When they saw Li Rui come out, everyone fell silent for a moment before greeting him one after another.
Although most of those present were Li Rui's elders, they were ordinary people at the bottom of society, after all. Even these older relatives could not ignore the imposing presence his current achievements lent him. An invisible aura of authority had quietly taken shape.
Although they were relatives from the same clan, many had worked away from home for years, and Li Rui had not seen quite a few of them in five or six years. Still, they shared the same blood, so there was little sense of unfamiliarity.
If the system had never appeared, perhaps in another twenty years, everyone present might have settled down in different parts of the country, never to return, and the clan would cease to exist. That was something Li Rui did not want to see.
Seeing that just about everyone seemed to have arrived, Li Rui asked, "Is everyone here?"
"Everyone's here!" they answered loudly, one after another.
"All right, let me explain the establishment of our clan's corporate group. I'll fund the establishment of the Soaring Group, and every year, the group will put five percent of its profits into a clan fund. The fund will be divided into a business startup fund and an education fund."
"In the first year, I'll put one billion into the clan fund." The moment he finished speaking, a clamor broke out.
Everyone knew Li Rui had struck it rich, but only Papa Li and Mama Li knew even the tip of the iceberg of how much money he actually had. These older cousins and aunts who had just returned naturally had no idea. For people earning four or five thousand a month, suddenly hearing the figure of one billion inevitably brought another wave of astonishment.
"All right." Li Rui raised a hand and pressed it downward, then continued, "Anyone in our clan who wants to start a business can apply for startup funding by presenting their ideas and plans. I don't care whether you need two or three hundred thousand to open a shop, or fifty million or even a hundred million to start a company. As long as you pass the group's fund department review, you can receive funding."
"For applications of less than one million from the startup fund, the founder will receive ninety percent of the profits, while ten percent will go back into the clan fund. For applications above one million and below ten million, the founder will receive seventy percent of the profits, while thirty percent will go back into the clan fund. For applications above ten million and below fifty million, the founder will receive fifty percent of the profits."
"The companies or shops you establish will belong entirely to the clan's group. In other words, the founders will only have the right to dividends, not the right to buy or sell ownership. Is there anyone who didn't understand that part?" Li Rui swept his gaze over everyone.
"Xiao Rui, do you mean that if I use the fund's money to start a company, I can only receive a share of the profits, but the company belongs to the clan's group? Is that right?"
Li Rui looked at his third older cousin and nodded. "Exactly. To ensure the clan stays united and doesn't split apart, the founders of any companies or shops established using the clan fund will only have dividend rights, not the right to buy or sell ownership."
He had watched plenty of television dramas and movies where people turned against one another and families broke apart after becoming wealthy. Naturally, he had to guard against trouble before it arose.
With the resources he provided, these relatives would absolutely be able to accomplish something as long as they had a little business sense. Only by letting these clansmen build their own fortunes would he fulfill his goal of revitalizing the clan.
Otherwise, if it were just a matter of giving them money, supporting these clansmen for ten lifetimes would be no problem with his own capabilities and the system. But that would only raise a batch of wastrel heirs. What talk could there be of revitalizing the clan then?
"Also, since we're gathering the clan together again, we need to establish clan rules. If anyone violates those rules or betrays the clan, the clan will have the right to revoke the founder's dividend rights. Does anyone object?"
"No!" everyone answered in unison.
What objection could they possibly have? They were all ordinary people who had nothing to begin with. Now they could benefit from this opportunity, start companies, and rise above the crowd. These conditions were hardly anything.
After all, with so much startup funding, wouldn't whatever they chose to do be a hundred times better than working away from home?
"All right, next, let's discuss the education fund."
"Any child in the clan who earns good grades, gets into a good school, and brings honor to the clan will be eligible for rewards from the education fund."
"I hope that, in the future, everyone in our clan can become a dragon."
As his words fell, applause rang out without end. With such an accomplished clansman as Li Rui, their branch of the Li family would sooner or later become a powerful clan renowned throughout the world.
While everyone was still applauding, a rough hand cautiously rose from the crowd. It had barely appeared before it withdrew again, like a student who wanted to ask a teacher a question but did not dare.
Although the hand had only been raised for an instant, Li Rui still noticed it, because the contrast between that hand and its owner was simply too striking.
The skin of the hand was covered in furrows and cracks, like the bark of an ancient tree, yet its owner was a woman of only forty.
A woman that age living in the city would still retain her charm, but judging by this woman's face alone, a stranger might think she was at least fifty.
Yet Li Rui knew that this woman was only forty. She was his seventh aunt.
Ten years earlier, his seventh uncle had died in an accident, leaving his seventh aunt to raise two children alone.
In the countryside, even a household with a man found it difficult to raise two children and put them through school. Yet this seemingly frail woman had used her slender hands to raise her two children and send them to school.
Making money in the countryside was difficult. Apart from farming to keep food on the table, one of the few ways to earn money was to work as a helper for people building houses nearby. Handling rough bricks and stone day after day had turned her once fairly tender hands as coarse as the bark of an ancient tree.
Recalling this ill-fated woman's past, Li Rui dropped his serious expression and asked with a smile, "Seventh Aunt, did you have a question?"
Looking at her nephew, who was now an important figure, this woman, gentle on the outside but strong within, asked quietly, "Xiao Rui, how will the rewards from this education fund you mentioned work? Will Xiao Ru get a reward for her college entrance exam too?"
Xiao Ru was his seventh aunt's daughter and his younger cousin. Thinking of that cousin, who had been so obedient and sensible since her father's death that she hardly seemed like a child, Li Rui sighed inwardly. He had lacked the ability to help them before, but in the future, he would certainly never let this cousin suffer again.
"Heh, heh, Seventh Aunt, what are you saying? Xiao Ru is my cousin, so of course she's part of our clan. As long as she gets into a good school, she'll certainly get a reward."
Watching his seventh aunt speak to him so cautiously, Li Rui felt somewhat helpless. She was his elder, after all, and having her speak to him with such caution made him feel particularly awkward instead.
But there was nothing he could do about it. A rural woman without a man to rely on naturally stood a rung below everyone else in an environment like the countryside. Over time, she had naturally developed this cautious disposition, and it was not something that could change overnight.
"Xiao Rui, if Xiao Ru gets into a Project 985 university, how much prize money do you think she'd get?" His seventh aunt looked at Li Rui expectantly.