Chapter 65: In Business, I Must Have the Final Say

On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Ye’s private study room closed for the holiday, but encountered “massive” resistance.

Hu Man and the others, accustomed to private meals, private lessons, and the warm environment of the second-grade grain store, refused to leave.

“Please, Li Ye, Xia Yue and the others are still having class tomorrow! Just let us stay one more day!”

“You don’t need to give us exams—we haven’t mastered many of the old problems yet; we’ll just review on our own.”

“No need to feed us—we’ve eaten too much meat these days. I brought two cabbages; I’ll just make a salad with the hearts and call it a meal.”

Hu Man, Han Xia, Jiang Xiaoyan, and the others stared at Li Ye with pitying expressions, tiptoeing like servants attending to a debtor, terrified he might fly into a rage, overturn the table, and refuse to pay.

Li Ye was frustrated: over the past two months, friendship within the eight-person group had risen sharply, while his authority had steadily declined—he couldn’t even drive them away without losing his temper.

“Stop dawdling! Come back after the sixth day of the New Year! It’s the twenty-seventh already—even the donkey at the production team is on holiday. Can’t I rest for two days?”

“We won’t slow you down at all........”

Hu Man and the others still insisted, but Li Ye said: “Enough. Go home and spend time with your families—eat your mother’s cooking, give your father a back rub, show some filial piety.”

The girls exchanged glances; Han Xia whispered: “My mother’s cooking isn’t good.”

Li Ye fell silent for a long while, then said solemnly: “After the Spring Festival, we’ll enter the final sprint of review—time will fly.

The mock exams, the college entrance exam, university—it’ll all be over in the blink of an eye, barely enough for ten or eight chapters in a novel.”

“But have you ever thought that once you’re in university, the next time you eat a meal made by your mother might require traveling thousands of miles?

Believe me, you’ll regret then that you didn’t spend more time with your mother when you were young.”

“..........”

The girls were moved; they lowered their heads and quietly packed their things, preparing to go home.

But before leaving, they told Li Ye: “We’ve discussed it—we’ll tell our families, then come stay with Wen Leyu, to keep her company.”

“Hm?”

Li Ye hadn’t expected these girls to give him such a pleasant surprise.

With a few classmates around, Wen Leyu’s New Year would surely be more comfortable.

Li Ye bowed his hands: “Then I thank you all! But don’t worry—I’m not stingy; I’ll make sure to repay you.”

Jiang Xiaoyan quickly shook her head: “We should be thanking you. Besides, Wen Leyu is our classmate—we should help.”

Han Xia smirked mischievously: “Li Ye, I really admire you—for coaxing one girl, you came up with this Pavlov’s dog nonsense........

And some world-famous experiment........”

“Hahaha~”

The girls burst into laughter and left, leaving Li Ye torn between laughter and frustration.

Eavesdropping is one thing, but I was telling the truth—why do you treat it like a joke?

After seeing off Hu Man and the others, Wen Leyu also left.

The school dormitory still had people, and her backpack held the small copper gong—she felt perfectly safe.

But Li Ye kept Li Dayong behind.

When night fell, Hao Jian, Jin Peng, and Wang Qiang arrived dragging a handcart.

The handcart carried many New Year goods Li Ye had asked Hao Jian to bring from the provincial capital, plus an unremarkable sack.

Once the four entered the room and locked the door, Hao Jian opened the sack and tipped its contents onto Li Ye’s small heated brick bed.

Stack upon stack of banknotes blinded the three men’s eyes.

Li Dayong couldn’t believe it; Wang Qiang stood dumbfounded; even Jin Peng, who carried himself with the bearing of a general, licked his lips, eyes gleaming.

“Here’s the ledger—check the numbers.”

Hao Jian laid out the ledgers, opened the top one, and handed it to Li Ye.

Li Ye glanced at the final figures—roughly as expected—and didn’t bother reading further.

It was just a messy cash ledger—what was there to inspect?

He gestured with his chin: “Don’t keep the brothers waiting—divide the money.”

Hao Jian tossed his cigarette aside, took the ledgers, and divided them into three piles.

Jin Peng’s share was clearly larger—equal to the combined total of Wang Qiang’s and Li Dayong’s.

Li Dayong first lowered his head, staring blankly at his stack of bills, then looked up at Li Ye in confusion: “Brother, this is for me?”

Li Ye nodded: “Yes. When you joined with your bicycle, I promised you a share—take it, don’t be polite.”

“I’m not being polite!”

Li Dayong spread his large, calloused hands, shoved the cash into his chest in a few quick grabs, bulging conspicuously.

Wang Qiang, slower to react, now panicked: “No, no, brother, I don’t want this—too much, too much!”

It was only a thousand-odd yuan, but with many one- and two-yuan notes, it looked like a fortune.

Since joining, Wang Qiang had either traveled with Hao Jian to the provincial capital or stayed in Chen Zhuang Village boiling sugar candy—working hard, earning one fen per jin, no more.

But Wang Qiang had never seen so much money, never even dreamed of it; now suddenly possessing it, he was utterly bewildered, terrified.

“Enough, Qiangzi—your money’s been saved for you all along. You don’t want it? Are you going to work for free?”

