1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Back in the bedroom, Dongjiang saw Xiuyun frowning and looking angry on the bed, and patted her shoulder with a smile:

"My second sister is gone... That's just the kind of person she was, there's no need to be like her."

"Why does she have the right to be that kind of person?!" Xiuyun pouted, clearly still angry.

Dong Jianguo smiled wryly: "Never mind, even if my second sister isn't the best, I still feel she's better than my sister-in-law..."

Upon hearing this, Xiuyun's previously tense face broke into a smile.

Recently, my sister-in-law somehow found out that Dong Jianguo had brought down Director Jiang of the Passenger Transport Section of the Hecheng Railway Bureau, so she came to visit us with fruit.

Before they could even exchange a few words, he asked Dong Jianguo to use his connections to get his older brother, Dong Baoguo, to put in a good word for him.

Strictly speaking, Xiuyun felt that her sister-in-law and second sister were just as unreliable and whimsical as her second sister...

When did promotions and raises in the railway system become something only the women's husbands could decide?!

Seeing his wife's face brighten, Dong Jianguo chuckled and went to bed.

He naturally pulled his wife's legs onto his body and gently massaged her slightly swollen legs.

Dong Jianguo asked the doctor, who said that edema is quite common in pregnant women in their late stages of pregnancy.

But he still couldn't help feeling a little heartache.

"Jianguo, you said before that you would pay to buy Angxi's farm... Is this a reliable thing? I still feel uneasy about it now."

Xiuyun hasn't been idle lately either. Under Tian Lina's guidance, she has read many books on accounting and finance, and has also studied a lot of cases related to business acquisitions.

However, the book not only lists success stories, but also many failure stories.

Although the accounts of the two farms seemed fine, it was the first time I had experienced it firsthand, so I was inevitably a little worried.

"Don't worry, Secretary Guo has treated me well. Hongqi Farm and Bayi Farm are the two farms that I've been cooperating with the longest, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Moreover, after the acquisition, our factory can purchase both eggs and chicken feet at lower prices, which is a good thing for reducing production costs."

Dong Jianguo had thought it through very clearly.

As a food factory, once you have your own source of goods, you have enough leverage to negotiate prices with other suppliers.

Right now, we have to go out of our way to give gifts to our suppliers as a token of appreciation. But once we have our own two farms, the situation will completely change...

Most importantly, Dong Jianguo felt that both Secretary Guo of Hongqi Farm and Secretary Gao of Bayi Farm were good people and honest people.

Therefore, after acquiring the two farms, Dong Jianguo plans to hand them over to them for management, which will save him a lot of trouble.

"The workers who started by selling eggs with us have all made some money now. When we have a farm, we can wholesale surplus chickens and other processed chickens to them. This business is sure to make a profit. The brothers who followed us from the beginning will also be able to earn more money."

"That's fine then..."

Since her husband had spoken, Xiuyun didn't say anything more.

The changes in the family over the past six months have been visible to the naked eye, and she naturally supports Dong Jianguo's decision.

"Honey, there's something else I need to ask you. How are you planning to spend the Spring Festival this year?"

Upon hearing Dong Jianguo mention this, Xiuyun couldn't help but roll her eyes at her husband:

"You have the nerve to say that? It's all your fault! Look at the time you chose to have it pulled out. If you had pulled it out earlier, you wouldn't have had to go to the hospital during the Lunar New Year..."

"Don't talk nonsense. I don't even know who was holding me and preventing me from moving back then..."

"Oh dear, you still dare to say that!"

Xiuyun blushed instantly.

After all, it's perfectly normal for a young couple to be unable to control their emotions.

The only problem is that the due date is really bad, as it coincides with the Lunar New Year.

"If you ask me, we shouldn't visit anyone's house this year. We should just stay at the hospital and wait patiently. If she really gives birth, we'll take her straight to the delivery room..."

Xiuyun shook her head: "Isn't that a bit inappropriate? In previous years, we spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day at your older brother's house. If we don't go this year, it will seem like we look down on them after making money... Won't your parents and your older brother's family complain then?!"

"And I heard from the doctor that first-time mothers like me usually don't have a smooth delivery; they can be in labor for several hours. Going to my parents' place... should be fine, right?!"

"Come on, give me a break! It'll be chaotic during the New Year, who's going to care?! Anyway, we have money now, it's not a bad thing to stay in the hospital for a couple more days!"

"As for my parents, I'll go talk to them in person!"

Dong Jianguo switched his wife's legs and continued massaging them.

Xiuyun couldn't help but speak up:

"So, how much do you think would be appropriate for the two companies this year?"

Every year during Chinese New Year, giving parents red envelopes and gifts is the main event.

However, the two of them were short of money and couldn't offer anything decent, so they were naturally ridiculed by their siblings and felt ashamed.

But this time things are different. Crane Flavor Food Factory is doing well and has plenty of money in its accounts. Dong Jianguo felt it was time to "give back" to his family.

However, there are some rules to follow when giving gifts.

If I give too little, it might upset my siblings.

If I give too little, my parents will probably complain.

Most importantly, Xiuyun was worried that if she gave money to Jianguo's parents, the money would likely end up in her sister-in-law's pocket.

The situation back home wasn't much better, as my brother-in-law and his wife, who were obsessed with stock trading, were also eyeing the market.

How many gifts to give this year is really a difficult question...

Knowing his wife liked to overthink, Dong Jianguo shook his head:

"There's no such thing as a sugarcane that's sweet at both ends! If you want to make your parents happy, don't worry about what other family members think..."

If you ask me, whether it's my parents or your parents, give each of them 10,000 yuan, so that the four elderly people can experience what it's like to be a "ten-thousand-yuan household"!

"And your sister-in-law and my second sister..."

"We'll see when the time comes. If the elders really give them the money, there's nothing we can do to stop them..."

Dong Jianguo sighed.

He felt like he was hopelessly hopeless, yet he had no choice but to watch his parents try to help him...

After we finished talking about family matters, we still had things to discuss at the factory.

The Chinese New Year is important to everyone, especially to factory workers.

Everyone followed the couple around busily, hoping to earn money to support their families, but they also wanted to give them something to look forward to on such an important traditional festival!

Moreover, this year is the first Spring Festival since the factory opened, so we have to make it look like the Spring Festival.

The factory is still small, and Xiuyun is about to have a baby. According to Dong Jianguo, there's no point in thinking about holding an annual meeting this year.

After discussing it, the couple decided that, in addition to giving each of the factory's more than fifty employees an extra month's salary, each person would also receive ten kilograms of pork ribs as a New Year's bonus...