Chapter 29

“At present, individual businesses are still small and mostly belong to small traders in the primitive accumulation stage. They generally don’t pay taxes because they are primarily addressing basic needs. Even so, they contribute to society: they promote the circulation of goods, reduce market prices, and increase social consumption. At the same time, they solve personal needs, alleviate social burdens, and contribute to employment.”

“Tch, I admit these functions. But how much do they really contribute to the progress of society?” Ren Hua remained unconvinced.

Song Haowen thought, not to mention anything else, in his previous life, the Wenzhou small commodity market alone produced many millionaires, even billionaires. Closer to home, Beijing  was the birthplace of many Top Global Companies.

“Don’t underestimate these individual businesses. Many of them will become private entrepreneurs, local tycoons, and even Top Global Companies.”

Ren Hua burst into laughter.

“I heard you’re the first individual business in the country. Can you surpass the district department store in the future?”

Song Haowen also laughed.

“You’re underestimating us. In another three years, our development will surely surprise you.”

“Alright, I hope to see your grand promises come true then.  Song Haowen, considering your boasting skills, I plan to visit your place with Sister Hongyu to see if we can help. Is that okay?”

“Welcome anytime, Miss.”

“I heard it’s not far; let’s go around noon, skipping the lunch break,” Ren Hua waved her hand with an imposing gesture.

At noon, after Song Haowen, Zhu Hongyu, and Ren Hua finished their lunch in the cafeteria, the three of them visited Song Haowen’s home together.

Seeing the storefront with a signboard and a steady flow of customers, not only was Ren Hua dumbfounded, but even Zhu Hongyu, who had been here once, couldn’t believe her eyes, thinking she had come to the wrong place.

Song Haowen invited them in for a tour and introduced the workplace. When Ren Hua saw the pavilion and rockery in the courtyard, she exclaimed, “Song Haowen, if this house wasn’t rented, it would be perfect.”

Hearing this, Song Haowen took out a property deed with a bright red cover from a drawer in the room.

“Sorry, Sister Hongyu. Last time, I was afraid you couldn’t accept it, so I didn’t dare to tell the truth. I said it was rented, but, in fact, I’ve already bought this house along with the courtyard.”

Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua stared at Song Haowen’s eyes as if seeing an alien.

“Where did you get so much money?” the two girls asked almost simultaneously.

With a smile, Song Haowen said, “I earned this money by myself during the summer vacation. Do you believe it?”

“Don’t believe it!” the two girls said almost simultaneously again.

Song Haowen shrugged like a foreign gentleman, spreading his arms.

“Well, there’s no way to explain it clearly.”

“I said I now earn over ten thousand yuan a month. You still can’t believe it?”

This time, the two girls didn’t speak but stared blankly at Song Haowen, not like they were seeing an alien but like they were seeing a ghost.

After Wang Li set up the tea in the pavilion, she invited the guests to sit down and have tea. The two girls seemed dazed, as if they couldn’t taste the tea at all.

Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua had returned to campus separately. In the afternoon, the experimental class was too easy for Song Haowen, and given how busy he was, he took a break with Zhu Hongyu.

She didn’t say much about it, and on the way back, she, like Ren Hua, remained in a state of shock.

In the evening, Song Haowen checked the rare treasures that had come in for recycling at the storefront—a 14-inch Sony color TV. He thought, in the next decade, color TVs would become widespread in China, and there would be endless business opportunities here.

At this moment, Zhu Hongyu and Ren Hua walked in and called out, “Song Haowen, we’re here for work! What do you want us to do today?”

Song Haowen happily rubbed his hands together and said, “Welcome, sisters, to join our team. Today, you don’t need to do anything. Later, we’ll go to Quanj together for Peking duck.”

Zhu Hongyu muttered softly, “The dishes there are not cheap.”

Ren Hua said joyfully, “Today, we’ll be the landlords and dine like capitalists.”

Song Haowen said, “It’s still early for dinner. Familiarize yourselves with the situation in the shop for now. Tomorrow, I’ll teach you how to repair electrical appliances.”

Ren Hua teasingly asked, “Xiao Songzi, does that mean today counts as our first day of work?”

“It does, of course. Just one thing, Sister Na, could you not call me Xiao Songzi? When you call me that, it’s like an emperor calling a little eunuch, and my whole body gets goosebumps.” Song Haowen pleaded.

Ren Hua curiously asked, “Who’s the emperor? Why did you think of eunuchs? Are you a eunuch?”

As soon as she said this, the whole room burst into laughter, leaving Song Haowen blushing like a monkey’s butt.

Song Haowen suddenly remembered that in his previous life, the film “Big Eunuch Li Lianying” from the big fire was about to be released in about eleven or twelve years. Since then, the trend of calling someone “Little Li,” “Little Dong,” and “Little Gong” started. Ren Hua didn’t know about this allusion now, so he could only deny it but couldn’t explain it.

As a result, what was originally an ordinary “Xiao Songzi” became a source of laughter whenever any of the four called him that. Later, even their classmates liked to call him that, making Song Haowen laugh and cry with resentment.

In the evening, Song Haowen, along with the five of them, had a hearty meal at Quanjade. After the dinner, considering the late hour, he let everyone go home, while he went back to continue working alone.