When Ning Yuan returned to the teachers' dormitory with the fine notice from the Industry and Commerce Bureau, Aheng brought even worse news with a gloomy face.
"All the goods in the shop have been sealed off, and even the place we rented and used as a warehouse has been sealed off by the industry and commerce bureau!"
Normally, it's expected that the items in the shop would be sealed off along with the shop itself.
However, the goods in the warehouse where Manhua, Huazi, and Aheng rented their place were also sealed off, which means...
"The enemy must have been lying in wait for several days, thoroughly investigating our strategic material reserves. They really intend to encircle and ambush our reinforcements, inflicting heavy losses on us!" Aheng said angrily.
Ning Yuan rubbed her temples: "Old Jin hates me to death, of course he would love for us to be finished, but don't worry, as long as the goods haven't been confiscated, there is still hope."
Ah Heng kept using military jargon, and it took her a while to realize what he meant.
She glanced at the flowers and said, "Call Sister Liang Xin in Yangcheng right away and tell her to suspend shipments."
Manhua immediately nodded: "Okay!"
Ning Yuan thought for a moment and then asked, "How much money do we have left after this payment?"
With a worried expression, Manhua took out her account book and opened it: "After returning from Qingming Festival, I sold goods for more than twenty days. The first batch of 38,000 yuan in payments was all wired to Guangzhou."
She sighed, "Besides paying off the outstanding balances and ordering new stock, to be honest, we only have a little over 1,500 yuan in working capital left. This 1,500 yuan includes the working capital for the Epoch Heart Coffee Shop."
The two stores only have 1,500 yuan in working capital, which is far too little.
Hua Zi squatted down to the side, sullenly running his fingers through his hair—
“Back when we used to earn work points in the countryside, it was normal to earn ten or twenty yuan a month. We felt that a thousand yuan could last a lifetime. But now we feel that fifteen hundred yuan can’t do anything.”
Ning Yuan said, "That's because we've come to Shanghai and Guangzhou now, and our horizons have broadened. That's why we feel that 1,500 yuan is too little and not enough to achieve our goal."
Seeing everyone's dejected look, she thought for a moment and said, "We've hardly had any rest since the beginning of the year, so let's treat these few days as a vacation."
Ning Yuan paused for a moment: "I will ask Grandpa Tang to ask his students who work in the business sector about the specific situation, and then urge them to issue the business license."
Manhua, Huazi, and Aheng nodded: "Okay."
What else can we do?
After Manhua and the others left, Ning Yuan stared out the window for a while, then tidied up and went to Uncle Fang's tailor shop.
...
"The shop's been shut down?" Uncle Fang's brows furrowed instantly. "That means Lao Jiu and I won't have any snacks to eat!"
Many Shanghai locals love sweets, especially since sugar and pastries were rationed goods at the time, requiring sugar coupons and pastry coupons to purchase.
In an ordinary household, a cup of brown sugar water is only served to honored guests.
Although Uncle Fang had his own special channels to obtain white sugar, flour, butter, coffee beans...
However, the snacks at the Heart of the Era are not only free to buy with tickets, but also unavailable outside, so they are perfect except for being expensive.
Ning Yuan nodded, and said somewhat apologetically, "This matter needs to be resolved first."
Uncle Fang pushed up his glasses, his smile turning from gentle to sinister: "Heh, looks like someone's tired of living, daring to touch my snacks. They want to jump into the Huangpu River—to 'feed the fish,' Ah Lai..."
Both he and Lao Jiu had become quite picky eaters thanks to the snacks the little girl gave them.
Alai, the burly shop assistant who was ironing clothes in the shop, came over.
Ning Yuan quickly grabbed Uncle Fang's sleeve and said helplessly, "No, Uncle Fang, you can't just do it."
Uncle Fang said with a gloomy face, "When have you ever hesitated before doing things? If you don't get rid of the obstacle once and for all, it will keep causing trouble."
Ning Yuan took a deep breath and racked her brains to explain, "I know that your method can eliminate the root of the problem, but will I be able to kill people whenever I encounter similar business threats in the future?"
