Chapter 95: Hurry Up and Work Your Ass Off for Me!

Li Ye outlined the next steps for his two loyal enforcers at the entrance of County No. 1 Middle School.

By the time they returned to the Second Grain Store from the northern part of town, the two men, who had been “knocked out,” were already coming around and began discussing details with Li Ye.

Li Ye said: “We must walk on two legs—have our own trained personnel managing frontline operations, while selectively supporting secondary wholesalers...”

“When you find a capable secondary wholesaler, give him a discounted price to help him grow fast, but set a deadline—say, one year—so they don’t take it for granted.”

Hao Jian: “Two months is already too much—why a whole year? They’d die of happiness...”

Li Ye: “Also, the people we train for frontline work shouldn’t get salaries—they earn the spread. Never let anyone think they’re your employees.”

The employee issue won’t be clear for another one or two years, so Li Ye had to remind them.

Jin Peng asked: “Earn the spread? How much is appropriate?”

Li Ye said: “More work, more pay—minimum a hundred a month, no upper limit.”

Jin Peng blurted out: “I only make forty-two yuan a month! You’re giving them a hundred? How much does my private secretary make?”

Back when Li Ye drank blood wine with Jin Peng at the Second Grain Store, he’d already agreed that Hao Jian, Jin Peng, and Wang Qiang would get dividends plus a “hardship allowance.”

Then Li Ye left it to Hao Jian and Jin Peng to sort out—after all, their dividends were the main income; the allowance was just a bonus.

But Li Ye had been busy with the college entrance exam these past few months and hadn’t checked the books—he had no idea Jin Peng had set his own “salary” at forty-two yuan.

In the early eighties, apprentices earned eighteen to twenty yuan a month; ordinary workers ranged from twenty to eighty depending on rank; university graduates started at fifty.

Forty-two yuan wasn’t low for a worker.

“Then figure it out yourselves! I only have one requirement,” Li Ye said: “Whoever messes up must be replaceable at any time without disrupting our business.”

“Little Ye, you’re... fine.”

Jin Peng thought Li Ye was cold-hearted, but then he began to consider the logic behind it.

Hao Jian was already grasping the deeper meaning of Li Ye’s words.

A manager must never let his subordinates hold power over him.

【What about me?】

Hao Jian glanced at Jin Peng and felt an invisible whip flicking behind his back.

Get to work, you bastards! Or else... hehehe.

When Li Ye returned to the Second Grain Store, he found his sister Li Juan sitting in the courtyard, staring blankly at his motorcycle.

Hearing Li Ye and the others open the gate, the girl immediately stood up.

Li Juan murmured: “Grandma sent me to ask... will you be coming home to sleep tonight?”

Li Ye asked, puzzled: “Didn’t I tell Da Yong to tell you I might not come home tonight?”

Li Juan lowered her head, twisting her hands, and whispered: “I just came to see...”

Li Ye studied Li Juan’s evasive eyes and guessed she had something on her mind.

So he first sent Hao Jian and Jin Peng away.

Hao Jian left immediately; Jin Peng lingered, circling Li Ye’s Xingfu 250, clearly hinting: “Bro, lend me a ride?”

Li Ye shooed him off—back then, anyone who rode a motorcycle ended up crashing.

Jin Peng had never learned to ride, wore no helmet, and one misstep could send him into a wall, a river, or worse—Li Ye didn’t dare imagine.

After Jin Peng left, Li Ye asked Li Juan: “Now no one’s around—speak up. What do you need?”

Li Juan scuffed her small feet on the ground for a long while before timidly saying: “Bro, I want to ask... can you still get in touch with that rock candy business?”

Li Ye chuckled: “What? Need pocket money? Want to try being a street vendor this summer? Experience the joy of making money?”

Li Juan’s head sank even lower, her voice barely audible: “Not me—it’s my little aunt.”

“Little aunt?”

Li Ye froze, his expression turning cold.

“Did the Han family approach you?”

“No no,” Li Juan quickly denied, looking up at Li Ye: “They didn’t come to me—I met them today at the Yu Hong Middle School gate. And my little aunt is different from the rest of Grandpa’s family...”

Li Ye thought a moment: “That little aunt who gave you a steamed bun once?”

Back then, when Li Juan sat behind Li Ye’s bicycle, she’d ranted about the Han family—but only her little aunt, before marriage, had secretly slipped her and her mother and sister a steamed bun for breakfast.

After the little aunt married, the three women returned to eating only two meals a day.

When the Han family came to town for the lantern festival to borrow money, the little aunt was there too. While the rest of the Han family left in fury, she alone bid Han Chunmei a tearful farewell.

“So many times! So many times!” Li Juan hurried to say: “For two years she kept sneaking us food—even after she married...”

Li Ye asked sternly: “Why did they come to the middle school gate? Did they ask your mother first?”

Li Juan shook her head: “No. My little aunt said she couldn’t burden Mama anymore—she only came because she had no other choice. She wants to know if it’s possible, but won’t drag Mama into it.”

