Chapter 35 Cooperation

When Ji Duo arrived outside the military camp, the last ray of sunset glow in the sky had already fallen.

In the distance, a figure was sitting on the ground in an imageless manner, as if extremely tired. The training suit on his body was covered with dust and sweat, and was wrinkled and stuck to his skin.

Hearing the footsteps, the other party raised his head and said, "Uncle." He tried to stand up, but staggered and failed.

Seeing that he didn't seem to be in any trouble, Ji Duo felt relieved. He glanced at his nephew's sweaty hair and the scratches on his face, "Sit down and talk. What's the hurry?"

If he wasn't in a hurry, why would he call Liang, the brigade commander next door, so late at night to look for him? And judging from his posture, he had just finished training and hadn't even rested yet.

Since Ji Duo had said so, Ji Ze didn't have to be polite to him. He crossed his legs and looked up at him, "The liquid soap you gave me last week, was it made by my aunt?"

So it was for this. Ji Duo lowered his eyes to look at his nephew and guessed his purpose almost instantly. "What do you want to do?"

"Yeah." Ji Ze was a little embarrassed, but still nodded truthfully, "I have training these few days, so I can only talk to you about this in the evening."

He returned home late on Xu Li's birthday and had no idea about the liquid soap. He only saw it the next day in the package that Ji Duo brought him.

Because Ji Duo had said this before, he didn't feel awkward this time. He carefully read the words written by Lin Qiao on the note and used some of them that day.

To be honest, at first it felt like he was fulfilling a mission, as if Lin Qiao and Ji Duo had given it to him, so he had to use it, otherwise he would be letting down the elders. But as he used it, he felt something different, and in the end he even stared at the foam on his hands for a long time and forgot to rinse them off.

Unlike the others around him, he had seen good things. Whenever he came home, Ye Minshu would give him the best of the time.

Although his family background put pressure on him, it also gave him more insights, and he immediately realized how different this liquid soap was.

"I was afraid that my feeling was not accurate, so I gave it to other people. I also gave some to our battalion commander for him to take home."

When asked whether it was easy to use, everyone said it was better than soap, but it was sticky and not easy to bring into the bathroom. The rough old men obviously preferred the simple and neat soap, but after the battalion commander brought the thing back, his wife liked it very much and asked him to ask where the thing was from.

"I thought, since this thing doesn't exist yet and some people think it's useful, can we give it a try? Anyway, the cost is not high, and if it fails, the loss won't be much."

Compared to the last time I took out a loan to buy equipment, this time is obviously much more down-to-earth.

Not only did he not despise the things Lin Qiao sent him, he also knew that he didn't think they were good enough, so he gave them to more people to try.

If Lin Qiao were here, he would definitely tell Ji Duo that this is called market research.

But even if he didn't know this word, Ji Duo felt that his nephew had made some progress this time. Moreover, he was indeed not wrong this time. Lin Qiao had already earned half a month's salary by selling liquid soap.

But this is Lin Qiao's thing, and Ji Duo has never had the habit of taking the initiative and making decisions for others.

Just as he was about to speak, Ji Ze hurriedly explained: "Don't get me wrong, I don't want to ask Xiao Aun for the recipe, I want to cooperate with her. If she wants to make it herself, I can help her sell it. If she trusts me, I will give her a share of the profits, and she will be paid according to how many kilograms she sells."

"You're going out to sell?" This made Ji Duo look at him more.

"Didn't you tell me to rely on myself?" Ji Ze was really tired from sitting, so he simply put his hands on the ground and said, "I can't sell much at the beginning with a small business, so I can't hire someone, right?"

The young man looked at him, then looked up at the gradually darkening sky. "I've already thought about it. I'll prepare two 50-kilogram buckets and tie one to each side of my bicycle. Isn't it just walking around the streets as a peddler? I'm not immune to hardship."

