Five years of marriage, always separated [1970s]

The partner admired Ye Fan's sharpness and couldn't help but smile, confessing that his parents were from the hometown of Confucius and Mencius.

Ye Fan was not surprised at all, and asked again: "There are many mainland people in Hong Kong, right?"

The partner nodded: "Like the restaurant we just visited, 80% of the owners and waiters are from the mainland who came to Hong Kong before and after the founding of the People's Republic of China."

An employee asked: "The two waiters just now were in their twenties. Judging from the time, wouldn't they be from the mainland three generations ago?"

Partner: "Maybe their parents were born in the mainland, and they didn't move to Hong Kong until they were seven or eight years old with their grandparents."

Employees are confused: "My parents are from the mainland, and they still look down on us?"

Partner: "Yes. I don't understand what they think. To be honest, my sister and brother are the same as them. I thought they would change, but after graduating from university, they even looked down on Hong Kong and wanted to settle abroad."

Ye Fan: "Although prices abroad are cheap, it is very expensive to live a good life. Ordinary college graduates who have just graduated can only guarantee that they will not starve to death when they go abroad. If they want to live as comfortably as in Hong Kong, they need your financial support, right?"

The partner was convinced: "I can't hide anything from you." He sighed, "My parents dote on them too much, which makes me very tired."

Ye Fan: "Life in Hong Kong is convenient, and your career is also in Hong Kong. If you were asked to return to the mainland, you would be reluctant and uncomfortable. They are not worth giving up everything for. In my opinion, you can only cut off ties with your parents."

The partner just shook his head.

Ye Fan: "I haven't finished yet. Your parents are under 60 years old, right? They can take care of themselves, and your brothers and sisters are by their side, so you don't have to worry about the elderly suddenly getting sick and no one calling an ambulance. Cut off contact with them for five years. Your parents are old and need someone to take care of them, so it's not too late to reconcile with them later."

Five years is enough for the younger brothers and sisters to accept their fate - to think that the eldest brother cannot be relied upon. The partner asked: "What if my parents hate me?"

Ye Fan smiled and said, "No! Your brothers and sisters can't give them a worry-free old age, and your parents will think that the eldest son is reliable. After five years, your parents dare not interfere in your life, because they will worry that you will abandon them again."

The partner is filial and still reluctant to leave his parents after hearing this.

Ye Fan: "Your wife has a share of your property. Does she have any objection to your brother and sister asking you for money? Your wife has no objection now, maybe she just doesn't want to make a fuss. Even a clay man has three tempers."

The only female employee in the back row couldn't help but say, "Sister Fan is right. My eldest uncle took care of his younger siblings too much, and my aunt couldn't stand it anymore. The day after their youngest child got married, my aunt asked for a divorce from my uncle."

Ye Fan couldn't help but look back. The female employee was afraid that she would misunderstand, so she quickly explained: "It's not about taking care of my family. My eldest uncle is the eldest, my mother is the second, and there are three younger brothers and sisters. My eldest uncle takes good care of them. My mother also takes good care of them. Because my youngest uncle is lazy and slacking off, my mother wanted to bring my cousin to our house, and my father had a big fight with my mother."

Ye Fan: "Where's your aunt?"

"She left because she couldn't make it." The female employee didn't blame her aunt for being ruthless. "If my younger uncle died, my father would definitely support my mother in taking my cousin home and would treat her as his own daughter. My older aunt had the same idea and advised my mother not to interfere. My mother was soft-hearted, so after I stayed in the capital and my room became vacant, she took my younger cousin home. Because my cousin lived and went to school at my house, my younger uncle would go there every few days, saying he was visiting his daughter, but in fact he was asking for money from my family."

There was one thing the female employee didn't say. Last year, everyone bought a house, but she couldn't afford one near the company, so she went to buy a house near the countryside because her home no longer felt like home.

Ye Fan: "Your father and your mother are also terrible."

"I tried to persuade my dad, but he was reluctant to divorce my mom. My uncle took all the money away, and it was his own fault."

Ye Fan heard something: "Are you an only child?"

The female employee said “hmm”, “Both of them work and have no time to take care of me. My grandfather passed away early, and my grandmother couldn’t take care of too many grandchildren by herself. After I was born, my grandmother advised my mother not to have more children, but my mother was not happy. She thought that my uncle had two sons, but she didn’t have any, and my grandmother couldn’t bear to see her do well.” Speaking of her own family affairs, the female employee was more annoying than Ye Fan’s partner, “Her brain, I sometimes wonder if she is lacking in intelligence in some way.”

