Chapter 1553: Running into an Acquaintance

When Master Zhang saw Zhou Andong, he was so happy that he couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.

Especially when he saw the several orderlies who followed him in, carrying over a dozen cases of Imperial Tribute Liquor, he laughed out loud.

"You child, why did you only bring these few cases when you came? It's not enough to drink."

Hearing the first half of the sentence, Zhou Andong thought the old man was complaining about him bringing gifts.

He didn't expect the second half to take such a sharp turn; he nearly threw out his back from the surprise.

"Next time I come, I'll definitely bring you a few more cases, sir."

"That's more like it." The old man nodded in satisfaction. "Your grandmother is cooking in the kitchen; we two will have a good drink at noon."

Zhou Andong and the old man sat on the sofa chatting, while Zhang Zuo stood to the side, ears pricked, listening nervously, terrified that Zhou Andong would badmouth him in front of the old man.

It wasn't until they finished eating and Zhou Andong left that this kid finally felt relieved after seeing him out, and then he threw an arm around Zhou Andong's shoulder.

"Dongzi, you're a stand-up guy. If you need anything in the future, just say the word, and I, your brother, will definitely handle it for you perfectly."

Zhou Andong looked at the hand draped over his shoulder. "By the way, I left something behind. I'm going back to get it."

"Huh?"

Zhang Zuo was a bit stunned, then reacted, grabbing Zhou Andong's shoulder to keep him from leaving.

"Brother Dong, what are you doing? What did you leave behind? Tell your little brother, let me go back and get it, you just wait in the car."

"No, no, no!" Zhou Andong shook his head vigorously. "I'd better go get it myself; I can't trouble Brother Dazuo."

Zhang Zuo pulled a long face, tugging at Zhou Andong. "I was wrong, I was wrong, okay?"

"You were wrong?" Zhou Andong looked puzzled. "What were you wrong about?"

"Brother Dong!" Zhang Zuo gripped Zhou Andong's arm tightly, refusing to let go. "From now on, you are my own brother. If you tell me to go east, I'll never go west; if you tell me to chase a dog, I'll never chase a chicken."

"Oh?" Zhou Andong patted his head. "I remember now, the thing is in the car, I didn't leave it at the old man's place."

Zhang Zuo accompanied him with a smile. "Right, I just felt that your things couldn't possibly be left at the old man's place."

"That's not necessarily true." Zhou Andong said very seriously, "Whether or not I leave something at the old man's house depends on whether certain people get carried away."

"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhang Zuo diligently opened the car door for Zhou Andong. "Brother Dong, please get in."

Zhou Andong bent down and got into the car. "Remember, my things might be left at the old man's house at any time."

"Don't worry." Zhang Zuo said with a face full of smiles. "I'll recite it to myself a hundred times every day, I guarantee I won't forget."

Zhou Andong nodded with great satisfaction. "Wentian, let's go."

Watching the car drive further and further away, Zhang Zuo lifted his chin. "Dongzi, your Brother Zuo didn't grow up being scared; let's wait and see."

Wang Wentian asked, "Chairman, are we going home now, or to the first bar?"

Zhou Andong checked the time. "It's past two, let's go to the bar."

…………………………

The first bar!

This place had already become a gathering spot for some second and third generations. Since it was only the third day of the Lunar New Year, there were already quite a few people there after opening.

As Zhou Andong and Wang Wentian walked in, a young waiter saw them and hurried over.

"Chairman Zhou!"

Zhou Andong nodded with a smile. "The old spot, is anyone there?"

"No!" The waiter turned and led the way. "Under normal circumstances, we don't seat guests in that spot, just in case you come by."

"I just finished drinking, bring me a pot of tea." Arriving at the booth by the window inside, Zhou Andong sat down. "And bring some pastries and snacks."

"Alright!" The waiter agreed and hurried away.

Wang Wentian sat opposite Zhou Andong. "I ate late this morning, and I haven't exercised much, so I'm not hungry yet."

"You still have to eat something." Zhou Andong said. "We don't know when we'll be going back tonight."

Because it was the third day of the Lunar New Year, there were no resident singers scheduled for today. Although there were quite a few guests, it was still relatively quiet.

Zhou Andong drank tea and sat for over an hour when a waiter brought Zhou Xianyong and a woman over.

"Andong!" Zhou Xianyong said happily, then pointed to the woman beside him. "Ye Xuanzhen, the famous actress I mentioned to you."

"Miss Ye!" Zhou Andong shook hands with Ye Xuanzhen. "I really like the movies you've acted in, my favorite is *Seven Wolves*."

"Mr. Zhou, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Ye Xuanzhen had been learning about Zhou Andong all day. She couldn't imagine that in such a backward country, a capitalist like Zhou Andong could actually exist.

"Seeing you in person, you are much more handsome and much younger than on the newspapers and television."

"No wonder my uncle told me that Miss Ye is not only a good actress and beautiful, but also very understanding."

"Really?" Not knowing if it was true or false, Ye Xuanzhen looked pleasantly surprised.

"Of course it's true." Zhou Andong invited Ye Xuanzhen and Zhou Xianyong to sit down. "On New Year's Eve, my uncle chatted with me for a long time, and half of that time was spent talking about you."

Ye Xuanzhen looked at Zhou Xianyong, her eyes watery, which made Zhou Xianyong feel a surge of agitation.

In front of Ye Xuanzhen, Zhou Andong kept building up Zhou Xianyong's reputation.

Zhou Xianyong secretly gave Zhou Andong a thumbs-up several times.

The three of them were just chatting when Liu Yahang and Luo Yuezhen arrived.

"Sister Yuezhen, Brother Yahang." Zhou Andong stood up to greet them, then introduced them to Zhou Xianyong and Ye Xuanzhen.

"I've seen the movie you acted in," Luo Yuezhen said. "*Island of Fire*."

Ye Xuanzhen didn't know Liu Yahang's background, but since he was so familiar with Zhou Andong, his status shouldn't be too far off, so she was very polite to Luo Yuezhen.

"Our names both have 'Zhen' in them, this is fate."

"Yes!" Luo Yuezhen was very happy. "It really is fate."

The two women chatted and became familiar after a while, becoming increasingly enthusiastic.

Zhou Andong lit cigarettes for Liu Yahang and Zhou Xianyong, then asked.

"Brother Yahang, my uncle here is very interested in your 'courtyard culture,' could you tell him about it?"

"There's no such thing as culture in the courtyards." Liu Yahang shook his head with a smile. "Where should I start?"

Liu Yahang took a puff of his cigarette and organized his thoughts.

"Let's start from the founding of the country. At that time, Beijing, this ancient city that had been idle and desolate for twenty or thirty years, returned to the political center once again.

A large number of cadres, soldiers, and cultural and educational personnel gathered from all directions, receiving this city with the posture of victors. But soon they discovered that the crowded Sihe Academy and narrow hutongs simply couldn't accommodate so many newcomers.

Thus, one after another, office buildings and dormitory areas appeared in the west and north of the old city. Gradually, walls were built around some of the buildings, and Beijing's courtyards were formed just like that..."

"You guys chat, I'm going to the restroom."

Zhou Andong got up and walked toward the restroom. When he came out, he suddenly saw several people sitting in the booth in front, two of whom were very familiar.

This familiarity wasn't from real life, but from his previous life, where he often saw them in the news. One was a writer, and the other was a director.