Chapter 351: To Follow Under His Command Is No Disgrace

"Sister, we're leaving!"

"Eat first before you go! You've been busy all day—why the rush?"

Li Ye helped Yu Xiufen and Wang Zhiyuan until afternoon before taking his leave.

Yu Xiufen rushed out after him, insisting he stay for dinner; right behind her, Wang Zhiyuan appeared, said nothing, and grabbed Li Ye's arm without letting go.

Yu Xiufen and her husband were more than satisfied with today's wedding.

Relatives and colleagues who came to their sihe academy all envied their "spacious" living quarters.

They shared a large sihe academy with Zou Mengcheng's family; Yu Xiufen occupied one row of main rooms, including a living room, bedroom, and study.

The "fully renovated" bathroom and toilet made every young woman envious—being able to take a hot shower at home in 1984 was no ordinary luxury.

Not to mention Li Ye helped them secure two cars from Pengcheng Seventh Factory to shuttle guests, earning Yu Xiufen immense face.

So now that Li Ye was leaving, Yu Xiufen and her husband were utterly dissatisfied.

How could you let someone help for free?

Even if you're close, you can't let someone leave with an empty stomach.

But Li Ye smiled and pointed at Tian Hongshan: "I've got something to attend to. Between us, no formalities—next time I'll come over for a meal, and you've got to serve four dishes and one soup."

"Four dishes and one soup? Not enough! Six dishes and one soup—won't let you leave till you're stuffed!"

Yu Xiufen scolded playfully, had Wang Zhiyuan fetch a pack of cigarettes, and walked toward Tian Hongshan nearby.

"Master, this is just a small token—don't refuse it!"

Tian Hongshan hurriedly said: "No, no, Commissar Yu, you're being too formal. My relationship with Li Ye is excellent—helping out is only natural, I can't take anything."

Yu Xiufen smiled: "Precisely because our relationship is good that I'm giving you cigarettes! If it weren't, I'd hand over cash."

Yu Xiufen was, indeed, a woman of great tact.

Because Li Ye had secured sponsorships for Peking University's debate team, she knew he had strong ties with Pengcheng Seventh Factory, so borrowing Tian Hongshan's Santana for today's wedding felt perfectly normal.

But no matter how close the relationship, she never took others' help for granted.

Someone used a state vehicle to help you all day—fuel costs could be overlooked, but you absolutely must give the driver a red envelope; that's basic human decency and respect.

Seeing Tian Hongshan and Yu Xiufen arguing, Li Ye smiled: "Old Tian, just take it. I've never met anyone more stubborn than my sister—if you refuse, she'll argue with you till dark."

"Hahaha, Commissar Yu isn't stubborn—she's principled."

Tian Hongshan laughed it off, praised Yu Xiufen, then drove off with Li Ye to another restaurant for dinner.

While waiting for the food, Li Ye asked Tian Hongshan: "Brother Jin called me the day before yesterday, said you had something to say to me? What was it? Why do you need me, a student, to answer?"

Tian Hongshan chuckled: "Manager Jin assigned me a new task—I'm unsure how to proceed, so I thought I'd consult you, my strategist."

"Consult me?" Li Ye thought a moment. "You were head of sales before—now you're still doing sales. That's your strength. What's there to be confused about?"

【I've got plenty of doubts.】

Two days ago, Tian Hongshan accepted Jin Peng's "appointment" and asked to meet Li Ye; what he truly wanted to ask was: "Brother, aren't you not just Zhuge Liang—you're Liu Bei too?"

Tian Hongshan had spent over twenty years in Xicheng Department Store, sharp-eyed and adept at reading people; after working with Jin Peng for over a year, he keenly sensed Jin Peng answered to someone else.

At first, he thought it was Hao Jian, but after growing close to Ma Qianshan and others, he realized that was unlikely—Hao Jian and Jin Peng were equals.

Instead, from Wang Qiang and others, he sensed that Li Ye, Peking University's economic advisor, held great prestige.

He originally thought this was mere respect for intellectuals, but Li Yue's arrival gave him a clue.

So today, Tian Hongshan wanted answers.

After all, he used to serve Jin Peng; now he was promoted to "number one"—wouldn't it be better to follow the real boss?

But after Jin Peng informed Li Ye, Li Ye said he had a sister's wedding and asked Tian Hongshan to bring the car to help.

Jin Peng's Crown was too flashy—Tian Hongshan's Santana was just right.

But after helping out all day, Tian Hongshan no longer needed to ask whether Li Ye was Liu Bei.

