Jin Yuanyuan's Top-Tier Life

Chapter 85 Making money is more important than dating

The matchmaking event concluded successfully. Although several couples formed quickly on the spot, whether they ultimately end up together is up to them. In any case, after Zhao Zhuoran paid Jin Yaya for the venue and ingredients, Jin Yuanyuan expressed great satisfaction and hoped for future collaborations.

Zhao Zhuoran was quite pleased, as the results this time were rather good, and he could consider coming again next month. He first set a date with Jin Yuanyuan, then helped with the preparations for a while before driving his small truck away with his people.

Jin Yuanyuan stood on the main road at the entrance, watching Zhao Zhuoran's small truck drive away. For some reason, a trace of regret welled up in her heart. But if she accepted his request, would she really be happy?

She had no answer either.

Because she now really feels that dating is a very complicated thing. At least you always have to accommodate the other person and match their schedule. Wouldn't it be better for you to lie down a little longer?

Cao Xiaoyu went to see Jin Feiyan off on the high-speed train. Before he left, he asked Jin Yuanyuan if she wanted to buy a few more cases of beer and "beggar's chicken" to bring back.

"Why carry it yourself? Why not just have someone deliver it?" Jin Yuanyuan didn't understand his meaning. Cao Xiaoyu looked at her with exasperation. "That way I could take Feiyan for a longer stroll around downtown Hangzhou! That's a perfectly legitimate reason! Don't you even know how to be in a relationship?!"

Jin Yuanyuan stood there speechless, only able to nod and say, "Buy, buy ten cases of beer, one hundred beggar's chickens, five hundred catties of peanuts..."

"Fine, I'll just buy you milk tea and make you fat!" Cao Xiaoyu snorted and drove off with Jin Feiyan.

Jin Yuanyuan opened her mouth again, then turned and went to the kitchen to help Uncle Long and Aunt Long clean up. Uncle Qin was displeased and grabbed Jin Yuanyuan's hand, asking, "Yuanyuan, are all these young people who came today very rich? Do you own a factory like yours?"

"Probably. At least a few of them come from families that manufacture engines."

"Oh." Uncle Qin chuckled. "Even though we make socks, we do make quite a bit of money, don't we?"

"Yeah, the profit is actually not bad. At least we're clean and our socks look pretty." Jin Yuanyuan laughed too, because she heard that those families who make engines, generators, cables and the like can't go to work looking pretty every day. Instead, they have to wash their clothes and spray perfume every day to get rid of that greasy smell.

"Actually, I think that guy surnamed Zhao is not bad. Although he's younger than you, as the saying goes, 'A woman three years older than her is a lucky charm, a woman five years older than her is a lucky charm...'"

"Uncle, don't be like that. Let's earn money first, and then we'll buy you meat to eat." Jin Yuanyuan didn't want to continue this topic. Luckily, her WeChat call came in. It was Liu Xiangyue, a girl whose family was mining at the event, calling her: "Yuanyuan, I'd like to invite you to visit Jin Yaya's sock factory, is that alright?"

"What's there to see at a hosiery factory?" Jin Yuanyuan chuckled. "You're welcome to buy socks anytime. But there's a fee for a visit—the cost of a meal."

"Sure, we can meet up anytime." Liu Xiangyue chuckled. "Is it okay now?"

"Oh? Wait for me a moment, I'm still cleaning up the kitchen." Jin Yuanyuan was a little surprised. She knew about Liu Xiangyue's situation. They were the same age, but the difference was that Liu Xiangyue graduated from Changchun Academy of Fine Arts. Painting, to put it nicely, makes one an artist, but realistically, it's basically impossible to find a suitable job. Although her paintings had won many awards, it seemed that making a lot of money from painting was still a long way off.

Seeing her parents working tirelessly in the mine every day filled her with resentment, but she didn't know what to do. Fortunately, her friend had a good personality, loved making friends, and was funny. She was always active in WeChat groups and had given Jin Yuanyuan a lot of helpful advice.

So, since she made the request and we had just met, it was only natural to take her to the factory for a tour.

Inside Jin Yaya Textile's workshop, colorful threads danced on over a hundred integrated sewing and knitting sock machines, running at full capacity to meet this spring's sock orders, without even stopping on weekends. When people saw Jin Yuanyuan leading a group for a visit, they politely nodded and greeted her.

Liu Xiangyue observed very carefully and asked very detailed questions. This surprised Jin Yuanyuan, who asked, "Do you have something on your mind?"

"Well, actually, I've been researching various industries lately." Although Liu Xiangyue didn't dare touch the equipment, after carefully examining the state-of-the-art sewing and turning sock machine, she still asked, "This machine isn't the latest model, is it?"

"How did you know?" Jin Yuanyuan asked curiously. "The latest model is just too expensive; I couldn't afford it. I only had 400,000 yuan at the time..."

"However, the new machines can double your output, and they'll be smaller. Like this workshop, we can fit twenty more of them." Liu Xiangyue gestured vaguely with her hand, then added confidently, "And they can double your production capacity as well."

"...Wait for my loan..." Jin Yuanyuan mumbled.

"Yuanyuan, to be honest, I didn't come here for a blind date. I came to see you."

"Huh?" Jin Yuanyuan started sweating.

Liu Xiangyue laughed at her embarrassed expression. "Okay, okay, I'm not teasing you anymore. Dating isn't for me. I want to do more things right now, earn more money, and prove to my parents that I'm really not suited for the mine. I want to do something else, and I'm sure I can make money from it too."

"Drawing?" Jin Yuanyuan murmured.

"It's not that easy. Every year, so many art students graduate across the country, but how many of them end up becoming great painters? If you could make money by selling paintings, wouldn't all my classmates be rich? You know they were full of ambition back then, but in the end, most of them went into animation or teaching art, and the lucky ones even opened galleries... Painting requires talent and luck. Now I think I'm lucky to be able to paint, because it gives me more possibilities. For example, I can design sock patterns and try new things."

"Huh?" Jin Yuanyuan was stunned, completely not expecting Liu Xiangyue to say that.

"Let's talk about the current state of the domestic sock industry. How much do you know about it?"

"Datang Socks Industry is number one, we are just a small-scale enterprise..." Jin Yuanyuan felt a sense of nervousness, as if she were being tested by a teacher.

"Yuanyuan, let me put it this way: Datang Socks Industry in Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, boasts the world's most complete sock industry chain and is the world's largest sock production base, accounting for about 35% of global sock production and 65% of China's total. Now, Datang Socks Industry has already embarked on the path of digitalization, and its digital platform has connected thousands of enterprises and hundreds of thousands of sock industry workers. The future development of the sock industry should not be underestimated."

(End of this chapter)