T.N: Since Beverly is spoiling me with donations, there’s a double release today as well ♡⸜(˶˃ ᵕ ˂˶)⸝♡
When setting up the factory, Xu Shen’s initial intention was not only to make money but also to provide shelter for the brothers who have been next to him through life and death. To do that, he did not prohibit anyone who worked in the factory from bringing their fathers and mothers over.
Married people could also bring their wives and children to live together. They only had to compress other spaces and expand staff dormitories.
As a result, the factory soon became crowded and lively. The canteen was packed with people at every mealtime, and during breaks, it was full of people watching TV. Besides, nimble men and women could also help with work, so nobody felt like they were eating for free.
Chen Sen managed people very well and everyone respected him. Whenever he said that something couldn’t be done, nobody dared to do it, afraid they might be kicked out of the factory. Men also told their relatives to carefully abide by the disciplines in the factory and not to embarrass the factory directors.
Yang Caiyun lived in the factory with her husband, visited and chatted with other young wives, and had things to do. She soon became cheerful, a hundred times happier than when she was waiting for childbirth in the village. Now her husband was working as a general worker in the factory, and she hoped that her children would also be able to work in the factory when they grew older.
Shu Ran no longer had to be busy with things in the factory. He retreated to write at home and finished the ending in a week. Fully completed, his novel was not too long, since about 150,000 words were suitable for a mystery novel. If it got a good response after publication, it could even be turned into a series… He had his own plans.
Whenever he read it by himself, Shu Ran was unable to find any problems, so just to make sure that everything was in order, he showed the manuscript to Xu Shen.
Xu Shen had long promised to be Shu Ran’s first reader. When he finally had Shu Ran’s thick book in his hands, his heart was filled with an unreal feeling.
It was just that… He never dreamed that with just five hundred yuan, he could get a wife who was even more magical than the snail girl1An ancient Chinese Folktale, The River Snail Maiden is about a beautiful maiden who comes out of a snail shell as ‘a mysterious housekeeper’, and prepares the food for a poor farmer, Xie Duan, without his knowledge… And now, his wife was about to publish a book.
Shu Ran saw him holding the notebook in a daze: “Didn’t you want to read it?”
“Want, but I want to read it all in one go…” Xu Shen touched the notebook and thought: “This is my wife’s hard work for several months… During this period, he was busy every day, but still found time to write…”
“Let’s finish the trivial matters first, and in the evening I’ll read it quietly.”
Shu Ran didn’t expect Xu Shen to value his work so much, so he was quite touched. In fact, it was okay. That novel was just an attempt for Shu Ran himself. It didn’t matter if he didn’t achieve any results. Some things were just for his own entertainment.
Not long after, Xu Shen finished all the things at home, even washing the clothes the two of them had changed into. While Shu Ran was rushing to dry the clothes, he returned to the bedroom, picked up Shu Ran’s manuscript, and read it word for word.
Xu Shen was very busy during the day and did not have much time to entertain and pay attention to his heart. But when night fell and he returned to his and Shu Ran’s home, he was truly relaxed. Now, reading Shu Ran’s words, made him feel sweet and happy.
The text of the novel had fully inherited Shu Ran’s special sense of humor. It was obviously a suspense story, but it was extremely easy and interesting to read, yet philosophical, and very worthy of thought.
In fact, in his book, Shu Ran did not write too many false or empty things, preferring to get his inspiration from events that were closer to life. Coupled with his attention to detail, it made a text that was fully able to resonate with readers.
The reason why Xu Shen liked it so much, even unable to stop thinking about it after he finished reading, was because he could feel Shu Ran’s love for life from the text… And his great sense of down-to-earthness.
“Have you finished reading?” Shu Ran poked him. Three hours have passed… It shouldn’t take that long to review it, right?!
“I’ve finished reading.” Xu Shen returned the notebook.
Shu Ran reached out to pick it up, but the other person didn’t let go… So he pulled it again and looked at Xu Shen with a strange expression: “Brother Shen?”
Xu Shen realized that he was still clutching the book in his hands, so he let go in embarrassment.
