A few days later, Shen Xuyue returned, and Shen Fuyu accompanied her husband. The whole family came to comfort Yang Maolin. This tall northern man couldn't help but shed tears when faced with his family's warm greetings: "I'm sorry for making everyone worry. It's all my fault; I shouldn't have trusted others so easily."

Shen Xuyue said, "Brother-in-law, don't blame yourself. It's good that you're alright. Money is just an external thing; you can earn it back quickly."

Zhao Mingyue also said, "Brother-in-law, don't worry about money. Take good care of your health, and we can talk about making money later."

Yang Maolin looked at Shen Xuyue and his wife and nodded. He himself felt embarrassed. If he hadn't been so eager for quick success, how could he have been so easily swindled? Twenty thousand yuan! That was more than a year's income for him. He was swindled away in one go, and he was injured, making his family worry. How could he hold his head up in shame?

Mr. Shen said, "Take good care of your health and stay home and drive your taxi. Long-distance travel is too dangerous, don't go running around recklessly. What do you need so much money for? Enough to get by is enough."

Zhao Mingyue thought that she should have suggested Shen Fuyu buy a shop. With the money gone and capital depleted, Yang Maolin wouldn't have considered reselling it. The shop would have appreciated in value, and the rent alone would have been a substantial income. Losing such a large sum of money was heartbreaking for the couple. However, after this experience, Yang Maolin probably wouldn't try to resell again.

Yang Maolin nodded: "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad, I made you worry. I'll just stick to driving my taxi from now on."

Shen Xuyue comforted him, saying, "Maybe the police can solve the case, and some of the losses can be recovered."

Yang Maolin sighed, "I guess so." But he didn't really have high hopes.

This matter is temporarily put on hold. As for solving the case, no one really had high hopes. It would be best if it could be solved, but if it can't, there's nothing anyone can do.

Zhao Mingyue thought to herself that it wasn't right for Yang Maolin to keep driving a taxi. Taxi drivers had been quite glamorous and earned a lot of money in the past two years, but once everyone had their own car, being a taxi driver would just be an ordinary job, and it would be incredibly hard work. It would be best for him to change careers; he couldn't be a taxi driver for the rest of his life.

When Zhao Mingyue went to buy an electric sewing machine, she discovered that computerized sewing machines were already available on the market, but they were shockingly expensive, costing over four thousand yuan each—equivalent to several electric sewing machines. Computerized sewing machines could embroider, and Zhao Mingyue looked at the patterns they produced. Because they were new products, their functions were limited, and the patterns were quite simple. Zhao Mingyue had always wanted to create a brand for her clothing line. If she had a computerized sewing machine, she could embroider a logo and attach it to the clothes, gradually making it her family's unique identifier—a form of advertising. Due to limitations, most clothes these days didn't have labels; they were only printed on the outer packaging.

However, the price was indeed too high, and such products are updated too quickly. Zhao Mingyue hesitated and discussed it with Shen Xuyue after returning. Shen Xuyue said, "If it's updated, will it affect its use?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "No, it won't. It's just that the newer products will have more refined effects. And the machines will be a little cheaper, but of course, price isn't an issue."

Shen Xuyue thought for a moment and said, "If you want something more refined, then wait and see. You can observe for a while before buying."

"I'll see at the end of the year," Zhao Mingyue said. "I'll buy you a car first."

"You're saving the money to expand your business, so where are you going to get the money to buy a car?" Shen Xuyue asked.

Zhao Mingyue smiled apologetically. It was indeed true; she poured all her earnings into the factory, as if no amount of money was ever enough. "Expanding the scale of the business is never enough, so how about we buy you a car first, so you don't have to work so hard? What kind of car do you want? A regular sedan or a Jeep?"

Shen Xuyue looked at his wife and felt that their roles were reversed. Shouldn't he be the one buying things for her? Zhao Mingyue saw that he didn't say anything: "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

Shen Xuyue reached out and hugged Zhao Mingyue: "Wife, you are so capable, I feel pressured."

Zhao Mingyue smiled and said, "Why don't you come and work with me? You can be the boss, and I'll be your assistant."

