Courtyard House: A Prosperous and Joyful Life

"Are you complaining that it's not enough? If so, then don't take it," Wang Jun said calmly.

Upon hearing this, You Fengxia immediately became anxious. Don't underestimate 20 yuan; it's money! With this 20 yuan, her salary would be a full 200 yuan. If word got out, she would be considered a high-income earner with a monthly income of 200 yuan, which would be very prestigious.

She rushed over, grabbed Wang Jun's arm, and said eagerly, "Yes, yes, of course I want it! It's a reward from the boss, of course I want it!"

Wang Jun casually tossed a book over to You Fengxia, who caught it and discovered it was an English textbook.

"Study English properly!" Wang Jun instructed.

You Fengxia immediately made a face and wailed, "Boss, I can't learn it! This English sounds like gibberish, like chanting scriptures. I really don't know how to learn it!"

Wang Jun looked at her calmly and said, "If you can speak with me in English, I'll raise your salary to 300 yuan. So, tell me, will you learn or not?"

Upon hearing this, You Fengxia's eyes lit up like light bulbs. A hundred yuan extra in salary for learning English? That was incredibly tempting!

She hugged the English textbook tightly and declared loudly, "I'll learn! I'll learn! Don't worry, boss, you'll soon see a beautiful secretary who speaks fluent English!"

It's just learning English, right? For that hundred yuan, I have to learn it, and I absolutely must learn it!

As if injected with adrenaline, You Fengxia grabbed her English textbook and ran off in a flash, as if afraid that Wang Jun would change his mind.

Wang Jun watched her retreating figure and smiled helplessly. His business was growing bigger and bigger, and he would have many more opportunities to deal with foreigners in the future. It would be a laughingstock if his secretary couldn't even speak English. He hoped this girl would be ambitious and master English as soon as possible.

……

the next day.

The news that Huanyu Garment Factory's products were about to be exported and generate foreign exchange spread like wildfire, and more and more people learned about it.

When some fashion-conscious young women learned that the high-end clothing produced by Huanyu Garment Factory was actually sold in department stores, they called their friends and went to the department stores to buy one.

If foreigners covet these clothes, I definitely have to buy one! Even if they're a bit pricey, I'll accept it, considering they're export-grade and then re-imported. Besides, I've heard that these high-end clothes are especially flattering and enhance one's figure, so I can't miss out.

However, when these girls arrived at the mall full of excitement, they were dumbfounded.

All the clothes produced by Huanyu Garment Factory have been sold out!

Inside the shopping mall, hundreds of women were gathered together, discussing amongst themselves, their faces filled with regret and resentment.

"No way? This huge shopping mall is completely sold out?"

"Yes, when I came yesterday, I saw more than a dozen items hanging on the counter. How come there aren't any left this morning?"

"Sigh, I've had my eye on that red coat for a while, but I thought it was a bit expensive, so I hesitated and didn't buy it. I never expected it to be sold out overnight!"

"So many clothes, did they buy them all? That can't be!"

"I also think it's impossible; it's too exaggerated."

"Where's the salesperson? I need to ask the salesperson!"

"Yes, ask the salesperson if it's hidden!"

At this moment, a salesperson walked over and was immediately surrounded by everyone, who bombarded him with questions.

The salesperson explained helplessly, "Ladies, all the clothes from Huanyu Garment Factory are indeed sold out. You shouldn't wait any longer, please go home now."

Upon hearing this, none of the girls in the room believed it.

"That's impossible! The clothes from Huanyu Garment Factory are all high-end goods, very expensive. How could they sell so quickly?"

"Exactly! A pair of pants costs over two hundred, a hoodie over three hundred, and a coat a whopping 599! Who can afford such expensive things? How could they possibly sell out all at once?"

"There must be a reason. Did you split the profits among yourselves?"

The salesperson had no choice but to explain further: "Ladies, really, no. After the news aired last night, a group of girls immediately rushed into our mall and bought all the clothes from Huanyu Garment Factory. You're really late coming today."

Upon hearing this, the girls immediately understood. It turned out they were behind on their news; others had already rushed to buy them last night.

"Oops, I'm too late!"

"What bad luck, I should have bought it yesterday."

"Do other shopping malls have them too?"

