Dong Qing sat on the sofa and held Li Yuzhu's frail body tightly in his arms. He said, "I know you've been suffering lately, but I can't share your burden. Your mother's pressure to go on blind dates is only temporary. I believe she will accept me one day."
Li Yuzhu said, "Getting my mother to accept you is easier said than done, unless your investment succeeds this time and my mother sees hope in you!"
"Trust me, this investment will definitely be a success."
After Dong Qing finished speaking, he felt mostly lonely and helpless. Only those who have truly experienced this kind of loneliness and helplessness can truly understand what it means to be so close yet feel like being worlds apart.
Li Yuzhu said, "Whether this investment is successful or not, I will wait patiently. I really have no other choice. Do you know why? It's because I love you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have refused to divide the property with you during the divorce. Do you understand my predicament?"
Li Yuzhu cried at the end of her story. Dong Qing reached out and wiped away her tears, saying, "I understand everything you're saying, and I love you very much too. I want to remarry you right away."
After saying this, Dong Qing's face was full of helplessness and disappointment. He paused for a moment and continued, "Your mother won't come to the house at night. If you're scared sleeping alone at home, come back to stay at night from now on. When you come back, you can sleep in the guest room."
Li Yuzhu nodded in agreement and asked, "Honey, what time is it now?"
Dong Qing felt a tremor in his heart when he heard the term "ex-wife." It sounded so flattering, but it was also accompanied by an indescribable heartache.
He glanced at his watch and said, "It's past four in the morning; it'll be dawn soon."
Summer days dawn early. Li Yuzhu left her ex-husband's embrace, stood up, and said, "I'm not going to sleep anymore. Come with me for a walk."
Dong Qing glanced at Li Yuzhu's nightgown and said, "Okay, you can go back and change into a dress. I'll go back to my bedroom and change my clothes too."
After listening, Li Yuzhu nodded, stood up, walked to the door, opened the door, took out her key, opened her own apartment door, went into the bedroom to change into a dress, then went to the door to change her shoes, went outside, locked the door behind her, and waited at the top of the stairs.
Dong Qing came out of his house, having changed into riding breeches and a short-sleeved shirt, and walked downstairs with Li Yuzhu.
They walked on the streets in the early morning, as the darkness gradually gave way to the dawn. Many people were walking on the streets, starting their busy new day.
With heavy hearts, they walked along the old streets of the county town. The morning air was refreshing, as if the fear and unease of the night had vanished in that moment.
The streetlights on both sides of the street were still casting their pre-dawn glow, soon to be replaced by daylight, waiting for night to come so they could shine again.
The shops on the street were not yet open, only the breakfast shops had their storefronts brightly lit, busily preparing delicious breakfasts for people.
They walked on the road, and under the swaying light of the streetlights, the shadows changed with their steps, sometimes long and sometimes short, as if their lives were like the shadows under the lights, changing without any pattern.
Their marriage wasn't exactly blissful. For the past year, they'd been a happy couple, but an investment turned their marriage into this mess. Who can say for sure where life will lead? Life is like a shadow under a streetlamp; there's really no pattern to it.
Yesterday and today are the true reflection of their lives; who can say for sure what awaits them tomorrow!
After a long silence, Li Yuzhu broke the silence and asked, "Dongqing, I haven't asked you anything because I've been in a bad mood lately. I recently noticed that several tractors have been going to the porcelain factory to load goods. Are they delivering to the same area as us?"
Dong Qing said, "There's no need to consider that. They've already investigated our supply areas. Let's not even talk about how much money we can make selling porcelain. Anyone with eyes can see that we started out selling porcelain."
I initially expected this porcelain-selling business to last two years, but now it seems it will only last until the end of this year at most. Barring unforeseen circumstances, our income per trip will decline rapidly in the second half of the year. However, we have loyal customers to support us, so we should be able to sustain ourselves until the end of the year.
Li Yuzhu asked, "So, does that mean this business won't be able to continue next year?"
“We can still do it next year, but the income will drop significantly. I’ve told you before that everything has a beginning and an end. If more people do the same business, there are only two results: either the purchase price will rise, or the goods you take out won’t fetch a good price. Too many cars will block the road. You should understand this principle, right?”
It has to be said that Dongqing analyzed things very thoroughly. Business is like a big cake. If one person enjoys it all by himself, he will be rich no matter how much he eats. But if many people are competing with you for the cake, how much of this big cake can you eat?
Often, when goods prices rise, it's the buyers who are willing to pay higher prices. Porcelain factory owners aren't stupid; if there's more cargo, the price will naturally go up. If you think it's too expensive and don't buy, someone else will. When it's not just Dong Qing hauling goods, no matter how fast the goods arrive, porcelain factory owners won't raise prices because they dare not. They might even have to lower prices.
When there are more people hauling goods, things will be different, because by then it won't be a monolithic operation. If prices rise, even if you don't load goods, someone else will.
The same applies when goods are transported to other places for sale. If they can't sell, they will lower the price. As long as there is money to be made, there will be people selling. Dongqing will naturally follow suit and lower the price. This vicious cycle is the natural law of doing business, and no one can deliberately change it.
This vicious cycle directly leads to price increases for local porcelain, which in turn drives down prices in other regions, severely impacting monthly sales volume. These negative factors are beyond anyone's control.
That's how business works. It's not that if you buy goods at a high price, you'll sell them at a high price. In fact, it's the opposite: the higher the purchase price, the lower the selling price, and the more difficult it is to sell.
Li Yuzhu asked, "Now that you've explained it, I understand everything. Will we continue this business next year?"
“Our businesses are growing, and to be honest, we’ve made enough money selling porcelain. Next year, we’ll focus on running the company and stop selling porcelain.” Dong Qing paused for a moment and asked, “Is your sister still working at the porcelain factory?”
Li Yuzhu said, "My younger sister didn't get into university after graduating from high school last year, so she's been working at my family's porcelain factory ever since."
Dongqing said, "How about this, we'll send her out in a car tomorrow to accompany you on your trip. Let her learn how to do business with you first. We'll work until the end of the year at most, and next year we'll give her the car and all the old customers."
I believe that with so many loyal customers supporting her, and with such a large truck and trailer, she should be able to earn over 200,000 yuan a month without any problem. I estimate that business will stay that way in the future; it will decline to a certain point and then stop declining, because nobody will work if there's no money to be made.
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