The rain stopped for a night, and then it started drizzling again. The Luo family’s house was big, and I had no idea it was still raining outside when I was sitting in the restaurant.
Zhong Lini looked at Zeng Xiang's sinister eyes. She didn't expect that this kid would know the inside story of the kidnapping. It must have been Feng Ma who told her. Feng Ma was the spy of that woman. A nanny, she really thought she was an expert.
Zhong Lini retracted her gaze and lowered her voice to scold: "What nonsense are you talking about!"
Zeng Xiang only eats salty food for breakfast, but she deliberately said that her son doesn't eat salty food, with such a condescending look on her face. Who is she showing this to
Zeng Xiang: "Do you think that the matter is over now that you, the older generation, have compromised and reached an agreement?!"
Zhong Lini glared at Zeng Xiang coldly. What she had done back then had failed. If the Luo and Zhong families had not been so deeply tied together, they would have completely fallen out with each other long ago.
But things are different now. The Luo family is developing better and better, like an eagle in the sky, while the Zhong family has gradually shown signs of decline in recent years. Last year, they failed to snipe the Song family. If she didn't have the leverage over Luo Jiaming in her hand, she would have lost her place in this family.
Zhong Lini knew Zeng Xiang was a skilled kung fu man, and in her eyes, he was a barbarian! She was not afraid of reasonable people, but she was afraid of rude and unreasonable people who dared to do whatever they wanted. She knew the power of unreasonableness from a young age, because the ancestors of the Zhong family were both black and white, and they made their fortune by being unreasonable and acting as compradors for foreigners.
She swallowed and asked, "Luo Shen! What do you want?"
What does he want? Zeng Xiang thought about it countless times, what does he want
"I will make you live a life worse than death, and make you lose the things you want the most bit by bit," Zeng Xiang raised his head slightly upstairs and threatened: "The things you care about the most..."
Zhong Lini's hands trembled. He was threatening her with her son!
Yes, her son is her biggest weakness. Everything she did before was for her son. Zhong Lini said angrily: "That's your own brother!"
Zeng Xiang smiled coldly: "Didn't you just say that we are strangers?"
"… "
Zhong Lini clenched the knife in her hand. She had always suspected that there was something wrong with the Luo family's genes, and that they produced many unreasonable lunatics, and Zeng Xiang was one of them.
She calmed down. Maybe her behavior just now irritated Zeng Xiang. She knew that when dealing with unreasonable people, one should not provoke or stimulate them. He probably tolerated her for a long time.
"I just... made a slip of the tongue!" She compromised, panicking inside but looking calm on the surface: "Felix doesn't like to talk to people, doesn't like to get close to people, sometimes even I am a stranger to him."
Zeng Xiang said calmly: "Then be more sensible and don't be so annoying in this family."
Luo Jiaming came down from upstairs and found that the atmosphere in the restaurant was not right. The maid stood in the distance and did not dare to approach, and a bowl of porridge was poured into the salad bowl!
He was about to ask what happened, but Zhong Lini explained with an awkward smile: "I wanted to drink some porridge, but my hand slipped..."
Luo Jiaming glanced at his wife, then at his son, and said nothing more.
The purpose of intimidation has been achieved, and Zeng Xiang is no longer entangled. Revenge is a long time coming, but if Zhong Lini dares to give him a hard time in the future, he will definitely fight back.
He turned around, walked through the front hall and went upstairs. At the stairs, he met Aunt Feng who was coming back from outside carrying an insulated lunch box.
"Young Master! Why didn't you inform me before you returned to Hong Kong? If Sister Hong hadn't called me, I wouldn't have known. Have you had breakfast? I made glutinous rice and chicken, and it's still hot." Aunt Feng was the nanny who brought up Zeng Xiang. She went wherever Zeng Xiang was. When Zeng Xiang was not in Hong Kong, she stayed at her aunt's house most of the time.
In this family, she is also the only maid who dares to go against Zhong Lini.
Zeng Xiang smiled and said, "Then I'll have another one. Let's go upstairs and eat."
Mother Feng followed him upstairs and whispered as they walked, "I told the old lady that you should move back to the second floor as soon as possible after the room on the second floor is ready. The third floor is not comfortable to live on."
