After leaving Wuliang Temple, his father asked curiously, “Did you know that young man just now?”
“Yeah, I’ve met him before,” Li Yi replied.
“You actually know people in the provincial capital?” Li Shan Kui asked in surprise.
“Heh, we’ve only met once—hardly what you’d call familiar!”
Li Yi wasn’t lying; he did indeed know that young man—not in this life, but in his past one.
In fact, when it came to his past life, it wasn’t just Li Yi who knew Old Ma—virtually everyone in the northern business world knew him.
“Oh, then why didn’t you chat with him a bit longer?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Just an acquaintance—we didn’t have much to talk about!”
“That young man looks pretty honest. He should be someone worth getting to know!” Li Shankui said again.
“Dad, you know about these things?” Li Yi asked with a laugh.
Li Shankui shot him a look and said, “I’ve lived this long, after all. I can tell whether a person is honest and trustworthy or cunning and deceitful!”
“Alright, alright, you’re the expert. Let’s head back—we’ve got a train to catch tomorrow!” Li Yi said.
“Mm-hmm!”
As he turned to leave, Li Yi couldn’t help but glance back at Wuliang Temple, only to see Old Ma standing at the temple entrance.
He was watching him!
But Li Yi didn’t say anything more; he just smiled and, taking his father by the arm, walked away without looking back.
It wasn’t that Li Yi didn’t want to talk to him further; it was simply not the right time.
As for Old Ma, Li Yi actually knew quite a bit about him.
His real name was Ma Ben Sheng; a native of Qingcheng, he was currently a nobody, but in the future, he would become a renowned dairy tycoon in the country.
When people spoke of him, many couldn’t help but think of his tragic childhood and his immense business achievements—the stories of his “cheap life” worth 50 yuan and his 100-billion-yuan empire.
At the starting line of life, Old Ma had undoubtedly been left behind by the vast majority of people.
Shortly after his birth, his biological parents sold him to his adoptive parents for 50 yuan.
His adoptive father focused on raising cattle and delivering milk, while his adoptive mother had no steady job and relied on odd jobs to make ends meet.
As a result, his family struggled financially from an early age, barely making ends meet.
Yet Lao Ma’s later achievements left everyone speechless: in less than a decade, he transformed a small cattle-raising operation into a domestic dairy giant and built a business empire worth 100 billion yuan.
However, judging by the timeline, it has been about two years since Old Ma took over from his father at the state-owned dairy farm.
But because of his outstanding work performance, he has caught the eye of the municipal dairy plant, which wants to transfer him there.
It could be said that he is currently facing the most important decision of his life.
In his previous life, he ultimately accepted the dairy plant’s offer, moved from the dairy farm to the dairy plant, and became the plant manager three years later.
This laid the foundation for his future rise to prominence.
The reason Li Yi said those words to Old Ma was, on the one hand, because he knew Old Ma was someone he could get along with, and on the other hand, because Old Ma had done him a favor.
Lao Ma was renowned for being easy to get along with. Throughout his life, he adhered to the earnest teachings of his foster mother: “When wealth accumulates, people scatter; when wealth is shared, people gather. Suffering a loss is a blessing; taking advantage is a curse.”
His mother’s words and example shaped Lao Ma’s generous and chivalrous character, influencing him for the rest of his life.
When he had money, he never kept it to himself but called his friends over to spend it together; when he had something fun, he didn’t hoard it but actively shared it with his close friends; and when he saw injustice, he never stood by as a bystander but rushed forward to stand up for his good brothers.
In his previous life, Old Ma truly made his fortune at the age of 35. At that time, he was highly regarded by his superiors and held a key position at the Northern No. 1 Dairy Group, where he was fully in charge of ice cream and popsicle production.
He brought the same sense of righteousness he’d shown as a child into the company, which earned him even more respect among his employees than his former teachers had.
At the time, sales of the “Bitter Coffee” product he spearheaded exceeded 300 million yuan, and the company planned to reward him with a luxury car. However, Old Ma converted that sum into four minivans and distributed them among his direct subordinates.
Incidents like this were countless throughout his life, so a person like him is definitely worth befriending.
Moreover, in a past life, Old Ma had helped Li Yi during his most difficult times, so Li Yi naturally wouldn’t hesitate to offer guidance at this crossroads in his life.
However, Li Yi also understood that both he and Old Ma were currently only at the beginning of their careers.
He couldn’t do much for Old Ma, and Old Ma couldn’t do much for him. Once his business expanded to the provincial capital, he would bring Old Ma on board to build their enterprise together!
…….
On the way back, Li Yi spotted a department store.
Unlike the mall in the city, the department store across the street had clearly adopted the decorative style of southern shopping centers. It featured not only three-dimensional signs and neon lights but also large glass display windows visible from a great distance.
Inside the windows were rotating portraits of people from all walks of life, powered by electricity and synchronized with the display of merchandise—a truly eye-catching sight.
Seeing this, Li Yi suggested to his father that they go inside and take a look.
Li Shankui was clearly worried he’d spend money recklessly and wasn’t very interested.
However, unable to resist Li Yi’s persistence, the two eventually entered the department store.
As soon as they entered, Li Shankui was stunned by the scene inside.
A five-story building was entirely filled with shops, offering a dazzling array of goods, and the crowd of shoppers inside was so dense that people were rubbing shoulders.
Li Shankui, who had barely even visited the county supply and marketing cooperative a few times, had never seen anything like this; he froze the moment he stepped inside.
Li Yi, of course, wasn’t fazed by the scene. He grabbed his father’s arm and strode confidently inside.
Right at the entrance was a counter selling leather shoes. Pairs of shiny, polished leather shoes were displayed on the counter, looking quite fashionable.
Li Yi immediately set his sights on a pair of red flat leather shoes and asked, “Comrade, how much are those shoes?”
The saleswoman was a young woman in her twenties. She glanced at Li Yi first, then said, “15 yuan a pair, no ration tickets required!”
Hearing the price, Li Shankui couldn’t help but gasp.
A pair of rubber shoes in the county cost no more than 2.60 yuan, yet these little leather shoes were 15 yuan—enough to buy six pairs of rubber shoes. That was way too expensive!
“Alright, give me two pairs—one in size 37 and one in size 38!”
Hearing his son’s words, Li Shankui was taken aback once again.
However, he didn’t try to stop him. On one hand, the money was his son’s own earnings, so how he spent it was entirely up to him.
On the other hand, Li Shankui knew his son was a determined young man; once he’d made up his mind, he would never back down just because his father objected.
Rather than upset his son, it was better to keep quiet.
After paying and picking up the shoes, the two continued browsing the mall.
The large department store in the provincial capital was indeed spacious, with a comprehensive selection of goods. The array of small items was dazzling: sun fans, straw hats, umbrellas, basketball shoes, cameras, leather jackets, lighters, fleece sweaters, and fleece pants—everything was available, and the styles were all quite trendy.
Li Yi didn’t hold back; whenever he saw something he liked or found useful, he bought it on the spot.
Before long, the father and son were carrying all sorts of bags, big and small!
After browsing for an hour and a half, the two finally left—only when Li Shankui could no longer stand his son’s extravagant spending!