Shen Xuyue thought for a moment. If he were to go into business, he might not have Zhao Mingyue's foresight and market acumen. He shook his head: "Forget it, I'll just stick to being a public servant." Perhaps only by being in a different field can he find his place, achieve his own success, and stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

Zhao Mingyue put her arm around his waist and smiled, "That's right, you should serve the people and be a good public servant. Public servants should be supported by the people. You are a public servant, and I am a person. It's only natural for me to support you, so don't feel pressured."

Shen Xuyue listened to her explanation, smiled, and kissed her on the head: "Okay, whatever you say."

"You haven't said what kind of car you want to drive yet?" Zhao Mingyue said.

Shen Xuyue said, "Just buy a regular one, don't spend too much."

Zhao Mingyue said, "If you're going to buy one, buy a better one. The roads are slippery in winter, so you'll feel more at ease with a good car."

Shen Xuyue said, "Then let's buy a Jeep."

Zhao Mingyue nodded: "Okay. Let's go look at cars next week."

"So fast?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "I just received a payment for a shipment, but I haven't spent it yet. I've found that I feel like money is burning my hands; when I have money, I want to throw it all away and spend it all. But it seems like I haven't brought much home, hehe, you still have to support my mother and me."

Shen Xuyue laughed: "So what if you spend it all? It's only right that I support you."

"You can keep it."

Zhao Mingyue's factory is near the Fourth Ring Road, quite a distance from her home. Cycling was too tiring, so she bought a motorcycle and travels there in all kinds of weather. She plans to get a driver's license soon and then buy herself a car. After all, she's a small business owner now, and she can't be out driving around in the dead of winter every day.

Having considered the future prospects, Zhao Mingyue rented a fairly large courtyard house, but it's clearly not enough. The current situation is that she either needs to buy a plot of land and build her own factory, or she needs to rent the neighboring courtyard as well, continuing to rent neighboring courtyards in this area.

After much deliberation, she decided that buying land to build a house was the most suitable option. With her current financial resources, she definitely couldn't afford land, but since she was starting a business, she needed to invest, and she could take out a loan from a bank. In the 1980s, to promote economic development, the government offered annual interest-free and low-interest loans to encourage people to start businesses. However, at that time, the concept of investing with loans was too novel, and people weren't open-minded enough. They were afraid of not being able to repay their loans, so they were all quite cautious, and very few people were willing to take out loans to start a business. Zhao Mingyue decided to be the one to take the plunge.

Of course, the loan wasn't the problem; the problem was that the land purchase had to be finalized first. This was a big deal, and Zhao Mingyue couldn't make the decision alone; she had to discuss it with the whole family. One weekend, while Shen Qixue was also on vacation at home, Zhao Mingyue called her eldest sister and brother-in-law over for a family meeting.

Zhao Mingyue revealed her plan, and everyone looked at her in surprise, except for Shen Xuyue. Because Zhao Mingyue had already discussed this with him, and since her husband was family, she naturally wanted to be the first to advocate for him.

Shen's mother said, "Why do we need to take out a loan from the bank? If we don't have enough money, we can borrow from relatives and friends."

Zhao Mingyue shook her head: "Mom, the amount is too large. I can't borrow that much. I'll take out a loan from the bank and get it all at once. I won't have to owe anyone any favors."

Mr. Shen hesitated for a moment: "How much do you plan to borrow?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "It will cost at least 1 million." This is a conservative estimate; she doesn't know the exact price of the land yet, but she estimates it will be at least 100,000 per mu.

The whole family was stunned: "So much money!" Even with their family's financial situation, they had never seen so much money before.

Zhao Mingyue said, "So if I can't borrow money, I can only take out a loan from the government. This is a big deal, so I want to ask for everyone's opinion. Let me do the math for you: My factory operates on an assembly line. A skilled worker can produce 50 garments a day. I currently have 60 machines, so I can produce 90,000 garments a month. I only make 50 cents profit per garment, so my monthly net profit is 45,000 yuan, and my annual profit is 540,000 yuan. If my factory has 100 machines, then the annual profit will be 900,000 yuan. I only need a little over a year to recoup all my costs."

