Chapter 144 Continued Cooperation
Upon hearing "state-owned factory," the joy on Lu Huaiyuan's face instantly faded, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.
Although a state-owned factory job is also a secure job, compared to the police station he longed for, it was like comparing heaven and earth—the difference was simply too great.
Gu Mansheng, however, grasped at a straw and nodded repeatedly, "Great! Absolutely great! Thank you, Uncle!"
He Shijie smiled without saying a word, then turned his gaze to Lu Huaiyuan: "Nephew-in-law, what do you think?"
The air suddenly became quiet.
Lu Huaiyuan was a hundred times unwilling, but when he met He Shijie's ambiguous smiling eyes, he felt inexplicably uneasy. This man, though smiling, felt more terrifying than an assassin.
He felt a chill run down his spine from the stare and could only grit his teeth and reply, "Thank you for the promotion, Uncle..."
He Shijie tapped his long fingers lightly on the table, then changed the subject: "Although there was a slight setback with the state-owned factory incident last time, the leaders are very satisfied with the samples you provided and are willing to continue cooperating."
Gu Mansheng's face fell, and she said bitterly, "Don't even mention it! The business was snatched away, and our family only got one yuan as a referral fee! It's an absolute disgrace!"
He Shijie chuckled lightly: "You're still too green. You need to be patient in business. You guys figure out how to get your hands on the formula, and then I'll fund the factory so we can do it ourselves! Besides, my nephew-in-law's job isn't free; we need to take care of him and prepare some decent gifts."
Lu Huaiyuan was taken aback, and felt even more annoyed. He didn't want to go to that run-down factory in the first place, and now he had to pay for gifts?
Gu Mansheng also looked troubled and said in a low voice, "Uncle, with the Lu family in such a situation, where would we get the money to buy nice things..."
"Don't worry, I'll pay for it. You just need to contribute your labor."
He Shijie pulled a thick wad of banknotes from his bag and slammed it on the table.
Lu Huaiyuan's eyes widened instantly.
That was a whole stack of ten-yuan notes!
He had never seen so much money in his life! Only at this moment did he truly understand what it meant for the rich to be so extravagant.
He Shijie pushed the money in front of Gu Mansheng, who took it with trembling hands: "Uncle, what do you need to buy?"
He Shijie smiled mysteriously: "You can't buy this even if you have money. It's a kind of medicinal herb called Dendrobium. A high-ranking official urgently needs this herb to save his life. There used to be a herb dealer selling it on the black market, but I accidentally reported him and he was shut down. That person has disappeared now. But it doesn't matter. I found out that there is this herb in the mountains near your village. You should arrange for people to collect more. I want to start large-scale breeding."
"Dendrobium? What does it look like?" Gu Mansheng asked blankly.
He Shijie gave a wink to the bodyguard behind him, who understood and turned to go upstairs to retrieve a photograph.
"Take the photo back and look for it. Remember, this thing grows on cliffs, and it's very dangerous to pick it. Don't offer too low a price; a generous reward will surely attract brave men."
Looking at the photo, Gu Mansheng understood immediately, a calculating smile playing on her lips: "Don't worry, Uncle, I'll take care of this!"
After enjoying a sumptuous lunch at the He family's house, He Shijie sent a car to take the two back to their village.
Just then, He Shijie was also going out, so the three of them rode in the same car.
The car stopped at the village entrance.
The two got out of the car, and He Shijie followed. He leaned close to Gu Mansheng's ear and whispered, "Be very careful about the dendrobium! That thing grows on a cliff and is very dangerous. Make sure to get the villagers to sign a waiver of liability so you don't get into trouble later."
Gu Mansheng nodded vigorously, her eyes resolute: "Uncle, don't worry, I know what's important!"
He Shijie patted her head affectionately and sighed, "You! I told you to learn more about business from your older brother before, but you wouldn't listen. Now I have to teach you step by step. Alright, go back. I have something to do, so I won't see you off."
After saying that, he turned to look at Lu Huaiyuan, his smile instantly vanishing, replaced by a serious and authoritative expression: "Be good to my Xiaoman. As long as she's happy, I won't mistreat you. Got it?"
Lu Huaiyuan was stunned by that look and nodded vigorously: "I'll remember, I'll remember! Uncle, please take care!"
Watching the black sedan drive away, Lu Huaiyuan breathed a long sigh of relief, then turned around with a fawning smile and moved closer to Gu Mansheng.
"Xiaoman, how much money did your uncle give you? Show it to me so I can see for myself!"
Gu Mansheng rolled her eyes and slapped away his outstretched hand: "Dream on! This is the capital for acquiring dendrobium. You dare to touch a single penny? We already messed up the state-owned factory incident last time. If we mess it up again this time, we can forget about recovering! After it's done, you'll get your share of the benefits!"
Lu Huaiyuan quickly smiled ingratiatingly, "Yes, yes, yes! This time I'll do whatever you say!"
Both harboring their own ulterior motives, they happily walked towards the village.
Not far away, Liu Xiangyang and Liu Shouren emerged from behind the bushes, their expressions solemn.
Liu Shouren frowned: "What are these two troublemakers up to now? Was that Gu Mansheng's wealthy relative in town just now?"
Liu Xiangyang stroked his chin thoughtfully: "That man in the suit... why does he look so familiar?"
Liu Shouren patted him on the shoulder: "Don't think about it now, hurry back and talk to your wife and the others. Those two together, they're definitely up to no good!"
As soon as the father and son entered the village, they were overwhelmed by a chorus of congratulatory greetings.
Liu Xiangyang looked completely bewildered and grabbed a villager to ask, "What's going on? Is my brother-in-law back?"
The villagers happily pulled him to the bulletin board: "What are you thinking about? Xiangyang, you've become the production team leader!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Xiangyang was dumbfounded. He looked in the direction the finger was pointing and saw his name written in black ink on red paper!
Liu Shouren also leaned closer, squinting as he asked, "What else is written on this?"
The villagers patiently explained, "Lu Jianping has fallen, and Aunt Zhou has taken over as the brigade leader. Aunt Zhou even recommended your husband to be the women's director, and I heard that it's about to be approved by the higher-ups!"
"What?!" Liu Shouren was so shocked he almost bit his tongue. "Two officials have suddenly emerged from our family?"
The villagers slapped their thighs in envy: "Old Liu, your life is getting better and better! Now your fourth son is a teacher, and your third daughter is married to a military officer. You're truly blessed!"
Liu Shouren was beaming with joy, nodding repeatedly: "It's all thanks to the children's hard work! I'll definitely throw a banquet later, and everyone can come and have a drink!"
The father and son jogged all the way home.
In the courtyard, Liu Zhixia and Zhang Xiuying were preparing a sumptuous dinner, the aroma of which filled the air.
"You're back? You know everything, right?" Zhang Xiuying looked at the father and son with a radiant face.
The two nodded with silly smiles.
Just then, Liu Xuejun returned from get off work and excitedly rushed into the yard: "Big brother! Congratulations! You've finally become a squad leader!"
Liu Xiangyang scratched his head and chuckled, "I never thought I'd actually get elected. It's all thanks to my family's support!"
Liu Zhixia smiled and added, "That's right. You did a great job with the state-owned factory. The villagers all spoke up for you. You have to work hard in the future and not let everyone down."
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