Chapter 246 Fish seek fish, shrimp seek shrimp, frogs seek toads (two chapters in one)
Li Dayong took one thousand US dollars and sat under the girls' dormitory building for the whole night.
It was not that cold in Beijing at the end of April, and Li Dayong was very strong, but when daybreak came, he could not help but coughing softly.
Li Dayong, who was as timid as a bear, thought about it all night, but still couldn't understand what Li Ye meant by the "angry words" he said when he left.
This is not because Li Dayong is not smart enough. After all, in the simple social environment of 1983, perhaps only those romantic poets would use their imagination to blend spirit and tenderness.
But Li Ye's words, "See what she can give you, and weigh whether it's worth it," tormented Li Dayong for the whole night.
"If I give her a thousand dollars, what will she give me? Will she give me a bright smile like when we first met? Or will she give me warm care?"
Li Dayong looked at the girls' dormitory building which was gradually becoming noisy, and felt a sense of anticipation.
Last year, Li Dayong was rejected by Hu Man. He was feeling lonely and depressed, but at a gathering of the Dongshan Alumni Association, he met Lin Qiuyan, who was already a sophomore.
The two people's hometowns are only 50 kilometers apart, and they have similar accents. Lin Qiuyan is an older student and is enthusiastic about taking care of new students. Li Dayong quickly found the warmth of intimacy in her bright smile.
Later, the two of them naturally became a new-age couple amid the good-natured laughter of the people around them.
For the first time, Li Dayong felt the thoughtfulness of someone handing him a handkerchief when he was sweating profusely.
For the first time, I tasted the feeling in "Lush Mountain Love", where the heart is full of longing and the thought of seeing each other every day.
I don’t know when it started, it seemed like it was this year’s Spring Festival, or maybe it was even earlier, the feeling slowly changed.
Li Dayong still looked forward to meeting Lin Qiuyan every day, but every time they met, he found that he always "made mistakes" and the anxiety he felt was far greater than the warmth he once felt.
However, Lin Qiuyan's irritability and blame were obviously increasing.
Li Dayong sometimes asked himself soberly, where did Lin Qiuyan, who used to take him around the campus with laughter, go?
Did I lose her?
Li Dayong tried his best to change himself and become the kind of "motivated" boy that Lin Qiuyan said, but with the failure of TOEFL, it seemed that all his efforts were in vain.
【Where did I go wrong? 】
Li Dayong couldn't help but shook his head and reached into his trouser pocket, wanting to smoke a cigarette to refresh himself so that he could have a good chat with Lin Qiuyan later.
But when his hand reached into his trouser pocket, he remembered that he had quit smoking.
Because Lin Qiuyan doesn't like boys who smoke.
When he was in high school repeater class, one of Li Dayong’s biggest wishes was to be able to smoke Daqianmen in the future. He could smoke as many cigarettes as he wanted every day and he would not be short of money.
But when he went to college, he didn't even look at Daqianmen cigarettes and didn't even take Mudan cigarettes seriously, but he quit smoking.
"Li Dayong, what are you doing sitting here?"
A puzzled call woke up the dazed Li Dayong.
He looked up and found that they were two girls from his class, Shao Huimin and Meng Qingli.
Both of them were wearing sportswear, obviously preparing to go out for a morning run, and they happened to see Li Dayong who had been sitting there all night.
Li Dayong suddenly felt a little embarrassed and said with a smile: "Oh, I just finished my morning run and I'm waiting for someone here!"
Shao Huimin looked at Li Dayong's slightly wet hair and asked in confusion: "Did you go for a morning run just now?"
Shao Huimin is a member of the principal's running team and is very familiar with the look of a person after he or she has just run.
Li Dayong's face was not rosy at all, but slightly pale. Looking at his wet hair and the cool dew on the bench, it seemed as if he had been sitting here for a long time.