"Forget about it. I've been to four major shopping malls, I've covered the entire capital city, and all the high-end clothes there are sold out, not a single piece left!"

"This is incredibly popular!"

"There's nothing we can do. Once the news aired, everyone knew that even foreigners were scrambling to buy clothes from Huanyu Garment Factory. Everyone wanted to buy one to show off, so it's normal that they were all snapped up in no time."

"What a pity, I was planning to buy one."

A young woman who works at a newspaper said dejectedly, "I bought an expensive coat before, and this time I came to buy a hoodie and a pair of pants to complete the outfit. I didn't expect that the hoodie and pants were both sold out. Now I don't know when I'll be able to get a complete set."

At this moment, some unwilling girls surrounded the salesperson again, all demanding to buy more goods.

"If it's sold out, hurry up and restock!"

"That's right, we should hurry up and restock when it's sold out, we're waiting to buy."

"Your shopping mall is so big, you should still have some in your warehouse, right? If not, then hurry up and restock, everyone's waiting."

"Yes, everyone's waiting for this. Why wouldn't we make money?"

"If you don't give me an explanation and agree to let me order the goods, I'm not leaving!"

At this time, the owners of major shopping malls received news that high-end clothing had been snapped up, and they immediately prepared to restock.

Soon, the entrance to Huanyu Garment Factory was surrounded by dozens of bosses.

"Guard, let me in! I'm here to buy some goods. I brought one million in cash this time, and I'm going to buy a large batch of clothing!"

"Guard, open the gate! I'm from Shanghai Department Store. We're here to purchase 1,000 women's coats and over 10,000 pieces of various clothing. We've already brought the money!"

"I'm from the South. The boss said we need a thousand pieces of each type of clothing! Once we're inside, we can sign the contract immediately—delivery and payment at the same time!"

"Let me in first, I need 300 million worth of goods this time! I've already brought my car!"

These business owners were all waving large sums of money, afraid of falling behind, all with the same goal: to stock up on goods, and stock up in large quantities! There was no way around it; the clothes from Huanyu Garment Factory were simply too sought after!

A group of big bosses waving bundles of banknotes—it was quite a sight. Passersby on the street were all dumbfounded and stopped to discuss it.

"What's going on? Are these people all crazy?"

"These people aren't crazy; they're all big bosses or purchasing agents from state-owned department stores. They all get their goods from Huanyu Garment Factory!"

"Really? These people are all big bosses and purchasing agents?"

"That's right!"

"These guys are all throwing money at the world's garment factory, demanding goods!"

"You're right, they're just sending money to Huanyu Garment Factory!"

"Universal Garment Factory is amazing!"

"Haha, that's how awesome they are. Even foreigners come to their store to buy clothes. Isn't that amazing?"

"Wow, that's amazing!"

At this moment, Lü Guangrong received the news and quickly had these gods of wealth brought to the conference room.

Inside the conference room, these big bosses crowded around, making a racket like a bustling market.

"Director Lü, our Shanghai Department Store is purchasing 10,000 pieces of clothing this time. This includes 1200 women's coats and 1500 sweatshirts..."

"Director Lü, we are from Jinghua Self-Service Department Store in Beijing. We also need to purchase 10,000 pieces of clothing, including 2000 women's coats and 2300 long skirts..."

"Director Lü, we're from Pengcheng in the south, and we also need to purchase 10,000 pieces of clothing. If you can provide the goods in stock, we can pay immediately..."

"Hello, Factory Director Lü, we are from Gangcheng Daxing Shopping Mall. We are very interested in your clothing and plan to purchase a batch to take back with us..."

Lu Guangrong was astonished upon hearing this. He was overjoyed that people from Hong Kong had come all the way to buy his clothes.

Hong Kong was a very developed place in the 1980s. It produced a large number of television programs and movies every year. And goods from Hong Kong, such as sunglasses and bell-bottoms, sparked wave after wave of fashion trends.

Welcome to the boundless fantasy continent, the entrance is here:

It's fair to say that in many people's eyes, Hong Kong is the most fashionable, trendy, and wealthy place. Many people want to go to Hong Kong to work and earn money, having heard that dishwashers there can earn one or two thousand a month, which is much better than working in a factory.

