"Let's wait until Yi Feng gets back!"
As he spoke, Liu Kai Chen saw Liu Yi Feng and immediately smiled, saying, "Yi Feng, you're back!"
Although they were cousins, they were only a year apart in age, so they usually called each other by their names when greeting.
Liu Yi Feng nodded and then sat down beside his father.
"Yi Feng, Kai Chen just said he knows the big boss of a hotel chain and is willing to buy our crawfish at twenty-two yuan per jin, which is two yuan more per jin than Boss Du. What are your thoughts?" Liu Chun Sheng asked.
No matter what choice Yi Feng made, his father would respect it.
Liu Yi Feng said without hesitation, "Kai Chen, I've signed a contract with Boss Du. No matter how many crawfish I have, I will only sell them to him. Otherwise, I'll have to pay him a five hundred thousand yuan breach of contract penalty. So, I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."
He didn't refuse directly but gave a reason why he had to refuse, so as not to cause Liu Kai Chen's displeasure.
Upon hearing this, Liu Kai Chen immediately said it was no big deal, "Yi Feng, one must be flexible. Although you promised to sell all your crawfish to him, your second uncle didn't, did he? You can raise more crawfish in his name, and then I'll have that boss contact your second uncle. That way, there won't be any breach of contract."
However, Liu Yi Feng couldn't bring himself to engage in such speculative and profiteering activities.
"I know you're thinking of us, but I can't do this. The most important thing for a person is integrity. Money can't be earned endlessly, but once integrity is lost, wealth will also be lost." Especially in business, integrity is paramount. No boss wants to do business with someone who lacks integrity. Liu Yi Feng understood this well, so his vision was more far-reaching. He was not tempted by the immediate benefits.
Liu Kai Chen's expression immediately turned displeased. He had already found a buyer for Liu Yi Feng, and they were waiting for a reply, but Liu Yi Feng was so stubborn that he directly refused.
Liu Chun Sheng agreed with his son's words. He looked at Liu Kai Chen and said, "Kai Chen, don't be angry. Yi Feng isn't intentionally rejecting your kind offer. It's just that some things, we can't ignore them for the sake of money. I hope you understand."
Liu Kai Chen forced a smile, "Second Uncle, it's fine. This was my oversight, I shouldn't have approached a client without asking for clarity first. I'll come up with an excuse later to handle it."
Liu Yi Feng didn't want his cousin to be in a difficult position. He remembered the vegetables they grew, which hotels would surely use. He said, "Kai Chen, besides raising crawfish, I also grow a lot of vegetables. They are ripe now, and their taste is several times better than ordinary vegetables, with higher nutritional value. I wonder if your client would be interested."
Liu Kai Chen listened and wasn't very interested, "Forget it. They have their own vegetable greenhouses and don't need to buy any. Why would they buy from you? Isn't that superfluous?"
"But my vegetables..." Liu Yi Feng hadn't finished his sentence before Liu Kai Chen interrupted him. "Since you're not planning to sell to my client at a high price, I have nothing more to say. I'll be going back now. I still need to get settled in the city; I'll be officially starting work tomorrow." With that, he got up and walked towards the door.
"Okay, come over for dinner when you have time. There's plenty of crawfish at home," Liu Yi Feng said, not saying anything more. He truly couldn't bring himself to do what was suggested. Besides, he was already satisfied with selling his less than two jin of crawfish for twenty yuan per jin. One shouldn't be too greedy.
Liu Kai Chen didn't say a word and left in his Mercedes.
As soon as he got home, he received a call from his client. On the phone, the client, upon learning that the crawfish deal didn't work out, hung up unhappily. Liu Kai Chen's face turned grim. He had initially hoped to facilitate cooperation between the two parties, allowing him to secure more investment upon his new role and thus achieve some results. Now, it seemed this plan was in ruins.
Seeing his displeased son, Liu Cha Sheng asked with concern, "Did something happen?"
"What else could happen? It's just that Second Uncle and Liu Yi Feng don't appreciate good intentions. I found a client for him who would buy his crawfish at twenty-two yuan per jin, allowing him to earn more. Who knew he'd flatly refuse, even talking about integrity. What does integrity even mean in the face of money? Now I'm in a difficult position with the client," Liu Kai Chen said angrily.
