1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Dong Jianguo remained silent, then reached out to help Xiuyun put down the bowl and chopsticks from her hands.

Mother Zhang Guifen was getting anxious:

"Jianguo, what are you doing? Xiuyun has only eaten a few bites and you're telling her to stop eating?"

"Mom, I'm full..." Xiuyun said softly, her hand already obediently placed in Dong Jianguo's palm.

Dong Jianguo's face turned cold:

"You two eat this food. We're not lucky enough to deserve it."

"What are you saying? I didn't force you. I just came to discuss this with you."

Seeing his elder brother glare at him again, Dong Jianguo sneered and asked in return:

"Okay, now that we've finished discussing it, what's next?"

Dong Baoguo "..."

"Let me think about it. If I don't agree, shouldn't you all take turns trying to persuade me to compromise?"

"What's the reason? Brother, you've had it so tough? Or does your family need a deputy director as a backer?"

"Who's playing the good cop and who's playing the bad cop this time?"

The father, Dong Xuewen, was embarrassed and slammed his hand on the table: "How dare you talk like that, child?"

"That's just how I talk. It might not sound as nice as what my older brother says, but whatever!"

Dong Jianguo also lost his temper, pointing at his elder brother:

"Father, why doesn't your eldest brother look for the reasons why he can't get promoted? Why does he have to come to me for a living?"

"Do you know how difficult it was for Xiuyun to come up with that recipe? She sat in front of the braising pot day after day, from morning till night, sweating and enduring so much hardship!"

"We finally figured out the formula after so much trouble, and now you all, with a mere flick of your lips, just so my older brother can get promoted to deputy director, tell us to hand it over. Why should we?!"

His mouth opened and closed rapidly, fully inheriting his mother Zhang Guifen's machine-gun-like speaking speed:

"Others use Xiuyun's formula to build factories, produce, and sell products. What benefit does my factory get?"

"My market share has been taken away, my orders have been snatched away, who will compensate me for these losses? Should I go to the respected deputy director?!"

Dong Baoguo remained silent, but his face turned bright red.

Zhang Guifen attempted to ease the tension:

"Jianguo, your brother didn't think that much of it at the time, so don't take it to heart."

"Didn't you think that much? Brother, you're already 35 by the Chinese age reckoning! Don't you think about the consequences before you speak? Is it that you didn't think about it, or that you didn't want to?!"

"Mom, Dad, you'd better not get involved in my affairs anymore. If you really ruin my factory, the unemployed workers won't just smash my windows, they might even come and smash my older brother's windows!"

"Xiuyun, let's go!"

After Dong Jianguo finished speaking, he pulled Xiuyun away.

As he reached the door, he didn't forget to give his elder brother, Dong Baoguo, a thumbs-up.

This was a gift from my older brother when I first took my seat. Now I'm returning it to him, so we're even.

Dong Xuewen and his son Dong Baoguo were so angry that their faces turned as red as liver, and they sat motionless in their seats.

Zhang Guifen, however, chased after them all the way out:

"Jianguo, Xiuyun, wait a moment..."

"Listen to me, you two. Your brother genuinely didn't mean it that way at first... It was all your deadbeat father's instigation behind the scenes!"

"Jianguo, your older brother has it tough too. He can't get promoted, and your sister-in-law never gives him a kind look when he comes home. Your dead father is the same; he's always nagging about which son got promoted or which kid got rich... You're a good kid, try to be more understanding of him..."

Dong Jianguo waved his hand with a wry smile:

"Mom, if I'm understanding towards him, does that mean I have to destroy my own factory to pave the way for my older brother?"

"This time I asked his boss for a formula, next time he'll ask for a house, does that mean I have to give him the house too?"

Zhang Guifen was suddenly caught in a dilemma.

Dong Jianguo gave a wry smile: "Mom, are you feeling troubled? I'm even more upset than you are! I have no idea what my older brother said to them."

"When the leaders of the Harbin Railway Bureau contact me, whether it's to discuss future cooperation or the formula, how passive will I be?"

"One wrong move and my newly established little factory will be finished!"

This was the first time Zhang Guifen had ever seen her youngest son so angry, and her face turned deathly pale.

She suddenly realized that she had become too old. So old that she couldn't understand the things her son was saying at all.

Seeing his mother suddenly looking haggard, Dong Jianguo, who had just been very angry, immediately felt a pang of regret.

Have I gone too far?

But if we don't do this, will our parents and older brother take it to heart?

Xiuyun pinched Dong Jianguo's arm, signaling him to keep his voice down.

Turning around, she took her mother-in-law's hand and gently persuaded her:

"Mom, things might not be as serious as they seem. Let's talk about it after Jian Guo goes back and calms down. As for selling the formula... let's put that aside for now..."

"I think the older brother is a good person. If he gives gifts to the leaders more often during holidays and keeps in touch with them, he'll definitely be promoted to deputy director before long..."

"Please go back upstairs first. It's windy outside, and you're not dressed warmly enough. Don't catch a cold..."

"Xiuyun, I..."

"Mom, let's go back. We're leaving!"

Dong Jianguo waved and left with his wife.

Looking at the couple who kept turning back and waving at her every few steps, Zhang Guifen felt a lump in her throat.

Suddenly she noticed the two men returning. Zhang Guifen quickly wiped her eyes to make sure they didn't suspect anything.

"Young man, come back for a bite to eat before you leave?"

"No, Mom, I just remembered something."

As Dong Jianguo spoke, he took out two red envelopes from his pocket.

"I was planning to give you and Dad a thousand each this time. I've been spending your money all these years and haven't been able to properly show my filial piety to you two."

"Now that things have come to this... you can collect Dad's share on his behalf."

"I have hands and feet, what do I need your money for?!"

Zhang Guifen waved her hands repeatedly, saying she didn't want anything.

After a long struggle, Dong Jianguo finally stuffed the money into his mother's hand.

He then quickly left with his wife.

Zhang Guifen only went upstairs to her home after the couple had completely disappeared from sight.

Upon entering the house, seeing the old man and his eldest son sitting at the dining table, staring at each other and glaring at each other, only fueled his anger.

"You old codger, you're really not showing off! Do you know how hard it is for the youngest son to run a factory?!"

"Xiuyun is heavily pregnant, and you're treating her like this? Are you heartless?!"

"You, as his father, not only don't help, but you also make things so difficult for him. What kind of father are you?!"

Dong Xuewen glared at him: "Don't mention him to me! Without me as a father, who would act like him as a son? Who would act like him as a younger brother?!"

"He doesn't give his wife any face at all! I think you've spoiled this kid rotten; you didn't discipline him enough when he was a kid!"

"Why are you blaming me, you old fool?! Besides, Lao Xiao got beaten up a lot when he was a kid! Shao Ying even rode on top of him and beat him up."

"That means Shao Ying didn't beat him enough!"

Dong Xuewen, still unwilling to give up on his eldest son's blocked path to promotion, said to his wife:

"Go to Weiguo's place tomorrow and tell him to take some time to see what kind of scale Jianguo's factory is, and how arrogant he is, daring to talk to me like that!"

Seeing the old man's indignant expression, Zhang Guifen sighed and slammed the red envelope down in front of her husband.

A stack of hundred-yuan bills peeked out from the edges.

Dong Xuewen was taken aback:

"What is this?"

"You father don't care about your son, but the son knows to care about his father. Jianguo gave you..."

For a long time, Dong Xuewen was speechless as he looked at the money...