Chapter 79 Starting a Company: Today I'll teach you a trick – what it means to start a company empty-handed…
The Chen family.
Lin Huijun was cooking in the kitchen, and Chen Mianmian was sitting in front of the stove tending the fire as usual. A sweet aroma wafted through the air from time to time.
Chen Mian had been looking forward to the sweet aroma of roasted sweet potatoes for a long time, having casually planted them a few days ago.
In the countryside, you don't need to prepare any special tools to roast sweet potatoes. You can just put them in the stove to simmer while cooking rice.
Besides sweet potatoes, Chen Mian also put in a few ears of corn to roast together.
Lin Huijun also cooked home-style meals. She diced potatoes and green beans, stir-fried them in a pot, added plenty of water to stew them, and then added noodles after the water boiled. By the time the noodles were cooked, the potatoes were also soft and the soup had become very thick.
Paired with her own pickled vegetables, a bite of this warms the stomach and feels very comforting on a cold day. It's Chen Mian's favorite food lately.
After drying for a while, the corn in the yard was almost ready to be sold. Chen Yongliang rode his tricycle to the supply and marketing cooperative to borrow a corn thresher, and on his way back, he ran into Ji Yu's family.
Upon seeing this, Ji Yu pulled over to the side of the road and greeted him, "Uncle Chen, come on up, we'll give you a ride home."
"No need, I still have machines in my car, you guys go first." Chen Yongliang waved his hand.
Ji Yu looked at her father with a troubled expression. If she really left now, what if Mu Mian said she was impolite when she got back?
Ji Feng received his son's expectant look, got out of the car and persuaded him, "Brother, why don't you come back with us? We can visit your house for a bit."
"As for the car, Ji Yu can help you ride it back."
Ji Yu: "Yes, yes, I love riding tricycles the most. Let me try."
"Don't worry, I'm taking good care of the equipment on the vehicle."
Unable to refuse his hospitality, Chen Yongliang glanced at the machine, which he had secured securely with ropes, and said, "Just be careful not to tip it over."
Ji Yu: "Okay, Uncle."
The jeep restarted and drove away. Ji Yu happily pedaled hard on his tricycle. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was driving a Mercedes-Benz, given how happy he was.
When Ji Yu arrived at the Chen family's house, the others were already exchanging pleasantries.
The parents' simple way of exchanging pleasantries was that Yu Xiaoyue would praise Chen Mian, and Lin Huijun would praise Ji Yu. Chen Mian didn't know what the others were thinking at that moment, but her face was already flushed with embarrassment.
Therefore, when Chen Mian saw Ji Yu enter the door, she felt as if she had seen a savior and immediately shouted for him to come in and sit down.
Ji Yu: Am I really that high up today?
After sitting for a few minutes, Ji Yu also started to feel embarrassed, wishing he could bury his head in the ground. He had never been praised like this before in his life, and he was desperate for help.
Ji Yu secretly nudged his father's arm, signaling with his eyes when they were about to get down to business.
Ji Feng rolled his eyes at his son, coughed, and finally ended the praise contest. "In-laws, the reason we've come here is actually to propose marriage for my good-for-nothing son."
“Look, the two kids have been together for almost a year now. Ji Yu will be 28 after the New Year (28 in the traditional Chinese age reckoning), he’s not young anymore. Other people his age already have kids who are several years old…”
Hearing Ji Feng's words, Lin Huijun turned and exchanged a glance with her husband. They had indeed come to propose marriage. She had been mentally prepared when she saw so many generous gifts. But now that the moment had actually arrived, she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.
Yu Xiaoyue continued, "We know that Mu Mian is still young and may not want to get married too early. We don't want to make things difficult for her, so we're thinking of having an engagement banquet first to settle things as soon as possible."
"As for the bride price and betrothal gifts, don't worry, we will follow your rules and will not mistreat the child," Yu Xiaoyue added.
Lin Huijun smiled gently: "I know that your family are all honest people, but my daughter has already made it clear that she will only take in a son-in-law who will live with her family, and she will not get married herself."
