Chapter 50: Expansion

The voice beside him was very soft, but Ji Duo looked over and saw his nephew’s eyes full of determination.

Compared to the conversation in this study on Xu Li’s birthday night, it seemed more than just determination. Back then, what supported him to say those words was the long-standing pressure, the longing for the future, and the desire to change everything. Now, what supported him was the experience and confidence gained from the past three months, step by step.

This made him less restless and more grounded. Seeing Ji Duo looking at him, he even smiled, “Have I been a worry for you? When I was a child, I always wanted to follow you around, and now I only leave messes for you to clean up.”

The last time he mentioned a mess was in Ji Duo’s room. He almost let something slip before Ji Duo stopped him. At that time, although Ji Duo agreed to the marriage, he was still unhappy and wanted to use it as a lesson for his nephew. Now, hearing his nephew use that term again, Ji Duo found it somewhat grating: “She’s not a mess.”

The words were sudden and even a bit heavy. Ji Ze was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly, “Yes, Aunt is so capable. How could she be a mess?”

He had always avoided admitting some things, but he had to acknowledge that Lin Qiao was far more outstanding than he had thought.

Even though he had taken annual leave and spent less time in the military camp, he occasionally met people who said, “Lin Qiao is your aunt, right? She teaches very well.” People mentioned what Lin Qiao had done at school and even wanted to arrange for their children to be in her class through him.

Not to mention that his business success relied on Lin Qiao’s formula.

Even the incident with the stolen formula was resolved smoothly because Lin Qiao was cautious and had a backup plan from the start.

This girl was clearly a pearl. As long as someone pulled her out of the mud, she would shine brightly. How could she be a mess?

Ji Ze lowered his head and continued cleaning the floor, “Uncle, you’re right. I was too arrogant and self-righteous.”

Strangely, when Ji Ze desperately avoided the marriage, Ji Duo was unhappy; now that he admitted his arrogance, Ji Duo wasn’t particularly pleased either.

Not wanting to hear more nonsense, he interrupted his nephew’s self-reproach, “Get to the point.”

Ji Ze was momentarily choked, his emotions a bit disjointed. But his uncle was like this, decisive and efficient, hating unnecessary words, so he got straight to the point.

“I’ve thought it over carefully these past two days. It’s better to work with what I know. I already have experience with liquid soap. Instead of borrowing a lot of money to enter a completely unfamiliar industry, expanding and strengthening this one is better. I don’t even need to invest much; I just need to stabilize the market in Yandu first.”

He shared his plans with Ji Duo, “There’s no rush to build a factory. Renting a few large rural courtyards will suffice, mainly for storage. I also plan to buy a few bicycles, modify the back seats, and weld them to carts. This way, each bike can carry at least four to five hundred jin, making deliveries easier.”

With the beginning of the reform and opening up, there were no ready-made tricycles for sale. To carry more goods, they had to find a way to connect carts and bicycles.

However, the cost of the bicycles was not low. A cart carrying four to five hundred jin of liquid soap could sell for four to five hundred yuan, so they had to guard against the salespeople’s greed.

Ji Ze was clearly prepared, “I plan to promote a few employees with clean backgrounds and good conduct to management positions. Additionally, I’ll allocate half of the profits to all employees who have worked for me for more than six months, based on their rank and position.”

Working for oneself is always more motivating than working for others. Compared to the future profits from dividends, the current one-off deal was indeed not worth much. He had grown a lot.

Moreover, the timing was perfect. After working for more than six months, a person would have gotten used to their work environment and wouldn’t want to leave their comfort zone easily. Those unstable factors would mostly leave on their own or make mistakes and get fired before six months.

But he was saying so much, so detailed, as if he was afraid Ji Duo would disagree and was trying to persuade him.

Ji Duo glanced at the direction of the living room window, then looked back at his nephew, “You still don’t plan to tell your aunt?”

