Chapter 405: Teacher Su’s Theory

Wang Yang took out his phone and answered the call immediately.

“Yes!”

“That’s right.”

“…”

“Then I’ll head over right now. Okay.”

Hanging up the phone, Wang Yang looked at Qi Bu. Before he could say anything, Qi Bu spoke first.

“Someone looking for a renovation?”

“Yes.”

“President Chen’s order?”

“Correct.”

“You need to head over now?”

“Mm-hmm!” Wang Yang nodded.

“Then what are we waiting for? I’ll drive you,” Supervisor Qi Bu said with an anxious look. He then turned to the designers in the meeting room and spoke quickly. “Meeting adjourned. Everyone is dismissed.”

With that, he pulled Wang Yang along and quickly left Chenglin Decoration.

Once they were in the car, Qi Bu set up the navigation and slowly started the engine. He turned to Wang Yang in the passenger seat and asked casually, “By the way, how far along are you with your driver’s license?”

“I’ve finished Subject Three, and I’m preparing for Subject Four,” Wang Yang replied.

Ever since Chen Jun went to Beijing, Wang Yang had enrolled in driving school. Now, as long as he passed Subject Four, he would get his license.

“That’s soon then. Headquarters already mentioned that as soon as your license is issued, they’ll immediately provide you with a car. The budget is 200,000 yuan. You can go to a 4S store^[1] and pick one out yourself.”

“Thank you, Brother Qi.”

Wang Yang expressed his gratitude. He knew that Qi Bu was the one who had made the recommendation to headquarters.

…

Time passed quickly, and it was soon the end of July.

Jiangcheng North Station.

Song Xia and Su Dan slowly walked out of the train station. Looking at the heavy traffic ahead, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of nostalgia. After being away for so long, they were finally back.

“Song Xia, I think I finally understand the significance of President Chen having us pick up and escort those elderly people,” Su Dan said with emotion, glancing back at the several seniors following behind them.

“Didn’t he say it was to let us accumulate some merit?” Song Xia asked, looking puzzled. That was exactly what President Chen had said before they left. Was there another reason?

However, after this trip, her mindset had indeed undergone a change.

In those impoverished mountain areas, seeing how those people lived, she found it hard to believe that in modern society, there was still a group of people struggling just to keep themselves fed and warm.

Seeing this made her realize how happy her previous life had been, and it left a deep impression on her heart. Although the journey was exhausting, her soul felt as if it had been sublimated.

“Accumulating merit?” Su Dan looked back at the elderly people, who appeared lost and overwhelmed by the sudden entry into a strange environment, and gave a self-deprecating laugh. “If accumulating merit were truly useful, do you think there would still be these impoverished elderly people?”

Song Xia froze for a moment upon hearing this, then shook her head. If there really were such a thing as “accumulating merit,” these seniors would have been snatched up by others for that purpose long ago.

Seeing Song Xia’s expression, Su Dan sighed softly, her gaze turning toward a sense of admiration. “President Chen having us go on this trip… ‘accumulating merit’ was just an excuse. It was more about preserving something.”

“Something? What thing?” Song Xia looked at Su Dan in confusion, unable to think of what needed preserving.

Su Dan turned to Song Xia and said with a very serious expression, “A conscience.”

“President Chen wants us to keep our consciences. He wants to tell us that no matter how much we develop Nanhe Coffee in the future, we must never forget our conscience.”

“Think back. All of President Chen’s industries, except for the current Cangxue Games, are almost all in a state of loss. Do you know why?”

“Is it because they really can’t make money? Not at all. It’s because President Chen is sticking to his conscience.”

“Take Boring Short Video, for example. It’s always promoting positive energy and live streaming educational content. If they featured suggestive content, wouldn’t it be more attractive? Then there’s the Clothing Factory. All the machines are the most advanced automated ones, and the fabrics used are all high quality. They never cut corners on workmanship.”

“…”

“And the Employee Cafeteria and Employee Dormitory. If President Chen made them a bit worse, wouldn’t the saved money all belong to him?”

“So, everything is because President Chen is sticking to his conscience. He has suppressed his own desires and given up a lot of profit. The beneficiaries are us employees and the customers who buy the company’s products.”

“And President Chen wanted us to go on this trip so that we would also maintain this kind of character.”

Song Xia nodded, feeling touched by Su Dan’s words. “But what should we do?”

They could maintain these qualities, but they only ran a coffee shop. They couldn’t exactly establish a Foundation like President Chen did, could they? With their strength, they simply couldn’t achieve that!

Su Dan looked up at the distance and spoke slowly. “What we need to do is very simple: don’t put all our focus on how to make Nanhe Coffee profitable. We should look more at the things around us and do as many good deeds as we can within our power.”

“Just like these elderly people in front of us. They have never been to a big city and know nothing about urban life. They don’t know how to take the subway, they don’t know how to scan a QR code with a phone, they don’t know… there are many things they don’t know. They are a group of people who have fallen out of touch with society.”

“We can do things based on this. For example, we could post a notice at the entrance of the coffee shop stating that any employee can provide assistance to them.”

“Of course, there are many similar things we can do. Once we get back to the company, we can hold a meeting when we have time and brainstorm together.”

“Mm, then we’ll discuss it when we get back to the office,” Song Xia agreed.

Just then, two business vans drove up from a distance and stopped in front of them.

A driver rolled down the window. “Are you Manager Song and Manager Su? I was sent by Director Luo to pick up the elderly and take them to the apartments.”

“Yes, the seniors are all here,” Su Dan nodded, then turned and gestured to the several elderly people behind her.

“Alright, leave it to us.”

The two drivers got out of the vans and walked toward the seniors with gentle expressions, intending to lead them to the vehicles.

However, the elderly people seemed somewhat afraid. They didn’t move, instead looking at Song Xia and Su Dan with nervous expressions.

Seeing this, Song Xia and Su Dan sighed and said to the drivers, “They’ve just arrived in the big city and are a bit unfamiliar and scared. We’ll go with them.”

With that, the two women went over to the seniors and offered a few words of gentle comfort. Then, led by Song Xia and Su Dan, they entered the business vans.

…

Dongcheng Apartments.

Luo Xiao led a woman in her thirties into the Dongcheng Apartments and soon arrived in front of a unit.

Opening the door, they found eight elderly people standing in the living room.

“Teacher Li, the seniors are all here. Take a look and see if anyone is suitable to join the Elderly Song and Dance Troupe,” Luo Xiao said respectfully to the woman beside him.

This woman was named Li Ting. She was once the leader of a song and dance troupe and was proficient in classical dance, folk dance, modern dance, and more. She also possessed a strong foundation in vocal music, making her the perfect choice for a mentor for the Elderly Song and Dance Troupe.

He had invited her many times, and finally, with the help of “money power,” he had managed to hire her.

No matter what, with such an excellent mentor teaching them, this dance troupe couldn’t possibly be too bad.

Translator’s Notes

1. 4S store: A common term in China for a full-service car dealership. The four ‘S’s stand for Sales, Spare parts, Service, and Survey. ↩

Subject Three / Subject Four: Refers to the standardized stages of the Chinese driver’s license exam. Subject 3 is the road test, and Subject 4 is a written test on safety and civilized driving knowledge.