Chapter 292 Something is wrong
Zhou Mingli's mouth was numb and he had no feeling at all. The boiling water on such a hot day was very powerful, but he was always able to endure it. He didn't even frown and there was no sign of abnormality on his face.
Wen Wan asked him, "How long can you stay this time?" In the army, unless you ask for leave, you usually spend very little time outside. Only colonels like Zhou Mingli have a slightly better situation, but the discipline is also very strict.
Zhou Mingli said, "I'll be back to the team early tomorrow morning." He was not far from the capital, and although he didn't have much time, it was still convenient to walk.
Wen Wan hadn't been in contact with him for many years. She had seen him a few times in the past six months since she came back. They had only exchanged a few words during Old Lady Xu's birthday celebration. After that, they just said hello when they met.
"If you're not busy today, can we have dinner here this afternoon?"
Zhou Mingli was more than happy to accept the offer: "Sure, I heard from Uncle Wen that your cooking skills have improved over the years since you left. I'm really impressed by your contribution today." He said without any hesitation.
She was so overjoyed that she was afraid she would not be able to control herself and would look at Lu Chun'e again, so she could only change the subject and ask Xu Qingming: "I heard you went out of town. Did you just come back?"
Xu Qingming nodded. "I got home in the middle of the night and took a nap when my dad woke me up and told me to come here quickly. He said our little ancestor wanted to see me for something and told me to hurry." After that, he looked at Wen Wan and said, "I heard from my dad that you were up to something big. What are you doing?"
Wen Wan threw him the plan she had revised several times recently. "It's not a big deal. Uncle is just too nervous. I just want to make clothes and cooperate with a department store. I've already made contact there and had preliminary discussions. The rest needs to be done at a time. I'm thinking I can't do it alone, Dongping doesn't have the time, and it wouldn't be appropriate for him to get involved. So I'm sorry to bother you."
Xu Qingming blinked his eyes and said, "You've really made some progress, and you have some ideas. Don't worry, I will definitely take care of this matter for you."
As he spoke, he looked over the things Wen Wan had given him several times before asking, "What does this quantitative amount mean?"
Wen Wan explained to him: "I will only make two styles of men's and women's clothes for them every season, and each style will be limited. I want to go for the high-end line, not the mass market. In short, I want to do business with rich people and be specialized." She has limited time and energy, and a business that makes a profit from multiple attempts is not suitable for her.
Xu Qingming pondered for a moment, "It's not impossible, but have you considered that there are drawbacks to doing so? First, specializing in a high-end product doesn't necessarily guarantee easy market penetration. Of course, this is just an assumption. If the product is good and the community is established, there's no shortage of market opportunities. Another important point is that once your design and craftsmanship are on the market and sell well, you'll face a larger market and greater profits. If you limit your production, you'll be cutting off your own market and handing over the profits to others."
"Clothes are the easiest to imitate. If you don't make them, someone else will. Even if they're not exactly the same, with a few minor changes and a higher price, they'll be everywhere in no time. Why are you still trying to be so high-end and special?"
Wen Wan was silent for a long time, and Zhou Mingli spoke at the perfect moment, "That's not really the case. There's a river that everyone has to cross, and there's a pond on the other side of the river with fish in it. Those who cross first can be the first to grab the biggest fish in the pond, rather than standing by the river, blocking others from crossing. That way, no one will catch any fish in the end."
"There's no limit to making money. No one wants to be rich, and everyone wants to make money. You can't stop others, so you can only push yourself and be the first to catch and eat the fish. I personally think Wanwan's approach is very interesting. Nowadays, conditions are getting better and better, and people are becoming more and more particular about food, clothing, housing and transportation. There's no shortage of wealthy people here, nor is there a shortage of people willing to spend money. Be the first to take the plunge and make some money. Then, what others do is their business."
"However, I think that if you want to do this, you'd better do the same as those people who write articles and give your clothes nice names. Over time, your reputation will spread, which will always be beneficial. Most importantly, it will also distinguish you from those who follow the trend. The department store is just the first step, a stepping stone for you to open up the market in a legitimate way."
After saying that, he smiled and said, "Of course, this is just my personal opinion. I don't understand this."
Wen Wan said, "I don't understand it either. I've never done it before. I just want to find something to do. I studied economics, so making money is also about economics." She felt that what Zhou Mingli said made sense.
Xu Qingming also agreed: "What Zhou Wu said makes sense. We can't rush this matter. We can ask more questions and think about it more. After all, we have never done this before, so we need to consider all aspects."
"First of all, you're still in school, meaning you're free during the summer vacation. Once school starts, your focus will still be on school. Also, if you want to pursue a high-end career, I don't recommend doing it here; it's a bit crowded. Of course, you have to eat one bite at a time, and these things need to be done step by step. I'll take this plan you wrote back and let Mom and Dad take a look at it to see if they have any good suggestions."
Wen Wan had no objection at all. She stood up and said, "You guys sit down. It's getting late. I'll go make dinner."