It's not a question of whether he can endure hardship or not, but whether a second or third generation like him, who has a good family background and has been pampered since childhood, can risk his dignity to hawk goods on the streets?

This is the end of what Ji Duo has said tonight.

This really changed my opinion of my nephew.

Although Ji Duo didn't do business, he had been in the army for so many years and knew a little about the intricacies of logistics. If Ji Ze only wanted to build factories, buy equipment, and do big business, he wouldn't need anyone to cheat him with equipment. Purchasing and sales alone would be enough to drain his blood.

Only by starting small and working your way up can you understand the tricks involved and avoid looking like a fool when others try to cheat you.

Ji Duo's expression calmed down a lot. "If you want to do it, just go and talk to her yourself."

The fact that he could say that meant that he had no objection. Ji Ze's eyes lit up and he forgot his tiredness and sat up straight.

But soon, the young man showed hesitation and flattery on his face again, "Well, uncle, can you help me talk to my aunt about this?"

Let him talk to Lin Qiao about his problems? What's wrong?

Ji Duo immediately frowned, and seeing Ji Ze's voice lowered, "Isn't the relationship between her and I a little awkward? It's okay if we don't meet, but if we do business together every day in the future, what if I don't hide it well and she finds out? It's best not to say that I want to do it with her..."

"If not you, then me?" Ji Duo had just changed his mind about his nephew when he changed himself back to his original state.

Ji Ze obviously knew that his request was a bit excessive, and looked at his uncle cautiously, "It doesn't matter who it is. Besides, our family's relationship with her is not very good..."

"Do you think she would deliberately not cooperate with you?" Ji Duo interrupted him.

"That's not the case. I just, I just..." Ji Ze didn't know what to say, and finally smiled bitterly, "I just think she knows that I feel uncomfortable seeing her. Every time I look into her eyes, I feel that I am obviously a few years older than her, but I am immature and irresponsible."

In fact, he didn't really look down on Lin Qiao. He was resistant at first, and now he doesn't know how to face it.

"You two are already married, so I'd better not get involved. If I really couldn't get in touch with anyone else, I wouldn't want to do this."

Ji Ze plucked a weed from the ground, paused, and said, "Anyway, I'm just listening to you. I'll use this to exercise."

He is still thinking about buying equipment to build a factory. Ji Duo said nothing, the pressure around him getting lower and lower.

The air was silent for a moment. Along with the chirping of summer cicadas, the only sound was the orderly footsteps of patrolmen in the military camp, which made people feel inexplicably uneasy.

In the end, Ji Duo didn't say anything, "It's late, you should go back." Without waiting for Ji Ze to react, he strode away with his long legs.

I walked a little fast along the way, so I couldn't help sweating when I got home. The ceiling fan blew on me and I gradually cooled down.

The TV in the living room was turned off. Lin Qiao, who was supposed to be upstairs, was in the kitchen. When she saw him, she raised her hand and yawned, "You're back."

I don't know if it's because she's been busy these past two days, but she's already sleepy even before bedtime, with tears in her eyes.

Ji Duo's body was filled with dryness from the night wind, and he unconsciously relaxed a little, "Why don't you go to bed?"

"Fill it with liquid soap." Lin Qiao yawned again. "I've been so busy these past two days that I almost forgot about it. I'm afraid I won't remember it tomorrow morning."

She has a lot to do these days. She has to teach one or two senior classes, act as a substitute class teacher, and study for the college entrance examination, so she is busier than others. Last Saturday, she started a liquid soap business, and something else happened at school yesterday.

It’s a good thing that she doesn’t cook, and they both eat in the cafeteria, otherwise she would be too busy to handle everything.

"You go upstairs and sleep, I'll do it." Ji Duo walked in and took the bucket from her hand.

"I'm almost done." Lin Qiao rubbed his eyes beside him, "You just need to pack another pound."

Ji Duo said "hmm", stared at the slowly flowing liquid soap and suddenly asked: "Are you willing to partner with others in this business?"

