Rebirth 1990: Rise of the Tycoon

150,000 Part 22

Lu Feng's sharp instincts were extraordinary. Even though Ren Qianbo had only exchanged a few words with him, Lu Feng already felt a sense of crisis. And as it turned out, his intuition was spot on.

Ren Qianbo's factory wasn't just producing canned goods—it was also involved in other food products, primarily distributed through supply and marketing cooperatives and small shops. The advantage of such a market was its stability; the downside was that it was too stable.

In just a few days, Ren Qianbo had gathered plenty of information about Lu Feng's operations, thoroughly understanding his sales model. The most challenging aspect was the grain depot, but with some effort and money, it wasn't an insurmountable obstacle.

Business was booming, production had stabilized, and profits hovered between 8,000 and 9,000 yuan daily. Lu Feng had promoted two employees to supervisors, but he still wasn't fully at ease, opting to work night shifts himself.

After paying off the sealing machine, Lu Feng now had 150,000 yuan in cash, with nearly 180,000 yuan including circulating funds. Not long ago, the idea of being a "ten-thousand-yuan household" had seemed like a distant dream, but now, he was approaching 200,000 yuan.

By evening, the day shift workers had finished, and the night shift began. During a meal break with Da Tou, Lu Feng noticed some unfamiliar faces around the workshop.

"Da Tou, who were those young guys hanging around today?" Lu Feng asked.

"People sniffing around for pricing details, asking about commission rates and such," Da Tou replied, putting down his chopsticks. "Lately, we've had lots of people trying to dig up information. Even Zhou Hao has stopped picking up goods himself; he's been connecting buyers with others and taking a cut. Many of the people coming to pick up goods are pretty annoyed."

"Let him be!" Lu Feng waved dismissively. Zhou Hao, after all, was just a partner. He could run his business however he pleased—and besides, he had already made quite a bit, likely several tens of thousands.

"Tonight, I need you to cover for me. Han Dong is around to help, so you won't be too overwhelmed."

"Got it, Brother Feng. If you have other things to handle, I'll keep an eye on things here," Da Tou assured. Then, as if remembering something, he added, "By the way, Zhou Jianguo and Sun Longbin stopped by again this morning."

Lu Feng sighed. Over the past few days, those two had come by almost daily. While they had helped him significantly, it was clear they were now expecting a return on their efforts. Lu Feng's continued stalling was testing their patience, and they were close to flipping out.

If they wanted to flip out, so be it. They were two pawns he had already used up—nothing they could do would make a real impact.

"Don't bother with them. Even if they invite you for drinks, don't go. Got it?"

Da Tou nodded in agreement.

After dinner, Lu Feng entered the workshop, which was a hive of activity. In one corner was a makeshift cash register with a locked cabinet underneath. For convenience in handling inflows and outflows, Lu Feng had not moved the money during this busy period.

With the growing number of people lingering around, Lu Feng decided it wasn't safe to leave so much cash there. He grabbed a leather bag and unlocked the cabinet. When Da Tou saw the stacks of cash inside, his jaw dropped in amazement.

He had known the business was making good money, but seeing piles of cash in person was a different matter entirely.

Lu Feng quietly observed Da Tou's reaction. He seemed genuinely surprised by the sight of so much money but showed no signs of greed, resentment, or jealousy lurking beneath the surface.

"Da Tou, do you think this world is unfair? I'm doing the same work as you—less, even—but all this money is mine," Lu Feng asked.

"Brother Feng, I'm not doing much. It's all your effort. I've already earned more than enough—way easier than what they're doing," Da Tou replied, pointing at the hard-working laborers nearby. "Brother Feng, you're the one making big moves. This is all your money!"

Lu Feng patted Da Tou on the shoulder and began packing the money into the bag. The 150,000 yuan was heavy to carry, but Lu Feng looked at Da Tou and said, "This is just the beginning. Think long-term. Today, it's 150,000. Tomorrow, it'll be 1.5 million, and then 15 million. Trust me, Brother Feng will never let you down."

Da Tou nodded silently, his expression contemplative.

Lu Feng rode his motorcycle home. Jiang Xiaoyan had recently quit her job at the restaurant, but despite Lu Feng urging her to leave the electronics factory as well, she had refused. Still, her workload had lightened considerably. With the family's debts paid off, her days had become much more relaxed and joyful.

Knocking on the door, Lu Feng was greeted by Jiang Xiaoyan's bright smile of surprise.

"Aren't you on the night shift? Why are you back?"

"I left Da Tou in charge. I missed you," Lu Feng teased with a grin as he stepped inside.

"Don't say such nonsense!" Jiang Xiaoyan blushed and playfully swatted him, glancing outside to ensure no one overheard before closing the door in relief.

"Come here. I've got something to show you," Lu Feng said, placing the leather bag on the table.

"Keep your voice down! Duo Duo is sleeping," Jiang Xiaoyan scolded, though her curiosity was piqued. "What is it?"

"Open it!"

"What's with the suspense? Did you buy me something? I told you not to waste money like that. Men are terrible at shopping, always overpaying—"

Her words trailed off as she unzipped the bag, eyes widening at its contents.

"This..."

"So much money?"

She quickly covered her mouth, afraid the neighbors might hear.

"It's not much—just 150,000," Lu Feng replied nonchalantly.

150,000 yuan—and he says it's not much?

While being a ten-thousand-yuan household wasn't as impressive as it had been in the early '80s, having 15,000 yuan still marked someone as wealthy. But Lu Feng's calm demeanor as he mentioned 150,000 yuan left her utterly shocked.

"Where did you get so much money? Did you rob a bank?" she asked, her voice filled with panic.

"I earned it! Didn't I tell you about the factory I started?" Lu Feng explained, watching as her shock turned to joy and tears began to well up in her eyes.

"You're crying again?" Lu Feng teased. "I promised to give you a good life, didn't I?"

"I'm just so happy!"

Jiang Xiaoyan, a traditional woman at heart, had grown more open during her time with Lu Feng. Once shy to even meet his eyes, she now threw herself into his arms and kissed him on the cheek.

Duo Duo, who had woken up at some point, peeked over the bed and said, "Mom, shame on you!"

"Huh?"

Jiang Xiaoyan turned to see Duo Duo watching them. Her face flushed crimson, and she stammered, "Why aren't you asleep?"

Lu Feng chuckled, rubbing his cheek where she had kissed him. "It's fine. Put the money away. I'll have to head back to relieve Da Tou soon."

"Where can I even put so much money?" Jiang Xiaoyan fretted.

"Just shove it under the bed for now. Tomorrow, buy yourself some new clothes. We're going shopping as a family," Lu Feng said.

"Don't get carried away just because we have money. We need to save," Jiang Xiaoyan chided.

Lu Feng didn't argue. He understood the importance of appearances—after all, his well-tailored wedding suit had helped him fool plenty of people into thinking he was more successful than he was.