Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 148 - 139 Lu Jiaguang Gets Promoted

Chapter 148: Chapter 139 Lu Jiaguang Gets Promoted

The clothing store had been open for a month and, after deducting rent, utilities, and labor costs, made a profit of six thousand two hundred. Xue Mao and Xiao Qiu were paid eighty a month, while Lu Jiajie’s salary was three hundred.

Because business was good, any jealous competitors who came to cause trouble were handled by Lu Jiajie, who also stayed in the store to guard it at night. If not for the fact that he wasn’t very discreet and didn’t stand his ground firmly enough, he could have been put in charge of the business.

After receiving the money, Lu Jiajie told her he wanted to go to Yangcheng City to see if he could bring back a batch of goods to sell. If he did, the profit could at least double.

Lu Jiaxin did not trust his taste, but she wouldn’t stop him. Lu Jiajie was capable and had strong social skills. It was just that he hadn’t faced much hardship in his life, having had it too easy. Now that he was going out on his own to do business, a few stumbles might rid him of his bad habits and help him mature and become more reliable.

After thinking it over, Lu Jiaxin said, “With your sense of selection, it’s almost impossible to double your profits. If you want to earn more, you should spend some money to hire someone with a keen eye to help you choose the merchandise.”

“Okay.”

Of the bonus Lu Jiaxin had given before, Lu Jiajie had only repaid Lu Jiaguang. He hadn’t returned the money to Lu Hongjun. It wasn’t that he was reneging on the debt, but rather he had been planning to do his own business since last year. With this month’s salary and some earnings from messing around with friends during the New Year, he now had three thousand.

But this money wasn’t enough. Lu Jiajie felt too embarrassed to ask Lu Jiaxin for a loan because of the Ma Lili borrowing incident, so he borrowed two thousand from several close friends instead.

Lu Jiajie gathered five thousand ready for the trip south. Ah Sheng couldn’t get away, so Lu Jiajie only took Ah Le with him. The two kids were not sent to the Ma family; after the Lantern Festival, Aunt Ah Le came over.

As Ah Le’s mother had said, her older sister was diligent and clean, and she cooked delicious meals that even Ma Lili couldn’t fault.

Once everything was in order, he took off with Ah Le. Half a month later, he returned with five hundred and eighty sets of clothes. When the clothes arrived, he let Lu Jiaxin choose first.

Seeing these clothes, Lu Jiaxin felt that the person they found had good taste. Not only were the clothes of high quality, but they were also fashionable and easy to match.

Lu Jiajie explained, “I made a lot of connections in Yangcheng City and, through them, I found someone who has a good eye for selecting clothes. A friend’s sister happened to be in the clothing business, so I asked for her help. Jiaxin, what do you think of this batch of clothes? Will they sell well?”

Lu Jiaxin nodded and replied, “They look great. I’ll take them all, at the price Brother Hu offers.”

Lu Jiajie quickly waved his hands and said, “No need, just add twenty percent to the cost price.”

Lu Jiaxin wouldn’t take advantage of him like that, “Clear accounts make for good relations, even between brothers. You’ve had expenses for traveling, lodging, and dining in Yangcheng City, and you also need to pay Ah Le. Plus, the shipping costs a lot. An extra twenty percent would definitely mean a loss for you, I can’t profit while you’re at a loss. We need to follow the rules. If you don’t want that, then I won’t take the merchandise.”

Knowing her character, Lu Jiajie said, “Brother Hu’s prices are too steep. The cost of this batch is nine thousand eight hundred. Just give me twelve thousand.”

“You only had five thousand on hand, right? Did someone give you credit?”

Lu Jiajie said with a smile, “I still benefited from your influence. Su Heming vouched for me, and I only paid half upfront. The other half will be sent after the goods are sold.”

Su Heming had not mentioned this to her. Lu Jiaxin did not haggle anymore. “The cost is nine thousand eight hundred; I’ll give you twelve thousand. You’d practically lose your pants in the deal. Make it twenty-five thousand, and I’ll take all the clothes.”

