"ah?"

Mao Mao was stunned.

Chen Qing comforted him, "Let's take it slow, there's no rush. You're only sixteen, you won't graduate until you're twenty. Graduation is when you start to worry about work. It's good to make a little progress every month."

I'll try my best.

"Okay." Chen Qing felt relieved and turned to look at the table full of dishes. "Let's pack these up, don't waste them."

Mao Mao got up to pay the bill, but returned a moment later looking somewhat embarrassed: "They only accept foreign exchange certificates... I only have cash."

A waiter nearby casually interjected, "I thought you were a foreign guest."

Mao Mao's face immediately turned red, and he said, word by word, "I am a Chinese."

With the two sides at an impasse, they finally had to call the neighborhood committee and ask them to call He Yuxiang to come and redeem him with foreign exchange certificates.

He Yuxiang arrived, paid the bill, and led the two out, his face clearly showing his disgust.

Chen Qing tried to kick him, but he nimbly dodged it.

He Yuxiang said proudly, "I practiced martial arts when I was a child!"

"Wow, that's impressive." Chen Qing rolled her eyes. "You guys have things to do, I'm going home first. This food is still warm, I'll take it home for your younger siblings."

They both nodded.

Then He Yuxiang asked Mao Mao, "What's wrong? Why are your eyes so red?"

As Mao Mao walked with him toward the electronics factory, she explained the whole story.

After a moment of silence, He Yuxiang said, "Having power is a good thing."

Mao Mao nodded with a sigh: "Absolutely."

He Yuxiang also understood that it was fortunate that he had his aunt and uncle protecting him. Otherwise, without information channels, he wouldn't have been able to acquire the land for the electronics factory, let alone open a factory and sales channels.

Mao Mao nudged He Yuxiang's arm.

He Yuxiang snapped out of his daze, and Mao Mao pulled out the property deed, key, and check, handing them to him: "Investment."

"Aren't you going to take Auntie to Russia?"

"No rush, there's no long holiday now, and my mom's busy with the Canton Fair. Let's talk about it in August, you can give me the money then." Mao Mao pushed all the money over.

He Yuxiang felt a surge of excitement as he looked at the checks and property deed, but said with disdain, "You're too trusting of people."

“I’m on guard!” Mao Mao looked at him seriously and said, “But if I can’t even trust you, what’s the point of this world?”

This is his childhood friend. If He Yuxiang is plotting against him, then he'll accept his fate.

"Stop saying such mushy things." He Yuxiang was speechless. He then put the property certificate and checks deep into his pockets, afraid of losing them or someone stealing them. He held them tightly with his hands in his pockets. "Then let's do the business that Xiaoyu suggested first."

"do what?"

English training.

Mao Mao's brows furrowed slightly: "What's so special about training? You can just buy a radio and listen to it in private and you'll know how."

He Yuxiang: "..."

Mao Mao pursed her lips.

I feel like I've been a bit arrogant when it comes to learning languages.

"Then let's throw it!"

“Okay, let’s use 20,000 to test the waters, and use the rest to make radios first, then figure out how to make televisions.”

"Wouldn't that be too much of a show of force?"

“Not much. Our total assets are only a little over a million. Real big Hong Kong businessmen invest tens of millions.” He Yuxiang analyzed for him, “Now the three major wedding items have become four major items. Young people are scrambling to buy TVs. You should know from the newspapers that hundreds of thousands of TVs have been sold in the capital in the past two years. There is one in every two or three households, which proves that the demand is huge. We have to seize the opportunity and get into the market as soon as possible. If we really can’t sell them, we can treat them as clearance goods from foreigners and sell them domestically at a low price.”

Mao Mao opened his mouth, then uttered two words: "Shady businessman!"

He Yuxiang was already immune: "Go home and ask your dad to help us keep an eye out for skilled workers."

"Alright."

Mao Mao was helpless.

I'm on this pirate ship.

We have no choice but to listen to him.

*

The following day, He Yuxiang invited Teacher Lin out for lunch.

Lin Chongping arrived at the state-run hotel, pulled out a chair, and asked, "Yuxiang, what brings you here?"

He Yuxiang: "Teacher Lin, I don't know if you've heard, but I previously found a group of people to teach typewriters, and then they taught others, and the scale is currently expanding."

Lin Chongqing: "I've heard about it, what's wrong?"

He Yuxiang got straight to the point: "It's like this, the capital is currently welcoming a large number of foreign tourists, and our Guangdong province holds the Canton Fair every year and has also been listed as a key export province. The demand for learning English will definitely surge. I'm thinking of opening an English class. Can you come and help me run an English tutoring class?"

"ah?"

Lin Chongping was dumbfounded.

He Yuxiang: "I've done my research, and your English is pretty good, which is why I thought of asking you for help. But this is just a suggestion. If you want to do it, we can do it together. As for compensation, I can either pay you a salary directly or split the profits. But if you don't want to do it, I won't force you."

While English tutoring classes are popular these days, making money from college entrance exam content is actually more lucrative. Xiaoyu chose English because she felt it would be easier and better suited to Lin Chongping's lifestyle.

After hesitating for a long time, Lin Chongping lowered his head and said, "I am actually living a pretty comfortable life now, and I like children. If I were to start this English tutoring class, it would easily interfere with my current job."

He could recite the curriculum from first to third grade fluently. He went to school every day, went home to spend time with his child, or played with his child. He felt very content. Life is about living it the way you like, and this was the way he liked, except... Tian Mengya was not satisfied.

Seeing that he refused, He Yuxiang advised, "Teacher Lin, I suggest you consider it. I can offer you two hundred yuan a month for working at the tutoring center, and I guarantee that your working hours will still be calculated according to your original school hours. Also... there's something I don't know if I should say..."

Lin Chongping: "..."

He's already like this.

Is there anything else that can't be said?

"you say."

“Your family’s spending level is very high. Director Lin and your father seem to be pinning their hopes on your sister, and Deputy Factory Director Tian will be retiring in seven or eight years. Once they retire, the financial burden will fall entirely on your partner. You can raise these four children well, but your partner will be under a lot of pressure. Perhaps you can ask your parents for money, which is fine, since both sets of parents are very wealthy and willing to take on the responsibility. But personally, I think that you are already the father of four children, and it’s hard to live a comfortable life forever. You have to shoulder your due responsibilities.”

He Yuxiang felt that the issue between them wasn't about money.

But Chinese people just don't like to talk about money.

I think it's tacky.

They always have to bring up feelings when it comes to money.

When it comes to relationships, Teacher Lin has an absolute advantage.

He had an excellent personality and was well-liked by the neighbors. His excellent care of the children was also a major achievement. His aunts, like his younger aunt and Aunt Talia, who had experience raising children, couldn't possibly understand what it was like for Aunt Xiaoya, because raising children is very troublesome. (End of Chapter)