On the afternoon of the 30th of the lunar year, Dong Qing and his wife brought 10,000 yuan to Yi Minghui's house. Although Yi Minghui hadn't helped them much this year, he had still done a lot of small favors. As long as the nature of the contract remained the same, he would give them 10,000 yuan every year.
Dong Qing and his wife followed Yi Feifei and her husband to the sofa and sat down. Li Yuzhu took out 10,000 yuan from her bag and placed it on the coffee table. Yi Feifei said, "I haven't been able to help you much this year. Earning money isn't easy, so please accept this 10,000 yuan. You can take it back with you."
Whether Yi Feifei was telling the truth or not, it's already quite remarkable that she, a greedy woman, could say such a thing; at least she has the self-awareness to admit it.
Dong Qing said, "This is what I promised you two years ago. During my contract period, I will always have this 10,000 yuan. Of course, if I don't make money, I really won't have any to give you. But since I'm making money, you won't be shortchanged."
Yi Feifei smiled and said, "Since my little brother says so, we'll accept it."
Dong Qing and his wife came to our house to give us money. After chatting with the couple for a while, we said goodbye and went home.
After leaving Yi Minghui's house, Dong Qing and his wife went to their home to invite Fang Lin to dinner that evening.
Dong Qing and his wife went upstairs to their door and knocked. The door opened instantly.
The TV was on in the living room, and Fang Lin was probably watching it. Li Yuzhu said, "Sister Fang Lin, now that my third sister is married, it's just the two of us at home. Why don't you come and stay with us for the Spring Festival? It'll be more convenient to eat there."
Fang Lin didn't want to disturb the couple's life, and besides, she had her own place to stay, so she felt it wasn't right to trouble them. She said, "I won't go stay with them. I have everything I bought for the New Year, so I'll just spend the New Year here."
Li Yuzhu said, "I won't force you if you really don't want to come and stay. You can come over whenever you want. Remember to come over for dinner tonight."
Fang Lin said, "I'll definitely go tonight."
After saying goodbye to Fang Lin, Dong Qing and his wife went downstairs. Once they got into the car, Dong Qing said, "Wife, let's go to your parents' house and bring the three children back home for the New Year."
Li Yuzhu said, "That's fine too. Time flies so fast; in the blink of an eye, our two daughters are almost a year old."
They drove to Li Yuqiu's parents' home. Li Yuqiu had been back from her driving trip for a few days and was making dumplings with her mother in the kitchen. Dong Qing was sitting in the living room talking to his father-in-law.
Li Yuzhu walked into the kitchen, and her mother said, "You're here. Have dinner at home tonight."
“This really won’t work. Fang Lin is going to our house for dinner tonight, and my three older sisters will be there too. We have to get back tonight.” Li Yuzhu paused for a moment before saying, “Yuqiu, Fang Wei has been driving for you for a few months now. What do you think of him?”
Li Yuqiu said, "Fang Wei is no good. He looks energetic, but he's not proactive and he's not honest. He's not as easy to work with as Su Wei. I'm firing him, and I'll find a new driver for deliveries next year."
There aren't many capable people like Su Wei, Li Yuzhu said. "Don't be too picky about drivers, as long as they don't completely crash."
Li Yuqiu nodded after hearing her sister's words. She said, "Mom, there's not much left, you can wrap it yourself. I'm going out to talk to my brother-in-law about something."
After Li Yuqiu finished speaking, she washed her hands and walked towards the living room with her sister.
The two sisters sat down in the living room. Li Yuqiu said, "Brother-in-law, the quality of our local porcelain isn't as good as that from other places. Next year, I'm thinking of going to markets in other places and bringing in a few truckloads of goods. What do you think of my idea?"
Dong Qing said, "It's not impossible, but we can't haul whole truckloads of porcelain there. The higher the grade of the porcelain, the higher the price. After all, the reform and opening up has only been going on for a short time, and people's living standards haven't reached that level yet. In other words, many people don't have the money, so the sales volume of high-end porcelain is too small."
By early summer next year, the storefront in front of the villa will be completed. You can bring back a truckload of goods from out of town and unload them into the storefront. Each time you deliver a small portion, unload it for customers. They can then order at the same price next time. High-end goods can only be delivered as a bonus; if you bring a whole truckload, you won't be able to sell them.
In addition, Dad and Mom can do wholesale and retail in the storefront. The fine porcelain plates and bowls from other places are of very high quality, and there are people who want them here, both wholesale and retail. You just need to bring the goods back, and Dad and Mom can earn money without leaving home.
Dong Qing saw things very clearly in this regard, while Li Yuzhu and her sister couldn't possibly think that far ahead.
High-end fine porcelain sells well if it's brought to big cities, but it really doesn't work if it's brought in large quantities to small county-level cities.
Just like Dong Qing said, in those days, the general economic conditions weren't that advanced. Even coarse porcelain plates and bowls were usable for eating. Poor people used whatever was cheapest. Wasn't that the general situation back then?
After hearing this, Li Yuzhu said, "It seems I'm really not good at business. I'll listen to my brother-in-law; I'll bring back a shipment of goods after the storefront is built next year."
Dongqing said, "After the wholesale market opens next fall, I guarantee that the high-end porcelain you bring back will sell well. You'll be giving our parents a business to do."
Dongqing and his wife talked for a while at home, then drove home with their children.
Back at the villa, Li Yuzhu got out of the car and opened the gate, while Dong Qing drove the car directly into the yard.
This year is the most lively year yet. Now all four siblings live together. Li Yuzhu invited all her sisters to her home for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve.
Soon, all three older sisters arrived, and Fang Lin also came. The three sisters went into the kitchen to make dumplings, and Li Yuzhu and Fang Lin prepared a table full of dishes.
With many people around, things got easier, and the New Year's Eve dinner was ready in just over an hour. All three brothers-in-law, nephews, and nieces came. Dongqing's family hadn't been this lively in many years.
Dong Qing and Li Yuzhu felt awkward calling Sun Hao "brother-in-law" at first, since he was their third sister's husband. But after a few days, they got used to it.
Li Yuzhu brought the prepared dishes to the table, and Dong Ermei said, "Little brother, let's set off firecrackers and start eating."
Dongqing said it was a good day, and went to the yard with her third brother-in-law to set off firecrackers. Soon, the sound of firecrackers crackled and popped, bringing out a strong festive atmosphere.
After setting off firecrackers, we went back inside to eat, and more than a dozen people filled the dining table.
The eldest sister, Dongqing, had three children sitting in her parents' laps. The second sister's children were all grown up and had been brought back from their grandparents' home in their hometown for the Spring Festival. The house was very lively with several children. Dongqing's son was also over two years old this year.
Before dinner, Dongqing gave each child a New Year's gift of 100 yuan. The eldest and second eldest sisters each had one child, so they gave out 500 yuan in New Year's gifts to their three children.
Dong Ermei laughed and said, "Second Aunt doesn't have that much money. Twenty yuan each."
Dong Sanmei gave the children lucky money, saying with a smile, "I'm only losing money, I'm not making any."
Li Yuzhu liked to joke with her third sister, saying, "You're going to lose money this year, aren't you?"
Dong Qing opened a bottle of wine, poured it into a glass, and said, "This is the year our family is most complete. The children don't drink, but we're all raising our glasses."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com