Chapter 7: July's Harvest

People quickly gathered, and Old Mr. Fang naturally took the main seat. He was one of the oldest employees in the factory, and although he had retired, many of his former colleagues and apprentices still worked there. Fang Sheng was now doing well in the workshop, so these small leaders in the factory were all quite respectful to him. They all gave the green light to the Fang family's plan to set up a small food stall outside the factory gate. After all, most of the small shops and breakfast stalls in town were run by local farmers, and the factory workers' children were not interested in such jobs. If the Fang family wanted to do it, it would be seen as taking care of the factory workers' children, which would sound good.

Moreover, Old Mr. Fang had prepared a sumptuous banquet, and as they left, he gave each of them several packs of Golden Monkey cigarettes, which made them feel quite honored. Thus, the matter of Fang Bin setting up a stall outside the factory gate was settled smoothly.

Fang Mingyuan was finally completely at ease. Once this business started, his mischievous uncle would be like a horse with a bridle, fully devoted to it and unable to wander around the town for a while. When the crackdown in August began, his uncle, being no fool, would naturally restrain his behavior, and nothing would go wrong.

Time quickly passed, and it was already July, the time for Fang Mingyuan's summer vacation. As expected, Fang Mingyuan scored a perfect 100 in both subjects, firmly holding the top spot in the entire grade. Unfortunately, it was a tie, as three other classmates also achieved the unexpected high scores. Among them was Feng Qian, who had benefited from Fang Mingyuan's tutoring. This result made both the Fang and Feng families extremely happy.

Meanwhile, Fang Bin's hard work over the past month had brought a substantial reward. His location was excellent, right outside the largest factory gate, where about 70% of the workers passed by every day. With his grandmother's genuine skills and the high-quality, affordable buns, sales increased daily, and the monthly net income reached several hundred yuan. In the Fang family, only his grandmother and Fang Bin were fully committed, while the others only helped for half an hour to an hour each day. This meant that Fang Bin and his grandmother each earned nearly 40 yuan per month, which was a pleasant surprise for the whole family. What made Old Mr. Fang even happier was that Fang Bin, who initially had some resistance, now had a clear goal and was full of hope for the future. Seeing his son smile genuinely for the first time since being sent home, Old Mr. Fang felt extremely gratified.

"Father, I think we can expand our business. We are already making so much income just from breakfast. If we could also serve lunch and dinner, wouldn't we earn even more? I want to rent a house near the factory gate to serve all three meals. I think the costs will be quickly recovered!" Fang Bin said excitedly. As the youngest in the family, he was now the highest earner, which made him feel very proud. Forty yuan a month was equivalent to the salary of a factory manager.

"That's not possible, Uncle!" Before Old Mr. Fang could speak, a young voice came from the door, and Fang Mingyuan walked in with small steps.

"Xiao Yuan, come, come, come. I heard you got first place in the grade and a perfect score. Uncle will give you a reward!" Fang Bin smiled and took out a stack of one-yuan bills, counted ten, and put them in Fang Mingyuan's pocket. This was the first time he had earned so much money; he gave 20 yuan to Old Mr. Fang and kept 20 yuan for himself. The 10-yuan reward was equivalent to half a month's salary for Fang Sheng! Old Mr. Fang saw this but did not stop him.

"As long as you get first place every year, Uncle will keep rewarding you. When you grow up, Uncle will give you a bicycle!" Fang Bin patted Fang Mingyuan's head and smiled. In this era, a bicycle was a significant item. If a husband could provide a bicycle for the wedding, it was comparable to a car in the 1990s, a matter of great prestige. If Fang Bin were not confident in his future, he would not have made such a promise.

Fang Mingyuan naturally accepted the reward without hesitation. At this time, he had countless ideas for making money, but he had no money to implement them, so he had a strong desire for money beyond his age. Not to mention 10 yuan, even a thousand or more, he would accept without hesitation. There were too many places where he would need to spend money in the future, and without money, how could he start his grand plan?

"Xiao Yuan, tell me, why do you think Uncle's suggestion won't work?" Old Mr. Fang now placed great importance on his grandson's wisdom. Fang Bin's success today was largely due to his grandson. Fang Bin looked at his father in surprise, not understanding why he was so interested in Fang Mingyuan's opposition. Could a six- or seven-year-old child have any unique insights on such matters?

Fang Mingyuan jumped onto the sofa, swinging his little feet, and said, "Grandfather, Uncle, we've only been doing this for a month, and you want to expand the business. That's a bit too hasty. I read in a book that you need to build a solid foundation for anything, just like a child learning to walk. You can't start running as soon as you can walk, or you'll fall! Old Mr. Fang nodded in satisfaction. This child had a long-term perspective, and despite his young age, he had a good sense of the big picture.

"Moreover, the reason we've been so smooth this month is not only because you, Grandfather, have laid the groundwork in advance, but also because most people don't want to do this job, thinking that working in the factory is the right path. If we start a small restaurant after just one month, it will definitely arouse jealousy and attract more competitors. So I think we should first focus on doing well in our current business and gain the recognition of the workers. Then, we can look for the right opportunity to expand, so as not to draw attention. As the teacher said, people fear fame, and pigs fear getting fat!"

Fang Mingyuan's words made Fang Bin's eyes widen. He had to admit that his nephew's words were reasonable and well-organized, like those of a grown-up.

"Brat, did you hear that? A hundred yuan made you so proud! Xiao Yuan is the one who's right!" Old Mr. Fang scolded his younger son, looking disappointed, "Your brain is not even as good as a six- or seven-year-old! From now on, you will sell buns honestly and not associate with your bad friends. Your brother Zhu said that the town's security might be tightened soon. If you end up in the police station, no one can save you!"

Fang Bin came in with high hopes and left with a long face, going out to buy vegetables.

Fang Mingyuan smiled inwardly. Although this might hurt his uncle's confidence, it was important to establish his own image to control his uncle in the future and make him a vanguard in his plans. Thinking about it, Fang Mingyuan felt a bit disheartened—there were still at least ten years before he could make independent decisions as an adult.

Page AD starts

Page AD ends