Chapter 167: Dongyi Company

The young man shrank his neck; clearly aware of Zhao Ruyi's ferocity, he hurriedly called out to Ning Weidong, "Hello, brother-in-law."

Ning Weidong, however, understood the subtext of Zhao Ruyi's words.

These two were clearly from the residential compounds; the short one must have been the youngest in his family, pampered enough to avoid being sent to the countryside.

The tall one had likely just returned from out of town.

The reason Zhao Ruyi's tone carried a warning was that she feared they might say something messy to Ning Weidong, like calling him a "freeloader."

If Ning Weidong got angry and beat them up, he would offend people for no reason; if he swallowed his pride, she would lose face, and it would leave a thorn in Ning Weidong's heart.

Although Zhao Ruyi had a boisterous personality, she was not muddled in this regard.

After all, she would have to spend her life with Ning Weidong, and failing to consider certain things would only make life uncomfortable for herself.

Ning Weidong saw that Zhao Ruyi was very familiar with this short kid and knew each other's temperaments; otherwise, she wouldn't have given the warning.

The short young man paused, seemingly a bit surprised by Zhao Ruyi's attitude toward Ning Weidong.

Although they hadn't grown up in the same compound since childhood, they had become very familiar with Zhao Ruyi later for various reasons and knew deeply what kind of personality this sister had.

When they heard earlier that Zhao Ruyi was getting married, their group had been shocked, wondering what kind of man could handle this tigress.

But now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

Zhao Ruyi was clearly not her usual self in front of Ning Weidong.

Ning Weidong nodded.

Zhao Ruyi introduced them: "Weidong, this is Yang Hongjun, we used to be in the same compound; his older brother is now at the Ministry of Railways."

Reading between the lines, Zhao Ruyi saying they used to be in the same compound meant they weren't anymore.

She only mentioned where his older brother was and didn't mention his father, which meant Yang Hongjun's father had likely passed away.

In an instant, Yang Hongjun's situation was outlined: someone who once had some family status, but whose father had passed away a few years ago, leaving the family in decline, with only some residual influence left, which his older brother had inherited.

Ning Weidong did not look down on the other party and shook hands with Yang Hongjun enthusiastically.

Yang Hongjun also put away his earlier grinning appearance; through Zhao Ruyi's attitude toward Ning Weidong, he dared not underestimate the man in front of him even more.

Originally, Yang Hongjun felt that although his family had declined, he still had a background that Ning Weidong couldn't compare to.

What was Ning Weidong? Just a tool for the marriage alliance between the Wang Family and the Zhao Family.

But upon meeting just now, the situation was clearly different, which made him feel surprised while also adding a bit of caution and respect toward Ning Weidong.

After his father died, Yang Hongjun had seen the coldness and warmth of human relationships and was very good at reading the situation.

He kept calling him "brother-in-law," appearing quite close.

Afterward, Zhao Ruyi introduced the tall man beside him: "This is Wang Kaixuan, he came over with Hongjun."

Ning Weidong couldn't help but be slightly surprised; this name caught him off guard. Damn it, Wang Kaixuan is here too? Don't tell me there's a Hu Bayi as well! Yang Hongjun, fearing that Zhao Ruyi and Ning Weidong would look down on them, immediately interjected: "Fatty's dad's rank was even higher than my dad's; if he were still around..."

Zhao Ruyi didn't react much; she had seen plenty of situations like Yang Hongjun's and Wang Kaixuan's.

But then again, given the current makeshift state of Dongyi Company, these were the only kinds of people who would take the initiative to come looking.

Those whose elders were still around, who had connections, paths, and backgrounds, wouldn't be in a hurry to come over.

When Ning Weidong previously reminded Zhao Ruyi to find more people, he was actually referring to people like Yang Hongjun and Wang Kaixuan.

They had some roots originally, but things weren't working out now, yet they could still rely on some of their fathers' old friends and comrades.

It was just that these connections became thinner the more they were used.

Ning Weidong shook hands with Wang Kaixuan and said in surprise: "Fatty, I can't tell at all~"

Wang Kaixuan was quite tall with broad shoulders, considered burly, so he didn't fit the name "Fatty" at all.

Wang Kaixuan scratched the back of his head and said: "Sigh, that was just a nickname from when I was a kid. I was indeed a chubby kid back then, but later... how could I stay fat?"

Ning Weidong heard the complex emotions in his words and switched the topic: "Did you just return from being sent to the countryside?"

Wang Kaixuan replied calmly: "Just got back from the Northeast."

Ning Weidong raised an eyebrow: "You were also sent to the Northeast?"

Wang Kaixuan's eyes lit up: "Brother Ning, were you too?"

Actually, Wang Kaixuan was a year older than Ning Weidong, but they had come for Zhao Ruyi initially and weren't sure of Ning Weidong's age, so calling him "Brother" was definitely safe.

Ning Weidong said: "I was in Liaoning Province, at the Nanshan Farm in Jinzhou."