Ji Ze immediately looked like his secret was exposed, showing some embarrassment, “I just feel it’s not presentable yet. At least wait until I achieve some scale.”

His feelings towards Lin Qiao were complicated. The more ashamed he felt, the harder it was to face her. The more he thought Lin Qiao was good, the less he wanted her to see his shortcomings.

Moreover, it was fine when he hadn’t hidden anything before, but now that he had, he couldn’t bring himself to speak, especially when he hadn’t achieved anything yet. It seemed like only when the factory was built, and he had a firm foothold in Yandu, even pushing further, would he have the confidence to stand before Lin Qiao and say he hadn’t let her formula down.

He didn’t know how to explain this subtle feeling to his uncle, and there was another concern—his mother.

“I can’t let my mom know without some achievements. A small workshop and a large factory, the latter is obviously more convincing.”

Although his mom might not be willing even with a large factory, having made a name for himself outside, his mom’s face would look better, and she might cause less trouble.

Ji Duo remained silent, just looking at him and listening to him finish.

This made Ji Ze very uncertain. His uncle always kept his emotions in check, and now he wasn’t saying anything at all. Who knew if he was angry?

But since he had already spoken and had many concerns, he could only show a bit of flattery and pleading, “Just a little longer, please.”

He even gestured a tiny amount with his fingers. His expression and eyes were exactly like when he was a child, clinging to Ji Duo and wanting him to take him along.

“As you wish.” Ji Duo turned to leave but paused at the door, “How much funding do you need for this production expansion?”

“At least twenty to thirty thousand.” Ji Ze replied, “Mainly for building storage and buying vats and bicycles. I have some money, and I’ll borrow a bit from the bank. But this means all the money I make next will have to be reinvested, and I’ll have to repay the loan. I probably won’t be able to give Aunt any dividends in the short term.”

Since deciding not to buy production lines abroad, he had been frugal in his business, spending only where necessary.

Ji Duo pondered for a moment, “Your aunt should have over ten thousand. I’ll ask her.”

Before the wedding, he gave Lin Qiao a passbook worth over eight thousand yuan, which was his savings over the years. The money given by the old couple for the wedding and other gifts had not been touched. With his salary over the past few months and Lin Qiao’s soap sales, it should be around thirteen to fourteen thousand.

“Then I won’t need to borrow from the bank.” Ji Ze didn’t say he would borrow, “Consider it Aunt’s investment, and I’ll give her half a share of the profits.”

As long as nothing went wrong, the investment would pay off in less than six months. Even with just half a share, Lin Qiao could earn it back in a year.

Ji Duo said nothing more. They tidied up and returned to the living room, where Ji Ling was exclaiming over a glass on the coffee table, “It really dances!”

The large glass was half-filled with water, and several raisins were joyfully moving up and down inside, looking like they were dancing.

The young girl looked at Lin Qiao wide-eyed, “How did you do that?”

Lin Qiao pointed to the glass, “There’s baking soda and vinegar in there. When they react, they produce carbon dioxide gas, which attaches to the raisins’ surface, pushing them up. When they reach the surface, the gas escapes into the air, and they sink again.”

Ji Ling listened, half understanding, but it didn’t stop her from exclaiming, “Chemistry is so interesting! Aunt, you’re amazing. You know everything!”

“Your sister Song Jing knows, too. She also teaches chemistry.” Ye Minshu couldn’t help but add.

“Then why didn’t she do this when she tutored me?” Ji Ling didn’t want to hear it. Seeing the bubbles in the glass were gone, she asked Lin Qiao, “Can I try it?”

Lin Qiao took the young girl to the kitchen to do the experiment. On the way out, they ran into Ji Ze and Ji Duo. Ji Ze immediately thought of what he had said in the study, his eyes flashing subconsciously.

Lin Qiao didn’t notice at first, but after finishing in the kitchen and returning, she accidentally met his gaze. He looked away again, pretending nothing had happened.

