Era: Rise from the Wilderness

He looked intently at Li Yunjing, his eyes filled with a mixture of seriousness, expectation, and a hint of weariness from completing complex calculations, and announced a number: "This batch of work of yours has indeed high requirements and such a large quantity; it's a big deal."

He paused, then said sincerely, "I, Liang Yongshi, do business with honesty and integrity. I say what I mean and don't play those fancy tricks like quoting a low price first and then making up the difference."

"Taking into account the cost of paper, special ink, printing process, labor, machine wear and tear, and reasonable profit, I'll give you a price of 5 cents per lottery ticket."

"This is the most honest and lowest price I can offer. It's almost just a little bit of extra money added to the cost line, so there's not much profit margin."

He explained sincerely, "My main goal is to establish a good relationship with you and your factory through this cooperation."

"If you have similar jobs or other printing needs in the future, just think of our Cuitun Cooperative."

"Fifty thousand tickets, totaling two thousand five hundred yuan."

When he announced the total price, the old man's voice trembled slightly and rose a little. Clearly, this amount was a "huge sum" for him, enough to change the cooperative's current predicament and even allow the villagers to have a good New Year.

Two thousand five hundred yuan!

In the early autumn of 1990, in an ordinary rural area in northern China, this was an astronomical sum of money.

A skilled worker like Li Hongfeng in a state-owned factory, even if he didn't eat or drink, his total annual salary might only amount to this much, or even less.

When Li Hongfeng heard this number, he felt his breath catch in his throat, as if a huge rock was pressing on his chest, making him feel suffocated.

My vision even went black briefly, and tiny golden stars appeared.

He subconsciously, almost instinctively, raised his hand and touched the cigarettes in his pocket.

Two thousand five... This number was like a heavy hammer blow, slamming into his understanding and ability to bear it.

So much money for just a few cards?

Is 2,500 yuan enough to start a fire and cook a meal?

However, Li Yunjing's reaction once again surprised them both, and could even be described as making them feel a sense of unreality and disorientation.

His face showed no surprise, embarrassment, or attempt to bargain; he didn't even furrow his brow.

It was as if what I heard was not the suffocating number of 2,500 yuan, but something as insignificant as 2.5 yuan.

Almost without thinking, he spoke in a tone that sounded to Liang Yongshi and Li Hongfeng almost like that of a "spendthrift," and even somewhat nonchalant:

"no problem!"

"Let's go with the price you suggested, sir, five cents a piece, for a total of two thousand five hundred yuan."

"I will leave you a deposit of one thousand yuan as a token of our sincerity and to make it easier for you to purchase the special inks and paper you need."

"I will come to pick up the goods on time at the end of this month, which is about twelve days from now."

"At that time, I will pay the remaining balance of 1,500 yuan in one lump sum, and we will be even."

"Sir, is this payment method and timeline acceptable to you?"

His tone was relaxed and natural, his words were clear and logical, and his arrangements were meticulously laid out, as if he were not finalizing a business deal involving thousands of dollars, but rather reserving a basket of cabbages at the market to be picked up tomorrow.

"Yes! Yes! Of course!"

Liang Yongshi was taken aback for a moment, then a genuine, radiant smile, like an autumn chrysanthemum, bloomed on his face. He repeatedly praised him, even standing up from his chair in excitement, "Young man, you're a really straightforward person! You get things done quickly! No wonder you came from... a big factory!"

He was secretly delighted; it seemed that this "Sino-Japanese joint venture factory" was indeed different!

They have ample funds, clear procedures, and are quick to make payments, unlike some small companies that are petty and drag their feet.

If this deal goes through, the cooperative will have a very prosperous year!

He could almost see the brand-new ink and stacks of paper being brought in, and hear the cheerful whirring of the machines.

"Don't worry! As soon as the deposit arrives, I'll immediately contact the supplier to order the best ink and paper!"

"I guarantee that by the end of the month, I will personally lead my apprentices to work overtime, from dawn till dusk, to ensure that these 50,000 lottery tickets are made beautifully and efficiently. It absolutely won't delay your factory's anniversary celebration!"

Liang patted his chest confidently, his eyes sparkling with excitement and enthusiasm.

"Alright, sir, let's put it in writing so that we can have some protection for both of us, since words alone are not enough."

As Li Yunjing spoke, he pulled out two more sheets of white letter paper, which had been prepared in advance and had their edges neatly trimmed, from the brown paper document bag.

The letter had a red heading at the top, and below it were the agreement terms written in black pen with extremely neat, almost printed handwriting, line by line. The handwriting was clear and the words seemed to penetrate the paper.

"This is our factory's usual practice for cooperation. We have drafted a simple 'Lottery Ticket Printing Cooperation Agreement' in duplicate."

"Please take a look and see if there's anything that needs to be added or modified."

Li Yunjing filled in the numbers he had reported, and then handed the two agreements to Liang Yongshi and Li Hongfeng respectively.

"Sir, look here, the third point concerns the confirmation of award categories and quantities."

Li Yunjing's voice was steady and clear, carrying an unquestionable formality.

Liang Yongshi took the agreement, put his reading glasses back on, leaned close to the lamp, and held his breath as he carefully examined it.

Li Hongfeng also quickly moved closer, his eyes scanning the words intently.

Li Yunjing explained from the side, "The agreement clearly states that the award levels, prize names, and corresponding number of tickets are based on the 'Detailed List of Award Quantities' on the last page of Appendix 1 of the final design draft provided by us. This is it."

He flipped through the thick draft paper in his hand, accurately turning to the last page, pointing to the line below where small print was clearly circled in red and listed in a table format.

There, written in extremely neat handwriting:

Award Quantity Details (Total: 50000)

Grand Prize: One motorcycle.

First Prize: Color Television, 7 sets.

Second prize: Refrigerators, 9 in total.

Third Prize: Bicycles, 20 in total.

Fourth Prize: Electric Fans, 50 units.

Fifth Prize: Towel and Soap Combo, 3000 sets.

Sixth Prize (Lucky Draw): One bag of laundry detergent, 1000 in total.

(Note: The sixth prize includes a "Thank you for your patronage" voucher, but no physical prize.)

Total: 50000 copies.

The numbers were clearly marked and matched the total amount he had seen when calculating the cost, but listing them separately now made them seem more solemn and precise.