"What? Partnership?"

If he were to say this, Lin Qiao would no longer be sleepy. "Who are you going to partner with?"

When Ji Duo turned his head, he met the young girl's round eyes, as if it was not her who was yawning out of sleepiness just now.

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Lin Qiao urged him again: "Didn't you ask me whether I was willing to work with others?"

Ji Duo retracted his gaze, poured out the last bit of liquid soap first, then covered the bucket and stood up. "I asked."

"Then let's discuss it." Lin Qiao pulled him directly to the sofa in the living room.

Under the light, his eyes were clear and shining. He looked much more energetic than when I saw him coming back just now.

Ji Duo choked again unconsciously, then picked up the cup and poured himself a glass of water, "It seems that you don't object to doing it with others."

Lin Qiao certainly didn't object, "You know I'm very busy, and of course I'm not willing to cooperate with everyone."

Ji Duo is the kind of partner who gives others space. She recently sold liquid soap, and he helped deliver it more than once, but he never asked her how the sales were. Today, he suddenly asked her if she was willing to cooperate with him. Did he like her business?

Almost two months had passed and he never mentioned it again. She almost thought he had forgotten the purpose of marrying her.

Ji Duo asked this because Lin Qiao was very busy. Since Lin Qiao did not object, he continued talking.

However, when he opened his mouth, he still thought of Ji Ze's words and adjusted his words, "I have a friend who is preparing to start a small business recently. He knew that you were selling liquid soap at school and the product was good, so he came to me to ask if I knew who made it."

"Yeah, you have a friend."

As soon as the man opened his mouth, Lin Qiao wanted to laugh.

Who doesn’t know that I have a friend who is just like me. She used it last week and it was very useful.

It turned out that this man was interested in her liquid soap business. She never expected that the richest man in Jinjiang, with a net worth of at least 10 billion, would actually be interested in her small business.

She added some water to the man's glass and motioned for him to continue; she was listening.

For some reason, Ji Duo always felt that the tone of her words was wrong, but when he thought about it carefully, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with what he said.

He continued, "If you have this intention, I will help you make a connection. However, it may not be convenient for my friend to come forward."

It's definitely inconvenient to meet each other when you make friends out of nothing. I can understand that.

Lin Qiao was very considerate, "It's okay, I trust you, and if you can talk to me about it, there must be no problem."

The words "I trust you" left Ji Duo speechless.

But if Xiaoze really only intends to do this for a period of time and use this exercise as a training, considering his relationship with Lin Qiao, having fewer interactions can save a lot of embarrassment and trouble.

Ji Duo took a sip of water and his mood quickly returned to normal. "Do you want to make it yourself and let the other party sell it, or..."

"Let them do it," Lin Qiao said, "but I want 30% of the net profit."

Once the discussion really begins, it has to be done impartially, and the partners cannot let her sell the recipe without knowing it.

Lin Qiao was very calm. "Although the raw materials are prepared by the other party and the sales are also done by the other party, the core of this liquid soap is the technology that no one else has. Without technology, the raw materials are just raw materials. I think it is worth the price."

She is the only one who knows how to make liquid soap, which is the basis for her invincibility in negotiations.

On one side is his nephew, and on the other side is his wife. Ji Duo has no intention of letting anyone suffer. "I will talk to him."

Whether you agree or not, let Ozawa make his own decision.

Lin Qiao had been paying attention to the man's expression. She didn't tell from his face that he thought it was too expensive, so she secretly breathed a sigh of relief as she thought it was acceptable.

It is the worst to talk to such a person. Even if you are able to keep calm and manage your facial expressions, it is difficult to gain the upper hand.

But she was looking for someone to cooperate with, not to be taken advantage of. A win-win situation was fine, and she didn't have to have the upper hand. "Also, there's one thing in the formula that I can't give you... That friend, he has to come to me to get it. Of course, it's not that I don't trust your friend, but mainly that I don't trust the person he found."