“I didn’t tell Mama either—if I did, she’d lie awake worrying again...”

Li Ye thought for a moment: “Don’t get involved. Tell them to come talk to me directly.”

Li Juan’s face lit up: “She’s still waiting outside! Should I call her in now?”

Li Ye looked out but saw nothing; only when he stepped onto the street did he spot two shadowy figures crouched seventy or eighty meters away.

How long have they been squatting? Are their legs numb?

Li Juan ran over and quickly brought them back.

It was indeed Li Juan’s little aunt, Han Chunlan, and a man—presumably her husband.

As they approached, Han Chunlan awkwardly smiled at Li Ye, then kicked her husband.

The man hurriedly pulled out cigarettes: “Big brother, sorry to trouble you... wanna smoke?”

Li Ye waved him off, expression neutral: “You came here about the rock candy business?”

The man nodded frantically: “Yes yes, we’d be grateful if you could... ask... we won’t let you do it for free—if it’s real, we won’t let you work for nothing...”

Han Chunlan yanked her husband aside and glared at him.

“He’s a famous writer—how could it be fake?”

Then she turned to Li Ye: “Li Ye... I don’t know what to call you. We’re desperate—my mother-in-law broke her leg, and our household is falling apart...”

“Can you help ask? We won’t take credit—we’ll pay six-tenths, even six-tenths two or three fen, cash on hand.”

Li Ye found this interesting.

Han Chunlan was nothing like the weak-willed Han Chunmei—she was clearly the one running things at home.

During the New Year, Li Ye, out of kindness, had pointed the Han family toward a path:

He’d offered them two hundred jin of rock candy on credit and had Hao Jian help them get started—but they’d thought he was a swindler.

Back then, he’d quoted fifty fen; now Han Chunlan boldly offered sixty-two or sixty-three fen—and cash.

Add to that what Li Juan said—how the woman had secretly given her mother and sisters half a steamed bun every few days... this woman was alright.

So Li Ye asked: “Everything else is fine, but I want to know first—where do you plan to sell? If you’re going to the city, you’ll need a bicycle.”

Han Chunlan replied directly: “We won’t go to the city—we’ll sell at rural markets. I’ve counted: in Qingshui County, there’s a market eight days out of ten. One handcart’s enough.

At each market, we can sell three or five jin—ten or eight yuan a month would be enough.”

“Good.”

Li Ye checked the calendar: “The market in Shuangliu Town is the day after tomorrow. Go there and find the rock candy seller—after that, deal with him directly.”

“But one rule: don’t tell your brother it was me who connected you.”

“.........”

Han Chunlan eyed Li Ye suspiciously—this felt too casual.

Was it really settled? Didn’t he need to ask if the seller agreed?

But because of her brother and father, the Li family and Han family were enemies—had she come this far already, could she still press for details?

“Thank you so much. We’ll never forget your kindness.”

After Han Chunlan and her husband left, Li Ye wheeled his motorcycle out of the Second Grain Store.

Li Juan had to go home tonight—might as well take her there directly.

“Get on!”

Li Juan excitedly sat sideways on the back of the motorcycle.

“Can you even sit like that?”

“I can, I can!”

Back then, even a sister couldn’t straddle and hug her brother’s waist—only spouses, lovers, or brothers could. For Li Juan, sideways was the only option.

“Vrrrrr~”

The distinctive rasp of the 250cc single-cylinder engine cut sharply through the silent night, scaring off all nearby cats and dogs.

Li Ye kept the speed at forty kph and rode home. As soon as he stopped at the gate, Li Kaibian opened the courtyard door.

The forty-something man stared wide-eyed, circling the Xingfu 250.

“I heard from Da Yong this afternoon you got a motorcycle—turns out it’s real!”

Fine—Da Yong’s big mouth was leading the lamb straight to the wolf.

Li Ye gripped the handlebars, serious: “This bike’s complicated—throttle, clutch, gears, brakes—I studied it for a long time before...”

“Shut up!”

Li Kaibian shoved Li Ye aside, swung his leg over, and sat down.

“I rode plenty when I was in the border reconnaissance unit.”

“Vrrrrr~”

Li Kaijian suddenly did a drift, flooring the gas pedal as the motorcycle shot off with a roar.

Li Zhongfa stood at the door, watching the motorcycle vanish in a blur, and said to Li Ye: “Don’t worry, the bike’s yours—your dad’s just fond of it.”

“Yeah, yeah, all men love cars.”

Li Ye found it suspicious: in his past life, if his son owned a BMW, his father would’ve felt he had a share in it—anytime he wanted to drive, he’d just take it, and if the daughter-in-law objected, he’d just fight her over it.

Ten minutes. Twenty minutes... Li Kaijian hadn’t returned.

Li Zhongfa frowned and asked: “Where did he go?”

Li Ye smiled: “Gone for a joyride!”

But if you’re going for a joyride, at least take your wife along!

What a poor excuse for a man.