Chapter 43 Jinjiang Exclusive: The Power of Money

Su Ruyi was unaware that she was being watched and was busy with other matters.

"The warehouse isn't being rented out anymore?! Why? It's just sitting there, and we've already paid for it!"

Wang Huiting was furious and couldn't believe that the factory would make such a decision.

These days, she has noticed that some people in the factory are pointing fingers at her family and gossiping about them behind their backs.

But the whole family was too busy to cook, let alone care about the rumors outside. The money in their hands was what mattered.

Who would have thought that someone would be so petty as to cause trouble behind their backs just because their business was doing well?

Li Mei was also very distressed. She had been reported for not working every day and doing private work, and for taking advantage of the factory's resources.

She's a full-time employee now, so she's not worried about being fired, but being called in for a talk by her boss makes her lose face.

Moreover, she was given even more work than before, leaving her with no time to go out and sell hula hoops.

Li Mei is now reaping the rewards. In just half a month, she has already saved over a thousand yuan, which is equivalent to a year's salary.

She has no skills and does odd jobs, so she only earns minimum wage. The factory still doesn't pay her full wages, and if things don't improve, she might not even earn a thousand yuan a year.

This amount of money might have been enough to get by a few years ago, but with soaring prices now, it's simply not enough to support a family.

There are families in the factory who are poor but have many members. They go to the vegetable market to pick up rotten vegetable leaves when it's closing time in the afternoon.

Li Mei had several vegetable plots by a ditch in the suburbs, but she hadn't had time to check on them in the past few days. All the vegetables had been stolen, and someone had even taken over the land she had worked so hard to cultivate.

Li Mei often felt a disconnect. When she was selling hula hoops, she thought everyone was living a good life, buying two or three hula hoops at a time, even though they only cost a few yuan.

But when I returned to the furniture factory, I felt its decline. Everyone was struggling, and the pride of the factory's heyday was completely gone.

But who could have imagined that once she found a way out, even if only temporarily, some people would disapprove and want to bring her down?

"In the first place, it wasn't really in compliance with regulations for the factory to rent out its warehouse to private individuals; it required the consent of the factory employees. Now that someone has reported it, the factory isn't interested in the small amount of rent and doesn't want to cause trouble for itself, so it simply terminated the lease."

Li Mei looked at Su Ruyi with a guilty expression. She was the one who handled this matter, but she didn't expect things to go wrong.

But she really had no say in the factory, and Huang Ling didn't dare to help her in this matter.

Although Huang Ling and her husband have a say in the factory, they are not the factory director, and the factory director also has to consider the opinions of the factory employees.

Wang Huizhen said anxiously, "What should we do? There's nowhere to put all those hula hoops if we don't have a warehouse."

Su Ruyi gave her a light tap on the bottom. "You better behave yourself."

Tong Yunyun stood with her hands on her hips, looking defiant.

"Big sister, we've been bullied to the point of being taken advantage of. If we don't beat them up, they'll think we're easy to bully."

Su Ruyi: "It's not your place to beat someone up, you little brat. Besides, what kind of behavior is it to beat up someone else's child? There's a reason for the grievance. In addition, their complaint wasn't exactly fabricated."

The factory belongs to everyone, and it's understandable that the factory will listen to opinions if someone is dissatisfied.

Li Mei's job should, in principle, require her to adhere to working hours, but the management is lax, and everyone has become lazy; if there's no work, they simply don't go to work.

So even though Li Mei finished her work before leaving, she was still in the wrong.

Su Ruyi wasn't surprised by this; she had expected something to go wrong with the warehouse.

She was still speechless at the furniture factory's flip-flopping. Such a big factory, and they just refused to rent it out like that, showing absolutely no sense of contractual obligation. They had clearly agreed on a minimum six-month lease, and she had already paid the rent.

But what could Su Ruyi do when the other party was in charge of the country? In this era and in this small county, there was nothing Su Ruyi could do when the other party breached the contract.

If things really get complicated, the reputation of being difficult to deal with will spread, making it even harder to find a suitable warehouse.

Fortunately, the other party still gave her time to deliver the goods; otherwise, if they had really turned into bullies and kicked her out without warning, Su Ruyi would have been helpless.

