Chapter 119: Stealing
"What good news?" Jiang Lili guessed she was talking about paying off the loan, so she acted cooperatively. "Don't worry, it's not about the loan." Cheng Yuntian saw through her thoughts and smiled at her.
"Could it be that the production in Beijing has increased?" Jiang Lili thought about it carefully. It seemed that the only thing she was worried about recently was the production in Beijing.
"That's not the case." When talking about Beijing's production, the smile on Cheng Yuntian's face slowly faded.
Jiang Lili didn't expect that her casual remark would bring up her sorrow. She quickly asked, "What's the good news? Sister Cheng, don't keep me in suspense. Tell me now."
"Do you remember Sister Mei?" Cheng Yuntian suddenly asked.
"Of course I remember." Jiang Lili couldn't help but frown. Not only did she remember it, she also remembered that her friend wanted to buy her design drawings. Now when she mentioned her, her face was full of rejection.
"The first order can be said to be her repaying a favor we did her before. This time she took the initiative to propose signing a contract with us." Cheng Yuntian said with a hint of joy in his tone.
"Contract, what contract?" Jiang Lili was a little confused.
"She asked us to make concessions, but my condition was that we must sign a contract. The toys produced by our factory every year will be packaged together and included in the order. This order plus the annual payment from Quan City will be our guarantee for the next few years." Cheng Yuntian explained to her.
"In this case, they have no choice, but she actually agreed to it?" Jiang Lili was even more confused. Would Mei Huixiu agree to this with her personality?
"How could that be? The total number of orders is only 20,000. How could she only sell 20,000 in the whole year? She can choose other orders freely." Cheng Yuntian glanced at her, and his eyes seemed to be asking her why she couldn't figure it out at this moment when she was so smart on weekdays.
"I understand. If she gives a small profit this way, even if the packaged products cannot be sold, she will not lose money. On the contrary, the more she sells, the more money she will make. Sister Cheng, you are amazing!" Jiang Lili's tone was full of praise. She was really good and had even figured out the matching of the products.
"I thought that with so many products in the factory, there must be some that are relatively hard to sell? So I came up with this idea. Originally, I just wanted to test it, but I didn't expect her to agree to it right away. This also proves that they sell our products well." After experiencing what happened last time, Cheng Yuntian no longer had the same trust in Mei Huixiu as before, but in the business world, there are no friends, only interests, and she naturally would not give up the interests she had obtained.
"How much profit can we give?" Jiang Lili was more concerned about this.
"One percent, I've calculated it. Let's just consider it as small profits but quick turnover. After all, the expenses in Beijing are very high, and this contract is only for three years. You won't blame me for not discussing it with you, right?" Cheng Yuntian asked cautiously when he saw that she was not as happy as he had imagined.
"Of course not. You are the one who should make the decision on these matters. And you are right. We are newcomers in Beijing and need such protection." Jiang Lili quickly expressed her attitude.
"I'm glad you understand. To be honest, I'm not very willing to do business with acquaintances right now." Cheng Yuntian couldn't help but smile bitterly when he said this. It would be better to be more efficient with strangers.
"There's nothing we can do. This is how the business world is. Sister Mei taught us a lesson last time, and it's the same this time." Jiang Lili said softly.
"You are more insightful than me. Let's go to the bank and settle the loan now." Cheng Yuntian chuckled and quickly cheered up.
"Now?" Jiang Lili said and glanced at Jiang Qitong who was sitting over there.
Noticing her gaze, Jiang Qitong quickly assured her, "Sister Lili, go ahead and don't worry. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."
"Okay, don't run around, I'll be back soon." After saying that, Jiang Lili planned to go to the workshop to tell Jiang Yulan.
"I know!" Jiang Qitong was fiddling with a flawed music-talking doll. Hearing this, she waved at her without even looking up.
"Sister Cheng, let's go. I'll go to the workshop first." Jiang Lili said and looked at her.
