Chapter 61 Making Money
Chapter Sixty-One: Making Money
During the summer vacation of 1981, Li Yue went to the United States.
Originally, she didn't want to go. As a military family member, getting a visa was extremely troublesome, and she had no desire to go to the United States. However, Ling Jianwei felt that it would be good for her to go and see the world, so she tried her best to help her get a visa.
After a week, Li Yue couldn't stand it anymore.
Although everyone treated her politely, and their living conditions were excellent, with modern home life being very convenient, Li Yue still missed the days living in the compound where Ling Jianwei was.
A week later, she returned to China.
When Ling Jianwei returned home, she couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Why are you back early?"
Li Yue said, "I miss you all so much."
He forced a smile: "Could it be that you can't get used to Western food?"
“I really can’t get used to the food. They think I should try Western food and keep taking me to Western restaurants, but I say I like Chinese food.”
Ling Jianwei held her chin: "No wonder, you've lost a lot of weight."
Li Yue couldn't sleep at night because she was jet-lagged.
Ling Jianwei tormented her relentlessly, but she remained wide awake, saying, "I only have one more semester until graduation."
"What are your plans?" he asked.
"I'll stay at the university to teach, but this time when I went there, the people from the Li family were full of business acumen. I also want to do some extra foreign trade business, make some money, and then build a ceramics laboratory."
Working with her family, Li Yue sources textile products here and exports them to the United States. Prices in China are so low now that they can sell out almost anything shipped there, taking advantage of the price difference. Li Yue mainly acts as a middleman, earning the difference between the price and the goods sold.
"I'll stop once I've earned enough to build a lab and do research," Li Yue said. "Although building a kiln doesn't cost much, I'll need to buy all sorts of raw materials later, and the lab is purely consumable and can't generate profit. I don't want to worry about money."
He laughed: "Wouldn't you call this a roundabout way to achieve your goal?"
“Yes, but,” she paused, “I’m also quite worried that I’ll become a complete businessman, with my mind filled with profits and exchange rates, and thus forget my original intention.”
Ling Jianwei nodded: "That's possible."
"Then could you stop me when the time comes?"
Ling Jianwei asked, "What's wrong?"
"For example, if they see that my condition is not right, they force me to stop all of this."
He then asked, "How long do you plan to take to earn enough money to build the lab?"
"It's hard to say, but three years should be enough," Li Yue said.
He nodded: "Okay, once the three-year period is up, I won't care whether you've made enough or not, I'll just call a halt."
Li Yue hugged him: "Okay."
Her foreign trade business has a stable customer base; she just needs to spend some time finding suitable manufacturers and products.
My cousin was a great help at this time.
My cousin used to work in a cotton mill, but now she runs her own clothing business. Through her introduction, Li Yue has visited almost all the cotton textile factories in the surrounding area and selected several products, including towels, clothing, and socks.
Next, Li Yue was troubled about how to send it out.
At this time, domestic foreign trade logistics mainly relied on the traditional freight forwarding model, but reliable freight forwarders served large enterprises, handling low-frequency, large-volume single shipments, and did not accept Li Yue's small orders.
In the end, Ling Jianwei asked someone to directly contact the owner of the freight forwarding company, and only then did the owner accept Li Yue's order.
Finally, Li Yue managed to ship out the first batch of goods before the start of the school term.
After a month, Li Yue lost five or six pounds.
Ling Jianwei felt a little sorry for her, but also a little angry. She pinched her arm and said, "Look how thin you've become!"
Li Yue smiled and said, "Isn't this great? I gained a lot of weight before, and now my collarbones are very prominent."
"That's clearly going too far." He hugged her, "It's even a bit uncomfortable to hug."
-
On New Year's Day in 1982, many lanterns were hung on the streets, their red glow swaying in the wind. Li Yue officially graduated from university in this harsh winter.
