Chapter 41 A Perfect Match

Yao Fanghua received her monthly salary from the labor department. She was eight yuan short.

The labor relations department was in an uproar. Workers were blocking the area, demanding an explanation.

During the Lunar New Year, why do you have to do this to upset people?

Instead of giving them bonuses, they deduct money from their paychecks. Ugh, I spit a mouthful of phlegm in their faces. They're inhumane, immoral, and have no morals whatsoever. Do they really think their workers are easy to bully?

The labor and management staff were hoarse from explaining over and over that the company was not doing well. The section chief deducted eight yuan from their salaries, while the factory director, the union chairman, and the workshop director each had a combined twenty yuan deducted.

"How much do the leaders earn? How much do we earn? Besides, we earn our money through hard work and blood and sweat! Don't compare us to those who sit in offices and get paid without doing anything." He was furious from the start.

"Exactly! Even if you make me sit in an office and only pay me half the salary, I'd accept it, don't you all agree?" These lowly office workers earn little, while the managers earn a lot. Besides, aren't they all supported by the workers?

"How much they withheld is just what you say. You say they withheld so much, but they probably gave us even more behind the scenes. They treat us workers like fools, making a fool of us."

Led by several workers, the situation was about to escalate into a disturbance when the labor relations director coldly and sternly said, "If you don't believe me, look for yourselves. Here, here's your payslip. Director Yao is right here; ask her if eight yuan was deducted."

"You only had five yuan deducted, be content. Let me tell you, after the New Year, our factory is holding a skills competition. Other machine factories have done it too; anyone who fails the skills test will have their wages deducted, and it will be even more than this. Not only will it be more, but those who rank last might even lose their jobs."

Everyone was momentarily intimidated by the Labor and Personnel Department Director's sharp and stern words. Especially those few who were caught in his glare.

The head of the labor relations department pressed on, saying, "After the New Year, the labor relations department will take charge and set the assessment questions." He focused on those who were causing trouble and gave them a serious warning.

The crowd fell silent for a moment, looking at each other and pushing each other, no one willing to step forward, and the situation became deadlocked.

"The New Year's gifts are back and have been placed at the workshop entrance. Everyone hurry up and get them. If you're late, you'll have to wait for the next batch."

Someone shouted at the door, and the workers who were blocking the way rushed out and ran towards the workshop door.

Yao Fanghua finally broke free from the labor dispute.

Back in the office, Guo Xiaojuan and Li Lian had already helped her collect the New Year's gifts. The two women chatted with Yao Fanghua about the excitement of receiving the gifts.

Guo Xiaojuan and Li Lian now share an office and get along well. Since having her child, Li Lian has become particularly empathetic towards Guo Xiaojuan, feeling pity whenever she thinks of Guo Xiaojuan's troubled son. She's also come to terms with things and no longer treats the women across the hall with displeasure, thinking they have malicious intentions. She now speaks to them in a lukewarm and insincere manner, determined to distance herself from them. She now prefers to be with Guo Xiaojuan, who seems a bit different to everyone else. Guo Xiaojuan, no matter what, is focused on her work and doesn't cause trouble. Seeing Guo Xiaojuan practicing with blueprints whenever she has free time, and even asking Director Yao for guidance, which Director Yao readily offers, Guo Xiaojuan has also started learning from her.

Yao Fanghua looked at the things she had brought back: a bottle of sesame oil and two gift boxes of pastries. The gift boxes looked high-end, but the contents were just average.

Yao Fanghua calculated that, without the fancy packaging, it would cost about five yuan if bought from outside.

"The factory did a pretty good job with this," Yao Fanghua thought to herself.

They used the deducted money to buy New Year's gifts, and then paid them out right after the wages. They managed to deduct money, give out New Year's gifts, and also appease the workers. What a genius!

Geng, the key procurement officer, probably made a fortune too; he's truly talented!

And when outsiders see them carrying New Year's gifts, they'll all say their factory is doing well. At the last production meeting, the finance department emphasized the tight cash flow several times. Anyway, this time the factory's reputation has been saved.

Okay, let's just say the factory paid for it for her. The workers didn't lose much, but she lost three yuan. Besides, buying in bulk would definitely be cheaper.

She rarely cooked herself and didn't need the sesame oil, so she simply gave everything to Yao Fangyuan so she could take it home with her.

Tomorrow is the weekend, and the Lunar New Year is just a week away. At the new house, Yao Fanghua has already lit the heater. Things are being moved in one after another.

The next day, Yao Fanghua went and bought a new safe, one that was the size of the hidden compartment in her bedroom.

She dug this hidden compartment in the bedroom herself, following Wu Peng's method. It was dug under the bedside table. The sides of the compartment were plastered with cement.

After buying the safe, she struggled to place it horizontally with the opening facing up.

Yao Fanghua nearly broke her back from exhaustion. The third dog kept circling around her, wanting to help but unable to, and barked anxiously. Yao Fanghua patted its head reassuringly.

During this period, the third son was practically raised by Yao Fanghua to be her dog.

The third brother went from refusing to eat at the beginning to now having to stay by Yao Fanghua's side even when he sleeps.

It used to be tied up in the yard, fed Wu Peng's leftovers, and slept in a makeshift doghouse made of a few wooden planks, both in winter and summer. When it was cold, it would curl up into a ball, and when it smelled bad, it would get a pungent bath with a hose.

