Chapter 1307: Earning Like Crazy

"Oh, Xiao Hui is back."

Song's mother, who had been busy at home attending to the young lady, saw Song Yunhui and Cheng Kaiyan following behind him. "This is..."

"Mom, this is Cheng Kaiyan, my partner. Hearing that my sister gave birth, I thought I'd come back to see them together," Song Yunhui explained with a smile.

"Hello, Auntie. I'm Cheng Kaiyan. You can call me Xiao Cheng or Kaiyan."

"Ah, Kaiyan!"

Song's mother smiled. "Look at all that sweat; you must be sweltering. Put those things down; why are you still carrying them? Hurry and rest. I'll cut some watermelon for you; I bought it this morning."

"Oh~" Cheng Kaiyan quickly set down what she was holding, momentarily unsure of what else to do.

"Mom, Kaiyan and I will go see my sister and the baby."

"Go ahead, go ahead. I'll bring the watermelon over in a moment," Song's mother said, nodding with a smile.

So Song Yunhui took Cheng Kaiyan by the hand, crossed the front courtyard, and went next door.

The building design featured units of seventy, fifty-five, and eighty-five square meters arranged side by side; the seventy-square-meter unit was on the innermost side, the fifty-five in the middle, and the eighty-five on the end unit. This arrangement conveniently suited Wang Yan's family, as the small ground-floor courtyard was relatively expanded.

He was a man of principle and had not encroached a single inch on the space belonging to the seventy-square-meter worker's household. Indeed, given the circumstances at the time, he could have occupied all three units on this floor without anyone saying a word. But he did not do so; instead, he allocated them to outstanding veteran workers of the factory. When there was nothing pressing, Wang Yan would even invite them to share a few drinks and chat with the old factory director and others.

"Sister!"

"Shh..."

Seeing her brother return, Song Yunping was delighted, but since her son was sleeping, she made a hushing sound, put down the book in her hand, and said, "Look at you, covered in sweat. Did you walk all the way back?"

"Yes, Sister. I wanted to see how Jin Ling has changed over the past two years. I didn't expect the government area to be demolished, so I had to take a detour."

Song Yunping nodded, then looked at the somewhat ill-at-ease Cheng Kaiyan and smiled gently. "You must be Kaiyan? Xiao Hui mentioned you in his letters. You are truly beautiful."

"Sister is beautiful too," Cheng Kaiyan replied with a smile.

"Just treat this place as your own home; there's no need to be so reserved," Song Yunping said, soothing Cheng Kaiyan's nervousness.

In just the span of those two sentences, she could tell that Cheng Kaiyan was simple-minded and shallow of thought.

Cheng Kaiyan responded with a nod: "Yes, thank you, Sister."

"Let me see my little nephew. So ugly; all wrinkled."

"You looked just like that when you were little."

Song Yunhui said, "Sister, this child looks like you, not like my brother-in-law."

"His eyebrows and eyes resemble your brother-in-law's; his eyes are the most handsome," Song Yunping said, gazing at her sleeping son beside her, her eyes full of tenderness.

"Alright, Sister, we won't disturb you any longer; let's talk again after the baby wakes up."

"Ah, wait a moment. How many days are you staying this time?"

"I've taken annual leave; I'll be staying for half a month."

"Very well, go ahead."

There was plenty of time ahead, so Song Yunping was not in a hurry to say much to her brother; for now, her son was more important.

Song Yunhui smiled, said nothing more, and took Cheng Kaiyan back to the small house next door, where they ate chilled watermelon and chatted idly with Song's mother...

That evening, Song's father and Wang Yan returned one after another, and the house became lively.

"This must be Kaiyan?"

"Hello, Brother-in-law." Cheng Kaiyan was very reserved; Wang Yan was truly a major figure, frequently appearing in newspapers and receiving commendations—a celebrity known to people across the nation.

"No need to be nervous. You are Xiao Hui's girlfriend; we are all family here. Just be casual; there aren't so many rigid rules in this household."

"Wait a moment; let me first go report my arrival to my wife and child," Wang Yan said with a smile, waving his hand as he entered the room.

