“Boom…”
Loud firecrackers went off one after another at the edge of the forest on the Beiliang side, startling the birds in the woods into flying in all directions.
In front of the Li family’s ancestral graves, Li Shankui burned “paper money” for the ancestors while praising his son and daughter-in-law for their success.
Meanwhile, Li Yi could only obediently kneel before several dilapidated little mounds, respectfully kowtowing.
After all, with his father chatting with the ancestors, there was no room for him to interject.
As for Zhang Ziqiang, who was acting as the driver, he stood nearby setting off firecrackers while taking pleasure in Li Yi’s humiliated expression.
To be honest, when he first met Li Yi in Guangzhou, he thought he was a “capitalist” with real drive. He felt neither fondness nor hostility toward him; he was simply tagging along to fulfill his superiors’ orders.
But after returning to Beijing, he saw how Li Yi doted on his wife and children, treated the store employees with great kindness, and even prepared expensive gifts for everyone.
Zhang Ziqiang’s attitude toward Li Yi shifted slightly, but not by much!
Yet, since returning to Nianzishan Village yesterday, he had seen another side of Li Yi.
It turned out that the “capitalist” he had once viewed was not only kind to his employees but also to the villagers, and he was extremely filial—just like any ordinary young man in the village.
If there was any difference at all, it was that he was more capable and wealthier than the average person!
Li Yi had actually noticed Zhang Ziqiang’s “schadenfreude” on his face, but there was nothing he could do about it.
There was nothing he could do—his own father was a devoted son who wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d disturbed every single one of their “ancestors.” All he could do now was wait patiently.
Watching his father burn stacks of yellow joss paper while chattering away, Li Yi couldn’t help but think of the joss money that had become a sensation overseas in his previous life.
Many people thought it was a complete surprise that this stuff could break out of Asia and go global, leading foreigners into a whole new spiritual realm.
But judging by his own father’s excited state, it made perfect sense that joss paper could become a hit.
Burning paper money for one’s ancestors is by no means a way to fool the spirits; rather, it is a form of emotional release and an unconventional spiritual solace.
If you’re doing well, you tell your ancestors, “Our family has produced a capable person; you can rest in peace with a smile on your faces.”
If things aren’t going well, you pray for your ancestors’ protection: “You lot down there need to step up your game, or there won’t be a next generation to burn paper money for you.”
Look at it this way: this treats everyone as a consumer base. Unless you have no ancestors, it would be utterly unjust if this practice didn’t catch on!
Li Yi knelt on the ground, listening to his father’s rambling for nearly half an hour while his own mind wandered just as long. Only after burning through all those stacks of “paper money” did the group get back in the car and head back to the village.
After visiting the graves, Li Yi said a quick hello to his wife, then headed straight for the county seat, accompanied by Zhang Ziqiang!
Li Yi’s trip back to his hometown was partly to spend time with his parents and let them meet the two little ones.
On the other hand, he wanted to have a chat with his brother-in-law—after all, the security company in Hong Kong still relied on him.
The reason he asked his brother-in-law, Yang Wenguang, to step in was not only because he trusted him, but more importantly, because his brother-in-law was no ordinary man—he was a true professional when it came to handling weapons.
As long as he was willing to take on the job, the security company in Hong Kong would be in good hands.
……..
On the outskirts of the county… the sugar factory!
When Li Yi arrived at the sugar factory gate, he saw a row of large trucks parked there, though he had no idea what they were doing.
The security staff were startled when they saw the “Volga” sedan and hurried over to investigate.
After all, these days, few people could afford a 212 Jeep, and even fewer could afford a sedan—each one was a high-ranking official.
But when they saw that it was actually Li Yi sitting in the car, these old acquaintances from the security department were stunned.
They were well aware of the relationship between Li Yi and Factory Director Liang, so after a quick check-in, they let Li Yi through.
The car pulled up in front of the sugar factory’s office building, and Li Yi immediately got out and headed straight upstairs.
“Knock, knock, knock…”
In the director’s office, Liang Yukuai was reviewing documents when he suddenly heard urgent knocking at the door.
“Come in!”
“Squeak!”