A flash of disappointment crossed Wang Kaixuan's eyes; the place where he was sent was too far away to easily find a connection.

Otherwise, if he could chat with Ning Weidong, he might have been able to find some mutual acquaintances.

In this era, youth sent to the countryside had feelings similar to comrades-in-arms, eating and living together, working together, fighting together, and traveling around to different places.

Wang Kaixuan said: "That's a good place. I was in the East Four Leagues, at the foot of the Daxinganling, in Ganggang Yingzi..."

Ning Weidong's heart stirred; he had thought it was just the same name, but he hadn't expected the place name to match as well.

He blurted out: "Do you have a friend named Hu Bayi?"

Wang Kaixuan blinked his eyes, surprised: "You know Old Hu?"

Ning Weidong thought, "Holy crap," to himself.

He had already found it strange when Li Yuanchao appeared, and now another Wang Kaixuan had popped up. What the hell was going on? But Ning Weidong didn't show it on his face at all; he smiled and said: "I wouldn't say I know him, but I heard a friend mention him. I heard he was also in the Northeast, in a place called Ganggang Yingzi."

Wang Kaixuan realized, feeling a bit disappointed: "A few years ago, Old Hu's dad went back to work and helped him find a way to join the army. It's been a few years since I've seen him."

Ning Weidong suppressed his curiosity and didn't ask any more questions.

Anyway, regardless of whether this Wang Kaixuan was the "Wang Pangzi" or not, his fate would likely change now that he had arrived here.

As long as he had a path involving an Approval Document in these coming years, Wang Kaixuan would never be reduced to selling cassette tapes, nor would he risk his life to become that kind of underground worker.

Thinking this, Ning Weidong sat down with the others and chatted briefly.

Yang Hongjun was very perceptive and didn't stay long before proposing to leave.

After seeing the two off, Ning Weidong finally had the chance to ask: "Ruyi, what's the deal with these two?"

Although they had said some things earlier, those were just things that could be said on the surface; the real situation definitely had to be discussed in private.

Zhao Ruyi sat right on Ning Weidong's lap and said with a smile, "Although Yang Hongjun's father is gone, he still has a second uncle who manages non-ferrous metals in a province in the South..."

Ning Weidong suddenly understood; with this connection, Yang Hongjun's value was not low.

Moreover, it had just been revealed that Yang Hongjun also had an older brother on the railway.

By comparison, Wang Kaixuan was much more destitute.

Wang Kaixuan's parents were both gone, and he had no other brothers or sisters at home; nowadays, the only people he could rely on were some of his father's old comrades-in-arms. It was just very obvious that Wang Kaixuan did not really know how to use these connections, otherwise he wouldn't have only followed the crowd back from the Northeast not long ago.

Ning Weidong hugged Zhao Ruyi's waist and said, "How have you been feeling these past few days?"

Zhao Ruyi said with a smile, "Everything here is decided by me, so of course it's much more comfortable than going to work."

Ning Weidong patted her bottom: "It's your own business, don't be too slack."

Zhao Ruyi responded, "I know. Now everyone at home knows I started this company; if I don't produce some results, I won't be able to explain myself."

Ning Weidong said, "By the way, you must make good use of Yang Hongjun and Wang Kaixuan. You know the principle of 'establishing trust by setting up a pole,' right? You must let them make money, especially Wang Kaixuan."

Zhao Ruyi was slightly surprised, not quite understanding why Ning Weidong placed such importance on Wang Kaixuan.

Ning Weidong explained, "Wang Kaixuan has no one to rely on. If even a person like that can make money here with us, don't you think others in similar situations will come looking for us on their own?"

Zhao Ruyi suddenly understood.

Ning Weidong continued, "The two of us are not like Li Yuanchao; there are some big opportunities he can eat that we can't. We can only find another way and concentrate scattered resources."

Zhao Ruyi nodded; she also understood the gap between them and Li Yuanchao.

Ning Weidong added, "By the way, besides this, we can't just sit at home and wait when it comes to the market."

Zhao Ruyi blinked her eyes.

Logically speaking, since they were doing this business of Approval Documents, they were living off of connections and resources; there was absolutely no need to engage in the market, as people would naturally come looking for them.

Ning Weidong explained, "If we only want to earn a little pocket money, we can naturally sit at home and wait given our current situation, but if we want to have greater ambition, we can't do that." Having said this, Ning Weidong paused: "Although the policies are not yet clear, with the entry of foreign capital, the coastal areas in the Southeast are already operating under the table."

Zhao Ruyi said, "You mean like we are now, wearing the skin of a collective enterprise?"

Ning Weidong nodded: "These enterprises cannot obtain relevant raw materials through formal channels and can only take unconventional paths. We must find a way to make them come directly to us..."

Blah, blah, blah—Ning Weidong recited a string of business philosophies; Zhao Ruyi nodded like a chick pecking at rice, as she had never even heard of these things before.

It wasn't until nearly noon that Ning Weidong felt a bit hungry and considered what to eat.

