Chapter 15 Variations on a Theme VIII Landover

(some content omitted) —The girl I was going to marry is married again, and has a child.That's no surprise; I've been away from Landover for two standard years.It's not a disaster either, because we've been married once about a hundred years ago.We are old friends.So I talked to her and her new husband and got married to one of her granddaughters who are not of my offspring.certainly,. We were a perfect match, Minerva; Laura was twenty, and I had just finished rejuvenation and looked like I was in my early thirties.We had several children, nine I think.After about forty years, she got tired of me and wanted to marry me.I didn't feel sad, because I was a farmer at the time, and my life was very busy.And no matter what, if a woman wants to go, let her go.I blessed her at their wedding.

Roger looked surprised to hear that my plantation was not community property.Or maybe he didn't think I would use the divorce papers Laura signed against Laura.However, this isn't the first time I've gotten rich; I've learned a lot from past lessons.Through lengthy litigation, I finally convinced him that Laura only owned the dowry from our marriage and the appreciation of these properties, not the thousands of hectares I owned before we married her.In many ways, the affairs of the poor are much simpler than those of the rich. After that, I drove the spaceship and flew into space again.

But what I'm going to talk about is my children, who are not my own children.By the time we got to Landover, Joseph Aaron Long had looked more like a cherub than a monkey.But he's still small and wets careless people who forget to pee on him.The person who pissed him was often me, a grandfather, several times a day.I adore this child; not only is he a happy boy, but for me he is a most satisfying achievement. By the time we got to Landover, his father had grown into a real cook of great skill. Minerva, I can arrange for these two children to live a good life, because that tripartite trade is the most profitable one I have ever done.However, simply rewarding former slaves with property does not make them stand tall and proud.My approach is to let them leave the spaceship and struggle to survive in a difficult environment.Specifically:

I paid their apprentice wages for half the time between Blaiste and Valhalla.This is assuming the other half of their time is spent studying.I asked Rita to calculate the payable salary in Valhalla's currency, the krona, based on Valhalla's salary level.On that basis, I asked her to add what Joe earned at the Valhalla diner, and subtract his expenses there.I converted this money into a share in the goods trafficked from Valhalla to Landover—about less than one-half percent of the total value of the goods.I asked Rita to figure out the value. To that I added Joe's salary as a cook on board, from Valhalla to Landver, at Landver's wages, in Landver dollars - but only wages, no goods shares.I had to explain to Rita that the wages Joe earned on the trip couldn't be invested back into loading cargo at Valhalla.When she understood this, she grasped the concepts of business investing, risk, and profit.I don't pay her for this accounting work; she does it to calculate their own income, plus I have to check all the work she does and give her economics classes.I'll be damned if she's still paid.

Also, I didn't pay Rita for the journey from Valhalla to Landover.She was a passenger, busy conceiving and having a baby, and then even busier learning how to take care of a baby.But I didn't charge her for the ride either; she was a free passenger. You see what I do - rig the accounts so I owe them some money after I sell the goods and it looks like they earned it themselves.In fact, these two people are not worth my wages for them at all; instead, I paid a lot of money for them-not counting the money to buy them, and it never occurred to me to ask them to pay back that money.On the other hand, what I get in return is a high degree of satisfaction - especially if they can learn to be self-reliant.But I didn't say what I intended; I just let Rita figure out what they'd be paid -- my way.

(some content omitted) ——Their income is about several thousand, and this money will not last long.It took me some time to find a small diner.I did some research and found that a hardworking couple could get by on it if the price was right and the owner was willing to work.I was very satisfied with it, put it on the market, and then sent an investment advertisement through a third party.After that, I told them they better start looking for work because I was going to sell Libby, or lease it and sell it.Now either hurry to work and earn money, or starve to death.They were really free—free to starve to death.

Rita was not angry, she just looked sad, and continued to take care of little JA.Joe looked terrified.But then, I saw the two of them face to face in front of a newspaper I had bought; they were reading the “Hire” column. They whispered for a long time, and then Rita asked me hesitantly, if I could babysit for them while they went out looking for jobs? - But if I'm busy, she can strap JA around her waist. I said I wasn't going anywhere and asked them if they read the "Business Opportunities" column?It is difficult for those who have not been trained to apply for a job. She was taken aback; it was a completely new idea to her.But such hints are enough.They began to read the newspaper again, whispering in low voices.After a while, she came to me with a newspaper and pointed to an advertisement—I made it myself, but it didn’t say so—what did “five-year installments” mean?

