Chapter 122: The Working Class Is the Foundation

Rang Weidong played basketball with the underlying intention of expanding his college-student sales team.

Gou Dan had already driven the truck back to assist with the peak dinner rush at the "Delicious Street" food court. Rang Weidong, feeling unconcerned, wandered through the university campus, having heard that there was a bus stop just outside the main gate that could take him back to the city center. Having never visited the educational district before, he let his gaze roam over the surrounding campus, especially the basketball courts.

The two little rascals, showing surprising initiative, claimed they wanted to help their "older brothers and sisters" sell spicy hot pot, clearly trying to create an opportunity for their third sister, Shen Cuiyue.

Shen Cuiyue remained calm. "Business at Delicious Street is indeed good. Some of the old gang leaders from the city center came to meet with us; they’ve been cleared out quite a bit, but they still have some influence, so no one will dare to cause trouble anymore. I’ve checked, and we’re making a gross profit of about two thousand five hundred to three thousand yuan a day. Add in the shop at the Jiangnan factory district and the one here on campus, and four thousand a day is well within reach."

The food business was truly lucrative.

Rang Weidong had even borrowed money from his parents to buy this machinery. Of course, his returns were coming in quickly now; every week, he would receive a steady stream of wire transfers, which led his father to scold him repeatedly for "distracting him from his real work."

This was why Rang Weidong wanted Dong Xueying to come to Jiangzhou and take charge of the rear guard. "You’ve done a great job here these past few days. The money this spicy hot pot place makes belongs to you. You’re away from the docks here with your two younger brothers, but I think we should find a way to get them into school. They can’t spend their whole lives drifting through the streets."

"Following you is school enough," Shen Cuiyue’s attitude was clear. "If they actually go to school and mix with those students, they’ll just get into all sorts of trouble. They learned how to read and write when they were young, and I’ve had a few years of schooling myself. There’s really no great need; just working with you is fine."

Rang Weidong shook his head. "I have to travel frequently between Jiangzhou and Shangzhou, so it’s a hassle to bring them along. After I finish this stretch, I’ll likely go to the north to visit film factories and calligraphy studios. I also need to hire people to film advertisements and even get on television. You need to prepare yourself. I hope you can become someone with a meaningful life. In the meantime, help me keep an eye on this sanitary napkin workshop. I’ll be here every day to oversee the sterilization process."

Her lips moved beneath her mask, but she said nothing more.

The two of them walked together through the busy, vibrant campus and strolled for a while outside the bustling main gate. Rang Weidong found the bus stop, waved, and departed.

Shen Cuiyue watched the bus pull away. She stood quietly for a few minutes in the midst of the passing crowd, feeling a sense of loneliness. Suddenly, she turned and ran back toward the campus.

The next day, when Rang Weidong returned, he found a private retreat waiting for him. He had been wondering what kind of place Dong Xueqing would rent, but Shen Cuiyue had already set the standard for him. After all, he had never lived with a woman before; his previous experience in Guangzhou had been a hurried, superficial affair, and he had never paid attention to the domestic details beyond the bed.

That night, he naturally spent the evening with Gou Dan and the others, choosing not to disturb the mother and daughter. This surprised Dong Xueying, who had waited up for half the night. The next day, she didn't get up until the sun was high in the sky, then carried her child to the spicy hot pot restaurant across the street to scout for information.

A group of yawning young men and women, many of whom had lived on the old street where the Dong family resided, took the child from her and affectionately told her that Brother Dong had gone to the factory near Jiangzhou University early in the morning.

The young mother, who had felt guilty after seeing the elder Rang couple the day before, began to cautiously ask about the business. Everyone was forthcoming, but they all tacitly avoided mentioning Shen Sanyue (the third sister), and no one even offered to lead her to the university to find Brother Dong.

These guys were from the countryside, but they weren't stupid. Just as they never mentioned Li Erfeng in front of Shen Sanyue, they knew better than to bring up the third sister here.