Zhong Lini and her son live on the third floor, and she doesn't like to have much contact with them.
Zeng Xiang said: "You guys make the arrangements."
At this time, in Mrs. Luo's room, Mrs. Luo was sitting by the window, eating breakfast at her small dining table. After finishing the brown sugar steamed cake, Sister Hong brought the honey and osmanthus stewed milk to her. Mrs. Luo picked up the small silver spoon and ate it slowly, mouthful by mouthful.
Sister Feng was sitting beside her and talking to her. Old Lady Luo said, "Tell Qi Lian'an to be careful. Send someone to secretly watch the young master wherever he goes."
"The young master had an accident last year. It was an accident. Don't worry. No one in the Zhong family dares to do anything reckless now."
If the Zhong family dares to mess around again, the old lady will dig out Zhong Lini's flesh piece by piece!
If she had not needed the Zhong family's help, she would not have married into the Zhong family and would not have been forced to be tied to the Zhong family. In recent years, taking advantage of the Zhong family's weakness, she has finally slowly untied the ties. However, she will probably not be able to see the complete resolution of the problems between the two families in her lifetime.
Old Lady Luo said, "It's always good to be careful. The security in the mainland is not as good as before. It's just like Hong Kong in the early years. It's also very chaotic."
Sister Hong responded, "I'll go and tell Qi Lian'an later."
Mrs. Luo put down the spoon, picked up the small towel on the plate and wiped the corners of her mouth. "What was the name of that girl?"
Sister Hong thought the old lady was asking what the Song family's daughter's name was, so she hurriedly said, "Song Xinyi."
"No, I'm asking about the girl who is with Shen'er every day."
"Oh, her last name is Ye, and her name is Ye Zhao, which is the 'Zhao' in 'Zhaojun'. She comes from a single-parent family and has no mother. Her father is a small boss who runs a factory."
"What kind of factory is it?"
"It seems that the toy factory is not rich, but it is considered good in mainland China. The girl is very good at studying. She was the top scorer in the college entrance examination this year."
Old Mrs. Luo looked out the window at the drizzle and sighed, "Good grades mean she's smart, but she doesn't come from a good family. How does the girl look?"
Most girls with good grades have average looks. It seems that this girl relied on her inner beauty to attract her son Shen'er's attention.
Sister Hong smiled and said, "I heard she's very pretty, so I think she'll suit your taste."
When Mrs. Luo heard that Ye Zhao was pretty, she couldn't help but become interested: "Do you have a photo? Show me her photo."
Sister Hong saw what the old lady was thinking and said hurriedly, "I'll ask someone to look for him, but they may not be able to find a clear one. You might as well let Aunt Feng go back to the countryside with the young master. After spending a day or two with him, you'll know who he is."
"If we let Aunt Feng go, Zeng Erqiao will be unhappy again, so let's forget it. Don't let Shen'er get caught in the middle." Old Lady Luo waved her hand, "Don't bother looking for any photos. They are still young, and maybe they are just ordinary friends."
At the Shenzhen office of Sheng He Ji, Ye Zhao and her colleagues had been waiting in the office for more than half an hour. Except for the deliveryman on duty downstairs, no one else, including Manager Ye, came.
At half past nine, people started to come to work one after another. No one knew that the woman sitting in Manager Ye's office was the new boss. Several groups of people came in and out, some packed up rice rolls to eat on the spot, and some squatted at the door smoking.
Most people have nothing to do.
It was almost ten o'clock when Manager Ye arrived. He wiped his sweat and apologized guiltily: "It was too late yesterday, so I didn't make it back. There was a lot of traffic at the border today, and I waited in line for a long time."
It was around eight o'clock when Zeng Xiang spoke to her on the phone yesterday. Given Brother Xiang's efficiency, he must have called Manager Ye immediately. It wasn't too late for him to rush back at that time.
But today is the first day of handover, and Zhao Hua has no idea about the internal situation of Sheng Heji. Ye Zhao can't kick him out now, so she has to endure it.