Why did he look so guilty? It probably had something to do with her.

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but glance at Ji Duo, who was calmly playing chess with the old man, showing no signs of anything.

But after two such incidents, if Lin Qiao didn’t notice, she’d be a fool, especially since her nephew sneaked another glance at her after she looked away.

This made Lin Qiao curious. After lunch, when they went to their room for a nap, she couldn’t help but ask, “Were you and Ji Ze talking behind my back?”

Her tone was more teasing than questioning.

Ji Duo was bringing in the blanket Xu Li had dried outside. He didn’t even lift his eyelids, “No.”

“Why does Xiao Ze keep avoiding looking at me?” Lin Qiao asked, sitting on the edge of the bed with her face upturned. “Every time our eyes meet, he looks away.”

This time, the man did look up, but his brows furrowed, “Why do you keep looking at him?”

“Don’t tell me it’s because I look at him, and he feels embarrassed,” Lin Qiao raised an eyebrow, feeling like the man was using the best defense as an offense.

Ji Duo didn’t intend to say that, but he had no better explanation, so he simply said, “It’s not the right time yet. I’ll tell you later.”

Regarding the business, he initially thought the sooner Lin Qiao knew, the better, since they would build a factory and do it long-term. Lin Qiao would find out sooner or later. But Xiao Ze couldn’t keep things to himself, which made Lin Qiao suspicious. If he spent more time with Lin Qiao, the truth about the replacement would come out sooner or later. Rather than dealing with the trouble later, it was better to let him continue hiding it for now, allowing him to gain more experience in the business world.

Not knowing if Lin Qiao would be dissatisfied with this, Ji Duo waited for her next question, but Lin Qiao just said, “Oh,” and didn’t bring it up again.

This made him uncomfortable. He couldn’t help but look at Lin Qiao again, “Do you have any other questions?”

The man’s gaze was steady, his handsome face stern, as if asking a subordinate reporting to him, “Do you have any other business?” Even if Lin Qiao wanted to delve deeper, seeing him like this made her not want to ask, “No.” She lay down on the bed, ready to take a nap.

This made Ji Duo even more uncomfortable. Looking at her closed eyes, he rarely explained, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you. It’s just not the right time.”

Usually, he didn’t bother explaining his own matters, but when it came to his nephew, he was afraid she might misunderstand.

Lin Qiao opened her eyes and reassured him, “It’s okay. You don’t have to tell me if it doesn’t concern me.”

How understanding and considerate, so much so that Ji Duo felt choked, unable to respond.

“Lin Qiao,” he called her name in a deep voice.

Was he trying to keep her from sleeping? Lin Qiao regretted asking that question and propped herself up, “Yes, sir, your order?”

To take a nap, she had already let her hair down, half-draped over her shoulders. When she looked up at him, her eyes were lazy and slightly sleepy. Ji Duo looked down at her for a long time, unable to think of what to say. He couldn’t ask her to keep questioning him, could he?

This was frustrating. He used to be too lazy to explain, and now, even if he wanted to, he didn’t know how.

Ji Duo stared at Lin Qiao for a long time, finally saying, “It’s nothing. You sleep.” He turned and left the room, frowning as he took out a cigarette from the pack.

Just as he was about to light it, Ji Ze, who was about to sneak away, saw him and greeted, “Uncle, you’re not sleeping?”

Having found a direction, the boy looked full of energy, which made Ji Duo stare at him for a while. “From now on, handle your own matters.”

Ji Ze: “…”

Ji Ze was indeed full of energy. Right after the Mid-Autumn Festival, he immediately negotiated cooperation with the stores he was familiar with.

The wholesale price was set at nine cents, and the retail price was one yuan. This arrangement allowed him to deliver goods to the stores regularly, freeing up the sales staff.

What were they freed up for?

Of course, going to the remaining places and fighting counterfeits blocks the father and son’s path. Ji Ze had put in the effort, marking all the places the Qin family father and son had sold on a map, predicting their likely next locations, and sending people to those places to sell.