"Did you see?" Song Yunping asked Wang Yan with a smile while teasing the baby.

"You make it sound as if I don't have eyes," Wang Yan replied, stepping closer to tease the little one.

"What do you think?"

Wang Yan pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, "She's alright. She has no scheming or deep calculation; one can tell she's a treasure at home, having never suffered any hardships—a silly girl without a care in the world. For now, she seems quite well-matched with Xiao Hui. Xiao Hui has many thoughts and strong opinions; finding someone similar would make life exhausting."

"I think the same, but..." Song Yunping seemed somewhat puzzled. "Why did you say 'for now'? Do you think they won't get along well in the future?"

"Xiao Hui works in technology; he is doing well currently and has a good relationship with their factory's Party Secretary. With my side also able to lend a hand, his advancement is certain. But this Cheng Kaiyan is carefree, incapable, and unable to keep pace with Xiao Hui's progress; she will start overthinking. When one reaches great heights, one faces many temptations. Once she starts overthinking, emotional problems will arise, and the family will become discordant."

"Her family conditions are quite good; her father is also a leader. She was spoiled growing up, accustomed to having everything go her way. Whenever things don't go smoothly, she inevitably overthinks and loses her temper. Xiao Hui is a reasonable person, but in matters of love and marriage, there is no reasoning to be had. Contradictions will accumulate until the day they become irreconcilable."

"What you say makes sense, but I think it ultimately depends on how the two get along. Look at us; aren't we doing quite well? I haven't kept up with you either, and there are so many young ladies whose eyes light up when they look at you. Being together still requires grinding and adjustment."

Wang Yan shook his head amusedly. "It is because you have a broad mind and can be accommodating. Come here, my beloved wife, give me a kiss."

Song Yunping lightly hit Wang Yan, but still leaned in and shared a kiss with him.

"Look, this little fellow isn't even blinking; he's staring intently."

Hearing Wang Yan's words, the little one, whether understanding or not, began waving his arms and kicking his legs while whimpering.

"Is he hungry?" Song Yunping lacked experience; having given birth only a few days prior, she was also flustered and busy.

"When one is in a good mood, one wants to exercise. You don't need to stay in bed all day; you've mostly recovered by now and should start walking to regain your strength. Get some fresh air occasionally; in a few days, you'll be able to stroll in the courtyard. You watch the child; I'll go cook."

With that, Wang Yan patted the little one's bottom and went to the kitchen to prepare dishes.

He was still preparing dietary supplements for Song Yunping, slow-simmered dishes requiring time, high in nutrition and delicious in taste. Since there were many people today for a communal meal, he stewed one dish and prepared a soup.

While waiting for the stew to simmer, he also went out to the courtyard to help prepare vegetables. These had all been bought by Song's mother in the afternoon; there was chicken, duck, fish, and meat, all to welcome Cheng Kaiyan's arrival.

Squatting on the ground to clean the fish, Wang Yan was asked by Song Yunhui, who was picking vegetables nearby: "Brother-in-law, I noticed that a huge area over by the county government has turned into a construction site. What are they planning to build?"

"Government offices, the Great Hall of the People, People's Square, the Gongan Bureau, a library, a museum, a local chronicles hall, a martyrs' hall, the Jin Ling Socialist History Hall, the headquarters of Jinfa Bank, and the group headquarters. These buildings will be constructed around People's Square, where statues of Marx, Lenin, and Mao will also be erected."

Song Yunhui asked hesitantly, "Is this appropriate at this time?"

"Our original Jin Ling people have initially achieved socialism. By the end of this year, the million residents across the three counties will all escape poverty and achieve a moderately prosperous society. Erecting statues for socialist pioneers poses no problem whatsoever. We have already submitted a report to Beijing, and it has been approved."

Song Yunhui could only exclaim in admiration at how impressive it was, then turned to ask, "Are the worker housing units sufficient now?"

"With so many people, young people need to marry, and marriage brings housing allocation; having children means exchanging for larger homes; children grow up, and once grown, they need to marry again. Moreover, our living conditions have improved in recent years, so the elderly are living longer. Furthermore, while the housing issues of the original Jin Ling residents have been resolved, two new counties have just been added, bringing seven hundred thousand more people. There is still much building to be done."