Ye Fan wanted to laugh: "Mental retardation? It's possible. Mental retardation does not mean stupidity. Not listening to advice, not being able to distinguish between good and bad, is also considered a lack of intelligence."

Ye Fan's partner has always believed that a harmonious family brings prosperity and that harmony brings wealth. After hearing so much, he suddenly became afraid that in a few years, he would have everything from luxury houses to luxury cars, and become a big shot in the Hong Kong tech circle, and his family would fall apart.

By then, your wife, children and the elderly will all hate you, so what’s the point of making more money?

The partner decided to give his parents and younger siblings a chance, and if they were greedy, they shouldn't blame him for being rude. Thinking of this, the partner sighed: "Every family has its own problems."

The female staff member asked, "Is there any at Fanjie's house?"

Ye Fan: "How is that possible? But in my family, apart from my mother-in-law, everyone is either at work or at school, so there is no time for trouble."

The partner asked, "Is your mother-in-law making a fuss?"

"My mother-in-law is my husband's stepmother. She has no sons and relies on us for her old age, so she doesn't dare to make trouble. She has a pension and can use the money easily. She can do whatever she wants when I'm not at home. She lives a comfortable life and doesn't think of making trouble."

The female employee couldn't help but say, "You haven't met the kind of people who like to make trouble for no reason. My aunt's mother-in-law is like this. When she stir-fried vegetables, she said my aunt abused her. When she made braised pork, she complained that my aunt didn't know how to manage her life and mocked her, saying that you are the boss." Speaking of this, the female employee's scalp tingled. "My aunt is also hard to describe. She came back crying when she was wronged. My dad asked her to leave her but she refused. If my dad suddenly passed away one day, it would be these people who annoyed me."

Ye Fan: "Your aunt kicked the old woman out, but she still dares to do that?"

"She went to my aunt's workplace to curse her."

Ye Fan said: "Give her two slaps, or break her legs and send her to the hospital immediately. The police will definitely treat it as a fight between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law."

The three employees in the back row were all shocked.

The partner said, "Your mother-in-law is a troublemaker. She wouldn't dare to do anything even with a daughter-in-law like you."

Ye Fan smiled and didn't respond.

Before the customs clearance, Ye Fan reminded her partner again to help her keep an eye out for foreign machines. The partner thought it was better to buy than to make, because he could only get machines that were discarded by the factory.

Ye Fan said seriously that obsolete ones would be fine. If she couldn't produce cutting-edge components, she would produce outdated ones. Not every household in the mainland could afford the latest models of televisions, radios and other household appliances.

The partner thought that the domestic market was huge and Ye Fan would not lose money if she bought the machine, so he said he would ask for her later.

Ye Fan finally reminded: "It may be difficult to buy the whole machine, so remind the seller to disassemble it for customs clearance."

The partner couldn't help but ask, "Why do foreigners keep the discarded items if they don't sell them?"

Ye Fan: "Maybe they're worried that I'll take over the low-end market after I make it."

"They want to take over the entire market? Aren't they afraid of being eaten to death?"

Ye Fan: "Have you forgotten that the foreigners burned the things they couldn't take away and didn't leave them to us? Maybe those foreigners are still alive. It's hard for their descendants not to be like them."

The partner recalled the things before liberation: "They might throw it into the water rather than sell it to you. I'll find a few more. There are people reselling state-owned materials in the mainland, and I don't believe there are none abroad. People in capitalist countries love money more than we do."

Ye Fan: "As long as it's not too high a price, you can decide the price."

The partner asked, "Do you want to produce your own computers in the future?"

Ye Fan did not answer directly: "If you plan to set up a factory in the mainland, I will buy anything I need from you in the future. However, I suggest going to Hangzhou, where I know people."

"No one will dare to bully me over there?"

Ye Fan: "If nothing unexpected happens, he should be transferred back to the city when your factory is established. By the way, he has been working in the Organization Department since he graduated from university. If you don't know what the Provincial Organization Department does, you can ask your parents."

