Chapter 038: Business Opportunity

Page 1 of 3

"You see, this boy already had a plan in mind. It's as if he was just waiting for the right opportunity to set a trap for me! Now that he's put it that way, how could I possibly refuse?" As soon as Zhang Qiang said this, the whole table burst into laughter.

"Don't talk nonsense, making it sound like Xiao Tian is some kind of schemer! All right, it's settled then. For the prosperity of the Yang family's business, and so that our factory workers can enjoy fresh vegetables, let's raise a glass!" Fang Li laughed softly as she chided Zhang Qiang, then led everyone in a toast to celebrate solving the plastic greenhouse problem.

Everyone lifted their glasses in celebration, even Yang Xueling and Zhang Xinyu, holding their small cups of juice, tiptoed and joined the adults in the toast.

The Zhang family had a wonderful time in Daliushu Village. First, they flew kites with Yang Tian and the others, then went fishing at the Bailang River, caught frogs in the field ditches, and hunted hornets by the big pagoda tree. Despite her young age, Zhang Xinyu surprised everyone by daring to sneak into the neighboring village to steal big yellow peaches after playing with Yang Tian, and even teased their fierce black dog.

They spent the night at Yang Tian’s house, only returning the next day. That night, Zhang Qiang and Yang Bao shared a bed, while Fang Li and Li Xiuying took another. Zhang Xinyu insisted on sleeping with Yang Tian, so the Yangs had to arrange for Yang Xueling to spend the night at Huang Juan’s house. Unexpectedly, Yang Xueling refused outright, crying and protesting until, before the adults could change their minds, she climbed into Yang Tian’s bed and wouldn’t be moved.

Left with no choice, Yang Tian ended up sharing the bed with both girls. When he woke the next morning, he found Yang Xueling clinging tightly to his left arm, while Zhang Xinyu had wrapped herself around his right leg.

Yang Tian could only shake his head and smile at the sight.

True to his word, Zhang Qiang didn’t disappoint. Less than half a month after returning home, he delivered a large batch of original plastic sheeting to the Yangs, all purchased from Shandong, using his factory’s new JAC truck.

He also thoughtfully brought along two experts in greenhouse cultivation from Shandong to provide the Yangs with a week of technical guidance.

Page 2 of 3

Even more remarkable, from start to finish, Zhang Qiang didn’t accept a single penny from Yang Tian’s family—not even the cost of the plastic sheeting. Yang Bao tried to insist, but Zhang Qiang was firm, saying that if Yang Bao kept pressing, it meant he didn’t see him as family. In the end, Yang Bao had no choice but to relent, deciding to thank Zhang Qiang in other ways.

With the arrival of the plastic sheeting, the Yang family’s greenhouse vegetable operation kicked off with great vigor. Having already tasted success, Yang Bao decided to go all in—enclosing ten acres at once and covering it all with greenhouses.

Under Yang Tian’s guidance, they not only planted common vegetables like eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, winter melon, and pumpkin, but also tried their hand at watermelon. They also grew pickling vegetables like snow mustard, preserved mustard, and white radish, since the workers at Zhang Qiang’s factory preferred pickles with their breakfast.

When summer vacation arrived, the improved greenhouses yielded their first harvest. Unexpectedly, Zhang Qiang’s textile factory couldn’t consume all the vegetables. Fortunately, Yang’s vegetables had already made a name for themselves in Luohe Town, and other factories soon began purchasing from them. This delighted the Yang couple, as a single sale brought in over three thousand yuan in profit!

The Yangs knew all this was thanks to Yang Tian’s efforts, and Zhang Qiang’s help could not be overlooked. So Li Xiuying decided that Yang Bao and Yang Tian should visit the Zhangs with some local specialties to express their gratitude.

Such gestures were customary in the countryside, and Yang Tian agreed. Together with Yang Bao, he went to town, bringing gifts like free-range hens, eggs, and Huang Juan’s jujubes.

When the Zhangs heard Yang Tian and his father were coming, Zhang Qiang and his wife were overjoyed, hurrying back from the factory to entertain them and prepare a meal. Zhang Xinyu was especially happy, for with Yang Tian’s tutoring, she had just been admitted to Shengli Middle School with top marks in the entrance exam from Shengli Primary.

"Brother, from next semester on, I’ll be able to play with you every day!" Zhang Xinyu beamed, holding Yang Tian’s hand.

Yang Tian smiled with satisfaction. After a year of tutoring Zhang Xinyu, for which the Zhangs had paid nearly two thousand yuan, she had been admitted to the best middle school in town—his mission was accomplished.

What made him even happier was that Yang Xueling had also been admitted to Shengli Middle School with the highest score in the entire school. Although he hadn’t tutored her, Yang Xueling’s grades had always been excellent. Yang Tian had anticipated this, remembering that before his rebirth, Yang Xueling had always been a top student in her class, so he hadn’t planned to tutor her in elementary school.

Page 3 of 3

Still, he had already decided that once middle school started, he would focus on tutoring Yang Xueling all the way to university, since the curriculum would only grow more challenging.

The Zhangs were overjoyed at Zhang Xinyu’s admission to Shengli Middle School and insisted on giving Yang Tian a red envelope. Yang Tian refused, not because the envelope was too large, but because, since the Zhangs treated the Yangs as family, he couldn’t accept the money.

Soon, Fang Li prepared a sumptuous meal, and Zhang Qiang and Yang Bao began drinking together. The relationship between the two families became even closer, and their conversation grew more candid.

"Brother Bao, to be honest, I’m troubled these days! I’d planned to move the textile factory to the city by the end of the year, but unfortunately, our latest reform failed. We produced a large batch of blankets that we can’t sell, and without funds, the plan to open a city branch will have to be postponed," Zhang Qiang said after a drink, sharing his worries after discussing Zhang Xinyu’s exam success.

"That’s right! The reform wasn’t really a failure. We wanted to diversify our textile production—we couldn’t just keep making printed and plain cloth, could we? So we tried producing scarves, towels, and blankets, hoping to expand and raise capital for the city branch. But then a client from Hebei suddenly broke their contract. Even though we got some compensation, our blankets are the real problem—who are we going to sell them to?" said Fang Li, usually cheerful but now clouded with worry.

"Enough of that. Brother Bao rarely visits—let’s talk about something cheerful! Xiao Tian, since Xinyu will be at your school next term, you’ll have to take good care of her!" Zhang Qiang quickly shifted the mood, clapping and laughing.

"Godfather, if you trust me, just keep those blankets in storage until November this year. You’ll definitely make a big profit!" Yang Tian put down his chopsticks, smiling confidently. Since his family and the Zhangs were so close, he couldn’t stand by and do nothing when Zhang Qiang was in trouble.

"Can you tell us why?" Zhang Qiang and Fang Li were both astonished.

"That’s a secret! When the time comes, I’ll tell you what to do. All you need to do is hold on to those blankets!" Yang Tian grinned mischievously. If his memory served him right, by the end of the year, the largest hotel in Binhai City, Furong Manor, would be opening. With over fifty floors, it would remain the city’s largest hotel for a decade—how could he forget it? Before opening, Furong Manor would need a massive order of bedding. When that time came, Zhang Qiang could have those blankets upgraded into premium comforters, and the hotel would surely buy them all.