Chapter 188: Reunion
Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Reunion
Feng Yiping felt that he had made a pretty good plan. Just like those tofu sellers, if they can't sell the fresh tofu, they can make stinky tofu; if they can't sell the stinky tofu, they can make fermented tofu.
And, with a company like this, once the framework is set up, it's quite beautiful to find a manager without involving his energy!
In the next few days, Feng Yiping stayed at home all day, and he did receive a few unfamiliar phone calls. They were all advertisements found on the BBS of their respective campus networks. However, when they heard that it was about enterprise applications, eight or nine out of ten people backed down.
This is the paradox of things. When there are people around, we lack money; when we have some money, we lack people. Often, we think things don't work out because of money, but in the end, we realise that it's all about people.
As the Chinese New Year movie says, 'In the 21st century, what is the scarcest resource? Talent!'
But that's not comprehensive enough. Talent is always a scarce resource.
It's not yet the time when college graduates become unemployed. It's not easy to find people from these colleges and universities, and other methods have to be considered.
But now is not the time to let him think of a way, because it's time to go home again. Now every New Year's Eve, Feng Yiping feels that his parents are happier than he is, a child. There's nothing he can do about it; they really enjoy the feeling of returning home in prosperity.
His parents and sister were happy surrounded by their fellow villagers, but Feng Yiping was happy that everyone was together, talking about how to improve, how to make more money, and how to open a few more stores.
He really didn't expect that in just a couple of years, he had actually slightly changed the environment of Fengjiazhuang, mainly the environment in which children grew up.
He always believed that children who grew up listening to adults discussing how much autumn grain had been harvested and that there would definitely be a good harvest next year because it had snowed, children who grew up listening to adults discussing whether it was better to work in a factory or on a construction site to earn money, and children who grew up listening to adults talking about how many workers their factory had hired this year and how many they would hire next year, would definitely have different perspectives, ambitions and pursuits.
Now these children in the village, if all they hear all day is their parents thinking about how to make their small shop's business better and how to find ways to open more shops, this environment is really a profound and long-term improvement compared to the past.
Moreover, as more and more shops have opened up outside the village, a positive chain reaction has been set in motion. For example, in the past, when spring came, everyone would just pick some of the bamboo shoots and bracken on the mountain to try something new. Now, Feng Zhenchang has taken the lead and the shops in the city collect them in the village at one yuan per catty.
So when the bamboo shoots come out in the small bamboo forests, the young and old who stay at home, each with a basket, go to the mountains early in the morning to pick them. They peel them, blanch them in water, pack them in plastic bags, and then take them to the store in the city by bus.
During the season when the bamboo shoots come out, those who are diligent can pick back a full basket every day. On average, there is no problem with 40 to 50 catties a day, which comes to thousands of dollars a month!
For these elderly people, this is no small sum of money, and it can be put to good use. They no longer have to rely on their children's gifts, and they no longer have to save up their eggs, as they did in the past, to trade them for salt and thread at the village shop.
Of course, the shopkeepers in the city also make a profit. In Feng Yiping's family's case, they collect these fresh young bamboo shoots from the fields for one yuan per catty, and fry them with a little oil and salt, selling them in small dishes for one yuan each, making even more money.
Fresh and delicious, these mountain delicacies are popular with city dwellers, and there are others, such as bracken and daylily, which were worthless in the past and no one bothered to pick. Now, through them, they can all be turned into real money.
In short, Feng Yiping is gratified by all these changes.
However, he really got tired of the socialising at home. After staying at home for two days and saying hello to his parents, he went to find Xiao Zhijie and Wang Changning. To be honest, the three of them hadn't seen each other for most of the year.
He walked alone on the mountain path he used to take to school, but his state of mind was very different. He didn't feel the same sense of urgency or the deep-seated sense of helplessness as before. Thinking about rushing to school and rushing home on this path in the past, he felt like it was a lifetime ago.
The school was quiet and deserted. The playground was full of withered weeds and bits of paper. At this time of year, perhaps only the principal and their small courtyard would still be occupied.
Lin Hui's door was ajar, and you could hear someone playing mahjong inside. Lin Hui did not go back to school after the entrance exam, but wandered along the coast. I don't know what's going to happen, maybe I won't even go home for the New Year this year.
So he wandered all the way to his hometown, and with a 'let's give it a try' attitude, he knocked on the door of 502. The door opened, and the same fat Xiao Zhijie, wearing a sweater, came to open the door. Seeing it was him, he excitedly pounced over, 'You've finally come!'
Feng Yiping thought about it for a moment, and then asked, "Is this a convenient time?'
'What do you mean? What's not convenient?" Xiao Zhijie pulled him into the house and closed the door.
The room was warm and cosy, because there was a brazier in the living room with charcoal burning inside.
'I didn't want to disturb you, did I? Zhang Qiuling didn't come?' Feng Yiping sat on the sofa and felt like he was back in the driving seat.
'What are you talking about? I heard someone went to the city to look for you and stayed for a few days. Be honest, what happened?'
'You're the one who puts women before friends, and you dare to say that? You've been to the normal school so many times, but how many times have you been to my place?'
'Hey, you've been really busy. With you as a role model, it's hard for us to relax! I went back for a few days after the holidays, and at the end of the year, there were too many people at home, so it was too noisy, so I came back here to study for a few days,' Xiao Zhijie said, pointing to the books that were open on the coffee table.
He also took Feng Yiping to Feng's old room and pointed to the piles of exam papers by the bed, 'Look, not only did we review with the teacher, we also re-did all these exam papers.'
Judging from his attitude, he has really put in a lot of hard work.
'Wait, I'll go make a phone call and ask Lao Wang to come over too,' Xiao Zhijie said excitedly.
Feng Yiping didn't stop him, either. At this time of year, the adults in the family are all busy, and it's nice for the three of them to get together.
It wasn't even an hour before Wang Changning arrived in a hurry, carrying a large bag of ready-made food. He was also very happy to see Feng Yiping and gave him a big hug. 'If you hadn't come, I was going to go up to find you.'
At noon, the three of them had hot pot, mainly with the food that Wang Changning had brought. During the meal, the three of them joked and laughed constantly. Feng Yiping felt like he had gone back in time to six months ago. He felt extraordinarily fulfilled and relaxed and happy.
'Work hard, I'll be waiting for you in the city!'
'Okay, cheers!' The three of them raised their glasses and drank a big glass of cola with gusto.