Chapter 35 A Close Call
The goods have been shipped, but the payment hasn't come in yet.
Orders keep coming in, but the payment terms keep getting longer and longer.
However, the wages of workers, the cost of materials, and the transportation fees here cannot be cut back on.
She immediately took the items and went to find Zhou Shufen.
"Mom, I've sorted out the accounts. There's not much money left in the accounts, just this much."
She pointed out the numbers to Zhou Shufen.
"Oh, is that all the money you have?"
Zhou Shufen was also shocked; her savings were simply not enough to cover the expenses.
Her voice trembled slightly.
In the past, this amount of money could have barely sustained people for a month or two.
But things are different now. The factory's business scope has expanded, and naturally, all kinds of expenses have increased accordingly.
For this order, we only received a small deposit; the remaining balance will be credited to our account upon delivery.
Some are done by lending money to customers, which makes the recovery of funds take too long.
Zhou Shufen frowned.
Some of the partners had good credit, while others repeatedly defaulted on payments.
However, in order to open up the market, these concessions had to be made.
However, problems may arise in the collection of accounts receivable.
The factory can easily fall into a cash flow crisis.
That's how business is; on the surface, the income may seem substantial, but in reality, the expenses are also high.
The profits look quite substantial.
After deducting various expenses and losses, the actual amount of money received is very little.
Not to mention the unexpected risks and accidents.
Zhou Shufen was somewhat worried.
We need to find a way to raise funds now.
Last time, the raw material supplier suddenly raised prices.
This time, however, it was the customer's delayed payment that triggered the financial crisis.
In the business world, there are always many crises, and a slight misstep can lead to utter ruin.
She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
"Okay, Guifang, let me think about it. Don't worry, Mom will definitely be able to gather the money."
She comforted Qin Guifang to keep her from worrying.
Zhou Shufen reached out and gently patted her shoulder.
She knew that Guifang had always been a hardworking and caring child.
But this problem is really tricky, so there's no need to tell her too many details for now.
Although Qin Guifang nodded and left, she had already made up her mind.
She silently closed the ledger, her mind already racing with dozens of thoughts.
She was a meticulous person and knew that this crisis had come at an inopportune time.
Zhou Shufen is not someone who easily bows to reality.
Even the most capable person cannot shoulder all the burdens alone.
That evening, she sat alone in her room under the dim light, holding a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.
His left hand gently supported his chin, as he pondered something deeply.
The room was very quiet, with only the rustling of the wind blowing through the branches outside.
But her eyes kept wandering.
Just as she was lost in thought.
A few soft sounds suddenly came from outside the door.
The knocking wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the night.
She quickly put down the cup in her hand and got up to open the door.
Upon opening the door, Zhou Haiqing was indeed standing outside, looking travel-worn.
He had been traveling for several days, and his face was full of fatigue and weariness.
His eyes were bloodshot from days of hard work.
"Finally home."
Qin Guifang smiled, a smile she hadn't shown in a long time, and then turned and went into the kitchen.
"I'll cook you a bowl of noodles."
About half an hour later, Zhou Haiqing ate a bowl of hot, fragrant noodles while recounting the arduous journey he had undertaken.
After several twists and turns along the way, he finally managed to bring the fabric back safely.
This crisis was resolved without major incident.
Listening to her husband's account, Qin Guifang nodded repeatedly in response, her expression gradually relaxing.
However, a hint of hesitation appeared in the next second.
"Since you're back, there's something I'd like to discuss with you."
Zhou Haiqing raised her head, her mouth still full of noodles.
"What's up?"
She hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Mom is in a very tight financial situation right now and urgently needs some money. I was thinking, how about we mortgage our house?"
After these words were spoken, the room fell into a brief silence.
Zhou Haiqing paused for a moment after hearing this, stopped eating with his chopsticks, and stared blankly at her.
After a while, he seemed to wake up from a dream and quickly put down his chopsticks.
He stood up, took a few steps forward, and hugged her tightly, his eyes filled with emotion and guilt: "Thank you... You've gone through so much... How could I bear to let you go?"
Qin Guifang blushed slightly when he hugged her like that.
She gently tapped him and said softly, "We're family, so of course we have to face difficulties together. I believe in Mom, and we'll definitely get through this."
"Okay, it's settled then!"
Zhou Haiqing nodded vigorously.
The next morning.
As dawn broke, the couple got up early, gathered the necessary documents, and went out together to complete the property mortgage procedures.
They successfully exchanged a considerable sum of money that same day.
After receiving the money, Qin Guifang immediately went to Zhou Shufen's place.
At this point, Zhou Shufen hadn't come up with any good solutions.
He was pacing back and forth in the room, looking anxious and even starting to agonize over whether to sell his jewelry, ancestral porcelain, and other valuable items.
As soon as Qin Guifang arrived, she acted very mysteriously and said to her mother-in-law Zhou Shufen in a low voice, "Mom, I have something to tell you. Let's go inside and talk."
As she spoke, she pulled Zhou Shufen into the house.
He then slammed the door shut, instantly creating a serious atmosphere inside.
Then, she carefully took out a thick wad of banknotes from the cloth bag she was carrying.
The banknotes, once taken out, almost filled the entire table.
With a solemn expression, she placed the money on the table.
"Mom, this money isn't a huge amount, but it should be enough to last for a while, so you won't be so upset."
As Qin Guifang spoke, she kept her eyes fixed on her mother with nervousness.
"How can you say it's not much? You've startled Mom!"
Zhou Shufen was startled by Qin Guifang's action and her hands trembled.
She quickly took her daughter-in-law's hand, her brows furrowed, and her voice rose slightly.
"Tell Mom right now, where did you get this money? Don't do anything stupid to help me!"
A bunch of bad thoughts flashed through Zhou Shufen's mind in an instant.
For example, did Qin Guifang borrow money from outsiders at exorbitant interest rates, or did she secretly do something illegal?
The more she thought about it, the more restless she became; her eyes were full of worry.
"Don't ask so many questions. The money is legitimate, so you really don't need to worry."
Qin Guifang told her not to worry.
Actually, she herself was a little uneasy, but she didn't want her mother-in-law to worry too much about these things, and she didn't want to make things too complicated.
So he quickly made excuses, hoping that Zhou Shufen would leave the money behind.
Zhou Shufen became even angrier upon hearing this, and her brows furrowed even more.
She shook her head decisively and said firmly, "No, I absolutely cannot accept this money unless you explain it to me clearly! You should return this money to where you got it from!"
She turned her back after she finished speaking.
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