I squinted and told her it was a buy that could bankrupt someone, especially if she was spending too much money on clothes.I also said that there must be something wrong here, otherwise the shopkeeper would not want to sell it like this. She looked as disheartened as Joe, and then said that other business opportunities would require a lot of money to be invested.I'd say it doesn't hurt to check it out - just beware of the pitfalls that may arise. They came back jubilant - sure they could afford it and make money!Joe's cooking skills are several times better than that of the fried food shop owner-he puts too much oil in the dishes, the dishes have a strange smell, the coffee tastes bad, and he doesn't even clean the kitchen.The best part is that there is a bedroom behind the storage room where they can live in--

I interrupt them.How much running water is there in the hotel?What about taxes?What license do I need?What are the inspection items?How are the charges?How much do they know about wholesale food ingredients?No, I'm not going to see it; they'll have to make up their minds and can't learn from me, and besides, I don't know anything about running a restaurant. I lied twice, Minerva; I've opened restaurants on five planets.I also lied about why I refused to visit the little restaurant.Two—no, three reasons: first, I had looked at the place very critically and carefully before choosing it; second, the owner of the fried food store must remember me; Selling this little shop to them through a fake agent, I can neither promise them anything nor encourage them to buy it.Minerva, if I were to sell a horse, I would not guarantee that it had four legs; the buyer must count them himself.

After stating that I don't know how to run a restaurant, I started to tell them how to run a restaurant.Rita started taking notes, then asked if I would allow her to turn on the tape recorder and record my words.Here's how I put it: Why gross margins after deducting the cost of food and feed can still be a loss after deducting other costs and overhead - installments, depreciation, taxes, insurance, paying themselves as employees I also tell them where the farmers market is and how early they need to be there; why Joe has to learn to cut meat instead of buying cuts - where can he learn these things; a The long menu could have ruined them; what to do about rats, cockroaches, and a few other pests that Randall had and thank goodness Secundus didn't.why--

(some content omitted) —I cut their umbilical cord, Minerva.I don't think it ever occurred to them that they were actually dealing with me.I didn't cheat them or help them; that installment sale contract just covered the money I paid for the crappy place, the time I spent haggling with the owner, legal and notary fees, and the money paid to that fake agent , and the interest the bank charged me—at least two percent less than what they could get.But, no handouts, nothing at all - I didn't make money, I didn't lose anything, I was just charged for spending my day. As it turns out, Rita's hands are tight as a hard cock.I think she broke even in the first month, even though they were still closed for a few days during that time, cleaning and decorating.Of course she didn't forget to pay the first month's loan, nor did she forget later.Have you ever forgotten?Honey, they paid off the five-year loan in only three years. This is not very surprising.Oh, life could be hard if one of them was sick for a long time.But they are healthy and young.They work seven days a week until they are completely free and debt free.Joe was the cook, and Rita took the money, smiled at the customers, and worked on the counter. JA lived in a basket on his mother's arm until she was a toddler. Before I married Laura and left New Canavera to work as a rancher, I used to go to their little restaurant a lot.But not very often, because Rita always won't let me pay.There's nothing wrong with that, the way it should be with a straight back; they ate my food before, and now I ate theirs.So I usually just have a cup of coffee and watch my godson and see how they are doing.I never interfere in their affairs.Joe, is a good cook, and his cooking skills are still improving.People say that if you want to eat delicious food, go to the Istrian kitchen.Word of mouth is the best kind of advertising; people often feel