Chapter 233: I Want to Make a Name for Myself (4000 words)

Chapter 233: I Want to Make a Name for Myself (4000 words)



At Third Sister’s house.

Deng Shirong smoked a few pipes and talked about the restaurant investment, leaving Third Sister’s family in a state of shock.

Once Third Sister’s family accepted the fact that he had invested over thirty thousand yuan in the restaurant, Deng Shirong put the pipe aside and took out forty yuan from his pocket, handing it to Third Sister. "Third Sister, the restaurant paid out this month. Dashan kept ten yuan for himself, and the rest he asked me to bring back for you."

Deng Shilan took the four crisp bills and was shocked again. "Younger Brother, why are you paying him such a high salary?"

Bo Erzhu, Bo Dashan, Bo Xiaoshi, and Bo Xiaofang also wore expressions of disbelief.

This was forty yuan, and Bo Dashan still had ten yuan, making it a total of fifty yuan.

With food and lodging provided, a monthly salary of fifty yuan was so good that it left the whole family in a daze.

After all, Bo Dashan’s salary alone was almost as much as what his sister and brother-in-law combined earned.

And in the countryside, their wages were already considered high.

This showed just how valuable Bo Dashan’s fifty-yuan salary was.

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Third Sister, this salary is a fair deal. Although Dashan hasn’t become the head chef yet, he’s already a big help in the kitchen. His salary is naturally much higher than the waitstaff’s."

Deng Shilan replied, "Don’t think I don’t understand. If he were a true head chef, this salary would be normal. But Dashan is just a helper. The only reason he’s getting such a high salary is because you’re his uncle and you’re taking care of him."

Deng Shirong didn’t deny it. "Third Sister, Dashan is 23 this year. I haven’t introduced him to anyone before because the conditions weren’t right. Now, with a higher salary, I’ll have more confidence when I introduce him to someone."

Deng Shilan was also very concerned about her eldest son’s marriage. She had thought about asking a matchmaker for help a couple of years ago.

But before she could act, her younger brother had taken on the role of a matchmaker.

So, the task of finding a wife for her eldest son was entrusted to her younger brother.

Over the past two years, she had been getting anxious because her brother hadn’t made any moves.

But now, hearing her brother’s explanation, she understood.

He must have been planning to introduce her eldest son to a girl with good prospects. However, without a job, her son, being just a regular rural kid, wouldn’t have stood a chance with a girl from a better background.

But now things were different. Not only did her son have a job in the county, but her brother, as his uncle, was paying him fifty yuan a month. With these advantages, finding a suitable wife should be much easier.

Thinking about this, Deng Shilan said with anticipation, "You decide, Younger Brother. It would be great if you could settle Dashan’s marriage this year. I’ve been a grandmother for a few years now, and I’ve been eager to become a grandmother again."

Hearing this, Bo Erzhu was also filled with hope. In the eyes of the rural people of Bobai, being a grandfather was more prestigious than being a grandfather-in-law.

"Alright, I’ll look for a suitable match for Dashan and try to have him bring a wife home for the New Year."

After discussing the eldest nephew, Deng Shirong turned to his twenty-year-old second nephew and his eighteen-year-old youngest nephew. "Zhongshi, Xiaoshi, I have a few paths for you two. It’s up to you which one you choose."

Bo Zhongshi’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly said, "Uncle, tell us what the paths are."

Bo Xiaoshi was also full of anticipation. Seeing his elder sister and brother working for their uncle and earning a lot of money, he, now an adult, couldn’t help but feel the urge to earn some money himself. It was impossible for him not to want to work and earn money when he couldn’t even scrape together a few cents.

"The first path is to focus on farming and planting."

Deng Shirong raised a finger and said, "In the current environment, no matter what fruit you plant, if you manage it well, you can earn a good amount of money over the next few years.

However, more and more people are getting into farming. In a few years, almost every household will have its own orchard, and competition will intensify. Whether you can still make money then is uncertain.

