Chapter 28 Partnership with IOUs

Seeing the doubt in Ji Wei's eyes, Gu Zhiyuan's eyes lit up with a smile: "If it weren't for you, this house would still belong to Uncle Qin. Isn't it only right that your name be on it?"

Seeing the seriousness hidden beneath his smile, Ji Wei didn't argue with him anymore and nodded: "Okay, then I'll keep this?"

"Okay, you can keep it." Gu Zhiyuan nodded, feeling completely relieved.

For the first time in two lifetimes, Ji Wei was incredibly excited to own her own house. Although she tried to restrain herself, she couldn't help but ask the person next to her, "How about we celebrate tonight?"

"What are we celebrating?" Gu Chen asked, puzzled. Lulu, on the other hand, was overjoyed. She knew that celebrations meant eating delicious food, so she was the first to clap her hands in agreement.

Ignoring the two little ones, Ji Wei stared straight at Gu Zhiyuan, who smiled gently and asked, "How do you want to celebrate?"

How to celebrate? Ji Wei thought, she wished she could roar to the sky and tell everyone that she had a real home now, but obviously that was not appropriate, so she tentatively said, "Then shall I have a drink with you?" After saying that, she regretted it: "No, you can't drink now."

"A little drink is fine." Gu Zhiyuan noticed the excitement in her eyes. This was the first time he had seen her with such an expression since they met, and he didn't want to spoil the mood today.

Drinking was Ji Wei's way of venting her emotions, a habit she developed in her past life. Whether she was sad or happy, she had no one to share it with except alcohol, and she eventually grew to like it. She secretly glanced at the cast on Gu Zhiyuan's leg and couldn't help but think, "A small glass shouldn't be a problem, right?"

“A small cup really won’t hurt. How about we give the two kids some soda?” Gu Zhiyuan had barely finished speaking when the two little ones looked at Ji Wei with bright eyes: “Mommy, is that okay?”

"Of course you can." Ji Wei thought, since it's such a happy day, let's indulge ourselves. So she took the two children out to buy soda and cooked food. Soon, only Gu Zhiyuan was left in the yard. He watched them leave, a smile on his face that he himself didn't even realize was on his face.

For the two little ones, what they were celebrating was no longer important. They not only had soda to drink, but also braised meat to eat. Lulu held Ji Wei's hand and exclaimed, "It would be even better if there was cake."

It's funny to hear a three-year-old say something so mature. Ji Wei tapped her forehead: "Didn't we just eat that yesterday?"

"I want to eat it today too." Lulu said, touching the small pocket of her pants. There was one yuan of her allowance for the day in there. She hesitated, wondering whether she should buy a cake.

"If you eat cake, you won't be able to eat any more delicious meat, and you won't even be able to finish your soda later." Ji Wei said, patting her pumpkin belly to remind her that her belly was only so big.

As Lulu was deep in thought, she suddenly heard Ji Cong's voice beside her: "Grandma, I want to drink soda too."

Ji Cong's voice wasn't quiet, and Ji Wei also noticed the grandmother and grandson next to the braised meat stall. At this moment, Zhou Xiuzhen was staring at her and the soda in the children's hands with an unfriendly expression.

Seeing that Zhou Xiuzhen remained silent, Ji Cong became angry: "I want to drink soda, did you hear me? Why can they drink it but I can't?"

Ignoring Zhou Xiuzhen's gaze, Ji Wei directly told the stall owner her needs. This was the busiest braised food shop in town, and besides their two families, there were other people waiting. The owner was so busy that all you could hear was the sound of cutting meat.

"Ji Wei, do you know what day it is today?" Seeing that she had no intention of speaking, Zhou Xiuzhen finally couldn't help but ask her.

"Isn't today Wednesday?" Ji Wei blurted out without thinking, only realizing what Zhou Xiuzhen meant after she finished speaking.

“Today is Shengzhou’s birthday. Don’t you even remember your brother’s birthday?” Zhou Xiuzhen’s tone was full of reproach.

"A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup, isn't that what you all said? I'm like water you spilled from a cup, so what's so strange about not remembering his birthday?" Ji Wei suddenly remembered that in her previous life, before she broke ties with them, she was always the one preparing a big feast in the kitchen for her family members' birthdays every year. This year, without her as their free labor, they seemed unaccustomed to it?

