A ten-yuan bill appeared before Xu Yuan, startling him as he looked at Gu Lei.
Ten yuan might not be much for a formal worker, but it was a fortune for these youngsters. Without a hint of hesitation, he produced it.
"Take it. Brother Xie is a man of great deeds; this is just a small amount of money."
Gu Lei winked at him. *Who wouldn't make money if it's there?*
"Alright, here's your ticket."
"Thank you."
Xie Sui wasn't worried about counterfeits, with Gu Lei vouching for it. If these people were so shortsighted about ten yuan, Xie Sui would consider finding new talent.
"What business is Brother Xie in?"
This time, it was Xu Yuan offering Xie Sui a cigarette. The deal was done, and a stronger bond was forged.
"I'm the factory director of Food Factory No. 3, Xie Sui."
Xie Sui extended his hand. Xu Yuan quickly shook it, the atmosphere immediately becoming more serious. "Director Xie! Brother Xie, hello. If there's any business in the future, please look out for us brothers."
"Naturally. Today it's just bicycles. Next, I'll be moving tractors, even cars. I'm just worried you won't be able to procure the goods. I'll take my leave for today and chat another time."
"Ah, Brother Xie, safe travels."
Gu Lei quickly followed him. Xu Yuan's heart was aflame. His family didn't have the same good fortune as Gu Lei's. His parents were just ordinary workers, and he was the youngest of four older siblings.
Because of his parents' work quotas, the house was often filled with tension, and fights were frequent. As the youngest, he couldn't even get close to securing a job. He just loitered around here, barely making ends meet.
As for cars, he had no connections. But tractors were indeed within his reach, as his father was a worker at an agricultural machinery factory. If he had the money, couldn't he buy one?
What he didn't know was that this was Xie Sui's first day as director of a small workshop, a mere shell, though he spoke as if it were substantial.
However, his demeanor was impressive. After all, he was the chairman of a multinational corporation with assets worth hundreds of billions. Even when deceiving a few petty thugs, Xie Sui had to restrain his imposing presence.
Heading straight to the supply and marketing cooperative, he bought a Phoenix brand bicycle for 150 yuan. It gleamed, looking quite stylish.
"Ah, I'll make do with this for now. Cars are still more comfortable."
Xie Sui exhaled a smoke ring, a profound sigh of loneliness escaping him.
"Heh heh..."
Gu Lei didn't want to comment. Cars?
He had never even sat in one. He'd only managed to ride in one twice by tagging along when his dad attended meetings. Even the director of the cotton textile factory rode a bicycle.
"I have other business to attend to. Could you tell Sister Gu that I'm looking for a place to live? We'll meet at the staff dormitory entrance in three days."
"Of course, Brother Xie. Safe travels."
Xie Sui waved his hand, his long legs carrying him a considerable distance. He hadn't ridden one of these in so long and felt a bit unaccustomed, wobbling quite a bit before finally managing to ride smoothly.
Gu Lei only realized afterward, scratching his head, "He calls my mother Sister Gu, and I call him Brother Xie. What's our generation supposed to be?"
...
Xie Sui hummed a tune as he rode his bicycle to the plastics factory to reorder packaging bags and boxes for the jelly. This time, he wanted to add a trademark, and the quantity was substantial, requiring a hundred thousand of each item.
The packaging at this time was still very simple, in black and white, without vibrant colors. The plastics factory's craftsmanship could only produce this.
"Chun Feng Brand? That's a good name. I'll get the factory's artist to design it for you."
Ma Jianguo was very supportive. He made a phone call, and soon, a man in his forties walked in, his hair gray, his eyes somewhat dull, but with a refined aura and the unique arrogance of an artist.
"Factory Director, you called for me?"
"Engineer Chen, please have a seat. Xiao Sui, this is our factory's artist, Master Chen. Let him take a look. It needs to be aesthetically pleasing and grand."
Xie Sui stood up. "Hello, Master Chen. Thank you for your trouble. Have a cigarette!"
"I don't smoke. Tell me your requirements."
"Chun Feng is a trademark. Draw a pattern; it could be a lotus, a peach blossom, or a leaf. Simple and elegant. The font design should be striking. No other requirements."
"You have no other requirements?"
Engineer Chen raised an eyebrow. "And you want a pattern drawn? Do you know how much it costs to design a pattern?"
Xie Sui: "..."
He didn't know much, but the elder's arrogance irked him. "Is it very expensive? Then forget it. I'll do it myself. I won't trouble you."
"Hmph, you say that so easily. Can anyone draw it themselves? What are we artists for?"
Xie Sui's smile faded. *Is this old man so annoying? I can't afford it, and I'm not even allowed to not use him?*
"Draw two earthworms, or turtles, if I'm happy and I like it, can't I? It's my own product, I can draw whatever I want, it's just for fun. Any problem?"
Xie Sui was also a bit of a maverick. If you were polite, did you think you were a big deal?
He was spoiled enough.
If it weren't for Ma Jianguo's presence, he would have cursed this unreasonable old man until he had a heart attack.
Ma Jianguo was also displeased. Chen Gong was usually arrogant, and they always indulged him. He had suffered a lot in the countryside when he was young, and they understood. But Xie Sui was his guest now, and Chen Gong's disrespect was excessive.
"You, you..."
Xie Sui smirked defiantly, ignoring him. *What "you"? If you have the guts, bite me!*
He took a piece of paper from the table, grabbed a pencil, and with a few swift strokes, drew a peach blossom pattern, writing "Chun Feng" in small characters in the middle, enclosed in a circle. This would be the trademark for the food factory.
Then, he wrote "Peach Dry" in artistic font, and "Jelly" in another font. The small characters at the bottom indicated the production address, using the name of the State-run Third Food Factory.
The jelly came in round and square shapes, and the dried fruit was in small square bags, nothing special. Xie Sui finished drawing everything in less than fifteen minutes.
"Uncle Ma, please have them produced according to this design, a hundred thousand of each item. Can they be ready in one day?"
Engineer Chen hadn't left, watching with an amused expression. Gradually, his expression grew more serious. Even he, if he were to design it, wouldn't achieve such perfection.
The smooth lines, the unique drawing style, and the near-perfect proportions of the overall layout suggested that someone with professional art training had created it.
"Young man, did you study art? Which art academy did you attend?"
Xie Sui chuckled. "The 'Home Study Art Academy.' It has nothing to do with you. Don't tire yourself out, old man. You may leave."
Chen Gong glared at him, furious. Factory Director Ma waved his hand. "Yes, go rest. It's my fault; I shouldn't have troubled you."
"Uncle Ma, the fees for the food factory's affiliation will take some time to come. Could you please explain this to them? Can I have this favor?"
Xie Sui could afford a thousand yuan now, but if he paid it to the food factory, his working capital would be insufficient.
He was desperately short of money.
Xie Sui wished he could get back the money he'd earned in his past life. The cost of one meal in his previous life would be more than enough to last him forever now.
It pained him. Why had he returned, but not his money?
"This is essential. I'll call Director Zheng. I know it's not easy for you, so you don't have to settle the factory's payment for goods immediately. Once a month will be fine."
"Thank you so much, Uncle Ma. You're better than my own uncle. When you're old, I'll take care of you."
Ma Jianguo was amused and exasperated. "Uncle has a son; he doesn't need you. Just do well and achieve something to serve the country and give back to the community. That will make Uncle happy."