Back to the 1980s: Transmigrated as the Bigshot's Pampered Wife-Chapter 98: Partnering Up to Buy a Truck

"Yeah, Haoyi, how have you been lately?"

Even through the phone, Lin Haoshi could tell his friend was in high spirits. It seemed he had truly bounced back.

"Me? I’m doing okay. I’ve moved out of the Lin Family home, and I even found my grandfather. Now it’s just the two of us, getting by together."

"So, did you find your dad?" Su Shuochi was happy for his friend.

"No. My grandfather had people start searching for my dad a year ago, but they found no trace of him."

"Haoyi, you should come visit us in Qing City when you have time. I’m married now, and my wife is wonderful..."

Su Shuochi went on and on about his wife for several minutes, to the point that Lin Haoshi started wanting to get married himself.

Lin Haoshi didn’t have time to visit Qing City lately; he wanted to make a trip to Feng’en County in person.

"Su, hearing you talk about how wonderful your wife is makes me want to visit you all in Qing City, but I’ve been busy driving long-haul for someone else and don’t have the time."

"Haoyi, since you’re already driving for someone else, have you ever thought about going into business for yourself?"

"I have, but a brand-new T850 heavy-duty truck, or even a 5-ton medium-duty cargo truck, costs at least fifty-five thousand. My grandfather’s ten years of back pay isn’t even enough to buy a used one. I’m thinking I’ll have to save for another two years."

Lin Haoshi actually had a proper job, one the Lin Family had pulled some strings to get for him. He quit it when he left the family.

"I’ve got five tons of high-quality rice on hand. Why don’t you find a buyer for it in the Imperial City, and I’ll lend you the money from the sale to buy a truck."

"Su! You really have that much rice? I’ll contact a buyer on my end. What if we go in on this together as partners?"

"I don’t know about that. This is supposed to be your way of earning money."

"Ah, come on, Su! Don’t be such a stranger. Ideas are useless without money to back them up. You should be our leader."

"’Our’? Who else is there?"

"Some of the younger guys I’ve recruited over here. We’re brothers, been through thick and thin. From now on, I’ll bring them with me to work under you, Su. Heh heh..."

That morning, Su Shuochi had seen a lot of rice in his wife’s space—at least twenty tons of it. He had asked her if she had any plans to sell it.

His wife had said to sell it if someone wanted it; after all, she was going to study at Imperial Capital Medical University in the latter half of the year and would need a lot of money.

When he had offered to lend money to Lin Haoshi, he had genuinely intended it as a loan to help his friend in a pinch.

He wanted to pursue opportunities in the Imperial City but hadn’t decided what to do yet. For now, he would convert the rice in his wife’s space into cash and lend it to his friend.

His friend’s suggestion that they partner up to buy a heavy-duty truck was a wonderful turn of events, and it put Su Shuochi in an exceptionally good mood.

Su Shuochi and Lin Haoshi agreed that as soon as a buyer was found, the latter would come to Qing City to transport the rice.

After hanging up, he found the call cost ten yuan. He was in such a good mood, however, that he paid it readily.

In this life, accomplishing anything of real substance is far from easy, and trying to go it alone makes it even more difficult.

When you find reliable people to partner with, you can achieve twice the results with half the effort, leading to mutual success.

But if you encounter someone deceitful, you’ll get half the results for twice the work, and everything can be ruined in an instant. This just goes to show how important it is to be a good judge of character.

Someone who dares to take responsibility, keeps their promises, and possesses an upstanding character—that is a reliable partner.

Associating with unreliable people is an immense waste of time and life.

Life is short. Stick with reliable people; in helping others succeed, you will find success yourself.

He glanced at his watch. ’My wife has probably only finished two of her classes. I’ll go to the Overseas Chinese Store and buy some fruit to take home.’

’The peaches this season are big and cheap, and my wife absolutely loves them, so I should buy extra.’

’She has apples in her space, so I don’t need to buy those. I’ll get a box of ice cream bars to bring home for everyone to eat.’

