So Good

"Smack~"

Li Ye slapped Li Dayong on the forehead.

"Did you finish the problems I gave you today?"

"Did you write the three essays I assigned last night?"

"Did you memorize the English words I told you to learn?"

"You want to follow them into the provincial capital—do you want me to take next year's college entrance exam for you too?"

The rapid-fire barrage nearly blasted Li Dayong into shutting down.

Back then, Li Dayong's grades had been better than Li Ye's, but he had never flaunted his academic success in front of Li Ye. At every moment, he had been careful not to wound Li Ye's pride.

But now the wheel of fortune had turned. No one knew what devil had gotten into Li Ye, but his grades had suddenly soared. Whenever he caught Li Dayong, he stuffed problems into him like force-feeding a duck.

If Li Dayong still could not solve a problem after Li Ye explained it twice, that contemptuous look in Li Ye's eyes was enough to make him die of shame.

Yet after feeling ashamed, Li Dayong would savor it like honey. His grades were so terrible; his brother was sincerely trying to help him.

But now that they were all getting together to make money, and they had even taken his bicycle to haul goods while keeping him in the dark and refusing to let him join, no matter how broad-minded and openhearted Li Dayong was, he could not feel good about it.

After spraying Li Dayong's face with spittle, Li Ye said bitterly, "Didn't I borrow your bicycle? How does that count as leaving you out? Your bicycle counts as an investment. When the time comes, you won't be shorted on dividends."

Li Dayong was alarmed and hurriedly said, "Brother, I'm not after money. I'm not asking you for money, I..."

It was true that Li Ye had used his bicycle to transport goods, but he had traded a Phoenix 26 for it. If he used that as an excuse to take a share of the money now, would that not be slapping his own face?

"Of course I know you, Li Dayong, aren't greedy for money."

Li Ye pressed down Li Dayong, who was anxiously trying to stand up, and said seriously, "We're brothers. For something like this, whoever can provide people provides people, whoever can provide strength provides strength. When there's good fortune, everyone enjoys it; when we make money, we spend it together. Anything else would be treating each other like outsiders."

"Brother, I really wasn't..." Li Dayong was nearly crying from anxiety. He truly had not been thinking about money.

Li Ye waved his hand and said to the people present, "Actually, today I have a few words I want to say to everyone."

"Maybe you brothers think money is important right now, but when you look back years from now, you'll realize money is just a fart."

"..."

Hao Jian, who had been all smiles, froze. Jin Peng, clever and shrewd, froze. Even Wang Jianqiang, whose head was full of nothing but this lamb soup is so good, froze too.

Money was just a fart?

Then please let out some more. I'll catch it right here. I don't need much—just give me a little.

But at that moment, Li Ye had completely taken control of the atmosphere.

The eyes of the four men followed Li Ye's gestures, his words, and his presence. Their hearts were gradually stirred, their chests filled with the two words: brotherhood.

Li Ye ordered a bottle of baijiu and poured some for the four men and himself, two liang each.

"I only hope that someday in the future, when you all want to do certain things, you can remember this bowl of lamb soup, remember these days when we were honest with one another and helped each other, and then decide what you should do."

"Come, bottoms up!"

"..."

"Bottoms up!"

"Bottoms up!"

Hao Jian and the others did not understand Li Ye's words, but they all downed the liquor in their cups in one gulp.

Only many years later, whenever they recalled what Li Ye had said at that moment, would they sigh over how fortunate they had been in this life. If not for Li Ye...

Two liang of liquor would not get anyone drunk, but it livened the mood.

After the meal, Hao Jian rushed to pay the bill, then gave Li Ye a look.

Li Ye and Hao Jian left first, while Jin Peng pulled Li Dayong and Wang Jianqiang away to watch a movie.

"Today, we sold a total of 186 jin and 6 liang of malt candy. I rounded off a little for the customers and collected 111 yuan and 6 jiao altogether. This morning in the provincial capital, we ate a jin and a half of fried dough sticks, leaving 109 yuan and 4 jiao. After deducting the capital, the surplus is 61 yuan, 3 jiao, and 6 fen. What do you think we should do with this money?"