“You’re not willing to give it back to me, are you?” Shu Ran was amused and found it incredible. First of all, what he wrote was nowhere near a masterpiece that would amaze everyone once it was released…
It was only because Xu Shen loved both the house and the crows on it2Chinese idiom “爱屋及乌 (ài wū jí wū)” Translates to: The love for the house extends even to the crows perching on its roof. An ancient Chinese superstition states that a crow is an “unlucky bird.” The family of whatever house it lands upon would suffer poor fortunes. However, if someone truly loves another, that person even loves the crow atop the house and does not object to their presence …
But he himself was there, in flesh and blood! Why bother clutching a book?!
“Yes.” Xu Shen said.
“Do you really like it that much?” Shu Ran didn’t believe it. “Then tell me why you like it and summarize the advantages, so I’ll know how to brag when I recommend myself to a publishing house.”
“The advantage is that it looks good, very good.” Xu Shen was stared at by his wife, so he quickly racked his brain to come up with the right number of words: “The plot is exciting, the characters are full-bodied, and the twist at the end is also very exciting. I have never seen anything like that… Of course, I don’t read much, so my opinion doesn’t matter.”
Shu Ran blinked and asked: “That’s all?”
If he dared to recommend himself to a publishing house like that, he was afraid they would kick him out… Did he really think he could win the Nobel Prize?!
“The above is my experience as a pure reader. If you still insist on asking, I can tell you about my reading experience as your husband…” Xu Shen first observed whether Shu Ran was staring at him or not.
Shu Ran didn’t glare at first, but became annoyed after being secretly observed: “Just say what you want to say, stop nagging.” Here he was, getting angry, but he still cared about Xu Shen’s opinion.
Xu Shen smiled and pondered for a moment: “When I read your words, I couldn’t help but feel that you are… A very kind and delicate person who loves life and has a very down-to-earth heart. But you’re also idealistic, romantic, and beautiful.” He paused and continued: “After reading it, I feel like I got to know you all over again. Well, it’s that kind of feeling…”
The feeling of getting closer to his wife.
He couldn’t describe the feeling or the comfort it brought him. It was not as strong as having heart palpitations, but a light and long-lasting feeling of peace.
The room was quiet for a while. Shu Ran was still thinking about Xu She’s words and then nodded: “This is my first review. Thank you Comrade Xu Shen for your contribution. I will definitely not forget you when I become a great writer in the future.”
Xu Shen looked into his eyes: “Then am I right?”
Shu Ran was silent for a moment and agreed: “Absolutely.”
It felt so shameful to be seen through!
…………
Nanshi was a place with a strong cultural atmosphere. Shu Ran took his manuscript and went out to inquire about several publishing houses.
But soon, he was confused to find out that all the popular publications were poetry, educated youth novels, and trauma literature… After listening for a long time, there was no trace of any mystery novel, and his writing was also very different from the literary style of that era…
Why was everything so boring?!
“Young man, do you still want to go to the publishing house?” The tricycle driver whom he consulted asked him.
“Go.” After everything was done, Shu Ran climbed on the tricycle worriedly, with the mentality of giving it a try… At worst, his manuscript would be rejected.
If they didn’t want it, then they didn’t want it. In the future, if he had money, he would pay for the printing of the book, and everyone he knew would receive a copy… That was the worst-case scenario. However, he felt that his book was not that bad.
The tricycle was very fast, and it took less than ten minutes to reach the publishing house closest to home. While paying the fare, Shu Ran teased the driver: “Master, don’t leave yet. Maybe I will be kicked out soon.”
The driver was also straightforward: “Okay, I’ll wait for you!”
“…”
When Shu Ran walked in, everyone at the publishing house was busy, walking very fast and with a sense of urgency. However, his arrival still attracted some attention. After all, he was a fashionable, modern-looking, and handsome guy. It felt very good just to stop and look at him.
Shu Ran didn’t have any stage fright, so he went straight into the first office. When he saw someone inside, he knocked on the door and greeted: “Hello, excuse me, does your publishing house accept self-recommended novels?”
In the office, the president of that publishing house looked up and saw a handsome young man standing at the door. Judging from his clothes and temperament, he was either rich or noble… The president had seen many children from wealthy families, so he had some experience in dealing with them.
However, the president didn’t like children from wealthy families.
