Chapter 156: A Person Determined to Accomplish Great Things! (Second Update)

For breakfast, Mother Zhao made flatbreads. Zhao Guoyang ate them with a bowl of piping hot congee, feeling a wave of cozy warmth spread throughout his entire body.

His younger siblings had already gone to school together in a group, and his father had just fallen asleep after coming off the night shift. Only Zhao Guoyang and his mother, He Huifen, remained in the house.

Watching her beloved son finish his congee, He Huifen took the bowl and said, "Wait, Mom will scoop you another bowl!"

"No need, Mom! I'm already full!" Zhao Guoyang waved his hands repeatedly. "I have to ride my bike to the county town in a little while anyway. It's not good to eat too much!"

Hearing her son say this, He Huifen finally let the matter drop.

Perhaps still unsatisfied with the answers to her questions from the night before, He Huifen cleared away the bowl and sat down next to Zhao Guoyang, resuming her cross-examination.

"Guoyang, what you said last night... wasn't just drunken nonsense, was it?" He Huifen asked, looking expectantly at Zhao Guoyang.

Zhao Guoyang paused for a moment before realizing that his mother was still worried he had been lying to her and was anxious about his job.

Knowing there was no better way to prove himself, Zhao Guoyang reached into his jacket pocket, took out three hundred-yuan bills, and placed them on the table.

This money had been given to him by Monkey yesterday. As for Bai Rou's side, the earnings from selling the hair clips had already been wired over.

However, following Zhao Guoyang's advice, Monkey had deposited the majority of it in the bank temporarily, keeping only a few hundred on hand.

Having met up with Zhao Guoyang yesterday, Monkey had handed over the cash for him to manage.

Upon seeing the three hundred-yuan banknotes, He Huifen's eyes glazed over slightly.

Stammering, she asked, "Guoyang, where did so much money come from? Is it... is it your salary?"

Before Zhao Guoyang could answer, He Huifen muttered to herself, "That's not right. You just gave me two hundred yuan last month. There's no way you'd get another payout this big so soon!"

Zhao Guoyang thought for a moment and decided he should inform his mother about his small workshop venture anyway. He proceeded to briefly explain what he and Monkey had been up to lately.

Hearing that his son had made over a thousand yuan from just their very first batch of sales, He Huifen's face was a picture of disbelief.

"Guoyang, these hair clips... are they really that profitable?" He Huifen asked, still feeling as though she were in a dream.

Zhao Guoyang smiled and gently patted the three hundred-yuan bills on the table, letting silence speak volumes.

Seeing the smug expression on her son's face, He Huifen had no choice but to believe it, no matter how skeptical she felt.

Just as Zhao Guoyang thought he had successfully convinced his mother, He Huifen pushed the money back toward him. "No, you take this back! This small workshop is a partnership between you and Sun Ning. When you make money, you shouldn't keep it all for yourself. Besides, doesn't manufacturing require capital for inventory? You can't operate without working capital!"

Hearing his mother sound so knowledgeable, Zhao Guoyang couldn't help but chuckle.

He smilingly pushed the money back across the table and said, "Mom, don't you worry. How could I shortchange Monkey? Why, his salary alone is three hundred yuan a month!"

"Three hundred just for a salary? That much?" He Huifen wore a look of utter astonishment.

"Three hundred is on the low side!" Zhao Guoyang gestured with a confident air.

"Once this small workshop of mine expands, Monkey, as one of the primary founders of the enterprise, won't just draw a monthly salary—he'll also get a hefty share of the dividends!"

"What about you? How much is your monthly salary?" He Huifen couldn't help asking.

Hearing this, Zhao Guoyang grinned broadly and said, "Me? I'm the major shareholder of this small workshop, so I don't take a salary."

Noticing a trace of disappointment on his mother's face, Zhao Guoyang patted her back and said, "Mom, why are you still not seeing the big picture?"

"In this small workshop, I hold a sixty percent stake by myself. That means for every thousand yuan we earn, six hundred comes to me. With an arrangement like that, why would I need a salary? That would be putting the cart before the horse!"

Hearing Zhao Guoyang explain it this way, He Huifen's face blossomed into a wide smile.

She was a housewife with no grand ambitions; knowing that her son was so capable was already more than enough to satisfy her.

As if recalling something, He Huifen's smile subsided slightly as she looked anxiously at Zhao Guoyang again. "Guoyang, it's great that your little workshop can make more money. But what about your job at the factory? What if the factory leadership finds out you're running a private workshop on the side? Won't they have something to say about it?"

"Oh, Mom. What era do you think this is? Your thinking is way too outdated!" Zhao Guoyang couldn't help sighing.

"Just rest easy. The workshop won't affect my work at the Hongda Machinery Factory at all. Your son, you see, is a man with grand aspirations!"

"Go on with you! You haven't even achieved anything yet and you're already getting a swelled head!" Although He Huifen was scolding him with her words, the delight on her face was impossible to hide.

Catching sight of his ambitious demeanor, He Huifen couldn't help reminding him, "Guoyang, I know you've grown up and you've got ability, but there's an old saying: a man should not flaunt his wealth. To carry this much cash around and still manage to get drunk—just how carefree can you be? Aren't you afraid someone might steal your money?"

"No, no!" Zhao Guoyang waved his hand. "I only withdrew this money yesterday, and look, I'm giving it straight to you today! From now on, I guarantee I won't keep more than two hundred yuan on me. Can you rest easy now?"

"Well, that's more like it!" He Huifen nodded and tucked the three hundred yuan away.

"Mom will save all this money for you, keep it so you can find a wife in the future!" He Huifen muttered to herself.

"My son is so outstanding that when you look for a wife later, you'll definitely have to go to the city. I hear city girls have pretty high standards; they want the three major items for marriage, plus a house in the city..."

At a loss whether to laugh or cry, Zhao Guoyang said, "Mom, don't you worry about all that. I know what I'm doing."

"What kind of nonsense is that, child? What do you know about the major affairs of marriage? If I, your mother, don't worry about it, who is going to?" He Huifen said with a stern face.

Facing his stubborn mother, Zhao Guoyang truly had no other recourse, so he could only let her have her way.

Seeing Zhao Guoyang deflate, He Huifen pressed her advantage further. "Right, the other day, Sister Wang from next door brought something up."

"They have a relative who settled in Ninghai City a couple of years ago, and this relative has a daughter, twenty-three years old this year. She's very pretty and even works as a primary school teacher in Ninghai City. When you have some free time, shall I ask Sister Wang to arrange for us to go visit their family?"

"No, no, no!" Whether in his past life or the present, blind dates were Zhao Guoyang's greatest dread, and he immediately waved his hands frantically.

He Huifen wanted to offer a few more words of persuasion, but Zhao Guoyang had already sprang to his feet with a swift *whoosh*.

"Well, Mom, it's almost New Year's; we need to stock up on some holiday goods, don't we? Taking advantage of my day off today, I'm going to head into the county town to look around. I won't be back for lunch, so don't wait up for me..."