Now, as long as it doesn't bark or jump on people, it doesn't need to be leashed. It can even come inside and sleep on the bed in the bedroom. It eats specially bought for it, gets meat, drinks milk, takes hot baths, and is given a nice, fragrant lather. Even Lao San (the dog's nickname) didn't know a dog's life could be like this. Most importantly, it can go for walks every day.

The third dog was appeased, and its initial hunger strike was replaced by a renewed acceptance of its owner. The dog was radiant, as if reborn, and its spirits had improved significantly. It had completely forgotten its former owner who had abandoned it.

"It's a good thing you can't speak, otherwise, I wouldn't let you see this." Yao Fanghua took out the items from her bag one by one.

First, she placed the remaining ten gold bars into the safe. Then she tried on the jade bracelets, rings, and beads one by one, delighted with each one. She even held up a jade pendant around the dog's neck, asking, "How is it? Doesn't it look good?"

"Woof." The third brother was very accommodating.

"You can't tell anyone, understand? Otherwise, I'll stew you."

"Woof."

Sigh, with no one to brag to, I can only talk to the dog.

"It's pointless for me to see them; you wouldn't understand anyway. Just remember this: these are treasures. If anyone comes near here, bite them. Got it?"

"Woof!"

After admiring the items, Yao Fanghua put them all inside and locked the safe. Then she closed the hidden compartment lid and finally placed the bedside table on top.

She's guaranteed to have sweet dreams if she sleeps with these precious treasures by her side at night.

After packing her things, she was in a good mood and took her third son to the study.

The study was the warmest room, with a small stove lit to boil water. She laid out a mat for the third child to play on.

Besides the bookshelves and desk, the center of the study is her carving workbench.

Yao Fanghua didn't use the carving knife today; instead, she placed the small camphor wood box on the workbench. A bottle of glue was also placed next to it.

With the New Year approaching, Wu Peng still hasn't come back. She can't blame him for that.

She'll open the box right now, with a ready-made excuse: Wu Peng has run away.

If it's really wrecked inside, she'll just glue it back on exactly as it was. It won't be a perfect seal, but it'll be close enough. After all this time, she doesn't believe Wu Peng would remember how the glue had been applied.

Let's get right to it.

Yao Fanghua used a wire to unlock the door. Then she used a knife to scrape away the glue from the seal little by little.

At this moment, Wu Peng was driving his truck, covered in dust, towards Beijing. Although tired, Wu Peng was in high spirits.

On the truck were a large bag of electronic watches, boxes of radios, tape recorders, and cameras. There were also several washing machines and a refrigerator that was specially bought for Yao Fanghua.

Yang Liu was truly impressed and decided to become his underling from now on.

He never expected that after his brother Peng disappeared for a while, he would not only become a local in Gangcheng, but also buy a car, take over a workshop, hire workers, and truly become a big boss.

In the end, they actually managed to get credit and returned with a truckload of goods.

He still can't believe it; it feels like a dream.

Wu Peng hadn't expected his Hong Kong identity to be so useful; just the fact that he could buy on credit made it all worthwhile. The risk of making the trip wasn't in vain, and the 30,000 yuan he spent wasn't wasted.

After he obtained his Hong Kong identity, everything went smoothly for him.

When the man with the slicked-back hair saw Wu Peng reveal his Hong Kong identity, he took off his sunglasses, looked Wu Peng up and down, and couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.

"Boss Wu has really impressed me! From now on, we're brothers. Let's make money together!" This kid's already got a Hong Kong identity; he's shrewd enough. He's got potential and guts.

In the end, Wu Peng spent eight thousand yuan to take over Da Beitou's workshop, and all the procedures went incredibly smoothly. From then on, he was a boss who had settled down in Shenzhen.

He had a total of 60,000 yuan on him, including 1,000 yuan he borrowed from Yang Liu. That's right, he not only got the money he lent out back, but he also borrowed 1,000 yuan from Yang Liu.

Yang Liu was speechless for several days. But he had already become aware of his role as an employee, and since it was rare for his boss to have a use for him, Yang Liu tearfully accepted the offer without hesitation.

Wu Peng spent 30,000 yuan to get his identity sorted out, 8,000 yuan to set up the workshop, and 13,000 yuan to buy a car. In the end, he only had 9,000 yuan left.

Wu Peng initially thought he wouldn't get much stock this time. But his Hong Kong city connections were surprisingly useful; he could get credit. Wu Peng used 8,000 yuan as a deposit, took 1,000 yuan to treat Big Back Hair to shopping at the Grand World shopping mall, and finally got a truckload of goods back on credit from Big Back Hair.

"You dare to go to the mainland, but I don't. You deserve to make money."

“Good brother, I’ll remember your kindness. Let’s make money together. Once I’ve opened up the market, even if someone is eager to offer me a low price, I’ll still buy from you.”

“Look at what you’re saying, brother. As long as you get your goods from me, I guarantee you the lowest price.”

The two brothers, like the best of brothers in the world, raised their glasses and drank it all.

Big Back Hair has direct access to the source of everything: electronic watches, radios, tape recorders, cameras—he has it all. His factory in Shenzhen mainly does assembly and processing. Even things he doesn't manufacture, he can still act as a middleman.

The two hit it off immediately.