Chapter 48 Loan Repayment

When they first got married, Pu Fen and Shen Chengcai enjoyed a few happy days together. However, as time went on, Shen Chengcai's alcoholism became more and more serious, and his carpentry work became worse and worse. After working with his master for a long time, he naturally became disappointed in him.

It's not like I don't have capable disciples on hand, so there's no need to fight to the death with one who's not making any progress.

With less work, naturally there is less income, but the family's expenses will not decrease. On the contrary, because of marriage, having children, and the children going to school when they grow up, the expenses are getting higher and higher every year.

Look at other people's families. Although their lives are hard, they are always moving forward. They save money to buy radios and TVs, and they also convert their bungalows into buildings.

As for their family, they have to worry about daily expenses in the end.

The house is still the same old bungalow. When it rains, it leaks here and there. We have no money to renovate it.

Shen Chengcai wondered how a carpenter and a "master" like him could be doing worse than others.

He didn't try to find the reason within himself, he just felt depressed. In the end, he needed an outlet, and that was his wife.

No matter what this woman said, he would get angry and pick up his fists to hit her.

She keeps nagging all day long. This woman just looks down on me.

Pu Fen had a lot of things on her mind, but she seemed to have figured out nothing. When she returned home in a daze, it was already past lunchtime.

It was a very cold day, but today the sun finally came out. Shen Chengcai moved a chair, a bowl of wine, a bowl of peanuts, and a small stool to sit on.

He drank the wine sip by sip, occasionally putting a peanut into his mouth.

Seeing Pu Fen coming back, Shen Chengcai snorted with a gloomy expression.

"You keep running outside. Are you trying to hook up with some strange man? If so, don't come back!"

"No, there is no such thing as a wild man. I'm going to go see my third sister."

Pu Fen hurried to explain, and looked panicked.

Shen Chengcai nodded, already drunk.

"Isn't she divorced? It's a good time for her to look for a stranger. You can go and look for one with her."

Pu Fen felt very aggrieved.

"No, no, what nonsense are you talking about! Drinking so much will hurt your stomach. I'll cook two dishes for you."

She lowered her attitude and tried to please the head of the family, always thinking that if he was in a good mood, her life would be better.

When neighbors passed by his house and saw the couple, they couldn't help but shake their heads secretly.

A drunkard, a lazy guy, and a fool, it seems impossible to live like this.

…

Pu Xiang sent her second sister away and did not take her coming or what she said to heart.

In the past, she would have advised her second sister, but now, she has given up the idea.

People who want to change don’t need anyone to urge them. When they see an opportunity, they will want to seize it on their own. Look at her sister-in-law, isn’t she a ready-made example?

As for those who don't want to change the status quo at all, even if someone urges them every day, they won't be able to change anything.

In the past, Pu Xiang started a business bit by bit by setting up stalls and selling fast food. When her life became easier and easier, she also thought about asking relatives to help her. Her sister-in-law still listened to the advice, although she did not dare to set up a stall by herself. I want to start my own business, but I am still willing to come out of the village to work.

But her second sister was unwilling at first, and even said that farmers should farm in the village.

If the village had not been demolished, she probably would never have left the village in her entire life.

Pu Xiang didn't think she could change her second sister's ideas, and she didn't have the power to change her.

One has to live one's own life. If she sees that everyone around her is moving forward and getting better, but she is still willing to shrink in her turtle shell, then let her shrink.

At the beginning of the new year, after Pu Xiang earned a large sum of money, he went back to the credit union to find Director Shi to repay the loan.

When Shi Weidong saw Pu Xiang now, he was filled with admiration.

In just a few months, when he looked at Pu Xiang again, it was as if she had become a different person.

"You haven't been back to the village for a long time, right? Uncle Shi Hai came here recently to collect 10,000 yuan and is planning to build a house."

Shi Weidong took the opportunity to gossip with Pu Xiang.

Pu Xiang had already heard these things from Shi Wenya.

"I heard that they are splitting up, so they need to build a building. I am used to living in a building, so living in a bungalow would be uncomfortable, damp and dirty."

Shi Weidong nodded: "Yes, he talked to me for a while and said that he wanted to build a building and leave it for his grandson."

Isn’t that grandson Pu Xiang’s son?

No matter what Shi Weidong's mentality was when he said this, Pu Xiang didn't take it seriously.

Instead of spending a few thousand dollars on building a house, you might as well take the money and wait two years to buy a house in a town or county.

No matter how big and nice the houses in the village are, they will be worthless in the future.

Shi Hai is a smart man, but he is also buried in the village and knows too little about the rapid changes in the outside world.

After paying off the loan, Pu Xiang said to Shi Weidong, "Director Shi, I may have to trouble you again in the future. Please remember any preferential policies for me."

If it were someone else, Shi Weidong would have just treated it as a polite remark, but when Pu Xiang said it, he took it half seriously.

"Okay, if you need any more loans, come to me... You know my office phone number, call me if you need anything."

Feeling free from debt, Pu Xiang went to Mo Yang's wholesale department while in town. While Mo Yang was busy, Mo Jingjing was reading a book in the store.

She asked her father to find all the textbooks for elementary school and is now concentrating on reading them, preparing to skip a grade and go directly to elementary school in the second half of the year.

Even though she has been reborn, she still has to go to elementary school for six years as usual. She really feels that it is a waste of time.

She plans to spend two years getting her primary school diploma.

Pu Xiang originally thought that this was a bit too hasty. She was too young and the school would definitely not agree.

But on second thought, it's only the 1990s, and it's not uncommon for students to skip grades. Unlike later generations, except for those gifted children, it's rare to see students skipping grades.