Everyone gasped when they heard Zhao Mingyue's accounts; she was astonished at how profitable it was. Zhao Mingyue explained, "The 50 cents per piece I mentioned refers to the lowest profit margin. This is the most conservative estimate. And if the workers are skilled enough, sewing efficiency will increase significantly; I believe there's at least a 50% improvement potential. Of course, this requires skilled workers and all the machines to be in good working order." A skilled worker like Yu Youfen could sew 80 pieces of clothing a day, and Zhao Mingyue knew there was room for improvement in her speed.

Zhao Mingyue's family knew she owned a factory, but they had never heard her do the math. She rarely showed off her wealth. Apart from buying Shen Xuyue a car and sending clothes to her family every quarter, her other food, clothing, and daily necessities were the same as her family's. They never expected her to be so rich, earning tens of thousands of yuan a month.

Shen Xuyue knew the general situation; he knew his wife's monthly income at the factory was over ten thousand yuan, but he didn't expect it to be so much.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Zhao Mingyue knew that she had revealed her secret quite thoroughly and had scared everyone. She said somewhat awkwardly, "I've told everyone everything today because I want your support. I plan to buy land and build my own factory. I believe that I can break even in less than a year."

Shen Fuyu looked at Zhao Mingyue: "Mingyue, where did all your clothes go? According to you, you can make tens of thousands of clothes a month. Are there really that many people buying them?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "The factory's orders have never stopped. The workers only get one day off a week and have to work overtime on weekdays and sometimes even on weekends. The clothes are not only sold in Beijing, but also in the surrounding provinces. You have to understand, the market in the north is huge. There are so many people in the north, but there are very few garment factories in the north."

Fang Zhen gave a thumbs up in admiration: "Mingyue, you're really something, a true strong woman."

Zhao Mingyue smiled sheepishly: "I didn't know there would be such a big market at first; I only realized it after I started doing it."

Shen Qixue said, "It is obvious that my sister-in-law has thought this through carefully, so I support her."

Everyone expressed their agreement, except for Shen's mother, who remained somewhat worried. Following the majority rule, the vote passed. Zhao Mingyue bowed and said, "Thank you all for your support. I will definitely work hard."

With the approval of the authorities, Zhao Mingyue began to invest heavily. She found a plot of land outside the Fourth Ring Road. It was currently rural, but she predicted it would develop rapidly within ten years, and become the city center in twenty. The actual cost exceeded Zhao Mingyue's budget. That year, the average land price in cities across the country was 50,000 to 100,000 yuan per mu (approximately 0.16 acres), but Beijing, as the capital, was definitely more expensive. She acquired a 10-mu (approximately 1.65 acres) plot and spent two million yuan. Building the houses, however, was cheaper, with a total budget of only one or two hundred thousand yuan.

Generally, low-interest loans don't require collateral. Zhao Mingyue needed a massive three million yuan loan, so besides mortgaging her factory, she ultimately had to rely on her father, Shen, to act as guarantor to secure the loan from the bank. By the time the loan was approved, the land was secured, and construction began, it was already the following spring. Zhao Mingyue got a driver's license, bought a car, and shuttled between the factory, the construction site, and her home every day, truly as busy as a spinning top.

Seeing that she was working too hard, her family suggested that Yang Maolin help supervise the construction site. Zhao Mingyue was eager for a reliable person to help her, but since he didn't take the initiative, she felt she couldn't bring herself to ask him. If he came to work for her, it would be like he was working for her, and she felt embarrassed to ask her family to do things for her.

The south has a lot of rain, so people generally don't choose to build houses in spring and summer. However, the north has less rain, and although there is rain in spring, it is not as continuous as the south. The weather is not too hot, so it is suitable for building houses.

Zhao Mingyue watched as the buildings were gradually constructed. The factory, warehouse, office building, dormitory, and canteen were all designed to accommodate a factory with nearly a thousand employees. Zhao Mingyue participated in the planning and design process and, based on the advantages of later architecture, put forward more reasonable requirements to ensure that the buildings would not need to be rebuilt for at least thirty years.