smug about having "discovered" such a treat. People, especially men, didn't mind a young and pretty Istra standing by the money box with a child on her arm.If the change comes just as she's breastfeeding—which happens often at first—it's worth the extra money for a meal. It wasn't long before JA stopped nursing, but when he was about two years old, he was taken in his place by a little sister, Libby Long.I didn't deliver her, and I had nothing to do with her red hair.Joe has blond hair, which I presume is a recessive gene—I reckon Rita just doesn't have time for sex.Libby is the best way to entice people to tip more, so I think she also helped parents pay off their loans early. A few years later, Istria Kitchen moved to a residential area in the financial center and became larger, and Rita hired a waitress, who was of course a beauty—— (some content omitted) - Mason Long is luxurious and has a cafe called "Istrian Kitchen" in one corner of it.Estella is the hostess of the cafe as well as the hostess of the entire restaurant.With a smile on her face, she wore a tailored dress that showed off her perfect figure.For regular customers, she calls them by their first names, and always asks the names of new customers, keeping them in mind.Joe had three chefs and some helpers, all of whom had to live up to his high standards or he would fire them. Something happened before they drove the Mason Dragon, which showed that they were a lot more savvy than I thought—at least they remembered what I said, and later figured out the meaning.Don't you forget, when I bought them they were so ignorant they couldn't even pile sand.As for money, I don't think either of them even touched it. I received a letter from the lawyer, which contained a bank draft, and attached a financial account: travel expenses for two trips, Blaisd to Valhalla and then to Landover, the second The route is calculated according to the charging standard of Interstellar Migration Co., Ltd. (Neo Canavera), assuming that the first leg is charged the same as the second leg; money from the money received from the sale of goods; As for the estimated currency exchange rate, the amount of five thousand Brysons converted into dollars is shown in the attachment; add up the above numbers; the compound interest calculated according to the annual unsecured loan commercial interest rate is calculated every six months, totaling Thirteen years—the sum is the bill of exchange, I don't remember exactly, Minerva, but it doesn't matter if I can convert the amount into Secundus krona.This is a lot of money. The document, which did not mention Rita or Joe, was signed by a lawyer.So I called him. Lawyers seemed prim, but I didn't care because I was a lawyer at the time, even though I wasn't representing cases.All he could say was that he was serving a client who did not want to be named. I told him a lot of legal jargon, and he let go.The client told him that if I didn't accept the money, here's what he would do: donate the money to a designated foundation and let me know when it was all done.But he refused to tell me which foundation it was. I didn't ask any more questions.I gave Istella Kitchen a call.Rita answered the phone, and then the video signal.She smiled brightly and said, "Aaron! We haven't seen you in a long time." I chimed in, then said there was clearly something wrong with their stupid heads when I wasn't looking at them. "I've got a money order from a lawyer here, and a bunch of junk papers. If I can get to you, I'm going to spank your ass with a board. Better let me talk to Joe." She smiled happily and told me that I would be more than welcome to slap her with the paddle, and that I could talk to Joe later, who is locking the door now.Then she put away her smile, her expression serious and self-respecting, "Aaron, our dearest old friend, that bill of exchange is not ridiculous. Some debts cannot be repaid, as you told us many years ago .But money debts can be paid. That's exactly what we did, and that amount was calculated as accurately as we could." I said, "Damn it, you stupid little woman, neither of you owe me a penny!"