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After Feng Tieyou left, Xiao Dongbei told everyone that he would block him every time he came, but he knew in his heart that Feng Tieyou was not someone who could be completely dismissed with just a few words.

Xiao Dongbei swept up the broken glass shards on the ground, then knocked on each room door to explain the situation to all the residents, reminding them to lock their doors at night and to call him anytime if they needed anything.

Back behind the counter, Xiao Dongbei sat for a while before finally picking up the phone and dialing the police station's number.

The person who answered the phone was Officer Tang.

Xiao Dongbei briefly recounted what had happened that night. After listening to him over the phone, Officer Tang reassured him, "Don't worry, I'll come over tomorrow."

"Thank you for your hard work, Officer Tang."

"polite."

……

The next morning, Officer Tang arrived at "Winter is Gone and Spring is Here" on his bicycle.

Officer Tang, dressed in his police uniform, made many people feel safe.

After entering, I first greeted Xiao Dongbei.

Xiao Dongbei followed Officer Tang and recounted in detail how Feng Tieyou barged in, caused trouble, demanded a price, and smashed a bottle over his brother's head.

After listening, Officer Tang remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, "Xiao Dongbei, let me tell you the truth. Feng Tieyou wanting to rent a place isn't illegal. His bad attitude and rude words are moral issues. If he had actually hit someone, smashed things, or injured someone, I would have detained him without hesitation. But last night, he didn't hit anyone in the shop, he didn't smash your shop, and he hit his own brother with a bottle. How do you expect me to handle him?"

Xiao Dongbei said, "He threatened my tenants. The moment he stood there, it was a threat."

Officer Tang nodded. "I understand how you feel. But from a public security perspective, threats require evidence, especially the kind that can be taken to court. You don't have a recording, and no one has been injured. Can you explain, point by point, what specific threatening actions he made against your tenant?"

Xiao Dongbei opened his mouth, but suddenly couldn't say anything, because it really didn't cause any consequences.

Officer Tang sighed when he saw that Xiao Dongbei didn't speak. "Xiao Dongbei, we've known each other for a while now. I know your character; you treat the tenants like family, which shows your loyalty. But you need to think this through. You're just a manager at this hotel, not the owner. The final decision on who to rent to and who not to rent to, and how to set the price, isn't in your hands, but in your uncle's. If Feng Tieyou offers a high price for the room, and your uncle thinks it's acceptable, can you stop him?"

"..."

Officer Tang added, "I advise you to talk to your uncle first. Ultimately, this isn't a security issue, but a business one. It's no use talking to me about business matters; you have to talk to the boss."

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, Officer Tang."

You're welcome! Feel free to call me anytime if you need anything.

"it is good."

After Officer Tang left, Xiao Dongbei sat behind the counter for a long time.

He stared at the telephone on the counter, then finally picked it up and dialed his uncle's number.

After the call connected, Xiao Dongbei told him everything that had happened, including Feng Tieyou's willingness to pay a high price for a private room.

His uncle listened intently on the other end of the phone and didn't interrupt him.

After Xiao Dongbei finished speaking, there was a moment or two of silence on the phone. "Xiao Dongbei, I have a few questions for you. Are the hotels fully booked right now?"

Xiao Dongbei said, "It's basically full."

My uncle asked, "How much can I charge if I stay for a full day?"

Xiao Dongbei looked down at the ledger in his hand. "It costs about six yuan per person per day. If the hotel is full, after deducting expenses, we can make a profit of a few dozen yuan but less than a hundred yuan per day."

The uncle asked, "How much did Feng Tieyou pay you?"

Xiao Dongbei said, "He said he'd give twenty per person."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

Xiao Dongbei could sense his uncle's fluttering breath. "Xiao Dongbei, you're my nephew, so I won't beat around the bush. I sent you to Beijing to look at this hotel so you could help the family earn money, not so you could make friends and play the brotherhood card. Those tenants you know have their lives, and you have yours. What are you going to use to protect them? Your uncle's hotel? Do you think that's a worthwhile deal?"