Seeing that Ye Zhao didn't say anything, Gan Xiaofeng knew what she was thinking, and hurriedly said for her: "Call everyone to come to the meeting quickly. Has the person in charge from Hong Kong City arrived?"
Manager Ye hurriedly said, "Here I come! Manager Min went to the bathroom and will be right back."
After a while, Min Chunlai, the person in charge of Sheng Heji Port City, came trotting in. Manager Min was in his early forties, thin and skinny, with a cigarette in his hand, looking rather cunning.
After hearing yesterday that his boss had sold Sheng He Ji to Mainland Girl, Min Chunlai felt somewhat unhappy. However, Mainland Girl did not understand the market in Hong Kong and would definitely rely on him and Manager Ye. This was an opportunity. Who between him and Manager Ye would have the overall control of Sheng He Ji would depend on their performance today.
So Min Chunlai deliberately pulled Manager Ye to walk slower today. It was Manager Ye who was contacted by the boss last night, so it was Manager Ye who should be blamed for being late.
Min Chunlai greeted Ye Zhao very enthusiastically, "I didn't expect it to be such a young team! We at Sheng He Ji have you young people to save the day! I see hope again."
Ye Zhao stared at Min Chunlai, as if he saw a thinner version of Su Yingmin, who was smooth and worldly-wise, not taking things seriously, and couldn't figure out which of his words were true and which were false.
She smiled and asked Gan Xiaofeng to introduce the team.
Min Chunlai added: "I called all the employees to the company early this morning. We will have a meeting later. If we call them from here, they will be able to hear the call."
Aqin smiled and said, "That's a good idea."
Sister Song, who came with us, only had money in her eyes. She said, "This international long-distance call is too expensive..."
Gan Xiaofeng smiled and said, "Just a few simple words should be fine. At least let the people over there know that the boss has changed and they have to follow the new rules and not be as lazy as before."
Gan Xiaofeng's words made Min Chunlai unhappy, but he didn't show it directly. He simply explained: "The Shenzhen Office is a bit chaotic, but our Hong Kong City is not chaotic."
Manager Ye was anxious: "Hey, Manager Min, what do you mean Shenzhen is a bit chaotic? It's because of the flood a few days ago, which soaked the first floor. It's not chaotic here usually."
Ye Zhao and Gan Xiaofeng looked at each other. At this time, they didn't need any words to discuss. Gan Xiaofeng automatically stepped forward to play the good guy.
Gan Xiaofeng said, "Let's not talk about this for now. Let's have a quick meeting and arrange the work for the next few days. Let's also set the rules. No lateness or early departure. There must be an effective process for loading and unloading goods."
Manager Ye was still stubborn: "We also have procedures."
Gan Xiaofeng: "I know you have procedures, but procedures alone are useless. They are only useful if they are strictly enforced. Come on, let's have a meeting first."
Gan Xiaofeng gathered everyone for a meeting and went over all the internal and external rules with everyone.
Afterwards, Aqin took the office staff to tidy up the floors.
Ye Zhao, Gan Xiaofeng and the two managers continued their meeting in the office.
Gan Xiaofeng asked why Sheng He Ji went from being the top-ranked leader to being in this situation step by step. She was puzzled, and all the Zhaohua people didn't understand either.
Manager Ye said the same thing again: "I've said before that Boss Sheng's heart is no longer here. If the boss' heart is not here, of course there is no way to run the business well."
If you can't live without your boss, it means there is something wrong with the company's system. It is ruled by men, not by law.
Min Chunlai added: "It's one thing that the boss's heart is not in it, but he won't let us do it. In recent years, there are more and more competitors, and business is getting harder and harder. Boss Sheng set the price too rigidly and didn't give us enough flexibility. We set the price at 2 yuan, while others set it at 1.9 yuan. The profit margin doesn't meet the boss's requirements, and we can't follow suit to lower the price. In the vegetable wholesale business, even a dime makes a big difference. Gradually, our customers were poached by other companies, and we could only watch helplessly."
Ye Zhao nodded. Although she had only spoken to Boss Sheng once on the phone, it was obvious that he was very meticulous. She said, "Yes, doing business requires flexibility."
Min Chunlai took the opportunity to say, "Boss, if you trust me, you can let us do it. No matter what, the business will definitely not be worse than it is now."