He felt that they were pampered and had never experienced hardship… What good things could they write at such a young age?
“I’m sorry, we don’t accept it here. You can go and look at other publishing houses.” The president didn’t even want to look at the other party’s manuscript, thinking it was nothing more than nonsense.
“Oh, okay.” Shu Ran didn’t have so many twists and turns in his mind. He really thought that they didn’t accept it, so he went back the same way and asked the driver to take him to another publishing house.
The entrance of the second publishing house was much more grand than the first one, and Shu Ran even heard that it was the largest publishing house in Nanshi… He could only pray that they would be more inclusive.
Shu Ran walked into other people’s offices without any timidity. Just like before, he entered the first office he saw and, just like before, accidentally knocked on the president’s door.
President Wu was in his sixties, wearing reading glasses, and appreciating any manuscript submitted by the authors. He was busy, reading poetry, prose, and the beginnings of several novels all morning.
Those manuscripts were in his hands for final review, but he did not see any works that surprised him. At that time, a young man knocked on his door and confidently recommended his own work.
“What kind of style is it?” President Wu felt that he might have become numb after reading all those manuscripts and was now begging for a severe beating, so he greeted Shu Ran with a smile: “Bring it to me and let’s take a look.”
Shu Ran respectfully replied: “It’s a mystery and suspense novel.”
President Wu was stunned: “That’s quite rare…” Then he took the notebook handed over by Shu Ran.
The genre of mystery and suspense novels emerged in the mid-19th century, and it was relatively popular abroad but rare in China. The main reason was that under the background of that era, everyone was pursuing serious literature and documentary-style works, with authors such as Zong Pu, Chen Shixu, etc., being relatively popular3Feng Zhongpu (born 26 July 1928), better known by her pen name Zong Pu, is a Chinese novelist. She won the Mao Dun Literature Prize for her 2001 novel, “Eastern Concealment”. Chen Shixu is another Chinese writer, born in 1947 in Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province.
Mystery novels were vulgar and could only be regarded as entertainment products, not to be taken seriously.
Putting aside the quality of the content, President Wu opened Shu Ran’s manuscript and was immediately attracted by Shu Ran’s beautiful calligraphy. He couldn’t help but look up at Shu Ran and found that the other person was still frowning, so he said with a smile: “Sit down, don’t be anxious, I’ll take my time and take a look.”
“Okay.” Shu Ran sat down.
President Wu asked a few questions while reading. Shu Ran answered them one by one, becoming quiet after that. In the end, Shu Ran licked his lips and finally couldn’t help but ask: “Old sir, is my way of writing uncultured?”
President Wu read the manuscript with great interest and smiled when he heard him: “You know it yourself? But it doesn’t matter. I think the story is very interesting and uncultured novels are also needed by the public.”
Upon hearing that, Shu Ran wondered: “Is this a joke?!”
“Do you think this book can be published?” He asked.
“Yes.” President Wu said with certainty after reading just the beginning. It turned out that he was not numb after reading all those manuscripts, but needed to be entertained with some quality entertainment… Such as finishing this mystery novel with humorous language first.
Now Shu Ran was speechless… Was this some sort of children’s play?! Was there no need to re-examine?!
“You can make the decision yourself?” Shu Ran was still worried.
“Yes.” President Wu glanced at him again: “Oh, young writer, don’t worry. I’m the president.” Seeing Shu Ran’s shocked expression, he smiled: “If the quality of the rest of the novel is as good as the beginning, this book will definitely be published.”
Shu Ran was completely relieved and smiled gratefully. Although he couldn’t say it didn’t matter, he was really happy: “Okay, then you can read it slowly. Should I go home?”
President Wu was surprised: “How should we calculate the royalties if you don’t ask?”
“This…” Shu Ran was about to say that it didn’t matter as long as he could get it published, but he changed his words to: “I’ll listen to the president’s arrangements.”
President Wu nodded approvingly: “Leave an address and I’ll mail you the sample book and royalties later.”
“Okay, okay.” Shu Ran grabbed the pen on the desk and wrote down his address.
“You are really good at calligraphy.” President Wu praised, but Shu Ran only smiled.
