1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Brother-in-law Wang Zhenglong nodded and adjusted his glasses:

"That's right, doing business isn't as simple as everyone thinks."

Take the egg business for example. Any bumps or scratches during transport are considered losses, and you can't even find anyone to compensate you!

Moreover, having goods in stock isn't the key issue; the key issue is how to sell them!

They buy thousands of kilograms of eggs every day and manage to sell them all; Jianguo really should earn that money!

As soon as he took the lead, his elder brother Dong Baoguo and his second elder brother Dong Weiguo nodded in agreement.

As a fellow man, I'm much more sensitive to this issue than just looking at the numbers of profits.

Although the number 80,000 sounds impressive, behind that number lies unseen hardship.

So the two of them gradually let go of their resentment, and their gazes toward Dong Jianguo became more understanding and supportive.

Dong Shaoying rolled her eyes at her husband: "I didn't say my brother shouldn't earn this money, it's just that it's coming too fast, 80,000 a month, I just don't feel at ease!"

"What's there to be uneasy about? I actually think the money is coming in too slowly."

Dong Jianguo was just telling the truth.

He went to Shenzhen early and happened to experience the era of real estate speculation.

To be precise, he personally witnessed how housing prices in Shenzhen's Nanshan District skyrocketed to over 20 yuan per square meter.

It wasn't just Shenzhen; Beijing and Shanghai were similar at that time. Even when he was lying in the hospital on his deathbed, housing prices in prime locations of these top-tier cities remained stubbornly high.

Before, I had no money and no experience, and I was completely clueless.

Now that I've been reborn, I'll save enough money to buy a house in a first-tier city.

When Little Orange grows up, he will pull out a stack of property deeds and ask her where she wants to develop her career in the future.

Forget about overseas.

Women who stay behind have a bad reputation; they have difficulty finding work and husbands after returning home...

"And I don't make 80,000 a month. I include next month's earnings in the calculations beforehand, that's how I have so much money."

"Oh, I see... Hmm? You haven't sold any eggs for next month, and you don't have any money. How can they agree to this?" Dong Shaoying was even more puzzled.

"Forget about furniture and appliances. Delivery is only made upon payment."

"I did pay part of the house price on credit, but I clearly stated in the purchase agreement that if I couldn't pay the remaining amount within a month, the money I had already paid to the original owner would be considered a gift to him..."

"You actually agreed to that?"

"He was hesitant at first, but after I mentioned my older brother's name, he finally agreed!"

"Cough cough cough!"

Upon hearing his younger brother mention his name, Dong Baoguo choked on his beer, which went straight into his trachea.

"No way, why didn't you tell me about something this big?!"

He didn't even bother to wipe his mouth; his face instantly turned extremely ugly.

By doing this, Dong Jianguo is essentially making himself a guarantor!

If he can't pay the remaining balance, won't he, as the older brother, have to foot the bill for his younger brother?!

If we had the money, that would be fine, but the key question is, who knows how much the country owes? What if it can't pay it back?!

Dong Jianguo glanced at his elder brother:

"Don't worry, I will definitely pay you back."

"You... Jianguo, you're such a grown man, how can you still do such unreliable things! You... what am I supposed to say to you?!"

Dong Baoguo pointed at his younger brother, his index finger trembling in the air.

Sister-in-law Liang Qiuyue finally seized the opportunity and chimed in:

"I knew you weren't being kind enough to treat us to sea cucumbers. So you're just passing the buck, hoping I'll vouch for you with a single sea cucumber?!"

"Let me make this clear: no way! Who cares about anyone else these days?! Third brother, don't count on your older brother and me; you're responsible for the mess you created!"

Liang Qiuyue's words were harsh and her voice was loud. For a moment, the two teenagers at the table were so frightened that their faces turned pale. Holding their chopsticks and bowls, they didn't know what to do.

Second sister-in-law Zheng Rui was the first to react. She put a few pieces of meat in each of the two children's bowls and told them to hold their bowls and hide in the bedroom to eat.

After the child left the table, the adults continued their discussion.

The second brother, Dong Baoguo, hesitated before speaking up, remembering how Dong Jianguo had helped him out at the Second Light Industry Market: "Jianguo, how much more do you need? Shouldn't we all help each other out?"

Upon hearing this, Liang Qiuyue, the eldest sister-in-law, frowned deeply and said, "What are you trying to contribute? We don't have any money!"

Zhang Guifen sighed and looked at her son: "Youngest son, what were you thinking... You didn't handle things properly, why don't you apologize to your elder brother and sister-in-law right away!"

"Apologize?"

Dong Jianguo was taken aback and looked at his sister-in-law and elder brother, who were now genuinely angry:

"Shouldn't they thank me? Why should I apologize to them?"

"What did you say?! Jianguo, did you get your head squeezed in a door?!" Dong Baoguo shouted angrily and stood up abruptly.

"Big brother, let me finish. If you're still angry after I finish, do whatever you want, even hit me, I'll accept it."

Just because I'm not showing my power doesn't mean you all think I'm a pushover, right?

Dong Jianguo picked up a piece of meat, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed it before starting to calculate the bill for his family at the table:

"This house was sold to me by a deputy director of the railway bureau. His surname is Wan. He was transferred to the Harbin Railway Bureau half a month ago. He was in a hurry to sell the house because he needed to get the money to buy a house in Harbin. That was the premise."

"Now let's look at the worst-case scenario: what happens if I can't pay the final payment by the due date?"

"Of course you're expecting us to pay off your loan! What else can we do?" Liang Qiuyue rolled her eyes.

"No, I didn't intend to borrow money from you, sister-in-law, please don't worry."

"What did you say?!"

Dong Jianguo was too lazy to pay attention to his sister-in-law. She was already like this before even borrowing money from him. Who knows what kind of monster she would be if he actually borrowed money from her?

"Let me finish speaking! If I can't pay back the money, my down payment was legally and legitimately given to Director Wan. The house will still be his. I'll just have to move the furniture and appliances back to the old bungalow."

"Director Wan suffered no loss whatsoever; in fact, he received an extra sum of money from me. Who do you think he'll attribute this to? Me, Dong Jianguo?"

Wang Zhenglong, the second brother-in-law, figured out the key point and slammed his hand on the table: "It's the eldest brother! He will definitely remember Brother Baoguo!"

Dong Jianguo nodded to his brother-in-law: "That's right. He'll realize this isn't so simple; it's a sign that my brother is trying to curry favor with him! The key is that all of this is reasonable, legal, and compliant!"

"Do you think that when good things happen in the future, the other party will give my older brother priority?"

"Absolutely! Otherwise, he wouldn't feel at ease holding onto this money!"

Wang Zhenglong said with a hearty laugh.

Dong Jianguo looked at his elder brother, who had already turned the corner, and said:

"Of course, even if I pay the money back on time, Director Wan will remember that when he needed money, it was my elder brother's younger brother who bought his house to help him out. If he's not a really bad person, he'll probably be mostly grateful to my elder brother..."

"Brother, is he a really bad person?"

"No, no... Director Wan is a very good person... We all admire him..."

Dong Jianguo nodded and looked at his elder brother, who was about to sit down again:

"Brother, don't sit down yet. I just want to ask, do I still need to apologize to you now?"

"Speak louder! I can't hear you, so I don't miss it!"