Li He said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry. I'm just playing casually. I have nothing to do anyway."
The old lady came out of the kitchen. Seeing that there were guests, she greeted Qi Gongxun and took Li He from Li He's arms.
"Is this Old Gu's handiwork? I can tell that it's his family's ancestral craftsmanship. "Qi Gongxun took the erhu and rubbed it." It's new. Can I try it? "
"Up to you." Li He learned erhu from Qi Gongxun. Of course, he knew that Qi Gongxun's level was quite high. According to Li He, he started learning erhu from his father when he was five or six years old. He had been learning erhu for more than 20 years and was obsessed with it.
Li He had just graduated and was Qi Gongxun's colleague. They even lived in the same dormitory. He didn't know how to date and had no other hobbies. He didn't dare to have hobbies. Other than work, he had nothing to do in his free time. Eventually, he learned erhu from Qi Gongxun.
His salary was pitiful and he didn't dare to spend money. He didn't even want to buy an erhu. He had always used Qi Gongxun's erhu.
He couldn't stop learning. It was not until many years later when he was rich that he bought Old Gu's erhu as a hobby. But his level was no match for Qi Gongxun's.
"Then I'll embarrass myself." Qi Gongxun sat on the chair, pretending to be serious.
Li He listened to Qi Gongxun play "River River". He didn't play according to the original score. He added a lot of strings and made it a little softer. But the atmosphere was perfect. It was sad and heart-wrenching.
"Amazing, amazing." A master was a master. Li He had to admit that he was a master.
"Sigh, after this song changed from the key of BB to the second key of C, almost every phrase was repeated word by word. As far as the melody is concerned, there's nothing new. If I don't rub the strings, I can't express the mood at all. I have no choice but to rub the strings. Not rub the strings is what a master would do. Famous masters use short bows and use light strength. Other than a few notes, they don't rub the string. "Qi Gongxun said very seriously.
Li He agreed. "It's the same for me. If I don't rub the strings, I won't be able to produce a clear and long note without vibrations."
"In the seventies, I once listened to Mr. Xu Lanyuan's Huqin performance with my father. It was really a lingering sound that lingered for three days. You don't know, as long as I can listen to it every day, I can even go three days and three nights without eating. "Qi Gongxun's expression was full of envy and yearning.
Li He was also excited to hear this. He quickly asked, "Is this old mister still around?"
Throughout his life, this old man mainly played the huqin for Tan Xinpei and Mei Lanfang, the two masters of the Beijing opera. He was once hailed as the "Divine Huqin Player" in the Pear Garden and could be said to be a national treasure. For a portion of the people who liked the huqin, buying tickets for Mei Lanfang was often just to listen to Mr. Xu Lanyuan play the huqin and sing, although it was a little like buying the casket and returning the pearls.
"I think it disappeared in 77. What a pity. I used to live on Middle Street, not far from your house. But the six generations of Xu Men, Glorious Pear Garden, are all over there. We can go take a look when we have time. "
"I wasn't here then." Li He couldn't help but feel that it was a pity.
Qi Gongxun seemed to have found a common language with Li He. He talked non-stop, forgetting the serious business he was here for.
The two of them chatted from Shen Zhaozhou to Liu Tianhua and Ah Bing, and they chatted excitedly.
Li He smiled bitterly. "I'm not talented, so I can only listen. I can still appreciate it."
"There's no hurry. The older generation is gone, but there are still capable people. I heard that Min Huifen is pretty good. Let's go listen some other day."
"Of course, of course. It's my treat. " The old lady had already placed the dishes on the table. Li He invited, "Let's eat first. We'll talk while we eat."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Qi Gongxun and Li He chatted happily. Moreover, they were frequent visitors, so there was no need to be pretentious. It was already lunchtime. If he left now, it would be disrespectful. He took something out of his bag and said, "These are the license plates you wanted. I've brought them."
"Thank you." Li He happily took the three license plates and the little booklet. When he looked closely, it really started with the letter A. He was very happy. "Let's drink a bottle of beer each. Is that okay?"