Ling Shuo, a seven-and-a-half-year-old boy, came to the academy with his father to celebrate her graduation. Despite his young age, he was a cool and handsome young man, and all of Li Yue's classmates recognized him and called him "Young Master." The boy didn't actually like the title, but out of politeness, he didn't show it, as if he wanted to give these adults some face. In his heart, however, the adults were speechless.
My classmate said, "Your son will definitely be very successful in the future."
Some classmates were quite gossipy: "Is your son very popular with girls at school?"
Li Yue hesitated: "Really? He has a rather cold personality, and girls probably wouldn't dare to talk to him, right? You've seen it yourselves."
"Being cold is good. Cold and handsome guys are always popular with girls. Little girls are girls too, and besides, he's polite and well-mannered, so girls are bound to like him."
Li Yue pondered, could this kid really be a cold and domineering CEO?
So when she got home, she turned into a mischievous adult and asked Ling Shuo, "Do you have any girls you get along with?"
Ling Shuo said expressionlessly, "Can you please stop asking such pointless questions? You've met all my good friends, and they've all been to our house."
"Oh, all boys? Aren't there any little girls?"
"Girls are such a pain."
Ah, this...
While sleeping, Li Yue tossed and turned for a long time, finally nudging the man behind her who was holding her and preventing her from turning over with her elbow: "Ling Jianwei, I regret it."
"Regret what?"
“I’ve been busy with my own things for the past few years and haven’t spent enough time with my son. I’m only now realizing that he doesn’t even have a childhood sweetheart.”
"Little Green Plum?" Ling Jianwei asked, puzzled. "What would you do with a Little Green Plum? I don't have one, and I'm perfectly fine."
“You didn’t have a childhood sweetheart, and now your son doesn’t either. He’s also cold-hearted and only plays with boys.”
Ling Jianwei: "What, are you worried he won't be able to find a wife?"
"No, I still think it would be better to have a childhood sweetheart."
"So that's why you've been tossing and turning and can't sleep?"
"Hmm, I feel like I've neglected my duty a bit."
"Don't worry about things that don't concern you." He never took it to heart. "Children and grandchildren have their own lives. Go to sleep. After the New Year, you'll have to go back to school and do business. Can you handle it?"
Li Yue said, "I think it's more than enough."
"If your college knew you were doing business, I wonder what they would think of you."
Li Yue kept her foreign trade business a secret from everyone. She said seriously, "I do business to better conduct research, not for money."
She not only took her own money, but also the money of the Li family.
For example, in addition to teaching art theory, she was also responsible for teaching courses related to ceramic art. However, the school did not yet have pottery wheels, and obtaining funding for the purchase of new pottery wheels was very difficult.
Just then, Grandpa Li had moved back to Beijing. When Li Yue visited him, she mentioned the matter, and the old man said, "That's easy. I'll donate a batch of pottery wheels to your college. You don't need to worry about whether the donation will be approved."
Li Yue excitedly went to purchase pottery wheels and immediately put them into use in her teaching.
She is very enthusiastic at work, and her business is also thriving.
Due to the huge price difference in trade between China and the United States, the export product categories have gradually expanded beyond cotton textiles to include some food and daily necessities.
Once things settled down, Li Yue stopped focusing on it. Her cousin and his wife were helping out at the company, and several subordinates were also able to handle the purchasing and shipping work independently. She only needed to check on things occasionally.
She focused her main energy on the academy, and the students she taught were much more progressive in their thinking than their contemporaries, with more distinct personal styles.
Ling Jianwei would sometimes drive to pick her up after get off work and take her home.
This man was more mature, more stable, and more charming, which deeply attracted her.
One day, a student asked me privately, "Teacher, what rank is your spouse at now?"
Li Yue said, "I asked him this question too, and he said he was like a brick in the revolution, ready to be moved wherever needed."
The students, being gossipy, didn't buy it at all: "I heard he's a senior colonel."
Some people didn't quite understand and asked, "What's above that?"
