Chapter 457: Borrowing Money!
Cotton Mill. The Director’s Office!
Seeing Jiang Longcheng taking advantage of the situation, Li Yi couldn’t help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation.
“I was just making a gesture, but you’re really taking me up on it!”
“Hahaha, you’re my brother-in-law—why would I hold back with you?” Jiang Longcheng grinned widely.
“What’s this about? You’re a big factory director, after all. What on earth would you need a little nobody like me for?” Li Yi said with a laugh.
“Borrow some money!”
“Borrow money?”
Li Yi considered all sorts of possibilities, but this was the last thing he’d expected—after all, Jiang Longcheng had never been short on cash.
It wasn’t about how much he earned—it was because he was the factory director!
Whether it was dining out or daily expenses, whatever he spent could be reimbursed by the company—which was way better than getting a monthly salary of three or five hundred.
Don’t even ask if it’s by the book—that’s just how things are these days.
“Right. I’m getting married, you know. I can’t exactly marry a wife and still live with my parents, can I? That’d be so inconvenient!”
“So you’re looking to borrow money to buy a house?”
“Yeah. The factory does offer housing benefits, but they’re all old, run-down places. So I’m planning to buy an apartment in the city as our wedding home!” Jiang Longcheng said.
“Borrowing money is no problem, but I suggest you don’t buy a high-rise!” Li Yi said.
“Why?”
“First of all, apartments are generally small—sixty or seventy square meters is considered large—and living in such a cramped space is uncomfortable!”
Li Yi continued, “Also, apartment buildings all have stairs—going up and down is a hassle!”
“You’re not suggesting I buy one of those run-down courtyard houses like you, are you?”
“How did a traditional courtyard house turn into a run-down shack in your mouth? Don’t you think my place is nice and livable once it’s been spruced up?” Li Yi said.
“It’s not bad, but I just feel like living in a single-story house is a bit old-fashioned—it’s not as stylish as an apartment building!”
“Just because you live in a high-rise doesn’t make you sophisticated. What kind of taste is that? Think about it—who with real status and standing lives in a high-rise? Don’t they all have a nice mansion?”
Li Yi continued, “The Jiang family is a prominent clan. When relatives come to visit, with only one or two bedrooms, where are they supposed to stay?”
Li Yi understood the value of a traditional courtyard house. These days, a courtyard house costs significantly less than an apartment, so buying a courtyard house is a much better deal than buying an apartment.
“You’re right. If it doesn’t work out, let’s just buy a courtyard house!”
Seeing that he had convinced Jiang Longcheng, Li Yi returned to the main topic and asked, “How much do you plan to borrow?”
Jiang Longcheng said somewhat sheepishly, “That smaller courtyard of yours cost about ten thousand yuan, so just lend me ten thousand!”
“Ten thousand? So you haven’t saved a single penny for a house?” Li Yi teased.
“Um… well, I just never thought about saving money before!” Jiang Longcheng said, a touch of embarrassment in his voice.
“Alright, I’ll have the store get the money ready for you. Pick it up after work!”
“Alright!”
“Also, I think you need to pick up a side hustle. Your income and your spending habits just don’t match up at all!” Li Yi said.
Li Yi knew Jiang Longcheng well—to call him a big spender would be an understatement; he was the very definition of someone who spent money like water.
Although he was “supported” by the state-owned cotton mill, that arrangement was, after all, risky.
If the government’s policies were lenient, it wouldn’t be a problem, but if they tightened up, things would get complicated.
Money—it’s always more reassuring to spend your own!
“What kind of side business? What are your thoughts, brother-in-law?”
Before he’d even thought about getting married, Jiang Longcheng didn’t think making money was all that important.
But now that he was getting married—and everything required money—he felt too embarrassed to ask his parents for help, which made him quickly realize the importance of earning his own money.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but envy Li Yi, who owned his own business and raked in a fortune every day.