"You heartless girl, you don't want us anymore now that you have a new family?" Since that day, they had been waiting for Ji Wei to come back and beg for reconciliation, but so much time had passed and they hadn't even seen her. So Zhou Xiuzhen was getting restless.

"Mom, don't put any false accusations on me. Don't you know what Ji Shengzhou did before? He almost ruined me. Isn't it normal for me to not want to associate with him now? Don't worry, he is him, and you are you. I won't stand idly by if anything happens to you and Dad." Of course, when that really comes to it, she will only offer her share.

"Aunt Zhou, that's not right of you. Given what Ji Shengzhou did, it's perfectly normal for Teacher Ji not to want to associate with him. You can't always think about making Teacher Ji suffer just because you favor your son, can you?" Someone nearby couldn't stand it and spoke up. Others chimed in. Favoring sons over daughters was common at this time, but because of Teacher Ji Wei's status, everyone wanted to curry favor with her, so they took the initiative to stand up for her.

"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to say that we should all sit down together and clear up the misunderstanding. They are siblings after all, blood is thicker than water. Once Lao Ji and I are gone, they will be the closest people in the world to us." Zhou Xiuzhen didn't expect anyone to speak up for Ji Wei, and awkwardly defended herself.

"No need. There's no possibility of reconciliation between us. Look, I'm still standing here, and Ji Cong is still staring at Lulu like this. Who knows how he bullies Lulu when I'm not around?" Ji Wei said, gesturing towards Ji Cong. Children don't hide their feelings. Ji Cong stared hatefully at the soda in Lulu's hand, looking like he wanted to devour her whole.

“What do kids know? How can you, an adult, argue with a child?” Zhou Xiuzhen defended Ji Cong.

"So you thought that he used to bully Lulu and steal her things?" Ji Wei thought she was completely disappointed with her so-called family, but she didn't expect them to keep surprising her. After saying that, she looked down at Lulu who was hugging her leg and said gently, "Don't be afraid, Lulu. Mom is here. No one can bully you."

"I'll protect you too." Gu Chen'an glared at Ji Cong after saying that, and didn't forget to show him his fist. Ji Cong quickly ran to Zhou Xiuzhen to complain, "Grandma, he wanted to hit me."

Ji Wei chuckled, turned to give Gu Chen'an an affirmative look, and finally whispered to her daughter, "Lulu, you also learned military boxing, have you forgotten?"

Fear of Ji Cong was a conditioned reflex from before; she knew someone would protect her. Lulu slowly clenched her fists and then nodded to Ji Wei: "Lulu isn't afraid."

"Yeah, if anyone bullies you, just fight back." Ji Wei said, patting her head.

Surrounded by condemning glances, Zhou Xiuzhen wished she could escape. Luckily, the owner handed her the pig's head she had ordered, and she grabbed Ji Cong and fled as if running away. Of course, she didn't forget to curse Ji Wei in her heart for causing this situation.

This little incident dampened Ji Wei's good mood. When she got home, Gu Zhiyuan immediately noticed the change in her mood and quietly asked Gu Chen'an what had happened while she was in the kitchen.

"Dad, Mom's mom is so awful." Only then did Gu Chen'an realize that there were many people like that woman who didn't like their children. Although it was wrong to think that way, he suddenly felt a little happy. It turned out that he wasn't the only one whose mother didn't like him. But this thought only lasted for a second. He felt that his happiness was wrong. At that moment, Gu Chen'an felt like a bad child.

Gu Zhiyuan patted his head without saying anything, but kept his eyes on the kitchen. He thought that Ji Wei might have lost all hope for the family, just like him.

Ji Wei thought she was no longer susceptible to the influence of her family's emotions, but the appearance of Zhou Xiuzhen and Ji Cong just now made her realize that they could still affect her. This realization made her somewhat irritated, and for the first time, she began to seriously consider moving to the city center ahead of schedule. Of course, buying this house wasn't impulsive; it could be considered her first investment, and as the city developed, the property prices in Wu'an Town would also rise accordingly.

