Zhou Bingchen was in the kitchen, but he was listening intently to what Zhao Zhenzhu and the others were discussing.
Zhou Bingchen was a little curious, and also a little... cough cough... jealous.
As soon as He Bo entered, he placed a large stack of banknotes on the table. Zhou Bingchen estimated it to be around 1,600 or 1,700 yuan.
Sixteen or seventeen thousand! Zhou Bingchen has only saved eight hundred yuan in savings after all these years.
Moreover, He Bo's eyes sparkled when he looked at Zhao Zhenzhu, filled with adoration.
Zhou Bingchen was afraid that He Bo had developed inappropriate feelings for Zhao Zhenzhu.
(He Bo: That was an admiring look, not infatuation. How could an ordinary person dare to even dream of someone like my sister?)
Unfortunately, the kitchen was a bit far from the living room, and Zhao Zhenzhu and He Bo weren't speaking loudly. Zhou Bingchen listened for a while, but only caught the words "hot" and "not enough to sell."
After brewing the tea, Zhou Bingchen carried the tea tray and eagerly headed to the living room.
Zhou Bingchen placed a cup of tea in front of He Bo, who stood up in a panic.
"The tea is a bit hot," Zhou Bingchen reminded him gently (though through gritted teeth).
"Thank you, brother-in-law." He Bo, the kid, didn't realize that Zhou Bingchen had a problem with him at all. He immediately thought that Zhou Bingchen was a really nice person, making him tea and reminding him that the tea was hot.
Zhao Zhenzhu was busy calculating accounts and didn't notice Zhou Bingchen's little scheme.
Zhou Bingchen placed the teacup next to Zhao Zhenzhu and said softly, "Zhenzhu, I made you some brown sugar water."
"Mmm," Zhao Zhenzhu replied without looking up.
Zhao Zhenzhu doesn't like drinking brown sugar water; it's too sweet.
Unfortunately, Zhou Bingchen felt she should drink it.
Zhao Zhenzhu's period started this morning.
In this day and age, many people believe that brown sugar can replenish blood, and Zhou Bingchen was no exception.
"Pearl, don't forget to drink," Zhou Bingchen reminded her.
Seeing that Zhou Bingchen was still standing there and wouldn't leave, Zhao Zhenzhu had no choice but to pick up the cup and gulp down the brown sugar water in one go.
It must be said that Zhou Bingchen is quite meticulous.
The brown sugar water was warm, not hot at all.
Huh? Zhou Bingchen, this straight man, was actually quite considerate to her in his past life, aside from his "cheating." Otherwise, Zhao Zhenzhu wouldn't have stayed in the Zhou family to "atone" for Zhou Bingchen after his death in her past life.
Being love-struck is a bad thing.
Zhao Zhenzhu jumped in surprise, almost dropping the cup in her hand.
"Watch out!" Zhou Bingchen caught the cup with lightning speed.
"Bingchen, if you have nothing to do, go check on Jiakai's homework." Zhao Zhenzhu said after she came back to her senses.
Zhou Jiakai's homework was checked by Zhao Zhenzhu every day.
Since Zhou Bingchen was home, Zhao Zhenzhu decided to entrust this glorious task to him.
Zhou Bingchen spends very little time at home throughout the year; the children need their father's company.
"Okay, I'll go right away." Zhou Bingchen left, turning back every few steps.
After Zhou Bingchen left, Zhao Zhenzhu handed the account book in her hand to He Bo.
“He Xiaobo, we’ve produced over 13,000 hair ties in the past few days. You took 12,000 in three installments. The first time I brought back 1,850 yuan, and this time you brought back 1,860 yuan. We made a total of 3,710 yuan from those two sales. We spent 31 yuan on scraps of fabric, and the wages should be 156 yuan. We’ll set aside a separate amount for transportation and hotel expenses as contingency funds. The profit is 3,523 yuan. Do you think this is correct?” Zhao Zhenzhu said.
"Sister, you've already done the accounting, you don't need to look at it." He Bo waved his hand repeatedly.
“That won’t do. We’re in a partnership, so both of us need to carefully review the accounts,” Zhao Zhenzhu insisted.
Having no other choice, He Bo took the ledger from Zhao Zhenzhu and began to read it.
Zhao Zhenzhu's account book used the bookkeeping method she learned in later generations, making it easy to see the income and expenditure at a glance.
He Bo finished reading it in half a minute.
“Sister, that’s right.” He Bo returned the ledger to Zhao Zhenzhu.
“He Xiaobo, if I’m not mistaken, we can split the money now.” Zhao Zhenzhu counted out 1,823 yuan and handed it to He Bo, saying, “1,700 is your share of the profits, and 123 is your travel expenses. You can keep separate accounts for that. We’ll make up for it next time when you run out.”
"No, no, sis, you can't divide it like this," He Bo said anxiously.
"Do you feel like you've been taken advantage of?" Zhao Zhenzhu glared at He Bo and asked.
“No, sis, you’re losing out.” He Bo pushed the money toward Zhao Zhenzhu and explained, “Sis, we agreed last time that I would be in charge of purchasing and sales, and we would split the profits 50/50. But this time, you negotiated all the purchases, so I can’t take 50%. 30% is enough.”
The coldness on Zhao Zhenzhu's face disappeared.
I knew it! He Xiaobo wasn't a greedy person. When He Xiaobo said the money couldn't be divided like that, he wasn't complaining that he got too little; he was complaining that he got too much.
"He Xiaobo, just take this. I was the one who negotiated the deal this time, but I won't help you next time," Zhao Zhenzhu said with a smile, pushing the money back to He Bo.
Even if all of these several thousand yuan were given to He Bo, it wouldn't have any impact on Zhao Zhenzhu.
He Bo's tactfulness put Zhao Zhenzhu in a very good mood. This proved that she hadn't misjudged him or chosen the wrong business partner.
"Sister, I really can't accept it," He Bo insisted.
A gentleman loves wealth, but he acquires it in a proper way.
He Bo really wanted to make money, but he wanted to make his own share.
The business idea came from Zhao Zhenzhu, the design of the hair accessories was also by Zhao Zhenzhu, the production was overseen by Zhao Zhenzhu, and the supply of raw materials was also negotiated by Zhao Zhenzhu. He Bo felt that he was just running errands with his two brothers.
Even if Zhao Zhenzhu only gave him 10%, let alone 30%, He Bo would be very satisfied.
Zhao Zhenzhu gave too much, and He Bo felt uneasy.
"You really only want 30%?" Zhao Zhenzhu asked in surprise.
Zhao Zhenzhu was a businesswoman in her previous life and met many people.
Many people are furious and angry just to gain more benefits for themselves. If the benefits are big enough, there are quite a few who will betray their business partners.
People like He Bo, who remain unmoved by a pile of money, are not uncommon, but they are rare.
“Yes, sister, even 30% is a lot, but I’m thinking of getting married recently, so I’m shamelessly accepting your kindness. 50% is really not an option; I’d feel guilty taking it. There’s plenty of time in the future. If you think I’m useful, sister, you can take me with you to make money next time.” He Bo’s attitude was very firm.
“Okay, then I’ll give you 30%. This time, I’ll give you 1,020.” Zhao Zhenzhu readily agreed and took back the extra portion.
He Bo is right, there's plenty of time.
Since He Bo is so cooperative, Zhao Zhenzhu will bring him along next time she has other business opportunities.
At this time, He Bo had no idea that his choice today would later make him Zhao Zhenzhu's most capable assistant and a figure on the list of China's richest people.
Of course, that's a story for another time, and we won't go into it here.
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