Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

Yang Jianguo glanced at him in surprise, thinking to himself, 'His observation skills are quite meticulous; I hadn't realized he had this ability before.'

Observant and resourceful, those are skills that matter in society.

Compared to those who can't even utter a sound after being hit three times, they're bound to do better.

Who doesn't love to hear pleasing words?

If you enjoy listening, you can build rapport; if you build rapport, you can make money—it's a simple principle.

It's the same thing—you spend money, but on one hand, they treat you with a long face and ignore you, while on the other hand, they treat you like royalty, almost like you're their ancestor.

Where to spend it is none of your business!

This is also a major factor contributing to the current business losses of large shopping malls.

If it weren't for the fact that restrictions haven't been fully lifted yet, many of the items would only be available in large department stores.

Nobody would even look at the sales clerk's lifeless face. Compared to people doing business outside, it ruins any good mood.

The worst thing is to compare things.

In the past, everything belonged to the government, and it was the same everywhere.

Now, the world has changed completely!

“Jianguo is right. You haven’t seen those businessmen. Their mouths… they can talk a mile a minute.”

After discussing the screening room, Liu Guangtian zipped up his jacket and went to the side to settle accounts with Li Aimin.

They returned after only a few words, and I didn't see them take out any money.

"What, you've started a business deal?" Yang Jianguo guessed it at a glance.

Li Aimin clapped his hands and said with admiration, "Incredible! I knew my brother-in-law would know."

Li Aimin confiscated the money from the tapes and used them as an investment.

If he brings back two more bags later, those will be considered shares.

They not only invested, but also acquired a large stake.

Li Aimin wanted to take 6% of these three bags of videotapes, and from then on, he would be in charge of the video arcade.

Why did Liu Guangtian agree so readily?

It wasn't just because Li Aimin could get his hands on videotapes that others couldn't, which made his video arcade a fortune.

It was also because he said, "These are all small businesses for you. I'll arrange a big business for you later."

Liu Guangtian had no idea how much money Li Aimin had made.

But these past two days he's been running around the yard more often, and he overheard Aunt Yan saying, "Aimin, that guy's really something now. I heard he's looking for a way to buy a car!"

Liu Guangtian heard that someone was buying a car.

The first thought that came to mind was, "That girl from the Li family got such a great marriage."

If it weren't for this marriage, would Li Aimin have had the chance to go to Da Mao's house?

Without Yang Jianguo as a brother-in-law to back him up, would Li Aimin dare to be so ostentatious about buying a car, even if he made money?

He doesn't dare!

Because he had his brother-in-law as a powerful backer, he knew that as long as his money came from a legitimate source, no one could take a single penny from him.

Only then did Li Aimin dare to inquire everywhere about any connections to get a car.

This is truly a case of "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven!"

Liu Guangtian was filled with many emotions.

My biggest regret is, why don't I have a girlfriend?

If Guangfu, the third brother, were a woman, wouldn't she be a perfect match for Yang Jianguo?

What a pity, what a pity!

After considering these words in his mind for a while, Liu Guangtian put them aside.

It's impossible; just think about it and enjoy the fantasy.

If people knew about his idea, they would not only laugh at his unrealistic thinking, but also needlessly offend Li Ying and Li Aimin, the two siblings.

Now, Liu Guangtian is still waiting for Boss Li to help him get rich!

"Aimin, tell me the truth, how much have you actually earned in the past two years?"

Liu Guangtian didn't know when he started, but it sounded like it had been going on for a while.

After drinking a few ounces, Li Aimin's face flushed slightly.

She squinted at her brother-in-law and grinned mischievously, "Actually, I didn't make much. The waters here are too murky, and there are some things I can't say."

Judging from his expression, Liu Guangtian roughly understood.

Big Head, it's probably been taken by his brother-in-law.

So, although he made money, Li Aimin didn't lose much of it himself.

Even so, one could afford a car, which would definitely cost tens of thousands of yuan.

Tsk tsk, look at these relatives!

Even a little bit that slips through your fingers is enough to buy a car.

Then look at her own father, who, apart from being a domineering figure at home and acting as the king of the household, has no other skills whatsoever.

I bother!

Liu Guangtian harbored resentment again, and this time Liu Haizhong gave him a barrage of insults and a severe beating.

It left a mark on his heart.

It will probably be hard to heal the scars left in my heart in a few years.

Actually, beatings and scoldings are tolerable; this isn't the first time Liu Guangtian has done it since he was a child.

What he couldn't stand the most was the implication in his father's words.

Upon seeing him, they would accuse him of causing trouble outside, unleashing a torrent of abuse with the same message: Liu Guangtian is incompetent and will never recover in this lifetime.

"I just don't understand, he's my dad, my own father!"