Ye Zhao avoided the topic and said, "I just looked at the information brought by Manager Min. There are only a few vegetable markets and supermarkets that Sheng Heji has been supplying for a long time..."
"Don't you have leafy vegetables to supply? There is a serious shortage of vegetables in Hong Kong right now. As long as this batch of leafy vegetables is supplied, I am confident that I can win back some of my old customers."
"Sort out the list of old customers and decide which supermarkets you will supply goods to. You can go and discuss long-term cooperation this afternoon."
Manager Min came prepared. He immediately took out a list of clients from his briefcase and said, "I have sorted out some of them. You can see how to choose. I suggest you take the big ones and let go of the small ones. The goal is to take over a few large chain supermarkets first!"
Ye Zhaogan Xiaofeng and Manager Min were discussing the main clients, while Manager Ye was smoking on the side and couldn't get a word in. He cursed Min Chunlai in his heart as an old fox!
When the work was almost done, Manager Ye asked awkwardly, "What am I responsible for?"
Ye Zhao wanted to wait until the critical supply period was over before adjusting Sheng He Ji's personnel arrangements. She said, "Manager Ye, you should arrange the work of this office."
Manager Ye really wants to return to work in Hong Kong. This is a rare opportunity. "In fact, the work here can be handed over to Zhaohua's original team. I am suitable to go back to Hong Kong to run business, and I am familiar with the business there."
Min Chunlai smiled and patted his shoulder. "Old Ye, the market situation has changed now. You have been in the mainland for so many years. The port city has changed a lot in the past two years. I am afraid you can't keep up."
Manager Ye was furious: "Why can't I keep up? I have made a great contribution to the sale of Sheng He Ji to Boss Ye."
If Manager Ye were allowed to return to Hong Kong City now, Min and Ye would definitely fight. Ye Zhao could only flatter Manager Ye and said, "Now is the handover period. Manager Ye, your role here is crucial..."
"Only if you are stable, then Sheng He Ji's rear area will be stable."
It was the first time that Manager Ye realized how important his role was. He said a little embarrassedly, "Okay then."
When the discussion was almost over and only Manager Min and Ye Zhao were left, Min Chunlai whispered, "Boss, our Sheng He Ji employees haven't had a pay raise for three years. The drivers are now making less than 4,000 yuan, and their work is hard. Everyone is very dissatisfied with it privately."
Ye Zhao understood that prices in Hong Kong were high and that it was not easy for the working people at the bottom of society. She said, "We will increase the business volume in the next two months, and then we will increase everyone's salary. You should calm everyone down."
Manager Min asked, "How much can it be adjusted?"
Ye Zhao asked back: "How much do you think is appropriate?"
“At least 10% increase, right?”
A 10% increase is not a small amount. Ye Zhao nodded and said, "I'll ask the finance department to study it. Bring the finance department of Sheng He Ji to the meeting tomorrow."
Manager Min quickly responded: "Okay."
After Manager Min went back, Old Ye came to talk to Ye Zhao again. In a word, he still wanted to go back to Hong Kong. Ye Zhao asked him to work with peace of mind first, and she would consider it later.
In fact, even if Old Ye didn't mention it, Ye Zhao would have driven all these high-paid Hong Kong people back to Hong Kong sooner or later, but the timing was not right now.
Coming out of the office and walking on the road, Gan Xiaofeng said, "If it weren't for the critical moment now, I really want to send Manager Ye back to Gangcheng and let him fight with Manager Min."
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "If you let them scheme against each other, we will probably be the ones who get hurt in the end. There can be competition within the organization, but no fighting. Fighting should be done in unison and directed outward!"
"I know."
Ye Zhao did not go back with them. She went to the People's Hospital to visit Grandma Liang.
It rained a little this morning and then it started to clear up, but the ground was still muddy everywhere.
Ye Zhao bought some nutritional supplements and entered the inpatient department. This was a newly built building with an elevator installed, but there was only one elevator. There were too many people waiting for a seat, including many patients who had difficulty walking. She didn't want to squeeze in, so she chose to take the stairs.
