Go abroad?

In November 1990, the sky over Beijing was gray. Wang Gang never expected that the machinery factory in Beijing would go bankrupt. He used to be a big spender. His parents were getting old and needed to pay some money for retirement. But he had just gotten married and couldn't even afford his last month's salary. What was he going to do?

Wang Gang arrived at Li Guolan's stall. Now that everyone is losing their jobs, there are hardly any people eating skewers. Only those who spoil their children and those who work in the government come to eat after get off work.

Wang Gang and Li Guolan got married, the stall owner changed, but Wang Gang ate there a few times and the taste didn't change. An aunt from the factory noticed that the two were about the same age and neither of them was married, so they were a perfect match.

Every time Wang Gang came to eat, Li Guolan was gentle yet authoritative, unlike the previous boss who was always so shrewish. He had long taken a liking to her and asked her out. Li Guolan saw that she was a full-time employee and a good person, so she agreed to get married.

Li Guolan also looked worried. Now, even the workers who earn the most money in the factory don't have much money. Every household is saving money. Some unemployed people are also young and dishonest. She is now preparing less and less stock for her stall. Only the chili oil is selling as well as ever, even better than before. It's just too troublesome for her younger sister to mail it from the south. Does she really have to go back to farming?

Li Xiangxi was talking to the factory manager, "Uncle Wang, you see, we're all acquaintances. The factory hasn't paid wages in a long time, so we'll sell it to you at a discount."

Li Xiangxi, having heard what his sister-in-law said, placed a red envelope under the document.

"I won't make things difficult for you, so I'll just give you a 40% discount."

Factory Director Wang felt the thickness of the red envelope, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes. There was at least 20,000 yuan. After paying wages, the factory's profits were only for himself, but this 20,000 yuan was real.

"A maximum discount of 30%, no lower." Li Xiangxi slipped another small red envelope over.

"Okay, 60% off it is."

In Shenzhen, Li Guorong read in the newspaper about the appreciation of the stocks she bought, and her heart bled. They had doubled in value, turning 100,000 yuan into 400,000 yuan, which was more profitable than anything else. She thought that in a few months, they would be even more. She was about to withdraw the money to buy machinery, and her heart was bleeding. "Maybe we shouldn't build the factory. I think the stocks are pretty good too."

Lin Shaocheng pulled out the stock subscription certificate that Li Guorong was clutching tightly in his hand. "This is just data. In the stock market, it's fake money. Machines are real, and houses are real."

Li Guorong bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the small notebook. She finally understood why some people invest in the stock market and refuse to give up even when they lose everything. She was just talking; money earned through hard work was more reliable. "Sell it quickly, out of sight, out of mind."

Li Xiangxi received the remittance from Lin Shaocheng and went to the factory to pick up the machinery to pay for it.

Not all factories are like the Chinese medicine factory manager who is greedy for money. The cannery manager is very honest and can only buy at the normal depreciation price. It was only through Li Xiangxi's clever persuasion that the manager was persuaded to send an extra boiler.

The trucks in the Chinese medicine factory's truck fleet were also for sale. Some of them were purchased a couple of years ago. After discussing it with Lin Shaocheng, Li Guorong decided to buy a few new ones. Several brothers from the truck fleet loaded the machinery onto the trucks, and the group of people hurriedly left Beijing with the southbound convoy.

Li Guorong turned on the stove and put the taro in the steamer to steam. She wanted to reward Lin Shaocheng properly. Supporting Lin Shaocheng to go to university was a wise move. All she had to do was give him money and ask him to do it. Lin Shaocheng bought her equipment, got her license, and renovated the factory. When she entered the factory yesterday, the walls were painted so clean that you couldn't see any brush marks, and the dusty cement on the floor was polished to a shine.

The secondhand machinery inside was repaired by Li Xiangxi until it looked brand new. She really did get a good education in college. Now she just needs to try out the formula and recruit people to get things going.

The other soup, which was dark in color, was her grass jelly. She made it by simmering grass jelly to extract the juice, then adding edible alkali to solidify it, and finally placing it in an ice bucket to help it solidify.

She kept kneading taro balls in her hands. The stocks she had been reluctant to sell before started to plummet in less than a month. The nearby shops that had bought them were now selling with long faces.

If he hadn't sold them, he probably would have lost all his capital. Now he still has 100,000 yuan in capital, and he got so much machinery and trucks for free. He also bought a courtyard in Beijing and several houses in Shenzhen. Lin Shaocheng's statement that having real assets in hand is the truth is true.

"Sister-in-law, we're back."

Li Guorong placed taro balls and red beans on a taro paste base and poured in the prepared milk tea.

"They're here."

Li Xiangxi looked on longingly, "I've been wanting my sister-in-law's desserts for a long time. If she were making desserts in the shop, she would make them all. People in the South love sweets, don't they?"

Li Guorong rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be that tired." Li Xiangxi chuckled. "Being a factory manager is even more tiring."

Li Guorong smiled and said, "Isn't there your brother? I'll keep an eye on you and provide you with the secret recipe."

Li Xiangxi hesitated, looking at his elder brother. Li Guorong could tell something was amiss. "Lin Shaocheng, what are you hiding from me?"

Lin Shaocheng took a bite of the grass jelly. The smooth texture and the sweet milk tea had a faint bitterness from the grass jelly. His face remained expressionless. "No."

Li Xiangxi ate heartily, looking guilty.

Li Guorong knew from that expression that Lin Shaocheng had made a big decision without consulting him. "Lin Shaocheng, do you want to argue?"