As the office door swung open, Liang Yukui saw two young men walk in, led by none other than Li Yi, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.
Startled for a moment, Liang Yukui immediately stood up and said, “Oh my, what a rare visitor! When did you get back?”
“I got home yesterday afternoon and came straight here this morning!” Li Yi said with a smile.
“Come on, come on, sit down!”
Then, Liang Yukui pointed to Zhang Ziqiang beside him and said, “This guy looks a bit unfamiliar…”
“Hehe, this is my bodyguard. Brother Liang, just call him Little Zhang!”
Hearing this, Liang Yukui’s eyes lit up, and he burst out laughing. “I haven’t seen you in a few months, and now you’ve even got a bodyguard. It really is true that you should look at a man with fresh eyes after three days apart!”
“Keep it low-key… keep it low-key!”
Li Yi then changed the subject: “On my way over, I saw a steady stream of delivery trucks outside. Looks like business is booming this year!”
“Things are looking decent so far, but I’m a bit worried about whether we’ll be able to collect the overdue payment from the Beijing Candy Factory!” Liang Yukui said.
“How much do they owe?”
“It’s about 1.2 million!”
Liang Yukui added, “To be honest, if you hadn’t called me, Brother Li Yi, I would never have supplied them again given their track record.”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, they won’t be able to pull a fast one on you guys!”
“If they can’t pay for these goods, I’ll cover it out of my own pocket!”
Liang Yukui replied immediately, “I wouldn’t let you pay out of your own pocket, but hearing you say that puts my mind at ease.”
“Old Liang, how’s the factory’s production capacity this year?” Li Yi asked again.
“So-so. Since sales aren’t great, we don’t dare run at full capacity right now. We’re only maintaining about 50% of our peak output,” Liang Yukui replied.
“If you trust me, start ramping up production right now. Whatever you produce here, Beijing will take it all!” Li Yi said.
“Really?”
“Of course it’s true!”
“Alright then, I’ll pass that along right away. Starting tomorrow, both Workshop 4 and Workshop 5 will resume full production!”
After a moment’s hesitation, Liang Yukui couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Li Yi, what exactly is your connection to the Beijing Candy Factory? Why are you so invested in this factory’s affairs?”
Li Yi smiled and said, “Because I’m the one calling the shots at this factory now!”
“You’re the factory director now?”
“No, I’m the chief consultant for their pilot reform program. Right now, I’m in charge of everything from personnel transfers to product R&D and production!” Li Yi said with a smile.
The Capital Candy Factory was one of the enterprises Jiang Longyin had entrusted to Li Yi as a reform pilot; the other was the Capital Television Factory.
As a notoriously loss-making enterprise in the capital, Jiang Longyin had handed the Candy Factory over to Li Yi as a last-ditch effort to turn things around.
After conducting an on-site assessment of the Candy Factory’s basic situation, Li Yi discovered that the main issues were outdated products and a lack of competitiveness.
Coupled with some management issues, this ultimately led to the company operating at a loss and teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
Li Yi then formulated a detailed reform plan. First, he replaced the entire stagnant leadership team with younger, more dynamic and decisive individuals to take charge of the factory’s management.
At the same time, Li Yi taught them to segment the market. For children, he launched Rainbow Candy, Watermelon Candy, and the blockbuster Lollipop.
For women, he introduced new products such as ginger candy and brown sugar for pregnant women.
Upon learning that no upstream suppliers were willing to provide raw materials to the factory due to its widespread debt, Li Yi had no choice but to contact the Qingshan County Sugar Factory on their behalf.
After hearing Li Yi’s explanation, Liang Yukui immediately smiled and said, “That puts my mind even more at ease. With you, Li Yi, guiding them, that factory won’t just avoid bankruptcy—it could even be revived from the dead!”
Li Yi was instantly amused by Old Liang’s remark. He shook his head and said, “All right, enough about that. I came here today not only to discuss the candy factory with you, but mainly to see my older sister and brother-in-law. Could you have someone call them for me?”
“Sure, just give me a moment!”
Immediately, Liang Yukui called his secretary in and told her to go fetch Yang Wenguang and his wife right away!
……..