Chapter 43

Sun Jinshan, thinking about the time he met the boss in the big city, remembered how the boss praised him right away. He decided to learn from that and praise others more in the future.

Now, he couldn’t help but go all out, praising the Jiang family.

Wu Xiaochun felt uncomfortable being praised but also thought Sun Jinshan was a really nice person.

After finishing the meal, Sun Jinshan couldn’t wait to tell Jiang Liyun about what he had accomplished.

He believed Jiang Liyun would surely admire him.

Compared to the work Jiang Liyun and others did, like counting the number of white-feathered chickens in the commune, what he did was much more challenging!

With these thoughts, Sun Jinshan’s eyes were almost overflowing with pride.

Today, after seeing Sun Jinshan, Jiang Liyun noticed he seemed a bit excited and high-spirited. It’s inevitable; a rural guy about to undertake a big task would surely be fired up.

But this isn’t a good sign for Sun Jinshan. In the eyes of some cunning individuals, his current state is like the scent of tempting meat, perfect for swift devouring.

“How do you think I did?” Sun Jinshan asked Jiang Liyun.

Sun Jinshan used to think highly of Jiang Liyun’s intelligence and converse with her in a humble manner. However, now he stood tall and proud.

Jiang Liyun remarked, “You did well. Did you sign a contract?”

Sun Jinshan was taken aback. “Contract?”

Jiang Liyun had to admit that Sun Jinshan was quite capable, and she couldn’t do what he did. She knew little about the big cities of this era.

However, she wasn’t incapable of everything. After all, she had been in business for many years, and in some aspects, she understood more than Sun Jinshan did.

For instance, how to draft a contract and prevent others from exploiting loopholes.

While purchasing white-feathered chickens within the commune might not require a contract since they all lived together, dealing with poultry wholesalers required a signed contract for security.

If Sun Jinshan sent the white-feathered chickens to Shanghai without a contract, what if the wholesaler suddenly denied the previously agreed-upon price? Sun Jinshan would be left with no choice but to sell the chickens at a lower price.

Jiang Liyun warned, “Since you’ve reached an agreement, you need to write a contract. Otherwise, after you deliver the chickens to Shanghai, if he suddenly denies the agreed price and pressures you to sell at a lower rate, what will you do?”

Sun Jinshan hadn’t considered this before. In their community, when someone paid him to buy something, they didn’t bother with contracts, not even receipts.

However, with the poultry wholesaler, a contract was a must.

If he didn’t have a contract, what if the wholesaler lowered the price after Sun Jinshan delivered the white-feathered chickens to Shanghai? He couldn’t sell that many chickens on his own, and in the end, he might have to accept the lower price offered by the wholesaler.

“Don’t assume everything will go smoothly. You need a contract,” Jiang Liyun advised Sun Jinshan. “Otherwise, you might be taken advantage of.”

Sun Jinshan, who had never done serious business before, was caught off guard. The big boss in Shanghai seemed wealthy and enthusiastic, making Sun Jinshan believe he wouldn’t be deceived.

But now…

The words of that boss made Sun Jinshan feel like he was about to embark on a big business, and he was all fired up. However, at this moment, a bucket of cold water was poured over him, bringing down his enthusiasm.

Seeing Sun Jinshan stunned, Jiang Liyun smiled.

Although Sun Jinshan had some abilities, he had never dealt with formal business transactions. He probably didn’t even know what a contract looked like.

“A contract is essential; otherwise, he might exploit you,” Jiang Liyun said, taking out her ledger and starting to write a contract. In her previous life, contracts often spanned several pages, printed on A4 sheets. However, without a computer or printer now, a simpler contract was more appropriate.

Even so, Jiang Liyun still wrote many clauses in the notebook, filling several pages.

As Jiang Liyun wrote the contract, Sun Jinshan watched attentively.

Sun Jinshan had some education, but he only completed elementary school, which was the typical level of education for people born in the 1960s in rural areas.

Sun Jinshan had never considered himself poorly educated before, as he could recognise most characters. After all, many older workers in their factory were illiterate!

However, as he watched Jiang Liyun write terms like “party A” and “party B,” along with various clauses, he suddenly felt his cultural level was lacking.

He recognised the characters, but he had to read them carefully several times to understand the true meaning of these clauses.

“Why do we need to write this clause?” Sun Jinshan pointed to one of them and asked Jiang Liyun.

Feng Yi had gone to buy pork, so Jiang Liyun had some free time to carefully explain the contract to Sun Jinshan. Combining their experiences, she warned him about potential pitfalls and how to avoid them.

In her previous life, Jiang Liyun had suffered losses due to contracts, so she was very cautious and even studied relevant knowledge specifically.

As they talked, they noticed Feng Yi returning on his tricycle. Jiang Liyun said to Sun Jinshan, “This business is straightforward, and the contract doesn’t need to be too detailed. This should be enough. Take this contract and discuss with the other party. If there are no changes needed, you can sign it together.”

Sun Jinshan had indeed been full of himself before arriving at Jiang’s house.

But now he had been brought back down to earth by Jiang Liyun.

He had previously thought about taking kickbacks and making more money, even feeling how clever he was. Now, he was just grateful he hadn’t left Jiang Liyun behind to do this business alone.

Otherwise, he would probably have been swindled!