Unlike him, stuck with a measly fixed salary of a hundred or eighty bucks a month.
“I haven’t figured it out yet, but once I do, I’ll bring you along!”
Taking advantage of the fact that the government hadn’t yet rolled out all those strict regulations targeting government and corporate officials, Li Yi decided to take Jiang Longcheng on a wild ride.
“Alright, I’ll be waiting for your good news!”
“Alright!”
With that, Li Yi turned and left Jiang Longcheng’s office!
………
The Grill and Hot Pot Restaurant!
By the time he arrived at the restaurant, it was already 11:30.
Third Sister Li Na was busy at the condiment station, while Long Zhanjun was reconciling accounts with Li Yeqiao nearby, and everyone else was busy with their own tasks.
Seeing Li Yi push open the door and walk in, they all immediately stopped what they were doing and came over to greet him.
“How’s business been these past few days?”
Long Zhanjun replied immediately, “Not bad—we’ve been making at least a thousand yuan a day!”
“How much cash is in the store right now?”
“A little over 11,000 yuan. I just finished the handover with Old Li and was about to have him deposit it!” Long Zhanjun replied.
“Don’t deposit it. Keep the money here. Jiang Longcheng will come to pick it up in a day or two—just hand it over to him!” Li Yi said.
“Alright!”
Then, Long Zhanjun turned to Li Yeqiao and said, “Old Li, why don’t you go over the books again?”
“Sure!”
Just then, Long Zhanjun remembered something and turned to Li Yi: “Someone called you earlier. They had a local accent from your area. Nana said the caller was Comrade An Hong’s husband. Should you call him back?”
Hearing that it was Wang Anguo who had called, Li Yi knew it must be important, so he nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll call him right back!”
“Well, we’ll get back to work then!”
“Mm-hmm!”
Walking over to the counter, Li Yi picked up the phone and immediately dialed a number!
After a few rings, the call was answered.
“This is Wang Anguo. Who’s this?”
“Brother Wang, it’s Li Yi!”
“Hahaha, it’s Brother Li Yi! It’s really hard to get a hold of a busy guy like you!” Wang Anguo said with a laugh.
“I’ve been a bit busy these past few days. What’s up? Missing my sister-in-law?” Li Yi asked with a laugh.
“She’s in Shanghai. We just spoke on the phone a couple of days ago!”
Then Wang Anguo continued, “I mainly called to tell you that Old Huang is here!”
“Old Huang’s here? When did that happen?” Li Yi asked in surprise.
“He arrived in Qingcheng the day before yesterday and in Ning City this morning. I just got them settled and came back to the office!”
“Did he come alone, or did his whole family come with him?”
“He came with his whole family, and he brought five or six bodyguards!”
“Why did he come to Ning City at this time? Is there something going on?” Li Yi asked again.
“I heard from Director Feng of the Provincial Investment Promotion Bureau, who accompanied him, that he’s here to follow through on his pledge to build schools!”
Wang Anguo continued, “Construction started late last year, so most of the projects are just at the foundation stage. He plans to complete all 38 of the schools that have been approved this year.”
“That’s great news!”
“Exactly. That’s why leaders at both the provincial and municipal levels have asked us to give our full cooperation and make sure Old Huang is well taken care of. Now even I, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division, have been made his head of security—hahaha!”
Hearing this, Li Yi laughed along with him.
After the laughter died down, Li Yi said, “Listen, Brother Wang, could you pass a message to Old Huang for me?”
“What message?”
“Just tell him I’ve been a bit busy lately and can’t make it back. If he finishes up his business over there and has some free time, he should come visit Beijing!” Li Yi said.
He had promised Old Huang that if he really managed to build those hundred schools, he’d give him a big break.
It seemed Old Huang was serious about building the schools, so Li Yi had to keep his promise.
Besides, there were a few things Li Yi wanted to discuss with Old Huang as well.
“I’ll be sure to pass on the message!”
“Alright!”
……