Lin Shaocheng was startled by Li Guorong's incredibly loud voice and accidentally choked, "Cough, cough, cough."

Li Guorong walked up behind Lin Shaocheng and patted his back vigorously, pat pat pat.

With each slap, Li Xiangxi would shudder. Anyone who didn't know better would think the slap was on Li Xiangxi. Li Guorong's fierce and menacing gaze made Li Xiangxi afraid to look up. He finished the last sip and was just about to slip away.

"Li Xiangxi".

Li Xiangxi plopped back down in his original spot. "I'll confess, I'll confess."

Lin Shaocheng's cold gaze swept over him. He used to be afraid of her, but now he was even more afraid of Li Guorong, his sister-in-law. "It's my brother's school. They can send him to study abroad on government scholarships. He really wants to go, but he's worried that you'll be lonely and too busy, so he's planning to refuse."

Li Guorong felt as if a huge rock was pressing down on her heart. She thought of her daughter in her previous life who had also mentioned studying abroad. Ye Fan's cousin's daughter did indeed earn more money and live a better life than her own daughter after returning from studying abroad. She felt it wasn't worth it because the tuition was too expensive and refused her daughter. Now, Lin Shaocheng was studying abroad on a government scholarship and didn't have to spend any money. A large part of the family's income was thanks to Lin Shaocheng. Studying abroad really had its advantages.

Li Guorong went upstairs in silence. Her current mood was exactly the same as when Lin Shaocheng was about to go to university. She was a little confused. She was afraid that Lin Shaocheng would enjoy the convenience of life abroad and the enthusiasm of foreign women and would find her old-fashioned and boring and never come back. She was also worried that he might not be able to learn anything abroad and that international students would become worthless in the future.

“I don’t really want to go. I’d rather stay with you than study abroad.”

Li Guorong's clear, penetrating eyes pierced Lin Shaocheng's calm, unwavering gaze like sharp swords. She understood; Lin Shaocheng really wanted to go. Should she be afraid of losing her support? Would this matter be like a thorn in their marriage?

“Shaocheng. Let me think about it, let me inquire.” Li Guorong crumpled the hem of her clothes with both hands. “Don’t refuse to study abroad yet, let me think about it.” Lin Shaocheng took two steps back, half of his face hidden in the shadows, one hand on the door frame. “I’ll go to the factory to check the situation first.” Li Guorong closed her eyes and lay on the bed. Lin Shaocheng was constantly making progress, pursuing his studies. His spiritual world was rich and colorful. Her life revolved entirely around making money for Lin Shaocheng. There was no television, no cell phone, only a radio and movies she was tired of watching. She couldn’t continue to be preoccupied with such trivial matters all day long. She had to get busy, not rely on Lin Shaocheng, and make something of herself.

Li Guorong went downstairs to the convenience store and made a phone call.

"Looking for Li Guolan."

Li Guolan had just finished clearing the bowls and chopsticks when she heard the proprietress at the door calling her name.

"Sister, it's me, Leslie."

Li Guolan's voice was cheerful as she asked, "What's wrong, Guorong?"

Li Guorong cleared his throat. "Sister, I heard that many people in Beijing have been laid off and business is tough. I'm starting a small factory, can you come and help me out?"

Li Guolan was tempted, but she wasn't alone; she had Wang Gang. "But..." "Brother-in-law hasn't found a suitable job either. Come work for me; there are construction workers here, at least you can earn money." Li Guolan nodded. "Then I'll discuss it with your brother-in-law."

Li Guorong tidied up the shop, preparing to go to the factory to test the recipe again. He had already selected three recipes using the machine yesterday, and today he would select the one that best suited the taste so that production could begin immediately.

"Little sister." Li Guojian was covered in dirt, followed by a woman who was half a head taller than him, with a slender figure and smooth hair.

Li Guorong's face was full of surprise. "Second Brother, what brings you here?"

Li Guojian's face was ingratiating as he tightly gripped the woman behind him. "I'm bringing your second sister-in-law out to work." Li Guorong's surprise turned to shock. She hadn't heard that her second brother was married. Besides, the woman behind her wasn't her second sister-in-law from her previous life. In her previous life, her second sister-in-law was as tall as her second brother and had a better presence than her eldest sister and herself. But this woman had a slim waist and long legs, and looked like a model.

The woman stepped forward and said, "Guorong, hello, I'm your second sister-in-law. I don't have much to offer." She took out a board from Li Guojian's fertilizer bag and said, "I just bought some salted duck and brought it over. Your second brother said you like to eat it."

Second Sister-in-law had a pair of willow-leaf eyebrows and upturned eyes, like a cunning fox. Li Guorong felt a little uneasy. She seemed to have heard this voice before, but she couldn't remember where.

Second Brother nudged Li Guorong, who smiled and took the roast duck. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Sit in the shop for a while, I'll go buy some vegetables." Lin Shaocheng held a chicken heart and a piece of pork in his left hand, with many vegetables hanging on his arm. "What kind of job are you looking for, Second Brother? Isn't growing chili peppers at home very profitable?"

Li Guorong pursed her lips tightly. Her family didn't have much land, and she didn't harvest many chilies. She definitely hadn't gone out to work to earn money. Now she was worried that it would seem unkind to let her eldest sister work for her instead of letting her second brother help her.

As soon as the two entered the room, Cui Fanghua, the second sister-in-law, glanced at Lin Shaocheng, his straight legs leading down to his lean waist and broad shoulders, a glint of something dark flashing in her eyes.