She looked troubled. "I just don't know what your family thinks about this..."
Before her parents could speak, Ji Yu grabbed Chen Mian's hand and blurted out, "I've already promised Mianmian that I'd marry her!"
Chen Mian choked: "?! Cough cough..." No, when did he say such a thing?
Yu Xiaoyue smiled helplessly: "As you can see, my in-laws, there's not enough room for me to keep any more. I'll give them to you from now on."
With the most difficult problem solved, all that remained was to discuss the date and other details. Chen Yongliang, the only cultured person present, consulted the old almanac and, based on the birth dates of Chen Mian and Ji Yu, finally decided that the engagement would be held on the eighth day of the third lunar month next year, a very auspicious day suitable for marriage.
That evening, Lin Huijun took out the passbooks and cash from the cabinet and counted them. Chen Yongliang stepped forward to massage his wife's shoulders and said with a smile, "Why are you still doing the accounts? I've already done the calculations. A few days ago, we made 2,000 yuan from steaming vegetables. I asked about the price of corn today, and it should be able to sell for five or six thousand yuan. After the New Year, we'll work hard for a while longer, and we can pay off the loan."
Lin Huijun frowned: "I'm not calculating that, I'm planning Mianmian's dowry."
"The gifts brought by the Ji family today are so generous, and the amounts for the betrothal gifts and gold jewelry are even more extravagant. The dowry we prepared for Mianmian before is not enough."
Chen Yongliang stared at the numbers on the bankbook and fell into deep thought. After a moment, the two of them tentatively suggested at the same time, "How about we transfer the money that Mu Bai used to get married to Mianmian first? We can make it up to him later when we make money."
Lin Huijun nodded: "I think it's a good idea. Anyway, who knows when that kid will be able to bring me a daughter-in-law."
"Besides, we're all doing this for Mianmian's future happiness, and as her older brother, he understands."
What if Mianmian is looked down upon by the Ji family after marriage because of her dowry? Especially since they have agreed to be a live-in son-in-law, and according to custom, the Chen family cannot accept betrothal gifts and must give the Ji family a dowry.
Ji Yu insisted on giving the dowry, saying that if they disagreed, he would bring it with him as his own dowry. Yu Xiaoyue also joined in the persuasion, saying, "We've been saving up for Ji Yu's dowry for many years; it's a waste to leave it at home if we don't give it to him."
Lin Huijun put the savings book back. Before going to bed, she kept telling her husband, "I need to hurry up and finish making the new clothes so I can save more money for the children."
Chen Yongliang gently put his arm around his wife's shoulder: "Okay, our Huijun will be a big boss from now on. I'll stay home and do your laundry and cooking for you."
"You're such a smooth talker." Lin Huijun smiled as her husband coaxed her, but complained, "I was only persuaded by your daughter. I'm just a country bumpkin, what do I know about design?"
Chen Yongliang: "In my heart, you are the most amazing."
.
At the end of the month, Wu Wei hired a group of female workers to learn knitting at the Chen family's house. Each of them signed a confidentiality agreement, promising not to disclose the knitting techniques and designs, or they would have to pay huge compensation.
The name "Mori Girl Company" has been registered, and a logo has been designed that looks like three saplings, which has also been registered as a trademark.
The company's shares were divided into four: Li Hongmei held 45%, Wu Wei held 5%, and Chen Mian and Lin Huijun each held 25%. Chen Mian also gave 5% of her 25% share to Zhijiayi.
The legal representative is listed as Wu Wei.
Ji Yu also raised questions about why Wu Wei's name was listed as the legal representative of a company with a predominantly female workforce.
Chen Mian's answer was: "The legal representative needs to bear external responsibilities, which is risky. Moreover, Wu Wei, as the main person in charge of external sales, also needs a high-end identity that is presentable and convenient for talking to clients."
Simply put, the four of them are responsible for quietly making big money behind the scenes, while Wu Wei is responsible for expanding territory and taking the fall in front of them.