’There’s no malted milk extract in her space, but Sheng Shijing bought several jars this morning, so I don’t need to get that either.’

’His wife’s space had almost everything the Overseas Chinese Store had, and her space had many things the store did not.’

Su Shuochi’s wheelchair was once again laden with goods. When pedestrians on the road saw him, they steered clear from a distance.

"Grandpa, Uncle Geng, Mom, Brother, you’re all shelling peanuts? Go wash your hands, come have an ice cream bar, and take a break."

"Shuo Ci, you bought so much food again. If I keep eating like this, your grandpa is going to get fat," Old Sir Gu chuckled.

"Grandpa, you all need to eat more, especially Uncle Geng. Jiaojiao said you’re so thin you’re unrecognizable—that your own mother wouldn’t know you if she were standing right in front of you."

Su Shuochi’s words made the members of the Gu Family roar with laughter. "That Jiaojiao, always telling it like it is."

"Hah! Am I really that gaunt? A shame my mother passed away long ago, and I don’t even know if my father is still living."

"Ruixian, don’t be sad. I’m heading back to the Imperial City in a couple of months. I’ll help you ask around then. Come, have an ice cream bar."

Su Shuochi handed an ice cream bar to each person and put the rest in the refrigerator.

The Su family’s washing machine and refrigerator had both come from Gu Jiaojiao’s space; the couple claimed they had bought them at the Overseas Chinese Store.

’Buying a real refrigerator and washing machine would require selling so much rice. At present, all the couple could sell was rice, noodles, and flour.’

Su Shuochi didn’t recommend selling the appliances from the space, because such advanced electronics were not yet available on the market.

Using them at home was acceptable, though, especially since Su Shuochi’s family had never even seen an ordinary washing machine.

When the Gu Family arrived, the Su family already had these things, so they wouldn’t suspect anything.

Su Shuochi chatted with the Gu Family for over an hour. "I’m going to pick up Jiaojiao from school," he said. "Grandpa, would you like to come along?"

"Yes, that sounds good. We’ve been here for several days, and I was just wanting to go for a walk. Jinghua, are you coming?"

"Grandpa, if I go out looking like this... won’t people make fun of me?"

Tempted, Gu Jinghua walked over to the mirror on the cabinet and looked at his reflection.

The man in the mirror’s gaze was no longer dejected, but it still lacked any light. His eyes were a bit swollen.

Though his complexion was no longer as sallow as before, his puffy face in the mirror looked like a sheet of yellow paper, utterly devoid of color.

His frail body emanated a thick aura of sorrow. ’I’ve been resting for days,’ he thought, ’and I’m still in such a wretched state!’

He thought of Jiaojiao’s lively, smiling face, like a gorgeous flower blossoming in the spring.

Then he looked at his brother-in-law in the wheelchair. Su Shuochi’s face was smooth and, while not fair, was coolly handsome with sharp, chiseled features.

His dark, deep eyes were like spring snow that had yet to melt, bright and dazzling, yet they seemed to hold an imperceptible, biting chill.

The color of his lips was like warm jade, and the corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile, as comfortable and pleasant as the March sunlight.

Every move he made was proud and dashing.

Compared to Su Shuochi, he felt like they were worlds apart—one in heaven, the other on earth. The comparison instantly made him feel inadequate.

Only he knew that this thick sorrow came from having experienced the vicissitudes of life, from having seen the ways of the world, and from having lost all passion and hope for living...

He had been eating well at the Su family home for the past few days, but deep down, he still held a sliver of concern and hope for Lian’er.

However, every piece of news Sheng Shiwu brought about Lian’er left him feeling suffocated and hopeless.

’How could he possibly recover?’

Jiaojiao said he was severely malnourished, but her gaze seemed to see right through him.

He recalled the disappointed looks Jiaojiao had given him, and he couldn’t blame her for it.

’Uncle Geng had only been recuperating for two days, and he already looked to be in better shape.’

"Grandpa, I’ll go pick up Jiaojiao, too."