1994: Starting with unpaid leave

After my brother's family left, the meal became much more enjoyable.

After a satisfying meal, the elders chatted idly at the dining table in the living room.

The older sister, Dong Shaoying, the second sister-in-law, Zheng Rui, and Xiuyun were cleaning up the dishes in the kitchen.

Dong Jianguo, his second brother, and his brother-in-law were smoking on the balcony with the window open.

Feeling his second brother keep glancing at him, Dong Jianguo couldn't help but squint and ask, "Second brother, is there something dirty on my face?"

"No, it's just that you seem to have changed a lot..."

"Doing business is very demanding on one's character."

Dong Weiguo shook his head: "That's not what I meant. I remember that no matter how dissatisfied you were with your sister-in-law before, you wouldn't easily show it..."

Dong Jianguo smiled and said, "I just think that sometimes it's not bad to put aside personal ethics and be a bad guy in life."

Dong Weiguo: ...

Wang Zhenglong: ...

"Take you, Second Brother, for example. You usually keep everything to yourself and won't say a word until you've had three bottles of wine."

"You're so considerate of other people's feelings, but who cares about your own?"

"We only have so many resources at home. If you keep quiet, do you expect your parents to constantly be asking you questions?"

Dong Weiguo was stunned, staring at his younger brother without saying a word.

Wang Zhenglong patted Dong Weiguo on the shoulder and comforted him:

"Actually, I don't think Jian Guo did anything wrong this time. If he can't even tear off the mask of civility in business, then he won't be able to do business for long."

"Um."

Dong Weiguo nodded as he recalled his chance encounter with his younger brother at the Second Light Industry Market.

Regardless of whether this change will lead to more controversy, at least it will ensure that we don't suffer losses.

Moreover, seeing his sister-in-law get the short end of the stick this time, although it was somewhat underhanded, he also felt a secret sense of satisfaction...

The three men smoked and chatted casually.

My brother-in-law, Wang Zhenglong, is a teacher at Hecheng No. 1 Middle School. He has a permanent position, the kind of job with a stable income regardless of circumstances. His biggest worry is simply not being able to be recognized as an outstanding teacher.

Dong Jianguo had always wanted to repay his brother-in-law, so he suggested sending him a gift to settle the matter.

Wang Zhenglong simply nodded with a wry smile, as if there was something else going on.

Compared to my brother-in-law, my second brother has bigger problems.

The First Machine Tool Factory... no, to be precise, the entire factory in Hecheng was in dire straits.

The factory can't operate, and the workers can't get their wages.

There have even been egregious cases of smuggling and reselling machine tools...

"Our workshop has also received a notice that we will be on a long holiday starting next month... We are told to wait at home for further notice regarding when we will resume work."

Hearing his second brother say this, Dong Jianguo was taken aback:

"Does your sister-in-law know?"

Dong Weiguo remained silent, but then sipped half a cigarette in one go.

Dong Jianguo squinted at his second brother, knowing that his old habit had relapsed and he planned to secretly keep quiet about the matter.

But how long can one person endure the growing pains of an era?

"Second brother, it's not a big deal. Every factory is like this now. It's just that the current environment is different from before. You can make a living doing anything. But I think you should talk to your wife about this first."

Wang Zhenglong nodded: "That's right, we're all family. It's best not to hide this kind of thing. If my sister-in-law finds out, it will affect our relationship."

Dong Weiguo frowned: "Let me think about what to do next before I talk to Zheng Rui."

"How about you come sell eggs with me? Second brother, I asked the coworker who helps me sell eggs to find a place to rent a tin shed..."

Dong Jianguo briefly explained the previous plan, and that three people had already found locations and opened for business.

Judging from their purchase volume, their business should be doing quite well.

"Second brother, you should set up a shed too, and get your goods from me every day. I'll pay you the wholesale price, and you'll have whatever you need..."

"That won't do, you still owe someone rent..." Dong Weiguo shook his head, really not wanting to take advantage of his younger brother.

"I'll think about it some more. If there's really no other way, then I'll work for you."

Seeing that his second brother insisted, Dong Jianguo didn't say anything more.

"Jianguo, come here for a moment."

He heard a voice behind him, and when he turned around, he saw his second aunt standing on the porch waving at him.

After walking over, the second aunt pulled him into the second bedroom.

That wasn't all. Then the old lady carefully closed the door tightly, turned around, and wiped away her tears.

Her actions startled Dong Jianguo:

"Auntie, what's wrong? Did my uncle hit you?"

Second Aunt shook her head before speaking:

"Jianguo, I need your help."

"Oh, Second Aunt, please don't say that! As long as it's within my capabilities, let alone one, five or ten wouldn't be a problem!"

"Oh, good boy, that's exactly what I wanted to hear!" Aunt Er's face brightened with joy, and she patted Dong Jianguo's arm.

"Do you remember him? My nephew, Cunyi, the one who worked as a technician at the Second Factory after graduating from university!"

Dong Jianguo was taken aback, squinted his eyes and thought for a long time before he remembered a figure.

Zhang Cunyi is the second aunt's nephew. After graduating from university, he was assigned to the Second Factory as a technician.

As far as I can remember, every time I saw him before, this kid always held his head high and looked down on people. You could feel the arrogance emanating from him as soon as you got close.

However, as a college graduate from the late 80s, he certainly had reason to be arrogant.

Dong Jianguo had little recollection of what happened to him afterward.

He nodded. "I remember, is he involved in this?"

Aunt Er nodded: "Yes, yes, doesn't Cunyi work at the Second Factory?"

"Their factory isn't doing well these days, but I see your egg business is booming and seems to be making a lot of money. Look..."

Dong Jianguo nodded: "Sure, let him come to my place to get eggs. I'll give him 200 jin a day at cost price to try it out first. If it sells well, I'll give him more."

After all, the initial relationship was arranged with the help of the second uncle, and now that the second aunt has brought it up, it's time to show our attitude.

But Second Aunt shook her head:

"Oh, Jianguo, that's not what I meant."

"I was thinking, you've recently made contact with other farms, right? Why don't you transfer the relationships with those farms that your second uncle helped you with back to Cunyi, so he can sell from home like you do..."

"Do you think this is okay?"

Dong Jianguo blinked and stared blankly at his smiling second aunt.

He knew that if he agreed, his second aunt's request would take away nearly one-third of his supply.

In addition, the workers in the warp knitting factory who rely on their jobs for a living will also be affected.

"Does my second uncle know about this?"

"I already told him, but that old man is as thin-skinned as toilet paper and absolutely refused to ask you to ask. So in the end, I had to swallow my pride and come here to tell you."

"Jianguo, what do you think about this? If it's okay, it's okay; if it's not okay, it's not okay. Child, give your aunt a straight answer. Don't make things difficult for yourself just because your uncle helped you!"

Upon hearing what Aunt Er said, Dong Jianguo instantly understood what she meant.

I wanted to refuse, but I couldn't bring myself to say it.

Second Aunt and Eldest Sister-in-law are different.

My sister-in-law may have been critical, but my second uncle had genuinely helped me.

After thinking about this, he finally nodded:

"Second Aunt, please give me Cunyi's address first, and then give me a week to prepare."

"After next week, I'll have the drivers from those four farms deliver the goods directly to Cunyi's house. Is that alright with you?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Erda hugged Dong Jianguo tightly, tears welling up in her eyes: "Oh, my good child! I knew your second uncle and I hadn't spoiled you for nothing!"