"Mommy." Lulu had been following behind her since she came back from outside, making her lost in thought. The little one called out "Mommy" softly while tugging at her clothes.

"Dinner will be ready soon, sweetie." Ji Wei looked down into Lulu's dark, bright eyes, and her heart softened instantly.

Ji Wei had composed herself when she came out of the kitchen. There were soft drinks in front of the two children, and plum wine in front of her and Gu Zhiyuan. This was the same wine that Lü Shuangcai and the others had brought over last time.

Ji Wei was the first to raise her glass: "This glass is to celebrate that we now have a real home. Cheers!"

"Cheers." Two wine glasses and two soda bottles clinked together, making a crisp sound, and everyone's faces lit up with smiles.

Gu Zhiyuan took a small sip, then reminded her, "This wine has a strong aftereffect, so drink it slowly."

"Okay." Ji Wei was afraid that her alcohol tolerance was too low at this moment, so she only dared to take a small sip.

"This toast is to celebrate our new beginning." Gu Zhiyuan raised his glass to Ji Wei. She was the one who brought about all the changes in this family, and he was truly grateful to her.

"Yes, every day is a new beginning, I'm looking forward to it." Before Ji Wei could finish speaking, Lulu's soda bottle clinked against hers, and she kept saying, "Cheers!"

“Okay, Mom will toast with you.” Ji Wei clinked glasses with her alone, which opened a new world for Lulu. For the rest of the night, she walked back and forth among the three of them with her soda bottle, toasting them. That night, Lulu was immersed in the joy of toasting, and even when she was sleeping, she was talking about toasting in her sleep.

Hearing what Lulu was saying, Ji Wei couldn't help but smile. A soft laugh came from beside her, and Gu Zhiyuan was amused by her. Ji Wei looked up and followed the sound. Even with moonlight shining through the glass, she could only vaguely make out an outline. She said softly, "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I'm not asleep yet." Even though he had brushed his teeth and wiped his body, Gu Zhiyuan still felt that he smelled of alcohol.

"Can't you sleep?" Ji Wei asked him.

"A little." They all go out during the day, and I only take a nap at home occasionally, so naturally I can't fall asleep at night.

"Is it a problem with your leg injury? Should we go to the city hospital for a check-up this week?" Ji Wei asked.

“No need, it’s not a problem with my leg, it’s a problem with me. Brother Lü used to be running a freight truck, right? He wants to expand his fleet and asked if I was interested in partnering with him.” Gu Zhiyuan hesitated.

"What do you think?" Ji Wei asked.

“I was considering resigning before, but now I’m a little tempted by Brother Lü’s suggestion. If I partner with him, at least I’ll have someone to guide me.” Gu Zhiyuan explained his thoughts to her.

"The freight industry is doing quite well right now. It seems Brother Lü has a good business sense," Ji Wei praised.

“He’s always had a good eye. He proposed the partnership to help me and Brother Wang.” Gu Zhilian understood Lü Shuangcai’s good intentions, which was why he hesitated.

"So what are you thinking? Are you going to resign immediately?" The moment Ji Wei met Zhou Xiuzhen, she had the idea of ​​resigning immediately and taking Lulu to the city, but after calming down, she felt that making such a decision just to avoid that kind of person was too irrational.

Before this, Gu Zhiyuan was still hesitant, but what happened to Ji Wei today made him make a decision. When he spoke again, his tone was full of seriousness: "Ji Wei, I plan to resign and try my luck with Brother Lü." He wanted to take them away from here as soon as possible.

Sensing the apology in his tone, Ji Wei roughly understood his concerns: "Since you've already made up your mind, then go for it. How much money does Brother Lü need to invest?"

"Ten thousand yuan will do." Gu Zhiyuan said somewhat embarrassedly, as he wanted to take back the savings book he had given to Ji Wei so soon.

"Then let's invest 20,000." Ji Wei said, yawning. They shouldn't put all their eggs in one basket, so she also planned to take a share. That way, their savings would still be 70,000, not including the 2,000 yuan reward Xie Fei received for his act of bravery. Ji Wei thought, why not just use that 2,000 yuan to buy government bonds for Lulu?