Holding the microphone, Xiao Dongbei hurriedly explained excitedly, "Uncle, those people have lived here for so long, from winter to spring, they're like brothers and sisters to me. If I chase them away, where will they live?"

“Where they stay is their business, not yours. You are the hotel manager, not their parent. Six dollars versus twenty dollars, even a primary school student can do that. If you can't even do that, then you shouldn't be working there anymore, I'll find someone else to manage it.”

"..." Xiao Dongbei didn't speak, as if something was stuck in his throat.

The uncle softened his tone slightly on the other end of the phone, but the meaning remained the same: "Little Northeast, listen carefully. That guy surnamed Feng wants to rent a room. He's offering twenty yuan per person, so let him. If he's serious, sign a long-term contract, pay rent monthly, and have a deposit of three months' rent paid upfront. If he causes trouble again, negotiate with him and raise the price a bit more; it won't be a big deal for him. But remember one thing: I invested my money in this hotel. Whether it makes a profit or a loss, it's all mine. You have no right to use my hotel to do favors out of loyalty."

"..."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Dongbei felt extremely conflicted.

He opened the ledger and looked at the name of each tenant recorded in it.

He knew these names very well; he had personally gone to Beijing West Railway Station to bring them back.

Xiao Dongbei closed the ledger, knowing he could no longer avoid reality.

……

Before Xiao Dongbei could make any decision, Feng Tieyou arrived again.

This time, Feng Tieyou brought not only his six or seven brothers, but also five or six more people, making a total of about ten, completely blocking the entrance to the hotel.

Standing in the courtyard of "Winter Goes, Spring Comes," Feng Tieyou shouted at the tenants, "This place is all mine! From now on, this will be our brothers' dormitory! You won't be staying here for long, so find somewhere else to move as soon as possible, or you won't even have time to move and your blankets will be thrown out the window!"

Then, several brothers took turns shouting at the door, taking turns yelling.

"Even the boss is tempted by 20 yuan a room. You people should be more self-aware."

"What are you all still doing here?"

The sound poured in from the doorway, filling the entire hotel and every room.

Cao Ye was drawing in room 108. He pressed the pencil tip against the paper, but he couldn't continue drawing. He threw the pencil on the ground and covered his ears in frustration.

Guo Zongbao walked out of room 108 and looked at Xiao Dongbei, saying, "Xiao Dongbei, shall we call the police?"

Xiao Dongbei stood in front of the counter, his face ashen.

Knowing that calling the police would be useless, Officer Tang had already made his point very clear.

He also knew that the most troublesome thing was not Feng Tieyou, but his uncle's attitude.

Finally, Feng Tieyou made a scene at the door for almost an hour before leaving.

Before leaving, he stood at the door and shouted to everyone inside, "By the end of this month! Those who can move, move now! This place will be ours next month!"

After Feng Tieyou and his men left, the hotel became quiet.

The first person to move out was a middle-aged man who lived in the room closest to the door on the first floor.

He had lived in this hotel for almost two years. He didn't talk much to people, but he wasn't a bad person. He was just the kind of person who kept to himself and lived his life quietly.

The night after Feng Tieyou's outburst, he went to the front desk with a snakeskin bag to check out of Xiao Dongbei's place.

"Uncle Chen, you've lived here for so long, why are you suddenly moving away?"

"Little Northeast, don't blame me. You're all young people, and I don't have your guts to confront them head-on. If my things get smashed or I get beaten up, I won't even be able to afford the medical bills. So I think I'll move out."

Xiao Dongbei didn't stop him and helped him get his deposit back. Watching him walk out the door with the snakeskin bag, Xiao Dongbei felt quite reluctant to let him go.

Once there's a first one, there's a second, and a third.

Over the next few days, people were packing up their belongings and coming to Xiao Dongbei to get their deposits back.

Some people say a few more words when they leave, while others leave in a hurry with their heads down.