—or whatever else would have the same effect. She answered: "Aaron, our dearest master—" Upon hearing the word "Master", the anger I had been holding back exploded, Minerva.The language I use can definitely bring the dead to life. She waited for my anger to subside, and then said softly, "Until you make us pay these debts and set us free, you are our—Captain." My dear, I suddenly calmed down when I heard this. She went on: "But even after that, you were still our master in my heart, Captain. I know, in Jo's heart too. Although you taught us to hold our heads high and be proud, although... all It's because you, our children, and our children will never know that we have never had freedom...and pride." I said, "Honey, you brought tears to my eyes." She said, "No, no! Our captain never cries." I said, "What do you know, little lady. I did cry. But in my cabin--with the door locked. I won't argue with you, my dear. If it makes you two children If you feel free, then I accept it. But only the principal, no interest. You should not charge interest on lending money to friends." "We are closer than friends and less than friends, Captain. There is always interest on loans—you taught us. I knew that when I was but an ignorant slave just freed. Joseph knows it too. I want to pay interest, sir, despite your objections." I try to change the subject. "If I refuse your offer, what goddamn foundation will get these donations?" She hesitated, then said, "We'd like you to decide, Aaron. But we thought it might go to the Astronaut Orphanage. Maybe the Harriman Memorial Vault." "You're both crazy. That foundation is running out of money, I know that. If I go to town tomorrow, can you guys close that murderous trap for a day? Or in Nils What day?" "Any day, any day, Aaron dear"—and I said I'd call them. Minerva, I need time to think.There was no problem with Joe, he was never a problem.But Rita is stubborn.I've given in; but she won't give in at all.Thirteen years ago, they had only a few thousand yuan on hand, struggling on the edge of the line of survival, but now they have three children to support.It was too much money for them, mainly because of the interest. Compound interest really kills without blood.She said the amount they owed me—that's the money order—was two and a half times the principal with interest...and even the principal itself, I don't know how they saved it.As long as I can get her to agree to only pay the principal and no interest, they will save a ton of money to reinvest.But would they be proud if they were only asked to donate a small amount of the principal to orphaned astronauts, or orphaned astronauts, or Angry Kitten... I totally understand that in their eyes, What a deal.That's what I taught them myself, didn't I?I know all too well about self-esteem.In the past, when I played cards, I got into disputes with other people about whether to cut the cards, and finally threw down a large sum of money, ten times the money on this money order, and walked away-and had to sleep in the cemetery that night. Is her wicked, sweet brain trying to get back at me for dragging her out of my bed that night fourteen years ago?What would she do if I offered to take the principal and let her "pay the interest" her own way?Hmph, before you can say the word "condom", she might already be lying down. This doesn't solve the problem. I made a compromise, but she refused to budge, and we were back where we started.She's determined to pay it all - or give it away pointlessly - and I won't let her have it; I'm stubborn, too. A solution must be found that satisfies both parties. At supper that day, when the servants retired, I told Laura I was going to town on errands, and asked her if she would come along?While I'm at work, she can buy things, eat what she wants, and do things that make her happy.Laura was pregnant again; I thought she might be willing to take a day's share and waste money on clothes. I didn't want to take her with me to meet Rita; our public story was that Joseph, Istra Dragon, and their eldest son were all born in Valhalla; we became friends when they were aboard my ship.I made up the story and told the boys how to lie when they flew to Landover.I also made them study the videotapes I bought in Torheim - this turned them into synthetic Valhallans who wouldn't reveal themselves unless they were being asked overly detailed questions by real Valhallans . It's not really necessary to make up this lie because Landover has an open door policy; immigrants don't even need to be registered and come and go freely.There is no entry fee, poll