"Aren't you afraid this money will go down the drain?" Gu Zhiyuan asked, somewhat surprised.

“Every business has risks. We can afford the current loss of 20,000 yuan. Of course, the most important thing is that I am optimistic about this business.” Ji Wei recalled that back in the 1990s, many people around her who drove trucks and did freight business made a fortune.

“Consider this money a loan from Lulu.” Gu Zhiyuan hadn’t forgotten who the actual winner of the lottery was.

"Okay, then you'd better work hard. Whether our family can live a good life depends on you," Ji Wei teased.

"I'll call Brother Lü next door tomorrow, and we'll discuss this in detail when he's free." Gu Zhiyuan's tone became somewhat agitated at the end.

"Well, let's see when he's free." Ji Wei got more and more sleepy as she spoke, and by the end she couldn't even remember what she had said. The next day, she wasn't even sure if it was a dream or reality.

"Headache?" someone next to her asked when she rubbed her temples.

"There's one thing, it seems you're right, this wine has a strong aftereffect." Ji Wei smiled helplessly at the end, it seemed her alcohol tolerance was really low now.

"Then next time you'll drink soda with them too?" Gu Zhiyuan asked with a hint of a smile.

"It shouldn't hurt next time." Ji Wei thought, "You can only build up your alcohol tolerance through practice."

"How about trying fruit wine next time?" Gu Zhiyuan said with a hint of helplessness.

"Okay, I'll try next time. I'll take them to school first." Ji Wei glanced at the time; they were running out of time.

After they left, Gu Zhiyuan didn't rest. He quickly went next door to call Lü Shuangcai. He briefly explained his purpose on the phone, and Lü Shuangcai on the other end was very excited: "Wait for me to come find you this afternoon."

After deciding to resign and join Lü Shuangcai's freight business, Gu Zhiyuan gave Ji Wei an IOU at noon.

"What is this?" Ji Wei asked, staring at the IOU in her hand.

"This was my decision to begin with, and I can't let you take the risk. I hope you won't refuse." Gu Zhiyuan thought that this marriage started as a business partnership, which wasn't entirely innocent from the beginning, so he hoped that things would be clearer when it came to money.

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Ji Wei didn't refuse again, but asked, "So when do you plan to resign?"

"Let's talk about it when my leg is better. Otherwise, I'm afraid if I quit now, Uncle Wang will come looking for me every day," Gu Zhiyuan said jokingly. Since he was injured, Uncle Wang has brought him things from the rural market four times.

"As long as you have your own plan, that's fine." Ji Wei had already told the students about the competition, but not many students were interested in signing up yet. However, for her, it was already a success if anyone signed up.

Gu Chen'an was the most enthusiastic person to participate in the math competition. Ji Wei asked someone to find the competition papers from the previous two years. Gu Chen'an did every single one of them. There were some questions he didn't know how to answer, but Ji Wei explained them to him once. He never made a mistake on similar questions again. Ji Wei was amazed by his intelligence. She planned to tell Gu Zhiyuan the good news when she got home that night.

＊

"Does your sister-in-law know about this?" Lu Shuangcai asked cautiously, after all, his job was considered top-notch by most people.

“She knows that half of the 20,000 yuan is hers.” The two of them tacitly kept the matter of buying a house a secret from everyone except themselves, Uncle Qin, and their colleagues at work. Gu Zhiyuan asked them to keep it a secret.

"Your sister-in-law has good judgment. Old Wang and his wife called me today. They want to do a business that's incredibly profitable. Who dares to guarantee them a huge profit?" Lu Shuangcai sighed after saying this. He genuinely wanted his brothers to have a better life. Otherwise, he could have gritted his teeth and mortgaged his truck and house to get a loan from the credit union. But Old Wang and his family wanted to make money without taking any risks. There's no such thing as a free lunch.

Gu Zhiyuan didn't know how to respond to this, so he waited until the other person finished speaking before slowly saying, "Brother Lü, I guess we'll have to rely on you and your wife for everything lately. You've seen my leg."