Where did his confidence come from? He actually looked down on Jiang Liyun!

Jiang Liyun knew much more than him, even about things like contracts, which he had never heard of before.

Jiang Liyun was not the ignorant country girl he thought she was; he was the ignorant country bumpkin who knew nothing about the world.

Jiang Liyun had already started kneading dough to make dumplings. Sun Jinshan said, “Jiang Liyun, with your abilities, why are you still selling dumplings? You could do something else! You could even sell fried chicken in a big city. That way, you could definitely make a lot of money.”

“I think selling pan-fried dumplings is great. Starting with a small business makes it more stable,” Jiang Liyun replied.

She had plans for her future.

She intended to go into the food and beverage industry.

Before her rebirth, the F&B industry was not profitable, but in the 1990s and early 2000s, it was incredibly lucrative!

Some of the restaurant brands that later faced bankruptcy were incredibly successful in their early days.

She had become wealthy by running an online store in her previous life, but now the familiar shopping websites hadn’t even launched yet!

So, she only knew about the F&B industry.

As for why she didn’t rush to get a large loan from the bank to expand her business, there were reasons for that too.

Currently, there are still paper bills, and ordinary people don’t have much money. It wasn’t feasible to do big business at the moment.

Moreover… Prices would soar next year.

Next year, the country would abolish the dual-price system, and prices of various goods would start to rise nationwide, triggering panic buying.

She remembered in her previous life that the Xie family had managed to stock up on many things during such times, enough salt to last for several years.

In short, during this period, ordinary people like her were not suited to rashly engage in big business, and she didn’t have the ability to do so either.

It’s better to accumulate some capital and experience first.

However, from Sun Jinshan’s demeanour, it seems he looks down on the pan-fried dumpling business. Indeed, there are other ventures to explore.

Jiang Liyun suggested, “If you’re willing, in the future, you can sign contracts with families in the commune who raise white-feathered chickens. Then, regularly purchase the chickens and send them to the big city for sale.”

She had thought about this business, but she had no intention of pursuing it. Running a franchise selling fried chicken, imitating KFC, would be profitable, but there was no one who had turned such a venture into a major success.

Jiang Liyun’s involvement in the white-feathered chicken business was mainly due to the expected plummet in chicken prices. Otherwise, Sun Jinshan, buying and selling chickens as usual, might only make a small profit after deducting transportation costs—a meagre sum, perhaps even a loss on unlucky days.

If he signed a contract with the chicken farmers and had to purchase their chickens regardless of the market, he might find himself in a predicament if he couldn’t sell them later.

Jiang Liyun, not someone who hoarded information for herself, explained the risks to Sun Jinshan. At this point, Sun Jinshan admired Jiang Liyun immensely.

He had thought he had come up with this brilliant business idea, only to realise Jiang Liyun had thought about it long ago and even considered the risks.

He had been hiding this information from others!

Sun Jinshan left Jiang’s house quite late that day.

As he left, he glanced at the simple mud house of the Jiang family.

The house might be unremarkable, but the people inside were exceptional.

In the future, Jiang Liyun will certainly achieve something!

Jiang Liyun was unaware of Sun Jinshan’s thoughts.

To her, Sun Jinshan was essentially a useful tool to help her make some money effortlessly.

This unexpected windfall would bring in several hundred yuan without her having to do much. After completing the preparations for making dumplings, Jiang Liyun, in a good mood, returned to her room and went to bed.

Jiang Liyun had raised Jiang Lirain since childhood, and they had always slept together. A few months ago, when Jiang Lipei got married and the weather was hot, Jiang Lirain moved to Jiang Lipei’s bed.

Now that it was cold again, they slept together.

Actually, before, Jiang Lipei would also sleep with them, or else there wouldn’t be enough quilt. In winter, when the temperature dropped to freezing and they didn’t have the habit of heating the house, it became particularly cold and damp.

When it wasn’t so cold, Jiang Lipei would share a thin quilt with them. But in winter, she had to stack two thin quilts together for warmth.

At that time, Jiang Lipei would even fight for the quilt, always pulling it towards her side.

As Jiang Liyun thought about this, she fell asleep.

However, Jiang Lirain, after learning about Jiang Liyun buying the tricycle today, couldn’t fall asleep no matter how she tried.

The tricycle cost five to six hundred yuan, and Jiang Liyun had earned so much in just two months of selling dumplings.

Before today, Jiang Liping was quite satisfied with her current life; she had become a city dweller, enjoying good food and drink every day.

Although her man was a bit foolish, he was obedient! In the countryside, which man would wash his wife’s feet?

But her sister set up a stall and could earn at least three hundred yuan a month. Suddenly, Jiang Liping felt that her current days were not good enough.

Besides her, Li Xuyang was snoring and even taking away her blanket. She was too weak to retrieve it.

Jiang Liping took a deep breath, planning to visit the dumpling stand tomorrow.

Jiang Liping tossed and turned, unable to sleep, and Sun Jinshan was the same.

Sun Jinshan carefully recalled everything he had experienced in the city and then thought about what Jiang Liyun had said.

He almost got fooled!

Jiang Liyun really knows a lot; he should learn from her.

Tomorrow, he has a day off and nothing to do. How about helping out at Jiang Liyun’s dumpling stand?

Maybe he can learn something from Jiang Liyun that will benefit him for a lifetime.