Zhuangzhuang tried to persuade several groups of people, saying that if everyone worked together, there would always be a solution.

But her advice was useless in the face of the prevailing trend.

Before leaving, a girl who had lived there for more than half a year grabbed Zhuangzhuang's hand and said, "Zhuangzhuang, you should find a place to move too! That guy surnamed Feng is moving in next month. Can you guys handle him? If something really happens, you'll be the ones who suffer."

In less than a week, the hotel was more than half empty, with only Xu Shengli, Cao Ye, Tao Liangliang and Guo Zongbao from room 108, and Zhuang Zhuang and Shen Ranran from room 107 remaining.

That evening, the remaining people sat in the lobby.

Xiao Dongbei sat on the floor leaning against the counter, Zhuangzhuang sat on the sofa, Xu Shengli sat on the broken rattan chair, Cao Ye sat on the stairs, Tao Liangliang stood with his back against the wall, and Guo Zongbao squatted at the door.

None of them spoke first, and the hall remained quiet.

Finally, Zhuangzhuang spoke first, "Little Northeast, what exactly did your uncle say?"

Xiao Dongbei lowered his head and said, "He told me to rent it to Feng Tieyou. It's twenty yuan per person, and he said it would be stupid not to rent it to him."

Tao Liangliang leaned against the wall and sneered, "Fine, then what are we? We've lived here for so long, paid our rent without fail, and haven't caused any trouble, yet we can't even compare to a few extra dollars from someone else."

Xiao Dongbei looked up, his face full of embarrassment. "Liangliang, don't say that. It's not that I didn't try to persuade my uncle; I've already tried twice on the phone. He said I was using his hotel to pretend to be a good person, and that if I didn't want to work there, he could replace me. I really had no other choice. The house isn't mine; I don't have the final say."

Seeing Xiao Dongbei like this, Zhuangzhuang felt extremely distressed. "Xiao Dongbei, no one is blaming you. We all know what you've done for us. You really can't make decisions about your uncle's hotel, but that's not your fault."

Xu Shengli sat in the rattan chair and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "So now our problem is, to leave or not to leave."

Cao Ye said, "Where can we go? Will Beijing have another winter and spring?"

"Which construction site are Feng Tieyou and his gang working on?" Zhuangzhuang suddenly asked, looking at everyone. "It's that Beijing No. 2 project," Xiao Dongbei said, looking at Zhuangzhuang with a frustrated expression.

"I think I have a way to solve this problem."

"Zhuangzhuang, what are you going to do?"

“I went to my boss and asked him to stop Feng Tieyou’s actions.”

"Is that alright? Would a big boss like that bother with such a small matter?"

"You should always give it a try."

……

After thinking it over, Zhuangzhuang felt that the root of the problem lay with Feng Tieyou, who worked at the No. 2 construction site in Beijing.

Jingcheng No. 2 is a project of Mingju Real Estate, whose owner is Suning.

Although Zhuangzhuang had only met Suning once at the sales office commendation meeting, when Suning handed her the envelope for the top salesperson, she felt that this boss was not the kind of person who was completely unreasonable.

After all, her situation is different from Shen Ranran's now.

Shen Ranran has already signed with a film and television company and moved into the dormitory arranged by the production team. It doesn't matter whether she stays there in winter or spring.

But that won't work for her; for now, the cheap winter and spring season is the most suitable for her.

Therefore, Zhuangzhuang decided to seek help from Suning.

Zhuangzhuang got up very early that day, dressed up nicely, and then took the bus to the Mingju Real Estate headquarters building.

Zhuangzhuang explained her purpose to the receptionist, who asked, "Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but I have something important to report to General Manager Su."

"Then you wait downstairs. President Su's schedule is packed every day."

"Okay!" But they waited for most of the day.

Zhuangzhuang sat on a chair in the lobby on the first floor, watching people come and go from company to company. Some went out for lunch, and some went out to run errands in the afternoon. She remained seated there without moving.