So, if you want to focus on farming, you can do it for the next few years, but you’ll need to reassess the situation after that."

Bo Zhongshi knew that his uncle’s orchard had a bountiful harvest this year. His family had also discussed whether to follow their uncle’s example and start an orchard for lychees and watermelons. However, their village didn’t have many mountains. Unlike his uncle, who had an entire mountain to himself, their family had to share a mountain with their uncles and aunts.

This mountain plot is small and hard to manage. If they can't fence the orchard, the fruits will likely be stolen before they even ripen.

Fencing the orchard is no easy task. Uncle’s family planted thorny plants around the base of the mountain to enclose the entire area. If they were to do the same, they’d need to plant these thorny plants not only at the base but also along the boundaries of their land on the mountain.

The project isn’t too large, but the issue is that using thorny plants to keep outsiders out also implies a lack of trust in family members. Moreover, planting thorny plants on the mountain would take up a significant amount of space, making it seem less worthwhile.

For these reasons, they have no immediate plans to grow fruit.

Deng Shirong raised his second finger and continued, “The second option is to lease all the communal hills and slopes in your village, then clear and plant sugarcane. A new sugar mill with a daily processing capacity of 1,000 tons is under construction. Once it’s up and running, it will need to purchase a large amount of sugarcane.

If you prepare in advance and plant a lot of sugarcane, you should be able to make a good profit. How long this profit will last, I can’t say for sure.”

At this, Third Sister’s family’s eyes lit up. This option seemed quite reliable.

Deng Shirong raised his third finger, “The third option is to come work at my restaurant. The pay is stable, but for now, you’ll be doing odd jobs, earning 25 yuan a month, the same as a waiter.”

Buzhongshi and Buxiaoshi were both tempted. For them, 25 yuan a month was a lot, especially since it meant working in the county town, which was a whole different world from the village. The brothers were quite excited about the idea.

Deng Shirong raised his fourth finger, “The fourth option is to start a business in the county town. The business environment there is improving, and with so many industries, you should be able to find something to do. If you work hard, you can make money.”

This made Buzhongshi and Buxiaoshi even more eager. Who wouldn’t want to be their own boss?

Deng Shirong raised his last finger, “The final option is to get into transportation, whether passenger or freight. Both can earn a lot of money, and there’s a real chance to become truly wealthy. However, this path is very risky, and the decision is yours.”

Deng Shirong truly cared for his nephews, presenting five practical options. However, the first four could only bring in a modest income, making it difficult to become truly rich.

The last option was different. It offered a real chance to become a billionaire, but the risks were high. When he mentioned this path, Deng Shirong felt conflicted. He hoped his nephews would choose this path to strive for success, but he also worried about the risks they would face.

First, let’s talk about freight. Running a freight business in this era is very different from the future.

In the future, freight drivers earn a living through hard work, but in this era, running a freight business not only brings in freight income but also allows the savvy to use the convenience of transportation to buy cheap goods from other cities and sell them for a profit. This is a significant additional income.

Moreover, if they get a big job, they can expand their fleet, from one truck to two, two to four, and eventually a fleet of a hundred or more. With proper management, becoming a billionaire is not hard.

As for passenger transport, it’s mostly state-owned or collective-run at the moment. Individual passenger transport will only appear in a year or two.

In the future, due to the impact of high-speed rail, the bus industry has declined from its peak. But it’s 1982, and the domestic bus industry is just beginning to flourish. Especially in a few years, when the wave of migrant workers heading to Guangdong starts, long-distance passenger transport will be highly profitable.

If they can establish a passenger transport company, becoming a billionaire will be relatively easy.

However, both freight and passenger transport are fraught with risks.

These risks come from various sources, primarily from highway bandits and the poor security environment of the 1980s and 1990s, which has already been discussed.