Chen Mian's original plan was to launch a batch of dresses before summer ended to test the waters. Summer dresses have a short production cycle and low cost, so even if they lost money, the losses wouldn't be significant.
But plans can't keep up with changes, and with the delay, winter was approaching, so the original skirt had to be turned into a long-sleeved shirt vest and sweater.
Lin Huijun's special patterns were embroidered on the collar and cuffs of the shirts, and patterns were also crocheted on the sweaters using special stitches.
The complete outfit consists of four pieces: a shirt, a vest, a sweater, and a skirt. These pieces can be mixed and matched freely, and sizes are available in various sizes. You can buy them and share them with a good friend, or wear them as couple outfits or matching family outfits.
This outfit sold out as soon as it hit the market, and even if the female workers worked through the night, they couldn't keep up with the demand.
Everyone considers wearing Mori Girl style clothes to be fashionable, and some skillful women even crochet sweaters with similar patterns to the designs.
Wu Wei felt it was time to purchase a batch of large machinery. Winter clothing had low profit margins, so they wanted to seize the spring and even summer clothing market ahead of time.
Chen Mianmian was worried that Wu Wei was being a bit too radical, but she also felt it was worth a try, so she stated her position directly: "I want to support you, but my family doesn't have any spare money right now, so we can only help you in other ways."
Wu Wei was in a good mood because he had recently made some money. "Hahaha, you really are a novice in business. Today I'll teach you a trick to make money out of thin air."
Wu Wei mortgaged his women's clothing store to borrow money from the bank, then used the money to buy land and build a factory. Finally, he mortgaged the factory to borrow money from the bank to buy equipment, and could continue to mortgage the equipment to borrow even more money from the bank.
Wu Wei: "Mu Mian, never empty your savings to do business, you won't make any money that way."
Chen Mian silently kept it in mind and learned it.
In the evening, Ji Yu picked up Chen Mianmian from get off work and drove her out for a drive.
On the way, Ji Yu was clearly a little sullen.
Chen Mian asked with concern, "What's wrong? Is something bothering you at work?" She remembered that just two days ago Ji Yu had been bragging to her about how he had solved another major case and how enthusiastic he was about his work.
Why are you unhappy about going online after only two days?
Ji Yu frowned slightly and sighed, "The boss wants me to act."
"Huh?" Chen Mian exclaimed in surprise, "Your boss actually noticed your talent?"
Ji Yu parked the car on the side of the road, pulled the handbrake, unbuckled her seatbelt, and tickled Chen Mian's itch: "Why are you laughing at me too?"
"Hahahaha, stop tickling me," Chen Mian laughed until tears streamed down her face. "I'm not laughing anymore, I'm not laughing anymore."
Ji Yusong retaliated, but Chen Mian took the initiative again and started tickling Ji Yusong.
As a result, Ji Yu was completely unmoved, like a wooden doll. Chen Mian: "..."
Chen Mian asked Ji Yu what kind of play she was going to act in, and Ji Yu finally told the truth, "The city organized a legal education campaign, and each unit had to produce a promotional video, so my leader asked me to do it."
Chen Mian comforted Ji Yu, "What's there to be upset about? The boss probably just thinks you're tall and handsome. It would be such a waste not to promote your face and figure!"
"I don't like taking pictures." Ji Yu probably has a bit of camera shyness. She's fine most of the time, but as soon as she stands in front of the camera, she becomes incredibly stiff and feels awkward all over.
"And the boss also asked me to write a script for legal education..." Ji Yu's head throbbed even more at the thought of this, and for a moment she didn't know whether shooting videos or writing scripts was more difficult.
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Author's Note: Regarding the legal representative, my interpretation is based on current law. The legal representative does indeed bear greater risks. If the company is poorly managed and faces lawsuits and enforcement, the legal representative will be restricted from high-level consumption. Shareholders, relatively speaking, bear responsibility later. Okay, that's enough for now. Any more and it'll feel like going to work. [Cracking face]
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