Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire

Chapter 37: Chapter 36: Opposing Uselessness

Big Brother Su had other things to attend to and didn’t stay long.

After seeing him off, Xue Mao couldn’t wait to ask, “Sis, was the watch Big Brother Su wore last time really worth one hundred and fifty thousand? Even if it’s made of gold, it can’t be worth that much.”

Gold is currently around thirty yuan per gram, so half a jin would only be worth several thousand at most, nowhere near that amount of money. He was skeptical about what Su Heming said.

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “Rolex is a globally renowned brand and a symbol of status. In other words, only those who are rich and powerful can afford to wear it.”

That is the value of the brand. There are many centuries-old brands abroad, but they are rare in our country. In her past life, she had thought about opening a clothing factory to sell her designs all over the world. She didn’t achieve it before, but this life, she was determined to make it happen.

Xue Mao understood that latter part.

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When Lu Jiajie returned home in the evening, Lu Jiaxin asked him, “Are there any pawnshops in the Forty-nine City now?”@@novelbin@@

“Why are you asking about that?”

Lu Jiaxin didn’t bother making up an excuse to deceive him, it was unnecessary, “Do you still remember Su Heming? Madam Xie’s nephew from her maternal family. I did him a favor, and today he sent me a set of jewelry. I have no use for it, so I want to pawn it to get some money to start a business.”

“You don’t need much capital to set up a snack stand.”

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “Bro, a snack stand only requires a few tens in capital. Su Heming said that doing business is very profitable nowadays, and he has a friend in the clothing business from whom I can get merchandise. Selling snacks is hard work and doesn’t earn much. I’d like to set up a stall selling clothes.”

Lu Jiajie himself had been tempted, but he didn’t agree with Lu Jiaxin doing business, “Xinxin, business isn’t that easy. Some people do make money, but many more end up bankrupt. Xinxin, your top priority is to recover your health and then go back to school for your college entrance exams. Once you’re in college, you’ll have a secure job and won’t have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of your life.”

Lu Jiaxin knew this was the common mindset, but there was no way she could work for someone else. In her previous life, she was a wage worker; this life, she wanted to be the boss. And as for working in a state-owned enterprise or a public institution, she valued her freedom too much to consider it.

After thinking it over, Lu Jiaxin said, “Fifth Brother, let me have a try. You don’t need to worry about me not being able to handle it; I’ll just take care of procuring the goods, and Xue Mao can handle selling the clothes at the stall.”

“Fifth Brother, we can’t touch the money in the savings book. Right now, I only have a little over a thousand yuan on hand. Repeating a year requires quite a bit of money, and even more is needed for four years of college. This amount of money won’t be enough.”

Lu Jiajie felt these concerns didn’t need his attention, as Lu Hongjun would provide for them.

Lu Jiaxin said resolutely, “If I were to use his money, I’d rather not retake the college entrance exams or go to college and just join Xue Mao in running a stall to support myself.”

Seeing her attitude, Lu Jiajie felt a twinge of alarm in his heart. This girl couldn’t seriously be considering it, could she? If so, wouldn’t that be playing right into the Ding family’s hands? No, absolutely not. He couldn’t persuade her right now, as she was still angry and it might backfire.

Lu Jiajie said, “If you don’t want Third Uncle’s support, then I and Big Brother will support you. Don’t reject the idea just yet, hear me out. The cost will mainly be for the repeating year. Once you’re in college, you’ll receive government subsidies and won’t need to spend much.”

His sister-in-law and his wife were both reasonable people and would likely agree. Of course, these were just comforting words for Lu Jiaxin. That money would definitely need to come from Third Uncle.

Lu Jiaxin flatly refused, “You all have your own families and your own difficulties, I can’t burden you. Fifth Brother, I just want to take advantage of this rest period to start a business, and once I’m healthy, I’ll go back to school to retake the exams. I’ll hand the business over to Xue Mao to manage.”

“Xinxin, doing business isn’t that simple,” he said.

Lu Jiaxin laughed, saying, “Doing business is tough, but even tougher was when we were in the Ancient Capital. Back then, we were weak and had no one to rely on, even getting bullied while doing small trades. Under such difficult conditions, Xue Mao and I still made money. Now that I have you and Big Brother to rely on, not to mention the resources provided by Su Heming, I don’t believe I can’t make money.”

“Is it reliable?”

Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, “He’s Madam Xie’s nephew, and I helped him avoid other people’s schemes. It’s impossible for him to cheat me.”

Knowing the details of how Su Heming was schemed against, Lu Jiajie marveled at the Su family’s wealth and power; to set a trap for him involved using a gold watch worth more than a hundred thousand as bait. A person giving guidance to Xinxin like this shouldn’t be a problem.

He also felt that doing business with him should be profitable, but he wouldn’t express that. Lu Jiajie said, “Xinxin, Third Uncle and Big Brother won’t agree to this.”

“It’s my decision to make, and it’s useless for them not to agree,” Lu Jiaxin said, showing her sharp edge for the first time. If it weren’t for the need to get information from Lu Jiajie, she would have kept this to herself.

Lu Jiaxin asked, “Fifth Brother, if you don’t help me, I’ll find someone else to gather information.”

What could Lu Jiajie do but agree for the time being? However, he turned around and told Lu Hongjun and Lu Jiaguang about it.

This time, Lu Hongjun decided not to interfere. He said, “If she wants to sell clothes, let her sell them. She really thinks that making money is easy.”

Running a snack stall is not the same as being in the clothing business. With a snack stall, as long as the food is tasty, making money is not hard, but there are many intricacies in selling clothes.

“Third Uncle, you’re really not going to intervene?”

Lu Hongjun said firmly, “No, I won’t. Since she doesn’t want the three hundred yuan, you keep it, buy some new clothes for the two kids, or get them some good food.”

Lu Jiajie felt stifled. Lu Hongjun might say he wanted Lu Jiaxin to learn that making money isn’t easy, but he clearly understood this was intended to make his sister yield. Suddenly, he thought that Lu Jiaxin’s decision might be the right one; only by gaining financial independence could she escape Third Uncle’s control. On the other hand, if Lu Jiaxin managed to make money through business, there would be even less chance of reconciling the father-daughter relationship.

Lu Jiaguang strongly opposed the idea when he learned about it. He believed that at her age, she should be focusing on her studies: “There will be plenty of opportunities to make money later. Her priority right now should be to take care of her health and then retake the university entrance exams.”

He paused before adding, “Tell Jiaxin that going to college is completely different from not going. Those who get into college are all exceptional individuals. Once she gets into college, not only can she acquire knowledge but also build a network. All these would be valuable whether she decides to work in a unit or run a business in the future.”

This time, Lu Jiajie spoke well of Lu Jiaxin, “Big Brother, Jiaxin means to sell clothes and make some money while she’s recuperating. Once she’s better, she’ll go back to studying, and she’ll leave the business to Xue Mao to handle.”

“Big Brother, Jiaxin says she’s definitely going to college – it was Third Aunt’s dying wish. These days, she reads English every morning, and she also keeps up with her other subjects.”

“Big Brother, Jiaxin doesn’t want to take Third Uncle’s money anymore; that’s why she wants to earn money for her studies and college.”

Lu Jiaguang said, “If she doesn’t want Third Uncle’s money, I will support her.”

Lu Jiajie replied with a bitter smile, “I said I would support her studies with you, but she doesn’t want that. She says we have our own families and our troubles, and she can’t burden us. Brother, why not let her give it a try? Who knows, maybe she really can make money!”

Lu Jiaguang felt a deep sense of frustration.