However, when it came to gossip, Dong Xueying could outclass them all. Between the brothers Stone and Mao repeatedly mentioning the third sister's exploits and her current absence now that they were in Jiangzhou, it was obvious the man had other places to go. A sudden sense of urgency gripped her.

***

By the time the elder Rang couple arrived with a truck full of meat and vegetables, they found the young mother busy at the stove with her child on her back. They were pleasantly surprised and immediately rushed over to help with the child and ask about her situation. It was easy to imagine how booming the business was that noon.

Rang Weidong, meanwhile, had truly begun to work, only to realize how complex things were. The crucial issue was that all these intellectuals around him had never done business, let alone built a brand. At the very least, he knew that with those stacks of sanitary napkins, they needed to make a ten-count package. If they wanted to sell a pack of ten for one yuan, the packaging should at least be colorful and attractive.

However, plastic bags were a scarce resource at the time, and the cost would have to be added to the ten-cent retail price. He recalled the one he had asked a flight attendant for on the plane; it wasn't wrapped in a plastic bag, but rather in a slick, paper-like material, tightly rolled up like the packaging for a bar of soap.

When he described it, the materials expert realized what he meant. "That’s paraffin paper. It’s moisture-proof and oil-resistant. It’s not quite as good as imported materials, but the Jiangzhou Guanshengyuan company has a tradition of using this paper to wrap mooncakes, so it's produced locally. Although the paper doesn't have active sterilization properties, it is effective at isolating germ contamination. Sterilized mooncakes wrapped in this paper can have their shelf life extended from one month to six months."

Fair enough. Before they could master plastic bag heat-sealing, the simplified version of the sanitary napkins would have to be sterilized, wrapped in paraffin paper, and then packed ten to a bag. The paraffin paper could even be used for the outer packaging and sealed with glue. This was a compromise they could make while avoiding plastic bags as much as possible. Besides, having been conditioned by the future’s struggle with plastic pollution, he saw avoiding them whenever possible as a form of environmental awareness.

Rang Weidong discussed these details with an industrial packaging design student from Jiangzhou University. The advantage of having a major university nearby was truly refreshing; you could find any talent you needed. Moreover, people here were eager to link theory with practice and were very hands-on.

The only problem was that they were particularly enthusiastic about mealtime. Rang Weidong had intended to treat everyone to lunch, but before he could say so, many had already scurried off.

Little Stone, who had been lingering nearby pretending to be busy, hurriedly signaled for his third sister to come over. A breathless Shen Cuiyue ran over, clutching her chest. "Come, come eat. I know you don't like spicy hot pot. There's a restaurant over there that's not bad."

Rang Weidong shook his head. "Actually, I like the cafeteria best. I just exchanged some food coupons with them."

University students at the time had to bring their grain rations to school. The state provided specific grain subsidies to universities, so everyone had a purchase card and a monthly quota for meal and vegetable coupons. Rang Weidong, having eaten in cafeterias for forty years, was very familiar with the system. Seeing students running, he found a girl and gave her extra money to exchange for a few yuan worth of coupons. Most girls couldn't finish their quotas anyway; they often had leftovers just from trading among themselves in the dorms.

Shen Cuiyue immediately ordered Mao to fetch a lunchbox. "Then I'll go eat with you."

Rang Weidong didn't mind, but he explained his basketball social strategy to her. "The goal is to mingle with the college students and find people among them who like photography and are flexible enough to work in sales. You should also pay attention to the students who interact with us. If anyone has strong management or work skills, keep an eye on them for recruitment. This sanitary napkin company will definitely need a lot of talent."

Shen Cuiyue walked with him across the campus. "I never thought we could hire so many educated people to work for us. Stone says you have all sorts of people working for you in Shangzhou. What are we going to become in the future?"

Rang Weidong paused. Was their goal as people from the "underworld" so clear? Their expectations were high. "Making money isn't difficult for us. As long as these two factories get on track, I have other things to sell, like cameras and recorders. We can live very comfortably just by following the law. But I still want to see the beautiful landscape of the whole country, and if I have the chance, I’d like to go abroad and see the world. That would make this life worthwhile."