This is the truth. Since the man didn't tell her the truth, it was obvious that he just wanted to test the waters with liquid soap and had no real intention of quitting his job to go into the adult industry.

Then the person who made the thing would definitely not be him, and if he gave it to anyone else, there would be a risk of leakage. Rather than regretting it later, it is better to keep it in reserve now.

Ji Duo only said that she was a friend of his, and he was not surprised that Lin Qiao would hold back. He even thought that Lin Qiao's move was smart and cautious, and that she was the one he knew.

And to be honest, he himself didn't trust Xiaoze. He was too young and not reliable enough. Rather than let Lin Qiao have a trick up his sleeve, it would be better.

Thinking of his youth, Ji Duo's heart skipped a beat.

Lin Qiao is three years younger than Ozawa.

Although she grew up in a rural area where she has never seen the world, she is much smarter and more reliable than Ozawa. Compared with her, Ozawa seems to be too well protected and praised, and is a bit naive in his bones.

This kind of child should be thrown out and given a good beating, so that he doesn't have to go through some minor hardships now and might end up causing big trouble in the future.

Since he wants to go out and sell it himself, let him go. Let him experience how the lower-level people struggle to get to the top. Don't think that everything is so easy.

So the two parties, each with their own ideas, soon reached a consensus.

Ji Duo said that he would convey Lin Qiao's idea to his friends, and once they had definite information, he would tell Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao said, "I'm not in a hurry. Just let your...friend think about it carefully."

Then, after the discussion was over, it was as if what had just occurred was just a flash of inspiration. He became limp, his eyes darkened, and he immediately climbed back upstairs to sleep.

Ji Duo stood by the bed and watched for a long time. Finally, he took off his clothes and went to bed. He picked up the heartless boy and put him next to his pillow.

As soon as he arrived at school the next day, Lin Qiao ran into Miss Bi from Class 5 in the corridor.

After what happened in the class, Empress Bi was obviously angry and even felt a little uncomfortable seeing Lin Qiao. After all, she did not completely stop suspecting Li Xiaoqiu.

However, although this person is a nagging person, she is fair in dealing with students. Lin Qiao smiled and raised an eyebrow, "If you don't bargain, I don't know if you can make money."

This was obviously referring to the previous incident with liquid soap. Lady Bi pinched her waist and said, "I didn't say I wanted to buy it either." After she finished speaking, she realized that she felt much less uncomfortable after being criticized like this. She nodded at Lin Qiao and said, "You have some ability. It was Feng Gang from our class who wronged Li Xiaoqiu before."

"Then let him apologize." Lin Qiao's expression became serious. "What he said that day was very unpleasant. Li Xiaoqiu in our class is sensitive and introverted."

Feng Gang said that Li Xiaoqiu's mother ran away. Empress Bi also heard it and nodded, "Okay, I'll tell him later that I haven't settled the matter with that brat for fighting."

Seeing Lin Qiao about to enter the office, he couldn't help but ask, "Can't you give me a discount?"

"Aren't you not going to buy it?" Lin Qiao didn't even turn his head.

The office had just been cleaned and there were still water marks on the floor. Lin Qiao had just sat down when Team Leader Gao arrived. He bowed his head out of habit when he entered the room.

Seeing that he was holding a bottle of wine in his hand, the head teacher of Class 3 said with a smile, "Are you going to have a drink at noon?"

"How dare I?" Team Leader Gao waved his hand and put the bottle on Lin Qiao's desk. "Give me a pound of that liquid soap."

This is interesting, because he was the first one to try it, but he had no intention of buying it.

Without waiting for Lin Qiao to ask, Team Leader Gao sat down on a chair and said, "Hasn't everyone in the family building been using this to wash their hair recently? Your sister-in-law knows about it, and she also heard that the person who sold it to me is in the same office as me. She went back and complained about me, saying that I don't care about the family."

