Chapter 41

Chapter 27-28: Borrowing the East Wind

While Wen Liang was busy shuttling between school and the shop, the relentless march of time brought him to this day. To quote a widely circulated phrase from the future, the gears of fate creaked into motion, and no one could stop the birth of a great man.

September 25, 1995, the first day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar.

Monday.

The long-awaited 14th Central Committee Fifth Plenary Session officially opened. Wen Liang recounted the long history of Qinghe Soy Milk, translating the classical Chinese text on the large sign in the shop into the local Qingzhou dialect. He then boasted that the production process strictly followed European and American standards, with exquisite craftsmanship and a unique taste. Below, Wen Liang held Li Siqing's hand, barely suppressing a laugh. He never expected that the usually honest and straightforward Li Shengli, after his reformation, would suddenly seem like a different person, spouting lies with ease and showing great potential. After his speech and the fireworks, Li Shengli announced that all customers entering the shop today would get a free youtiao (Chinese fried dough) with every cup of soy milk. The audience immediately burst into enthusiastic applause. This clearly showed that no matter how well you speak, money is the ultimate motivator!

However, after the fireworks, despite the large crowd watching, few were willing to immediately enter the shop to try the new offerings. This was understandable; for simple foods like soy milk and youtiao, unless there is a good reputation, most people don't really care which shop they eat at.

The first day of opening was not a good omen, and Wen Liang secretly regretted not arranging a few shills to boost the atmosphere. Without shills to create a buzz, it was like watching a movie without the climax, leaving one frustrated.

Just as he was thinking of ways to remedy the situation, he suddenly saw Li Shengli walking into the crowd, a humble smile on his face.

Seeing the sparse business, Li Shengli subconsciously glanced at Wen Liang, who was still standing under a tree, showing no signs of impatience. Li Shengli felt ashamed and quickly walked up to Wei Gang, Zhao Jianguo, and some of his former colleagues, smiling and saying, "Please, leaders and esteemed guests, your presence today is a great honor. Thank you, thank you!"

Li Shengli's social circle was very limited, and he had been at home for two years. The highest-ranking official he could invite for the opening was Wei Gang, the deputy factory manager of the agricultural machinery factory. Wei Gang, at the age of 32, had become a deputy manager in 1993, considered a young and capable leader. With the factory's performance declining, the factory manager Zhang Daqing often checked into the hospital to avoid the workers, leaving the factory's affairs in the hands of Deputy Manager Wei Gang. Wen Liang's mother, Ding Mei, worked as an accountant at the agricultural machinery factory, and he naturally recognized Wei Gang, who looked handsome and capable. However, Wei Gang's reputation was mixed, and he sometimes acted despicably. His uncle, Wei Chenfeng, was the city's propaganda minister, giving him a very strong background. Wen Liang had heard his mother curse Wei Gang at home, calling him a flatterer and a despicable person. He never thought Li Shengli would have any connection with him.

In fact, this was a misunderstanding. Li Shengli had invited Zhao Jianguo, the former head of the third workshop. When Zhao Jianguo received the call, he was playing mahjong with Wei Gang at home. Upon hearing about the event, Wei Gang remembered Li Shengli's charming and beautiful wife and decided to come along. Li Shengli was overjoyed to have a deputy-level official attend, as it would be a great honor.

As for Wen Huiming, his deputy-level position was not significant enough to be considered, and he was supposed to come with Wen Liang but was called to the city early in the morning, unsure if he would make it in time.

Seeing few customers entering the shop, Li Shengli wanted to ask his colleagues to lead the way. If a dozen people entered, the shop would immediately become lively, a common tactic for opening ceremonies. Just as Zhao Jianguo was about to encourage everyone to act, Wei Gang suddenly said, "Victory, I don't mean to be a downer, but I don't think you'll make much money with a shop like this in Qingzhou."