Li Dayong saw Shao Minhui's confusion and quickly changed the subject: "Are you guys going for a morning run too? Hey, are the sportswear you're wearing today the Fenghua brand that says 'Chinese products should be strong'? It's really beautiful!"
Although the topic change was a bit abrupt, girls will of course be interested when talking about clothes.
Moreover, the new sportswear worn by the two girls is indeed much better looking than the blue sportswear that is common nowadays.
"Yeah! We went to buy it two Sundays ago and waited in line for two hours!"
"Waited in line for two hours? What about you buying train tickets? Is it that serious?"
Li Dayong was half joking. Although he knew that his Fenghua brand was very good, he could not have imagined that a few gifted college students would be willing to line up to buy it.
After all, the school still advocates "hard work and simplicity" at this time, and most students don't have much money in their pockets, so a piece of clothing that costs dozens of dollars is not really cheap.
Meng Qingli smiled and said, "We queued for two hours and it's good that we can buy it. Qu Qianqian wanted to buy the cardamom series of casual wear, but she queued for three hours and only got one pre-sale ticket. It's not certain when it will arrive!"
"The Cardamom series?" Li Dayong nodded and said, "I know this series. It's specially designed for young people like us. The quality and style are pretty good."
"More than good," Shao Huimin gossiped, "It's not that you don't know the goods, but you're afraid of comparing them. We heard from Qu Qianqian that the clothes in the Friendship Store are not as good as the Doukou series, but they are too difficult to buy."
"Really?" Li Dayong thought for a moment and said, "Well, I actually have some ideas. If you want to buy Fenghua brand in the future, I might be able to help you."
The two girls were stunned for a moment, and then asked happily: "Can you help us ask if the Beauty series is still available? My sister has gone to buy it several times, but she couldn't get it even if she tried."
"The reason why people can't get it is that they are too superficial, unable to recognize the true facts, and willing to be deceived by those unscrupulous businessmen."
“.”
A cold voice sounded behind the two girls, instantly dampening the enthusiasm of those who had been so excited just now.
Shao Huimin and Meng Qingli looked back and saw Lin Qiuyan walking slowly towards them holding two books.
Lin Qiuyan has the habit of reading in the morning. Today, when she came down from the dormitory building, she saw Li Dayong and two girls. She walked over and heard the three of them "talking happily". Somehow, sarcastic words came out of her mouth.
Li Dayong frowned and was about to explain a few words, but Shao Huimin and Meng Qingli were not happy.
"Minister Lin, what do you mean by that? Who are you calling superficial? Who are you calling deceived?"
"That's right! You like to wear imported sneakers and pants, but we should 'strengthen domestic products', what's wrong with that?"
The two girls finally bought two sets of sportswear that were both nice-looking and comfortable to wear, but in the end they were called "superficial" and "deceived" by Lin Qiuyan. How could they be willing to do that?
"Did I say you were superficial?"
Lin Qiuyan glanced over with a cold gaze, staring at Li Dayong, and then said: "Two months ago, Fenghua brand clothing launched the advertisements of 'Chinese products should be self-reliant' and 'Export to domestic sales'."
"If domestic products really need to become stronger, they should not use export-to-domestic sales as a publicity gimmick, and they should not deceive people. You are just being deceived."
Shao Huimin was stunned, and then said unhappily: "Domestic products should be self-reliant, what is the conflict between this and export-to-domestic sales?
Our products are good so we can export them. People in our mainland have demand for them, so they sell them domestically. What's wrong with that? Aren't they better than those imported products that are obviously ugly but sell for hundreds of dollars?"
Because Lin Qiuyan has a cousin who came back from abroad, she always has one or two imported items on her body, and she always thinks that she is more "fashionable" than others. In a group of girls, this makes her a hate collector.
But in the face of Shao Huimin's insinuation, Lin Qiuyan said coldly: "Do you know that Fenghua brand clothing was just registered after the Spring Festival this year, and this year's spring Canton Fair has just ended.
Then tell me, when did they export? If they are not cheating people, what are they?"
“.”
