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Chapter 463: 453 money is really a good thing.
In the afternoon, Shen Yunfang didn’t go to the Four Courtyard, thinking that her eldest sister’s family must be tired after a night on the train, so she let them have a good rest in the afternoon.
When the school let out for the children, she picked up the kids and, carrying some stuff, headed straight for the Four Courtyard.
It turned out that the Liu family hadn’t slept at all; the children were too excited to fall asleep, and the two adults were busy tidying up inside and out. Even at this time, they hadn’t finished.
Ah, it’s those who are diligent that keep busy. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Li Xianglian, seeing Pangpang and Manman, naturally received a round of adoration from everyone.
Then she let the kids take Taxue to play on their own while Shen Yunfang rolled up her sleeves and joined Li Xianglian to cook.
Since there was no kitchen yet in the Four Courtyard, they had to place a small iron pot on the coal stove to cook. Fortunately, there were three stoves, which were enough.
Shen Yunfang brought over a roasted chicken that she had made herself. She also brought a large chunk of pork head meat, thinking that if there were any leftovers from the meal, they would keep it for the children to eat slowly.
The two chatted while cooking, each catching up on the other’s recent circumstances. Of course, Yunfang didn’t mention that Hongjun had gone to the battlefield, simply saying he was on a mission. Xianglian knew that when their second brother was on a mission, it was secretive, so she didn’t ask any more about it.
It didn’t take long for the two to whip up six dishes, both meat and vegetables, and of course, the meat that Shuanzi was most looking forward to—it was a big pot of red braised pork made by Yunfang.
Then a large group sat around the table eating dinner amidst laughter and chatter.
The next day, after sending the children away, Yunfang came over with a few kids, ready to go to the mall.
Li Xianglian was worried Yunfang would indiscriminately buy things for the children, so she followed along. Liu Jianjun, having never been to a big city department store, was quite curious, and since it was boring to stay home alone, he joined them as well.
In the mall, Yunfang bought each of the three children a set of clothes. Xianglian watched the prices and kept shaking her hand, telling the children they shouldn’t take them.
Yunfang didn’t care about that; as long as the clothes fit well and looked good on the children, she bought them.
Although the children verbally said no, their faces were beaming with joy—it was clear how happy they were in their hearts.
The group strolled around the mall for a long while, and afterward, it was just a casual window shopping trip.
By the afternoon, everyone had returned upstairs. Tonight, Yunfang was planning to make a table full of food in the apartment and invite elder sister Li’s family and Ma Liguo’s family to get together, to get acquainted, and to bond.
Yunfang and Li Xianglian busied themselves in the kitchen for half the afternoon, turning out a table full of delicious dishes.
The Liu family’s three children were gobsmacked by all the dishes on the table; many of the things they had never even seen before.
Transcendent holding Shitou’s hand, Pangpang holding Shuanzi’s hand, Manman holding Jiajia’s hand, the six children sat at the dining table, the little ones introducing the dishes on the table to their older siblings. As for knowing what the dishes tasted like—that wasn’t necessary to explain, as tasting them was enough to understand.
The children ate joyfully, and the adults found their conversation just as enjoyable.
It’s often said that relationships are a matter of fate. Both Ma Liguo and Liu Jianjun were upright thinkers, honest and family-loving men, so after chatting for a while, they hit it off and began to toast each other enthusiastically.
It was at the dinner table that Yunfang first brought up the idea of a business partnership.
Li Xianglian was a bit confused, but Jianjun understood immediately. It turned out that his younger sister-in-law wasn’t just asking them to work; she was inviting their family to share in the profits.
And indeed, it was about sharing the profits. Without investing any capital, his family simply had to pitch in some labor, and no matter how much was earned, they’d get a share. It was a business deal with no risk of losing.
Liu Jianjun immediately opposed, saying one shouldn’t be like that, how can one keep seeking advantages indefinitely? Originally, they already owed his second uncle’s family, and now they were living at their expense, who even paid for their round-trip tickets. All in all, his family hadn’t really helped out, but instead took advantage again.
Now, not only that, but they were also being offered money for no reason, which was simply not right. So, he was firmly against it.
This time, the role of persuading people didn’t fall on Shen Yunfang; Ma Liguo was a professional at it.
Watching how Ma Liguo kept calling him brother-in-law while continuously drinking glasses of alcohol after another, and not stopping talking either, ranging from national affairs to local issues, from ten years ago to the present, it was a true trip down memory lane, envisioning the present and anticipating the future without missing a beat.
Finally, he conquered the steadfast rock that was Liu Jianjun, who agreed to the proposition.
Ma Liguo gave Shen Yunfang a suggestive raise of his eyebrows.
Shen Yunfang glanced at her sister-in-law then returned a smile to him.
This was real talent; putting the right person in the right job is what being a boss is all about.
Afterwards, Ma Liguo talked to Shen Yunfang about the matter of making the Spring Festival couplet plates.
"Yunfang, money really is a wonderful thing," Ma Liguo said with a sigh after taking a sip of his drink.
"Hmm?" What got into him?
"He’s been going on like this the past few days when he gets home," Mu Huazhen explained.
"Ah, you have no idea," Ma Liguo continued, "I’ve been visiting Master Ye’s home every few days, just as we planned, and guess what happened?" He even teased with the suspense.
What else could happen? Surely Master Ye was working desperately to make money, and his speed probably scared him out of his wits.
Before Shen Yunfang could answer, Ma Liguo went on with his pre-emptive response: "When I went over to check, wow, I was startled. Master Ye had produced ten plates in two days, ten of them!" Ma Liguo clicked his tongue with a mixed feeling, "And he did it all in his spare time at night."
"Can you believe his nerve? He clearly could work that fast, but at first, he only made three plates a day for us. Isn’t that deceiving us?" Ma Liguo felt uneasy remembering this.
Shen Yunfang didn’t say a word; there wasn’t much to say. This was all too common in government-run factories: shirking work, using public resources for personal use, it happened all the time.
Whether you work hard or not, the salary is the same, so who would want to do more? Of course, everyone slacks off if they can. She believed that if she were in Master Ye’s position, she would do the same.
"What’s the harm in that? It’s normal for him to make three plates a day. Anything more than that is him working himself to the bone. Besides, if anyone else could make three plates in a day, then Master Ye wouldn’t dare to work any harder than necessary, so don’t be angry. It’s better to look at the bigger picture," Mu Huazhen wasn’t upset and even offered her husband some food, comforting him.
Ma Liguo muttered something and then accepted his wife’s kindness.
Mingling among the common folk every day, Ma Liguo was no stranger to these realities. The thing was, experiencing this himself was something he momentarily found hard to accept.
"At this rate, all the plates will be finished in less than three weeks. You’ll have to make sure the printers can keep up with the progress," Shen Yunfang reminded him.
"There shouldn’t be a problem. I’ve figured it out; as long as the money’s there, nothing’s impossible," Ma Liguo spoke with a clear understanding.
"Okay then, we’ll use the tricycle to move all the finished products to the courtyard house on Zhou Tian," Shen Yunfang turned to look at Shuanzi, who was still eagerly eating, "Shuanzi, your second aunt has a task for you. After we move the couplets to the courtyard house, you have to help your second aunt look after them. They can’t be lost, they can’t get damp, and they definitely can’t be burned. Can you handle that?"
Shuanzi quickly put down his chopsticks, stood up, saluted her properly and then shouted loudly, "Mission assured."