tax, and other taxes are not many, and the government's ruling power is not very strong.The third largest city, New Canavera, had only 100,000 people - Landover was a very livable place at that time. But for the sake of Joe and Rita and their kids, I let them say that to others.I want them to forget the fact that they were slaves, never talk about it, never let their children know - and also forget the fact that they are, in some strange way, brother and sister.There was nothing shameful about being born a slave (only the slave himself), and complementary diploidy was not a reason to prevent marriage.But forget about all that - start over.Joseph Long marries St. Jayne Svenstadt (named "Istria" to suit local custom, and who was brought up with the nickname Ita); at the end of Joe's apprenticeship as cook Later, they married; after the birth of their first child, they immigrated.The story was simple and clean, which added a lot of believability to the character I was playing.I don't feel the need to tell my new wife another version of the story.Laura knew they were my friends; at first she was kind to them because of me, and then she began to really like them both. Laura is a good girl, Minerva, and a good companion in and out of bed.Even though it was her first marriage, she still showed the Howard quality of not letting her love suffocate her partner—something that most Howards need to live through at least one marriage to learn.She knew who I was—grandfather—because our marriage and birth were on file, just like my marriage and birth to her grandmother.But she doesn't think of me as someone a thousand years older than her, and never asks me about my past.When I wanted to talk, she just listened quietly. Even now, I don't blame her for that lawsuit; Roger Sperling concocted it all, and he's a greedy little piggy. Laura said, "If you don't mind, my dear, I want to stay home. I'll go shopping for clothes when I get thinner. As for dinner, there's no place in New Canavera that does better than Thomas's here." Good food for us. Well, maybe Istria Kitchen would do it, but it's not a big restaurant, it's only open for lunch. Will you see them this time you're in town? I mean Istria and Joe. " "Maybe." "Hope you're having a good time, honey; they're nice people. Also, I'd like to get some little toys for my goddaughter. Aaron, if you want to take me into town, to a fancy restaurant, you should encourage Joe to open One. Joe cooks as well as Thomas." (Better than Thomas, I thought, and Jo wouldn't frown and refuse a polite request. The trouble with servants, Minerva, is that they serve you and you have to serve them.) "I'll ask When they meet, be sure to pass your presents to Libby." "Kiss everyone for me, I'd better bring some presents to every child. Be sure to tell Istria I'm pregnant again, look at her Are you pregnant too, come back and tell me. Honey, when are you leaving? I have to pack your shirt for you. " Laura always insisted that even though I had lived for centuries, I couldn't pack my own things for a night out.She can only see what she wants to see, and it is for this ability that she has endured my bad temper for forty years; and I am very grateful to her.love her?Of course, Minerva.She always pays attention to every aspect of me, and I pay attention to her as well, and we have a great time together.It's just that our love is not so strong that it will burn each other. The next day, I took my little car and bumped all the way to New Canaveral. (some content omitted) ——Plan to open Mason Dragon Hotel.Rita was going to give me a blitz.I was emotional and she knew that and set the stage.When I got there, the store was closed.The two older children had been sent away to be looked after for the night, and little Laura was sleeping.Joe let me in and told me to go straight to the back of the shop; he was getting supper ready and would be here in a minute.So I went to find Rita in the back where they lived. I saw her—in the balinese dress and sandals I bought her shortly after I bought them.She's used to detailed makeup by now, but that day her face was completely bare, and her hair was simply parted and glossy, falling straight to her waist.But she was no longer the terrified, ignorant slave who needed to be taught how to shower.The quiet, beautiful young woman was as clean as a sterilized one.The brand