China Entertainment 1997.

Chapter 11 Back to Beijing Daily
The total length from Xinwu to the capital is just over 20 kilometers. Without the high-speed rail, it would take nearly [-] hours to take the green-skin train.

In the late 90s, the security on the train was average and there were many pickpockets. Cao Xuan didn't dare to close his eyes. When he got off the train, he almost collapsed.

Therefore, Cao Xuan is also a rare luxury. Instead of crowding the bus, he called a motorcycle.

More than half an hour later, Mo's came to the place where Cao Xuan rented, and handed 10 yuan to Mo's master distressedly. Cao Xuan carried his luggage and entered the courtyard.

"Yo, this is not Xiao Cao, he's back."

"Hey, Miss Hu, have you eaten yet?"

"Just ate, the fried noodles made by my mother-in-law, here's some."

"No, we're finished eating out."

After exchanging pleasantries with a woman in her 30s, Cao Xuan took out the key and opened his cabin.

The room is not big, more than ten square meters, with only a bed, a wardrobe and a round folding table for eating. It is not as shabby as Cao Xuan's dormitory in the "Water Margin" crew.

But for this cottage, the monthly rent is as high as 240 yuan.

At this price in Daxing, you can rent a small yard.

The reason why the landlord dares to ask for such a high price is mainly because the location is good.

The hutong where Zayuan is located is close to Beijing Normal University, less than 20 minutes drive from Tiananmen Square, 15 minutes from Zhongxi Opera, and 10 minutes from Nortel.

The most important thing is that it is close to the Beijing Film Studio, only half an hour's walk away, which is convenient for Cao Xuan to squat. This is why he is willing to pay 240 yuan per month for rent.

If you live far away, you'll save money on rent, but maybe someone else picks up the good work while you're on the road.

Of course, you can also get up early to travel, and use your time as money, but going to the theater every day, leaving early and returning late will hurt your body and your spirit.

Cao Xuan has done this before, and lost more than ten pounds in a month. Later, when he found a way to sing in a karaoke hall, he chose to move decisively.

Speaking of which, Cao Xuan paid half a year's rent in one go, and he followed Kang Honglei to Xinwu on a "business trip" before he lived for a long time.

I thought I would come back in a month, but after three months of filming for Ximen Qing, the house was abruptly empty for three months.

Wasting more than 700 yuan of rent in vain, Cao Xuan's heart throbbed when he thought about it.

I haven't lived in the house for three months, and the house is a little stuffy. Cao Xuan opened the window to ventilate, and then wet the rag with some water, wiped the dust in the house, and then fell on the bed to make up for sleep.

This sleep lasted from the afternoon to the next morning, Cao Xuan woke up refreshed and washed.

The courtyard where Cao Xuan lives is not small. There are several families and dozens of families, including tenants like Cao Xuan, and old Beijingers like Mrs. Hu who greeted him yesterday.

In the early morning, everyone was busy washing and eating, then going to school, going to work, and going to work. There was a lot of noise in the yard, pots and pans, chickens and dogs.

Although it was noisy, Cao Xuan liked this kind of life breath.

Of course, it would be better if there was no queue to go to the toilet...  

.........

After washing up, Cao Xuan changed his clothes, locked the door and left the courtyard.

First, I went to the breakfast shop at Hutongkou and drank a bowl of fried liver, accompanied by two liang of pork and green onion stuffed buns, and a few small pickles. It was an authentic dish.

Cao Xuan's hometown is located in southern Shandong, and the taste is salty and spicy, which is an authentic and heavy taste.

After filming in Xinwu for a few months, the cauldron dishes in the cafeteria are affordable, but the taste is really average.

Let’s go out and eat to satisfy your cravings. Nine and a half of the ten local dishes in Xinwu are sweet.

As you can imagine, the people of Xinwu even put sugar in the scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and Cao Xuan almost doubted his life.

Cao Xuan actually doesn't hate sweet food, and he even likes several famous Xinwu dishes such as pork ribs with sauce and crispy eel, but if you let a salty and spicy person eat sweet food every day, no one can stand it.

Although the Beijing snacks are still not as good as the food in Cao Xuan's heart, the taste in line with the taste of the north still makes his body, mind and stomach feel happy.

After eating, Cao Xuan took the bus to Digital Street not far away.

Next, Cao Xuan needs to use contact tools for many things, so he has to buy a BB pager, at least for people to find him.