"No problem." Qi Gongxun took the beer and glass, then said to the old lady who brought the dishes in, "Auntie, sorry for the trouble. You should eat too. There's no need for so many dishes."
The old lady said, "They're all home-cooked dishes. If you don't mind, eat more."
She followed the etiquette of treating guests and pushed all the good dishes in front of the guest.
"Auntie, this vermicelli is too chewy. It's much stronger than my old lady's," Qi Gongxun praised.
"Then eat more, eat more." The old lady saw that Li Lan was about to climb out of the basket and hurried over.
Li He and Qi Gongxun kept clinking glasses. One bottle of beer was not enough, and soon, the second bottle came.
"Give me your identification later. We'll be leaving at the beginning of next month. You can make arrangements at home, and I'll inform you of the exact time." Qi Gongxun finally got down to business.
"Under what name?" Li He was curious.
"We'll be going with the people from the Machinery Import and Export Corporation. China's air separation equipment trade negotiation team. Firstly, we'll be preparing to export the air separation equipment to the Czech First Petrochemical Plant, and secondly, we'll be purchasing a dry air compressor from the Czech First Petrochemical Plant."
"Who's leading the team?"
"It's not Old Liu. You'll know him when you get there."
"Alright." Since Liu Baoyong was not leading the team, it must be someone else. Li He knew that Qi Gongxun was not in a position to say more, so he did not ask any further. However, he could roughly guess the purpose of this trip. There were only two things in the Czech military industry that China was interested in. One was the aviation training aircraft, and the other was the metal cutting machine tools. Both were the best in the world.
The Czech aviation industry had almost a hundred years of history. It had the world's oldest aircraft manufacturer, and the world's largest trainer and attack aircraft development company. "Mirage", "Albatross", and L-39 were all produced in the Czech Republic.
At the same time, the metal cutting industry was very strong. There was Skoda, which produced heavy machine tools, and TOS, which produced planers. Skoda was the most famous automobile manufacturer.
China would never be able to catch up with these industries, at least not now.
After dinner, Qi Gongxun left without even taking a sip of tea.
After sending him off, Li He printed the new license plate on the van. From now on, he had to say goodbye to the Public Security Bureau's vehicle management office.
He still had two license plates left, and he could buy two more cars in the future. One would be in Shenzhen, and the other would be in his hometown.
Li Lan's mother was busy washing the dishes in the kitchen, and she did not notice that Li Lan had wet his pants. His mother hugged his butt a few times. "Remember to greet me in the future."
Li Lan cried at Li He, asking for comfort.
"You deserve it." Li He hugged his butt a few times.
The next night, He Fang called to tell Feng Yu that she missed her son. Li He had no choice but to send his mother and son over.
His meals had become a problem. There was no one at home to cook, and he could only go to the restaurant every day.
He Long's kebab shop had opened, and he and his wife were very busy. Business was very good.
As long as it was a business related to food, the business was good. Furthermore, the location of the shop was very crowded, and it was hard to move one's legs while smelling the aroma of the mutton.
Li He had eaten there a few times, and it was not good for him to eat there. Should he pay or not?
If he paid, He Long and his wife could not accept it. If he didn't pay, they were running a business.
Li He did not like to be entangled. Even if he liked to eat kebab, he could bear with it.
When he finally went there, he touched the greasy dishes and said, "Wash them clean. This won't do."
He did not mind it, but there were people who did. Making kebab wasn't a very advanced skill. When other shops saw that business was good, they would immediately open a shop next door. Other shops had good hygiene, and his shop had bad hygiene. Even a fool would know which shop to choose.
One day, a customer was dissatisfied and asked for the dishes to be washed again. Wu Chunyan squinted at him and said that she had no time. She was busy.
The customer said, "Then give me some water. I'll do it myself."
Wu Chunyan had no time to bother with him. There was a table full of customers who were paying their bills, and she went to collect the money in a hurry.
The customer was anxious. What kind of business was this? Wu Chunyan did not like the customer's tone, and she even started to quarrel with him. Li He personally went up to mediate.
How could he have such a temper!