All the buildings are five-story structures. Factory buildings should not be too tall; generally, three or four stories is considered very tall. Too tall is not conducive to loading goods. The first, second, and third floors can be used as factory buildings, and the fourth and fifth floors can be used as offices.

The house was built quickly, completed in just over a month. Including decoration and furnishing, it took about two months in total. These days, there's not much latex paint; it's all tiling and lime plastering, so there's no worry about formaldehyde or anything like that. The weather in the north is dry, so there's no concern about the new house being too damp. Once the house is finished, you can basically move in after letting it air out for half a month.

In June, Zhao Mingyue's factory moved to a new location, with nearly a hundred workers relocating to the new factory building outside the Fourth Ring Road. Everyone was very satisfied with the spacious and bright factory and the clean and tidy dormitories. They were especially pleased that each dormitory room even had a toilet and bathroom – it was simply perfect. This was, of course, something Zhao Mingyue had requested.

All the workers were very satisfied with the new factory. The working conditions and living conditions had improved. It was simply the factory with the best living conditions in Beijing, much better than those cramped and crowded tenement buildings.

The workers' dormitories are currently four-person rooms, but if there are more people later, they can be converted into eight-person rooms with bunk beds. Married employees such as sales staff, accountants, and middle-level managers can apply for single rooms, while unmarried employees will share a room with two other people.

Zhao Mingyue arranged a single dormitory room for Yu Youfen. This summer, her two daughters will be brought to Beijing to study.

Zhao Mingyue also built an apartment building with one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom layouts, which can be used by dual-income families in the management team. She also reserved an apartment for herself, where she and her family of three can live.

After moving into the new factory, with a surplus from the loan, Zhao Mingyue embarked on another round of expansion, purchasing a batch of new machinery and hiring a new workforce. The factory now employed two hundred workers and had one hundred machines. The sales team had also grown considerably, and their business had expanded to the three northeastern provinces, enjoying a booming success.

Zhao Mingyue also bought the newly manufactured computerized sewing machine and began building their clothing brand. The factory was named Lucky Star Garment Factory, symbolizing the auspicious stars of the sun, moon, and stars—a combination representing their family of three. Their factory logo was a round sun with a moon and a small star inside, designed by Zhao Mingyue and Shen Xuyue together, also representing their family of three. Embroidered with gold thread, this became their trademark, and their Lucky Star brand has already been distributed to countless households along with thousands of garments.

Yang Maolin had initially followed his wife's advice and planned to have someone else drive his taxi and manage Zhao Mingyue's factory. Zhao Mingyue had suffered enough from relatives getting involved in her company in her previous life; everyone acted independently, forming their own cliques and pursuing their own interests, increasing the difficulty of company management and resulting in significant losses. Zhao Mingyue knew that relatives working at the factory, ultimately driven by self-interest, would inevitably damage relationships.

She then suggested to Yang Maolin that he take out a loan to buy more vehicles and hire drivers to form a fleet of trucks and start a transportation company. With the development of the market economy, long-distance and short-distance transportation is booming, and the market prospects are very promising. Even Zhao Mingyue's own factory needs to hire people to transport raw materials and goods; she can't afford to maintain a whole fleet just for transporting goods. Having one truck to transport local goods is sufficient.

Yang Maolin thought Zhao Mingyue's suggestion was excellent. He had always enjoyed driving, and if he could expand his business and become his own boss, it would be a successful enterprise. So, Yang Maolin indeed took out a loan of 100,000 yuan and bought five Jiefang brand trucks, forming a truck fleet.

Actually, the government didn't explicitly legalize private car ownership until 1984. Before that, private car purchases were illegal. Of course, people used their means to acquire cars, and a few, like Yang Maolin, did. After 1984, more and more people bought cars, mostly trucks, because domestic passenger car production was extremely limited. Passenger cars were considered a bourgeois product and were not permitted under national policy. Later, policies were relaxed, and passenger car production was allowed, but car purchases remained low. After all, for a developing China, production tools were more essential than household tools. Yang Maolin's transport team emerged at the opportune moment, seizing the best opportunity.

