Chapter 427: Chapter 427: Reinforcements
Shen Yiguang listened in shock and finally chuckled, shaking his head.
“I was wondering where your cleverness came from, but it turns out you’re not the only one in your family.”
Yang PeiMin looped her arm through his, “What do you think?”
In the dim yellow light, Shen Yiguang’s deep eyes sparkled with a bright light.
He stroked her hair with his hand and asked, “How much money do you need?”
Yang PeiMin looked up and showed him a figure with her fingers, “I currently have less than twenty thousand yuan on hand. I need at least half of that. I plan to use my connections with Mr. Gao to get some equipment, and most of this budget is for that equipment.” Fourteen thousand yuan came from this year’s dividends from the garment factory, the rest was miscellaneous, including cosmetics, and Shen Yiguang’s salary was all used up in daily expenses without any savings.
The more cautious you are, the more confidence you have with money.
“I’ll give it to you.”
Yang PeiMin’s eyes widened, “Where did you get the money?”
Twenty thousand yuan! Not the twenty thousand of the future that could easily be taken out, but two hundred thousand yuan, equivalent to three or four million in the future. Where did he get that money?
Shen Yiguang looked down at her and explained, “At the beginning of the year, a comrade-in-arms who had been discharged from the military didn’t want to farm. He thought about what to do next with two other close friends who’d been discharged. We are brothers who fought side by side in the same trench… Our hometowns are from all over the country, far and wide, not from the same place. Once, during a chat about family matters, one comrade’s wife was pregnant and didn’t feel like eating anything except fruit. But where could we get fruit from around here? A southern comrade said that where he comes from, fruit grows everywhere and it’s so abundant that it’s even thrown away to feed livestock… Here, we hardly ever see fruit and thought it wasteful… There are also products from their area that we don’t have here, which need to be transported, and the same goes for our goods… We thought, if we could transfer what the south doesn’t have from our side to sell… Of course, we only dared to think about this now, we wouldn’t have dared a few years ago… I had some money on hand since I had some debts repaid to me, so I invested one thousand yuan into it. Since it was a risky venture, I didn’t tell you. At first, we made a little profit, and I reinvested it. They are bold as well, trading everything from food to electrical appliances, and recently my comrade wrote to me saying that the profits had accumulated to twenty-eight thousand yuan…”
“The washing machine and fridge you mentioned, I also had them keep an eye out for those. We should be able to use them by the end of the year… Now is just the right time, you need it so I’ll take it out…”
Shen Yiguang spoke lightly.
Yang PeiMin climbed onto his lap and tugged at his ear, “Wow, something as big as this and you didn’t tell me, were you thinking of keeping some secret funds?”
“Wronged, my dear wife, this business, though not illegal, is ultimately something better kept quiet. It’s not becoming for us who serve in the military to be involved in such matters… and I didn’t want to worry you…” Shen Yiguang hurriedly pleaded for mercy.
“Well, alright then, I need some backup here, and you can support me.” After a thought, Yang PeiMin decided she’d benefit as well and decided not to make a fuss over his keeping secrets from her.
But it still had to be said, “From now on, don’t hide these things from me, otherwise, I’ll keep ten or a dozen secrets from you too.”
Shen Yiguang immediately corrected his expression and agreed.
“Dear, how can you be so clever? We’re thinking along the same lines; we must truly be a match made in heaven!” Afterward, he laid on the flattery thick for Yang PeiMin.
Yang PeiMin lifted her chin with a proud air, “Because I am naturally beautiful.”
Shen Yiguang nodded, the sincerity in his gaze couldn’t be more genuine.
Now that the money issue was resolved, but since she had already mentioned it to Yang Peijun, she also told Shen Yiguang, “I still plan to let my third brother look into it. If he’s willing, I will invest in him, too. If not, then the money goes back into investing with your comrade.”
Shen Yiguang laughed, “Third Uncle is quite suitable for it. Even if he can’t make any money, it can quickly help him toughen up. We should clarify in advance that this might not necessarily turn a profit, and he’ll have to be prepared to face the risk of losses. Let’s see what he says.”
Yang PeiMin agreed and asked Shen Yiguang to discuss it with him.
As for the fast-food place, Yingzi was too busy to handle it alone. Hiring someone was an option, since her initial intention was for it to be her business; she did not agree to Yang Peijun joining her in the future. Matters concerning money and profits are often hard to disentangle. Yang Peijun’s wife, Li Hong, was a ticking time bomb. Yingzi, in confrontation with her, would surely not come out ahead. Thus, Yang PeiMin was also clearing the ‘what-ifs’ for her sister in advance.
In the end, Yang Peijun was willing to go. Initially, Yang PeiMin wasn’t at ease with him traveling far, so he just visited nearby cities. He had a vast resource at his own factory, so she had him start by taking batches of garments out, which was also an investment on her part. As for financial investment, she wasn’t going to provide that; he would have to dig into his own pockets since people sometimes need pressure to be motivated.
Of course, Yang Peijun would sort things out with Yang Peiying before leaving.
Yang Peiying still had a lot to learn, such as haggling with suppliers, how to entertain guests, and so on. All of these were things that Yang Peijun would teach her before he set off.
Therefore, he couldn’t leave anytime soon.
Once Yang Peijun decided on his goal, he was fraught with excitement.
He became even more diligent and attentive in everything he did than before.
So when Lu Hailing came to visit again, carrying his little nephew in her arms, and approached Shen Yiguang, Yang Peijun dashed out and gave her a good poking with words filled with innuendo.
Every time Lu Hailing came by, she would cozy up to Chen Guizhi. Of course, sometimes she would have warm conversations with Yang Peiying or help her with some chores, but since Yang Peiying was often not loquacious, and coupled with his warnings, Yang Peiying didn’t dare to say much. The two didn’t have much to talk about, so most of the time, Yang Peijun saw Lu Hailing sitting next to Chen Guizhi, chatting while doting on the child.
Today, because Shen Yiguang had returned home earlier and Yang PeiMin hadn’t finished school, Lu Hailing came by after work carrying a bag of malt candy, claiming it was given by a colleague, but since her mother had bad teeth and couldn’t eat sweets, she brought it over for Chen Guizhi.
Chen Guizhi was giving Lele a bath in the warm late-afternoon sun when she saw Lu Hailing come in with candy as a gift. She beamed with joy and quickly said there was no need.
Ignoring Chen Guizhi’s refusal, Lu Hailing brought the candy straight into the room and left it on the table, then went back to the courtyard and said to Chen Guizhi, “I bought some candy myself recently and still have some left. I can’t possibly eat that much. I don’t want it to go to waste if I can’t eat it all before it spoils. Anyway, my mother won’t eat it. If Auntie doesn’t want it either, then it’s a waste.”
Chen Guizhi, hearing this, refrained from being overly courteous any longer, “You’re such a thoughtful child, always coming to check on this old lady.”