"Okay, I'll wait for you at the factory gate." Cheng Yuntian nodded.
When they arrived at the workshop, Jiang Yulan was talking to the new workshop director, Wang Jianguo. She stepped forward and said, "Mom, Sister Cheng and I are going out for a while. Tongtong will be alone in your office."
"Okay, I understand." Jiang Yulan nodded and continued to discuss the previous topic with Wang Jianguo. It should be said that the workshop has changed a lot since Wang Jianguo came. Jiang Lili thought, it is true that every profession has its own expertise, and professional matters need professionals to do it. She even regretted that she asked for help too late.
The two of them went together to handle the factory's loan. To be precise, Cheng Yuntian handled it, and Jiang Lili accompanied him throughout the whole process. It took an hour to finish all this. When they came out of the bank, they looked at each other and saw smiles and relaxation in each other's eyes. Although no one mentioned this matter this year, it was really weighing on the hearts of each of them.
"It's true that being debt-free makes me feel free. I'm even thinking about whether I should shoot another commercial." Cheng Yuntian laughed after he said this.
"The second advertisement may not achieve the same effect as the first one. No matter when the second advertisement is shot, you must be mentally prepared for this." Jiang Lili's tone was relatively calm, probably because she had rehearsed such a scenario in her mind countless times before.
"That's natural. No matter what industry, more and more people are seeing the benefits of advertising and are choosing to advertise. By the time our second advertisement comes out, we no longer have the previous advantage. Compared with the first time, the effect will definitely be greatly reduced." Cheng Yuntian analyzed with her calmly. She also understood that the success of this advertising campaign was due to many factors. They had almost everything, including the right time, place, and people. It would be difficult to have such good luck again.
"Yes, advertisements are very common nowadays." Jiang Lili nodded.
"Well, don't worry. I just said it casually. If we shoot the commercial now, the product will just have one more second-generation doll. I won't do such an unprofitable deal." Cheng Yuntian said with a smile.
"Are you still going to the factory now?" Jiang Lili asked her.
"Go, I'll go to the workshop later to see if there have been any changes since Wang Jianguo came here?"
"You'll know when you go and see it later." Jiang Lili smiled at her. Some changes can only be understood after seeing them with one's own eyes?
"Seeing you like this, I know there must be some, probably quite a lot. Let's go, let's go back and take a look." After paying off the loan, both of them were in high spirits. Jiang Lili didn't know what she was thinking. She just thought that she could take this opportunity to let Jiang Yulan and Cheng Yuntian talk about finding a successor.
Back at the factory, Cheng Yuntian went straight to the workshop, while Jiang Lili went to Jiang Yulan's office. When they heard the door open, Jiang Qitong was the first to react: "It must be Sister Lili who's back."
"Yes, I'm back." This is what Jiang Lili heard when she opened the door.
"Is it done?" Jiang Yulan also had a faint smile on her face.
"Yes, it's done. We are no longer negative assets." Understanding her previous concerns, Jiang Lili's voice was full of joy.
"That's good. Tongtong just said that Xiao Cheng told you a good news. What is the good news?" Jiang Yulan was a little curious.
"I'll tell you in detail about the order when we get home. Sister Cheng is in the workshop right now. Why don't you talk to her about finding someone while you have some free time today?" Jiang Lili reminded him that Cheng Yuntian probably wouldn't be able to stay for a few days after returning, and the Cheng family now showed signs of settling down in Beijing.
"Yes, we should have told her about this earlier. I'll go find her right away, but it's almost time for dinner, so I probably won't have time to talk about this until the afternoon. You can just take Tongtong to the cafeteria later." After instructing them, Jiang Yulan went straight to the workshop.
Cheng Yuntian was patrolling around in the workshop. There were indeed changes. She glanced at the production table and saw that it had increased by several points compared to the last time she saw it. She wondered if she should let Zhao Donglai learn from Wang Jianguo.