Hao Jian took out a small notebook. The accounts from this run were recorded inside. Though not very formal, they were crystal clear.

That was a good sign. If Hao Jian, the man opening up the market, started playing tricks and keeping muddled accounts with you, then this newly formed team would not be far from breaking apart.

Li Ye asked, "What do you want to do?"

Hao Jian licked his lips and said, "By rights, since you put up the capital, now that we've made money, we should give you fifty first. But the provincial capital is urgently asking for candy, and hauling one or two hundred jin at a time is too little. I think we should owe you for now..."

Li Ye nodded in agreement. "Fine. Tomorrow, I'll talk to my classmate and let you use that Phoenix 26 too. You can haul two loads over at once."

"I won't be in a hurry to ask you for money from now on. There's no need to consider taking out the capital; just focus on expanding production and expanding the market."

If Hao Jian and the other two hauled four hundred jin of candy, they would need two bicycles. Then the third person would need a bicycle of his own.

"Alright," Hao Jian said as he put away the notebook. "If the next few runs go smoothly too, I suggest we buy a flatbed cart and pull it with two bicycles. Hauling seven or eight hundred jin, even a thousand, won't be a problem."

Hao Jian hesitated, then asked, "Were you serious just now when you said you'd let that classmate buy in?"

Li Ye slanted his eyes and asked coolly, "What, you object?"

Hao Jian's heart gave a jolt, and he hurriedly said, "No, how could I object? I'm just afraid that if there are too many people, we won't earn enough and end up losing money for you..."

What Hao Jian really wanted to say was, Are you going into business with me, or are you helping your brothers out of poverty? Is there no end to this, one after another?

But Li Ye's gaze kept him from speaking honestly. If he had still harbored resentment a few days ago when Li Ye had "ordered" him to go to the provincial capital, now he was instead afraid of losing what he had.

This morning, after Hao Jian counted the money from selling candy three times, his heart had grown warm.

One trip to the provincial capital earned sixty yuan. Two trips earned one hundred and twenty. Even if they only made ten trips a month, that would be six hundred yuan.

Six hundred yuan!

Even if he could only get one hundred yuan, in a few months he could build a whole row of big tiled houses.

But with profits this huge, Li Ye was not tempted?

Looking at how shrewd Jin Peng was, Hao Jian was afraid Li Ye would kick him out of this little group. After all, he did not think he was indispensable.

So he felt that he ought to show more value, become a great manager who opened new sources and cut unnecessary expenses, and then...

"If we don't earn enough, it's my money that gets lost. What the hell are you worried about?"

Li Ye shot Hao Jian a look and asked with a trace of mockery, "What you really want to ask is how the two of us will split the money this business makes in the future, isn't it?"

Hao Jian had not expected his thoughts to be exposed. Embarrassed, he said, "I... It would be fine if you just paid me wages. After all, you're the owner."

Li Ye glanced at him, utterly unconcerned. "Then let's split it forty-sixty. You get forty, I get sixty."

Hao Jian froze for several seconds, muttering, "Forty-sixty? I get forty, you get sixty?"

Li Ye rolled his eyes and asked coldly, "What? You want me to get forty and you get sixty?"

Hao Jian waved both hands wildly, flustered. "No, no, no. I get forty, you get sixty. I get forty and you get sixty—that's very good."

"Tch~"

Li Ye chuckled softly. "I know you think it's too much, but let me tell you something—don't be jealous when your subordinates earn a lot, because if they earn a lot, you earn even more."

Those were not Li Ye's original words. A self-made tycoon from his previous life had said them to Li Ye. From Li Ye's experience, the saying was at least suitable during the early stages of building a team.

Subordinates?

So he sees me as a subordinate?

Still... that's fine.

Hao Jian did not know what "so good" meant, but at that moment, his uneasy heart finally settled completely.

Good days are coming!