"Tingting, I remember you said you had a classmate who worked in a textile factory?"

"Yes, Lu Qiuyu's family works at the textile factory, and her mother is the union chairperson. Sister Ruyi, I'll go see her tomorrow and ask her mother for help. We're very close, she'll definitely be happy to help."

During this period, Wang Huiting's business was doing well, and her two friends often came over to help. They didn't want money, but only asked her to treat them to ice cream.

Moreover, with their help, both her jewelry and hula hoops sold even better.

The textile factory was a large factory with many employees, including a lot of children. Because of Lu Qiuyu, most of the children in the textile factory bought their hula hoops from Wang Huiting.

Lu Qiuyu didn't ask for a commission, only accepting a hula hoop, a headband, and a hair clip; Zhang Yao did the same.

If Wang Huiting asks, Lu Qiuyu will definitely be willing to help.

Su Ruyi shook her head and said, "I want to talk to her mother directly. I wonder if you could help me make an appointment?"

Wang Huiting didn't think much of it, assuming that Su Ruyi wanted to discuss the warehouse matter in person.

"Okay, I'll go ask about it tomorrow."

Li Mei was still somewhat worried, after all, the furniture factory was a cautionary tale.

"What if the textile factory doesn't work either?"

"It's alright. If they don't agree, I'll go talk to Grandpa Li."

There are two empty rooms in Grandpa Li's house. If all else fails, Su Ruyi can ask Grandpa Li to lend them to her temporarily.

In the past two weeks, Grandpa Li has made a lot of money and certainly hopes that his hula hoop business can continue smoothly.

However, Su Ruyi didn't want to consider this unless absolutely necessary.

Those two rooms belong to Li Yunyao and Niannian. Everything is still the same as before they disappeared. Grandpa Li and Grandma Sun both hope that in their lifetime, the two of them can go home and continue living as before.

This is what the two elderly people want; if it weren't absolutely necessary, they wouldn't even consider selling the house no matter how much money they were offered.

If Su Ruyi wants to borrow it to store things, Grandpa Li will most likely agree, because no matter how important those memories are, they are not as important as Xiao Bao, and they can be restored in the future.

It's probably better not to move, rather than to move.

Su Ruyi only used this as a last resort; she didn't usually think about it, and she was just saying it casually, not thinking she would ever need it.

"That's good."

Li Mei breathed a sigh of relief, but then she started to worry again when she realized she would have to go to get off work on time tomorrow and couldn't sell hula hoops anymore.

That means I'll be earning tens of dollars less every day!

She had already started planning to wholesale hula hoops from Su Ruyi and take over the business in front of the steamed bun shop.

Now everything has fallen through, and she feels like her heart has been scraped by a knife.

Su Ruyi noticed her hesitation, but didn't say anything.

Sometimes you need to take the initiative; you can't always be pushed around.

After hesitating for a long time, Li Mei asked, "Ruyi, if I can't go, what will happen to the steamed bun shop's business?"

Su Ruyi didn't have time to sell hula hoops at the entrance of the steamed bun shop; she had to stay inside the shop. Now, people from the neighboring county have been coming to her to buy hula hoops wholesale.

The popularity of hula hoops has been hyped up, and everyone has seen the business opportunity, but unfortunately, there is nowhere to source them.

The wholesale prices of hula hoops from other places in the provincial capital are very high. After adding shipping and other costs, they can't be sold for much at the current prices, and there's no guarantee that they'll even be available.

Although Su Ruyi's place isn't cheap either, they offer door-to-door delivery, which saves a lot of money.

Most importantly, Su Ruyi has the goods!

Currently, only Hongxing Plastics Factory in the entire province manufactures hula hoops; other factories either have other businesses or haven't caught on yet.

“If you can’t go, I’ll let Grandpa Li take over. That way, he won’t have to run around everywhere. Anyway, there’s no shortage of people to take over,” Su Ruyi said calmly.

It has to be said that the location in front of the steamed bun shop is really too good. If Ma Lefeng hadn't started wholesaling hula hoops from Su Ruyi to resell, she probably would have already taken back this prime location.

Ma Lefeng ultimately decided to choose the most cost-effective option. Since she couldn't handle that much stock by herself, she asked relatives and friends to buy it together, and then she would distribute it privately.

