Chapter 25 Chapter Twenty-Five

Wu Hong brought two cars, and they were already waiting in the lobby of the hotel.An appointment was made, and Zhu Huaijing and the others went downstairs on time.Cheng Yi also said to go for fun, it was rare for Secretary Zhu to come to Beijing once.Zhu Huaijing felt a little sorry, and asked if he was afraid that he might miss a serious matter.Cheng Yi smiled and said, "It's okay, there are so many serious things for me to miss." Zhu Huaijing also laughed, and said: "Your affairs are naturally important. It's just that you don't need to be there all day long. You just stay there all day long. Those who work in the office are not the boss, but Ma Zi.” Everyone laughed.

Chengyi also went to the car.The three cars slowly left the city, got on the expressway, and headed for Huairou. Zhu Huaijing and Shu Tian were still in Wu Hong's car. Seeing many Fukang, Jetta, and Alto passing by along the road, Zhu Huaijing asked, "These are all private cars." Right? There seem to be a lot of private cars in Beijing." Wu Hong said: "There are about 600,000 private cars in Beijing, more than the total number of cars in many provincial capital cities!" Zhu Huaijing said: "People in Beijing have a higher income. There is always a jingle that you don't know your official status until you go to Beijing, you don't know you have little money until you go to Shenzhen, and you don't know your health until you go to Hainan. In fact, the real big money is still in the Beijing. It goes without saying that there is a mystery in it.”

Wu Hong said: "That's the case. There are many small bosses in the south, but there are many big bosses in Beijing. Beijing is really a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers are hidden. But when it comes to private cars, it is mainly a matter of consumption concepts. People in Guangzhou like to buy houses, and people in Beijing like to buy houses." Cars, the Shanghainese finally figured out which one is more cost-effective to buy a car and take a taxi.” Zhu Huaijing smiled and said: "Shanghai people are really smart. I traveled to Shanghai to get married. On the train, I happened to meet a Shanghai couple. The Shanghai couple had sharp eyes. They knew at a glance that we were traveling and married. They were extremely enthusiastic. .Tell us that after going to Shanghai, you can buy some candy to treat guests back home, but you have to be careful. There are ninety-five pieces of candy in a catty, one hundred and one candies in a catty, and as much as a candy in a catty. There are only eighty-three. They told me that I must buy a large number of them, so that I can relax more when I go back to treat guests. They also made a list for me one by one, writing down the brand and manufacturer of the sugar. They also said that after weighing, they have to count one Count, the number is wrong, there must be a scale missing. He also told me which hostels are the most economical, and the conditions are not too bad. He also said which places like to slaughter foreigners, and how they usually kill them. We must be careful Be careful. Talked to me for more than two hours."

Wu Hong said with a smile: "Shanghai people are careful and economical, which is actually a manifestation of civilization. It's just that sometimes they go too far and are not humane. Once I received two Shanghai customers, which was very interesting. I still Jingdu people are generous and hospitable. They invited them to dinner and drove them to Badaling to see the Great Wall. Two Shanghai friends sat in the back seat and chatted in Shanghai dialect for 50 minutes. They didn’t treat me to a meal. They thought I couldn’t understand Shanghainese, but I understood everything. They said Mr. Wu is so polite, so please invite me back. They are from two different companies, so they will pay for both. Sharing. How to share the cost, and put forward several plans. One said that you are in charge of the drinks, and I am in charge of the meals; If you are too persuasive, just drink a few bottles of beer. Even if each person drinks ten bottles of beer, it will not cost much. Ten bottles of beer will kill him. The money depends on how much you spend in total, and then share it. I laughed secretly in my heart, the same as Shanghai I have been with friends for many years, and I have never seen them invite me to a meal. Today is finally the day I look forward to. It doesn’t matter if you have a beer, and you can be careful, and you won’t be able to survive. Unexpectedly, these two friends discussed left and right, and finally I decided to leave it alone, trouble. It took them almost an hour to come to such a conclusion. I couldn't help it, and burst out laughing. My Shanghai friend blushed, knowing that I heard them clearly. .I had no choice but to hide it, saying that I had come up with a funny joke. The two Shanghai friends looked at each other and smiled, proud that their Shanghainese could deceive the world."