These people wore red vests, with carts attached to the back of their bicycles, neatly arranged with plastic oil barrels, attracting attention without needing to shout.

Ji Ze also wrote “Muzi Liquid Soap” on the vests and barrels, combining parts of his and Lin Qiao’s surnames as a mark.

Riding the bikes around, shouting a few times, and explaining how to distinguish the real from the fake, who would still buy the fake goods sold with shoulder poles?

The Qin family father and son went out to sell, but no one bought. They tried another place, shouting until their throats were hoarse, but still, no one bought, and they received several dirty looks. Just as they were about to ask someone, a bicycle with a cart appeared, saw them, and quickly turned back. Soon, two people came over, “Are those the ones selling fake goods?”

“Yes, it’s them.”

Two women rushed over with bottles, “Heartless! Cheating even the elderly! Give me my money back!”

The Qin family father and son, still carrying their shoulder poles, couldn’t run as fast as the women. They turned to run, spilling the barrels and falling.

The next day, they tried another place, but still, no one bought. Now everyone knew to look for the red vests and plastic barrels and knew that anything thin was fake and useless.

Ji Ze finally vented his anger and traced the Qin family to their soap factory. A report letter exposed Qin Chuan for secretly making and selling soap at home using the factory’s formula. Qin Chuan ruined his reputation, so he ruined Qin Chuan’s foundation. It was a fair exchange, and no one could blame anyone.

While Muzi Liquid Soap was creating a red vest craze in Yandu, Lin Qiao’s Class Four faced their first exam of the second year of high school.

Ji Duo found time to discuss the additional investment with her. The man clearly wanted to expand, so she agreed, especially since he offered her an extra half share of the profits.

Having given up dropping out to join the military early, Junzi was unusually nervous this time, repeatedly asking Qi Huaiwen, “Do you think I’ll do well this time?”

After being asked several times, Qi Huaiwen finally said, “Do you think you can do well?”

Junzi: “…”

Wang Guoqiang, across the aisle, comforted him, “It’s okay if you don’t do well. As Teacher Lin said, you don’t have much room to fall.”

Junzi: “…”

But after hearing these two honest remarks, he wasn’t as nervous. He did what he could and filled in answers for what he couldn’t, not leaving anything blank.

When Lin Qiao came across the paper with handwriting as messy as a dog’s, he raised an eyebrow and specifically peeled back the cover page. Sure enough, it was written “Liang Jun.”

This brat is something else; he passed again this time. Although the score was similar to the last time, he didn’t have Li Xiaoqiu to help him with a major question this time.

Just as she was about to turn to the next page, the physics teachers from classes one and two next to him exclaimed, “Eh! ” and peeled back the cover page to take a look. They called out to Vice Principal Qi, “Qi Huaiwen’s paper.”

“He submitted a blank paper again?” Vice Principal Qi had developed a reflex to frown immediately upon hearing this.

“No.” The physics teacher’s expression was complicated, and he was unsure how to describe it, so he simply handed the paper to him and said, “You take a look.”

Lin Qiao seemed to have thought of something, and upon following the sound, he indeed saw Vice Principal Qi looking increasingly bewildered, eventually replaced by a look of complexity.

“How did he do on the exam?” Group Leader Gao, seeing them all playing dumb, couldn’t help but take a look. “Didn’t he get everything right?” Flipping it over to the back, “Just two points off.”

He only lost two points, which means Qi Haiwen scored 98 in physics in this month’s exam. For three years, since the second year of junior high, he had never passed physics. Unexpectedly, he scored 98 this time.

If you say he didn’t take the exam himself, his classmate Li Xiaoqiu only scored 96 this time, and the others in different classes scored even lower…

This was actually the highest score in physics for their grade on this exam. Clearly, this child had never given up on studying physics. Everyone looked at Vice Principal Qi, not knowing what he was feeling at that moment.

