Chapter 192

Facts proved that Li Ye and Wang Jianqiang were both too young.

Once a shrewd person's cleverness kicks in, it's simply... bizarre.

"Xiao Ye, do you know how much money Jin Peng earned this year?"

Auntie Six, Fan Chunhua, held up a finger to Li Ye and said mysteriously, "He earned at least ten thousand yuan."

"Is there that much?"

Li Ye smiled and scratched his head, not playing along with Auntie Six's performance, just waiting for her to say the rest herself.

"How could there not be? When Jin Peng came back in the summer, he rebuilt the house for his future wife's family, a full brick-and-tile courtyard house, which cost at least three or four thousand.

This autumn, Jin Peng rebuilt his own house... now that he's back for the New Year, the New Year goods at home are piled up like a mountain... I made a rough calculation, at least ten thousand yuan."

Li Ye: "."

Seeing Li Ye not taking the bait, Fan Chunhua felt aggrieved: "Xiao Ye, look! Our Qiangzi went out with Jin Peng at the beginning; Jin Peng earned ten thousand, but Qiangzi only brought back a few hundred?"

Li Ye was surprised and turned to look at Wang Jianqiang, his gaze meaning "You hid money again."

But Wang Jianqiang shook his head slightly, indicating that his mother was crying poor.

"Auntie Six, how much one earns is related to ability. We all know Jin Peng has been clever since he was a child, so it's possible he earned more, but I heard Qiangzi brought back one thousand yuan this year! That's not a small amount."

"One thousand yuan? That much?" Li Zhongfa immediately said, "I've worked in my unit for a whole year, and after expenses, I don't have a few hundred left. Qiangzi is doing the work of two of me!"

Wu Juying also looked at Fan Chunhua in surprise and said, "I say, Daguang's wife, you're still not satisfied that Qiangzi earned one thousand yuan? Don't be too greedy!"

For a strong laborer in '82, bringing back one thousand yuan a year was really not a small amount in a place like Qingshui County.

"Earning more or less, doesn't it depend on who you compare with? Young people nowadays are capable! Xiao Ye earned ten thousand or eight thousand just by writing a book!"

Fan Chunhua glared fiercely at Wang Jianqiang and then said, "But Xiao Ye was right just now; how much you earn depends on personal ability. Qiangzi has been stupid since he was a child and earned less than Jin Peng; I don't mind that at all."

"But he only knows how to work stupidly, without a bit of cleverness. Look at Jin Peng; he only worked for a year and brought out that Er Gou, Ma Qianshan, and the child from Old Mu's family.

But Qiangzi is stupid and doesn't know how to bring his second brother out? If Yonggan had followed that Hao Jian and joined the Pengcheng Seventh Factory, he might not be worse than Jin Peng now!"

"You don't know, I went to talk to Jin Peng about this, and he refused point-blank. It's hateful that I watched him grow up all these years, and I gave him plenty of New Year money, yet he doesn't show any respect at all. I reckon he's afraid that if our Yonggan goes, he'll steal his limelight."

I'll be damned.

Li Ye finally understood Auntie Six's meaning.

So she wanted Wang Yonggan to "replace" Wang Jianqiang, aiming to surpass Jin Peng?

"Auntie Six, if you want Brother Yonggan to take over Qiangzi's job, what about Qiangzi?"

Although Li Ye was angry inside, he didn't explode on the spot in front of so many elders.

After all, he was now a scholar who had been admitted to Beijing University, not the famous "Er Lengzi" of Qingshui County back then; he had to be "refined and gentle" in his words and actions.

"I'll support Qiangzi," Auntie Six, Fan Chunhua, waved her hand and said heroically, "I've raised him for twenty years, and I don't care about supporting him for a few more years; I guarantee he won't go hungry."

"Heh~"

Li Ye couldn't help but sneer and said, "Auntie Six, as far as I know, Qiangzi has a big appetite; he often ate at Jin Peng's house these past few years. If you make him lose his job, he'll be really hard to support!"

Auntie Six's old face flushed, and she couldn't speak for a moment.

Wang Jianqiang was not welcomed at home at all, eating one meal and starving the next, and had suffered a lot over the years; now asking him to go back and let his mother support him, haha.

Auntie Six couldn't speak, but Wang Yonggan, who had been watching the show, smiled and said, "That's because Qiangzi and Jin Peng are brothers; otherwise, they wouldn't have gone out to venture together, right?

Xiao Ye, don't worry, once I go to the Pengcheng Seventh Factory, I'll send money home every month, guaranteeing my brother eats well and doesn't suffer at all.

