Xia Ning was successfully led astray. She sighed and said, "Don't even mention it. He even came to my house, and Grandma kept asking if he was my boyfriend."
Xu Lai took her hand and said, "Ningning, if you've let go, then go and have a relationship. Consider it a fresh start in life."
After Zhao Qingyun got off work and finished dinner, she took the gift to the next room and leaned against the doorframe outside his room, dangling the gift in her hand. "Guess what this is?"
Zhao Qingyun crossed her arms, thought for a moment, and said, "What gift are you going to give me?"
Xu Lai scoffed, "You're too smart, this is boring."
Zhao Qingyun pulled the person into his arms and said, "Let's start over."
Xu Lai asked again, "Guess what this is?"
Zhao Qingyun pretended to be troubled and thought for a while. Xu Lai was getting impatient when he finally smiled and said, "Let me guess, it's not a gift, is it? What a surprise!"
She laughed and scolded, "Are you stupid?"
He took the gift, opened it, saw the cufflinks, and said, "You have great taste; they match my suit perfectly."
Xu Lai took out a tie as well. Zhao Qingyun hadn't changed out of his shirt yet. He pulled off his old tie, put the one Xu Lai had given him around his neck, and said, "Would you like me to tie this?"
Xu Lai was a little flustered: "I've never tied a tie for anyone before."
Zhao Qingyun took her hand and taught her step by step, then asked, "Have you learned it?"
Xu Lai understood it after watching it once. She nodded and said, "I know it now."
Zhao Qingyun loosened his tie. "Try it again."
Xu Lai tied his knot according to what she had just learned, saying, "Not bad, as expected of me."
"It's clearly because I taught them well," he said with a hint of pride.
"Yes, yes, Teacher Zhao is amazing," Xu Lai complimented.
...
The next morning, Grandma said she was going to the mountains to collect tea seeds. The mountain behind their house had been contracted out, and it was said that they planned to stop this year, but she didn't know if it was true or not.
Xu Lai went with her grandmother. She took two burlap sacks and a bag that was slung across her body. The bag was made from a fertilizer bag. She folded the bag in half, threaded it together with a needle and thread, and it became a handbag.
Despite her advanced age, Grandma is in good health and is more enthusiastic than anyone else when it comes to things like picking tea seeds.
Some people in the mountains have already started picking them. This whole mountain has been picked by people, but there are always some left over from manual harvesting, so they come here to pick up what's left.
There weren't many tea seeds, but you could pick a dozen or twenty from one tree. Xu Lai climbed two trees and her bag was full. She took out the burlap sack and poured the tea seeds into it.
She and her grandmother picked up the mountain at 10 a.m. and were about to go back. On their way down the mountain, they happened to meet the mountain owner, whose wife was Xu Lai's mother's cousin. According to seniority, Xu Lai had to call him uncle.
Xu Lai was about to greet him when he suddenly stopped, staring at her and her grandmother. Xu Lai immediately realized that he was unhappy that someone had come to pick tea seeds from his mountain.
Xu Lai smiled at him and walked past him down the mountain with her grandmother. Once they reached the road, she said to her grandmother, "My uncle was glaring at us the whole time. He must be unhappy."
Grandma snorted, "You ungrateful wretch! We rented our mountain to him at the cheapest price, and the contract was for ten years. Now, when I go to pick up some things he doesn't want, he gives me, this old woman, a hard time."
Xu Lai thought for a moment and said, "It's better not to go to his mountain to pick them, so he won't gossip about us."
Grandma revealed, "He's quitting this year. I heard he doesn't earn much, and his son wants the two of them to take care of the kids. Our lease on the mountain is also expiring, so I won't be renting it out this time."
Xu Lai had an idea: tea seeds are a good thing. The oil extracted from them can be used for cooking and wiping wounds. Tea hoops can be used to wash hair, dishes, and clothes.
She's considering taking over, but it depends on how much he's offering. She definitely can't buy it all by herself; she'll need to bring in shareholders.
When we got home, Grandma poured out the tea seeds and laid them out on the ground to dry. Once they were dry, the tea fruits would open up on their own, and then the seeds inside could be peeled out.
After finishing lunch, Xu Lai rode her electric scooter to Xu Shen's house. After explaining her purpose, Xu Shen was somewhat surprised: "You want to start a company?"
Xu Lai nodded: "Our village's economy has never been very good. Suppose I could start an agricultural company, we could establish our own brand, and sell our village's products all over the country. Wouldn't that be a way to realize our self-worth?"
He was still a bit stunned. "Are you awake? How dare you spout such nonsense here?"
Xu Lai said seriously, "I am very clear-headed. I have a feeling that oil tea will become more popular in the future. We must dare to be the first to try it."
Xu Shen thought for a moment and said, "I still need to think about it. I'll give you an answer tonight."
Xu Lai: "Okay, you must seriously consider it."
She went to Xia Ning's house again. She knew that Xia Ning had some savings over the years, but not enough for investment. However, she wanted Xia Ning to get involved, since she majored in finance in college and minored in management.
Xia Ning thought her idea was great and immediately agreed, "Then I'll prepare a risk assessment report first."
Xu Lai hugged her: "Thank you for your unconditional support."
Xia Ning laughed and said, "Stop! Not a penny less of the dividends and salary we're entitled to. We're best friends, so let's keep clear accounts."
That evening, Xu Shen came over in person and expressed his willingness to join. That's how the basic structure of their team was formed.
After the risk assessment report was released, Xu Lai and her two companions went to see her uncle. He had received many people who came to acquire the company in the past two days, so it wasn't surprising that he saw them.
He slowly took a sip of tea. "So, what's your offer?"
Xu Lai sat down, not in a hurry, and asked in return, "Uncle, how many do you want?"
Uncle Liu laughed heartily: "I definitely want as many as possible. Several people have already come to me."
Xu Lai tapped her fingers on the table and said, "I guess it shouldn't exceed two hundred thousand."
Uncle Liu's smile faded, and he said seriously, "How much are you planning to offer? Give me a number."
Xu Lai said with a smile, "230,000, and every year during the oil pressing season, I will deliver oil to you for free."
After considering it for a moment, Uncle Liu said, "240,000."
Xu Lai shook her head: "Then there's no more oil. You'll have to pay for it yourself next time you come."
Seeing that Uncle Liu was wavering, she continued to offer a third option, "Or like this, two hundred thousand, let's round it up to a whole number, the forty thousand can be considered your investment, and you can get a share of the profits when it's made."
Actually, 40,000 isn't a lot, but it can still generate a considerable net income each year.
Uncle Liu stroked his chin, couldn't help but take out his cigarette case, lit one, and after finishing it, he made a decision: "Two hundred thousand. Let's make it clear first, I'll take oil every year, so consider the forty thousand as my investment."
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