Chapter 112: Family Difficulties

Lin Ruoyan could tell from Boss Liang's management of the barber shop that he wasn't the type to pursue profits at all costs. Since his shop didn't have to pay high rent, he didn't follow the crowd with promotional sales tactics like other shops, and he generously gave away free food and drinks. This actually made customers feel relaxed when they came to the shop; they didn't have to worry about being sold anything. They could chat freely if they wanted to, and if they didn't, the barbers and the staff wouldn't talk too much, which would be annoying.

This indirectly illustrates Mr. Liang's business philosophy and character. A man like him looks blessed and contented, so what could he possibly have to complain about?

Lin Ruoyan has entered the stage of perming and shaping her hair. The perming equipment is put on her head, and the barbers and the workers can take a break. They all tactfully avoided the occasion where Boss Liang was chatting with the guests, and left the room quietly to take care of other guests.

Lin Ruoyan's room was a private room for high-end customers, completely isolated from the general guest area once the door was closed. Her son sat on the sofa inside, enjoying a meal and a drink, reading, completely unburdened by her presence. She was just struggling to find a topic to talk about, so when Boss Liang mentioned this, she was naturally interested.

She said gently, "Boss Liang, life is full of disappointments. If you have any difficulties, please tell me and I'll see if I can help."

After all, she still hadn't figured out how to pay for her big August expenses. She imagined Boss Liang complaining to her, preferably about her money.

The August contract was for a maximum of 30 million yuan, with the 50 million yuan payment due next month. Even if she paid more, the project wouldn't be finished. The various other contracts combined only managed to cover 20 million yuan, and that wasn't even factored in the investment she had to make in a joint project between her brother and Panshi.

In addition to the conventional nickel ore development project, Lin Ruoyan privately suggested to her brother that they develop technologies for the purification and battery application of high-grade nickel matte. She merely pointed out the direction, not the technical insights. She estimated that no research and development results would be seen in the short term, but she was only planting the seeds now. When the new energy sector opens up in the future, the Lin Group will have a head start and avoid falling too far behind.

So this month, she was worried about how to make up for the 50 million yuan shortfall from the 100 million yuan target. She and Boss Liang got along well, and if he really had a problem and came to her for help, she would definitely not sit idly by.

Boss Liang was very self-conscious about his image, but he was born with an ordinary appearance, not a handsome one. With a wife and children, and being nearly 40 years old, he naturally didn't think it was his looks that attracted the beautiful and wealthy Lin Ruoyan. A wealthy daughter like Lin Ruoyan could easily buy out his small business.

He wasn't after money, he was just feeling down and couldn't talk about it at home. He didn't expect the other person to be so kind and willing to help after hearing his words.

He stopped hiding it. "Actually, I'm sorry to have embarrassed Mr. Lin. It's my mom who's been messing around. We're not short of money, but she doesn't know how to enjoy her life at home. She's so old and insists on starting her own business. I can't stop her. Everyone thinks I'm a hairdresser, so I must understand women's concerns better than others. But in fact, I don't understand at all."

Ms. Lin is a strong woman. Running her own business must be tough, right? Anyway, I own this shop and have some other small businesses, so it's not as leisurely as it seems. I really don't want my mom to end up this tired.

But she's worked hard for me for most of her life, and now I've made a name for myself, so I let her do whatever she wants. The first time she talked about starting a business, I gave her money to open a shop, but she ended up losing it all due to poor management. That didn't discourage her, and once wasn't enough. Now she's making a fuss about it again, wanting to come back with someone else. Alas, I can't persuade her, and I can't complain about this to my wife and kids; it wouldn't be good if my mother heard. I can only avoid her and not give her money, and she probably won't make a fuss anymore.

Lin's Real Estate has Aunt Wang, a retired and re-employed woman who is even more hardworking than young people. Lin Ruoyan is no longer surprised by the old lady's enthusiasm.

It's said that Wang used to be constantly sick from being idle at home, but since joining Lin's, he's become healthier, working even harder than younger people, leaving early and returning late. He's now free of the three highs, lost a few pounds, and feels incredibly energetic. Clearly, he's overcome retirement syndrome.

So Lin Ruoyan didn't dare to look down on those elderly aunties. Boss Liang's mother started a business, which was their family affair, and she certainly couldn't persuade her. Maybe Boss Liang didn't expect help from others, but just wanted to talk about it, so that he could feel better.

"What kind of business do you want to start, Auntie? Your barber shop is doing well. Why don't you open a branch somewhere else and let your mother take care of it." Lin Ruoyan said tentatively.

Boss Liang smiled bitterly and said, "How can any decent shop in Beijing have low rent? My shop only makes a profit here. If I move the same model to somewhere with higher rent, wouldn't I lose everything? I told my mom the same thing, but she didn't believe me. She tried it herself, and the profit wasn't even enough to cover the rent."

"She has another idea this time. Could it be that she has found a good partner?"

Boss Liang said, "I guess so. That uncle and my mom were colleagues, and they both used to work at the hospital. My mom graduated from a reputable nursing school and worked at a tertiary hospital until her retirement. That uncle worked in the hospital's fixed asset management department. He pursued my mom but failed, and now my dad has been dead for ten years. I think he's still determined to pursue my mom, so he persuaded her to go into business with him."

From her son's perspective, she would certainly reject such a thing. Lin Ruoyan asked carefully, "What do they want to do together? Can I hear about it? Perhaps a different perspective can help you."

"They're going to open a medical examination center together. The uncle said their hospital has a building that's up for rent and is in a great location. He's trying to trick my mom into renting it and starting a business with him," Boss Liang said briefly, sighing. "The uncle swore he could use his connections to get a discount, which would save a lot of money. But to be honest, it's still their hospital's building, not mine, so no matter how cheap it is, I still have to pay rent. He must have been trying to trick my mom because he thought she had plenty of money. Their building might be hard to rent..."

As they were talking, there was a knock on the door. A worker in the store said nervously, "Mr. Liang, your mother is here to ask where you are."

Lin Ruoyan looked at Boss Liang and thought he must have been driven to the brink of exile by his mother at home, and had fled to the store only to be chased away. If there was a back door in this house, he would have definitely escaped. Unfortunately, there was only one door.

Sure enough, a moment later, the worker outside the door said humbly, "Auntie, Mr. Liang is doing a customer's hair. Would you like to go to the office and wait for a while?"

"Is the customer a man or a woman?" a strong voice asked.

The young worker didn't dare to lie and replied, "It's a female guest."

The voice said, "It takes a lady half a day to get her hair done. If he's free, I'll have a word with him."