After hearing his son's words, Liu Cha Sheng was also filled with anger, "What? This happened? Son, don't worry. Dad will go find them now and make them agree."
"Forget it, the client already knows it's a lost cause. Since they don't need my help, why should we try to help them? Even if they beg me in the future, I won't help them again," Liu Kai Chen said, and then left Liu Family Village.
However, Liu Cha Sheng grew more and more angry as he thought about it. These two were truly ungrateful. His son had humbled himself to find them a buyer so they could earn more money, but they had so readily refused, putting his son in a difficult spot. If this offended the client, his son's future work might not go smoothly. Angrily, he stormed over to Liu Yi Feng's house and, pointing at Liu Yi Feng's nose, unleashed a torrent of abuse.
Liu Yi Feng, seeing that he was his uncle, did not retort. However, Liu Chun Sheng couldn't stand it anymore, "Third Brother, your son went and found someone without even asking if we needed his help. He never considered whether his good intentions might become a burden to us. Now that it didn't work out, he's blaming us. Is that reasonable?"
"Second Brother, are you speaking human words? Kai Chen did this to help you earn more money. It's one thing that you don't appreciate it, but to treat it as a burden is too much," Liu Cha Sheng said, his face red with anger.
"We don't not appreciate it, but we genuinely cannot do something that is a breach of faith. Yi Feng and I have already apologized to Kai Chen. Now you're coming here to question us. What am I supposed to say?" Liu Chun Sheng said with some helplessness.
Liu Cha Sheng couldn't understand, "Helping you earn more money is a breach of faith? Isn't there a saying, 'Man dies for wealth, as birds die for food'? Not making money is foolish."
Seeing that they couldn't see eye to eye, Liu Chun Sheng was also puffing his chest out in anger. These father and son were truly of the same ilk, valuing money more than their lives.
Liu Yi Feng, watching the escalating argument between the two brothers, quickly intervened, "Third Uncle, I know you and Kai Chen meant well. However, I signed a cooperation agreement with Boss Du. If I secretly sell the crawfish to someone else, I'll have to pay a five hundred thousand yuan penalty. Where am I supposed to get five hundred thousand yuan?"
Upon hearing that he would have to pay so much money, Liu Cha Sheng was stunned. Then, in frustration, he said, "I said, why did you sign a contract in the first place? With crawfish like yours, you're afraid they won't sell? Now it's settled at a fixed price, and you can't raise it later. You were really foolish."
"It's already signed, nothing more can be said," Liu Yi Feng said, but he didn't regret it.
Seeing that there was no room for negotiation, Liu Cha Sheng went back. He wouldn't truly fall out with his second brother and nephew over this matter. He was still thinking of learning the crawfish farming techniques from Yi Feng, so he could farm them himself and then have his son sell them to his client. That would solve the problem.
Today was the tenth birthday of Qiang Zi's son, and he had invited all his relatives and friends, setting up six tables for a banquet. In their region, not only do firstborn children celebrate their first birthdays, but they also have grand celebrations for their tenth and twentieth birthdays. The second born children are rather unfortunate; at most, their families buy a cake to celebrate on their birthdays.
Liu Yi Feng was worried about what gift to give. Qiang Zi had said no gifts, or he would get angry. But he couldn't really go empty-handed. Gifts like toys and study supplies were too cheap and wouldn't be presentable. After thinking for a long time, he decided to give his son a golden longevity lock. Moreover, gold doesn't depreciate, and if Qiang Zi needed money someday, he could exchange it for some. Isn't this gift better than giving cash directly?
So, Liu Yi Feng went to the jewelry store in the county town early in the morning to buy a longevity lock. Finally, he chose one engraved with his son Qiang Zi's zodiac sign. He bought a solid one, which felt heavy in his hand, and it cost ten thousand yuan. At that time, ten thousand yuan was equivalent to half a year's salary for an ordinary person. But Liu Yi Feng was willing to spend it. His brotherhood with Qiang Zi was worth more than any amount of money.
After buying the longevity lock, Liu Yi Feng returned home. On the way back, he saw a new children's clothing store opening and bought two sets of clothes for Qiang Zi's son. However, he didn't know if they would fit. Casually, he also bought two sets of summer clothes for Tong Tong. Tong Tong's clothes were still the ones his mother had packed and brought over, and they were a bit old.