Just at this moment, someone came in from outside, stood by the door, knocked, and called out, "Manager Zhao."

Zhao Ruyi got up and went to the outer room, saying with a smile, "Aunt Qin is here~"

Ning Weidong also followed her out and saw a middle-aged woman standing at the doorway wearing a blue cloth shirt with a bob haircut, carrying a basket in the crook of her arm.

The woman looked quite good; it was evident she must have been quite beautiful when she was young, and even now in her forties, in this era, she could still be considered to have lingering charm.

Zhao Ruyi let her come in to talk, and the woman said with a smile, "I won't come in. I came to ask for a leave of absence; my mother-in-law took a fall, and I plan to take her to the hospital to get an X-ray..."

Zhao Ruyi said, "Is that so~ Is the old lady's injury serious?"

The woman said, "It doesn't look too heavy, but for two or three days she hasn't dared to put her foot on the ground. I'm afraid she might have injured the bone, and it's not good to keep dragging it out."

Zhao Ruyi nodded.

The woman added, "Don't worry, I'll have my daughter come to replace me tomorrow; it definitely won't delay your meals here."

After finishing, the woman turned and returned to the kitchen in the front courtyard.

Only then did Zhao Ruyi explain in detail: "Aunt Qin is the cook I hired; I set up a canteen in the front courtyard's south-facing room..."

Ning Weidong wasn't too surprised; employee canteens were very common nowadays, but this person, Aunt Qin, made him feel a bit concerned.

Mainly because even Wang Kaixuan and Hu Bayi had appeared.

He asked casually, "What is Aunt Qin's name? Why do I find her a bit familiar?"

Zhao Ruyi was slightly surprised: "Her name is Qin Huairu, her home isn't far from here. Do you know her?"

Ning Weidong shook his head: "I don't know her."

Ning Weidong secretly gave a bitter smile; there really were all kinds of people.

However, to Ning Weidong, this was just a minor, unimportant episode.

After eating at Zhao Ruyi's place at noon, Ning Weidong stayed for a while longer. In the afternoon, after leaving Zhao Ruyi's, he simply went to the bathhouse for a good scrub, including a rubdown and a haircut.

He didn't return home until after five in the afternoon.

Just as he arrived at the East Cross Courtyard, he saw Bai Fengqin peeling garlic at the door.

Seeing Ning Weidong, Bai Fengqin immediately stood up and called out, "Brother Weidong."

Ning Weidong laughed as he parked his bicycle and asked, "Looking at you, did you do well on your test today?"

Bai Fengqin said, "It was alright~ The teacher said that once the test is over, don't think about it anymore, and just prepare well for tomorrow's exam."

As they were talking, Bai Fengyu came out of the room with white flour on her hands: "You're back~ I'm making some dumplings today, I'll send some over to you in a bit."

Ning Weidong had just been wondering what to eat for dinner, and this saved him the trouble.

He said with a smile, "That's perfect. Fengqin, peel some garlic for me too."

Bai Fengqin took a small bowl out from the side: "It's already peeled."

Bai Fengyu glanced over from the side.

Ning Weidong reached out and took it: "Oh, thank you, my sister Fengqin."

Bai Fengqin said with a giggle, "I'm counting on you to take me to the exam site tomorrow morning~ I have to butter you up properly."

Ning Weidong laughed: "So I'm that petty? If you didn't peel these two cloves of garlic for me, I wouldn't take you?"

After joking for a bit, Ning Weidong carried the garlic bowl back into the room.

Bai Fengqin stood where she was, staring straight at his back until he entered the room and disappeared from sight.

She didn't notice that Bai Fengyu had been watching from the side the whole time, and then she gave a light cough.

Bai Fengqin came back to her senses, couldn't help but let out an "ah," and then her cheeks turned red.

Bai Fengyu sighed inwardly, but she didn't want to lecture her deeply at this moment; Bai Fengqin still had to take an exam tomorrow, so she found a random excuse: "We're out of vinegar at home, go buy a bottle of vinegar."

Bai Fengqin had been feeling a bit guilty, but upon hearing she was being asked to buy vinegar, she let out a sigh of relief, hurriedly agreed, and went back into the room to get a bottle.

Bai Fengyu watched her leave, then sighed, turned her head, and looked toward the north room, knowing that no matter what Fengqin said, her heart was already tethered to Ning Weidong.

Yet Ning Weidong was already betrothed, and the woman was from a Cadre family; even if Bai Fengqin got into university, there was no hope for her and Ning Weidong.

Fortunately, the universities Bai Fengqin applied to were all in other regions; if she really got in, after a few more years, she would likely forget about it.

Bai Fengyu set aside these thoughts and was about to return to the room to continue making dumplings when she suddenly saw someone rush in through the Moon Gate in a flurry.

Bai Fengyu recognized the person; it was Ning Wei, who looked as if his eyebrows were on fire as he headed straight for Ning Weidong's room.

(End of this chapter)