When Jiang Yulan arrived, Cheng Yuntian was talking to Wang Jianguo. She did not go forward to disturb them, but just took a look at the products on the production line closest to her. The workers were used to randomly checking products, especially when the numbers on the cloth labels appeared, everyone became more cautious.
After Cheng Yuntian and Wang Jianguo finished talking, she noticed Jiang Yulan behind her. She stepped forward, her tone apologetic, "Sister Jiang, when did you come here?"
"I've just arrived. It's almost time for lunch. Let's go to the cafeteria first." Jiang Yulan said as she glanced at the wall clock over there. There were still three minutes until the workshop workers would have lunch, so it was just the right time for them to leave.
When the two of them arrived at the cafeteria, Jiang Lili had already prepared the food for Tongtong. Jiang Yulan wanted to talk about things after the meal, so they sat together directly.
"It turns out that the food in the cafeteria here suits my taste." Cheng Yuntian looked very satisfied.
"Weren't the chefs from Beijing also brought over from here?" Jiang Yulan was a little puzzled.
"But there are people from other places in the factory, so the dishes we have every day are not all from our area," Cheng Yuntian explained.
"Then you should eat more this time." Jiang Lili said with a smile, and then changed the subject: "Is Song Zhenzhen doing well?"
"After the last phone call, I asked the production line leader to keep an eye on her. She's been very well behaved. This time, the workers from Yuncheng didn't choose to come back for the New Year." Cheng Yuntian said and swallowed the tofu in his mouth. The tofu here tasted authentic. The tofu from Beijing always tasted a little bit lacking.
"A round-trip train ticket costs quite a bit of money. I guess they're planning to work for a full year straight away, which will save them a lot," Jiang Yulan guessed.
"Maybe. Sister Cheng, you have something to talk to me about, right?" After Cheng Yuntian had almost finished eating, he looked at Jiang Yulan. After being together for such a long time, he knew her quite well.
"Yes, there is something I want to talk to you about." Jiang Yulan nodded quickly.
"Okay, let's eat first, and then we'll go to the office to talk." After she said that, she realized that Jiang Lili, who was sitting opposite her, seemed to be distracted. She couldn't help but raise her eyebrows. This was not like her style.
Jiang Lili didn't mean to do that. It was just that when she mentioned Song Zhenzhen to Cheng Yuntian just now, she suddenly remembered that Yao Yan hadn't returned to Yuncheng for the New Year. Given Ji Lanlan's personality, she probably wouldn't go to either the Ji or Yao families, which meant she'd be spending the New Year alone. She couldn't help but frown at the thought. It wasn't until Jiang Yulan stood up and prepared to leave with Cheng Yuntian that she came to her senses: "Mom, I'm planning to visit Ji Lanlan this afternoon."
"Then remember to bring something with you." There was some regret in Jiang Yulan's voice. She had also forgotten about this matter. She had planned to invite her to come for dinner during the New Year, but she got so busy that she forgot everything.
"I know. Then I'll take Tongtong home first." The thing that a family has the most during the Chinese New Year is New Year gifts. She plans to go back and pick out some practical things for Ji Lanlan to take to her. She has half a year left before the college entrance examination, and this period of time is very important.
When they arrived at the office, Jiang Yulan briefly explained her purpose. Cheng Yuntian's eyes flashed with surprise, but when she thought about how they depended on each other, she could understand the decision. However, she was troubled by the choice of the person. She looked at Jiang Yulan and asked gently, "Sister Jiang, do you have any suitable candidates to recommend?"
Jiang Yulan shook her head. "I grew up in a cotton mill, and everyone I know is a cotton mill employee. Perhaps asking Wang Jianguo would be more appropriate?"
"Okay, I'll find time to ask him. This matter really needs to be prepared early. After you come to Beijing, I can start thinking about the next branch factory." Cheng Yuntian's tone was full of expectations for future development.
"Of course not. With our current momentum, we will have more and more branch factories in the future." Jiang Yulan also laughed.