When buying the vehicle, Yang Maolin consulted Zhao Mingyue about whether to buy a sedan or a truck. Zhao Mingyue, intending to guide his company towards logistics, suggested a truck. The transport fleet was just the beginning; Zhao Mingyue knew that with persistence, it would eventually develop into a logistics company. Yang Maolin readily agreed.

Zhao Mingyue's decision not to let Yang Maolin work in her factory, but instead suggested he take out a loan to buy a car, made Shen Fuyu uneasy. She vividly remembered Yang Maolin's accident last year while driving long distances. She felt that since long-distance driving was dangerous, why let him do it? Wasn't this pushing him into a fire pit? Zhao Mingyue's factory also needed a lot of manpower; hiring outsiders was one thing, but hiring relatives was another. Wouldn't it be better for relatives to help? They wouldn't cheat her, would they? She really couldn't understand Zhao Mingyue's thinking; she was clearly wary of her own family.

Zhao Mingyue was very good at reading people's expressions and understanding their hearts. She said to Shen Xuyue, "My older sister is blaming me for not letting my brother-in-law work in our factory."

Shen Xuyue comforted her, saying, "Actually, your consideration is correct. When your brother-in-law comes to work in the factory, we become an employer-employee relationship and a superior-subordinate relationship. When interests are involved, it is easy to hurt feelings."

Zhao Mingyue sighed and said, "Even though I did this, it still hurt our feelings. She thought I didn't want to share the benefits with them. Sigh!"

Shen Xuyue said, "It's okay, it will take time, and my sister will understand. Being your own boss is always better than working for someone else."

With things having come to this point, Zhao Mingyue had no other choice but to take it one step at a time.

Zhao Mingyue said, "Xuyue, I have an idea."

"What?"

Zhao Mingyue said, "I want to give some of the company's shares to my family. After all, they helped a lot when we started the business. My eldest brother and sister-in-law work in companies with limited incomes, and my third brother and his wife are just ordinary wage earners. Although they don't lack money, they're not exactly wealthy either. We earn money to improve our lives and to make sure our family lives a better life. I don't want anyone who needs money to come to us for a loan. That would create favoritism and affect our relationships. I'll give them a fixed dividend every year, which they can spend as they please. We won't interfere with how they spend it or whether it's enough. If they really need money, they can borrow from us and give us an IOU. But there's one condition: I don't want them to participate in the company's operation or management; they just want to take the money." Family businesses are most prone to fostering parasites, and people are often hesitant to say anything due to personal relationships.

Shen Xuyue had thought about this problem many times. As the market economy developed, people gradually had more money, and their desires increased, making their hearts more complex and restless, unlike the simple and honest people of the past. His family was indeed the wealthiest among their relatives, while his parents and brothers were still earning wages, living a mediocre life, far worse off than his family. This disparity inevitably led to resentment among everyone. Since Zhao Mingyue had also considered this issue, that was perfect; the couple had the same idea, so they discussed it together.

Zhao Mingyue proposed giving each of her five siblings two percent of the company's profits, while giving their parents cash instead of shares, to avoid future disputes over inheritance after their parents' passing. Two percent might seem small, but if the company generated a million yuan in profits annually, that would be twenty thousand yuan. In the 1980s, twenty thousand yuan was a huge sum for ordinary people. Zhao Mingyue was thinking further ahead; when her company's profits reached tens or hundreds of millions, two percent of the shares would still be a substantial dividend.

All the money was earned by Zhao Mingyue, so Shen Xuyue naturally had no objection to her decision on how to allocate it: "Okay, you decide."

“Yes, we’ll have to have a family meeting then. I’m thinking of going back to my hometown at the end of this year to tell my family about this. Why don’t you come back with me, and bring Liangliang with you?” Zhao Mingyue said. She hadn’t been home for several years. Her mother’s appendicitis only flared up last year. She was taken to the hospital in time, had surgery, and is now fine. She had been so busy that she hadn’t had a chance to go back and visit her yet, and Zhao Mingyue felt guilty about it.

"Okay, whatever you say."