This is undoubtedly the most cost-effective option, as the overall cost is much lower.

And those relatives and friends weren't from Liulin County either; they were either in the next county or in a township.

Although home delivery is not available and additional shipping fees apply, hula hoops are sold for much higher prices elsewhere, with larger ones fetching up to ten yuan each, so it's still quite profitable.

Although Ma Lefeng was also envious of the location in front of her own shop, she didn't hesitate because Su Ruyi offered her a price that was even cheaper than the price list.

Li Mei knew about this, so hearing this made her even more conflicted.

Once she gives up this position, it won't be easy for her to take it back.

Hula hoops are still selling like hotcakes, and it looks like this trend will continue for a while, which means a lot of money to be made.

There are only so many people in the county, and the hype will gradually fade away after it's over. It will definitely be very difficult to make money like this again, and once the opportunity is missed, it will never come again.

But she was already being watched, and she couldn't go against the grain.

However, if it's a leave of absence without pay...

The word flashed through Li Mei's mind, and she could no longer suppress her excitement.

The factory is now encouraging employees to take unpaid leave, otherwise they can't afford to support so many employees, and they can't lay them off.

Li Mei thought it was feasible more and more. She could just keep busy for a while and continue working after everyone had bought most of the items!

Generally, a one-year unpaid leave is required, and after that year, hula hooping should no longer be profitable.

Moreover, given the current situation, even if she can only sell hula hoops for half a month, she will still not lose money.

She could easily find other work to do with the rest of her time.

Li Mei thought about it more and more and it seemed feasible, but it was such a big decision that she couldn't make it alone.

She couldn't help but think of Tong Aihua again. If her husband were still alive, someone would be there to help her make decisions.

After all, there are many downsides to taking a leave of absence without pay. If the factory offers something good in the future, she, who has already left to do something else, will definitely not benefit from it.

"Ruyi, what do you think about me applying for a leave of absence without pay?" Li Mei finally looked at Su Ruyi.

Wang Huiting said excitedly, "Mom! You've finally come to your senses! What else could it be but great? The factory is in such a state now, they can't even pay wages in full, what's the point of staying? Even if hula hoops don't sell well, you can still sell food."

Li Mei completely ignored her, her gaze fixed solely on Su Ruyi.

Su Ruyi said, "I definitely support you. Right now, you'll definitely earn more working outside than staying at the furniture factory, and it's not like you're quitting your job. You can go back to work."

Upon hearing Su Ruyi's words, Li Mei immediately felt relieved.

"Ruyi, you know so much more."

Wang Huiting was speechless: "Mom, what's the difference between what Sister Ruyi said and what I said!"

"Your sister Ruyi is much more reliable than you."

"Mom, you just don't believe us," Wang Huiting said angrily.

Other people's stepmothers and stepdaughters don't get along very well. One of her elementary school classmates was mistreated by her stepmother and was as pitiful as a little cabbage.

She had to get up before dawn to do laundry and cook, serving the whole family every day, and was scolded for being a freeloader. She was forced to drop out of school before finishing elementary school. She ate the least and did the most at home, and was beaten from time to time, becoming so thin that she was just skin and bones.

When Su Ruyi was preparing to come, many people said that Li Mei, the stepmother, might mistreat Tong Aihua's previous daughter.

Who would have thought their family was so bizarre? Her mother only listens to her stepdaughter, completely ignoring what she and her sister say, always treating them like children and never listening to their opinions.

Li Mei: "We'll talk about this again when you're as capable as Ruyi."

Wang Huiting pursed her lips, speechless.

She considered herself to be quite smart and capable, but compared to Su Ruyi, there was indeed a certain distance between them.

The next day, Li Mei applied for a leave of absence without pay, which startled Wang Huiting. Her mother was never so decisive before; she would hesitate for a long time before making a decision, and her stepfather would often take the lead before she followed.

Just like when she wanted to remarry, it was all arranged by Grandma Zhou.

Who would have thought they'd be so proactive this time?

Wang Huiting exclaimed, "The power of money is truly amazing!"

With Wang Huiting acting as matchmaker, Su Ruyi brought some snacks to Lu Qiuyu's house the next evening.

