"Brother Lei, I've helped you with everything I could. Now it's up to you to seize this opportunity."
Watching Li Jing shyly run off, Chen Yang patted Lei Baoguo, who was still in a daze.
"Brother, looking at me now, how could I possibly be worthy of her?"
Lei Baoguo wasn't stupid; he naturally saw that Li Jing had some feelings for him. But thinking about her family's circumstances, he felt a sense of inferiority.
Although they hadn't known each other for long, from the casual remarks Li Jing let slip, her family was well-off, even by city standards.
Even the doctors at the hospital, and the vice-director who greeted him when the public security comrades brought him in, treated Li Jing with great respect.
But him? He was just a country boy. After retiring from the army, he didn't even have a job. How could he be worthy of Li Jing?
"Brother Lei, if you think you're not worthy, are you just going to give up?"
"Where's the courage you showed on the train, facing eight robbers alone? Why are you afraid to make a move when it comes to the person you like?"
"We may be penniless and powerless now, but that doesn't mean it will always be this way. Since you feel you're not good enough for Li Jing yet, then pull yourself together and work hard."
"But you can't back down before you've even started. What will that make Li Jing think? Maybe she doesn't care about those things."
"A man, having no money isn't scary. What's scary is having no ambition. Poverty doesn't mean a lack of spirit. When your wounds heal, come with me to make money, and we'll definitely be able to make a life for ourselves."
Chen Yang looked at Lei Baoguo. A mismatch in background would make life difficult.
Even if Li Jing could overlook such things for Lei Baoguo, would her family agree?
Moreover, it's easy for two people to fall in love, but after falling in love, marriage means living a life. Daily expenses, children's milk powder, tuition fees – none of these come for free.
A man might lack good looks or talent, but he must have money.
"Brother, after you've said all this, I finally have a direction."
"You're right, I won't give up."
"I will work hard to earn money and make Li Jing's parents recognize me."
Lei Baoguo looked at Chen Yang. This young brother he met on the train was truly his benefactor, guiding him time and again.
"Brother Lei, first, you need to handle your relationship. If you come with me later, you'll have to endure some hardship."
"Although traveling will be tiring, and you might have to be separated from Miss Li Jing for short periods, I, Chen Yang, never mistreat my own people. Following me will be at least ten times better than going back to farming. And you can live in Jinling permanently when the opportunity arises."
Chen Yang said calmly. Returning to Wan Province wouldn't be a matter of a day or two. But later, he and Zhang Weiyang would definitely need to conquer the Su Province market. By then, Lei Baoguo and Li Jing would have time to meet.
What he valued was Lei Baoguo's honest and trustworthy character. Having him accompany him on business trips as a skilled protector would put his mind at ease, especially given how rampant robbery was these days.
When Chen Yang wasn't out and about, he could also give Lei Baoguo some time off to spend with Li Jing.
"Brother, money is hard to earn and shit is hard to eat. If you want to make money, you have to pay a price. Even if I spent all day clinging to Jingjing now, I couldn't marry her."
"For you, Brother, to bring me along to make money is a great help. I, Lei Baoguo, understand that much."
Lei Baoguo's gaze was firm. He wanted to earn money and give Li Jing a good life.
"Alright then, Brother Lei. I won't disturb you and Comrade Li Jing any longer. Have a good talk with her about your thoughts and plans."
"I believe she will support you."
"Temporary separation is for a permanent reunion later on."
After all, their affection had only just begun to blossom. Without sufficient material support, feelings are most vulnerable at this stage.
However, separation can also lead to the breakdown of relationships. In this world, one can't always have everything both ways. It would then depend on Lei Baoguo and Li Jing's choices.
After bidding farewell to Lei Baoguo, Chen Yang asked Comrade Li Jing for a favor. She introduced him to an expert in the nephrology department at Jinling Hospital, and he consulted them about uremia-related issues for Zhang Weiyang.
Jinling Hospital was naturally far superior to Qinghe City First Hospital, and its doctors had a deep understanding of uremia treatment.
Even Dr. Wen, whom Chen Yang consulted, had successfully performed a kidney transplant operation, and the patient was recovering well.
However, a kidney transplant surgery required extensive preparation beforehand and the search for a suitable donor kidney. The cost would start at tens of thousands of yuan at a minimum.
Because many specialized medications relied on foreign imports, and the subsequent expenses could vary depending on the degree of rejection reaction after transplantation.
After thoroughly understanding these details, Chen Yang noted them all down, intending to relay them to Zhang Weiyang upon his return.
Zhang Weiyang had been diligently helping him, so Chen Yang naturally took his father's situation to heart. It was a time of entrepreneurship, and once they had more capital and resolved Zhang Weiyang's worries, he could let Zhang Weiyang expand their business into the Xiang, Gan, E, and Chuan provinces without reservation.
This trip home had seen his eldest sister and brother-in-law's wedding successfully concluded, and his parents' retirement was now on the agenda. Once Lei Baoguo's stitches were removed, he too should head home.
He had been out for almost a week. He wondered how Zhang Weiyang's radio business was progressing.
The pace of electrical appliance upgrades was rapid. In a couple more years, the popular "three wheels and one whistle" of the seventies would gradually transition to the new "four major items."
Refrigerators, washing machines, televisions, and tape recorders!
He needed to act fast and lay the groundwork. He would use the second-hand radio sales to establish distribution channels and then look for opportunities to acquire appliance factories. Soon, Japanese brands like Panasonic, Sanyo, and Hitachi would dominate the entire domestic market.
Not just Japanese brands, but almost any domestic appliance factory in the eighties and early nineties operated in an absolute seller's market.
Factories ran three shifts, and production lines operated continuously during peak seasons, yet products were still in short supply.
Many people at the time marveled at the immense demand and vitality brought by the market economy, which injected unprecedented vigor into the entire domestic market.
In the coming decades, the Chinese market would become a massive pie fought over by global capital.
During this process, many local Chinese home appliance companies collapsed one after another, their brands devoured by capital giants. Fortunately, Haier and Gree eventually held their ground; otherwise, the defeat would have been abysmal.
It wasn't just in appliances; businesses across all sectors were squeezed out of existence by the capital market.
What left the deepest impression on Chen Yang was Jianlibao, which was once immensely popular. From dominating the Chinese beverage market to being almost invisible on store shelves in later years, it was a regrettable decline.
And then there was Tianfu Cola and Beibingyang soda, both once famous. In those days, enjoying a glass bottle of Beibingyang soda in the summer was a dream for many.
In later generations, besides products from Pepsi and Coca-Cola, it was almost impossible to find any other cola or soda in China that could compete. Only "Very Coke" struggled to survive.
In this lifetime, Chen Yang had no intention of handing over this massive Chinese market pie. At least in the home appliance sector, he wouldn't let brands like Panasonic and Sanyo snatch a meal from him without paying a heavy price.