Zhao Jianguo was taken aback and retracted his step. The other dozen or so colleagues also fell silent. The surrounding crowd was noisy, and no one could hear what they were saying. But Wen Liang was closely watching the situation and immediately noticed something was wrong. He instructed Li Siqing and then circled around. As he approached, he heard Wei Gang say, "To do business, you need to target your audience. Rich people won't come to a small shop like this, and poor people can fill their stomachs with a pancake from a street vendor. Who would go out of their way to drink a cup of soy milk in a shop?"

Although Li Shengli had resigned, he still showed respect to his former leaders, bowing and smiling, "Sir, you're right, but with the improved living standards, many people prefer to have a clean and safe breakfast in a proper shop..."

"Improved living standards?" Wei Gang sneered, looking around and pointing at Li Shengli, "Take you, for example. You were once a top technical expert in the factory. Are your living standards better now?"

This comment surprised even Zhao Jianguo. He had never heard of any conflict between Wei Gang and Li Shengli. If he had known, he wouldn't have let him come today. Li Shengli had finally moved on from that incident, and such a public humiliation was too despicable. However, despicable people were not uncommon. A man in his forties, who had been standing behind Wei Gang, mocked, "Mr. Wei, you don't know. Li Shengli has been living a life of luxury for the past two years, eating and drinking to his heart's content. That's not a life we can understand, of course, his living standards have improved!"

This comment was even more vicious. Li Shengli's face turned ashen, and his body trembled violently. Wen Liang stood beside him, silent, his eyes full of concern. Some things, if you can bear them, will no longer torment you, but if you can't, no one can help you!

Zhao Jianguo tried to smooth things over but was silenced by a glare from Wei Gang. The agricultural machinery factory was declining, and he was seeking a way out. Wei Gang might be transferred to the light industry bureau as deputy director, and his own future depended on him. There was no need to offend him over a minor figure.

Li Shengli finally stopped trembling, a smile on his face. "Sir, you're joking. Those days are past. I'm just trying to live a better life and not tarnish Qingzhou's development."

The reason Wei Gang was making things difficult for Li Shengli was simple: it was all because of Zhao Yaqing. When Zhao Yaqing first joined the factory, Wei Gang was already infatuated with her. At 24, he was the head of the quality inspection department, popular among the female workers. He had planned to wait for Zhao Yaqing to come to him like other women before pursuing her. However, due to the foolish actions of Zeng Wucheng, Li Shengli saved Zhao Yaqing, and they quickly fell in love, leaving Wei Gang heartbroken. Because Wei Gang had never expressed his feelings for Zhao Yaqing, Zhao Jianguo and the others only learned today of his deep resentment towards Li Shengli.

Thinking of that soft and tender body being possessed by this man for so many years, and then by another despicable man due to Li Shengli's incompetence, Wei Gang could not contain his anger. "I let you suffer, but to dream of getting rich like this is too easy for you!"

Wei Gang laughed, drawing the attention of the crowd. "There's a saying: behind every successful man is a successful woman. Victory, without a wife, how can you possibly get rich? I suggest you quickly sell this shop before you lose everything and make a fool of yourself."

This was too much, too much! Li Shengli suddenly looked up, and Zhao Jianguo, seeing the situation was dire, stepped forward and tightly gripped his hands, whispering in his ear, "One word from him, and your shop is over. Endure..."

It was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. Rumors had it that Wei Gang had deep connections in the city. If he wanted to cause trouble, he could easily call the industrial and commercial, tax, and health departments, and the small shop, which carried all of Li Shengli's dreams, would be shut down in an instant. With this thought, Li Shengli bit his lip hard, his smile unchanged. "I can't compare to the leaders. Whether successful or not, I just want to earn a living. I just want to earn a living!"

This world! This world!

Living is hard, and living with dignity is even harder. In this world, Li Shengli, once a straightforward and passionate young man, had finally been ground down, his back bent, and the last spark of hope in his heart extinguished.