"It's just that more houses can be vacated. The county still has a large number of prefabricated temporary houses; if new people arrive, we can continue expanding outward with more temporary housing, allowing the government-side houses to be emptied. Profits in the last two years have also increased significantly."

"Additionally, our Jin Ling populace has raised demands for better urban construction, so urban development has been prioritized. Henceforth, the government side will be Jin Ling's city center, with subsequent construction radiating outward from this hub. Theaters, shopping malls, and so forth are all planned for later stages."

"Building foreign-style skyscrapers?"

"That is a matter for much later; currently, Jin Ling has no such need. Even if we were to build skyscrapers, they could not be constructed in the center; within a two-kilometer radius, no buildings over fifty meters in height are permitted."

"Are there that many buildings to construct? Even counting shopping malls and the like, surely they wouldn't occupy that much land?"

"Then we shall build houses to fill the gap; the current housing stock must inevitably be phased out. The people's demands for housing are rising ever higher: quality must be better, houses larger, and decorations more exquisite. This is precisely why I told you we still have much to do; comrades must continue striving. Merely achieving preliminary socialism is far from sufficient."

"In the next decade, beyond the massive project of merging three counties to establish a municipality, our goal is to lead the Jin Ling people in realizing a prosperous socialist society."

"Impressive."

"Uncle, do you think we can actually pull this off in Jin Ling?"

"Absolutely we can. Jin Ling possesses a solid foundation, the people are pulling together in one direction, and you, as the locomotive, have never steered us wrong. It is bound to succeed!"

"You seem even more confident than I am."

Wang Yan chuckled heartily, then turned to ask Cheng Kaiyan, who had been sitting silently nearby, "Kaiyan, what do you think of Jin Ling?"

"It's wonderful, even better than Jinzhou. I feel the people of Jin Ling are especially spirited. This year, Jinzhou opened a Jin Ling direct-sale store; Xiao Hui even took me to visit. There were so many people we couldn't squeeze in."

"That bustle only lasted the first few days after the grand opening; afterward, it dwindled considerably."

"Even so, there were still plenty of people. Every time I passed by, crowds gathered there; everyone recognizes the Jin Ling brand. All this is thanks to you, Brother-in-law; you are truly remarkable."

"Not quite that remarkable; it is the merit of the collective," Wang Yan replied with a smile, not claiming credit for himself.

"By the way, Brother-in-law," Song Yunhui asked, "I recently read in the newspapers that Jin Ling Footwear and Apparel sponsored the Olympic team?"

"Since Jin Ling manufactures sportswear and athletic shoes, and this is the first time our New China is participating in the Olympics, support was imperative. Massive publicity campaigns have already begun. We dispatched personnel early on to film these athletes' training and daily lives, even following them abroad for filming. Once the Olympic team wins gold, it will be a tremendous boon for our Jin Ling brands; the clothes will absolutely sell out."

"Haven't you already started stockpiling inventory?"

"Since the beginning of the year, we have increased production of sportswear and athletic shoes. These are all identical to what the athletes wear and have already been shipped to major warehouses across the country. We also commissioned all the athletes to pose for promotional posters, waiting only for the gold medals to be won before displaying them to trigger a sales explosion."

Opening direct-sale stores naturally hinges most critically on goods distribution, especially since logistics in this era are far from smooth, yet it is not yet time to shift industries to other locations.

Therefore, the solution is to establish seven primary large-scale warehouses across China's geographical regions: South China, East China, Central China, Southwest, Northwest, North China, and Northeast. Simultaneously, Jin Ling will purchase trucks to form a logistics fleet for primary-level transportation, moving freight from Jin Ling to these major warehouses.

Subsequently, sites will be selected to establish secondary warehouses responsible for distributing goods to direct-sale stores within their immediate vicinities. Transport from primary warehouses to secondary warehouses constitutes secondary distribution, while transport from secondary warehouses to direct-sale stores constitutes tertiary distribution.