Secondly, they would have to face fierce competition from other transporters. This era is one of rapid, unchecked growth, and business competition is far from the civilized and gentle affairs of the future. To put it bluntly, anyone in the transport business during this time has to be bold and daring; without a bit of ruthlessness, it's impossible to survive in this industry.

These two reasons filled Deng Shirong with internal conflict. Even though he knew the transport business could bring in a lot of money, he didn't want his nephews to choose this path. He feared that if something went wrong, he wouldn't be able to face his sister and brother-in-law.

Bu Zhongshi and Bu Xiaoshi, of course, had no idea about their uncle's concerns. When their uncle mentioned that the transport business could make them truly wealthy, the brothers exchanged a glance, both seeing the excitement in each other's eyes.

Bu Zhongshi asked excitedly, "Uncle, you mean the kind of trucks that haul goods, right?"

Deng Shirong nodded. "Whether it's planes, trains, ships, or trucks, as long as they can haul goods, they count as freight. However, when I talk about freight, I specifically mean trucks. The same principle applies to passenger transport, but I'm referring to bus services."

Bu Xiaoshi asked, "Uncle, are you telling us to learn how to drive and become drivers?"

Deng Shirong smiled. "It's more than just learning to drive and becoming drivers. If you really want to go down this path, you'll need to buy trucks or buses."

Bu Xiaoshi's eyes widened. "But that costs a lot of money! Where would we get the money to buy trucks and buses?"

"Money isn't the problem. You can take a loan from the credit union."

Deng Shirong said with a complex expression, "Actually, I don't really want you to take this path because the risks are too high."

Initially, when her younger brother offered guidance to her two sons, Deng Shilan was very pleased. After all, her brother was a capable man, and with just a little guidance, her sons wouldn't have to worry about making money.

So, she had been listening quietly without interrupting.

The first four options sounded quite reliable, and Deng Shilan nodded in agreement, marveling at her brother's creativity in coming up with so many ways to earn money.

But when she heard about the last option, especially when her brother mentioned the risks twice, she couldn't help but ask, "Younger brother, what kind of risks are you talking about? Will we lose all the money we invest?"

Seeing her sister's concern, Deng Shirong didn't hide anything. He listed all the risks involved in the transport business and concluded, "This industry is indeed profitable. If everyone did business honestly, I would definitely encourage Zhongshi and Xiaoshi to take this path without hesitation.

However, to succeed in this industry, you need to be bold and daring.

Freight transport is relatively safer, with fewer conflicts. The main challenge is dealing with bandits and road pirates. But passenger transport is different. When competing for routes, it often turns into life-and-death struggles, and conflicts over passengers are frequent. If the other side has more people and strength, you'll end up being bullied."

After hearing her brother's explanation, Deng Shilan fully understood. She shook her head repeatedly. "Forget it, then. Zhongshi, Xiaoshi, let's stick to something safer. This industry isn't suitable for you. What's the point of making a lot of money if something goes wrong?"

Bu Erzhu also chimed in, "Your mother is right. Don't even think about it."

But Bu Zhongshi was unwilling to give up.

After all, his uncle had said that this path could make them a lot of money and turn them into truly wealthy people. While he didn't know exactly how wealthy his uncle meant, he was sure it was a fortune beyond his imagination.

Besides, so many people were in this business and weren't afraid. Why should he be?

It's just fighting, right?

In this era, every rural child grew up fighting.

So, despite his parents' disapproval, Bu Zhongshi asked, "Uncle, you said that freight transport is safer and only involves dealing with bandits and road pirates. I'm interested in this. Can you tell me more about it?"

Deng Shilan glared at him. "Zhongshi, why won't you listen to reason? Can't you just do something safer? Why take such a risk?"

Bu Zhongshi looked at his mother and explained, "Mom, doing something safe will never make us rich. I want to make a lot of money and stand out. Uncle said that freight transport might be my only chance. I have to seize it!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end