He felt a little aggrieved. "Soap or perfumed soap can also be used. How would I know that she wanted this?"

This is the difference in thinking between men and women. Women are generally more careful and pay more attention to life. If men don’t have women to take care of them, you don’t know how rough they can be.

It is rare to find someone as clean and neat as Vice Principal Qi, or as neat and proper as Ji Duo, and Ji Duo still doesn't care much about liquid soap.

During the morning break, the school announced the results of the treatment of the boy from Class 5: he was given a serious warning, expelled from the school, and kept in school for observation.

Of course, everyone who has been to school knows that being kept in school for observation does not mean being expelled, and you will be reinstated when you graduate. However, the boy in Class 5 probably didn't know that. When he went up to the stage to read his self-reflection, he looked listless and his walking posture was not quite right. I guess he got a beating when he went back.

I hope he learns a lesson. No one will give him probation when he enters society. Even if you say it was a joke, you will still have a criminal record if the amount reaches a certain limit.

No one knew how Empress Bi talked to Feng Gang, but after the morning exercises, he apologized to Li Xiaoqiu.

Although his expression was reluctant, his words were clear, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said you stole it before I knew it clearly."

When Junzi heard this in the classroom, he couldn't help but curl his lips, "There is no sincerity at all." But he had just submitted a 1,000-word self-criticism, so he didn't dare to cause trouble.

Li Xiaoqiu was even more flattered and surprised, "No, it's okay." She was used to forgiving others and had never thought that she would receive an apology.

Lin Qiao saw it from a distance, but did not go forward and went straight back to the science office.

Unexpectedly, just as the third class started and the corridor became quiet, Li Xiaoqiu's father, Mr. Li, suddenly came with a big watermelon in his hands.

This time he met Lin Qiao, he was even more embarrassed than the last time they met at the post office, but he still put the things on the floor next to Lin Qiao's desk and said, "Thank you, Teacher Lin, for Xiao Qiu's matter. I'm sorry for the trouble."

"Li Xiaoqiu is well-behaved and sensible, and she's a good student. I don't think she's causing me any trouble." Lin Qiao choked him back with this.

Teacher Li felt a little embarrassed, but thinking about Lin Qiao's running around in the past two days and his attitude that day, he still apologized, "I was too impulsive that day..."

"It's Li Xiaoqiu you should be apologizing to, not me." Lin Qiao interrupted rudely, "After all, it wasn't me who was beaten, it wasn't me who was wrongly accused and even my family didn't believe me, it wasn't me who didn't tell her to get out when she was rejected."

Lin Qiao curled her lips, her smile not reaching her eyes, "If it were me, I wouldn't think that it's not easy for both my parents, and that I deserve to suffer a little."

Teacher Li teaches the second year of high school. She had never dealt with Lin Qiao before and thought she was just a young female teacher who was protective of her students. Unexpectedly, she was full of thorns.

His face turned red and then blue, and he was very embarrassed. The head teacher of Class 3 next to him saw this and helped to smooth things over, "Xiao Lin was just worried about his students, so he spoke a little harshly." He then said to Teacher Li, "You are the same, you beat the child without asking any questions. Your Xiao Qiu is very obedient, which teacher wouldn't exaggerate?"

At least they gave him a step, so Teacher Li said nothing more and just left, leaving his things behind.

Women are more likely to be soft-hearted. The head teacher of Class 3 shook her head and looked at Lin Qiao again, "I didn't realize before that you have such a bad temper."

Lin Qiaoming was too aggressive and her husband's family was well-off, so everyone was worried that she would be difficult to get along with. But later, they found that she was quite easy-going and humorous. She also collected the chemistry scores of classes three and four. Unexpectedly, she was not afraid of offending Teacher Li at all.

Lin Qiao didn't do this just to vent his anger. "Li Xiaoqiu is too good at making compromises. If I don't say a few words to help him, he will still think he is a good father."