Shu Tian said: "When I was in college, there was a Shanghainese in the same dormitory. After we got to know each other, we all knew that the Shanghainese clearly distinguished yours from mine, and no one touched his things. Once I went back to dormitory 8. A classmate joins in to go out to a restaurant, and after finishing the settlement, the man said that he would give five yuan less. He said that his food intake was small, and he had a cold and a bad appetite today, so he ate the least. After that, We have activities in our dormitory, and we dare not invite him to participate again. The most interesting thing is that he bought a bottle of ink and put it on the table. Everyone didn’t pay attention, and sometimes they didn’t bother you or me when they were in a hurry, and they used his ink. He didn’t say anything , After the ink ran out, he collected the money one by one. We were all dumbfounded, so we had to give him two cents each. Hero brand ink, one yuan and four cents a bottle, each one seventy-five cents. Not much, rounded up, and charged 1.8 cents per person, which is really two cents back for each person. Just graduated, and the students who played well have passed a few letters. I wrote a letter to all the students in the same dormitory, everyone They all wrote back. Only this student from Shanghai returned a postcard with only one sentence written on it. I thought to myself that this Shanghainese is really stingy. They will send a postcard to say hello. Of course, the postcard is uniformly printed by their company, which is equivalent to sending out advertising materials for their company."

Zhu Huaijing laughed loudly and said, "Today we are holding a meeting to criticize Shanghainese. Don't talk about Shanghainese anymore. If people find out, they will settle accounts with us." After getting off the highway, the car was driving in the valley.The mountains are relatively gentle, not as steep as the mountains in the south; there are not many trees growing on the mountains, and the ecology in the north is too fragile.There is a small stream flowing at the bottom of the valley, and the water volume is not large, so naturally there will be no murmur.But I saw many cars from the city rushing here.In Zhu Huaijing's view, the scene here is somewhat desolate, but it is the mountain scenery in the eyes of Beijingers.

Wu Hong looked out the window and said, "Huai Jing, have you seen the Great Wall?" Both Zhu Huaijing and Shu Tian looked out the window, and sure enough, they saw beacon towers and battlements winding along the peaks and ridges of the mountains, either hidden or visible, preserved or destroyed.Shu Tian gasped, shook his head, and said, "It's really unimaginable." Wu Hong said with a smile: "I'm a businessman, so I just want to know how much it will cost to build the Great Wall? If it was the same as it is now, how many contractors would get rich when building the Great Wall? How many shabby projects will appear? Huai Jing, what is your first impression when you see the Great Wall?"

Zhu Huaijing sighed: "I thought of the mysterious power of power. With the supreme scepter in my hand, I can move mountains and fill seas with a single order, not to mention building the Great Wall. Shu Tian, ​​what about you? Your first feeling What is it?" Shu Tian didn't speak, but laughed first. "I feel really embarrassed to say it, it's a bit roundabout. Looking at the ruined Great Wall, I couldn't help but take a few breaths. It's so heart-wrenching, that's how it feels. Desolation, loneliness, helplessness, etc. Unclear emotions rushed to my heart, my nasal cavity was a little sore, and I almost wanted to cry."

Zhu Huaijing smiled without saying a word.Wu Hong sighed: "It's not surprising, Shu Tian. Go back twenty years, you and I, Secretary Zhu, might feel the same way as you do. But in middle age, people are like putting on armor, making them invulnerable. In old age, people's The spirit and emotion will be almost rejuvenated and become sentimental. Some people may have done a lot of bad things when they were young, but they will be kind when they are old." Zhu Huaijing said: "Wu Hong, it's quite interesting that we chatted so casually, even a bit philosophical. From the Great Wall, we talked about people again. Shu Tian, ​​what is this called? Is it called stream of consciousness? Or is it called variation without theme? What Wu Hong said reminds me of an old comrade who retired. When I was on stage, I might not be any better than anyone else, but now that I’m out of work, I’m upright, and I’m always calling this one undecent and that one a bastard.”

While talking, the Lord arrived in front of a restaurant and parked the car. Everyone got out of the car and looked around. They all said that it was a good place. The restaurant was simple and simple, just like the kind of chicken feather restaurant often written in classical novels.A small stream flows just in front of the restaurant, and the stream is cut into a pond, which is full of red trout as long as a foot.The boss is a young gentleman, who came out with a smile on his face, offered cigarettes to the guests, and looked very familiar with Wu Hong.Wu Hong asked everyone: "Did you order food first, and if you are interested, come up the mountain with me to see the Great Wall, and then come down to eat?" Everyone raised their heads and saw that the Great Wall was intermittent and winding, starting from the top of the mountain and sinking into the deep valley.Seeing that Zhu Huaijing was very interested, everyone said that it must be something interesting to go to see the Wild Great Wall.Wu Hong ordered food, agreed on the time for dinner, and took everyone to climb the Great Wall.