of perfume she wears may be called Spring Breeze, but it should really be called Rape with a Reason.This perfume is only available with a doctor's prescription. She made a pose, let me look carefully enough, and then came to hug me and kissed me on the cheek.The kiss smelled like the perfume she was wearing. After she let me go, Jo came in—in nothing but her loincloth and slippers. But I didn't let it go in an emotional direction; I just let Jo give me a hasty kiss, and then immediately started talking in a vehement way.I didn't talk about their clothes, but went straight to the money.After listening to my words, Rita immediately transformed from a sexy beauty to a shrewd businessman.She stopped paying attention to the scenes and clothes she set up, and listened intently to me, then asked the key questions. She said, "Aaron, I see a problem. You told us we were free, and we tried to be free—that's why we sent you that money order. I'll do the math, and what we owe you is That’s the right amount. We don’t need to open the biggest restaurant in New Canaveral. We’re happy, the kids are healthy, we’re making money.” "You're so tired," I said. "It's not too tiring. It would be more tiring to open a bigger restaurant. But here's the thing: it looks like you're going to buy us again. If you want to, that's fine—you're the only host we can accept. Is that your idea, sir. If so, please speak up, please tell us frankly." I said, "Joe, I'm going to beat her up, can you hold her down for me? How can she say such nasty things about me? Rita, there are two things wrong with your words. A bigger hotel means Less work. And I'm not buying you; it's a business deal that I expect a high return. What I value is Joe's talent as a chef and your ability to control costs without compromising quality .If it doesn’t make any money, I’ll liquidate my investment, get my money back, and you can go back to your old business. If you fail, I won’t fund you.” "Brother?" she called him in the dialect of their childhood.I get the sense that this discussion has escalated to the highest executive level, as the two of them are very careful not to call each other "brother" or "sister" in any language, especially in front of the kids.Sometimes they call JA "brother" in English—but never his father Joe.Minerva, I don't recall Landover's laws having a penalty for incest - and there wasn't much there.But incest is still a taboo there, and I've carefully instilled it in them.Half of the task of getting acquainted with any culture is knowing the local taboos. Joe looked thoughtful, "I can be a good cook. Can you manage well, sister?" "I can try. If you want us to do it, of course we will, Aaron. I don't I'm sure we're doing well, and it does mean a lot more work for me. I'm not complaining, Aaron, but we're doing our best right now." "I know that. I can't imagine how Jo would find time to get you pregnant." She shrugged and said, "That didn't take long. I'm just pregnant and there's still time before I can't work. JA is older now and can look at the money box for me while I work. But if it’s a luxury hotel, he can’t do it.” I replied, "Girl, you're thinking of running a fancy restaurant in the same way you're running a small restaurant. Now listen, learn how you can work less, rest more, and make a lot of money." "We can't open the Mason Long until you have this baby; we can't open a restaurant overnight. We've got to sell the place, or rent it out. That said, we first need Find a buyer who will keep the diner profitable; an asset like this is always expensive. "We need to find a suitable place for sale or rent-to-buy. The surrounding environment is better. I can buy it and rent it to the hotel, so that it doesn't take up too much money for the hotel. Find this place, Changing its style will of course require redecorating. It will cost money to buy some fixed assets. The financial pressure should not be too great; "But, my dear, you should stop looking at the money-box; we're going to hire helpers, and I'm going to take steps to keep them out of their hands. You're going to go around the restaurant, you're going to look nice, you're going to Smile at your guests and pay attention to what’s going on around the corner. But you only have to do that at lunch and dinner. Just work six hours a day.” Joe looked stunned; Rita blurted out, "But, Aaron, we've