“Mom, you’re so smart! If you hadn’t mentioned that we could even buy instant noodles from the cooperative, I wouldn’t have taken them out with me!”
“If I hadn’t gone out, I definitely wouldn’t have met the workers at the train station. If I hadn’t met anyone, I couldn’t have signed the contract, and without signing the contract, I wouldn’t be able to open the factory!”
“Mom, you’re amazing! How could we open a factory without you?”
Ye Oldest praised, his tone dim-wittedly enthusiastic, “No wonder my little brother is so clever; he takes after Mom!”
What? The idea of opening a factory was just something I said casually!
Ye Mother thought back to her remark about the cooperative needing to sell something, but wasn’t that just a way to fool people?
No wonder Ye Qiu is so smart; he must have inherited it from her!
Ye Mother, flattered by the praise, showed a bashful yet slightly proud expression, and then asked with concern, “Son, starting a factory costs a lot of money, right? Do we have enough?”
Although the Ye family had made some money in business recently, they were still just a family with little savings, not even as wealthy as the richer families in the village.
“Mom, don’t worry about the money; I’ve already asked, and we can take out a loan.”
Ye Father, hearing this, rapped his smoking pipe against the table, “What kind of loan can just give money like that? You’re not talking about usury, are you?”
In the village, there used to be a thug who, unbeknownst to his family, borrowed from a loan shark, bragging that he could earn dozens of yuan a month. In the end, he couldn’t repay the loan and was confronted, resulting in his house being wrecked and his parents being hospitalized in anger. That incident had stirred quite a stir in the village.
Ye Oldest expressed his worry, “Usury is for those kinds of thugs. Our family is doing fine as it is. You can’t do anything foolish!”
Ye Qiu explained, “It’s asking the state for a loan, and then you repay a portion every month. The interest isn’t high, and the state encourages entrepreneurship with benefits.”
The others listened, half-understanding but feeling reassured when they heard “the state.”
Anyone can con them but not the state!
Ye Mother happily pulled Ye Qiu and praised, “I knew you would be successful!”
The next day, Ye Qiu brought the necessary items for establishing the factory straight to the town government, successfully founding the first private factory in town.
After learning that the documents could only be obtained the next day, Ye Qiu quickly returned home, called for Ji Chen, and they both headed to the train station carrying instant noodles.
Ji Chen had recently been studying at the educated youth camp. Although they were known for their roles, they actually farmed like the villagers and weren’t required to do much—just enough to feed themselves.
Previously, while Ji Chen did less work daily, at least he reported to the team every day. Recently though, he had stopped going altogether to focus on the college entrance examination.
Yes, the college entrance examination.
A few days ago, Ye Qiu received news about a stack of books he had somehow gotten, saying that the entrance examination would resume by the end of the year, and he needed to study diligently.
It was such significant news that they couldn’t possibly not announce it beforehand. Yet, seeing Ye Qiu so serious made Ji Chen’s heart race.
Even if the news were false, it meant studying an extra year.
“Ji Chen, have you finished your work? Lying around all day?”
Li Hui looked at Ji Chen comfortably lying in bed reading and felt irritated. Ji Chen seemed oblivious, only flipping pages, while the others pretended to be busy with their own tasks.
Last time, Li Hui’s vague words had caused them considerable embarrassment. Since they were all students, they didn’t want to bring it up further, but everyone felt somewhat uncomfortable about it.
Seeing Li Hui ignored, her expression turned sour.
Why was Ji Chen allowed to do nothing while everyone was cordial with him, while she was singled out just for making a small mistake?
She just said a few extra words; she didn’t want them to stir trouble in the team. The team leader hadn’t penalized them. Now all the blame was laid on her, just because she was a girl.
It was all Ji Chen’s fault! If he and Ye Qiu weren’t so closely tied, how could she possibly have said anything like that?
At least he was living a good life because of it!
If only…
Before Li Hui could fully grasp her thoughts, Ji Chen heard a signal from outside, put down his book, and sweetly went out.
Ye Qiu seriously instructed Ji Chen, and the two walked out gracefully, making it look like they were important figures—if not for the two big packages they were carrying.
While near the train station, they happened to run into Jia Yongyuan, who still remembered Ye Qiu.
Jia Yongyuan was a procurement officer at the cooperative, often considering whether to purchase new and interesting items whenever he saw them. His strategy for good performance involved loitering near the train station, where crowds came and went; there were often outsiders coming to do business, and if he saw something good, he could usually get it.
Seeing Ye Qiu with the large packages, Jia Yongyuan curiously asked, “Ye Qiu, are you going out of town?”
“Brother Jia, this is my assistant, Mr. Ji. We’re here at the train station to discuss some business.” Ye Qiu patted Ji Chen, who cooperatively displayed a somewhat proud look.
Jia Yongyuan was even more puzzled, “Business with the train station?”
“Oh, just some food. I saw the products yesterday and needed to sign a contract. The factory initially wouldn’t let me sign, but I got carried away and agreed yesterday, so I brought my assistant today to discuss business.” Ye Qiu urged Jia Yongyuan subtly, frequently glancing at Ji Chen while giving the assistant an appropriately respectful expression.
Imperial? Could it be the imperial capital!
Jia Yongyuan’s heart jolted. If Ye Qiu hadn’t signalled him, he might not have realized that this Mr Ji could very well be a big shot from the imperial capital!
Truly cunning; a big figure actually pretending to be a village assistant!
Ji Chen noticed Jia Yongyuan looking at him and gave a tepid smile.
Ah, it’s not a mistake. Jiang really is still as shrewd as ever; nothing escapes his keen eye.
Jia Yongyuan felt excited but stayed calm, saying, “Brother Ye, about your products, I’ll definitely support you; our cooperative’s strength is quite impressive.”
“Don’t worry; we can meet the demand, and it won’t be less than what the train station can offer.”
Ye Qiu replied, “We’re all brothers here; there’s no way I’d forget you…”
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