Zhu Huaijing asked: "The farmers here must be very rich, right? Opening such a shop must make a lot of money." Wu Hong just smiled and said: "Our Secretary Zhu's views on the masses are good, and we always think about the common people. Let me tell you, ordinary farmers, it's not their turn to open this restaurant. Don't look at this restaurant. It looks ugly, but it has a solid foundation. Yes. You didn’t go in to see it, but there is a photo of the boss with big figures in Beijing hanging on the wall inside.” Zhu Huaijing asked: "The boss is not a farmer?" Wu Hong said: "He used to be a cadre in a certain department in Beijing, and he did well. He quit and opened a restaurant in this valley by himself. As we say in Jingdu, after a few years, his earnings have swelled." Zhu Huaijing said: "There are many restaurants along the road, but none of them are opened by ordinary people?" Wu Hong smiled and said, "I didn't investigate either, but the places I've been to, if I inquire about them, they're not ordinary people." Zhu Huaijing smiled wryly, shook his head and remained silent.Gossiping to the foot of the mountain.The mountains are very steep and there are almost no roads.Some people didn't want to climb, but because of Zhu Huaijing's face, they had to bite the bullet and go up the mountain.There are no trees on the mountain, only some low shrubs and thorns.With nowhere to climb, I had to touch the ground again.The Great Wall at the foot of the mountain has long since been destroyed.There are some bricks and rocks halfway up the mountain.But after climbing a few steps, everyone was sweating profusely.The mountain is full of soft gravel, and everyone is wearing leather shoes, so it is very difficult to climb up.Zhu Huaijing smiled and said, "Wu Hong, you have found a good job for us today." But Wu Hong climbed the fastest, neither blushing nor out of breath.He turned around and said, "What's going on? You guys are so careless? Especially Shu Tian, ​​you are the youngest!" Zhu Huaijing finally climbed to the city wall, and Wu Hong sat there waiting for him.Zhu Huaijing also sat down and said, "I need to catch my breath, I'm about to die." Wu Hong said: "Huai Jing, don't you usually pay attention to exercise? We are all in our forties, and our bodies have begun to decline. We must pay attention to exercise." Zhu Huaijing said, "What do you exercise for? I can't keep running in the morning." Wu Hong said: "You have to change your mindset and take part in more consumption-based physical exercises, such as swimming, bowling, tennis, etc. You only think about the morning jog. If you can't persist, you won't exercise. That's not okay. .I insist on swimming every day, bowling and tennis once a week." Zhu Huaijing gasped and said, "Wu Hong, you don't understand the grassroots. I used to be in Jingdu, and I used to play bowling and tennis. I couldn't do it when I went to Umeji. The asshole is big, where I, Zhu, go Everyone knows that when I go bowling, no alley will accept my money. Even if I pay for it myself, no one will believe it. After a while, I’m afraid I’ll be nicknamed the Bowling Secretary If you call it for a long time, it will be referred to as Secretary Bao, and people will call it Secretary Bao. You know what Secretary Bao means, and you know that it is a stupid secretary. If I am like this, I am indeed a stupid secretary.” "Then you can only watch your belly grow bigger day by day?" Wu Hong smiled and leaned over to whisper, "There is another way, that is to find a lover, who can consume fat." Zhu Huaijing shook his head and laughed.The others had already followed, and seeing that Zhu and Wu were whispering and laughing mysteriously, they stopped and looked at them from a distance, also smiling.Only Chengyi could be less scruples, he only stopped for a while, and still chased after him.So Zhu, Wu, and Cheng always walked in front, and Shu Tian and the others intentionally fell behind.Zhang Zaiqiang and He Qiankun walked at the end, smiling, with some inexplicable meaning on their faces.When he came to Beijing for a few days, Zhu Huaijing only took them with him for business activities, and left them out in the cold at other times.The city wall went up the steep slope, and the bricks and stones were loose.Zhu Huaijing turned around to tell everyone to be careful, and stepped on steadily.Wu Hong wanted to take care of Zhu Huaijing, but couldn't help showing his strength.He climbed up a few steps, and turned back to pull Zhu Huaijing.Zhu Huaijing refused to let him pull, but insisted on climbing by himself.The old classmates are together, secretly competitive.Chengyi didn't have much difficulty climbing, he was younger after all.He crawled unhurriedly, saying be careful, but he was embarrassed to pull anyone, and just smiled politely. After finally reaching the first beacon tower, Zhu Huaijing was out of breath and his heart was beating unbearably. "Huai Jing, you must exercise." Wu Hong said.Knowing this, Zhu