The partner returned to the company just in time to receive a call from his parents asking him to have dinner. The partner called his wife, and she gave several excuses, in short, she was busy. The partner was very unhappy, and suddenly thought of Ye Fan's words, suspecting that his wife didn't want to see his brother and sister.

I don't want to see him now, but I wonder if he will divorce her like the aunt of Ye Fan's female employee, and then his children will hate him. It's not impossible.

The partner went over alone and took the opportunity to ask his father if he had heard of the Provincial Organization Department. His father asked in shock if he actually knew anyone in the Organization Department.

The partner knew that Ye Fan had not lied to him, so he made up an excuse and said that he heard the story from someone at lunch in the restaurant. He did not mention Ye Fan at all. He was just worried that his brother and sister would guess that he had a partner and that business was good this year, so they would ask him for money.

Unfortunately, Dabao and Erbao were both at school on the day Ye Fan arrived in the capital, so she piled the things she bought in Dabao's room, and then delivered the gifts she bought for the employees to him.

When I arrived at the company, Ye Fan first gave out wages and bonuses, and then gifts. In the past, Ye Fan would give out food because it was cheap. He had made money in the past two years, so he didn't need to be stingy. In addition, he also sold some small software during this trip to Hong Kong, earning hundreds of thousands of yuan, so he gave male employees ties, wallets, and lighters, and female employees handbags, perfumes, and skin care products.

It is not a very expensive item, nor is it a cheap product. It is affordable for them with their wages, and no one would suspect it is fake, so no one is dissatisfied.

The head of the R&D team asked, "Sister Fan, when are we going to go out and play?"

Ye Fan: "At the end of next year, we will spend the Spring Festival outside. You should make arrangements in advance."

The team leader just asked casually, but he couldn't help but exclaimed: "Really!?"

Ye Fan nodded: "You can bring your family members, but you have to pay for their food, lodging and travel expenses."

As if they were afraid that Ye Fan would go back on his word, everyone immediately said that he had no family members.

Ye Fan: "Do you want me to introduce you guys?"

Everyone said no, because many of their classmates were in the capital, and if they wanted to find a partner, they could look for alumni. They were probably not worthy of the people Ye Fan knew.

Climbing up would be very hard.

These people who are used to freedom can't stand the thought of acting like grandsons in front of their father-in-law.

Ye Fan: "Then keep warm. I won't be here for the next few days."

As soon as he got home, Ye Fan went to the bathhouse.

The next day, Ye Fan went to his new home, which had already had a suspended ceiling. Ye Fan asked Chen Xiaohui to buy a lot of mahogany furniture and asked a carpenter from Yujia Village to rebuild it.

The antique display cabinet, bed and wardrobe in the main room are all ready, the back room has not yet been moved on, and the furniture for the wing rooms is being made.

Ye Fan gave them the wages and the money the workers had advanced to him and went to Chang Guangrong's store.

Chang Guangrong was not in the store but at home, so Ye Fan planned to go to his house. His wife asked Ye Fan to sit down and have a rest, and she went out to call Chang Guangrong.

There was no snow on the road today, so Chang Guangrong came quickly on a motorcycle.

Ye Fan went to the door and looked at the brand new motorcycle. He sighed, "It's just flesh wrapped in iron."

"It's okay to ride slowly." Chang Guangrong took off his gloves and asked how many days it had been since he came back. Without waiting for Ye Fan to answer, he seemed not to care about her answer and said, "If you don't come to see me, I will have to come to see you in two days."

Ye Fan: "What happened?"

"Good news!" Chang Guangrong poured some hot water into the cup and covered his hands. "Recently, someone asked me to do OEM for them. Have you ever heard of OEM?"

Ye Fan nodded: "There are many factories in Yangcheng that specialize in OEM."

Chang Guangrong's uncertain mood finally came to an end: "It's good that you know. Do you think it's okay?"

"Not now. We have too few workers. When the factory is completed next year, there will be dozens of people in one workshop. If there are two or three workshops, one can be freed up to take external orders. But half of the deposit must be paid."

The other party had not mentioned a deposit, and Chang Guangrong was worried that the other party could not give so much: "Half of the deposit can almost cover the cost, right?"

Ye Fan nodded: "We don't expect to make money from OEM, so there's no need to put ourselves at risk. If they think the deposit is too high, let them find someone else."

Chang Guangrong: "They didn't want to find anyone else, and chose me as their OEM because they saw that my sportswear was of good quality."