always been open from the market and late. We'd have missed a lot of customers otherwise." "I'm sure you guys work really hard; this check is the proof. That's why you don't think it's going to take 'long time' to get pregnant. But it's supposed to be 'long time,' dear. Work Not an end in itself; we always need enough time to fall in love. Tell me, the time you conceived JA on the 'Libby', were you in a hurry? Or did you have time to enjoy?" "Oh, my God!" she said emotionally, "how wonderful those days were!" "Beautiful days will come. Time flies like lightning, so enjoy yourself. Or have you lost interest?" She looked a little annoyed, "Captain, you should know me." "Then it's Joe? He's out of health, boy?" "Well...we do work long hours. Sometimes I get very tired." "Let's change that. It won't be a diner this time; it'll be an overpriced gourmet place with service like no other on this planet. Remember when you left Valhalla? Is that the place where I take you guys to dinner one day? It's that type. Soft lighting, soft music, great food, expensive prices. Wine but no hard liquor; can't turn our guests' taste buds Numb. "Joe, you still need to go to the market every morning; the task of picking high-quality food ingredients can't be delegated to someone else. But don't take Rita, take JA if he's going to learn how to run a restaurant." "I sometimes take him there now." "That's fine. When you get home, go to bed and catch up. Your day's work is over until it's time to make dinner. You don't make lunch." "what?" "That's it. Your #2 chef cooks lunch and then you cook dinner. Dinner is the big money business. Rita's going to keep an eye on lunch and dinner, especially the quality of lunch because you're not in the kitchen at lunchtime. But She never goes to the market, and when you come back from the market and go to bed, she will stay in bed-did I say that your place is to be with the hotel, as it is now? Every afternoon, you two There will also be two to three hour breaks - like you're used to on 'Libby', where you can take a nap. Actually, with the 'Libby' schedule, it's hard to keep both Plenty of sleep and plenty of pleasurable exercise—but you did it." "Sounds good," Rita admitted, "if we can support ourselves by just working these few hours—" "You can, and you'll be fine. But Rita, your job isn't to earn every dime, it's to provide quality service 'without losing money... and to—enjoy life." “我们会的。亚伦，你是我们最亲爱的……船长和朋友，我不能再说那个'肮脏'的词了。即使是在我小时候不得不戴着那个可怕的处女框时，我们也在享受着生活——我们整夜厮守在一起的那些夜晚是多么甜蜜啊。当你把我们两个买了下来——还给了我们自由之身——而且我也不用再戴那个铁枷锁的时候，生活是如此完美。我不会想到生活还可以更美好——不过，生活确实可以更美好。到那时，我们就不必在睡觉和为了性爱而醒着之间做出选择了。唔，你可能不会相信我说的这些，你了解我的性冲动——但是，在这两者之间，我现在选择睡眠的时候更多一些。” “我相信你。让我们来改变这一切吧。” “但是——我们根本不提供早餐吗？亚伦，有些人自从我们到兰德弗以后就一直到我们的店里吃早餐。” “净利润呢？” “唔……不是很多。人们不愿意在早餐多花钱，尽管有时早餐的成本和午餐、晚餐一样。早餐有一点点利润我就很满意了。这是一种广告。我不愿意对老顾客说我们不再提供早餐服务了。” “小事一桩，亲爱的。你可以在一个角落里设一个早餐吧，主宴会厅不开——旦是乔不要亲自做早餐，你也不要出来。那个时候你应该和乔躺在床上，这样你才能在午餐的时候光彩照人。” “JA知道怎么做早餐，”乔插嘴说，“我教他做菜就是从早餐开始。” “好办。也许我们可以和我的教子谈一笔交易。如果早餐吧能够盈利的话，他就能自己挣钱了——” (some content omitted) “——把这些数字加一加。然后，丽塔你记录一下我说的话。我同意接受这张汇票，而你们两个——尤其是你，丽塔——要同意一点：我们之间的所有债务就这样结清了。我们在梅森·龙的股份要很接近，你们两个占百分之五十一，我占百分之四十九，我们三个人都是董事会成员，我们不能向外出售股份，只能内部转让——例外情况是，我保留把我的所有或部分股份转换成无表决权股份的权利，这样我可以把股份转让给其他人。 “我的起始投资就是这张汇票。你们的投资是处理那个小餐.馆以后得到的钱——” “等一等，”丽塔说，“我们可能卖不了那么多的钱。” “还是小事一桩，亲爱的。就在这一段里写上，不足的部分允许你用以后的收益来补偿——我们一定会赚钱的；我不会做亏本买卖，我总是要力图减少损失。再另起一段，如果需要的话，我可以通过购买无表决权的股份来提供更多的资金——我们也可以用这种办法留住核心员工。乔培训完一个人以后就让他走掉，这可不行。别担心，说得更直白一些，你们两个是老板；我是一个幕后合伙人。你们两人的工资就按照我们讨论的那个标准支付，如果净利润增加了，工资也随着增加，按刚才说的那样办。 “我不拿工资，只拿红利。但我们都要竭尽全力让业务运转起来。必要的时候，我会从斯凯海文赶过来帮一把；反正那边无论有什么事，我的工头都能料理。但是一旦这里的业务运转起来后，我就什么也不做了；我会坐在那里，等你们两个给我赚钱。但是——你们听好了——等业务运转正常了，你们俩也不要再那么拼命工作了。要多花些时间在床上。多花些时间在其他娱乐活动上。就算你们再按小餐馆的那个作息时间来工作，也不能给我们挣更多的钱。我们现在有没有达成一致？” “我想是的，”乔说，“妹妹你呢？” “是的。我不敢肯定新卡纳维拉是不是能够支撑像瓦尔哈拉上那样的高级饭店，让它顺利运转下去——但我们要试一试！我还是认为我们刚开始的工资太高了，但我要先看看我们能否在第一个季度实现盈亏平衡，到时候再和你讨论这个问题。还有一件事，船长——” “我的名字叫，'亚伦'。” “'船长'比那个'航脏的词'要安全一些。我已经同意了整个交易——而且我要全力以赴！——就像你一直说的那样。但如果你认为这样就能让我忘记有一天晚上你把我从你的床上拽下来、扔到硬邦邦的铁甲板上的话，你可要再想一想了！因为我还没有忘！” 当时我叹了口气，密涅娃，然后对她的丈夫说：“乔，你是怎么对付她的？” 他耸了耸肩，笑道：“我不对付她，只是和她和平相处。而且，我觉得她有道理。如果我是你的话，我会把她带上床，然后让她忘记这件事。” 我摇了摇头，“可我不是你，这是问题的关键。乔，在你出生之前很久我就知道，免费的性招待总是最贵的。而且，我们三个现在是生意上的合作伙伴，如果我接受了你说的解决方案，我能预见到六种可能的结局，其中任何一个都能使梅森·龙无法顺利开张。” (some content omitted) ——正如我预见的那样，密涅娃；从来没有一次非投机性的投资能像梅森·龙一样，给我带来如此丰厚的回报。别人试图模仿我们，但是他们没办法模仿乔的厨艺，或是丽塔的管理能力。我赚了个盆钵满盈！

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