Chapter 53: Opening Shops And A Meal

The youths of Tiannan Province partied wildly during the holidays, practicing every trick from pickpocketing to smashing windows. Then they suddenly discovered—at some unknown point—arcades filled with arcade machines had appeared all over the streets and alleys.

Like thirsty travelers finding an oasis in the desert, idle boys started pouring their last pennies into the arcades. The arcades opened in all sorts of spots, and the kids quickly found that those directly operated by Jinxiu Electronics had especially good environments, and fewer of those nasty people snatching tokens or bullying others.

The only problem was that there weren’t many arcades belonging to Jinxiu Electronics. What they didn’t know was that Su Pingnan had opened only twelve in Tiandu City. Across the fifteen larger first-tier cities in Tiannan Province—including Tiandu and Fengcheng—Jinxiu Group had opened only twelve. At first Su Pingnan had been reluctant to run arcade stores, but his ever-growing crew of underlings pushed him to the decision. These were people he had to feed.

More and more people came to join him, especially anyone from Wucheng, Changyang County, and his own hometown. There was no stopping it. His reputation was simply at its peak. Generous, open-handed, well-connected—these labels stuck to him no matter what. Almost every young person looking to make some money found their way to him through various connections.

Su Pingnan locked himself in his office for one night, and when he emerged he acted decisively. Opening arcade shops—first to feed his employees, second to train them—he wanted to use these stores as whetstones. His subordinates were of mixed quality. From 1992 to 1998, most of Xia Country’s high-profit industries were labor-intensive, and Su Pingnan needed manpower. What he needed to do now was hone these people into a group of the most loyal and capable employees.

The few businesses under him that were bringing in money were now cash cows, and with Su Pingnan’s grand ambitions, he wouldn’t let that money sit idle and devalue in accounts. In Xia Country, what could preserve and increase value over the coming decades more than real estate? He personally led people to sign premium purchase contracts for the locations of all 180 arcade shops. For each site, he’d stare at the neighborhood, ponder for a long time, and then buy it. Snapping up 180 future prime storefronts in one go cost him thirty-one million.

Su Pingnan’s word was law within Jinxiu Group. The senior executives, some of whom admired him blindly, said nothing and fully cooperated with his work. Even when some locations seemed mediocre, Su Pingnan paid premiums to buy them, and those people immediately handled the deals without a single question.

Su Pingnan wished he could cackle loudly at his incredibly good fortune. Anyone in 1992 would scream in horror if they heard he spent more than $30 million on property, but in the future, one would be lucky to secure even just ten of these locations with the same amount of money. Jinxiu Pavilion was still bustling and packed. The roaring voices in the lobby and the stream of waiting staff pleased Su Pingnan greatly.

Today was his second time dining at Jinxiu Pavilion. The dozens to hundreds of stores had been renovated and the machines adjusted. Now he needed to coordinate with Su Wenwen and Guo Guangyao regarding sending people over, plus they hadn’t eaten together in a long time. Su Pingnan decided to have a meal and drinks at his own restaurant with a few of his brothers.

Many of the servers who had never seen him whispered among themselves, gossiping about this elusive big boss. Xiuxiu was in her second month on the job. She had the tall figure and pretty face typical of women from Tiannan Province. Her palms were sweaty with nerves—she’d heard the boss’s exploits so often her ears were almost calloused, yet this was her first time seeing him in person.

As today’s hostess, Xiuxiu had to be extra careful. Everyone said the big boss never smiled and was fierce. If she made a mistake, she couldn’t find another place in Wucheng that paid $300 a month.

Su Pingnan could see the nervousness in the girl guiding him, so he purposely slowed his pace and gave her a small smile to ease her tension. Seeing his smile relieved Xiuxiu a little, and just as she was about to speak, she saw Mr. Guo—who usually had managers kowtowing to him and a fierce face—approach them with a huge smile on his face.

“Brother Nan, every time I see you you’re always in a hurry—today I have to properly sit and drink a few rounds with you,” Guo Guangyao said, his face full of excitement. Hearing that Boss Su wanted to drink with him today, he had rushed over. Su Pingnan glared and jokingly scolded him, “You’re an adult already, yet you’re still like this.”

Xiuxiu’s eyes widened in surprise—Mr. Guo was a figure they all considered untouchably powerful. Almost everyone in Wucheng gave him face. One time, the restaurant manager was privately scolded by Mr. Guo over a small matter and cried for three days, and his eyes swelled up like peaches. But today, Mr. Guo behaved like a child in front of Mr. Su. Xiuxiu began to stare at Su Pingnan with a mix of admiration and flirtatiousness.