As she stood up, Xu Qingming also stood up: "Is it possible? Zhou Mingli is a big eater, so we need to make more."
Zhou Mingli leaned on the sofa without moving, chuckling, "Xu Qi, that's enough. Just call me a good-for-nothing."
Lu Chun'e put down the shoe soles she was sewing and stood up: "Sister-in-law, let me help you."
"No, no, just go about your business. The kitchen is so small, it's hard to maneuver around with so many people. Please help me greet Zhou Mingli. I'm afraid he might not be bold enough to come here for the first time and feel embarrassed."
Lu Chun'e didn't think much about it and watched Xu Qingming run out. If she went out too, it would be a bit bad to leave Zhou Mingli alone in the room.
She looked at the cup next to Zhou Mingli, thought for a moment and poured him some more water, then kindly reminded him: "It's just been brewed this morning, it's a little hot, let it cool down for a while before drinking." He drank it when it was so hot, maybe because he had been in the sun for too long and was very thirsty.
Zhou Mingli said "hmm" and said "thank you" to her!
The sudden politeness made Lu Chun'e feel a little embarrassed.
"You, how did you get here?"
The compound is far away from here. Shouldn't you go home after a mission?
Zhou Mingli said, "I'll come over to hand it over to the Public Security Bureau."
Lu Chun'e stopped asking, as this was not her place to ask.
Zhou Mingli said, "Tonghua Lane is quite famous among this generation. Have you ever been there?"
Lu Chun'e shook her head: "I just walked here from the alley entrance. I rarely go out."
Zhou Mingli looked at his watch and said, "The sun is setting now, so it's not as strong as it used to be. Should I take you out for a walk?"
Then he added, "I can't help much by staying here. I'm just waiting to eat. It's quite uncomfortable."
Lu Chun'e thought to herself, you didn't feel uncomfortable at all when you joked with my sister-in-law about wanting to eat for free just now.
Since guests are welcome, Lu Chun'e did not refuse and got up and went outside.
Xu Qingming rolled up his sleeves and whispered to Wen Wan in the kitchen.
"Sister-in-law, do you need help?"
Wen Wan turned around and said, "Ah, no need, no need, please help me entertain Zhou Mingli."
Lu Chun'e gently pointed towards the living room: "He said he wanted to walk around here."
Wen Wan nodded: "Then let's take a walk. The sun isn't too strong right now. But don't run too far, or I won't know where to find you when dinner is ready."
Lu Chun'e nodded: "That's for sure."
She still felt hot, but before in the compound, even in such a hot weather, someone still taught her to play ball, so it was hard to refuse in return.
Zhou Mingli came out of the living room and greeted him, then walked out of the yard.
After both of them left, Xu Qingming said, "I feel like something's wrong on Friday."
Wen Wan lifted the lid of the steel pot, stirred it with a spoon, and then covered it again. She asked him, "What's wrong?"
"I think he's a weasel paying a New Year's visit to a chicken with no good intentions."
Wen Wan glared at him: "Zhou Mingli is the weasel, who is the chicken?"
"No, I'm just making an analogy."
Wen Wan snorted, "You knew he had bad intentions, but you still brought him here? I used to think you were quite mature and reliable at Lujiazui, but how come you're so stupid again after coming back?"
Xu Qingming said: "I didn't think so much at that time. We just happened to meet and we were not far away, so I greeted him casually. I thought he would be polite to me, after all, he has a bad temper." He has been like that since he was a child. He can't get close to anyone and always smiles with his mouth but not his eyes. The friendship with him is because of the many fights we have had.
He just called out, and Zhou Mingli followed him down the slope.
Wen Wan thought for a moment and said, "It seems to me that he has some interest in Chun'e."
Xu Qingming was stunned for a moment: "Are you interested in Chun'e? What about Chun'e?"
"Chun'e, I don't think that's the case at all."
Xu Qingming said, "Chun'e is not young anymore, so it's normal for her to date someone. However, I don't think much of Zhou Mingli. I don't have any objections to him personally, but the Zhou family is a mess. Chun'e is honest and simple-minded. If she really follows him, I'm afraid she will suffer."
Wen Wan snorted, "So what if it's more chaotic? In the Zhou family, only Grandpa Zhou's words can be listened to by Zhou Mingli. Forget about others! If he is really interested in Chun'e, he must show his sincerity. Chun'e is simple, but simple doesn't mean stupid, and not everyone can control her. This life is for the two of them. What's the point of having such a bastard if he is controlled by his brother and sister-in-law?"
As he spoke, his anger turned to Xu Qingming: "Seventh Brother, let's not talk about Chun'e. Let's talk about you. You're already this old, and your family introduced you to someone but you don't want to meet them. What's your situation? Do you have someone you like?"
Xu Qingming snorted, "Don't try to curry favor with my family with this kind of talk. Dating isn't like buying radishes at the supply and marketing cooperative. You have to pick the vegetables you want!"
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