On the way, Wang Huiting told Su Ruyi about the basic situation of the Lu family. "Lu Qiuyu's father is the head of the township. The township is quite remote. It takes several hours to get to the county. Therefore, he is often not at home. Aunt Zeng takes care of Qiuyu."

Aunt Zeng probably did it; she had the opportunity to become the deputy factory director a long time ago. I heard that if she had persisted, she would definitely be the factory director now. But Qiu Yu has been in poor health since childhood, and no one helped her. Her father was often away in the countryside and couldn't come back frequently, so Aunt Zeng went to work at the trade union.

These days, many women give up their careers for their families and children, even though they are capable, and go to positions that are leisurely but offer little room for advancement.

At this point, Wang Huiting couldn't help but complain: "If Aunt Zeng were the factory manager, I think the textile factory wouldn't be in the state it is now. It would definitely be getting better and better. Aunt Zeng is capable and has great taste. If she were in charge of production, she would definitely be able to keep up with the times. What do men know about textiles? Their taste is too poor. The fabrics they produce are tacky and no one in the countryside likes to buy them."

After the opening up, the once-thriving textile factories were severely impacted.

As the county's top-tier factory, at its peak, it didn't even consider the city's textile factory a threat, and could even rival the provincial textile factory.

However, such achievements led the later factory leaders to rest on their laurels and become complacent. It was alright during the planned economy era, but after the opening up, they gradually fell behind the times and the market, yet they still insisted on using the old methods.

The market competition is so fierce, yet we don't take it seriously. By the time we realize it, most of the market has already been taken over.

As a result, the company's performance has deteriorated, and now they can't even pay full salaries.

Back in the day, textile factories were so prestigious; their employees walked out with their heads held high. In comparison, furniture factories were small and looked inferior.

Although they are all second-generation factory owners, there is still a hierarchy of contempt among them.

The more Su Ruyi listened, the more she felt that Zeng Guoqin was the most suitable person to ask.

The textile factory was much larger than the furniture factory. The residential area alone had three basketball courts, as well as table tennis courts, badminton courts, and so on, which shows how prosperous it was during its heyday.

Lu Qiuyu's family lives in an apartment building with two units per floor, and their living conditions are much better than Wang Huiting's family.

Wang Huiting said enviously, "Qiuyu's house has three bedrooms and a living room, with a dedicated kitchen that is quite large. There is enough space to put a table for eating, and it also has a separate bathroom."

Lu Qiuyu is an only child, so she not only has her own spacious room, but her family also has a dedicated study.

When Wang Huiting first visited, she was incredibly envious.

Some people even have a study in their homes where they sleep! That's incredibly luxurious.

Su Ruyi was also envious. She had also thought about renting a house outside, but these days in small counties, there are very few houses available for rent.

Even if there were options, the conditions would be terrible. You'd have to live in the same courtyard as the owner, which would be noisy and chaotic with several other families. Su Ruyi felt it was better to stay at the furniture factory.

I knocked on the door, and Lu Qiuyu opened it with a smile.

"I saw you from upstairs just now."

Lu Qiuyu sized up Su Ruyi. Although he had known about Su Ruyi for a long time and had seen her on the street, this was their first formal meeting.

Wang Huiting often mentioned Su Ruyi to them, especially after returning from the provincial capital, she almost became a fan of Su Ruyi.

Therefore, Lu Qiuyu was not unfamiliar with Su Ruyi, but when she saw her up close, she was still a little surprised. She was not much older than them, so how could she be so capable?

Lu Qiuyu invited the two into the house and even brought out slippers.

This habit, which was common decades later, is now rare, especially in small towns, indicating that families are well-off and have the means to be so particular.

Su Ruyi changed her shoes and glanced at Lu Qiuyu's house.

No wonder Wang Huiting's eyes were practically overflowing with envy when she mentioned Lu Qiuyu's family.

Lu Qiuyu's home was not only spacious and bright, but also quite well-decorated for that era. Everything was neatly arranged, and every place was polished to a shine. There were even artificial flowers on the table.

The quality of the artificial flowers is significantly better than those commonly found on the market. They are not as obviously fake, and from a distance, they look like real flowers, adding color to the room.

