the same way.

If it hadn’t been for the sincerity in Li Yi’s final words—and the fact that he left so decisively—Jiang Longcheng would have thought he’d come looking for a fight.

With his short temper, he’d almost come to blows!

Just then, one of the men who had accompanied Jiang Longcheng inside walked over and asked, “Hey, Old Jiang, why do you look so livid?”

Jiang Longcheng frowned as he recounted what had just happened, then asked, “What do you think that kid was getting at?”

“Playing tricks. I bet that kid’s trying to pull a fast one on you!”

“What kind of shady deal?” Jiang Longcheng asked immediately.

“Didn’t he say you’re in for a bloody disaster? You didn’t believe him, but if something really did happen to you, how would you feel?”

“What do you mean… are you saying that kid is setting a trap for me?”

“It’s possible. I’ve heard there are some street thugs who specialize in this. They start by mysteriously warning you about an accident, then secretly stage one behind the scenes. That way, you’ll believe him, and he’ll take advantage of the situation to make a quick buck off you!”

“Is that even a thing?”

“Yeah, so you’d better be careful these next few days!”

“Hah, that guy better not pull that stunt. Otherwise, I’ll break his legs!” Jiang Longcheng said, raising his fist.

“Give it a rest. We’re fine china—we can’t go butting heads with those roughnecks!”

“But we can’t let people take advantage of us either. Otherwise, if the folks in the compound find out, they’ll laugh their heads off!”

“You’re just a prideful fool. Will a few laughs kill you? Let me tell you, those street thugs are ruthless. Don’t act on impulse!”

“When it comes to being ruthless, I’ve never been afraid of anyone. Alright, enough chatter. Hurry up and get some meat to eat—I’ve been starving these past few days!” Jiang Longcheng said nonchalantly.

“You’re the factory director, running such a huge textile plant, and you’re still short on meat? Just have the factory canteen cook you a stew—that’s all it takes!”

“Bullshit. I’m the factory director—I’ve got to set an example!”

Seeing that his childhood friend was about to say something else, Jiang Longcheng cut him off immediately: “Stop your nonsense. This meal’s on me. Hurry up and order!”

“I’ve been waiting for you to say that. So, what kind of meat do you want?”

“Lamb. I’ll have lamb chops—the fatty kind. They’re delicious!”

“Deal!”

Li Yi never would have dreamed that just by offering a simple reminder, he’d now been branded a con artist.

What’s more, he’d been mistaken for someone with ulterior motives. If anything were to happen to Jiang Longcheng, he’d likely be the first person under suspicion.

But even if Li Yi had known this would happen, he probably wouldn’t have changed his mind.

After all, Jiang Longcheng was his benefactor. With his life now in danger, Li Yi simply couldn’t turn a blind eye—neither out of duty nor out of compassion.

As for being misunderstood, Li Yi had been misunderstood countless times in his past life—he was used to it by now!

……

The night passed without incident. After a good night’s sleep, Li Yi woke up bright and early the next morning.

He went to the next room to wake up his younger brothers, and after they’d washed up, he led them out the door.

Today was already October 27th, and there was only one week left before the notice from the capital was issued. He had to secure the storefront as soon as possible.

Otherwise, once the notice was issued, trying to rent a suitable storefront would cost at least double the price.

On top of that, something was going to happen to Jiang Longcheng that night. Once Li Yi had settled the housing situation, he’d have to go save him.

So, he had quite a lot on his plate today!

Once they reached the street, Li Yi had a quick breakfast and then led Dongzi and the others as they wandered along the main street of Beiguan Village.

At the moment, Beiguan Village was still quite run-down. All he could see were small, single-story houses, and the few multi-story buildings that existed belonged to various state-owned factories.

The current dilapidation stood in stark contrast to the prosperity of his past life. Who could have imagined that this large, run-down village would one day become a renowned high-tech park in the capital?

Who could have imagined that these busy, ordinary citizens would one day make a fortune simply by holding a Beiguan Village household registration and investing in land shares?

Although Beiguan Village’s current layout was rather haphazard—if there was even a layout at all—it looked like a complete mess!

But Li Yi had spent a considerable amount of time here in his previous life, so he was fairly familiar with the area and wasn’t wandering around aimlessly like a headless fly. He led Dongzi and the others toward what he remembered as Beiguan Village’s first commercial street.

At the moment, there weren’t many shops on the main street, and even those that existed were mostly state-owned.

However, there were still quite a few people running small private businesses on the side, though they were all very cautious and didn’t dare to be too brazen about it!

After all, quite a few educated youth had returned to the city in the past two years, and if they couldn’t get into college, it was hard to find suitable jobs for them.

So, they either stayed at home living off their parents or quietly ran small businesses.

For example, some would gather eggs and baked goods to sell near the train station, while others would roast sunflower seeds and peanuts to sell near the movie theater.

There are even some sharp-witted individuals who take photos of movie star posters, get them developed, and quietly sell them to young men and women—making quite a bit of money in the process!

These days, as long as you’re bold enough, you can basically make money doing just about anything.

However, since there was no official permission, everything had to be done in secret.

The authorities turn a blind eye to these activities; as long as they don’t go too far, they pretend not to see!

So, for now, the business atmosphere throughout the capital remains quite lively, though this activity is taking place behind the scenes, giving the impression of a simmering undercurrent.

However, when the notice was issued on November 4, the forcibly suppressed calm was instantly shattered, and everything would be brought out into the open.

From that moment on, industry and commerce in the capital would usher in a new era!

But that’s a story for another time!

Li Yi and his companions wandered the main street for over two hours but failed to find a suitable shop.

Li Yi even made a special trip to the street he remembered as being dedicated to restaurants, only to find that the street before him differed somewhat from his memories.

Most importantly, the majority of the buildings here were primarily residential, with no dedicated storefronts.

Even if there were any, they were extremely small—at most twenty or thirty square meters—which simply wouldn’t meet Li Yi’s needs.

Come to think of it, in his previous life, Li Yi had left the cotton mill back in December.

By then, nearly two months had passed since the notice was issued. Some quick-witted individuals had already converted their street-facing homes into standard storefronts for rent, and others followed suit, eventually forming the later-known dining street.

As for now, people simply haven’t gotten around to it yet!

More importantly, most of the buildings here were ordinary residential homes. They were simply too small; even if converted into shops, they wouldn’t meet Li Yi’s requirements.

After all, he wanted to run a combined barbecue and hot pot restaurant, which had significant space requirements. First and foremost, the area had to be large; anything too small simply wouldn’t work.

After searching all morning without finding a suitable property, the group couldn’t help but feel a bit discouraged.

Li Yi, however, wasn’t in a rush. After all, finding a shop isn’t like looking for a place to live—it’s not something you can rush.

They still had a few days left. If they couldn’t find anything today, they’d just keep looking tomorrow.

A village as big as Beiguan must have a place suitable for a restaurant!

However, just as Li Yi was about to take his crew to find a place for lunch, a row of dilapidated buildings suddenly caught his eye.

The row of buildings faced the street and stretched over a hundred meters long; though the exact area wasn’t immediately clear, it surely wasn’t small.

Judging by the architectural style, they likely served as warehouses or similar structures, but they had clearly been renovated—they had windows and doors opening onto the street.

The moment he saw this row of buildings, Li Yi was instantly intrigued.

If the interiors of these buildings could be connected, they’d be perfect for a restaurant.

Without finishing his meal, Li Yi immediately set off toward them in long strides.