Shao Huimin and Meng Qingli were immediately stumped.
Since there is no export, how can there be "domestic sales"? This is indeed an irrefutable loophole.
The two girls looked down at their new gym clothes and suddenly they didn't smell so good anymore.
"You are wrong Qiu Yan, Fenghua Clothing did not lie."
“.”
The three girls turned their heads in unison and looked at Li Dayong who was speaking.
Lin Qiuyan's eyes were as cold and sharp as a chill.
But Li Dayong stood up slowly and said: "When Fenghua was first established, it was aimed at both the domestic and foreign markets."
"Their three-button waisted trench coat from the Beauty series, the short casual wear with a stand-up collar from the Cardamom series, and the sportswear from the Sassy series that Shao Huimin is wearing all won awards at the Europa Fashion Festival in March this year."
"At the just concluded Spring Canton Fair, Fenghua Clothing received orders from 21 countries and regions, totaling more than 2.8 million US dollars. This news was even reported in the newspapers in Guangzhou."
Shao Huimin, Meng Qingli and Lin Qiuyan were all stunned.
Especially Lin Qiuyan.
He looked at Li Dayong who was narrating calmly, and it seemed as if time and space had crossed and he had returned to half a year ago.
At that time, Li Dayong was as confident, cheerful and interesting as he is now.
However, today is not the right time and place.
Lin Qiuyan is confronting two girls. Whose side are you, Li Dayong?
Are you blind? Have you changed your mind and fallen for these two immature girls?
Li Dayong is not blind, nor has he changed his heart.
But Fenghua Clothing is the hard work of Li Ye, Jin Peng and other brothers. Even if Li Dayong is a bastard, he must stand up to defend its innocence.
Lin Qiuyan took several deep breaths and managed to refrain from loudly scolding Li Dayong.
"The contract for Fenghua Clothing has just been signed, but there is no fact of exporting yet,"
Lin Qiuyan said contemptuously: "And since you speak so highly of Fenghua Clothing, do you know that the styles of Fenghua Clothing are not designed by our people, but authorized to us by a company in Hong Kong?
So can it still be considered a domestic product? We should honestly admit that there is a gap with international standards, and we should not use such despicable means to deceive the public. "
Shao Huimin and Meng Qingli were very surprised. They didn't expect that they could hear so much new news just by chance in the morning.
The novelty news doesn’t end there.
As soon as Lin Qiuyan finished speaking, the two girls saw Li Dayong's expression suddenly change and become very serious.
"Then do you know that Fenghua clothing is designed by people from the mainland, but they don't have the opportunity to exhibit overseas, so they cooperate with Hong Kong Island. How can it not be a domestic product?"
Jin Peng and Hao Jian witnessed the whole process of Li Ye modifying the styles in Fan Xiuling's shop. How could Jin Peng not show off to his good brothers such a scene of boosting his own ambitions and destroying others' prestige?
Now that Lin Qiuyan said this, it was like stabbing Li Ye directly, and Li Dayong could no longer bear it.
"And classmate Lin Qiuyan, let me remind you that Hong Kong Island is our territory, and the products of Hong Kong Island are also domestic products."
“.”
Lin Qiuyan's face turned pale.
Li Dayong's harsh words made her feel the pain of being stabbed in the back.
"Li Dayong, do you know what you are talking about?"
Lin Qiuyan's voice was trembling a little.
Li Dayong was also a little uncomfortable, but he still insisted: "I am clarifying your misunderstanding. Domestic products are in trouble. I hope everyone will have less prejudice against them and more support."
In fact, starting from the Erliangdian, Li Ye had been subtly instilling in the eight-member group the idea that "foreign countries are nothing special, growing flowers is the coolest thing."
Li Dayong could accept Lin Qiuyan's temper with a smile, and he could also accept Lin Qiuyan's pursuit of imported goods and her yearning for overseas without making any excuses or objecting.