That's great, everyone has something to do.

Pu Xiang said: "Don't be too tired, eat more good food and exercise every day. Studying is important, but health is also important."

Mo Jingjing smiled at her and stretched out her hand to show the muscles on her arm: "I run with my dad every night now. My dad also found a martial arts master to teach us martial arts."

Pu Xiang: “Ah”

The mouth opened wide.

Mo Jingjing said: "My dad knew that he was implicated and beaten to death by others. It's a pity that he died now. He also asked me to learn it, saying that after learning it, I won't suffer any loss and won't be afraid of being bullied. Aunt Xiangxiang, do you want to learn it too? I think what my dad said makes sense."

Pu Xiang was indeed a little tempted, so she didn't refuse immediately.

"Let me see if I can find time."

The two talked for a while, and Mo Yang finally came back. Pu Xiang saw that the clothes he was wearing were quite clean, and he didn't look like he was just delivering goods.

Mo Yang saw her looking at him, so he answered without asking: "I met a friend a few days ago, and he talked about the brewery. The performance of the brewery has not been very good since last year, so he wanted to buy it."

Pu Xiang knew what was going on as soon as he heard it. It had only started in the 1990s, and next a large number of state-owned factories would either go bankrupt or be sold, and a large number of workers would be laid off.

Some places are already facing such problems, and there are precedents of converting and selling factories.

After thinking for a while, Pu Xiang asked, "Is it your friend who wants to buy it, or does he want to drag you along?"

If it was just someone else's business, she wouldn't want to say anything, but if she wanted to get Mo Yang involved, she felt it necessary to mention it.

Mo Jingjing was a cheat from Mo Yang, but Mo Jingjing was still too young, and she probably didn't understand many things that happened during this period.

Mo Yang did not hide it and said, "He wanted to bring me along. It costs a lot of money to buy a factory. Even if the factory is not doing well now, it is not to the point where it cannot operate at all."

"Do you want to invest in a partnership?"

Pu Xiang didn't beat around the bush. "I don't think now is the best time. If you have an idea, you can wait a little longer."

She might not know about other factories, but she happened to know about the brewery.

Their local rice vinegar comes from a brewery, and its taste is different from the aged vinegar in the north. The export volume cannot be increased, and the market has not been opened up. After several decades, it is only sold locally.

The soy sauce and rice wine produced in the factory were also not well-known. In the end, the factory was supported by the profits of rice vinegar.

If she spent a large sum of money to buy the factory, it would definitely not be a good deal. Moreover, she remembered that it would take another five or six years to restructure the brewery, so the factory would not go bankrupt for the time being.

On the other hand, Pu Xiang is really not optimistic about the partnership.

Rather than investing in a factory that is doomed to fail, it is better to use the money to buy a house or a shop first.

When the time comes, you can use these things to get a loan to invest in a factory or do something else.

There is only a little over a year left before this money starts to inflate, so it is best to turn as much of this money as possible into assets.

Mo Yang didn't seem particularly interested in buying the factory, and said, "There's no rush for this, I'm just going to take a look today."

The main reason was that the other party's relationship with him was not that serious. When the other party approached him and said nice things, what he meant was that Mo Yang was the main person, and the other party just followed along to make some money.

This sounds wrong. If there is a business that can really make money, who would give it to others?

If you say you don't have enough money, you can ask Mo Yang to come and make some money. By then, the operation and management of the factory will have nothing to do with Mo Yang. You can just get dividends every year, and Mo Yang will still trust you.

When Pu Xiang heard that Mo Yang had no such plan, he stopped asking about it. Instead, he remembered another thing.

Now that the factory's performance has begun to deteriorate, more and more people will take unpaid leave from their jobs and start their own businesses.

If you want to do something, this is the right time to poach people.

Pu Xiang said: "If you want to buy a factory, you might as well build one yourself. Factories that rely on machines and people for operation require too much investment and may not work. But I think a brewery is feasible. The rice vinegar brewing I know is a traditional handmade process that does not require machines or many people. If we can recruit a few veteran brewers from the brewery, it will be enough."

Mo Yang's expression didn't change, and Pu Xiang stopped talking.

It seems that people have already thought of it.

The two of them had a good understanding. Mo Yang turned around and talked about something else: "My wholesale department is looking to hire someone to deliver goods. Do you have a suitable candidate? If you can do it, come and give it a try."

Mo Yang's parents died early, and he no longer has any contact with most of his family members. As for his ex-wife's family, it is estimated that now that Mo Jingjing is around, they are unlikely to have any contact with them in the future.

Pu Xiang thought about it and felt that her second brother-in-law was actually a candidate, but she would not introduce anyone here. A drunkard would be too inappropriate.

When the relationship of brother-in-law and sister-in-law is added, who knows what kind of evil this man will do.

"I don't have many candidates here. You can hire one. It's troublesome to hire relatives or friends. If they don't do a good job, I won't be able to say anything or refuse to take the blame."

In the afternoon, Pu Xiang returned to her shop and prepared to go out to look for a new store.

Yang Xiaoling, who had become a frequent customer here, suddenly came over and looked unhappy.

Pu Xiang was about to go out, so she pulled her along: "Come with me to look at the store... What's wrong with your expression? Is your ex-husband bothering you? Or is some shameless person bothering you?"

Yang Xiaoling suppressed her anger and said, "It was that shameless man who made things difficult for my dad in the factory. He was always looking for trouble. My dad was asked to work overtime with him. He was so tired that he fell on the way home yesterday. Fortunately, he didn't break any bones, just a little skin. I was thinking, let my dad sell his job in the factory."