In the end, only the head teacher patted Vice Principal Qi on the shoulder, said nothing more, and called Lin Qiao: “Pay attention to his chemistry paper. It might be good, too.”

Qi Haiwen’s neat handwriting was quite recognizable. Soon, the two of them graded it, and he scored 91, which was 4 points higher than the last time. These two subjects scored the best; the other subjects, although a bit lower, were all above 75. Only English dragged down the average, scoring less than 70.

However, students these days don’t do well in foreign languages, so passing is already considered a high score. After all, before the college entrance examination was reinstated, no one paid attention to these subjects. Even within the same school and grade, some classes taught English, some taught Japanese, and some taught Russian.

The teachers in the science office were at a loss for words, and Vice Principal Qi remained silent for a long time before slipping the report card into his lesson plan.

The next day, when the overall grade rankings were released, Qi Huaiwen had indeed made it into the top sixty, ranking fifty-eighth, just barely hanging on.

Li Xiaoqiu’s grades were much better than his, ranking sixth in the grade. If it weren’t for her Chinese and English scores dragging her down, she could have ranked even higher.

What frustrated Group Leader Gao the most was that his Class One had been overtaken by Lin Qiao’s Class Four, dropping from second to third in the grade average, just 0.1 points ahead of Class Three, which ranked fourth. If any student in Class One had answered one more major question correctly, they might have ended up at the bottom. He had always been shouting about the need for a sense of crisis, but he never expected to be overtaken so quickly and by Class Four, which had always been at the bottom. Lin Qiao’s actions are simply ruining the entire grade’s learning environment.

The big red list was posted under the teaching building, and many people were surprised. When Lin Qiao passed by and took a look, she coincidentally ran into Principal Zeng, who was also checking the results.

“Well taught,” Principal Zeng praised her and asked, “Are you busy? If not, come with me to see the newly built laboratory.”

The laboratory building was completed before the Mid-Autumn Festival, and during this period, the walls were painted, plumbing and electricity were installed, and renovations were done.

Lin Qiao happened to have no classes, so she didn’t refuse. They waited for Vice Principal Qi downstairs for a while and then went to the laboratory next to the teaching building together.

Due to the era, the lab was definitely not as good as the one Lin Qiao attended in her previous life, but it still had the necessary equipment like the workbenches and the sink in the middle. There was also a row of cabinets with small glass doors at the back of the lab for storing lab instruments and reagents.

Now, they just needed to wait for the logistics department to procure the items, and this newly built chemistry lab would be ready for use.

The three of them were inspected from the front to the back, and they even turned on the faucets in each pool to test them. With his hands behind his back, Principal Zeng stood at the end and suddenly said to Lin Qiao, “When the laboratory is officially put into use, the Ministry of Education will come down for an inspection. You should prepare to give a public lecture.”

“Give a public lecture?” Lin Qiao hadn’t expected him to say that.

Principal Zeng nodded, “The suggestion was yours, and the school became a pilot because of you. No one is more suitable to give this first lecture than you.”

Vice Principal Qi, who was evidently aware of this matter, smiled and asked Lin Qiao, “What? Are you afraid that too many leaders will come and you won’t do well?”

“Not really, just a bit surprised.”

“I don’t think so either. When you came to the high school department for a trial lecture, Xiao Gao, Old Qu, and I were all sitting below, and you didn’t seem nervous.”

Vice Principal Qi had always admired this young teacher he had brought to the high school himself. Since Lin Qiao had also brought Qi Huaiwen back, he rarely spoke so deeply: “Do a good job. Leaving a good impression on the leaders will only benefit you in the future.”

This was the kind of sincere advice only close people would give. Lin Qiao nodded seriously and thanked him, accepting the goodwill. But no one expected that just a few days after these words were spoken, before the equipment ordered by the logistics department arrived, someone would send a letter of complaint to the city education bureau.