“But, but........”

Wang Qiang hesitated, stammered, couldn’t form a coherent sentence, then burst into loud sobs.

None of Li Ye’s group laughed at him.

Wang Qiang, this simpleton, had been unloved since childhood—his grandparents didn’t care, his uncles didn’t care, the factory rejected him, his family resented him, even his meals were seen as wasteful.

Now, for the first time, he had proven his worth; overwhelmed, his defenses shattered, years of suppressed grievance surged forth like a dam breaking.

In the end, even Gu Shu, who stood guard outside, came to knock on the door asking if everything was alright—only then did Wang Qiang stop crying.

Li Ye calmed Wang Qiang: “No more talk—this year’s work is done. What are your plans for next year?”

Hao Jian immediately jumped in: “Jin Peng and I discussed it—we’re heading to Guangdong on the third day of the New Year.”

Li Ye paused, then asked: “Both of you? Have you arranged the sugar candy wholesale?”

“Arranged,” Hao Jian said. “There’s a slow season after the New Year—almost no orders. Even if there are, Qiangzi and Xiao An can handle deliveries—they know the routes well, won’t delay anything.”

“Good. Now let’s set the rules for the Guangdong trip.”

Li Ye looked at Li Dayong, Jin Peng, and Wang Qiang: “Will you join as partners, investing capital, or keep earning commissions as before?”

Jin Peng didn’t hesitate—he pushed his entire pile of cash onto Li Ye’s lap.

He’d joined late and without capital; he’d long envied Hao Jian’s earnings. Now, not taking this chance would be foolish.

Li Dayong hesitated, then pulled out his money and placed it before Li Ye.

Wang Qiang hadn’t touched his share; now he shyly reached out, gave a half-hearted push, and grinned awkwardly, embarrassed.

Li Ye smiled and asked Wang Qiang: “Qiangzi, do you understand the difference between investing capital and earning commissions?”

Wang Qiang shook his head like a rattle, but firmly said: “I don’t understand—but I follow you, brother.”

Li Dayong echoed: “Same here—I don’t need to understand. You understand, that’s enough.”

Li Ye turned to Jin Peng, who smiled: “It’s just about taking risks, right? Commissions mean no loss, but if you’re always afraid of wolves ahead and tigers behind, what’s the point?”

“Alright,” Li Ye pointed at the money on the bed: “Jin Peng, put in two thousand; Qiangzi, one thousand; Dayong, one thousand. Hao Jian, how much?”

Hao Jian clenched his teeth, mind racing.

He had nearly ten thousand yuan, but his daughter was ill; Jin Peng’s words reminded him—if they lost........

“I’ll put in six thousand,” Hao Jian decided.

“Then I’ll put in ten thousand.”

At Li Ye’s words, Li Dayong’s eyes widened in shock.

So his brother was already a ten-thousand-yuan household!

Li Ye’s three-thousand-yuan royalty fee was just the surface—the real fortune lay hidden.

Li Ye counted out Hao Jian’s share, then returned the excess to Jin Peng and the others.

Wang Qiang refused to take his—said he’d leave it with Li Ye; Li Ye didn’t refuse. Being trusted was a kind of pleasure.

Then Li Ye sat up straight, his tone stern: “Our business isn’t big, but rules must be set first.

Capital shares will be based on how much each invests, but Hao Jian, Jin Peng, and Qiangzi will receive extra wages—Li Dayong and I contribute no labor, so we take only profit shares.”

Jin Peng immediately said: “Little Ye, that doesn’t make sense—you take capital shares and still take wages?”

Li Ye waved his hand: “Money’s a good thing—nobody minds it biting your hand. But money’s also a bad thing—how many brotherly bonds have been destroyed over cash?”

Jin Peng stared blankly; Hao Jian felt uneasy; Li Dayong and Wang Qiang just exchanged confused glances, not understanding Li Ye’s point.

Li Ye said: “Take this business—Hao Jian and Jin Peng do the most work, yet I take the biggest cut. Over time, resentment will grow.”

“But I’ll be clear: if any of you ever grow unhappy, I’ll immediately withdraw and leave. But as long as I’m invested, I call the shots.”

“What are you talking about!”

Hao Jian hurried to reassure him: “We don’t mean that—you’re our Zhuge Liang!

Without you, where would we earn this much? Just a few months ago, I was crying over a few yuan for my daughter’s medicine!”

“Words must be spoken clearly,” Li Ye smiled. “Nothing in this world is perfectly fair. Say it out loud—then our brotherhood lasts longer, right?”

“Yes, yes! Brother Ye speaks with such culture—I follow you,” the simple Wang Qiang quickly agreed, showing loyalty.

The others all patted their chests, vowing their commitment.

But Jin Peng looked at Li Ye with a half-smile, then said after a long pause: “Little Ye—you’re warning me, aren’t you?”

“Hm?”

Li Ye glanced at Jin Peng, saying nothing.

He’d never involved himself in daily operations—now, if he didn’t make his position clear, when would he?

But the next moment, Jin Peng suddenly felt at his waist and pulled out a gleaming short knife.

【Damn, I forgot this is 1981—controlled items haven’t been censored yet!】