After the preliminary shareholders' meeting ended, everyone gathered in the wheat field to see Ding Yuanying off. They then clustered around the BMW, discussing it animatedly until it was nearly lunchtime. Finally, the crowd dispersed, and Ye Xiaoming, Feng Shijie, and Liu Bing returned to Feng's house. Feng's mother had already prepared lunch: pancakes, millet porridge, and several stir-fried dishes. The three sat around the table in the hall, eating and chatting.
Feng Shijie took a bite of a pancake from the wicker basket and said with a smile, "I never expected to see a BMW here. Liu Bing, you driving that car around the streets is a real showstopper."
Liu Bing waved his hand, "I'm just the driver. It's Ye General who gets the real show."
Ye Xiaoming, head down as he ate, pondered for a moment and asked, "Shijie, what was the deal with taking meeting minutes today?"
Feng Shijie shrugged, "I don't know. Brother Ding asked for someone to take minutes, so I found someone."
Ye Xiaoming continued to think aloud, "After all this, it's our people, our money, but Brother Ding hasn't invested a cent. If we follow his plan and it fails, who takes the blame? They say barefooted people don't fear wearing shoes, but now it seems he's barefoot while we wear the shoes. He's playing it very smart."
Liu Bing, alert to this, asked, "When will we get the funds?"
Ye Xiaoming thought for a moment, "Ouyang Xue is the major shareholder and chairman. We should be mindful of her opinions. Wouldn't rushing things upset the chairman?"
Liu Bing suggested, "Let's have Brother Ding include this car in the investment. Even if it's not brand new, it's worth a lot."
Ye Xiaoming sighed, "Are you kidding? Even if you get to ride it, we'd have to cover the car's cost. Can you afford to ride and maintain it? As Brother Ding would say, that's forced high consumption. Besides, the car isn't even in his name."
Feng Shijie interrupted, "Xiaoming..."
Liu Bing quickly corrected, tapping the table and smiling, "Call him General Ye."
Feng Shijie laughed and nodded, "General Ye, is it appropriate to be so suspicious? Are we asking for help or trying to trick someone? No matter where Brother Ding got the funds, the point is he got them. Ouyang Xue isn't easily fooled. For 10,000 or 20,000 yuan, maybe, but 1 million? She must trust that Brother Ding genuinely wants to help us. As for the car, if it were ours, would we be so willing to use it like this?"
Liu Bing, putting down his porridge bowl, agreed, "Exactly."
Ye Xiaoming looked up at Liu Bing, annoyed, "Exactly what? Today you said in front of everyone that you'd feel secure only if Brother Ding invested. Do you think others didn't notice?"
Feng Shijie interjected, "Let it go. Let's talk business. Do you still want to proceed?"
Ye Xiaoming retorted, "What kind of question is that? Having doubts doesn't mean not proceeding. From the first time I met Brother Ding, I knew he was exceptional. Otherwise, how would we be here today?"
Feng Shijie agreed, "Exactly, which is why you're the general manager."
Realizing the pointlessness of idle chatter, Ye Xiaoming asked, "Shijie, you've been in the village for days. How much do you think the farmers will need for equipment?"
Feng Shijie answered, "After discussing it with a few others—table saws, milling machines, lathes, polishing machines—along with foundry, painting, and electrical work, it'll be over 200,000 yuan."
Ye Xiaoming said, "We need to carefully manage this. We must inspect and negotiate prices for the equipment ourselves, ensuring we neither buy junk nor overspend."
Feng Shijie reassured him, "Don't worry. I know what to do."
After hesitating a moment, Ye Xiaoming asked, "What about your shop when we start the company?"
Feng Shijie explained, "I've arranged with my cousin to take over. He's been working there for two years and knows the business well. Don't worry, I'll be fully committed to the company. I know my priorities."
Ye Xiaoming finished his porridge, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and joked, "Who's the real genius here? Brother Ding isn't the genius, and neither am I. The real genius is Feng Shijie. Brother Ding is just a piece on Shijie's chessboard. If Wangmiao Village truly prospers, no one will remember Brother Ding. He won't stick around for something like this. But Shijie, being a local hero, might even get featured in the newspapers."
Liu Bing added excitedly, "Maybe he'll even become the village head!"
Feng Shijie lit a cigarette, smiling, "You guys are blowing me up like a puff of smoke. If I become the village head, I'll allocate two acres to each of us, and we can build our own country villas."
Liu Bing, lost in a reverie, said, "If I build a villa, I'll design a listening room to Hi-Fi standards, with an eight-channel pure Class-A tube amplifier setup. I'll hang a transformer on the outside wall and invite top audiophiles for competitions, impressing everyone. No need to work, just listen to music and meet friends. I'd be so sophisticated, the record store owner would recognize me instantly. There'd be nothing I wouldn't dare buy, talking about classical music and maestros like an expert."
Ye Xiaoming looked at his watch and said, "Wake up. Time to get back to work."
Liu Bing grabbed Ye Xiaoming's hand, still engrossed in his fantasy, "No, let's dream a bit longer. It's so exhilarating!"
Ye Xiaoming and Feng Shijie couldn't help but laugh.