After leaving the publishing house, Shu Ran called for a tricycle with excitement. When the driver asked him “Where are you going?”, he blurted out without a second thought: “Go to the old pharmaceutical factory.”
He didn’t want to go home. After getting some good news, the first thought in his mind was to share the results with Xu Shen.
So he came to the garment factory on impulse, but his impulse was dampened a lot when he saw the huge crowds of people in the workshop. Alas, there were eyes everywhere, so he couldn’t say much even if he came.
Xu Shen was arranging for people to do things, looking very serious while working. Even when facing the brothers he was familiar with, he would still discuss the matter as it was and talk about friendship later.
Shu Ran rarely saw Xu Shen like that. He couldn’t help but slow down and even hid aside to peek in secret… His boyfriend’s tall figure stood out among the crowd. Even though he was wearing the same work clothes as everyone else, he still saw him at first sight.
The side profile of his face against the light was so handsome, and the way he leaned on the workbench and frowned while talking to others was so cool… He was really charming…
Unfortunately, the scene did not last long. The person standing opposite Xu Shen seemed to have seen Shu Ran and pointed in his direction. Xu Shen immediately turned around, so fast that Shu Ran subconsciously hid behind the workstation next to him. However, Xu Shen still saw him, and his expression immediately changed from serious to full of smiles.
“Hey, my man is so handsome…” Shu Ran praised in his heart while hiding in secret.
Xu Shen strode over and looked at his wife who thought he was hiding well: “What are you doing here?”
Shu Ran was a little embarrassed, and because of his guilty conscience, he felt that Xu Shen’s arrival also brought about a gay, pink atmosphere that surrounded them.
He pointed towards the common room: “Let’s speak outside…”
When they left the workshop, Shu Ran found that people were still coming and going… He felt numb and looked at Xu Shen: “The office… should be empty now, right?”
“No, everyone’s in the office.” Xu Shen understood Shu Ran’s meaning, smiled brightly, then thought for a while and said to the other party: “Let’s go, follow me.”
Shu Ran was embarrassed by his smile, but he still followed him quickly and asked in a low voice: “Where are you going? It’s not the bathroom, is it?”
It was not appropriate to announce good news in the bathroom, right?!
“What are you thinking about?” Xu Shen turned around. How could he take Shu Ran to the bathroom for a tryst?! He raised his hand and pointed: “I’m just going to the back of the factory.”
Xu Shen turned into a narrow passage and walked around to the back of the building, into a blind spot where no one could see them.
“What’s wrong, what do you want to say?” Xu Shen looked at Shu Ran with a smile.
“Actually… it’s not a big deal.” Shu Ran coughed and said awkwardly: “I have passed the manuscript and the president of the publishing house has read the beginning and asked for it.” He laughed and patted Xu Shen’s chest: “So I came here to tell you that you have good vision, Comrade Xu Shen!”
“Congratulations!” Xu Shen kept smiling at Shu Ran and listened quietly to what the other person said before continuing: “I knew it was going to be okay.”
“Such a joy…” Shu Ran also smiled.
The two looked at each other in silence for a few seconds and then kissed each other naturally… From the initial zero to the surging, burning their hearts like fire, so hot that it hurts slightly, but reluctant to slow down.
Shu Ran felt that… His waist was about to be bent by Xu Shen’s arms. He wasn’t like that at home. Was the change of environment so exciting?!
But he was also reluctant to let him go.
So just close your eyes and go crazy… No, wait a minute…Wouldn’t his lips be seen by people later?!
“Brother Shen…” Shu Ran quickly pushed Xu Shen away and asked the man to wake up: “Let’s be more restrained. Everyone here is married. What we’ve been doing would be revealed at a glance…”
“Okay.” Xu Shen also thought about that problem, and for the first time ever, he felt that it was not entirely beneficial for his brothers to have wives…
But today, he was very satisfied that he could take some time off work to have a date and kiss his wife, putting him in an incomparably good mood.
“You go out first, I’ll come out later.” Xu Shen said.
“Why won’t you go out first?” Shu Ran lowered his eyes and glanced meaningfully: “Do you want to do bad things here?”
“What are you talking about?” Xu Shen tapped his wife’s head.