For him, this rebirth, which was as different as heaven and earth, had to be lived this way to be worthy of the heavens' favor.

"I want to be with you," Shen Cuiyue whispered.

Rang Weidong looked at her. "Keep that 'underworld' stuff to yourself. If you turn over a new leaf, I certainly won't treat you poorly, but I'll consider your nonsense as nothing more than a fever dream. I want to find a wife with whom I can live a peaceful life; I can't handle your kind of clever underworld schemes."

Shen Sanyue wasn't worried. "Well, you told that person in the military uniform that you didn't trust them either. In our world, only those who are cautious can live long. You'll understand my heart eventually... Are you planning to marry that woman with the child?" She added with a hint of mockery, "I'm afraid your parents won't agree."

Rang Weidong had to think for a second to realize she was referring to his parents. "My life is mine to decide. They might think it’s not respectable that she’s divorced and has a child, but I don't care. As long as we don't cross paths, it won't matter. But don't listen to Stone and Mao’s nonsense. I'm looking at Dong Jie's intentions; I won't force anyone. After all, with our current situation, pushing her would be a bit like bullying."

He couldn't bring himself to say things about "repaying favors" or "taking advantage of the weak," but he just felt that bullying a widow and orphan was undignified. Besides, he didn't have any of that sentimental nonsense about romance; he just wanted to live a steady life.

Shen Cuiyue’s view on chastity was indeed a bit warped. "She’s already in that state; what does she have to be forced about? I thought you spent the night with her yesterday. If not, I'll go back with you today, take the child away, and you can just go for it."

Rang Weidong was shocked by her bandit-like approach. "Can you please be normal! Just eat!"

Shen Cuiyue was obedient. As soon as she was told to shut up, she fell silent and ate. Afterward, she took Rang Weidong's lunchbox to wash it and then sat by the basketball court, watching him play through the noon hour and make new friends. She couldn't quite understand why a bunch of men were fighting over a ball; they never played like that at the docks.

By late May, it was already midsummer. Even though there was shade by the court, Rang Weidong had worked up a sweat. As he stood up, the "trickster" Sanyue finally had a chance to speak. "I rented a room behind the restaurant. You can go wash up there; it'll make your afternoon work more comfortable."

Rang Weidong felt it was necessary, but he remained vigilant. "You aren't trying to set up another 'immortal trap' (honey pot) for me, are you?"

Shen Cuiyue looked aggrieved. "I was just playing along with your words; that's not how a trap is set up..." But the corners of her eyes behind the mask were smiling.

Rang Weidong followed her cautiously. It was indeed very close, located in the dormitory building behind the spicy hot pot storefront. It was a simple one-bedroom apartment with no real renovation to speak of. However, the walls were covered with new, half-height blue floral fabric, which had a surprisingly modern wallpaper effect. Outside, there was a bamboo sofa and a dining table, and the bedding in the bedroom was brand new. She had even bought several sets of men's clothing.

Rang Weidong immediately grew fond of this domestic atmosphere—he had learned something! He then promptly locked the "protagonist of the honey pot" out in the hallway and locked the bathroom door before starting to bathe. His sense of caution was truly invincible.

Shen Sanyue sat on the stairs waiting for him to come out, only to look quite helpless and aggrieved. "Is it because you saw me involved in that trap that time that you despise me? I don't use my body; it was all just acting..."

Rang Weidong now had antibodies. "Yes, yes, and you're acting now, too. No need to act with me. Just reform yourself; you'll make plenty of money here, and you'll have more than enough to live on for the rest of your life."

Shen Cuiyue raised her hand to her mask, but refrained from pulling it down. "Fine. One day in this life, you will believe me."

Rang Weidong, having watched plenty of soap operas and melodramatic boss dramas, replied, "Oh, what, so if I believe you, you'll turn around and take revenge on me? Thanks, but I won't be fooled!"

This left the woman from the "deception sect" so frustrated that she rolled her eyes, yet she found it quite challenging. In the end, she couldn't help but beam with a fresh, genuine smile.