Chapter 97: The Investment from Liu Qian's Family

Wu Yafei’s tactful refusal only made Wu Ya cherish that friendship all the more.

He understood that this was because she did not want to be someone who reaped what she had not sown.

She also did not want to follow behind him and lean on the credit for having expanded territory and opened new ground together, then simply enjoy the fruits of another’s labor.

That alone was proof of her noble character.

Yet it also meant, from the beginning, that their friendship would likely remain confined to this small city.

“Big Sister Chai, then I’ll be going. Hold on for at most five more days, and my goods will be coming in nonstop. These next few days, while you still have some time, go around the surrounding area and contact more retailers. I’ll cut the price by another ten.”

With regret in his heart, Wu Ya said farewell to Chai Yanfeng.

Another ten off.

That was the cost reduction he could already foresee after mass production had been put into place.

And it was the highest point, too.

Yet he gave that margin away to Chai Yanfeng without holding back.

At the same time, he even told her to keep expanding outward as much as possible.

His intention was plain enough.

He wanted to make up for this fleeting friendship with profit.

After all, having been reborn, his foremost task had been to make up for the regrets of his past life.

He had never expected that in this life, he would create new regrets instead.

To put his own heart at ease, and to give Big Sister Chai, who had fought shoulder to shoulder with him, a prosperous future, was the utmost he could do within his present power.

“Wu Ya, even if it’s mass production, another ten off is already your bottom line, isn’t it? You can’t do this, or Big Sister won’t be able to rest easy.”

But just as he turned away, Chai Yanfeng’s voice came after him, thick with emotion.

Wu Ya’s steps faltered slightly, then continued.

He said nothing more, and walked on without looking back.

“Ah... what a fine man, loyal and true.”

Watching his retreating figure, tears dampened Chai Yanfeng’s cheeks.

She had been in business for three years now.

Looking back on the past, there had been hardship after hardship.

She had braved wind and rain, hauling sacks on her shoulders and loads in her arms by herself.

From dawn to dusk, all she could do was scrape together a bare living.

But now, ever since she had met Wu Ya, in just half a month she had earned what had once taken her half a year.

And beyond that, there was a future bright enough to see at a glance.

Another ten off.

She knew he had done it on purpose.

It was his way of treasuring the friendship they had forged side by side, of giving her a chance to widen her profit margin.

It was, in effect, no different from handing her something for nothing.

People like that were rare now... no, not rare.

They were gone.

To be deeply loyal and devoted had become a fool’s badge in this world.

“Dad, Mom, I’m back.”

While Chai Yanfeng’s thoughts surged like waves, Wu Ya had already returned to the tailor shop.

After a long journey and a whirlwind of running about, he had finally made it home.

“Ya’er, how did things go? Why didn’t Liu Qian come?”

The moment Zhang Caixia heard her son’s voice, she appeared at the shop entrance at once.

She spoke to Wu Ya, but her old eyes kept peering past him, searching behind him.

Soon disappointment spread across her face.

Liu Qian had not come.

Ever since Wu Ya had gone on his business trip, Liu Qian had not shown her face again.

They had thought she was only shy, being a young girl.

Now that Wu Ya was home today, surely she would come along too.

But who would have thought there was still no sign of her?

What was going on?

The old woman’s heart immediately grew uneasy.

In their minds, a daughter-in-law mattered far more than business.

That left Wu Ya helpless.

You haven’t seen your son for a few days, and you’re not missing him half as much as this!

“Mom, Liu Qian was just with me a moment ago. Things have been busy at her house lately, and with school about to start, they’ve had preparations to make, so she couldn’t come. There’s no need to make such a fuss.”

Wu Ya took Zhang Caixia’s hand and spoke softly.

He really did miss his mother after so many days apart.

It was not sentimentality.

It was only that after living a second life, he had come to understand the preciousness of parental love.

Not even for a moment did he want to waste it.

“See? I told you so. It must be that Liu Qian has been tied up these past few days! You old woman nag and nag all day long. The boy has barely stepped through the door and you’re at it again.”

Then Wu Wanli also came out.

His face was marked with clear complaint.

These past few days, his ears had practically grown calluses.

It was always “Liu Qian this,” or “Liu Qian that.”

In short, if Liu Qian did not come, she could imagine endless scenes.

“Hmph! As if you weren’t anxious too! Who was it yesterday who said if Liu Qian doesn’t come, maybe she’s angry with our son?”

Zhang Caixia was no pushover.

The instant she heard the old man daring to snap at her, her brows shot up and her eyes flashed.

“Mom, Dad, my trip went very smoothly. Three production lines will arrive the day after tomorrow! By then, our output will increase tenfold!”

Seeing that his parents were about to quarrel, Wu Ya hurriedly changed the subject.

Though such a scene, too, was once the warmth he had dreamed of in his heart.

Still, he knew his mother’s temper: moderation was essential.

Otherwise, it would no longer be bickering, but a full-scale battle.