“Okay, I’ll go out first.” Shu Ran turned the corner and went to the bathroom, where there was a large mirror for everyone to tidy up their appearance. He wanted to see if there were any suspicious marks on his face. Fortunately, it wasn’t visible yet, but if he hadn’t stopped in time, there might have been.
Shu Ran chatted with the workers for a while, then returned to the office to take a look at the recent data. Xu Shen also came back soon after. There were many people in the factory, so he and Shu Ran had to pretend to act normally.
“It’s dinner time, let’s go to the cafeteria to eat.” Xu Shen asked Shu Ran.
“Okay.” Shu Ran put down the notebook and followed him. He usually didn’t come to the factory, and Xu Shen would go home to eat and rest at noon. After all, it wasn’t far from their home.
But today, he visited the factory and stayed for dinner before going back.
There was only one cook, so everyone ate the same thing. Xu Shen was worried that Shu Ran didn’t like his food, so upon coming back home, he asked: “My wife, do you want to eat something?”
If he wanted to eat, he wanted to cook.
“Do you think I’m a pig?” Shu Ran thought… It wasn’t even an hour after his last meal.
So Xu Shen smiled peacefully and fell asleep with his wife in his arms.
…………
President Wu finished reading Shu Ran’s mystery novel overnight, finding out that the story was even more exciting and twisty than he imagined. It was so amazing that he wanted to share it with his friends right away.
Unfortunately, the book was still a manuscript and couldn’t be leaked. It could only be shown to the staff of the agency, who would then prepare it for proofreading and printing.
Two days later, Shu Ran came to the publishing house again, to ask the president if he had finished reading his novel and if he was really sure about publishing it.
President Wu smiled when he saw him: “You’re here?”
Before Shu Ran could speak, President Wu couldn’t wait to ask: “Shu Ran, can you write another story with such a complete structure and clever twists like this “Stairway” of yours?”
Shu Ran nodded: “Yes.”
This time he came to ask President Wu for the final review: “Have you read the entire book? Then…”
“I’ve finished reading it.” President Wu said enthusiastically: “The second half of the story is more exciting than the first. It is a late-stage effort. Of course, the foreshadowing in the front is also good, but it is not as compact.”
Shu Ran himself knew those issues because the first half was written whenever he had time to write, while the second half was written all in one go. Of course, the quality was different.
“Shu Ran.” President Wu said “In the future, if you still write books, bring them to me. I will give you 10% of the royalties and whatever you want from the sales. Do you think it’s okay?”
“Okay.” Shu Ran agreed directly. He really didn’t care whether it was 5% or 10%… There were other things he had an interest in, so he said: “But I have a request. The other derivative copyrights of these works are still my own. For example, making movies, publishing comics, etc…”
President Wu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “You kid, you think so far and you are so confident…”
Those things were too unreal, and President Wu agreed to Shu Ran without much thought, because that was the author’s right. The publishing house only published the books, rather than buying out the works.
They had a schedule, and it wasn’t Shu Ran’s turn yet…However, the president liked Shu Ran’s story very much and wanted to print it out immediately and share it with everyone, so he pushed him to the front.
“It will be available on the market in about two months.” President Wu continued. “You go home and wait for the good news.”
Shu Ran: “Okay, thank you!”
That day was a salary day, so the factory workers were given a half-day off. Many of them went to town to buy daily necessities together.
The group of people wearing factory uniforms and work hats attracted many envious looks. Some even came up and asked: “What kind of factory are you working for? How can I get in?”
But the workers at “Tongxin Garment Factory” kept silent, remembering the rules and not daring to reveal anything to outsiders.
The directors said they wanted to make a fortune quietly.
Shu Ran saw his workers enjoying their vacation on the streets. When he arrived home, he saw that Xu Shen was also back… Shirtless, while fetching water from the well to physically cool down.
The power of autumn tigers was no less than that of mid-summer ones, so it was still very hot at noon.
“Just came back?” Shu Ran walked over and picked up a towel to wipe Xu Shen’s back.
“Yeah.” Xu Shen turned around and smiled. “What have you been doing?”
Shu Ran smiled broadly: “I went to the publishing house again. What do you think the president said?”
“What did he say?” Xu Shen became interested.
