I am a dragon

When the man burst in, Boss Shi's face turned pale. He yelled at him, "Gambling? All you know is gambling! Look at the state of your house! Why don't you just die out there?"

Snapped!

The man slapped Boss Shi across the face, leaving several red marks.

"Damn it, you jinx! If it weren't for your constant nagging, would I have lost money? Hurry up, or I'll make you pay."

The man had a fierce look on his face.

Mr. Shi's tears welled up instantly, and he covered his mouth to stop himself from crying.

The man completely ignored her, only asking for money to make up for his losses.

I stood by, wanting to lend a hand, but then I thought, they are a couple, and we don't know them well. If I rashly offered help, I might end up pleasing neither side.

Boss Shi pulled a wad of cash from his pocket, and the man grabbed it, cursing, "Is that all? Damn it, are you hooking up with some gigolo?"

He was saying this while looking at me.

Mr. Shi said with a sob in his voice, "Let's go, she came here for a massage."

The man stuffed the money into his pocket, turned around, and ran away.

Mr. Shi looked at the street with a sorrowful expression and empty eyes.

I said softly, "Boss Shi, are you... alright?"

Teacher Shi snapped out of her daze and forced a smile, "It's nothing. You were introduced to Lu Feng by Xiao Tao?"

"it's me."

Boss Shi gave a bitter smile: "As you can see, my husband is a gambler and owes a lot of money... I'm planning to sell this shop. Are you interested?"

I smiled wryly and said, "I have no money."

Mr. Shi sighed; the hardships of life had almost crushed this woman.

"This shop must have been around for twenty or thirty years, right? Did you hire a chef before, or did you do it yourself?" I asked Boss Shi.

Mr. Shi said, "This shop belongs to my father. He was a famous massage therapist, but he suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage two months ago..."

"sorry."

"It's okay."

"And now?"

Boss Shi sighed: "I only learned 70% of my father's skills. If I continue to run this business, it will ruin my reputation."

The man is a gambling addict, and I want to sell the business, but this shop has been around for thirty years, and I feel guilty towards my father.

I thought for a moment and said, "It would be a real shame to close a 30-year-old shop just like that."

Mr. Shi had tears in his eyes and didn't say anything.

She must have been very sad, but naturally she couldn't say it in front of a complete stranger like me.

I'm not a savior; I have my own mess to clean up, so I don't have the energy to clean up other people's messes.

Just as I was about to say goodbye, Tao Xiaotao hopped in.

"Sister Hui, Lu Feng, have you two reached an agreement?"

I pulled Tao Xiaotao aside and said, "What are you up to? Boss Shi is selling the business, and you want me to take it over? I still owe President Xu 500,000 yuan, where am I going to get the money?"

"Lu Feng is my grandfather's personal disciple, so his skills are definitely top-notch. How about this, let's work together to start this shop, what do you think?"

"Is this young man your grandfather's personal disciple? Wouldn't it be a waste of his talent for him to come to my shop?" Shi Hui asked in surprise, then said sadly.

Tao Xiaotao said, "Uncle Shi once learned massage from my grandfather, and Lu Feng was also my grandfather's disciple. So we're all family."

Lu Feng has just arrived in Miancheng, and you need manpower. Wouldn't it be better if we all ran the business together?

Shi Hui was clearly tempted, but she still had reservations, though she couldn't say it in front of Tao Xiaotao.

Tao Xiaotao said, "Are you worried that Lu Feng's cooking skills aren't up to par? Why don't you try it yourself?"

Shi Hui glanced at me, then at Tao Xiaotao, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, let's go upstairs."

The second floor of Jiuzhuo Hall has three rooms of different sizes: one large room with four beds and three smaller rooms with two beds each.

There is also an office and a restroom.

Shi Hui entered the small room and said politely to me, "Mr. Lu, thank you for your trouble."

I nodded, and Shi Hui took off her coat and lay down on the bed.

I started massaging her back.

At first, Shi Hui was quite reserved, with stiff muscles in her back. But as I massaged her, she gradually relaxed.

The massage ended half an hour later.

I took the white towel from Tao Xiaotao, wiped my hands, and said, "Sister Hui, the stagnant energy in your body is not good for your health in the long run."

With a smile in her eyes, Shi Hui put on her clothes and said, "Mr. Lu's massage skills are truly superb. He is indeed a disciple of Mr. Li. I admire him greatly."

Tao Xiaotao said with an exaggerated expression, "Sister Hui, is it really as exaggerated as you say?"

Shi Hui said with hopeful eyes, "Jiuzhuo Hall, there's hope..."

"You agree?" Tao Xiaotao asked.

Shi Hui nodded and said, "Jiuzhuotang was always supported by my father before. Now that Mr. Lu is here, I believe the business will be even better in the future."

Tao Xiaotao winked at me.

Shi Hui thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Lu..."

"Sister Hui, please don't call me Mr. Lu anymore, it sounds weird. Just call me Lu Feng."

I really can't stand people calling me "sir"; it always makes me feel like one of those old-fashioned men in long gowns from the last century.

Shi Hui nodded and said, "The massage parlor was going to close down anyway, but now that you've come, Lu Feng, it's fate. How about this, I won't say how much your monthly salary will be, but we'll do it according to the shares, six for me and four for you, how about that?"

Tao Xiaotao and I exchanged a shocked glance. Jiuzhuotang has a great location and is sure to have many customers. I can hardly believe that Shi Hui would give me 40% of the shares.

However, upon closer reflection, it becomes clear that, in Shi Hui's words, the shop was unlikely to continue operating, and my joining gave her hope.

They tied me down with shares, and since I'm now the owner of this store, they don't need to pay me a salary anymore.

In this way, it may seem that Shi Hui is making concessions, but it's not certain who will actually suffer a loss.

Having figured this out, I found myself in a dilemma.

Tao Xiaotao noticed my hesitation, pulled me aside, and whispered, "What a great deal, why don't you agree? Sister Shi Hui is my old neighbor, I know her inside and out, she would never lie to you."

I shook my head and said, "It's not that I'm afraid of being scammed. Having shares is not as good as having a salary. I've been feeling a bit..."

I was too embarrassed to continue.

Tao Xiaotao suddenly realized, "That's true. I guess Sister Hui isn't much wealthier than you, which is why she had to give up her shares."

I'm so frustrated. What can two penniless guys do together?

"Give it a try first. After all, you're contributing your skills as equity, so you're bound to lose out."

Tao Xiaotao is right. In my situation, the only jobs left to look for are probably delivery and takeout.

I agreed, and Shi Hui was also very happy. We signed an agreement and clarified our division of labor: Shi Hui would be responsible for finding customers, and I would be responsible for massages. Of course, if I found a customer, I would get a commission.

Tao Xiaotao also suggested doing online marketing.

"I'll do this part; I'll bring my own equipment," Tao Xiaotao said enthusiastically.