The receptionist came over and asked her once, "Zhuangzhuang, would you like some water?"

"No, thank you."

Around 3 p.m., Su Ning returned from outside.

I had just finished a meeting with a business partner and was walking into the lobby with my assistant, Xiao Zhao, when I was giving Xiao Zhao some instructions.

Zhuangzhuang recognized Su Ning at a glance, stood up from her chair, and walked over quickly. "Mr. Su, may I take a few minutes of your time?"

Su Ning stopped and turned to look at her, slightly taken aback. "You're Zhuang Zhuang from the sales office? What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Su, there's something I'd like to discuss with you. It's related to a company project, and also to where I currently live."

Su Ning glanced at her expression, then nodded. "Go to my office."

Zhuangzhuang followed Su Ning to his office.

Su Ning took off her coat and draped it over the floor-standing coat rack, then sat back down behind her desk. "Sit down and let's talk! What's up?"

Zhuangzhuang immediately recounted the whole story from beginning to end.

She said that now, as winter turns to spring, there are more than a dozen young people staying in the hotel, all ordinary people who have come to Beijing to make a living.

She described how Feng Tieyou led his men into the hotel, how he forced Xiao Dongbei to kick people out, and how he harassed and threatened the residents at the entrance every day. Now, more than half of the long-time residents have been scared away, and the rest are still holding on.

She said that Feng Tieyou was the foreman working on the No. 2 construction site in Beijing.

Zhuangzhuang explained things very clearly, without exaggeration or downplaying, simply presenting the facts as they were.

After listening, Su Ning leaned back in his chair and didn't speak immediately.

He picked up the glass on the table, took a sip of water, then looked at Zhuangzhuang and suddenly smiled. "Zhuangzhuang, is this what you came all this way to tell me?"

Zhuangzhuang nodded and said, "Yes. President Su, I know Feng Tieyou works on your construction site. Could you please tell him to stop bothering Dong Qu Chun Lai?"

Su Ning leaned back in his chair. "Zhuangzhuang, let me ask you a question. Where are my workers supposed to live? There are hundreds of workers at Beijing No. 2, and Feng Tieyou's dozen or so men are just a small fraction of them. If they don't live in the dormitories, they'll have to find their own places to stay. Feng Tieyou is willing to pay a high price to hire Dong Qu Chun Lai; from his perspective, he's finding accommodation for his brothers. As the project owner, I can't exactly tell the workers, 'Don't bother finding a place to live, go sleep on the streets,' can I?"

Zhuangzhuang's lips moved slightly, "But he used that method..."

Su Ning raised her hand and gestured to interrupt her, "I won't comment on his methods. I don't even know Feng Tieyou. How would I know how he usually deals with people? He works on my construction site, but he's not an employee of Mingju Real Estate. He's a small contractor under an outsourced construction team. There are three or four layers of subcontracting relationships between us. You want me to manage his private affairs? I ask you, how am I supposed to manage it? On what grounds can I manage it? Am I supposed to use my power to intimidate him?"

Zhuangzhuang was silent for a few seconds, then lowered her head. "President Su, I had thought about what you said before I came here. I know this matter is not under your jurisdiction, and Feng Tieyou has no direct relationship with you. I just feel that... so many people have lived here since winter turned to spring, and everyone was fine before, but now they are being forced to move out one by one. I had no other choice but to come to you."

Su Ning looked at Zhuang Zhuang and sighed, "Zhuang Zhuang, I understand how you feel. You are a sentimental person, and you treat the place you live in and the people there as your own. This is your strength, and it's also why you can gain the trust of your clients when you sell houses. But this matter, in the final analysis, is a dispute between the hotel and Feng Tieyou, and it's a decision that the owner of the hotel you're staying at has to make. There's very little I can do for you to come to me."

Zhuangzhuang nodded. "President Su, I understand. My request was a bit unreasonable."