“Oh? Three production lines? Output up tenfold? Son, you’re not talking nonsense, are you? It’s only been this little while, and you’ve already turned our tailor shop into a major enterprise?”

Zhang Caixia’s eyes widened at once, round as copper bells.

Staring at Wu Ya, her face was full of shock.

How could she still find the mind to argue with Wu Wanli?

A major enterprise.

Their tailor shop, on the verge of closing down, had been transformed by her son as if by magic into something vast and thriving.

That vast transformation, as different as heaven and earth, left her, a woman who had lived half her life in poverty, utterly stunned.

“Son, is what you said true? You really bought three production lines? But... where did the money come from?”

Wu Wanli was, after all, a man.

His ability to withstand excitement was still stronger than Zhang Caixia’s.

Though he too could not help being shocked, he still asked the crucial question.

The money.

Where had it come from?

Every penny of income and every expense in the tailor shop had passed through his hands as the old bookkeeper.

Let alone there having never been such an expense.

Even if there had been, it would never have been enough to matter.

Though the profits seemed generous at first glance, after buying cloth and paying wages, very little was left.

And the business still needed to keep stockpiling fabric in order to expand production continuously.

In truth, they had hardly any money at all.

Yet their son had suddenly bought three production lines.

Production lines.

As former coal miners, they had seen equipment for collective work before.

And they knew it was not cheap.

“Yeah, son, where did the money come from? You didn’t... secretly take out a bank loan, did you?”

Zhang Caixia suddenly snapped to her senses.

Their son had never once said he was going to buy production lines.

When he went away this time, he had only vaguely said he was heading to another place to take care of some business.

So how, upon his return, had he bought three production lines?

That was a huge sum, money as vast as the heavens!

Where on earth had it come from?

In those days, borrowing money, taking out loans—within the old generation’s understanding, these were the very last things one wanted.

What they wanted was simple: to be free of debt, and live a steady life.

Now that their family had finally turned things around, and life had become easy and comfortable, they ought to be content.

To go borrowing from a bank again, and take on such enormous risk?

What if they lost it all?

Then everything before them would be impossible to keep.

“Heh, Mom, Dad, don’t worry. That money did not come from the bank, and I didn’t conjure it out of thin air either. It was invested by Liu Qian’s parents. They saw me doing very well, recognized my ability, and also saw that the market was in short supply, so they decided to invest in me.”

Wu Ya gave a light smile and casually offered his parents an explanation.

Inside, though, he wanted nothing more than to slap himself.

He had made so much from bond trading, yet had never dared to tell his parents for fear they would not be able to bear it.

And now, in his haste to stop them from arguing, he had blurted out the matter of buying production lines without even preparing the ground first.

Equipment worth a million.

If he did not come up with a convincing reason, would he not frighten his parents half to death?

They had never seen that much money in their entire lives.

Would they not spend every day and every night unable to sleep?

Then he would never be able to atone for it even in death.

But in his urgency, the first explanation he thought of was still Liu Qian’s parents.

It was, at the moment, the best reason he had.

After all, the reason he had been able to take over the tailor shop in the first place was precisely because of Liu Qian’s family.

So it made perfect sense for them to invest in him.

Besides, his current results were plain for all to see.

As expected—

“Oh? So it was Liu Qian’s parents who invested in you. Son, then we’re relieved! But you must be even more careful than before! We cannot fail to live up to their trust!”

Zhang Caixia’s hanging heart finally settled.

And her face once again overflowed with smiles.

Invested by Liu Qian’s family!

That news filled her with delight.

Because it not only meant their recognition of their son’s ability, it also meant they valued him as a person.

Valued him?

Heh heh heh.

To make such a huge investment in production lines and not even show their faces—

what did that mean?

It meant they regarded Wu Ya as one of their own.

“Yes, your mother is right. If we take someone else’s money, we must give it our all. We cannot be careless in the slightest and end up disappointing them.”

Wu Wanli followed closely behind, speaking to Wu Ya in a grave tone.

Yet the eyes he exchanged with Zhang Caixia were also full of laughter.

Clearly, the old couple were of one mind.

And they were relieved, too.

Production lines were expensive, but how expensive could they really be?

Liu Qian’s parents were famous dealers.

They had to have at least over a hundred thousand, surely.

Buying three production lines should be more than enough.

And given their tailor shop’s recent revenue, even if they lost a little of that money, they could still bear it now.

So what remained in their hearts was only joy.

“Heh, Mom, Dad, don’t worry. I will certainly not disappoint Liu Qian’s parents’ trust in me.”

How could Wu Ya know what his parents were really thinking?

At this moment, he was still basking in the relief of having fooled them.

A family in harmony, each with their own thoughts.

The elders had their elders’ concerns, the young had their young people’s schemes.

But all in all, it was wonderfully sweet.

Yet over at Liu Qian’s place, a shocking and furious argument was now unfolding.