Wang Erfang's family lived in a modest house with three mud-brick rooms. The floor was not paved with tiles, nor even red bricks; it was still rammed earth. Upon entering, there were two large granaries with a pile of grain next to them. Inside, there was a large kang (heated brick bed) with two sets of old-fashioned red wardrobes opposite.
After exchanging pleasantries, Lu Feng and the matchmaker got into bed. Wang Erfang's mother was very tall. Although she was old and her beauty had faded, it was clear that Wang Erfang's beauty came mostly from her mother.
Fangfang's mother looked Lu Feng up and down. The children were gathered around, seemingly still expecting red envelopes. Wang Erfang's mother said, "The food will be ready in a little while. You and Fangfang's father can have a drink at noon. It's the New Year, so please don't complain if the hospitality isn't very good."
"A simple home-cooked meal is fine!" Lu Feng said politely.
"The New Year is all about having fun and being festive. Kids, did your uncle give you red envelopes?" Fangfang's mother asked the children.
"No!!" a group of children shouted in unison.
"You can't keep chasing after them for it, you know?"
Hearing this, Lu Feng said, "It's Chinese New Year, it's all about having fun. Come on, if you want red envelopes, show me your skills. Show me your test papers. Let me tell you, I'm rich. Whoever gets first place in the whole school will get a big red envelope."
Lu Feng set such a high bar right from the start that the children were intimidated and took out their test papers to show him. Lu Feng knew all too well what the children were like in public schools these days. Schools in the city were a little better, but schools in the villages were basically no different from herding sheep.
After looking for a long time, no one met the requirements, so Lu Feng gave each person ten yuan as a token gesture. However, for them, this was already a very large red envelope.
As the food was served, everyone exchanged pleasantries and sat down on the kang (heated brick bed). After a string of firecrackers went off in the courtyard, the meal officially began. Fangfang's father sat next to Lu Feng, occasionally urging him to drink. After a few rounds of drinks and several dishes, he asked, "I heard that factory you run in the south doesn't make much money?"
"In business, there are gains and losses!" Lu Feng replied casually.
"If you get together with my Fangfang, I still hope to come back here. Your food factory is doing quite well, isn't it?"
"It's alright, nothing special."
"You must have a lot of connections here, right? Do you know Erlv in our city? That guy also owns a factory, and he's been doing really well these past few years. He runs a ceramics factory, and he has a wide network of connections. I heard even the mayor has to give him face."
"I'm not very familiar with the city," Lu Feng continued to evade the question.
Although Fangfang's father was a farmer, he had heard a lot about the "underworld." When asked about so many famous figures, Lu Feng didn't recognize any of them, which made him uneasy.
The matchmaker understood what the Wang family meant and quickly nudged him with her leg, reminding him of the instructions given on the way here. Lu Feng turned around and glanced at the matchmaker, realizing what she meant.
"Cough cough cough, have a drink!" Lu Feng raised his glass and clinked it with Fangfang's father's, took a bite of cold dish and said, "The people you just mentioned are all too inferior. Let me tell you, I don't even look down on those in the city. Don't underestimate me just because I own a factory. My business in the south is quite large."
"Didn't you say you'd lose money?" Fangfang's mother asked hurriedly.
“Losing money doesn’t mean it’s a small loss. I have factories in Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Shenzhen, and R&D centers all over the world. Even if the city or the province calls me to a meeting, they’ll treat me with utmost respect.” Lu Feng stopped pretending and leaned back, saying, “I mainly make home appliances, like TVs and electric fans. I haven’t been involved in the local industry much these past few years, mainly because Jiaming Foods isn’t worth much.”
"Jiaming Foods isn't worth much; roughly speaking, it's only worth a few hundred million now. Why would I bother with such a small amount? This year, our main focus is on making mobile phones and high-end electronics, competing with Americans, and participating in the global high-end electronics market."
After Lu Feng finished speaking, the small northern farmhouse fell silent. Even the raging cold wind outside stopped, as if stunned by Lu Feng's words.
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