Fatty Jin did something that could land him in jail, and Old Man Jin wasn't exactly a good person either, but they didn't deserve to die.
Uncle Fang narrowed his eyes and said matter-of-factly, "Of course we can. Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Haven't you heard that? We've known each other for a long time. This time, Lao Jiu and I won't take your money."
Ning Yuan shook her head firmly: "No, if I get used to dealing with people who create problems in this 'easy' way, I'll become murderous if someone gets in my way. That will only narrow my options."
She paused, then said seriously, "A business like this definitely won't last long, and the person involved will eventually end up in jail or lose their life."
Perhaps in the early days of opening up, when everything was growing wildly, there were bound to be fights and killings. She didn't hesitate to use people from the underworld to deal with evil in the underworld, and she herself had also killed people.
But this is not the old society anymore. Rules will be established gradually, and some basic human boundaries cannot be crossed.
Ning Yuan looked at Uncle Fang and said, "Even Du Yuesheng, the notorious gangster boss of old Shanghai, didn't say that he would throw people into the Huangpu River to feed the fish if they blocked his way. He said that people who want to kill others when they encounter trouble are the lowest of the low."
Uncle Fang looked at her, his eyes behind his glasses flashing with a mocking sneer—
“You little brat, you even know what Du Yuesheng said? Do you intend to play the saint and let Old Man Jin and his wife off like this? If you let them go, they won’t let you go, the one who ruined their only son.”
Ning Yuan chuckled dryly, "That's why I came to see you. You have connections everywhere..."
Uncle Fang said irritably, "What, you're trying to bribe the people at the Industry and Commerce Bureau? Aren't you just making things harder for yourself?"
Ning Yuan chuckled: "Of course not, I don't want to give Old Jin any leverage. That old man is stalking me near my house every day."
Old Jin hates her to death; she won't give him any leverage.
Uncle Fang raised an eyebrow: "Then what do you want me to do?"
Ning Yuan whispered a few words in his ear: "...I just need your help to investigate some people's information."
Uncle Fang thought for a moment and said, "Although I don't know what you need these people's information and background for, I won't charge you this time. Just get the Heart of the Epoch back up and running as soon as possible."
Otherwise, he and Lao Jiu wouldn't have any delicious snacks, which his little grandson also loves.
Ning Yuan nodded with delight: "Thank you for your kind sponsorship!"
She only had 1,500 yuan in her hand; Uncle Fang's commission for handling matters was outrageously high.
Watching Ning Yuan happily leave with her hands behind her back, Uncle Fang glanced at Uncle Jiu, who was walking out of the door beside him—
"The little girl is gone. She doesn't need your help, you brute, Jiu'er."
Uncle Nine rolled his eyes at him, annoyed: "Shut up, just call me Old Nine."
Then, he looked at Ning Yuan's departing figure and sighed softly, "That girl is shrewd and has principles."
What Uncle Fang just said was more of a test. They have experienced ups and downs throughout their lives, weathering countless storms. If they hadn't been careful, how could they have survived until now?
Because they were all once outlaws, they had seen many people who misused their brains, were ruthless, had no bottom line, and dared to do anything to make a fortune quickly.
However, such people are bound to meet a bad end, such as Du Yuesheng's former boss, Huang Jinrong, the founder of the Green Gang.
On the contrary, Ning Yuan, a person with principles, is more like a trustworthy and reliable partner.
"That little girl has such awareness at such a young age; she's more like our juniors than the younger generation in our families," Uncle Jiu remarked.
Uncle Fang hummed as he calculated, "Even close brothers should keep clear accounts. At most, I'll give the little girl an 80% discount on the agency fee later."
Uncle Jiu couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle: "Look at how petty you are! Even Xiao Ning isn't as stingy as you!"
Old Fang was Du Yuesheng's most educated, youngest, and most deeply hidden chief advisor.
This old man has been shrewd and calculating all his life, always looking out for every penny he gets, and he's cold-hearted and ruthless. He's managed to do very well both during the Republic of China era and now after the liberation.
This time, he actually helped the little girl find out about someone for free, and he'll give her a 20% discount in the future. It seems he considers that little girl his junior.
That's a blessing for her.
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