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Chapter 474: Chapter 474: Money Needed
Shi Yan, who had been hounded by questions, glared at Lin Man and said, "Making money, always asking me to go out there and make money. You think it’s so easy to just go out and make money? If you love money so much, why don’t you come with me?"
Lin Man’s eyes brightened, "Can I go too?"
In Lin Man’s view, it presented an opportunity to broaden her horizons and also to earn money. It’s a chance at both fame and fortune, why not?
Shi Yan was merely blurting out an idea due to his frustration. He hadn’t expected Lin Man would be seriously considering it. After giving it some thought, the idea of taking Lin Man along started to seem appealing.
They were husband and wife, the money made didn’t need to be split in half. It was similar to making twice the money on one trip. Besides, with a companion, he would feel more secure.
It would also prevent Lin Man, who was well-off, from remarrying using the possessions he had to risk his life for.
If life was meant to be good, then they would live it together. If there was risk, he would rather have Lin Man share it.
Why should he take the risks, while Lin Man reaps the benefits?
Upon further thought, Shi Yan found the idea more practical, "Are you really willing to go with me?"
"Can I really go?" Lin Man studied him, carefully calculating, "Do I need to speak any foreign language if I go there?"
"Knowing a few simple phrases would be sufficient. This isn’t a big deal. As long as you’re willing to go, I can teach you." Shi Yan heartened up and enthusiastically started to explain the merits of them both going out together, " Indeed it would be great if you’d join me. This way, we don’t have to share with Xiao Mingqiang, and we can double our earnings on a single trip. However, once we’re on the train, you’ll have to take my orders."
Whilst it was true that they would earn money, the venture was genuinely risky. Taking women along increased the risk even more.
Of course, if everything went smoothly, the profit would be pretty substantial. Just go out once, and they could build an entirely new life.
Lin Man nodded, "I don’t know much about all this, so naturally, I’d have to listen to you."
After some thought, she asked, "Can my brother also come along?"
If Lin Sicheng could come with them, their parents home would also improve. Once one’s parents improve their life, there would be more support for her.
So that her mother-in-law wouldn’t look down at her anymore.
"Well, that could work. But would your brother be willing to?" Shi Yan wouldn’t mind bringing an extra person along. Having another person meant an extra layer of security in case anything went wrong.
"I’ll talk to him. Only a fool wouldn’t take up such a promising business opportunity." Lin Man was neither foolish nor oblivious to the fact that such a profitable business might carry risks. But Shi Yan and Xiao Mingqiang had done this several times before and nothing bad had happened, right?
It was going to be just one other time, their luck couldn’t be that bad, could it?
People tend to be like this. When misfortune hasn’t yet befallen them, they always harbor a glimmer of hope, and Lin Man was no exception.
Once her parents’ home improved, what else could her mother-in-law boast about in front of her?
As for Tong Yao, her bubble tea store closing down was only a matter of time. There hadn’t been a single order throughout the day.
...
Speaking of Tong Yao, after informing her bubble tea shop staff to take a break, she went home and noticed several missed calls. One of them was an international number, she assumed it must have been from Si Chen and felt a whiff of disappointment.
Had she come back earlier, she might have answered it.
The other missed calls were local. When she called back, she found they were from a phone booth. She thought it might have been Si Boyi, so she didn’t take it to heart.
She was just about to cook some noodles for dinner when the phone rang again. Tong Yao walked back to the living room and answered the call. A deep male voice came from the other side, "Hello, Yaohui, this is old Zhong."
Upon hearing the man refer to himself as "old Zhong", Tong Yao responded politely: "Uncle Zhong, hi, this is Tong Yao. My father isn’t home. Is there something you need to discuss with my dad?"
Old Zhong, whose full name was Zhong Tieshan, was the head contractor responsible for building the houses for them in the suburb. Throughout the construction, Tong Yaohui had been in constant contact with him, so they were quite familiar with each other. He had only met Tong Yao a few times and they had only exchanged a few pleasantries.
"Oh it’s you, my dear niece!" Upon recognizing Tong Yao’s voice, Zhong Tieshan chuckled, "Where’s your father? There are some matters I wish to discuss with him. If it’s convenient, could he give me a callback?"
Tong Yao probed, "Uncle Zhong, could you let me know what you wish to discuss with my father?"
Tong Yaohui didn’t usually have contact with Zhong Tieshan. If he was contacting him now, it was almost certainly about the payment for the construction of the houses. These houses were in her name, her father didn’t have any money, Tong Yao didn’t want to leave her father to shoulder the pressure, hence she decided to ask Zhong Tieshan the reason for the call.
Upon hearing Tong Yao, Zhong Tieshan hesitated, then spoke plainly: "My dear niece, I was initially hoping to talk about this with your father. Nevertheless, since you’ve asked, I’ll just lay it out here. I’ve been running a bit tight on money recently, struggling to pay salaries. Therefore, I was wondering if you could pay off the remaining balance for the houses."
As she had expected, he was here to ask for money.
Tong Yao frowned slightly, carefully asking, "Uncle Zhong, wasn’t it agreed upon that the balance would be paid off next month?"
Before hiring Zhong Tieshan to construct the houses, Tong Yaohui had stipulated the terms with him. The payment would be made in two installments, first of two-thirds and the rest during the next month, to which Zhong Tieshan agreed. That was why Tong Yaohui selected his team to build the houses.
Currently, all the money was invested in Breeding Farm. There wasn’t much money left in the bubble tea shop and they had just bought a TV and a refrigerator, Tong Yao just didn’t have that kind of money on hand.
Zhong Tieshan explained, "Indeed, that was the plan, to clear the balance next month. But I am really tight on money right now. The workers are demanding their wages. I don’t have much of a choice, but to ask you to clear my remaining payment. Considering you run a bubble tea shop and a breeding farm, I assume this small amount of money wouldn’t be much of a problem. How about paying off my dues?"
After a moment of contemplation, Tong Yao said, "Uncle Zhong, the house has already been completed. We should immediately clear the balance. However, I don’t have that much money at the moment. How about this? You check how much you are short of to pay the salaries. I will give that to you first. The rest, I will give you at the end of the month, which is only half a month away. What do you think?"
"No, that won’t do." Zhong Tieshan abruptly changed his polite demeanor, speaking more assertively: "My dear niece, I don’t just have to pay a little when it comes to salaries. Even if you pay off the remaining house payment, it will not be enough to cover the wages. If you give me an odd few hundreds or thousands, it’s as good as giving alms."
In the past two days, he heard that Tong Yao’s business was in trouble and that her bubble tea shop was closed. Initially, he had some doubts. But when he visited the shop, he found the rumors were true.
Zhong Tieshan was a little panicked. He feared the Tong family wouldn’t be able to pay the remaining balance, hence he wanted to get the payment from Tong Yao as soon as possible. Seeing Tong Yao trying to buy some time, only confirmed his suspicions.