According to the room number given by Aunt Ai, she climbed up to the third floor. As soon as she entered the ward, she saw the outermost bed. Several people were surrounding an old lady, coaxing her to eat. The old lady wanted to be discharged from the hospital and go home, but her family members disagreed, so she closed her eyes and refused to eat in protest.
This was a five-person room. Ye Zhao quickly found Liang Po's bed because there was no family member beside her bed.
Granny Liang was lying on the bed, half asleep and half awake. When she saw a figure beside the bed, she whispered, "Nurse, can you give me a glass of water, please?"
"It's me, Liang Po. You're thirsty, aren't you?"
Granny Liang opened her eyes, but still couldn't see who was coming.
Ye Zhao took her enamel cup and went out to fetch some water. Because Liang Po had injured her waist and couldn't sit up to drink, she ran to the store to get a straw and let Liang Po drink with it.
Liang Po finally recognized Ye Zhao. She said weakly, "It's you."
Once an old person gets sick or injured and goes to the hospital, he or she quickly becomes thinner and thinner. Granny Liang's cheeks are sunken, which looks ugly.
Ye Zhao asked her: "Have you had lunch?"
Granny Liang shook her head.
"Who will feed you?"
"No one takes care of my meals. No one takes care of me." The old lady opened her eyes, without a trace of light.
This is impossible. The village committee should have arranged someone, but he may not have arrived yet.
But the elderly people nearby were all having their meals, and Grandma Liang was the only one left here hungry. This was really heartbreaking, so Ye Zhao asked her to wait while she went downstairs to buy some food.
I bought some food for Grandma Liang and fed her mouthful by mouthful. The food was a little hard and she couldn't swallow it, so she used a straw to drink water to swallow it.
It is said that a friend in need is a friend indeed, and time reveals a person's true character. Granny Liang said softly, "Girl, why are you so kind?"
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, why don't you say that I want to buy your land?"
Granny Liang smiled silently: "You want to buy my land, right? Alas... Now it's like this, I can't sell it even if I don't want to."
What's the point of leaving the land to her son if he is not filial? In the end, he won't be grateful to her.
Ye Zhao said: "Only after you sell the land can you have money to pay for the hospital bills, and you can also hire an aunt to take care of you. Taking good care of yourself and living a good life is better than anything else."
After the meal, Granny Liang became more energetic. She said, "You're right. How do you calculate the price? You won't take the opportunity to lower the price for me, will you?"
Ye Zhao smiled and covered the lunch box. "Am I... am I that kind of person?"
Granny Liang wiped her forehead with her hand. She smiled and said, "It's human nature to take your life while you're sick. You're trying to lower my price, but I don't blame you. I blame God for being blind!"
"Look, now that the curse has been used, who dares to lower your price? How much do you want to offer?"
Granny Liang asked quietly, "How much did Lao Kai sell the land to you for?"
Ye Zhao thought for a long time, but couldn't remember. She said, "It seems to be around 150."
"150 is not enough, it has to be at least 160. My position is better than his."
Ye Zhao did a quick calculation: "600 square meters, 160 square meters, total price 96,000."
Granny Liang held up a finger and said, "One hundred thousand for one price."
Even though he was sick, his mind was still so clear. Ye Zhao smiled helplessly and said, "Okay, one hundred thousand is one hundred thousand. I don't have enough money now, but I can give you a deposit of ten thousand first, sign the contract, and then give you the balance after you are discharged from the hospital. Is that okay?"
Granny Liang thought this was a good idea. She just gave her 100,000 yuan directly, but she didn’t know how to save it.
Mrs. Ai's daughter finally brought food. Ye Zhao felt that it was not good for the patient to rely solely on the hospital nurses without family members to take care of her. The hospital also did not have any nursing staff, so she called the village committee, told them about the land sale, and asked the village committee to quickly hire an aunt to take care of Mrs. Liang.
At the Song family in Hong Kong City, Mrs. Song is watching her daughter change into a dress. In the evening, Tung Wah is holding a gala to raise funds for flood relief. This kind of event is broadcast live on TV. All the major wealthy families in Hong Kong City will participate, and the Song family is no exception.
Under the guise of charity, it is actually a feast for wealthy and famous ladies to show off.