Once I've worked for two years, I'll first build a big mansion for Qiangzi and find him a wife, even better than Jin Peng's mansion."

Li Ye glanced at Wang Yonggan, his heart full of disdain and disgust.

When he chose Wang Jianqiang to join the partnership and made him a core shareholder, it was because he valued Wang Jianqiang's honest and straightforward nature.

Not cunning, honest and grateful; as long as the direction was pointed out, he would just work without asking anything.

Facts proved that Wang Jianqiang was indeed benevolent and grateful; to put it bluntly, Li Ye was still "managing" Wang Jianqiang's money for him!

But look at you, Wang Yonggan, what kind of thing are you?

Actually wanting to replace your own brother's job and thinking you're more capable than Jin Peng; damn it, if you're so capable, why are you coming to me?

Why don't you just put a firecracker under your butt and fly to the sky?

"You all haven't understood my meaning."

Li Ye directly straightened his face and said, "I do know Hao Jian, and after Hao Jian joined the Pengcheng Seventh Factory, he even consulted me on economic issues.

So I know that the Pengcheng Seventh Factory signs employment contracts with formal employees; they can't resign at will, and if they breach the contract, they have to pay a high penalty.

In other words, if Qiangzi stops working for the Pengcheng Seventh Factory, he has to pay them money. So, Auntie Six, if you want Qiangzi to stay in Qingshui County now, and they ask Qiangzi for the penalty, what will Qiangzi do?"

"What? You have to pay money if you stop working? Then how much do you have to pay?"

"I don't know that, but it's definitely much higher than the wages."

Auntie Six was stunned for a moment and then became irritable.

"Xiao Ye, how could you give Jin Peng that kind of advice? Working hard for him, only to find out in the end that we don't know whose money it is?"

"I just knew there was no such good thing. With Qiangzi's stupid look, how could he earn one thousand yuan a year? So this is a trap! Isn't this even more treacherous than a capitalist..."

Auntie Six lost her sense of propriety in her irritability, which angered Li Ye's grandmother, Wu Juying.

She immediately pointed at Fan Chunhua's forehead and scolded, "I say, Daguang's wife, what kind of nonsense are you talking? Whether your Qiangzi pays the penalty or not, what does it have to do with our Xiao Ye?"

"You want the child to earn money for you, but you don't want him to take risks, and you're thinking of replacing him... what are you doing? Are you wanting me to pay that penalty for you?"

Wu Juying became angrier as she spoke and said sternly, "It's fine if our family pays the money, but let Qiangzi change his surname to Li; from now on, Qiangzi will be my grandson."

"."

Auntie Six was scolded into a daze by Wu Juying; she looked left and right, then suddenly pinched Wang Jianqiang's arm.

"You stupid child, why did you sign that kind of contract? Isn't that a deed of sale?"

Wang Jianqiang felt the pain, but very cleverly understood Li Ye's meaning, and argued with a grin: "They trained me! If I don't work for them until the age, they certainly won't be willing!"

"What training or not training, you're just stupid, just honest; when there's a bargain, you're never there, but when there's a loss, you never miss it..."

"Bang~"

"Enough~"

Li Huazhong, with a dark face, finally slapped the table.

Li Zhongfa looked at Fan Chunhua and said coldly, "Daguang's wife, do you understand what integrity is? Do you know what benevolence and righteousness mean?

Even when I joined the Party, I had to swear never to betray. How can it be that your Qiangzi works for others, earns over a thousand a year, and wants to leave whenever he wants and change whenever he wants?"

"It's fine if you use your little cleverness on outsiders, but you're showing it off in front of me? Aren't you just jealous that Jin Peng earns more money?"

"Jin Peng earns more because he's capable. Qiangzi can earn money because they value Qiangzi's honesty. Do you think if you let your second son go, they would value him? Snatching a brother's job... if it were me, I wouldn't use such a person either."

"They are all your own sons, yet you've been biased since they were small. Qiangzi brought back money from outside, and you didn't have a single warm word, but instead complained?

I'll ask you, Qiangzi brought back one thousand this year; how much did you leave for him?"

"."

Director Li's power was unleashed, and everyone was silent, even the brothers Li Ye and Wang Jianqiang were shrinking their necks and glaring at each other.

As for Auntie Six and Wang Yonggan, they were even more unbearable, wishing they could lower their heads into their crotches.

Fan Chunhua was shrewd, but she had bet that Li Zhongfa and Wu Juying wouldn't turn against her because of the small favors her husband had done back then, which was why she forced Li Ye to help her with this favor.