One wall is covered with many photos, the largest of which is a picture of a family of three, each with a smile on their face.

The whole house gives people a very warm feeling, which shows that not only is the home well-off, but the owner is also a person with great taste and interests.

Zeng Guoqin also came out of the kitchen and frowned slightly when she saw Su Ruyi and Wang Huiting carrying things.

"You're here, why bring anything? How old are you, acting like this?"

Wang Huiting said with a smile, "Aunt Zeng, I'm earning money now! I'm not the same as before."

Wang Huiting used to come empty-handed and often ate here for free.

She's a student, and even if she brought something over, Zeng Guoqin would absolutely not accept it.

Zeng Guoqin was aware of this, and Lu Qiuyu also benefited from it. She wasn't so strict with her daughter; she didn't want her to stay home all day reading during holidays, and it was good for her to go out and experience things.

"Okay, then Auntie will accept it this time, but you can't be so polite next time."

Zeng Guoqin then looked at Su Ruyi: "You must be Ruyi? I've heard so much about you."

Su Ruyi greeted her with a smile: "Hello, Auntie, I am Su Ruyi."

"Good, good, you're really capable. When I was your age, I didn't know anything."

While others might not know, Zeng Guoqin was certain that Su Ruyi had definitely made a huge profit from this move.

However, he had only just come of age and had come from a faraway rural area. Yet, he had already caused such a stir in the county. Zeng Guoqin couldn't help but sigh, "The younger generation is truly surpassing the older generation."

"Auntie, you're too modest. I've heard about your past before. You truly deserve to be called an Iron Lady."

Zeng Guoqin waved her hand: "Let's not praise each other. Mine is almost done. Try my cooking in a bit."

Lu Qiuyu smiled and said, "My mom is good at everything, except cooking, which is just so-so. Please don't complain about it later."

"You silly child! I'm not that bad now. I still have a few signature dishes," Zeng Guoqin said reproachfully.

Lu Qiuyu stuck out her tongue. "Mom, if I say that, everyone will praise you if there's anything delicious later."

Su Ruyi originally didn't want to come during mealtime, but Zeng Guoqin asked them to come at this time.

Zeng Guoqin is a good mother; she cherishes her daughter's friends very much.

After the meal, they had indeed gotten to know each other much better.

Zeng Guoqin's cooking skills were average, but not terrible either; however, they were a far cry from Li Mei's.

Su Ruyi still ate very happily. Her appetite has increased and she enjoys food more than before. Everything tastes delicious to her.

After the meal, Zeng Guoqin got straight to the point with Su Ruyi.

"I've heard about the warehouse situation. The textile factory is fine with it. If you want to rent one, I can help you arrange it."

The textile factory has been struggling in recent years, and some of its assets in other areas have been sold or leased out.

Therefore, there are precedents for everything, and it's just renting a warehouse, nothing major.

Of course, if Su Ruyi were to come to the textile factory on her own, the chances of success would be very low. The factory wouldn't even consider such a small matter and wouldn't bother with her.

"Aunt Zeng, thank you so much!" Su Ruyi said sincerely.

"This also generates revenue for the textile factory, no need to thank me. It's just that the warehouse is in the factory, so the requirements are quite strict and must be followed."

Textile factories deal with flammable materials, and large factories have their own set of management methods, so they have many more requirements and are subject to many constraints than furniture factories.

For example, it's not allowed to enter or leave after work. Delivery trucks entering and leaving must undergo inspection and follow designated routes, etc.

Although it was a bit troublesome, it would ensure the safety of the goods, so Su Ruyi agreed to everything.

The warehouse rent was also more expensive than the furniture factory rent, and by a considerable amount, but it was still worthwhile overall, so Su Ruyi didn't mind.

"No objections. Come to the factory tomorrow and I'll take you to sign the contract."

Su Ruyi nodded: "Okay, I'll go there tomorrow morning."

Zeng Guoqin thought the matter was over and was about to go downstairs to digest her food and give the children some space.

Su Ruyi said, "Aunt Zeng, there is something else I would like to discuss with you."

"What's up?"

"I'd like to ask if textile factories can produce fabrics that are highly elastic and have a silky feel?"