After everyone else left the house, only the old lady was left alone.
People who have lived in the countryside their whole lives can't stay idle.
Seeing that all the rooms were a bit messy, I found a rag and started tidying them up inside and out.
Xiao Weiguo brought his two children to Hongxing Primary School.
They were greeted by a young female teacher. She looked to be in her early twenties and had probably just graduated from teachers' college.
"Hello, my name is Zhou Ruolan, and I am the Chinese language teacher and homeroom teacher for this year's first-grade students."
Zhou Ruolan smiled sweetly as she took the two children's little hands; her two dimples were quite charming.
Xiao Weiguo handed over the two children's school enrollment documents and said with a light smile, "Thank you, Teacher Zhou. I'll leave the children to you. I'll come back to pick them up at noon."
It was the two little ones' first time going to school, and the new environment made them a little nervous. The sight of their older brother leaving made them uneasy. Fortunately, Teacher Zhou was kind and spoke very gently, which greatly reduced their psychological pressure.
"Come on, let's go to the classroom with the teacher and choose our seats."
The two little ones quietly followed behind their teacher, beginning their first lesson.
After dropping off the two children, Xiao Weiguo didn't go home but went straight to Grandpa Shang's place.
Grandpa Shang had already eaten breakfast and was waiting for him at home.
The two rode bicycles towards the county XX bank.
The county's XX Bank is a two-story red brick building. It has just opened for business.
Upon entering the main gate, there is a row of tall counters, separated from the outside by iron railings.
Grandpa Shang walked to the counter window and asked the sales clerk inside.
"Comrade, is Shang Yongfa here? I'm his father. I need to talk to him. Could you please call him for me?"
The sales clerk looked up at them, then turned and shouted inside, "Manager, manager, your father is looking for you!"
Xiao Weiguo almost laughed. Goodness, are people this straightforward these days?
A voice answered from inside, and a middle-aged man of somewhat thin build opened the door and came out.
He looked down and saw through the fence that it was his father, with a young man of about seventeen or eighteen following behind.
"Dad, what's wrong?"
Grandpa Shang waved to him.
"Come out here for a moment, I need to talk to you about something."
"Let's go to that room over there."
Shang Yongfa pointed to a small door on the east side. Then he turned and disappeared into the business hall.
Grandpa Shang and Xiao Weiguo followed his directions to a small reception room on the east side. There was a circle of chairs inside, and the two of them sat down casually.
A moment later, a small door on the other side of the reception room opened, and Shang Yongfa walked out.
"Dad, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
"It wasn't me who contacted you, it was him who contacted you to talk about the loan."
Grandpa Shang pointed at Xiao Weiguo.
Xiao Weiguo quickly stood up and, before even speaking, offered her a cigarette.
"Hello Director Shang, my name is Xiao Weiguo, and I currently live next door to Grandpa Shang."
"Neighbor?"
Shang Yongfa thought for a moment, but couldn't recall his father having such a neighbor.
"We just moved in; we're renting your brother Feng's house."
Grandpa Shang explained something to Xiao Weiguo, and Shang Yongfa suddenly understood.
"That courtyard is nice, I'm so envious, but it's too expensive, I can't afford it, haha."
"Yes, yes, Director Shang, you can tell at a glance that you are a thrifty person. There are many people in our family, and that courtyard is the only one that is suitable for us to live in, so we have to rent it even if it is more expensive. There is no other way."
Xiao Weiguo gave a perfunctory reply while secretly observing the person in front of him.
Shang Yongfa looked to be under forty years old, with a slender build but bright eyes and slightly thin lips; he looked every bit the shrewd and capable man.
"Come, sit down and let's talk."
Yongfa gestured for Xiao Weiguo to sit down in a chair.
“My dad just said you wanted to take out a loan, right? Let me tell you, these days it’s not so easy to get a loan. The national treasury is tight right now, and banks don’t have much cash flow either.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Weiguo realized that the other party was trying to take advantage of him.
What do you mean the country is facing financial difficulties? Do you think I don't know you have money to lend but don't use it?
"Hehe, Director Shang, if you're really in a difficult position, then let's just forget about it. I'll just consider this a visit to get acquainted with Uncle Shang. We'll be neighbors from now on, so we'll have to keep in touch, right?"
Having spent his entire life navigating the business world, Xiao Weiguo was not easily swayed by a single sentence and immediately retorted with his own words.
Shang Yongfa visibly paused. Huh? Is this the attitude of someone coming to ask for a favor?
Grandpa Shang, standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore. He said to his son with a bit of annoyance, "Stop trying to fool people with your nonsense. Wei Guo isn't an outsider. I even had dinner at his house last night. The young man is very honest. Stop beating around the bush."
Although Shang Fayong was unhappy that his father was undermining him, he couldn't do anything about it. Besides, he had a lot of tasks to complete, and he couldn't really make things difficult for Xiao Weiguo.
After all, it's not easy to have a customer who comes to you automatically.
He could only give an awkward smile.
"Alright, alright, since the old man has brought it up, let's talk. Young man, how much do you need to borrow? What's the purpose?"
Xiao Weiguo held up one finger and said bluntly.
"Director Shang, I'd like to take over the county's garment factory, but I don't have enough funds. I need at least 100,000 yuan in funding. I wonder if Director Shang can help me with that?"
"so much?"
Shang Yongfa was startled.
In this day and age, there are people who dare to ask to borrow 100,000 yuan, but they are either nouveau riche or bandits.
It was hard for him to believe that a seemingly respectable young man like Xiao Weiguo would borrow 100,000 yuan at once.
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