Chapter 267 - 201: Wenren Lan (3)

Of course, the main reason was the NLB livestream. It had made his cash flow much healthier, bringing in 4.1 million in funds at once. After paying NLB, there was still enough for Zen.

From this perspective, livestream sales were a huge help for bringing in cash. It meant he and Yang Na no longer had to pinch every penny.

"Yang Na, the company’s funds should be liquid enough now. Find some time to buy a company vehicle. For one thing, we’ll need a car if we have to host clients in the future. Plus, it doesn’t look right for a general manager like you to be taking taxis to visit the stores all the time. You’ll also have to visit our out-of-town locations later, and having a car will be much more convenient."

’Wait, doesn’t Huang Lingyu sell the Lantu Dream Chaser? That car would be perfect for the company.’

"Actually, leave the car purchase to me."

Yang Na wasn’t against buying a car, because what Yang Hui said made sense. The company needed a vehicle, and they might have to host clients in the future. But she was quite surprised by his volunteering to buy it himself. This wasn’t like him, the hands-off boss.

"What’s the plan for the employees’ lunch? It’s so busy today, and it’s a weekend. A half-hour break might not be enough for them."

"I had someone book a private room upstairs. They can go eat in shifts, like one of those big country feasts."

Yang Na nodded approvingly. She was really learning how to take good care of her employees. "In that case, the few of us should go upstairs for a bite later, too. We can’t help much down here anyway."

At the same time, he sent a message to Huang Lingyu: "Lingyu, get a fully loaded Lantu Dream Chaser ready for me. Let me know when it’s all set, and I’ll come pick it up."

Meanwhile, Huang Lingyu had just sent a message to Zheng Lei. She had taken two days off work, frustrated with him for showing up at the dealership to see her. Her message read: "You’re a good person. It’s me, I’m not good enough for you. Please stop coming to find me, otherwise I’ll have no choice but to quit. Thank you. Let’s just let each other go."

Shenjia Town was a small town in the suburbs of Sanyang City. Because it was isolated from the main transportation routes, the town’s economy had always been poor.

Shen Ming and his wife owned a few rice paddies and also ran a small general store in town to make a living. They were considered slightly better off than families who could only rely on farming, but they were just getting by, not wealthy.

The town’s young people and able-bodied laborers had all moved away, leaving mostly the elderly behind, who didn’t have much spending power. Business only picked up a bit during the New Year when people came back to visit. When Shen Ming was younger, he had considered leaving to work as a migrant laborer, but after discussing it with his wife, they agreed that raising their daughter properly was the priority. So, he stayed in their hometown to look after the general store and tend to the fields.

His wife, meanwhile, had moved to Sanyang City to accompany their daughter through school. Only after their daughter got into university did she return to help Shen Ming run the household. Now the couple was 50 years old, and it was unrealistic to go out and find migrant work. They could only stick with their increasingly unprofitable general store, with no idea what the future held. The general economic climate was bad, and many of the young people who had left for work were now returning.

"Shen Ming, go buy some braised dishes. We can make a few of Meng Meng and Minmin’s favorite dishes at home. And if you want to have a couple of drinks, today’s the day to enjoy them."

Shen Ming, who was stocking shelves, said to his wife, Jia Ru, "Big Sister is here today, too. Why don’t we just close for the day?"

Their home was on the east end of town, while the store was in the center. If they had to keep the store open, only one of them could go home, which would be too rude.

The normally frugal Jia Ru was uncharacteristically permissive for once. "Then let’s close up. One day won’t make a difference. Go back and spend some quality time with our girl."

"Alrighty~," Shen Ming said, as if granted amnesty. Hosting Big Sister was one thing, but mostly he just wanted to see his own little girl. The couple’s life might be a bit tight, but having such a beautiful and sensible daughter was Shen Ming’s greatest pride in life.

The couple had just lowered the roll-down security door when they heard someone shout from the side, "Hey, Old Shen, how come you’re closing so early?"

Shen Ming turned and saw it was his neighbor. "Ah, Old Tang. We have company at home today, so we’re closed for the day."

Hearing this, Old Tang immediately put two and two together. "To get you two to close up shop... could it be that Meng Meng is back?"

At the mention of his daughter, Shen Ming’s face broke into a wide smile. "That’s right. The girl said she’s coming home for a visit today. Her mother and I are going back to make her some of her favorite food."

Old Tang was clearly on his way home too, and he walked alongside Shen Ming. Confirming that Shen Meng was back, he said, "What a coincidence! My Binbin came back yesterday too. He’s been doing well for himself in Qingzhou lately, making this old man proud. He drove back in a BMW this time. Said he earned it in a month. He also said, with the way business is going, he’s planning to upgrade to a big Benz by the end of the year."

"Oh, your Binbin is impressive. You’ll get to live in comfort now."

Shen Ming offered a word of praise, but inwardly he was skeptical. He’d heard that Old Tang’s son, Tang Bin, was in the live-streaming business, but supposedly it was all one-off scams—cheating one person and moving on to the next. Last year, someone from the neighboring village, one of Tang Bin’s old classmates, came back driving a Rolls-Royce after being away for a year, claiming he’d made tens of millions. This year, Tang Bin had gone to work for that very classmate.

’Earning enough for a BMW in one month? What kind of legitimate business could that be?’