Holding his wine bowl, Liu Guangtian, his face flushed and eyes brimming with tears, cried out, "Shouldn't all fathers in this world hope for the best for their sons?"

"What kind of father would be so sure his son is a good-for-nothing, and be afraid that he might amount to something or have any talent? Huh?"

Liu Guangtian tilted his head and shouted at the door, "Any father who can't stand to see his son do well and wishes he'd become a scoundrel? Are there any others like that?!"

slap~

He downed the wine in one gulp, then slammed the bowl down on the table.

From the house across the hall, several sharp cracks followed, and then came a string of curses.

Hearing the commotion inside the house, Liu Guangtian, who had been drunk, regained some clarity in his cloudy eyes.

Then, tilting his head back, he grinned foolishly and said, "Hey, hehe~ This life is fucking interesting."

Chapter 368 Li Aimin's Business Acumen: Making a Living is All About the Margins

Having had a drinking session, it's not easy to leave in the middle of the night.

Yingzi told him to arrange for the two of them to stay in the old house and sleep there before leaving.

When they woke up in the morning, Aimin was still there, but Liu Guangtian was nowhere to be found.

“He kept me talking for half the night last night, saying he would never come back in this lifetime.”

Drinking thick millet porridge and chewing on a large white cabbage, Li Aimin showed no signs of drunkenness.

"It's something you get from training. You're always drinking with a few Russians at the train station or market."

"At first we didn't get along, so we had drinking contests. But as we drank, we actually developed feelings for each other."

Yang Jianguo asked, "And now?"

Li Aimin grinned and said, "Now we're friends. It's agreed that from now on, I'll supply them with my goods in bulk, and they can sell them in the market."

"I sell high-end goods; for the rest, I focus on volume rather than price."

Li Aimin did this for two reasons: firstly, the volume of goods was too large for him to handle alone; secondly, not sharing some of the profits with the local bullies would inevitably cause trouble.

Furthermore, recently some people have started to follow suit, and there are more than just a few scattered faces at the train station market.

Therefore, it is important to seize the market first.

He wins over local strongmen and prioritizes capturing a certain market share.

When competitors arrive, they'll only have the remaining market to play with.

If you want to take your share, first ask the local bigwigs who make money from it if they agree.

"Aimin, we are all compatriots when we are away from home. We should take care of him as much as we can."

Yingzi felt that what he was doing was not good; they should still be able to distinguish between inside and outside.

Upon hearing this, Li Aimin knew that her sister did not understand the complexity of the relationship.

"Sister, compatriots are compatriots, and business is business. I didn't cheat anyone."

"Just because I'm being favored doesn't mean I should voluntarily give up business that's already in my hands to someone else. That doesn't make sense, right?"

"Besides," Li Aimin said with a self-deprecating laugh, "If I give up the business today, I'll have to kick the people out of here tomorrow."

"Sometimes, it's your own people who betray you the most."

Li Aimin finished his meal and left, but Yingzi was still processing what he had said earlier.

Although he was among the first to go to Mao's country to act as a middleman, he wasn't among the first to do business there.

There have been quite a few Chinese doing business there for many years.

In the past, when the market was closed, Li Aimin would run around looking for other ways to make money.

A moving man lives; a moving tree dies.

If he hadn't left his secure job, would he have achieved his current success?

This trip allowed him to meet several of his compatriots.

At first, Li Aimin was very enthusiastic, and people were even more enthusiastic when they found out that he had just come from China.

Then, he got scammed.

The money wasn't a big deal; Li Aimin didn't care about those pittances.

That's what really hit him hard.

Li Aimin had been holding a grudge against what he said at breakfast earlier!

Later, the owner of the restaurant where Li Aimin often ate was an old man who rarely paid attention to Li Aimin.

Seeing him drinking silently, I finally opened up and started talking to him.

"When people are poor, they lose their ambition. If they can't even make a living, why would they care about anything else?"

"It's easy to take advantage of acquaintances. If they scam you, you can survive for another two months and have a decent meal. Isn't that a scam?"

"When you're out in the world, don't always assume that your own people are the closest to you. Often, the ones who will hurt you the most are your own people."

If an outsider tries to take action, people will be wary of you!

Besides, would you, an outsider, dare to cheat the local family on their own turf?

If they come back to haunt you, they'll beat you senseless, even if it means your face is covered in bruises.

Compared to this, it's much easier to target outsiders like myself.

Seeing fellow countrymen in a foreign land instantly puts my mind at ease, and I instinctively feel a sense of kinship.

With just a few words of persuasion, whatever they say becomes law.

Even if I feel something's not right, I'll think, 'We're all family, they definitely wouldn't cheat me.'

Then, nothing more.