Some young women even go to great lengths to marry into Hong Kong. They hope that after marrying into Hong Kong, they can live the life of a wealthy housewife, just like those seen on television.

In Lu Guangrong's mind, Hong Kong is also a fashionable and wealthy place. People who buy clothes from Hong Kong will brag about it for a long time.

Now, the situation has reversed. Merchants from the port city are coming to their garment factory to buy their clothes, which makes Lu Guangrong extremely excited.

"Our Huanyu Garment Factory's reputation has spread far and wide."

"From today onwards, our Huanyu Garment Factory will go global!"

As Lü Guangrong thought about it, he felt incredibly proud.

……

Half an hour later, the group of bosses and purchasing agents left, satisfied. Looking at the large stack of orders in his hand, Lü Guangrong was so excited he almost jumped for joy.

This time, the garment factory received a total of 35 orders, purchasing more than 80,000 pieces of clothing, with a transaction amount of 1865 million yuan!

However, with an order for 8 pieces of clothing received at once, plus another 6 pieces from overseas, the total is 14 pieces. The garment factory's current production capacity simply cannot keep up!

"work overtime!"

"Keep working overtime!"

"Working eight hours a day!"

At that moment, the first solution that Lü Guangrong thought of was to have the workers work overtime!

However, we need to discuss the matter of working overtime with Wang Jun first.

……

Soon, Wang Jun arrived at the garment factory, saw the orders, and was also excited.

I never expected that the news of export earnings would bring such great benefits. Everyone believed that Huanyu Garment Factory's products were high-end goods and rushed to buy them.

This is a good thing.

However, having too many orders is also a problem.

Lu Guangrong said, "Boss, my solution is to have the workers work overtime! Ideally, six hours a day, or even eight hours!"

Working eight hours of overtime a day?

Wang Jun thought it was absurd. Everyone was already exhausted from working four hours of overtime a day. If they worked eight hours, that would be 16 hours a day! Who could stand that? Even the strongest person couldn't handle it.

Wang Jun thought for a moment and said, "How about this, we'll recruit another batch of workers, and then divide them into two shifts, day shift and night shift. The workers can rest, but the machines will keep running and producing non-stop."

Upon hearing this, Lü Guangrong's eyes lit up, and he also thought it was a good idea.

Soon, news spread from Huanyu Garment Factory that they would be recruiting 150 skilled female workers in two days!

The news spread quickly and attracted the attention of countless people!

"Great news! Great news! Huanyu Garment Factory is hiring again!"

"Global Garment Factory is hiring? That can't be right!"

"The news is true! If you don't believe me, you can go to the entrance of Huanyu Garment Factory and see for yourself. The job postings are all posted there, in black and white!"

"Wow, this is wonderful news! I heard that Huanyu Garment Factory offers excellent benefits; even ordinary workers earn over 150 yuan a month!"

"Yes, yes, their pay is really good. If you're quick and efficient, earning 200 yuan a month is normal!"

"This is such great treatment!"

"Hehehe, this garment factory is the only one in the country that produces high-end clothing. They brought back 1330 million US dollars in foreign exchange in one go. They're really rich. So it's perfectly normal that they get better treatment."

"It's the only factory that produces high-end clothing. Working there is a real status symbol. I've heard that the girls in this factory are very popular, and even girls who aren't considered conventionally attractive have plenty of people making advance reservations."

"Goodness, I'll have my sister register right away. This girl is already twenty-three and still not married; the family is so worried."

"I must sign up, I must sign up in two days."

"I'll sign up too."

"It's a pity I'm a guy, otherwise I would definitely sign up."

"yes."

In the office, Lu Guangrong couldn't hide his excitement as he handed Wang Jun a document and several approvals stamped with bright red seals: "Boss, we had a meeting this morning, and the authorities gave us a big reward to commend us."

Wang Jun took it and examined it closely. His calm expression instantly crumbled, and a look of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

"These are... car purchase slots, and phone installation slots!" Wang Jun slammed his hand on the table, his voice trembling with excitement. "Good heavens, these are highly sought-after items that money can't buy!"

In those days, the value of these two items was enough to make any company or even individual envious.

Lu Guangrong chuckled and explained, "With these permits, we can buy two cars and install four telephones!"