He could not bully customers just because business was good!
It was not convenient for Li He to say too much. Before he could say anything to He Fang, Old Madam became anxious first. She could not tolerate sand in her eyes. That night, she shouted anxiously at her son and daughter-in-law, "Smacking your lips and squinting at the customers, who taught you the rules? You offended one today, and two tomorrow. I think it won't be long before you're done offending them. "
Wu Chunyan said indignantly, "It's not that exaggerated. People come and go, and there's no shortage of people. A few restaurants rely on neighbors to support them. "
"If you're really so blind, let's go home and farm." Old Madam's words were directed at her son, He Long. "Your grandfather's generation was a businessman. When I entered the He family, I often heard him say, 'People have to stand, goods have to be presentable. When customers come to the door, treat them politely. Regardless of age or clothes, observe their words and expressions, lest they offend you.' Look, which of you is right?"
He Long's face turned red from Old Madam's words. He only explained, "You see, business is really good. I'm so busy that I can't take care of it. If someone wants a skewer, they have to grill it. If someone wants a beer, they have to deliver it. They have to pay the bill and clean up the dishes. It's not easy to find time to wash the dishes."
He Fang tried to smooth things over at the side. "Let me calculate for you your business at this stage. The income is not bad. You can hire two people. That way, you can handle the workload. Besides, this child goes to and from school every day. If he needs someone to pick him up or send him home, it's always you guys. "
The big school was not far, and it was just a few steps away. Old Madam could take time to pick him up when she had time. However, the younger one was a little further away. He had to take the bus or ride a bicycle to pick him up.
He Long and his wife discussed it and decided that they had to hire someone. In the end, Wu Chunyan sent a telegram to her brother and asked him to come.
Early in the morning, Li He was playing the erhu in the courtyard.
Old Man Qin came in and praised him. He then told Li He about the Hong Family.
"That enamel factory's contract has anything to do with you?"
Li He nodded. "Yes, let's not get into a fight. It's just that."
Old Man Qin said, "Then Fellow Daoist Shen came to look for me."
"What do you mean?" Old Man Qin was the one who settled the situation, so Li He had to listen to Old Man Qin when it came to dealing with the aftermath.
Old Man Qin said, "What I mean is, of course, we should let people off when possible. We are all people who frequent the scene, and it's not to the point of being irreconcilable enemies. Now that he has lowered his head, you can just let him go. "
"Alright, I'll listen to you." Li He thought for a while. He had to agree even if he didn't want to. Otherwise, Old Man Qin would be in a difficult position. "However, I still have to thank you."
Old Man Qin laughed. "What are you thanking me for? Don't think that I don't know anything. You could have done it without me. I did something unnecessary, but I still got a pot for free. It's a good deal for me. "
He saw Li He's self-assured expression and added, "I didn't eavesdrop on your phone call. I only heard a few words occasionally. I didn't pay attention to it."
Li He smiled. "What about now?"
"I heard it from my son. You let so many people take the blame. This is too big of a commotion. I heard that Old Yu's son was incited by you?"
"Incited? That's not a good phrase. Zhou Yu beats Huang Gai. One is willing to fight, the other is willing to suffer. "
Old Man Qin said, "Looks like you're learning from the Jin merchants. Since the middle of the Qing Dynasty, most of the Jin merchants' businesses and banks have a salary system. You have a bright future ahead of you. From what I know, there's no one else who is more wealthy than you. "
Li He shook his head. He really didn't think about the Jin merchants. "You're a translator. Have you not translated the term 'shareholding system'? This is called shareholding system! "
Old Man Qin rolled his eyes. "It's still the same meaning."
"That's true." Li He didn't refute.
Now that he analyzed it, he was indeed a wealthy merchant. He was similar to Qiao Zhiyong. Yu Dehua and Shen Daoru were the big shopkeepers and the second in command. The difference was that it was too easy for Shen Daoru and the rest to become shopkeepers.
As for the Jin merchants, it wasn't easy to take the blame. A young lad had to work hard for eight to ten years to get the chance to take the blame.
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