Chapter 74: Agreement with My Sister-in-Law

Chapter 74: Agreement with My Sister-in-Law

Wei Kangan knew that his son wanted to quit his job and start a business, but he strongly opposed the idea.

Even though more and more people in coastal areas were getting into business, not everyone was successful. Some became wealthy and influential, but many failed miserably and disappeared without a trace.

In his youth, he had also dreamed of doing business, hoping for a better future, just like his good friend Liang Guoxing. But reality had forced him to give up on that dream.

Now, things were changing. Even though the meat processing plant where he worked was a state-owned enterprise, it was struggling to stay afloat. And it wasn't just this factory—many state-owned businesses across the country were facing the same crisis.

But what could he do? He had worked here for most of his life, from its early days as a small workshop to the large factory it had become. He couldn't just walk away.

More importantly, he knew his son too well. Wei Sanpao was ambitious but lacked real ability. He was also too soft-hearted and overly loyal to his friends, which made him an easy target for scams.

So, when his son first told him he wanted to quit, Wei Kangan refused outright.

It wasn't until Li Yi's father, Li Fengnian, visited him that his attitude started to change.

That night, the two old friends, both in their late forties, sat together drinking and talking.

Li Fengnian shared his worries about his son, Li Yi.

Li Yi hadn't failed school because he wasn't smart. In fact, his teachers had said that if he had focused on his studies, he could have gotten into a good university.

But their family was poor. With three children, they couldn't afford to send them all to school.

In the end, Li Yi had chosen to drop out and work to help support the family. His parents tried to stop him, but his older sister, Xu Qingnan, was the one who ultimately sacrificed her education for the family's sake.

That decision changed Li Yi. He lost all motivation and nearly went down a bad path.

During that time, he picked up bad habits—smoking, drinking, and gambling.

But now, after years of drifting, he had finally turned his life around. Seeing this, Li Fengnian was relieved.

That night, he told Wei Kangan, "Children have to make their own choices. We can't control them forever."

His words made Wei Kangan rethink his stance. Otherwise, there was no way he would have allowed Wei Sanpao to follow Li Yi to Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Luckily, his son hadn't let him down. After weeks of hard work, he had successfully opened a store. But whether it would succeed or not was still uncertain.

Of course, at this point, Wei Kangan still thought his son and Li Yi had only opened a tiny shop.

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A Busy Few Days

The following days were incredibly hectic. Li Yi didn't even return home for several nights.

Together, they distributed all 100,000 promotional flyers, making sure that most of Jiangcheng knew about their store—a place where high-quality clothes would be sold at affordable prices in Lianhua Plaza.

Even those who hadn't heard about it had likely seen the beautifully designed flyers.

At the same time, the final renovations were completed. Lao Liu and his team worked overtime to get everything done on time.

On the night of the 24th, under Li Yi's supervision, the first batch of 5,000 clothing items was moved into the flagship store.

The newly hired saleswomen—just six of them—started work that same night. Despite their small number, they completely transformed the store's atmosphere, making it look much more professional and high-end.

That night, after arranging the clothes and giving the saleswomen some basic training, Li Yi finally went home, exhausted.

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At Home

When he arrived home, he saw his older sister, Xu Qingnan, washing clothes, while his other sister, Xu Qingyao, was studying at the small dining table.

Since the college entrance exams were coming up, Xu Qingyao had taken time off school to study at home.

Li Yi had been helping her with her studies whenever he had the chance, and her grades had improved a lot—especially in English.

But Li Yi had an even bigger advantage in mind.

He knew this year's college entrance exam questions!

In his past life, Xu Qingyao had struggled with the exam results and had spent months practicing test papers. Since he had helped her back then, he had memorized some of the most important questions, including the essay topic.

Of course, he couldn't just give her the answers. But he planned to include those questions in her practice sessions, making sure she was well-prepared.

He didn't expect her to suddenly become a top student. As long as she could get into a decent university—either a first-tier or second-tier one—that would be enough.

Seeing him enter, Xu Qingyao immediately called out, "Brother, come here! I don't know how to solve this question."

Li Yi smiled. "Alright!" He changed his shoes and walked over to help her.

As he sat down, she asked, "Why didn't you come home last night?"

He chuckled. "The store is opening tomorrow, so I was busy."

Hearing this, she looked excited. "Where is your store?"

"It's in Lianhua Plaza, in the city center. West side, first floor."

Her eyes widened. "Wait… is it Jiangnan Beauty Clothing Store?"

Li Yi grinned. "Yeah, that's the one."

She was shocked. "I was planning to visit that store after my exams to buy some nice clothes. I didn't know you owned it! Now I don't have to spend any money!"

He laughed. "Of course not! Take whatever you want. And if you get into a good university, I'll give you a 5,000-yuan bonus!"

Her face lit up. "Really?"

"Really."

"Then we have a deal!"

"It's a deal!"

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