Chapter 257: Meeting Jiang Longcheng Again
Upon reaching the row of buildings, Li Yi noticed that while the structures weren’t dilapidated, they had clearly been neglected for some time.
Many of the window panes were broken, and no one had bothered to replace them.
There was even a pile of trash in front of the building that hadn’t been cleared away, clearly indicating it had been abandoned for some time.
Since the door was locked, Li Yi could only peer inside through the glass.
To his delight, the interior resembled a shop, complete with shelves displaying various metal objects—though he had no idea what they were used for.
Furthermore, the house was quite spacious—the visible area alone was no less than two or three hundred square meters—and it had undergone some basic renovations.
To be honest, upon seeing this place, Li Yi’s mind immediately started racing.
This place was absolutely perfect for a restaurant—spacious and right on the street. Best of all, there was a decent-sized open area out front, ideal for parking.
In the summer, with a little setup, they could even set up a small barbecue.
More importantly, the basic structural work was already done; all that was needed was to refine the interior design and bring in all the restaurant equipment, and they could open for business.
It was exactly what Li Yi was looking for!
Immediately, Li Yi walked along the row of buildings, trying to figure out which organization owned the property.
He said this because he noticed that both sides of the row of buildings were flanked by tall walls stretching north and south, with even larger factory buildings behind them—it was obvious at a glance that this wasn’t private property.
After circling the buildings halfway, Li Yi and his companions finally found the factory’s main entrance.
Seeing the wooden sign at the entrance clearly reading “Beijing State-Owned Ninth Foundry,” Li Yi finally remembered—wasn’t this the first major state-owned factory in Beiguan Village to go bankrupt a few years later?
The factory primarily produced cast iron components, including sewer pipes and cast-iron stoves. Back in the day, with planned orders, it had managed to get by.
However, as policies shifted, the factory’s orders dwindled, and within five or six years, it had completely collapsed.
Compounding the problem was the massive workforce at this labor-intensive factory; relying solely on government bailouts to keep it afloat was clearly unsustainable.
Left with no other choice, it eventually went into bankruptcy liquidation, becoming one of the first state-owned enterprises in Beiguan Village—and indeed in all of Beijing—to go bankrupt, which caused quite a stir at the time.
Li Yi really hadn’t expected that the row of houses he’d set his sights on actually belonged to the foundry—he was actually quite lucky.
After all, the foundry was in a precarious financial situation, and these houses appeared to have been vacant for some time. If he paid to rent them, it would provide the factory with some much-needed revenue.
Normally, they wouldn’t turn down such a good deal.
With that in mind, Li Yi immediately told Shitou and the others to wait outside, while he and Dongzi headed inside the foundry!
As soon as they reached the entrance, they were stopped by a middle-aged man on duty.
“Hold on. Which organization are you with? Who are you here to see?”
Li Yi stepped forward and said, “Hello, comrade. We’d like to ask if the row of houses to the southeast of your factory is available for rent?”
“Rent a place? That’s a first—someone actually coming to our foundry to rent a place!”
The man then turned to Li Yi and said, “Our foundry has been in operation for decades, and we’ve never rented out any housing to the public. You’d better go somewhere else!”
Li Yi frowned and said, “Comrade, could you please let your supervisor know? I’m not just looking to rent one or two units—this would actually benefit your factory!”
“I already told you, our factory doesn’t rent out housing to the public. You’d better leave now!”
Seeing that the man wouldn’t budge, Li Yi couldn’t help but say, “Comrade, you should at least bring this up with your superiors. How can you just make this decision on your own?”
“Can’t you understand a simple statement? I told you we’re not renting—enough already! Get out of here right now, or I’ll call for backup!” the middle-aged man said impatiently.
Seeing that the man was determined not to cooperate, Li Yi knew it was pointless to argue further. He snorted coldly and left with Dongzi.
There was no point arguing with a mere gatekeeper; for something like this, he’d have to find the factory director or another person in charge.
However, Li Yi didn’t know who the foundry’s director was; he’d have to find a way to get that information.
Additionally, that row of buildings had given Li Yi quite an idea. Since he was in the modern food service business, there was no need to limit himself to traditional storefronts; street-facing warehouses like these would work just fine.
At worst, he could renovate it later—it wouldn’t cost much.
After reuniting with Shitou and the others, Li Yi led the group to a state-run restaurant nearby for lunch.
But as soon as they walked in, Li Yi spotted a familiar figure!
Jiang Longcheng was in a terrible mood today; after returning home yesterday, he’d been scolded by his father again.
The reason was that his cousin had been promoted—from deputy director of an office at a certain ministry to director, a one-rank rise in administrative status.
A 25-year-old department director—in local government terms, that was equivalent to a county magistrate’s position—and his future looked incredibly bright.
Because of this, the old man had heaped praise on his cousin, which left his own father feeling resentful.
As soon as he got home, his father berated him mercilessly, saying that as a descendant of the Jiang family, he showed no ambition, content to just coast by running a shabby little factory—a complete disgrace.
Although he’d grown accustomed to this over the years, hearing those words still made him feel irritated, and his mood remained sour for the rest of the day.
So, after work at noon, he called up his childhood friend Ye Jianhua to go out for a drink and take his mind off things.
But after just a couple of sips, he looked up and saw Li Yi walking right in!
Jiang Longcheng recognized him instantly—wasn’t this the very young man who had cursed him to a short life just last night?
Recalling what his childhood friend Zhou Jianguo had said yesterday, Jiang Longcheng couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.
Combined with the two drinks he’d just had, he found it even harder to contain his rage.
Without hesitation, he stood up and walked straight over to Li Yi.
Once he reached Li Yi, Jiang Longcheng said coldly, “Yesterday, Old Zhou told me you had ulterior motives toward me, and I didn’t quite believe it. But now it seems that kid was right after all. Spit it out—who are you, and what are your intentions for following me?”
“Up to no good? Against you?”
Li Yi smiled and continued, “They say a dog bites Lü Dongbin—not recognizing a good person’s heart. Today, I’ve finally seen it for myself!”
“You’re calling me a dog?”
“Enough. Don’t act like you’ve been wronged for generations. You wanted to know who I am, didn’t you? I’ll give you a chance!” Li Yi said indifferently.
“What kind of chance?”
“The chance to finish me off, of course!”
“???”
“Treat us guys to a meal, and we’ll chat while we’re at it!” Li Yi said.
“Hahaha, that’s funny. You’re a funny one, kid!”
Jiang Longcheng then looked at Li Yi and said, “This is the first time anyone’s dared to ask me to treat them like this. Just for your guts alone, treating you guys to a meal isn’t a big deal. But if your answer doesn’t satisfy me, the consequences…”
However, before Jiang Longcheng could finish his threat, Li Yi cut him off.
“Enough with the act. It won’t work on me!”
With that, Li Yi led Dongzi and the others over to the table where Jiang Longcheng and his group were sitting, then took a seat under the stunned gaze of Jiang Longcheng’s childhood friend.