“It’s alright. I’ve already picked out a truck. Since your leg isn’t fully healed yet, I’ll hire another driver. In a couple of years, we can settle down at home and be our own bosses, without having to drive on the road anymore.” Lu Shuangcai had mentioned to him before that long-distance driving was really tough.

Although Lü Shuangcai looks like a roughneck, he has a clear vision for his business. He has earned his money through hard work over the past two years and is now taking the lead in establishing a freight company.

Ji Wei and her two children heard laughter coming from the yard. Gu Chen'an asked in surprise, "Mom, do we have guests?"

“It should be your Uncle Lü.” Ji Wei hadn’t expected these two to be so action-oriented, which also proved that last night’s dream wasn’t a dream; she really had discussed this issue with Gu Zhiyuan.

The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Lü Shuangcai was the first to stand up, smiling at Ji Wei: "Sister-in-law is back?" Ji Wei's willingness to invest money proved that she believed in him, and Lü Shuangcai was very happy. The humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Wang Haifeng and his wife was swept away. He thought, "As expected of a teacher, she really has a discerning eye for talent."

"Brother Lü is here? You guys continue chatting, I'll go cook." Ji Wei was still a little unaccustomed to his sudden enthusiasm.

"What are you making? We'll eat out later. Sister-in-law, come and listen to our plan." Lu Shuangcai guessed that the ten thousand yuan was Ji Wei's entire fortune. Her boldness in investing it all in their business proved that she had complete trust in him, so Lu Shuangcai was very happy.

"I don't really know much about freight transportation, you guys can discuss it." Everyone has their own expertise, and although Ji Wei has memories from her previous life, she doesn't think she has this ability.

"That's such a modest thing to say. Just because you trust me and are willing to invest money with Zhiyuan, I've already decided you're the right girl for me." This is one of only two people besides his family who believe in him.

Finally, at Lü Shuangcai's enthusiastic invitation, Ji Wei joined their discussion: "Resellers used to make money secretly, but now that the policy allows it, I don't believe we'll lose money. And every time I come back empty-handed, I bring back a truckload of local specialties. Take apples, for example. They're quite expensive here, but in places where apples are abundant, they're unbelievably cheap. Your sister-in-law used to be very concerned about saving face, but now she can loudly hawk her wares."

"Won't the fruit be damaged when it gets back?" Ji Wei asked.

“Yes, that’s why I usually don’t like to bring back fruit, but sometimes I’m unlucky and there’s no suitable cargo to bring back. If I don’t want to return with an empty truck, I have no choice but to bring back fruit,” Lü Shuangcai explained to her.

"Did your sister-in-law set up the stall for all that fruit she brought back?" Ji Wei thought it must be a huge undertaking.

“We’ll just dump the good ones on the fruit vendors. We’ll sell the ones that don’t look good to them ourselves since they don’t want them. By the way, you should buy less canned fruit. I saw a cannery buy some of our bruised fruit before,” Lü Shuangcai reminded him.

When talking about his industry, Lü Shuangcai talked non-stop until Lulu came over and said she was hungry. Only then did they realize they had forgotten something. Ji Wei looked at Lü Shuangcai apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, Brother Lü, I was so engrossed in listening that I forgot to arrange for a meal. Let's go eat first."

"It's okay, I'm not hungry yet, just don't let our little niece go hungry." Lu Shuangcai has a son, and he has always doted on his daughter. When he saw Lulu, he couldn't help but reach out to hug her, but Lulu refused him. He didn't give up and continued to reach out: "How about Uncle carries you to buy candy?"

Lulu still shook her head and refused. Her mother said that she could not go with strangers, and she would never eat candy given by strangers.

"The little one is quite wary. Have you forgotten that your uncle gave you a gift last time he came?" Lu Shuangcai tried to evoke her memory, but the only thing Lulu remembered was the colored pencils Gu Zhiyuan had given her a couple of days ago. As for what Lu Shuangcai was talking about, she had no recollection of it at all.

"Lulu, Uncle Lü gave you a doll when we had guests last time. Have you forgotten?" Ji Wei reminded her.

“It’s okay if you don’t remember. You’ll recognize me after we meet more often. By the way, Zhiyuan, have you considered settling down in Rong County?” Lü Shuangcai asked.