Because dozens of Peking University graduates attended the wedding—each vibrant, youthful, and close to Li Ye, chatting and laughing with him.

And nearly all of them held titles like "Section Chief" or "Division Director."

What did that mean?

Tian Hongshan understood perfectly: in a few years, Li Ye's network would be filled with "Section-Level" brothers; in a decade or two, his potential was incalculable.

What shame could there be in following such a young prodigy?

So now, when Li Ye asked what his doubts were, Tian Hongshan could only make up an excuse.

"I've mainly handled procurement and sales for department stores—I know household sewing machines well, but I'm unfamiliar with industrial ones. So I thought I'd ask you, the economic advisor, for some tips."

"What tips? Just put your heart into it," Li Ye smiled. "Back at the department store, products sold themselves—you had no incentive. But that won't work anymore."

Li Ye said: "The new trading company must not only sell sewing machines, but also relay customer and market demands back to the technical department, guiding them to develop products better suited to users."

"Huh~"

Tian Hongshan inhaled sharply, thought for a long while, then said: "Li Ye, I know how to sell, but I don't understand machinery—if the feedback I give is wrong, won't the technical staff curse me?"

"Then don't worry about that," Li Ye said calmly. "Let the technical department verify the accuracy. But if users make a request, treat it seriously."

"Don't wait until a product is obsolete before developing new tech—you must anticipate needs and stay ahead."

"Just investigate what products and technologies the market needs. Leave the rest to the technical team. The more you sell, the higher your commission; the more they develop, the bigger their bonuses."

【My goodness, you're planning to crush every other factory!】

Having spent years in the department store, Tian Hongshan knew that if Li Ye's vision succeeded, it would be a devastating blow to mainland competitors.

In today's mainland market, no one ever met customer demands unconditionally—sales still relied on connections.

Now Li Ye had introduced an incentive system—wouldn't those technicians work themselves to death researching?

The better their inventions, the more he'd sell—and the higher his commission?

Tian Hongshan's mouth felt dry; he muttered: "Li Ye, is this what you call… market economy?"

Li Ye nodded: "Yes. Soon everyone will understand how brutal market economy is—many factories will collapse because they can't keep up. We must prepare in advance."

"Collapse?"

Tian Hongshan stared at Li Ye, stunned—it felt unreal.

…

Li Ye chatted with Tian Hongshan for over an hour and concluded he was generally qualified to lead the trading company.

It was already 1984—time waits for no one.

The people he'd brought from Qingshui County were still too thin on the ground; as operations expanded, the talent gap grew more obvious.

Talents like Wang Wanke—Li Ye knew he couldn't recruit them; they weren't content to serve under others.

So figures like Tian Hongshan—elite, experienced—were Li Ye's top choice right now.

At seven p. ., Li Ye drove the Volga back to the Second Grain Store, where his sister Li Yue told him that Pei Wencong would call soon.

Li Ye had to abandon his planned lakeside stroll with Wen Leyu and waited for Pei Wencong's call.

He guessed Pei Wencong was calling urgently because of matters in Malaysia.

Indeed, when Li Ye answered the phone, Pei Wencong brought good news.

"Mr. Li, I've finalized the cooperation with Fu Company—we hold 49. % equity, Ms. Fu Guiru holds nearly 4%."

Pei Wencong cut straight to the point: control of Fu Company now rested with Li Ye's side and Ms. Fu Guiru.

After hearing this, Li Ye asked gravely: "Did you mention setting up a factory in Pengcheng?"

Pei Wencong replied: "I did. Ms. Fu is familiar with beverage production lines and offered three plans, but she seems hesitant about launching in the mainland soon—I think we should wait a bit."

"No delays—move fast," Li Ye cut in firmly. "If Ms. Fu won't come yet, hire a manager first. I don't care how—by summer, I want products on the shelf."

"Can't be slow, must be fast," Li Ye firmly refused: "If Ms. Fu isn't willing to come yet, hire a manager first—I don't care how you do it, I want to see the product before summer."

Pei Wencong groaned, then added: "I understand, Mr. Li—I'll find a way. Maybe we can start production in Malaysia first."

Pei Wencong misunderstood—he thought Li Ye was rushing because he missed his mother.

But Li Ye was thinking: could they beat Dongfang Magic Water to claim the lead in the mainland beverage market?

But what Li Ye was actually thinking was whether he could beat Dongfang Magic Water to claim the top spot in the mainland beverage market.