He keeps saying "I provide you with food and clothing", as if Li Xiaoqiu has suffered a lot of injustice while raising him all these years.

After Ji Duo discussed it with Lin Qiao, he did not rush to talk to Ji Ze about it.

Ji Ze took the initiative to approach him. If Ji Ze was really sincere and wanted to make this deal, he would naturally find another opportunity to bring it up with him. If he gave up after being told off, and didn't even have that much perseverance, then Lin Qiao wouldn't have to work with him, and might as well find someone more reliable.

After returning from the military camp on Saturday, he picked up Lin Qiao and went back to Yandu to treat the classmates who had helped him last time to dinner.

The location was set in a state-owned hotel. The store was not very big, with white walls surrounded by green walls. It felt warm as soon as you entered.

Lin Qiao looked up subconsciously and found that the ceiling fan was not turned on. The waiter in the store was obviously also very hot. He fanned the fan and clicked the switch twice. "I have asked someone to fix it, but he hasn't come back yet. If you feel too hot, go to another place."

Only state-owned hotels of that era could ask guests to move to another place so casually.

However, if Lin Qiao and Ji Duo had come by themselves, they would have definitely changed their location and made appointments with other people. In those days, there was no phone available for them to temporarily notify the other party to change locations.

"No need, wait for someone." Ji Duo said briefly, and with a quick glance, he found a relatively cool place by the window.

This was a player who didn't even unbutton his shirt in such hot weather. Lin Qiao couldn't stand it so she asked the waiter for a fan.

Just after he sat down and swayed a few times, the person Ji Duo wanted to invite arrived. He looked about the same age as him, wearing a police uniform, and had a small scar under his right eye.

Lin Qiao had never seen this person before, and probably didn't come to the wedding. Sure enough, as soon as he sat down, he asked the waiter for a pot of hot water. While washing the dishes, he said, "I was on a mission and didn't make it to your wedding. I gave you the gift money when I came back. You shouldn't know me, right?"

When he said that, Lin Qiao remembered, "Su Zheng?"

"Yes, it's me." The young man narrowed his eyes and looked at Ji Duo, "It seems

It’s a good thing that I didn’t go, your wife will remember me now.”

Ji Duo didn't say anything, but frowned slightly and glanced at Lin Qiao beside him.

Su Zheng then noticed that Lin Qiao had a fan in her hand, a very large and round cattail leaf fan. However, her wrist was thin and her strength was weak, so the breeze passed through Ji Duo's face intermittently, which was more like tickling him than fanning him.

Isn't Ji Duo annoyed?

You have to know that Ji Duo started school earlier and is one or two years younger than his classmates. Everyone in his class is married now, and he was the only one left who was single.

He only reads it after being introduced to it, and there is no guarantee whether it will be successful or not. Ji Duo didn't even look at him. Once when he was injured and hospitalized, the head nurse wanted to introduce him to a young nurse. She probably kept looking at him and forgot about his hands when changing the dressing, so he immediately called for someone with more flexible hands and feet.

The young nurse's face immediately turned red, and even her eyes were red when she left the ward.

Such a stubborn guy suddenly wants to get married, and it was arranged by his family. He just said "darling" for fun, and I'm really worried that he will be embarrassed by his wife.

Su Zheng quickly changed the subject and asked Lin Qiao, "Has the last issue been resolved?"

"It's solved. Actually, I have to thank you for your help." There was no wine on the table, so Lin Qiao put down her fan and raised the water glass to him.

"It's no big deal. We were planning to arrest people in those days."

Su Zheng waved his hands and wanted to say something, but he caught a glimpse of Ji Duo with a cold look on his face, and he took the fan away directly.

Lin Qiao also thought that the man was hot, so she turned her head to look. The next second, she saw Ji Duo fanning her with an expressionless face. A bigger and stronger breeze passed over him and blew straight towards her.