"Fortunately, there is still a year and a half, so I can slowly select the right candidate." Cheng Yuntian thought, if there is no suitable candidate here, she might consider picking someone in Beijing who is interested in coming to Yuncheng. Thinking of this, Cheng Yuntian's tense nerves slowly relaxed.
"Yes, I thought of telling you in advance so that everyone won't be in a rush." Jiang Yulan said gently.
After finishing the conversation, the two went back to their respective offices to rest. Jiang Lili had already brought Jiang Qitong to Ji Lanlan's place. This was her third time coming over, except for the last time when she delivered Yao Yan's things. She knocked on the door and said, "Sister Lanlan, it's me."
The person inside quickly opened the door and was very surprised to see her: "Lili, why are you here?"
"I came to see you." Jiang Lili put the things on the table with a smile. To be honest, she felt a little guilty. There were so many things to do during the New Year that she actually forgot that Ji Lanlan would spend the New Year alone.
"I feel embarrassed when you and Aunt Jiang bring so many things every time you come over." Ji Lanlan was really embarrassed. She was trying to save money for college, so she lived a very tight life and had no extra money to return the gifts.
"They are just little things. Let's not talk about them. Your mother hasn't noticed, right?" Jiang Lili asked with concern. After all, it was her idea.
"No, but I also secretly went to find Ji Wenwu. He has become even more hopeless now. He was originally repeating a grade, and he hangs out with the gangsters in the class every day. I guess he was afraid that I would tell my grandparents, so he asked me to keep it a secret. So I took the opportunity to take him to call my mother. Last time, my mother sent me a hundred yuan, and I also made a fuss about it. If she didn't give it to me, I wouldn't give it to Ji Wenwu. In the end, my mother sent me two hundred yuan, and now they are all in my hands." In short, Ji Lanlan is now cheating both sides. After she finished speaking, she smiled at Jiang Lili a little embarrassedly.
"What's going on with Ji Wenwu?" Jiang Lili didn't know that he had returned to school.
"I don't know what's wrong with him. He just didn't like doing his homework before, but now he hangs out with those people. Even if I tell my grandparents, they won't believe me." Ji Lanlan said, shaking her head.
"Then don't worry about him. Just be careful. You only have six months left before you'll be free. Come on." Jiang Lili encouraged her.
"I will." Ji Lanlan originally wanted to apply to a university in Beijing, but Yao Yan's recent letters kept saying that she planned to make more money in Beijing in the next two years, so she quickly changed her goal.
While the sisters were chatting, something big happened in the Ji family. Ji Wenwu and his classmates, who were gangsters, watched a movie in Hong Kong and decided to "hang out in the underworld". They also learned to smoke. "Hanging out in the underworld" and smoking are both expensive things, so when they had no money to buy cigarettes, they chose to steal. At the beginning, they were very cautious and cooperated with each other. Some bought things to distract the boss's attention, and some stole two packs and ran away. Maybe the start was too smooth and the boss didn't notice, which made them more and more courageous and ambitious. The store suffered serious losses and they reported to the police. Three days later, when they tried the same trick again, they were caught by the police and taken back and locked up.
When this matter reached the Ji family, it was undoubtedly a blow to the old couple. Ji Wenwu was the only child in the Ji family, so how could he get into trouble at this time? The two of them were in a panic at home.
Ji Mingyue lowered her head to tease Ji Xingyue in her arms. Listening to Chen Guilan's wailing, her face wasn't looking good either. She had originally planned to have the teachers at school teach Ji Wenwu a lesson, and then ask his parents to let the elderly couple restrain him, but she hadn't expected him to be so bold. Ji Yuanping and Chen Guilan were older, and upon hearing the news that Ji Wenwu had been taken away by the police, they were at a loss. They could only rely on Ji Yushu, shouting, "Second brother, quickly think of a solution! Wenwu is still young. If he goes to jail, his life will be ruined."
