Ma Yunfei patted the man with goldfish eyes on the shoulder and said mysteriously, "Uncle, I'm the mayor's godson. As you know, the mayor doesn't have any children, so my word is law in front of him."
The man with goldfish eyes bowed and scraped, saying, "Station Chief Ma, just let me know when you need to transport yams to City A."
Since this was Ma Yunfei's first time doing yam business, he was still unsure of the details and only dared to purchase 10,000 jin (5,000 kg) to test the waters.
He was about to go to the post office to call the young widow's cousin and inform him that 10,000 catties of yams would be delivered to City A tomorrow.
Just as I stepped out of the grain depot, I ran into Liu Fei, the town mayor's wife.
“Son, I was just about to come to see you. I heard that you bought a lot of yams.”
"Godmother, that's right, I bought 10,000 jin."
"Oh, son, I have to remind you, doing business involves both gains and losses. If you lose money, I won't be responsible. If you make money, you have to buy me two pieces of clothing."
Clearly, Liu Fei was worried that Ma Yunfei would mess up the business and lose money, which would cause her financial hardship.
"Godmother, don't worry. If we lose money, I'll take care of it all myself. If we make money, I'll buy you clothes. Actually, the profit margin in the agricultural products business is already thin. I'm not looking to make a lot of money. I just need to have enough to eat."
"Son, you have to be careful. I heard that yams are hard to sell. What if you end up with ten thousand pounds of yams stuck in your hands? What will you do then?"
"Mom, it's not that serious. I did the math, and at most I'll lose a hundred or so yuan. Maybe I'll make a profit next time."
"Son, I'm warning you now, if you suffer a loss, don't blame me."
"Mom, I wouldn't have been able to do this business if it weren't for you. Even if I lost money, I'm still grateful to you."
Liu Fei said, "Son, in this Qinglong Town, my husband is the one who calls the shots. No matter what you do, just use my husband's name."
"Okay, thank you, Mom."
Ma Yunfei addressed Liu Fei as "Mom" repeatedly, which pleased Liu Fei greatly.
In terms of age, Liu Fei is only seven years older than Ma Yunfei. However, Liu Fei has no children. When someone calls her "Mom," she feels like a mother, which makes up for the regret of not being able to have children.
Liu Fei walked away, her plump waist swaying.
Ma Yunfei went to the post office and called the young widow's uncle. The uncle said decisively, "Xiao Ma, hurry up and send 10,000 catties of yams over. I'm short of stock right now, the sooner the better."
Ma Yunfei thought to himself: I need to find a helper to go to City A together.
After thinking it over, he thought of his buddy, the abbot.
According to his wife Chen Yuyan, the abbot learned some martial arts from his uncle, who was a monk. If he were to become his assistant, it would be equivalent to having a bodyguard.
Ma Yunfei immediately went to the abbot's house.
The abbot was working in the fields, and Ma Yunfei followed the abbot's mother's directions, heading towards the east end of the village.
The wheat is almost ripe; the ears of wheat droop their heads and crackle in the sunlight.
A burly man was working in a vegetable patch next to a wheat field.
Based on his wife's description, this person should be the abbot.
Ma Yunfei waved his hand and shouted, "Third brother, you're busy in the fields."
The abbot looked up, wiped his sweat, and said in surprise, "Boss, it's been a long time. A few days ago, I went to your house and heard from the villagers that you had run away."
"Hehe... The village chief said I was gambling and sent militiamen to arrest me, so I ran away to the mountains and hid for a few days."
"Boss, are you alright now?"
"I've already won over the village chief."
"Boss, the sun is high in the sky. I was just about to go home. Come on, let's go to my house for lunch."
The abbot's parents are over sixty years old and had a child late in life.
During the meal, the abbot asked, "Boss, are you still gambling?"
"Hehe... I've already retired from that life of crime, and now I'm doing business."
The abbot looked on in astonishment: "Boss, you've started a business?"
"Yes, I'm in the business of buying and selling yams."
"Boss, we're just farmers, we don't know anything about business."
The abbot will never know that today's Ma Yunfei is no longer the Ma Yunfei of the past.
"Third brother, I've come here to invite you to do business with me."
The abbot waved his hands repeatedly, refusing, "Boss, you know I'm a rough man, I only know how to do farm work, I know nothing about doing business."
"Third brother, you don't need to do anything. Just be my bodyguard. To put it bluntly, if anyone dares to bully me, you just need to use your fists. That's all."
The abbot understood and said, "Oh, business people need to carry money when they go out, and they need bodyguards. Otherwise, if their money is stolen, they're doomed."
"Yes, third brother, you should be able to do this job."
"Boss, as you know, my family has eight acres of land, and I have to work the whole thing myself. If I go into business with you, what will happen to our land?"
“Third brother, if you do business with me, I’ll give you a monthly salary of 100 yuan. You can hire a helper for the housework. In the future, if the business goes well, you can rent out the land to others.”
A monthly salary of 100 yuan is quite a temptation.
The mayor of Qinglong Town only earns a monthly salary of seventy-odd yuan.
The abbot scratched his head and asked, "Boss, can your business really make money?"
What he meant was: If you can't earn money, you won't be able to pay my salary. In the future, if I end up with nothing, I'll be in trouble.
"Third brother, don't you know me?"
The abbot chuckled and said apologetically, "Boss, it's not that I don't trust you, but you... you've been spending all your time at the gambling table for over ten years, and your reputation isn't very good. Besides, you've lost more than you've won, and you've lost all the money your father painstakingly saved over decades."
Ma Yunfei chuckled awkwardly and said, "Third brother, that's ancient history, it's all in the past. Today, I've changed completely, I'm not the same Ma Yunfei anymore, can't you tell?"
“Boss, as soon as I saw you, I noticed something was off. The way you spoke, the expression on your face, and the way you acted were not like the boss I used to know.”
"Hehe...because I have turned over a new leaf, so naturally everything appears in a brand new form."
After dinner, the abbot discussed things with his parents for a while.
Father shook his head and said firmly, “Son, I don’t trust this friend of yours. His reputation is terrible. I only let him go because you two are sworn brothers. Now, you want to do business with him, I absolutely cannot agree to it.”
His mother also advised him, "Son, a person should walk the right path. Your friend is the one who walks the crooked path. Be careful that he doesn't lead you astray."
Seeing that his parents disagreed, the abbot had no choice but to say to Ma Yunfei, "Boss, my parents are against it, I... I'm in a difficult position."
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