Chapter 97: The Upstart

Exactly as Su Chunfeng had predicted, the blazing sales at the agency sales office like on the opening day didn’t last. They sold three units the next day, one on the third day, two on the fourth, then one, then none, then one… This stable pattern of sales continued for about a month and a half before it stopped.

The reason was simple. Those who really wanted to buy Combine Harvesters mostly got theirs before the busy farming season started, aiming to make some money during the May farming rush.

In areas south of Pingyang City where wheat ripened early, the busy farming season had already begun.

So this year’s peak sales period for Combine Harvesters was basically over.

Even so, the sales in the short month and a half still pleasantly surprised the couple, Su Cheng and Chen Xiulan. They sold a total of forty-three Combine Harvesters, meaning just from the sales of Combine Harvesters alone, they earned 158,240 yuan. On top of that, they sold eleven separate Combine Harvesters and fifty-nine rotary tillers, with a net profit of over 42,000 yuan.

The so-called separate Combine Harvester was simply purchasing the Combine Harvester unit alone, not including the tractor itself. This was because some rural families already owned high-power agricultural tractors that could be fitted with the Combine Harvester or rotary tiller for use.

In a month and a half, they earned 200,000 yuan…

Even if Su Cheng went back to the village and announced it over the loudspeaker, probably few villagers would dare believe it.

But in those days, such upstarts could be found everywhere across the country, not limited to this industry alone.

Now, Su Cheng and Chen Xiulan, the couple, could practically be described as listening to and obeying their eldest son, Su Chunfeng. This child, it seemed, was born with a knack for business—sharp vision, foresight, and skill in negotiation and trade. Even now, whenever Su Cheng, with his honest nature, recalled the advice Su Chunfeng gave before negotiating with the person in charge of the Fukang Agricultural Vehicle Manufacturing Plant, his old face would flush red. If not for his son’s repeated reminders during the negotiations, he really wouldn’t have had the nerve to ask the factory representative for this and that, making demands. Yet, most of those conditions, which he himself found extremely harsh or even greedy, were agreed to by the factory.

Just think, how much money did that save? How much extra profit did that bring?

In the blink of an eye, the busy farming season of May arrived.

Business at the sales office had basically quieted down. Only occasionally would a Combine Harvester drive over for repairs or to buy a few spare parts.

On Friday evening, Su Chunfeng took the bus from school back to the sales office.

Because the sales office needed someone to look after it constantly, his parents had moved to live there before it opened. So every weekend after his holiday, Su Chunfeng would take the bus to the sales office. His younger brother, because attending middle school in Dongwangzhuang made commuting inconvenient, would eat and stay at his aunt’s house in the village on weekends.

Even though the sales office seemed like a big operation—the large yard parking several Combine Harvesters, storage for so many mechanical parts, with a total value reaching hundreds of thousands or nearly a million yuan…

Actually, the living conditions were very crude.

At night, Su Cheng and Chen Xiulan squeezed into the small north room packed with spare parts to sleep. The kitchen was a makeshift shack set up between the north room and the corner of the wall. The south room, which should have been the finance office, was in fact the guard room. Su Chunfeng’s uncle, Su Li, lived there, right next to the main gate.

The middle room served as both a reception area and an office, and also as a dining room. When Su Chunfeng came back on weekends, at night they would set up a folding spring single bed there for him to use as a bedroom, which also doubled as a study for him to do homework.

During dinner, Su Cheng had Su Chunfeng go to the restaurant across the street to get three dishes and several bottles of beer.

The family of three and Su Li sat around the coffee table in the reception room.

After drinking two glasses of beer, Su Li said somewhat sheepishly, “Chengzi, lately I’ve noticed our shop isn’t very busy, but back home it’s the busy farming season now. I was thinking of going back to the village tomorrow to take a look, help out for a few days. Your sister-in-law and Changhai’s wife are at home, and I’m worried they can’t manage…”

“What’s there to manage.” Su Cheng waved his chopsticks dismissively, took a sip of beer, and said, “I already told Changhai and Changjiang, the two lads. When they’re loading goods at the Feed Factory these days, they should go check the fields more often. When the Combine Harvester gets to our plot, they should harvest the wheat first and bring it home. Both kids are grown-ups now and know how to take charge. They’re keeping an eye on the chores at home, so don’t worry. If you really can’t ease your mind, well, it’s the weekend, and Xiaofeng is here. You can go back and stay for a couple of days, just remember to come back by Sunday night.”

“I, actually, I don’t really want to come back.” Su Li stammered quietly.

“Huh?” Su Cheng was taken aback. “Brother, what’s this about? Did I or your sister-in-law do something wrong? Why don’t you want to come?”

“That’s right, brother. If you have something to say, say it. What’s this all about?” Chen Xiulan chimed in quickly.

Su Li’s old face flushed red as he sighed. He reached into his pocket for a cigarette. Su Cheng quickly took out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from under the coffee table and offered them: “Have these.”