"He's almost sixteen, how can he still be young? I told you not to spoil him, but you didn't listen. Now look what's happening, and now you're getting anxious. What's the point of getting anxious now?" Ji Yushu glared at them unhappily. Although he blamed them, only he knew how pissed he was inside. This time, this little bastard was finally in his hands. Let's see how he's going to deal with him.
"Is this the time to talk about this? You should think of a solution quickly. Wenwu is the only child of our Ji family. You promised the third brother to take good care of Wenwu." Chen Guilan gave him a displeased look. It was already this late and he was still bringing up old things. Thinking of Ji Yumo who was still in jail, she couldn't help but sigh again.
"If you don't change, won't there be another one after this one is solved? It's better to teach him a lesson this time." Ji Yushu glanced at the two of them and calculated in his mind how much money they could come up with. This time, he had to make them remember it.
"You mean this matter can be resolved?" Ji Yuanping immediately grasped the key point.
"They are all still students. The police will mediate first. As long as the amount of compensation satisfies the convenience store owner and he agrees to reconcile, the matter can be resolved." Ji Yushu said slowly.
"We will give you as much money as you deserve, as long as Wenwu comes back." Chen Guilan said quickly.
"Let's not talk about this first. Let's make three rules. When Wenwu comes back, you have to discipline him well. If it happens again, I won't be responsible." Ji Yushu said to them in advance.
"As long as he can come back safely, we will listen to you." The two nodded hurriedly.
"Dad, why don't you take care of him directly after he comes out? Boys at this age need someone to control them. Since Third Uncle is not here, you are the only one who can discipline him." Ji Mingyue made a timely suggestion. She didn't want Ji Wenwu to get into other trouble in the remaining year and a half.
Ji Yushu hesitated for a moment, then thought of what Ji Mingyue had mentioned before. He quickly made a decision: "Okay, Mingyue is right. We can't let any scandals happen in our family. What do you think, Mom and Dad?"
Ji Yuanping and Chen Guilan looked at him hesitantly: "Do you have time to take care of him?"
"Just help me take good care of Xingyue. Don't interfere when I'm taking care of him. If you can't bear to do it, he will really have to eat free meals in the future." Ji Yushu reminded.
"Okay, let's do as you say and rescue Wenwu quickly." Chen Guilan hesitated for a moment, but quickly agreed. She knew that what they said was right.
"Okay, then I'll go find out how much money the boss wants, and then discuss it with those parents, and then you can go and withdraw the money when the time comes." Ji Yushu knew that they had savings, and it would be fine if they were unwilling to take it out on normal days, but he didn't believe that they were unwilling to take it out at this time.
After Ji Yushu left, Ji Mingyue returned to the room, carrying Ji Xingyue. She could vaguely hear the two of them discussing how much money they would need to spend, and even planning to ask Yao Yan for money. Hearing this, Ji Mingyue couldn't help but sneer. As expected, if the top beam is crooked, the bottom beam will be crooked. Although the trouble Ji Wenwu had caused this time was more serious than she had expected, after this, she thought the old couple should calm down. Ji Wenwu himself, after this incident, should also know who he can rely on in this family.
Even if they reconciled with the owner of the convenience store, how could they keep such a thing secret? Ji Wenwu could not bear such a look and was making a fuss about not going to school. Chen Guilan and Ji Yuanping could only think of ways to change his shift and do ideological work on him every day. Ji Mingyue caught a glimpse of the old couple holding their bowls and humbly asking Ji Wenwu to open the door and come out to eat. She couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips. This was good enough. As long as they had no time to bother her, her goal would be achieved.
Seeing that school was about to start, Ji Mingyue asked Ji Yushu for money in the name of buying tutoring books. Although it was only fifty yuan, Ji Mingyue was reluctantly satisfied. She thought that it would be great if she could contact Ye Qiuju, so she had to continue looking for clues to find Ye Qiuju's whereabouts.
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