Huaijing shook his head, unable to speak for a long time.The sun was shining overhead, but fortunately the wind was cool and it didn't feel too hot.After standing for a while, Zhu Huaijing smiled and said, "I just realized I'm old today." Cheng Yi hurriedly said: "Why does Secretary Zhu say that he is old? You are in the prime of life!" Wu Hong said: "Huai Jing, when you talk about the feeling of being old, I have been getting stronger and stronger recently. It's not about my body. People in their forties are at the peak of their lives, and they naturally start to decline. Seeing that old age is approaching. In the business field, we have to be tough, without any mother-in-law, mother-in-law, or love for children. But now, although the money is not earned much, it can be spent no matter what. I began to panic. I've been having insomnia at night lately, thinking about Hamlet's problems." "To live or to die is a question." Cheng Yi smiled mischievously. But Zhu Huaijing opened his eyes wide and said, "Wu Hong, aren't you really so stupid?" Wu Hong shook his head and smiled, and said: "Of course I'm not so stupid. I just think about it. It has some metaphysical meaning. After seeing more people and things, I don't believe in many things. I have more doubts, and finally I start to doubt Myself. Those who are officials work hard to be officials, and those who make money work hard to make money, what are they all for?" Zhu Huaijing sighed: "Yeah, look at the Great Wall, how many people's blood and sweat were spent in those years? The emperors used it as their own courtyard wall to protect their family property forever. What happened? Has the family property been preserved? What is the eternal honor? , What are the achievements of thousands of years, what are the eternal world, they are all short-lived and morning dew. So, think about the disputes in the world, the battles in the Vanity Fair, how meaningless." The three of them remained silent for a while, looking up at the Great Wall that was snaking upwards.The Great Wall swims towards Xilong and escapes into the depths of the white clouds.Zhu Huaijing patted the blue bricks on the city wall, feeling in a daze that the Great Wall was a living thing, and its tail tip was trembling against the strong wind in the northwest desert. "Wu Hong, I just thought about the feeling Shu Tian mentioned, and my nose felt a little sore. At this time, I can best understand the feeling of Chen Ziang ascending Youzhou Terrace." Zhu Huaijing smiled a little shyly. Wu Hong joked: "Huaijing, Chen Ziang lamented that he was lonely. He was the only one who had never seen the ancients before and never came again. You, Zhu Huaijing, were probably in the same category." At this time, Shu Tian and the others came up.After hearing Wu Hong's words, Shu Tian said, "Brother Hong, are you deliberately mocking our Secretary Zhu? Chen Ziang didn't mean what you said. At that time, Chen Ziang was a staff officer with the army, and the strategy he offered was not adopted by his superiors. Defeat. He means that there must have been people who used talents in ancient times, but he had no chance to meet them; The two words 'heaven and earth' in the middle refer to time and space, or the universe. Time and space are so vast and boundless, but he, Chen Ziang, was born at an untimely time, so he would naturally burst into tears." Cheng Yi looked at Zhu Huaijing and said, "Secretary Zhu, your secretary has been selected correctly. The level is really high." Zhu Huaijing smiled, admiringly.Shu Tian said a few words modestly, and then said: "Chen Ziang's sigh is actually a long-standing knot of Chinese intellectuals. Intellectuals in every age will lament that they were born at an untimely time. There will be times, but in general intellectuals are not born at the right time. This is the usual situation in Chinese history. When has there been a peaceful world in China? What this rule, that rule, are all done by historians article." Wu Hong said: "I am deeply touched by these words of my brother. The Chinese are waiting and suffering all the time. I thought that as long as I survived this period, I would be fine. The results are always disappointing." Zhu Huaijing smiled and said, "The more Shu Tian talked, the more knowledgeable he became, and Wu Hongyue became more serious. Let's not talk about these things. Do you want to climb or not? If you don't climb, go down the mountain." Everyone saw what Zhu Huaijing meant, and they all said that they would stop climbing, they were tired, and it was getting late.Instead of returning from the original path, I found another path to go down the mountain.It's even harder to go down the mountain, almost sliding down with hands and feet. In this way, everyone's appetite is particularly good.Cheng Yi imitated the hero of Liangshan, and said that he was hungry, and birds faded out of his mouth.The taste of red trout is even more delicious.I drank cold beer and had a great time.