Yu Fengxia, standing to the side, listened with wide eyes. For ordinary people in the 1980s, buying a car and installing a telephone were simply unthinkable dreams.

Let's start with telephone installation. Before 1983, in a city as large as Beijing with a population of ten million, there were only a little over 20,000 telephones in total, and most of them were installed in large organizations, factories, or the homes of leading cadres.

At that time, the telephone was not only a communication tool, but also a symbol of status and position. Although the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications invested in a project in 1984 to expand the telephone user capacity in Beijing to 100,000 units, this was still a drop in the ocean for a population of over ten million. For ordinary people wanting to install a telephone? It was incredibly difficult! The application process was cumbersome, the waiting time was long, and a certain social standing was required. It wasn't until the rise of companies like "Great China" (Giant Dragon, Datang, ZTE, Huawei) and their manufacturing of user exchange systems that the communication difficulties gradually eased in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Even earlier, in 1980, the government began charging a local telephone installation fee to raise funds for telecommunications construction. This fee was substantial at the time and became an important source of funding to support the rapid development of the communications network.

As for private car purchases, it was even more difficult. During the planned economy era, automobiles were considered important means of production and were strictly controlled by the state; individuals and families had no right to buy them.

It wasn't until February 1984 that the State Council issued regulations, explicitly legitimizing private car purchases for the first time. Prior to this, private car buyers faced numerous obstacles, including limited access to vehicles, difficulty obtaining license plates and refueling, and various administrative restrictions. Even after the policy breakthrough in 1984, private car purchases still faced significant hurdles such as quotas, high costs, and entrenched traditional beliefs. It wasn't until 1994, when the State Council promulgated the "Automotive Industry Policy," that the government explicitly stated that "the state encourages individuals to purchase automobiles."

Therefore, the two approvals in Wang Jun's hands are nothing less than passports to the privileged class.

"With this vehicle purchase permit, I can finally buy a sedan," Wang Jun exclaimed. "In the dead of winter, riding my Changjiang 750 motorcycle outside leaves me completely chilled."

Hearing this, You Fengxia's eyes lit up. She leaned over and grabbed Wang Jun's arm, cautiously asking, "Boss, since you bought a sedan, could I drive this Changjiang 750?"

She had long coveted that imposing Changjiang 750 motorcycle and had been wanting to experience it for a long time.

Wang Jun glared at her: "You don't even have a motorcycle driver's license, what are you doing driving? Who's going to pay if you hit someone?"

You Fengxia grinned and assured them, "Boss, I'll go take my driver's test right now! With a license, I should be able to get out of the way, right?"

Wang Jun thought for a moment and then agreed: "Okay, once you get your driver's license, you can drive if there's an emergency at the factory."

"Wow! The boss is so great!" You Fengxia jumped up with joy, already planning to take her driver's license test tomorrow.

Wang Jun then turned his gaze to Lü Guangrong: "Tomorrow we'll go to the Trust Market and see if there's a suitable car, then we'll buy it immediately. The factory isn't short of money right now, so we need to make a good impression."

Lu Guangrong nodded in agreement: "Buying a car definitely makes a good impression. Boss, what kind of car are you planning to buy?"

Wang Jun was lost in memories. Many car models were popular in China in the 1980s, such as the Lada, Polonez, Volga, Citroën CX20, and Jeep 212.

Although the Lada 2105 is a new model, its power, exterior, and interior are all terrible; the Polonez is slightly better, but it has a short body and an old engine; the Volga has mediocre looks and power, and although it can run on low-octane gasoline, it has many minor problems; the Citroën CX20 was introduced to Beijing in 1983, and with its long body and fashionable and avant-garde design, it is a good choice.

However, Wang Jun had an even higher goal in mind—the Toyota Crown MS122. This car was introduced to China in 1985, and its power, exterior, and interior were all top-notch, making it an absolute high-end vehicle.

"What kind of car to buy depends on what's available," Wang Jun decided. "My budget is two cars around 60 yuan each."

Lu Guangrong and You Fengxia were dumbfounded. A car that costs 60 yuan? That must be incredibly luxurious! You Fengxia was already imagining herself sitting comfortably in that luxury car.