Apart from primary distribution, secondary and tertiary distribution services have been outsourced to local authorities, which also serves to provide employment opportunities for various locales. At this time, with the nation undergoing reform and state-owned enterprises restructuring, some workers have been laid off, and there remains a vast number of unemployed youth; thus, job creation is of paramount importance.

Of course, the main reason is that Jin Ling simply does not possess enough vehicles, and furthermore, driving large trucks is currently considered an excellent job. Were it not for these factors, Jin Ling would handle the entire logistics chain itself, delivering directly from Jin Ling to customers' doorsteps.

However, this is merely a matter of time; as direct-sale stores expand, the logistics business will naturally develop alongside them.

Truth be told, Wang Yan actually favors the logistics sector quite dearly. It employs many people, and the workforce tends to be rugged and pragmatic, making it easier to get things done and solve numerous problems. He has used logistics to resettle hooligans, used it to build an intelligence network, used it to support personnel and expand the boundaries of his power, thereby increasing his own importance...

"So confident?" Song Yunhui smiled. "If some accident occurs, wouldn't it all be in vain, like drawing water with a bamboo basket?"

"With our vast nation, how could we possibly fail to win gold in a sporting event? The only questions are when we will win and how many medals we will take. This is not gambling; it is certain victory. Even if we win only a single gold medal, that would make it all the more precious, and Jin Ling's clothes would still sell out."

Wang Yan laughed heartily, speaking with absolute confidence.

After chatting briefly with Song Yunhui and Cheng Kaiyan, he went off to prepare the meal. Everyone else busied themselves as well; Mother Song went to help Song Yunping watch the child, while Father Song assisted Wang Yan in the kitchen. For a moment, only Song Yunhui and Cheng Kaiyan remained sitting in the courtyard.

"Perhaps I should go help out too," Cheng Kaiyan said, sitting somewhat restlessly.

"I said no help is needed, so no help is needed; just sit there comfortably. If the two of us go over, we'll only be making a mess. I can't cook, and you wouldn't do it well either; we two might as well just wait to eat. Here, have some candy."

While chewing on the soft candy, Cheng Kaiyan asked curiously, "Is it always your brother-in-law who cooks in your family?"

"No, it's just that my brother-in-law cooks deliciously. From the time my sister became pregnant until now, he has been the one cooking. Moreover, he knows how to prepare medicinal diets for nourishment; he understands Traditional Chinese Medicine and can treat illnesses. He cooks daily for the sake of my sister's health and the child's well-being. Once the child is a bit older, he probably won't do it anymore, after all, the affairs of Jin Ling rest on his shoulders, and he is busy every day."

"I'm already so busy with my work at the factory that my heels are hitting the back of my head; I don't know how he manages to pull it off, managing to return home early every day to cook."

"Truly remarkable," Cheng Kaiyan nodded. "Your brother-in-law is indeed quite wonderful; he treats your sister well, cares for your family, and possesses such great capability."

"Not afraid anymore, are you?"

"Actually, I'm still a little afraid; it feels like when teachers used to call on us in school; I'm always worried I'll say the wrong thing."

"It's just unfamiliarity; after a few days, once you've adapted, you'll be fine."

They shared a rather pleasant meal together. By evening, Cheng Kaiyan and Song Yunhui were settled into two separate vacant rooms at Wang Yan's place, while Wang Yan chatted with Song Yunhui about work and other matters.

Over the following days, Song Yunhui took Cheng Kaiyan strolling through Jin Ling, eating and drinking, enjoying themselves quite carefree.

A few days later, news arrived domestically that Xu Xu Haifeng had won the first gold medal for China at the Los Angeles Olympics, sparking jubilation across the nation. Jin Ling's direct-sale stores immediately plastered up huge posters of Xu Xu Haifeng and launched marketing campaigns simultaneously. They even produced limited-edition Olympic commemorative clothing bearing Xu Xu Haifeng's autograph, causing the Jin Ling brand to sell explosively.

The most popular items were the Olympic-style sportswear and athletic shoes, but other styles of clothing, along with various fast-moving consumer goods and furniture available in the direct-sale stores, also saw significantly increased sales.

With this wave, Jin Ling made a killing...