Ye Fan suspected that the other party's purpose was to acquire "Rongguang Clothing". However, Chang Guangrong's company had just started, and it had sold less than 2,000 sets in total, so it was not worth it for his peers to use this method to defend against him.

Ye Fan: "Then we should be more aggressive and ask for a 70% deposit."

Chang Guangrong was stunned: "I, do I mean this?"

"Of course you're not. You think you can get a lower deposit because you've been recognized by your peers, because they have such good vision." Ye Fan rolled his eyes unceremoniously, "Mr. Chang, you're doing business, not earning fame. Besides, have you ever thought that he's complimenting you in order to get a lower price?"

Chang Guangrong was flattered by the other party and had never thought about this. "I, I have thought about it, so I didn't dare to agree directly. I said that the factory is not mine alone, and I need to discuss it with you."

Ye Fan asked: "How much is one set?"

"No discussion." Less than a year after the company opened, someone came to them to do OEM. Chang Guangrong was very happy but also panicked, which made him feel that it was unrealistic and he was afraid of being cheated, so he did not agree to anything and waited for Ye Fan to come back and make the decision.

Ye Fan: "Add 20% to the factory price. If they think it's too expensive, change it to 10%, it can't be lower."

"You mean if we sell one set for 100 yuan, we should give him the factory price of 120 yuan?"

Ye Fan nodded: "Once they think that our sportswear is competing with theirs for the market and they undercut us with low prices, we will be powerless to fight back."

Chang Guangrong frowned and asked, "We only have a few people in our factory. How can we compete with them? It's impossible, right?"

"But clothing is easy to make. You are inconspicuous now, but if you hire a few dozen workers next spring and advertise on TV, you may be able to take over half of the capital market by the end of the year." Ye Fan said, "Besides, they can find you, which means they know you and they must have guessed that you have money for advertising."

Chang Guangrong suddenly felt horrified: "You're checking my background just because I'm talented? That's too scary. If my factory has hundreds of people like a state-owned enterprise, do I still need to hire two bodyguards to prevent assassination and kidnapping?"

Ye Fan nodded.

Chang Guangrong took a breath and said, "——How come it's even more terrifying than the business wars on TV?"

"The business war tactics on TV are mild. The reality is simple, crude and illogical." Ye Fan said, "My company is not conspicuous now, and other people can also make the things I make. If I have something that others don't, I will also need bodyguards when I travel."

Chang Guangrong couldn't help but feel lucky that there were few workers and no one would touch him for the time being: "What if he simply thinks my sportswear is good?"

"Why not make money if you have it? If you talk about feelings with him, he will think you are gullible. Besides, do you know where he is from and how many people are in his family? You should just speak to him."

Chang Guangrong didn’t know.

Ye Fan: "Even if you and him have similar interests in the future, you can't lower the price just because of your relationship."

Chang Guangrong's wife couldn't help but tell him to listen to Ye Fan, and then said, "Sister Fan will get a commission for helping Dabao buy couplets."

Ye Fan nodded, "Everyone knows that I distinguish between public and private matters, so no matter who asks me to wholesale clothing, they never think of playing the emotional card with me." He paused, "You are not decisive enough, and you care about face, so your business will not last long. By the way, who of your two friends is more powerful?"

Chang Guangrong: "The three of us are similar. If you want to talk about who is more stubborn, I'd say Dazhi."

"Ask him to talk next time. Push the things you are embarrassed to talk about to him. If you encounter Jin Dazhi and it is difficult for him to deal with him in the future, push it to you. If your relatives see that the garment factory is rising and want to get a piece of the pie, push it to me." Ye Fan said.

Chang Guangrong said as if waking from a dream: "I am not worried anymore."

Ye Fan smiled: "Have you seen Xiao Ming recently?"

Chang Guangrong: "I went to Xiushui store a few days ago and asked him how business was going. He said he had to go to the south in a few days and the goods that were originally planned to be sold by the end of the year were almost sold out."

Ye Fan was surprised: "So fast?"

"It's fashionable and of good quality. I heard a few people asking about the source of goods when I got there." Chang Guangrong was stunned for a moment, his expression complicated: "Xiao Ming said he didn't know. I didn't pay attention to it at the time. Now think about it, he goes there often, how could he not know? This old guy has learned a lot!"

(End of this chapter)