1994: Starting with unpaid leave

After lunch, Jianguo told his family not to touch the machines he had brought back, and then hurriedly went out to look for a suitable factory.

The key to doing business is to reduce costs and increase efficiency.

If you can produce the same product at a lower cost than others, that's a definite advantage.

So this time, Dong Jianguo didn't wander around the city center; instead, he rode his bicycle south.

After passing the Yong'an Overpass, I rode all the way to the intersection of Hefu Highway and He'ang Highway before stopping.

This area was once a densely populated area of ​​tertiary industry companies/factories of large state-owned factories in Heqi.

However, with economic transformation, the situation of large state-owned factories in the city has become increasingly severe, and the situation of small factories here is even worse.

Along the way, large areas of factories were shut down or closed.

Apart from the old gatekeeper, it was hard to see anyone.

After visiting seven or eight places, Dong Jianguo finally settled on a courtyard facing the street, a typical example of a factory in the back and a yard in the front.

After walking around the factory, Dong Jianguo was satisfied with the area occupied.

I contacted the factory manager through the gatekeeper, and after a face-to-face meeting, we agreed on a price and finally rented the more than 200-square-meter factory for 500 yuan per month.

After finishing everything, Dong Jianguo rushed back to the city center and picked out cigarettes and alcohol at the department store.

The matter concerning Zhang Cunyi is not over yet.

Although this is no one else's fault, in case Secretary Guo doesn't explain things clearly, it would be best to go directly to his door and explain in order to avoid incurring the wrath of Uncle Er.

After taking Xiuyun home after dinner, Dong Jianguo rode his bicycle alone to his second uncle's house.

But as he was about to knock on his second uncle's door with his cigarettes and alcohol, he heard a series of arguments coming from inside:

"Jianguo was doing a good job, why did Zhang Cunyi have to interfere? Interfering is one thing, but this one kick caused him to wet his pants, isn't that just making me lose face!"

"How was I supposed to know he'd cause such a scene! Didn't you praise him for being quite smart in school?"

"What good is that! I haven't seen any big companies dare to give college graduates extended vacations these days, so why is it his turn?! Don't you think your nephew has some kind of character problem?!"

"Dad, don't blame Mom. She meant well..."

"Yes, Dad, Jianguo and Cunyi are both Mom's close relatives. Mom just saw that Jianguo was doing well and wanted to help Cunyi out. There's nothing wrong with that..."

"Get lost! She meant well, but what were you two up to?! Jianguo is a successful businessman, and he invited you to his house for a hot pot dinner, and what did you say?! One of you wouldn't go, and the other wouldn't come!"

"You're jealous because others are making money, aren't you? You're envious because others are making money, aren't you?!"

"The way you guys have built this brotherhood is worse than that of strangers!"

Second Uncle truly lived up to his reputation as the factory director; his scolding was so powerful that it could be heard clearly even through the door.

Dong Jianguo was taken aback.

During dinner that day, he specifically asked his second uncle and aunt about it. They said that their child had a cold and that their cousins, Dong Huguo and Dong Xingguo, were at home taking care of the child.

Now that I hear it, there's actually another story behind it.

"You're brothers! Besides you two, Baoguo, Weiguo, and Jianguo are your closest relatives! Now that Jianguo has made something of himself, what's there to be jealous of behind his back?!"

"You don't even know how to cultivate a good relationship with Jianguo? He comes to invite you to dinner and you keep making excuses. What, next time should Jianguo hire two sedan chairs to carry you to dinner?!"

"Dad! You can't say that. Jianguo made money through your connections, didn't he? What kind of ability is that!"

"Exactly! He moved to a new house after only one month, all thanks to you. All he did was buy our child a learning machine. That's so unfair!"

"Splash!"

Someone broke something on the other side of the door, followed by the Second Uncle's loud, furious roar:

"What? According to you two brothers, Jianguo should buy each of you an apartment?!"

"That's not what I meant... I just felt..."

"You think you can have Zhang Cunyi take over the egg business, and then the three of you can do it together?!"

"I……"

"Do any of you have Jianguo's brain? Do you have Jianguo's magnanimity?! Do you know how many eggs I helped Jianguo get at the beginning, and how many more he managed to get himself later?!"

"You only see the thief eating meat, but not the thief getting beaten! Are you satisfied now?! Your partner, Zhang Cunyi, has offended everyone on the farm in just one morning!"

There's not much to say after that.

It was mostly the second uncle venting his emotions; his two cousins, Dong Huguo and Dong Xingguo, were scolded so badly that they didn't dare to retaliate.

He had intended to wait until his second uncle had finished venting before knocking on the door, but unexpectedly, the door opened by itself before the second uncle had even finished cursing.

The person who opened the door was Dong Huguo, the eldest cousin who was embroiled in a lot of trouble.

The other party was stunned when they saw Dong Jianguo standing at the door. After a moment, they called out:

"Jianguo? What brings you here?"

Dong Jianguo smiled and said, "What happened with Bu Cunyi today was quite unpleasant. I thought I'd come over to report to Second Uncle and also apologize."

"Apologize? What crime could you possibly have committed?" my older cousin said with a forced smile.

He turned and shouted into the house, "Dad, stop scolding! Your darling is here! She's been standing at the door for who knows how long; her legs must be numb!"

"Big brother, stop messing around. I just arrived and haven't even had a chance to knock before I bump into you..."

Dong Jianguo explained as he went inside.

Inside the room, the second uncle was sitting by the coffee table in the most relaxed cross-legged position, probably because it would be more satisfying to scold his son like this.

Upon seeing Dong Jianguo arrive, the second uncle, still furious, forced a smile and pointed at his second son, Dong Xingguo, who was sitting opposite him: "Get out of the way, give Jianguo a seat!"

"snort!"

Dong Xingguo glared at Dong Jianguo, who entered after him, and stood up to make way.

"Hey, Second Brother's here too?! Haven't seen you in a while!"

Dong Jianguo greeted him with a smile, but the other party didn't give him a friendly look.

He didn't care and turned to his second uncle: "Uncle, isn't Auntie home?"

"She's in the inner room, asleep."

The second uncle picked up the upside-down teacup and poured Dong Jianguo a cup of hot tea:

"Jianguo, you're here because of Zhang Cunyi, aren't you?"

Dong Jianguo nodded, but before he could speak, his second uncle waved his hand:

"You don't need to say anything more. Secretary Guo just called me. The responsibility for this lies entirely with Zhang Cunyi. That guy is dishonest; he deserves it if they don't sell him eggs!"

"If it were me, I wouldn't sell it either!"

When the second uncle said that, his two sons exchanged a glance and couldn't help but snort in unison.

Dong Jianguo knew that the three of them had a grudge, so he put what he was holding on the table and went straight to the point:

"Second Uncle, I've actually thought about it. Cunyi is good at studying and has a high IQ, but as for his EQ... he's really not suited for doing business."

"But I really have too many eggs. If I sell them myself, I won't be able to sell them all in a short time."

"I was thinking that if my eldest and second brothers weren't so busy with work, they could just come to me to pick up the goods. I might not have much, but each of them could easily carry 5 or 6 pounds! I'll pay them the purchase price!"