Lu Jiajie felt it was too much, “How about twenty thousand? I would still double my money with that.”

After accounting for food, lodging, transportation, and Ah Le’s wages, this business venture netted over ten thousand in profit. He decided to rest for a few days before continuing south to stock up on more goods.

For this batch of goods, Lu Jiaxin offered double the cost price to take it all, which was still almost half the price of those from Brother Hu. No wonder many people are turning to reverse trading nowadays—it’s just too profitable. However, she would not engage in this business; it’s too risky and not worth it.

Lu Jiaxin hired two people to help with ironing clothes and then taught Xiao Qiu how to put outfits together. Astonished by her skill, Xiao Qiu exclaimed, “Cousin, how are you so amazing?”

Once this batch of clothes hit the store, they sold exceedingly well. With a cost of twenty thousand, they sold for forty-six thousand. After accounting for labor and storefront costs, they made a profit of over twenty-four thousand.

Lu Jiaxin’s course load was intense, and she also had to manage the store. When things got busy, many things were left unattended.

One day, Lu Jiajie came over, beaming with joy, and said, “Jiaxin, Jiaxin, Big Brother has been promoted; he went up a rank.”

Lu Jiaxin was overwhelmed with happiness, “Really? Who told you?”

Lu Jiajie said with a grin, “Didn’t I make some money? So I called Big Brother and wanted to invite him and sister-in-law to bring the kids over for dinner, and he told me. Jiaxin, Big Brother said to bring the kids to his place for dinner on Sunday, and I’ll come to pick you up.”

A promotion and a raise are always reasons for celebration, no matter when. Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, “Sure, Xiao Qiu and I will come over then.”

It wasn’t that Xue Mao and Xiaoxiao were outsiders and couldn’t attend, but someone needed to stay to mind the store. Sundays were the busiest and closing for a day meant losing out on a hundred bucks, neither he nor Xiao Qiu could bear that.

The next day at noon, Lu Jiaxin received a call from Lu Jiaguang. She said with a smile, “Fifth Brother already told me about your promotion. Don’t worry, Big Brother, I’ll definitely come on Sunday.”

Lu Jiaguang fell silent then spoke, “Jiaxin, don’t come this Sunday, next Sunday your sister-in-law and I have bought groceries to cook at your place.”

Lu Jiaxin was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood and replied with a laugh, “Okay. Zhenzhen said she wanted to eat roasted whole lamb, so I’ll buy a leg of lamb, and we’ll make roasted leg of lamb.”

It must be that Hongjun planned to bring that woman with him, otherwise Big Brother wouldn’t have said that. With her there, the meal would be unpleasant for everyone. Being promoted was a happy occasion; it shouldn’t spoil Big Brother’s mood.

“Okay.”

On Sunday, after lunch, Lu Jiaxin was chatting with Xiaoxiao in the yard when Lu Jiajie barged in. With Xiaoxiao’s formidable presence, the house remained unlocked during the day.

Lu Jiaxin glanced at her watch, “It’s just 1:05 PM, why have you come so early?”

Lu Jiajie plunked himself down on a stool and said irritably, “What dinner? You’re lucky you didn’t go, or you’d be furious. He actually brought that woman along with Zhao Siyi.”

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Having said that, he started to vent, “Big Brother and sister-in-law too, they actually welcomed her with smiles. If it were up to me, I would have kicked her out on the spot. What rubbish is that?”

Lu Jiaxin laughed and responded, “How would you have the neighbors think if you kicked them out? No matter how unworthy that woman is, she’s now your elder. Besides, one should respect the monk for the sake of Buddha. Big Brother has put a lot of effort into his promotion this time, kicking her out would also be disrespectful to him.”

Doing as Lu Jiajie suggested would be foolish. She wasn’t pursuing a career in civil service, but Hongjun’s connections would definitely benefit Jiaguang. For the sake of his future, she couldn’t fall out with him. Money was a small matter; for those on the political path, personal connections were of the utmost importance.