In fact, Cao Xuan wanted to buy a mobile phone, but after inquiring about it, he decisively dismissed the idea.

In 1997, mobile phones were not yet fully popularized in the mainland, and most of them were the kind of bulky big brothers whose prices were basically above five figures.

There are also small and exquisite mobile phones, but the price is more expensive, and there is no market for them. Basically, they are sold out as soon as they are in stock.

For ordinary people, the most popular is the BB machine. Anyway, there are public telephones everywhere, and they are not much worse than mobile phones. The key is that they are cheap.

With Cao Xuan's wealth, he doesn't need to think about his mobile phone, and he can only get a second-hand BB phone.

It's not that he can't afford it with one hand, but it's unnecessary. If he has the money, he might as well keep it and buy a Nokia. Not only can he play Snake, but he can also smash walnuts.

A new BB machine, the price ranges from 3000 to 10000 yuan, and there are even more expensive ones.

But the price of second-hand is not worth the price. Especially at this stage, many second-hand goods are used by pickpockets to sell dirty. If you know acquaintances, you can get a very favorable price.

Coincidentally, Cao Xuan knew such a person.

Li Zichao, nicknamed Er Cripple, used to play in cadres and gangs. As a result, he got into a fight with someone and was cut off. He went to the digital city to learn how to repair BB machines. Later, he set up a small shop, specializing in repairing and compensating. Sell ​​used BB machines.

Cao Xuan has a good relationship with him. Hearing that he wants to get the goods, Li Zichao sold Cao Xuan a 800% new Hanxian at the cost price of [-] yuan.

If you change someone else, let's say less than a thousand or two thousand.

Cao Xuan also accepted Li Zichao's love, and it was rare to reveal the secret, and persuaded him to give up the idea of ​​selling his house and stocking up on BB machines to make a fortune, find a master, and learn the craft of repairing mobile phones and computers.

If you are more ambitious, you can do electronic product retailing, or maybe you will create a "Zichao Mall"......

Don't think this is a daydream, think that when Yifendong started his business, he was selling CDs in Zhongguancun. Compared to him, Li Zichao's "starting capital" is thicker.

Cao Xuan didn't care what Li Zichao planned to do, he just came up with an idea to repay the favor. Whether he could seize the opportunity or not depends on Li Zichao himself.

After getting the BB machine, Cao Xuan called a few friends in "Water Margin" and asked them to write down their numbers, and then received a call from Zhang Jizhong.

Although Cao Xuan's role in "Water Margin" has been completed, the work has not yet been completed, and he has yet to record an episode.

The recording studio crew has already made an appointment. On May 5th, Cao Xuan will go directly to record "Myriad Brothers". He and the "Water Margin" crew are the real money and goods.

There are still a few days before the start of the recording. Cao Xuan stopped squatting and found a karaoke hall to practice vocals and earn some extra money.

To say that singing in karaoke halls these days is actually not very profitable.

It's good to be a little famous. The nameless Howl only costs dozens of dollars a night, which is not much better than the group performance.

Cao Xuan's singing skills are not very good, and the price given by the karaoke hall is not high, 50 per night, which is neither good nor bad among sellers of singers.

However, Cao Xuan has an advantage that many singers envy and hate, that is, his face is good-looking and his salary is not high, but he often gets tips from female guests.

Basically, as long as you play, you can earn 100+. If you are lucky, it is possible to get 300 or 400 overnight.

But then again, high income also means high risk.

Although the karaoke hall makes a lot of money selling singing, the environment is too chaotic, the fish and the dragon are mixed, and there are all kinds of bad people and salty things.

Just the disgusting things that Cao Xuan has seen include the greasy eldest brother taking money to force you to drink, the fat and old rich woman getting jealous, the gays secretly eating your tofu, the jealous colleagues who put dumb drugs in the drinks, and playing games. Bing's malicious revenge for dragging people into the water and getting sick...

If it weren't for Cao Xuan's caution and cleverness, he would have been calculated long ago.

It is precisely because this industry is too dirty and messy that Cao Xuan would rather go to the crew to take a micro-chip fee and play tricks, and it is not easy to come and sing. If he gets a trick, his life will be ruined.

After finding a karaoke club with a good reputation, Cao Xuan brought his own food and drink, sang songs for a few nights, earned a small 600 yuan, and barely made up the rent he lost.

On May 5, Cao Xuan spent a day recuperating at home, and the next morning, he arrived at the recording studio he had made an appointment with.

(End of this chapter)