Su Li hesitated for a moment, then took a Hongtashan cigarette and lit it. He took a deep drag and sighed, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke. “Chengzi, you and your wife have been very good to me. Nothing wrong… It’s me benefiting from you. I’ve been living a leisurely life here, eating your food, staying in your place, and even getting a high salary. Lately, I see there’s hardly any business in our shop. Since it’s not busy, I thought I might as well go back first and come again when it gets busy. I can’t just stay here earning money for doing nothing. You and your wife work hard for your money, always worrying, up early and to bed late, busy without a moment’s rest. Ah.”

Come to think of it, these past few days, even though the sales office was quiet with little business, Su Cheng had been running around a lot because of the land contract matter. Chen Yufang wanted him to apply to set up a company.

From Su Li’s perspective, he thought his brother was going out anxiously seeking business because sales were poor.

Hearing his brother’s words, Su Cheng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Hey, I thought it was something serious… Alright, brother, you stay here properly. Don’t go anywhere. Our business hasn’t been great these days, but we’re not short of your salary. Here’s what…” Su Cheng turned to his wife. “Xiulan, from now on, let’s pay our brother six hundred yuan a month. No need to calculate by the day. On weekends, if Xiaofeng comes back, if our brother wants to go home for a couple of days, he can go.”

“Okay.” Chen Xiulan agreed readily, smiling at Su Li. “Elder brother, you mustn’t go back. Otherwise, what will people in the village say about us two behind our backs? Besides, with the business our family is running now, no matter how bad it gets, we can’t be short of your wages. If it ever comes to the day we can’t pay your wages, it would mean our shop is going under. You’re not wishing for our shop to close down, are you?”

Su Li became even more embarrassed and hurriedly said, “I don’t mean that at all, not at all.”

“Xiulan, what nonsense are you talking!” Su Cheng put on a stern face and scolded his wife. Even though he knew her last remark was also a joke, as the man of the house, he naturally had to put on a dignified air at such a moment.

Then Su Chunfeng also smiled and said, “Uncle, you should just relax. In a few days, when the land contract matter gets approved, we’ll need to start construction here, fencing in these tens of acres of land. By then, it’ll be even busier. We might even need to hire a couple more people to watch the construction site.”

“Ahem.” Su Li immediately became serious. “What do we need to hire so many people for? That’s just wasting money! I’m still strong and healthy. With me alone here, nothing will go wrong.”

“Now that’s more like it, haha.” Su Cheng happily raised his glass and took a big gulp.

After the meal, Su Li went out to walk the dog—he was inherently honest. Since he earned this money, he felt he should be conscientious and responsible, especially since it was his own brother’s business. Every night, Su Li would take the big wolfhound for a stroll around the yard every so often, checking here and there, afraid something might happen. Originally, he thought his brother was genuinely rich now, but a few days ago, he overheard his brother and sister-in-law talking privately, saying something about taking out a loan of over 300,000 from the Credit Cooperative. That had scared Su Li half to death. It seemed his brother wasn’t having it easy either.

Su Li had always been grateful to his younger brother for arranging such a good job for him and also for arranging driving jobs for his two sons, with decent salaries. How wonderful was that?

But seeing his brother burdened with so much debt weighed heavily on Su Li’s heart.

He originally thought about leaving, not wanting to take this easy money and add to his brother’s difficulties. Who would have thought that not only would his brother and sister-in-law not let him leave, but they even gave him a raise?

Su Li almost regretted bringing up the idea of going home.

That night.

A little past one in the morning, Su Chunfeng, who was sleeping in the reception room, suddenly woke up alertly from his dream. He sat up, frowned slightly, tilted his head, and carefully sensed the Five Elements Magnetic Field in the air.

After a while, he got up, quietly opened the back door, and stepped out into the large yard.

In the dead of night, the starry sky was dotted with stars, a half-moon hung high.

Moonlight like silver spilled onto the ground. The soft chirping of insects came from the base of the far wall and outside, making the yard seem even more tranquil and peaceful.

Suddenly, the back door of the south room opened, and Uncle Su Li came out. Instantly, a dark figure rushed out from the shadows near the main gate beside the south room, happily rubbing against Su Li, wagging its tail in a well-behaved manner, making soft, pleasing whimpering sounds.

“Uncle,” Su Chunfeng greeted first.

“Oh, it’s Xiaofeng. I thought I heard something outside, but Lulu, that beast, wasn’t barking.” Su Li said with a smile. “Why aren’t you sleeping yet?”

“Got up to use the restroom.” Su Chunfeng said with a laugh.

“Oh.” Su Li acknowledged and led the big black dog into the yard.

Watching his uncle walk away, Su Chunfeng quickly walked to the makeshift kitchen against the wall of the north room. From the old cabinet, he took out two chopsticks and held them between the index, middle, and ring fingers of his left hand. With an incredibly clever flick and flip of his fingers, the two chopsticks suddenly sprang up and stood vertically, tips down, precisely on the fingernails of his left index and ring fingers.