Chapter 59: Clothing Business

---

Chapter 59: Clothing Business

Although the transaction intention was reached, it took two days to complete the transaction.

This transaction was special because it involved antiques and cultural relics, which cannot be traded casually, especially to foreigners.

First, it was necessary to determine whether the source of this treasure was legal. Second, it had to be confirmed whether the treasure was of a level that could be traded. If it was a national first-class cultural relic, it would be prohibited from trading.

Additionally, a sales contract had to be made and notarized.

In the end, it took several people two days to officially complete the transaction.

After the money and goods were settled, Henry repeatedly invited Li Yi and Wei Sanpao to a meal.

Li Yi could not refuse, so he followed Henry to a British-style Western restaurant.

The owner of the restaurant was said to be Henry's friend, who lived in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, and his restaurant was considered the most authentic British-style Western restaurant in the entire Guangzhou-Shenzhen area.

During the meal, Fan Xian had a new understanding of Li Yi and was even more convinced that Li Yi had returned from England.

Li Yi not only knew the customs and practices of England very well, but he was also proficient in English table manners. Some of these etiquettes were unclear even for authentic English people like them, but Li Yi was skilled at them.

Such a person had obviously lived in the Great Eagle Empire for a long time, and the circle he was part of might still be among the top aristocratic families.

With this understanding, Henry and the others had a higher regard for Li Yi.

However, they were a little puzzled about how someone so excellent could have such a big and strong friend around. Did they have common ground?

But this was not something they could care about, because after this meal, they would return to the Great Eagle Empire.

Before parting, Henry gave Li Yi his mailing address, saying that if Li Yi ever visited the British Isles again, he could visit his home and correspond with him.

Li Yi naturally would not refuse.

After parting with Henry and the others, Li Yi took Wei Sanpao to exchange all the foreign currency for Dragon Yuan, then returned to the hotel.

On the large bed in the hotel, Li Yi and Wei Sanpao stared at the big pile of hundred-yuan bills in front of them, unable to contain their excitement.

In just a few days, they had made a profit of ten thousand times with a capital of only a few dozen yuan.

This money was something that ordinary workers could never earn in several lifetimes. In Wei Sanpao's eyes, this was enough to last him for his whole life.

"Brother Yi, this is a lot of money. Should we go back to the antique market?"

Li Yi immediately said seriously, "Old Third, such things are hard to come by and require very specialized knowledge. To be honest, with my current knowledge, the probability of being deceived is much higher than finding something valuable. In the future, we should avoid these kinds of things!"

"That's a pity!!"

"Old Third, you must remember this: no matter when, you must make money from what you know. The unfamiliar fields are often traps!" Li Yi said.

"Yes, I understand, Brother Yi. What should we do next?"

Li Yi nodded and said, "Let's go to the clothing market tomorrow!"

The clothing market? Wei Sanpao was confused when he heard this.

"Brother Yi, do you want to buy some new clothes for your sister-in-law?"

Before Li Yi could speak, Wei Sanpao continued, "I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you did neglect your sister-in-law in the past. Look at the clothes she has. She hasn't had new ones for many years. Now that you have money, you should buy her some nice clothes!"

Li Yi also sighed when he heard this.

In the past, he was only focused on gambling, drinking, and hanging out with a group of friends. He never noticed that Xu Qingnan hadn't bought new clothes for several years.

Before crossing over, even until the moment Xu Qingnan chose to end her life and leave this world, the clothes she wore were still a worn-out women's shirt from three years ago.

Thankfully, now that he had the means, Li Yi would certainly not let his wife go without anymore.

However, Li Yi's visit to the clothing wholesale market was not to buy clothes for Xu Qingnan, though that was part of the plan. His primary intention was to open a clothing store.

Selling apples or dealing with antiques was not truly doing business, and it was not a long-term plan.

If you want to make money in this era, you need to engage in industry, and the clothing store business was very promising at the moment.

New trendy brands like bat shirts, step-on pants, windbreakers, and sportswear were becoming popular, but such trends hadn't reached Jiangnan Province yet.

Jiangnan Province was an inland area after all, and its development was not as fast as the coastal regions.

Currently, these styles of clothes were gaining popularity in Guangzhou and Shenzhen, so Li Yi planned to bring these fashionable items to Jiangcheng and expand into Jiangnan Province!

With money in hand and knowledge of the trends, he was now perfectly positioned to succeed.

But Li Yi did not plan to start small. Since he wanted to go into business, he wanted to make it big!

Thus, from the beginning, his goal was not just to open a small clothing store. He wanted to partner with a large manufacturer and build something major!

But before all that, Li Yi thought it was necessary to settle the money earned with Wei Sanpao. The brothers could not let money damage their relationship.

"Old Third, this time we made a total of 750,000 yuan. Since it's uncertain whether my next business venture will profit or lose, I'll give you your share first, and I'll use the rest for the business!"

Before Wei Sanpao could say anything, Li Yi took out seven bundles of fifty-yuan bills, pushed them in front of Wei Sanpao, and continued, "This is 75,000 yuan, which represents 10% of the earnings. No objections, right?"

"Brother, it's too much. It's really too much. I can't accept it!"

On the surface, it seemed like this transaction was done between him and Li Yi, but Wei Sanpao knew very well that even without him, Li Yi could have easily handled it by himself. He wasn't truly needed.

Besides, for Wei Sanpao, 75,000 yuan was too much. It was the equivalent of his entire salary from working at the meat factory for a lifetime, and he really couldn't bring himself to accept it.

"Take it. You deserve it for your hard work. You've contributed a lot this time; how could I not reward you?"

"Brother, how about I count the money as my shareholding?"

"Shareholding? What are you talking about?"

"No matter what business you start next, this money will be my investment. How about that?"

"Aren't you worried about losing money?"

"I'm not afraid!"

Li Yi thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I plan to invest one million yuan in the clothing wholesale business this time. I'll take your 75,000 yuan as part of the investment, and I'll give you dividends according to the investment ratio!"

"Okay!"

---