Chapter 596: I’m Craving Some “Meat”!
It was late at night, and all was quiet!
In the main room, both children were already asleep, and Jiang Xue was crouched on the floor washing their diapers.
Just then, Li Yi, who was on the kang, suddenly let out a few groans and sat up, still half-asleep.
Seeing this, Jiang Xue hurriedly set down the diaper she was holding and immediately went to his side, asking softly, “Do you need to use the bathroom, or do you want a drink of water?”
Li Yi shook his dizzy head and asked, “What time is it?”
“It’s 9:30!”
“Is it that late already?”
He remembered that it had been around 3:00 PM when he’d been drinking with those two idiots, Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, but he had no idea what had happened after that.
He hadn’t expected to wake up six hours later.
Seeing that Li Yi had come to his senses, Jiang Xue couldn’t help but say, “You really are something. With a drinking tolerance that’s so low, you still dared to go drinking with my older cousin and my cousin—aren’t you just asking for trouble?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “I just finished up some work and was in a good mood!”
“Do you no longer need to handle matters at the TV factory?”
“Not for now, but whether I can let go of it entirely depends on how the city authorities decide to handle it!”
That said, Li Yi had no idea when the city authorities would actually make a decision.
After all, the efficiency of these bigwigs was truly nothing to write home about; as long as it wasn’t an urgent matter, it was perfectly normal for them to drag things out for a month or two.
“Oh, I thought you’d be able to take some time off!”
“What’s up? Is something wrong?”
“Nothing really. I just saw how busy you’ve been lately, and since you’re heading to Hong Kong at the end of the month, I wanted you to get some proper rest!” Jiang Xue said.
“I think I’m fine, but since you put it that way, I’ll stay home with you and the kids for a while and not worry about anything else!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“You, you’re just saying that. How can you just walk away from such a huge pile of work?”
Even so, Jiang Xue was still very happy inside.
No matter what, her husband’s attitude was clear.
Li Yi rubbed his throbbing temples and said, “You’re right. I really can’t just sit back and relax right now. On one hand, our business is just getting started, and I can’t let go of it yet.”
“On the other hand, we’re still young—it’s the perfect time to build our careers. If we were to just stay cooped up at home every day, it wouldn’t feel right!”
This was Li Yi’s honest opinion. Although his life plan prioritized family, it didn’t seem right to do nothing and stay home with his wife at such a young age.
Therefore, Li Yi planned to work hard for ten years, using the initial wave of the Reform and Opening-Up era to achieve financial freedom, and then retire from the public eye.
“Hmm, I support you!”
Seeing that Li Yi didn’t look quite well, Jiang Xue immediately poured him a cup of warm water and brought it over.
After handing him the cup, she moved behind him and began massaging his head.
Sipping the water his wife had poured for him and enjoying her massage, Li Yi felt incredibly comfortable.
But as she massaged, Li Yi sensed something was off and asked, “Honey, do you smell anything?”
“What smell?”
“It stinks…”
Jiang Xue looked at her hands and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“What’s up? What’s so funny?” Li Yi asked curiously.
Jiang Xue immediately held her right hand up to Li Yi’s nose and said with a smile, “Take a whiff—is that the smell?”
Li Yi sniffed the air and said, “Yeah, that’s exactly it. What did you do to your hands? Why do they smell so strong?”
“I was just washing your son and daughter’s diapers!”
Hearing this, Li Yi instantly realized where that stinky smell was coming from!
“Wash your hands right away—this is way too stinky!”
“Your son and daughter made a mess—why are you complaining? You should be the one washing these diapers every day!”
Though she said this, Jiang Xue still knelt back down on the floor and continued scrubbing the small pieces of cloth that hadn’t been washed yet.
Just as Li Yi was about to speak, Jiang Xue added, “Oh, by the way, Sister-in-law An Hong came over this afternoon, but you were drunk, so she only stayed for a little while before leaving!”
“I know. I’ll go see her tomorrow,” Li Yi said.
“Hmm, and also, what’s the deal with you, my third brother, and Jianhua?”
“What do you mean, ‘what’s going on’?”
“This afternoon, you guys were drunk and rowdy, shouting about making big money and talking about some trade show. What are you planning to do?” Jiang Xue asked.
Li Yi smiled and said, “Nothing much. My third brother and Jianhua just want me to help them make some money to supplement their household income, so I’m planning to organize a trade show with them!”
“They’re both officials. Their monthly salaries aren’t exactly low. Why do they need to make extra money to support their families?” Jiang Xue asked, puzzled.
“Heh, you know them both well enough. They’re used to living it up—that salary isn’t even enough for their own spending, let alone with an extra mouth to feed now!” Li Yi said with a laugh.
“That’s true, but can a trade show really make money?”
“Of course it can. If we pull this off right, it’ll make way more money than running a restaurant!”
Li Yi knew all too well whether the trade show would be profitable.
If done right, it’s not just about making money—even those selling sky beads, amber, and aged Ban Zhang tea for tens of thousands would have to step aside.
After all, with collectibles and tea, you’re just ripping off one person at a time, but with a trade show, you’re fleecing a whole bunch of factories!
More importantly, this is a long-term game!
“Is it hard to pull off? If it’s too exhausting…”
Jiang Xue never doubted Li Yi’s abilities, but seeing him spinning around like a top, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of concern.
She cared deeply for her husband and truly didn’t want Li Yi to be so exhausted.
Li Yi could sense Jiang Xue’s concern for him, so he immediately smiled and said, “This time, I’ll just handle the planning and do the talking. I’ll leave the rest to Third Brother and Brother Jianhua. They’ve got the connections and the inside channels—they’re way better at this than I am!”
Setting up an exhibition hall for a trade show isn’t difficult; the real challenge is convincing manufacturers to spend money to showcase their products here—and attracting large crowds of ordinary citizens to come and spend money!
If Li Yi had to handle this on his own, it would indeed be a bit of a hassle. He’d have to visit each factory one by one to invite them to his exhibition hall.
But if he handed this over to Jiang Longcheng and Ye Jianhua, it would be a piece of cake.
They wouldn’t even need to make phone calls to invite anyone—all they’d have to do is let the word get out, and a flood of companies would be lining up with cash in hand.
As the organizers, they could not only collect exhibition fees and booth fees from each factory, but also charge sponsorship and advertising fees, and so on…
Moreover, once the first edition is a success, they can simply follow the same formula and keep organizing it year after year.
Hearing Li Yi say it wouldn’t be too tiring, Jiang Xue immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Then you decide what to do!”
“By the way, when do you have winter break?” Li Yi suddenly asked.
“From the end of [month] to mid-[month]—it depends on the school’s schedule. Why?”
“I’d like to take you and the kids to Hong Kong once you’re on break!” Li Yi said.
Jiang Xue’s eyes lit up instantly, and she replied, “Sure, I’d love to see what our family’s company actually looks like!”
“Great!”
Then Li Yi asked again, “Honey, are you done washing up?”
“I’m done. What’s up?”
“I’m craving some meat!”
Hearing this, Jiang Xue’s face flushed with embarrassment, but she let out a soft “Mm-hmm.”
Seeing this, Li Yi immediately jumped off the floor and picked her up, carrying her straight to the bed!
In an instant, the room was filled with passion…
……….