However, when faced with such obvious misunderstanding and contempt, the spark planted in Li Ye's bones suddenly ignited, supporting his righteous resistance.
Lin Qiuyan bit her lip and remained silent for a long time before she asked Li Dayong coldly, "You waited for me here early in the morning just to tell me this?"
“.”
Li Dayong did not say anything immediately, but Meng Qingli complained: "Hey, Lin Qiuyan, Li Dayong is resting here after his morning run, how come he is waiting for you?"
Lin Qiuyan ignored Meng Qingli and looked at Li Dayong.
Li Dayong was stunned for a long time, then suddenly smiled and said, "Yes, I am indeed waiting for you here, and I have been waiting for you for a whole night."
Shao Huimin: “.”
Meng Qingli: “.”
Li Dayong smiled at the two classmates and motioned them to leave first.
After the two female classmates left, Li Dayong said, "I found a friend who can exchange it for US dollars. I'll wait for you here."
Li Dayong originally wanted to take out the US dollars directly, but he remembered what Li Ye said and somehow set an ambush.
Then, Li Dayong saw Lin Qiuyan's cold eyes, which softened a little.
"Then why did you wait all night? And why were you with Shao Huimin and the others just now?"
"I waited here all night because I wanted to ask you a question."
Li Dayong looked up at Lin Qiuyan, and after hesitating for a while, he said, "I heard that many overseas students no longer want to return to their home country after seeing the prosperity overseas. So you..."
"Dayong, what are you talking about? Are you trying to ruin me? Do you know that if this rumor gets out, my qualification to study abroad will be revoked immediately?"
“.”
Li Dayong was caught off guard by Lin Qiuyan's sudden excitement, but his heart gradually cooled down.
Lin Qiuyan's reaction shouldn't have been so strong.
Lin Qiuyan told Li Dayong more than once how wonderful the world was that her cousin who studied in Lighthouse saw.
The clothes, cars and products of Lighthouse were so advanced, and the intellectuals of Lighthouse were so respected. After graduation, they had to delay their return to China for several months.
This is naturally contradictory to the philosophy that Li Ye has been instilling in him over the past two years.
"Okay, Dayong, I will write to you," Lin Qiuyan exhaled, and said, "How many US dollars does your friend have? One for five or one for six. If it's one for seven, I won't exchange it."
Li Dayong shook his head, stretched out his hand and took out the US dollars that Li Ye gave him, and said, "My friend gave it to me, you don't need to change it."
Lin Qiuyan looked at Li Dayong in surprise, and then said mercilessly: "Pretending to be rich will only make people feel pathetic.
Li Dayong, where has your reserve and modesty gone when you first came to school? Are you using money to maintain your self-confidence?
If you fail the TOEFL, you can take it again next year, but if you have lost all your confidence, what hope do you have?
You came to Beijing from a small county town and your family dotes on you, so you think you are great? Do you know that there are countless people in this world who are better than you and work harder than you?
“.”
Li Dayong looked at Lin Qiuyan in shock. Listening to her didactic scolding, he suddenly found it very funny.
[Didn’t you, Lin Qiuyan, torture me so much that I lost all my self-confidence? ]
Yes, Li Dayong’s academic performance is not as good as Lin Qiuyan’s. He is just average in the class, unlike Lin Qiuyan who is the top student in the school.
But he never lost confidence and he kept working hard.
As for saying that his family dotes on him a little, it's not wrong.
Li Dayong has never had the sense of pride in "earning his own money". He was led by Li Ye, who is like his family member.
So Lin Qiuyan always advised him to "make progress", and he humbly accepted it.
But now he suddenly understood, who the hell wasn't being carried away?
One for five, one for six, do you, Lin Qiuyan, have any money of your own?
Didn't your family pay you to exchange dollars for you to study abroad and see the prosperous world?
Fish seek fish, shrimp seek shrimp, and frog seeks toad.
Lin Qiuyan, from the beginning to the end, thought that Li Dayong was a frog.