A knowledgeable student said with great interest, "The next step is to become a major general. The promotion from senior colonel to major general is selective, and a capable person can be promoted to major general in one or two years."
Looking at the children, Li Yue instantly recalled the soldiers Ling Jianwei had mentioned leading. They were all tough and couldn't be controlled without a stern face. So, her voice became serious: "Have you finished your homework? If you don't complete your artwork properly, I'll make sure you fail at the end of the semester."
Some students pleaded for leniency, some said they had done their best, and others continued to smile and ask, "Teacher, how difficult will the final theory exam be? Will you highlight the important points?"
It was the summer of 1983 when Ling Jianwei's workplace allocated him a better apartment. The family moved in and lived there for a few days, but Ling Shuo still preferred living at his grandfather's house, which was also more convenient for going to school. So, it was basically just the two of them living at home.
When Li Yue got home, she told Ling Jianwei about it. He shook his head, complaining about the hot weather and being shirtless, and said, "They really care about these things."
"They're all just bored. They'll dig up every little detail about everyone in the academy and gossip about it."
"And what about you?" He walked to her side, looked down at her, and asked, "Are you also hoping I'll be promoted to major general?"
Li Yue sat on the sofa, her gaze fixed on his still-smooth abdominal muscles. She swallowed hard and said, "I don't care what level you are, I only care about this." She reached out and poked his muscle with her finger.
Ling Jianwei clicked her tongue.
The next moment, he picked him up and said, "Let's take a shower."
"It's not easy to be promoted to major general. We live in a time of peace, and it's difficult to make a name for yourself."
“But serving you,” his eyes still gleamed, “I have plenty of strength.”
The next day was Sunday, and Li Yue dragged Ling Jianwei, who was wearing a casual shirt, to go shopping.
The summer breeze is cool and pleasant. At this time, the city is getting better and better, with more and more high-rise buildings. The sycamore branches and leaves along the street are lush and green. Girls wearing dresses of various colors on the street have bright smiles and their faces are becoming more and more vibrant.
The Wangfujing area was lined with shops. Li Yue suddenly remembered the pair of leather shoes he had bought for her before, so she tugged at his arm and said, "Could you buy me another pair of shoes?"
He was speechless: "It's just a pair of shoes, why are you talking like that?"
Li Yue: "I mean, let's go to the store where you used to buy shoes for me."
Ling Jian paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "We'll have to see if that shop is still there."
"They should be here."
Indeed, they have not closed down. Although we have now entered the era of market economy, not all the previously public-private joint venture shops have been restructured in just one or two years.
This store simply swallowed up the store next door, making the store much larger.
Li Yue stood in front of the counter, gazing at the various leather shoes on display. Ling Jianwei asked, "Which pair have you taken a liking to?"
"You help me choose."
"Then you mustn't be disgusted."
He still chose a pair of burgundy high heels, squatted down in front of her, carefully massaged her ankles, took off her sandals, put on leather shoes, and then let her walk a few steps on the cardboard.
"Is it comfortable?" he asked.
Li Yue: "Mm."
"Then let's buy these."
The shoes were placed in a shoebox and then into a paper bag. Ling Jianwei carried the shoe bag in one hand and held Li Yue's hand in the other. The two walked slowly forward, bathed in the sunshine and breeze of the new era.
Li Yue occasionally glanced at the man beside her, noticing his still-defined features and firm jawline, and felt a little proud of this Comrade Ling Jianwei.
In fact, she no longer inquires about his work, and due to the nature of his job, he no longer says much.
Besides that, they could talk about almost anything. He would listen attentively to interesting stories and anecdotes from the college, and he wouldn't get impatient with anything he saw at the market...
Li Yue unconsciously tightened her grip on his hand.
The man turned his head and looked over: "What's wrong?"
"Nothing much," Li Yue smiled, "I was just afraid of getting lost."
"Tsk."
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