“The president said…” Shu Ran replied while admiring the man’s strong shoulders, “In the future, all my books can be given directly to him, and he also pushed me on an advance schedule so that my book can be published in two months.”
“That’s great!” Xu Shen propped himself up on the chair next to him so that his wife could wipe with less effort. He continued: “I’ll also give you some good news. Wasn’t our deal with that American to finish his order in two months? It’s only been one and a half months, but it’s already done.” He turned around and said: “Call that person tomorrow and see when he can come to inspect his goods.”
Shu Ran: “Okay, his name seems to be Roosevelt…” That was indeed good news.
Xu Shen continued: “Jiang Fan and I are going to the provincial dock to get familiar with the situation. The goods should leave smoothly.”
“When are you going?” Shu Ran asked.
“Tomorrow.” Xu Shen thought for a moment: “Anyway, the sooner the better.”
“Okay.” Shu Ran was tired of wiping and put the towel into Xu Shen’s hand: “Do it yourself.”
After Shu Ran left, Xu Shen picked up the bucket, raised it above his head, and poured it directly over his head, cooling him down.
…………
It took two hours to drive from Nanshi to the province. If everything went well, they could go there in the morning and return in the evening.
Jiang Fan: “Fortunately, we’re not far from the province. Otherwise, if you couldn’t go back at night, would you let Shu Ran alone in an empty room?”
“Why are you so talkative while driving your car?” Xu Shen leaned against the car window and laughed. Indeed, he and Shu Ran had never spent one night apart since getting married.
“Hey, it’s finally going to be shipped…” Jiang Fan said excitedly: “I’m so pumped. I haven’t made such a large amount of money in a long time.”
The last time he made a lot of money, it was a sideways profit… He was excited to get it, but at the same time, he was really nervous.
But now it was different. This money was earned completely openly, so he could boldly… Nope. That won’t work. Wealth shouldn’t be exposed, and he still couldn’t tell his family about it for the time being.
Jiang Fan: “Wait, when I become a rich man, I will show off to my big brother.”
Xu Shen smiled: “Yeah.”
Jiang Fan babbled: “When Kaizi and Brother Sen become rich, they can take their father out in glory. By then, I’m afraid they won’t be able to get along with that old enemy Yuan Min… Tsk tsk, such an honor!”
Xu Shen also interjected: “Yes, let Brother Sen find a good wife, and inherit his father’s legacy.” The Chen family could rise once again.
Jiang Fan was still young and did not consider marriage for the time being, but he glanced at Xu Shen: “In the future… When you two earn so much money, who will you spend it on? Why not adopt a child who would call you and Shu Ran dad…”
As he spoke, he lowered his voice, because it was unrealistic. It was okay to shout inside the house, but who would dare to do it outside?!
What’s more, Shu Ran still had siblings and his parents were involved in a mess of owing money to Xu Shen… Alas, let’s not rush things… Think about it in the long term!
“Hey, let’s not talk about this… Let’s make money first. If you have money, you can talk about anything.” Jiang Fan was a man who truly believed that whoever had money was the king of heaven. He could control whoever he wanted to control and use his money to kill those who opposed him.
“You’re right.” Xu Shen agreed very much.
He was not in a hurry. Life with Shu Ran was going very well. If they took it step by step, just like Shu Ran said, it would be fine.
While the two of them were taking care of things at the dock, Shu Ran went to the factory early in the morning and called Roosevelt. The other party was stationed along the coast where he had his own office. After receiving the call, he said he would come up as soon as possible.
Roosevelt really liked Shu Ran’s factory and designs, as well as their transportation capabilities. The team was great and he believed they could cooperate for a long time.
A week later, “Tongxin Garment Factory” finally welcomed Roosevelt and his assistant Mary, and the factory entered a tense period of inspections. Shu Ran was very confident in the quality control of his factory, never doubting that his products would be able to withstand even the most stringent inspections.
Normally, in order to maintain quality, everyone devoted 200% of their energy, day and night. If that couldn’t meet the requirements of their American client, it would be unreasonable.
Roosevelt looked around and discussed with his assistants, finally coming to a unanimous conclusion: “The quality is very good, we are very satisfied and hope you will continue to maintain it.”
Shu Ran breathed a sigh of relief, smiled, and shook hands with the other party: “Definitely.”