After deciding on the dress, Sister Zhen accompanied Miss Song upstairs to choose accessories, while Mrs. Song was answering the phone.
Not long after, Liang Xin and Ahua both came. Mrs. Song didn't go to the company today, so they came to report on their work.
Liang Xin took a bunch of documents for Mrs. Song to sign.
Ah Hua was in his thirties and was the person Mrs. Song trusted the most. He didn’t hold a high position in the company, but he did everything. He sat aside and said, “Mrs. Song, did you know that Shengheji was sold?”
"Sold? How much did it sell for?" Song Tai didn't really care about this matter. He just treated it as a piece of industry gossip.
"Boss Sheng refused to say anything and kept his mouth shut."
Mrs. Song remembered something and asked, "Did the Luo family come to say hello and not allow us to buy Shengheji? Why?"
"I don't know. Maybe this Sheng has offended the Luo family. Do you know who bought Sheng He Ji?"
Mrs. Song didn't care. She asked casually, "Who?"
"Ye Zhao."
"Ye Zhao?" Mrs. Song's pen paused as she signed: "Where does she get so much money? How can a girl from mainland China be so capable?"
Ah Hua said: "It grows by sucking our blood. When it sucks enough, its wings become strong."
"No wonder she looks down on Shijiulou. Is she going to compete with us now?"
"Obviously."
Mrs. Song handed the pen to Liang Xin, frowning and saying nothing.
Ah Hua continued, "She has no resources or connections in Hong Kong. There must be many experienced people in an old vegetable shop like Sheng He Ji. She thinks it's too simple to make money here. You went to Shenzhen City specially to meet her, but she didn't even see you? She didn't even give you this little face. She is so unsophisticated and reckless. She just rushed into the most complicated Kowloon City. I want to see how she will end up with a bloody head."
Song Tai shook his head slightly: "Don't underestimate her, this girl is capable."
"I will have Shijiulou keep an eye on this Shengheji and beat her up. I will definitely beat her down and let her have a taste of what a true capitalist iron fist is."
Mrs. Song couldn't help laughing. Liang Xin whispered, "There's no need to target them. It's not easy for them either."
Ah Hua pointed at Liang Xin and teased, "Little girls like you are soft-hearted and can't achieve anything. You can only do secretarial work for the rest of your life."
Liang Xin: "I think they are pretty good, Brother Hua, don't let Sheng He Ji be defeated and then Shi Jiu Lou be involved."
After saying that, Liang Xin went out holding the documents.
What unlucky words you said!
Ah Hua rolled his eyes at her and complained to Mrs. Song: "She is such a small-time relative. She can't even do a good job as a secretary. Whose secretary dares to interrupt and talk? She always says bad things. Mrs. Song, you have spoiled her."
Mrs. Song smiled but said nothing.
The rain gradually stopped. At around nine o'clock in the evening, Ye Zhao and Aunt Qiao were watching the Tung Wah Disaster Relief Charity Fundraising Gala on TV. The Luo family always took the lead in donating the most money, but never participated in this kind of TV appearance activities.
Ye Zhao had seen Mrs. Song and her daughter on camera several times.
The phone rang. Aunt Qiao, who was sitting next to him, picked up the phone and said "Hello". Then she said to Ye Zhao, "It's for you!"
Ye Zhao hurriedly answered the phone. It was Min Chunlai calling. He sounded anxious: "Something's wrong. All the truck drivers are on strike."
At this time, the driver of Shengheji should have set out from Gangcheng to Dongshan Town to transport vegetables.
Min Chunlai talked with several chain supermarket customers in one afternoon. Since it was the first time to supply goods, today's vegetable transportation was particularly important.
“Why the strike?”
"In the afternoon, they wanted a pay raise, and I agreed to it, saying I would give them a raise. No one had any objections at first, but tonight everyone went on strike and demanded a 30% pay raise, or they would resign."
A 30% salary increase for all? That's too much.
Min Chunlai said: "No company can raise salaries by 30% for all employees. I dare not agree to it. I suspect someone is behind this."
If someone is playing tricks, even if you agree to a 30% salary increase, it may not solve the problem.
(End of this chapter)