Su Ning stood up, walked around the desk, and sat directly next to Zhuang Zhuang. "Alright, let's put this matter aside for now. Since you're here today, I'll say a few words to you about something else."

"..." Zhuangzhuang didn't dare to look up at Su Ning, because Su Ning, who was so close to her, made her shy.

To Zhuangzhuang's utter surprise, Su Ning suddenly sat down next to her, catching her completely off guard.

Fortunately, Suning and Zhuangzhuang were about two fists apart, and neither of them went any further.

Su Ning, however, looked calmly at Zhuang Zhuang, whose ears were red with embarrassment, and said, "You're doing well at the No. 3 sales office in Beijing. Your performance is stable, and there are few customer complaints. I just want to remind you of one thing: focus on your work and don't get involved in these messy things in society. You're a promising young woman. Mingju Real Estate has many projects to come. Focusing on your work is more important than anything else."

Zhuangzhuang stood up. "Thank you, President Su."

Su Ning seemed to remember something and suddenly asked, "Zhuang Zhuang, I heard you studied singing?"

Zhuangzhuang paused for a moment, "Yes, I came to Beijing from my hometown of Wenzhou to audition for a singing group. It was just by chance that I joined Mingju Real Estate. Now I have to take time every day to study vocal music with Teacher Zheng."

Suning said, "Perfect timing. The company is going to hold its first annual meeting at the end of this year, and the program hasn't been finalized yet. Go back and prepare, and we'll arrange for you to perform on stage. You can decide what to sing, just don't make the audience fall asleep."

Zhuangzhuang was amused by this and finally smiled. "Don't worry, President Su, I'm confident in this."

Then, Su Ning took out a business card and handed it to Zhuang Zhuang, saying, "This is my personal phone number. You can call me if you need anything."

"Thank you, Mr. Su."

"Go ahead! Don't worry too much."

"Mr. Su, I'll be going now."

"Ah."

……

After Zhuangzhuang left, Su Ning returned to his desk and sat down again.

As I picked up my pen to continue reading the documents, a thought suddenly popped into my head by Zhuangzhuang.

Winter goes and spring comes.

The name of the hotel swirled in Su Ning's mind twice.

Winter has passed and spring has arrived, but we are still within the Second Ring Road of Beijing.

What does "within the Second Ring Road" mean?
In 1994, the area within the Second Ring Road was the most central part of Beijing.

Although the city walls are long gone, the boundaries of the ring road still exist, and the land value within the second ring road is on a completely different level.

These old hotels and houses, nestled among the hutongs and streets, may seem inconspicuous, but they stand on some of the most valuable land in Beijing.

Su Ning put down his pen, got up and walked to the Beijing map hanging on the wall, pointing to the location where winter had turned to spring.

He drew a circle on that spot with a red pen, looked at the direction of several nearby alleys and streets, then stepped back, crossed his arms, and stood there staring at that spot for a long time.

Winter Goes By and Spring Comes is a small hotel; the building is old, the structure is simple, and the area occupied is not large.

However, if Mingju Real Estate can acquire Dongquchunlai and then acquire several nearby old courtyard houses at a reasonable price, connecting them into one area, the scale will be completely different.

Suning certainly doesn't intend to demolish the buildings and build commercial housing.

This is the old city area within the Second Ring Road, and there are many planning restrictions, so it can't be changed however you want.

However, if we change our approach, without altering the overall structure, and instead use the guise of renovation and reconstruction to redefine the interior design and upgrade the functions while preserving the original architectural style, we can create a high-end courtyard-style hotel…

With its excellent location, rich cultural heritage, and privacy, it can cater to high-end business clients, overseas tourists, and cultural celebrities, allowing it to set prices that ordinary hotels wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Thinking of this, Su Ning involuntarily muttered to himself, "Winter goes and spring comes... within the Second Ring Road..."

Once the thought pops into your head, you can't stop it.

He turned around again, walked to his desk, and pressed the internal phone button. "Xiao Zhao, come in here for a moment."

...(End of this chapter)