The people around him also laughed when they saw this scene.
Shu Ran turned around and said to Xu Shen: “Everything has been inspected and can be loaded into the car.”
Xu Shen nodded and called Li Jie and all the strong men in the factory to help load the truck.
Shu Ran explained the transportation process to Roosevelt: “Mr.Roosevelt, we have everything sorted here. It will arrive at the coastal terminal in two days. Just be ready for docking.”
Roosevelt: “OK.”
He was very satisfied with the goods this time. In order to make the cooperation more pleasant, he did not deliberately delay the rest of the payment, but proactively said: “Let’s go to the bank, and I will give you the money, Shu.” He also asked thoughtfully: “Yes… Should I pay you cash or…”
If it was cash, it was tax-free.
“Thank you, but there’s no need.” Shu Ran smiled: “Just transfer it directly to our company account.”
Shu Ran went to find Jiang Fan and said with a smile: “Let’s take the foreigner to the bank.”
Jiang Fan jumped up excitedly: “Let’s go!”
Chen Kai, who had sharp ears, also wanted to go with them, but his brother pulled him: “Why are you joining in the fun? Can you drive or can you speak foreign languages?!”
How could Chen Kai compete with Jiang Fan for the steering wheel, let alone his foreign language skills?!
Chen Sen: “Just go and load the goods…”
Xu Shen and the others were loading the truck in full swing, trying to get the freight over before shipping the next day. The whole factory was busy until nightfall, when Shu Ran also came back, bringing back a bag of money to prepare bonuses for the workers, purchase consumables, etc.
Everyone was so tired that they went directly to dinner after finishing their work. Only Xu Shen was left sitting alone by the door, with his legs open and resting, waiting for Shu Ran to come and sit next to him.
Xu Shen looked around and touched Shu Ran: “Did you entertain them for dinner?” If not, Shu Ran should also go and eat.
“Ah?” Shu Ran said with a smile: “We earned so much money, how could we spend it all on dinner?”
“Yes.” Xu Shen continued: “Has the final payment arrived?”
Shu Ran rubbed the corners of his mouth that were frozen in laughter: “Yes, it’s quite a lot.”
Xu Shen felt relieved, smiled, and stood up: “Let’s go and give everyone bonuses.”
The whole factory was very happy to ship the goods. Everyone received bonuses after dinner, and they also had five days off… Wasn’t that a bit too long?!
That holiday was so long that everyone was afraid the factory would no longer want them!
So Shu Ran had no choice but to explain to everyone: “The fabrics for the next order are still on the coast. We need to wait for the fabrics to arrive before we can start working.”
The workers were finally relieved.
While Shu Ran was distributing bonuses to everyone, Jiang Fan, that big talker, had already told everyone how much money was in the company’s account.
“Damn it…!” Chen Kai scratched his head in excitement: “Is export sales really that profitable?! Then aren’t we getting rich?!”
They already knew that Roosevelt placed another order before leaving.
Jiang Fan: “Of course, foreigners earn US dollars. You can calculate the current exchange rate yourself.”
Shu Ran returned to the office and heard the two of them having a heated discussion while… Xu Shen and Chen Sen were quite calm, drinking tea. The psychological age gap between the two sides was very clear.
Shu Ran picked the tea side without hesitation. Xu Shen pulled up a chair for him to sit down, acting very attentive. Chen Sen poured him tea and said: “General Manager, have some tea.”
Shu Ran was amused, said thank you, and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat.
“Everyone, give me your accounts later, so I can transfer money to you.”
“Okay!” Everyone responded positively. At this time, Chen Kai did the math again: “He placed an order and we issued it two months later… Would there be another payment two months after this?”
The rest of the people in the room looked at Chen Kai and said in unison: “You are so smart!”
Chen Kai was annoyed by their laughter, and racked his brains to think of something really smart to say: “Our factory can make so much money on such a small scale, so wouldn’t we make more if we expand the factory?”
Now nobody laughed at him but seriously considered the issue of expanding production.
However, Shu Ran knocked on the table and warned all shareholders: “Don’t be greedy. Raise enough funds first before considering expansion.”
By then, when they finally become a big factory, making money every day would be easy.
