Back To The 80s-Chapter 477 - 488: Peace_1

Zhao Honghe was suddenly panicked, he didn’t have such a large sum of money on hand and could only seek help from his sister.

Upon hearing that she had to cough up the money, Zhao Hongmei was livid, her body quivering. She continuously smacked Zhao Honghe’s back, "Can’t you just keep yourself out of trouble? Why can’t you just find a decent girl and settle down? Instead, you invite all kinds of notorious people into your life. Don’t you have a brain? Is a girl’s advantage that easy to take?"

Dodging her smacks, Zhao Honghe countered, "Sis, blaming me now is of no use, the deed is done. If I can’t come up with two thousand yuan, I’ll end up in jail."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hongmei was deflated. Where could she find such an amount to lend him? If Zhao Honghe really ended up in jail over this incident, she didn’t know what impact it would have on Zeng Changzhi. She was simply at a loss.

Seeing his sister still standing in place, Zhao Honghe anxiously mentioned, "Sis, if you can’t do it, try to borrow from the neighbors. They are definitely well-off. I can pay them back after the New Year."

Zhao Hongmei shot him a glare, "If you need a loan, go do it yourself. I have just been embarrassed once, I have to save face. What’s more, you said you would pay them back after the New Year, but with what money? Why don’t you go ask your boss for a loan?"

When Zhao Honghe heard this, his eyes sparkled with an idea. Taking his heavy cotton jacket, he set off into the falling snow.

Zhao Hongmei clenched her teeth in anger and sat on the sofa for a long time without uttering a word. How did this mess happen?

Ou Ruoshui was fully dedicated to taking care of Jiujiu, disregarding the tea business for the time being. She put a notice at the shop’s entrance asking all customers wanting to return goods to do so after the holidays. Right now, she spent every day by Jiujiu’s side, leaving the matters of selling the factory for when she was free.

Zhuang Shuxian noticed that as long as Jiujiu was at home, Ou Ruoshui would not do any chores. Instead, she would just happily watch Jiujiu, observing her during mealtimes, while she did her homework. Once Jiujiu was off to school, she would sit quietly at home, knitting clothes for Jiujiu.

Zhuang Shuxian watched Ou Ruoshui’s peaceful routine and couldn’t help but ask, "Xuerong, didn’t you open a factory in the provincial capital? How’s your business going?"

Ou Ruoshui paused, smiling slightly before responding, "Business is not so good right now because of the heavy snow. We’ll see when the weather gets better."

Zhuang Shuxian trusted her eyes and had clearly noticed a flash of concern in Ou Ruoshui’s gaze. She comforted her, "Xuerong, if you have any difficulties, share them with us. Your Uncle Jin has some connections here which could make things easier for you." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

Ou Ruoshui shook her head with a gentle smile, "It’s okay. It’s just that the weather is not good, so business is not brimming. You don’t have to worry."

"What does your factory do?" Zhuang Shuxian asked.

"It’s a tea factory."

"Tea? Like Xiaobei’s and Qin Li’s business? Are you snatching their business?" Zhuang Shuxian asked in surprise.

Ou Ruoshui looked up, her expression slightly uncomfortable. "I didn’t mean to snatch their business, and besides, they are doing really well. Truly."

Zhuang Shuxian felt uneasy. If Ou Ruoshui was in competition with Qin Li and Xiaobei, she didn’t know whose side to stand on.

Sensing the change in Zhuang Shuxian’s expression, Ou Ruoshui comforted her, "Auntie, don’t worry. I plan to sell the tea factory. I won’t be competing with them for business."

Zhuang Shuxian was taken aback again, "Why are you suddenly thinking about selling the factory? Did something happen?"

"No, I just feel this line of work isn’t really suitable for me. I want to find something more fitting. I’m currently with Jiujiu, and I want to spend some time with her before venturing into something else."

Zhuang Shuxian nodded half-heartedly, "If you’re short of money, I have some."

Ou Ruoshui shook her head, "No need, I have money."

"If you need anything, let us know. Don’t hide it from us, otherwise it means you don’t treat us as family. Your Uncle Jin and I see you as our daughter. Many heads are better than one."

Ou Ruoshui nodded with a warm heart, "I will. If I need help, I would not hesitate."

Having evaluated Ou Ruoshui’s factory, Ji Xiangdong turned to Gu Xiaobei for a discussion, "Gu Xiaobei, are you interested in Ou Ruoshui’s factory?"

Gu Xiaobei was a bit surprised, "Brother, this factory is entangled with too many issues. I’m afraid if we take it over, it will become a hot potato."

Ji Xiangdong shook his head, "I’ve checked. Ou Ruoshui handled all the paperwork for this factory herself. If you buy it, you’ll just have to change the name. There won’t be any problems. There are no co-partners involved in this, so transferring the ownership is straightforward."

Gu Xiaobei was tempted, thinking about how Ou Ruoshui is now Jiujiu’s mother, would it be proper to take advantage of her plight? He voiced his hesitation, "Does she really want to sell her factory, or is it just because she can’t manage the turnover? If she genuinely wants to sell, we can buy; but if it is due to turnover issues, it’s not right for us to take advantage of the situation."

Awoken by the chatter, Doudou in Ji Xiangdong’s arms started to cry. Ji Xiangdong had no choice but to get up and pace the room to comfort him. Once the child was quiet again, he continued, "She genuinely wants to sell the factory. She isn’t suited for the tea business. Plus, the location of her factory is excellent. As the city develops, that piece of land will definitely become a key development area for the government."

Gu Xiaobei also realized that even without the factory, and simply holding onto the land could make a profit. He pondered a bit and then said, "I am willing to buy, but I don’t have that much money."

Bai Xiaolan, who was kneeling on the brick bed, slapped her chest and announced, "I have twenty thousand yuan, I can lend it to you."

For once, Gu Xiaobei didn’t refuse, instead smiling, "Alright, but I can’t guarantee when I’ll be able to repay it."

Bai Xiaolan waved her hand generously, "It’s okay, we won’t need the money any time soon."

Ji Xiangdong, looking at the naive Bai Xiaolan, couldn’t help but shake his head and chuckle.

It wasn’t until Lu Zhanguo came home to pick up Gu Xiaobei, that Ji Xiangdong, who was holding his son in one hand and hugging Bai Xiaolan with the other, said with a smile, "You silly girl, if you get sold out, you’ll probably help them count the money too."

Bai Xiaolan blinked in confusion, "How am I being silly? Don’t you want to lend money to Xiaobei?"

Ji Xiangdong shook his head while chuckling, "It’s not about lending money. Gu Xiaobei simply doesn’t lack money. She just pretended not to have any. Know why?"

Bai Xiaolan felt a bit dizzy from his convoluted explanation and shook her head, "Why? And besides, why would she claim to be penniless if she has money?"

Holding Bai Xiaolan, Ji Xiangdong, his voice filled with charm, started explaining, "Because Gu Xiaobei didn’t want to hog all the profits, she wanted to share a piece of the pie with you, silly girl. Xiaobei is shrewd. She has a principle when doing business and doesn’t mix business with personal relationships. But lending you money means using your money to make a profit for you so there was no need to partner up and she could still help you earn money. Do you understand now?"