After all, in her view, that Hao Jian had only become successful because Li Zhongfa had approved a rural cooperative processing household procedure for him; replacing someone shouldn't be more than a word from the Li family.

She calculated everything, but didn't expect the penalty clause, and her slip of the tongue led to this situation.

"Uncle, Auntie, I didn't mean that..."

"Don't tell me what you mean; don't look for outsiders to solve your family's problems in the future," Li Zhongfa said with a cold face. "But I want to tell you one thing: only honest children will support you in your old age!"

"."

After Auntie Six left with her son, Li Ye hurriedly took his classmates and left under the pretext of paying New Year calls to their teachers; otherwise, he would have been lectured by Li Zhongfa for a while.

On the way, Han Xia and the others were all indignant for Wang Jianqiang.

They had seen Wang Jianqiang in the capital; the honest child followed Jin Peng, smiling at everyone he met, snatching up any work to do. He might not be likable, but he was definitely not annoying.

"Qiangzi is such a good person! How can he have such a biased mother, letting the second son take the eldest son's job? How does the youngest son feel?"

"She thinks the second son is smart and can have a better future; how can she care about how Qiangzi feels?"

"Sigh, Qiangzi brought back one thousand yuan, and his mother is still not satisfied. If it were me, I wouldn't bring back a single cent, just bring back my mouth."

"Qiangzi probably can't do that kind of thing. But I think! If he can find a fierce wife in the future, he won't be bullied by his mother and brother!"

"Then you go be his wife! Hahahahaha~"

Li Ye thought of Huang Suwen's sharp tongue and couldn't help but find it funny.

Auntie Six might really meet her match in the future!

Li Ye and the others went to Principal Chang's house to pay New Year calls, which made Principal Chang's withered old face suddenly bloom like a morning glory.

Isn't the highlight of teaching and educating people that the students taught are promising?

Seven college students came together to thank their teacher for his education; he would have plenty to brag about when drinking with friends and colleagues this year.

"I taught eight undergraduate students in one year; except for the one in the capital who couldn't come, all the rest came to pay me New Year calls. How many college students do you have paying you New Year calls?"

With this capital, he could brag from the first day of the New Year to the ninth, and have no rivals in the entire Qingshui County.

"Good, good! You seven are the pride of our school. Before school starts this year, all of you come and share your experiences with the students in the repeating class, cheer them on, and encourage them. Let's strive to create brilliance again this year..."

The children in the repeating class started school early; before Li Ye and the others started school, they had long since started.

If seven college students cheered them on, it would certainly have an encouraging effect.

Principal Chang had been in education for so many years and held a good hand of cards; of course, he knew how to play them appropriately.

However, Li Ye indicated that he had no time and couldn't help.

Principal Chang said unhappily, "Li Ye, it's not that I'm lecturing you, but every time I ask you to share your experiences with the students, you make excuses and run away. Why can't you correct your attitude?"

"No, Principal, I really have something to do; I have to leave on the third day of the New Year."

"What is it?"

"Private matter, inconvenient to say."

"Fine, then I'll ask your grandfather."

"Then go ahead and ask!"

"."

Principal Chang really couldn't do anything about Li Ye; this kid was "disrespectful" when he was in school, and now that he wasn't under his control, what could he do to him?

However, Principal Chang really did ask Li Zhongfa.

After Li Ye returned home, Li Zhongfa asked Li Ye: "You're leaving on the third day of the New Year? Are you going to the capital to see that girl from the Wen family?"

Li Ye wouldn't hide anything from his grandfather; he went directly to take out the invitation from Hong Kong.

"No, Grandfather, because my work was published in a Hong Kong newspaper, I received an invitation from Hong Kong to go over for literary exchange."

"."

"Bang~"

Li Zhongfa took the invitation and read it three times, then slapped the table fiercely, scaring the whole family over.

"I knew my grandson was a good one. That Lu guy was showing off to me... his daughter going abroad to study wasn't something she begged for?

Look at my grandson; he was invited by them."

"."

Li Ye really didn't know about this, but Li Zhongfa was so old, why did he still like to compete with others?

"Grandfather, you're so old, why do you still like to compete with others?"

"Hmph, you don't understand. A tree lives for its bark, and a person lives for their breath. That girl from the Lu family came back to handle the political review procedures, and there was no shortage of people whispering."

Li Zhongfa narrowed his eyes and said, "Now it's fine. Lu Jingyao is capable, and you, Li Ye, are not bad either. If anyone dares to be sarcastic with me again, I'll spit in their face."

"Pah~"

The release time today was late, and the typos were corrected later; please forgive me.

(End of chapter)