1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Dong Jianguo knew that Zhang Cunyi was all bark and no bite.

Although he has a good mind for studying, he is really bad at interpersonal relationships and handling affairs, and is simply not presentable.

Otherwise, this guy would have made a name for himself in his past life, and there's no way he wouldn't have any recollection of him.

And just as he expected, with a little pressure, this young man in his early twenties actually cried in front of everyone.

Seeing her nephew's tearful face, the second aunt also felt ashamed.

But since he's his own nephew, I still have to offer some advice:

"Oh, Jianguo, please don't..."

Before she could finish speaking, Dong Jianguo had already let go of her hand.

"Second Aunt, everyone is born of parents, and no one is inherently superior to another. No matter how much you study, it's all for nothing if you don't know how to behave properly."

"If you really want to help Zhang Cunyi, first teach him the principles of being a decent human being."

"Let's go, I'll have someone call a taxi for you two."

"I don't need your help!"

Zhang Cunyi, his eyes wide with shock, wiped away his tears, pushed aside the crowd surrounding him, and walked away without looking back.

Second Aunt looked at her nephew's back, then at Dong Jianguo, her expression complicated.

There is no harm without comparison.

She used to think that her nephew was much better than Dong Jianguo.

He was smart and good at studying. After graduating from university, he became a technician in the factory and his salary far surpassed that of Dong Jianguo.

In comparison, Dong Jianguo is nothing more than a handsome man; there's nothing special about him.

But today, it's quite something! Not only have all these people inside and outside been won over by him, but they're all speaking up for him!

How come I never realized the Dong family elders were so capable before?!

As soon as Zhang Cunyi left, Dong Jianguo didn't stop him, and waved to Erzhuzi:

"Get a taxi for my second aunt..."

"Everyone, stop looking. Everyone has an unlucky relative sometimes. Go get busy..."

Dong Jianguo waved his hand, and the workers poured back into the yard to continue loading eggs onto their tricycles.

Mr. Wang started his truck and drove back to Angxi...

Seeing that things had returned to normal in front of his house, Dong Jianguo didn't sit idle. He pushed his old-fashioned bicycle out of the storage room, nodded to his second aunt who was standing at the door, seemingly wanting to say something, got on his bike, and drove away from home...

……

The chain spun around under my feet, making a "click-clack" sound.

The farce about Zhang Cunyi that just happened is nothing more than a speck of dust in Dong Jianguo's life, something that can be blown away with a breath.

However, as a city located even further north than Ningguta, in late September, the autumn wind in Hecheng felt like a knife, cutting into the flesh through the seams of work clothes, causing excruciating pain.

Turning his head to look at the cars rushing back and forth on the road, Dong Jianguo sighed.

Most of the taxis speeding through the middle of the road are boxy Ladas, with the occasional Xiali or Jetta.

Even though his current car is a 28-inch bicycle, Dong Jianguo still looks down on these cars.

He rode along, lost in thought, and soon arrived at his destination for the day:

Industry and Commerce Bureau.

The dark red three-story building with its gray-white exterior exudes the seriousness of a government-run institution.

Although it can't compare to the new building that was later relocated, it's still considered quite impressive these days.

Dong Jianguo leaned the old-fashioned scooter against a tree in the yard, dusted himself off, and straightened his collar.

Today he also helped unload the eggs, wearing only a set of work clothes and a pair of liberation shoes, looking out of place among the people coming and going in this building.

There weren't many people in the service hall. A few people in business uniforms were sitting behind the counter, drinking tea and chatting while holding enamel mugs.

Dong Jianguo walked to a window that read "Individual Business/Enterprise Registration" and knocked on the glass.

"Comrade, I'd like to ask about setting up a factory."

Behind the counter was a woman in her forties with curly hair and gold-rimmed glasses, plucking her eyebrows with tweezers.

Hearing the sound, she didn't even lift her eyelids. She slowly put down the tweezers, took out a notebook from the drawer, and flipped through it.

"What kind of factory should we build?"

"Hmm, I'm thinking of starting a braised egg factory."

"A braised egg factory?"

The female staff member looked at Dong Jianguo from head to toe as if she'd heard a joke, a hint of disdain in her eyes. "Young man, with that build, you're probably a manual laborer, aren't you?"

Dong Jianguo frowned, but still patiently said, "I'm here to inquire about the procedures."

"formalities?"

The female staff member slammed the notebook on the table, making a "thud" sound.

"Young man, I advise you not to mess around like this. Is starting a factory such an easy thing?"

She pointed at Dong Jianguo's nose, her tone harsh:

"Do you know how many procedures you need to set up a factory these days? How much capital you need? How many technical specifications you need? You're just a young punk, dressed like a beggar, and you dare to come to the Industry and Commerce Bureau saying you want to set up a factory? Are you kidding me?"

Dong Jianguo's face darkened.

Although he wasn't extremely wealthy in his past life, he had seen the world. This female staff member's difficult behavior was clearly a case of treating people differently based on their status.

"Comrade, I'm here to consult on business matters, not to listen to your personal attacks."

"Oh ho, getting impatient?" The female staff member sneered, arms crossed. "Consulting services? Fine, let me explain. First, you need approval from the relevant authorities. Do you have that? No. Second, you need a fixed production site, fire safety approval, and a health permit. Do you have those? I don't think you even have a proper factory building."

She got more and more excited as she spoke, raising her voice by eight octaves, which attracted the attention of the staff at several nearby windows who peeked out to watch the spectacle.

"Besides, your braised eggs are food! Don't you understand food safety? Do you have technicians? Do you have a laboratory? Do you have sewage treatment facilities? You have nothing, yet you want to get a business license? It's ridiculous!"

"Times have really changed; everyone's dreaming of getting rich now! Hurry up and leave, don't keep me from getting back to work!"

Dong Jianguo stood there, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

He took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. It wasn't worth arguing with someone like that.

"Okay, I'll go back and prepare before coming back."

"Prepare? What are you preparing for?!" the female staff member continued relentlessly from behind. "Why don't you take a good look at yourself? You're like a toad trying to eat swan meat!"

Dong Jianguo walked out without looking back.

Just as I reached the entrance of the lobby, I bumped into a young woman carrying a stack of documents.

"oops!"

Documents were scattered all over the floor.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry!" The girl hurriedly squatted down to pick it up.

Dong Jianguo also squatted down to help.

"It's alright, I was just walking too fast," Dong Jianguo said, picking up the trash as he apologized.

The two of them froze the moment they looked up.

The girl in front of me was wearing a light blue summer uniform. Her long hair was tied in a ponytail, her skin was fair, and her eyes were big and somewhat alluring.

She looked surprised:

"Dong...Dong Jianguo?"