But at the Second Grain Store, Li Ye clearly told everyone, "We are the golden carp that jumped over the Dragon Gate and turned into a dragon on the cloud."
“Heh~~”
Li Dayong looked up at the sky and laughed happily.
A pair of invisible shackles seemed to shatter into pieces with this chuckle.
A man's liberation is always a momentary impulse.
Therefore, many people are mistakenly classified as "scumbags".
But in fact, this "scumbag" may have compromised for a long, long time before he was finally free.
Li Dayong tightly grasped the $1,000 and turned away resolutely.
Lin Qiuyan was completely stunned. Seeing Li Dayong walking further and further away, she shouted angrily, "Li Dayong, what do you mean?"
Li Dayong paused, turned back slightly and smiled brightly.
"Nothing. Don't write to me anymore. We are not the same kind of people."
“.”
"Li Dayong, don't regret it!"
"Don't worry, I will never regret it!"
Li Dayong smiled, turned around and ran, as if he was afraid that Lin Qiuyan would catch up with him.
The faster he ran, the happier he felt.
[It turns out that after letting go completely, it’s not that painful. ]
"Li Dayong, didn't you just go for a morning run? Why are you running so fast?"
While running, Shao Huimin and Meng Qingli met Li Dayong and teased this infatuated man with a smile.
But Li Dayong laughed, quickened his pace and ran out of the school gate.
He ran across the street, squeezed onto a bus, and went all the way to Peking University. Then, breathlessly, he found Li Ye and took out the $1,000.
"Brother, I'll give it back to you."
Li Ye looked at Li Dayong who was panting like a dog, and after a long while he smiled and said, "Have you figured it out?"
"I figured it out. She's not a bad person, but... not worth it."
Li Dayong slapped $1,000 into Li Ye's hand and said with a smile, "Brother, you are right. I have the right to choose a forest.
I don't need to accommodate anyone, and I don't need to suffer for anyone. There are plenty of girls out there, and I will always meet a girl who really likes me and I really like her."
“.”
Even though Li Ye had guessed this a long time ago, he was still surprised by Li Dayong's "growth".
[I can't raise a charming little prince, right? ]
Li Ye thought for a moment and said solemnly: "Dayong, you have to tell me what's going on."
Li Dayong was not embarrassed and directly told him everything that happened this morning.
"Brother, the rest is fine, but I finally realized that her values are different from ours. She respects the prosperity overseas, but she despises our own 'getting rich through hard work'. This is very contradictory."
"It's quite contradictory," Li Ye thought for a moment and asked Li Dayong, "That Lin Qiuyan actually knew the registration time of Fenghua Clothing and the Hong Kong Island Design Authorization?"
Li Dayong didn't notice Li Ye's strangeness, and nodded to explain: "Yes, her cousin worked in the foreign trade system after returning from studying abroad. She should have told Lin Qiuyan."
"Oh~, so that's how it is."
Li Ye nodded and asked another question: "You said your classmates can't buy Fenghua brand clothes?"
Li Dayong said, "Yes! I said I had a way. You see, a dozen pieces of clothing at most won't affect normal sales, right?"
"It doesn't affect you, but your method is wrong."
Li Ye thought for a moment and said, "When you return to school, you can contact your class teacher or the student union and tell them that Fenghua Clothing intends to hold a student-only event at your school and sell a certain amount of clothing at a 30% discount on the student price. Ask them if they are interested."
Li Dayong was stunned for a moment, then quickly shook his head and said, "Brother, I just want to help a few classmates. You don't have to lose money just to save my face."
"Who said I lost money? Have you ever seen me do anything that lost money? Hurry up and get to work. Now is the time for you, as a shareholder, to work hard for everyone."
Li Ye smiled and punched Li Dayong, driving the confused bear away.
Children born in the 1980s had limited knowledge. They had no idea that college students were one of the groups most receptive to fashion. As long as word of mouth was established among college students, their influence on the Fenghua brand would be astonishing.
(End of this chapter)
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