"Hey, did you know that Little Tu from the He Family really made it big? He's doing so well in the County!"
"Who? The one whose parents died in a car accident and was raised on handouts?"
"That's him! Gosh, I always thought the kid had potential, and look at him now, he's really made something of himself!"
"What? He got rich? Or became a big boss?"
"Big boss? He's done more than just become a boss. Can a boss get the hospital to give us discounts on medical fees? Or get us half-price good medicine?"
"So what exactly happened? Hurry up and tell me!"
In just one month, He Hongtu became a celebrated man in He Family Village.
Not only could he help sell the family's eggs and vegetables for a good price, but he also got a lot of sick uncles and elders cheap and effective medicine.
Plus, he made a pretty penny too. At just over twenty years old, he'd already saved tens of thousands of yuan.
Although being a "millionaire" isn't as glorious as it once was, having tens of thousands in savings at his age as a country lad is definitely considered successful.
The key thing is he genuinely helped the relatives back home.
It's not that He Family Village didn't have others who made money from working outside, but their wealth didn't benefit the other villagers.
Unlike He Hongtu, who had connections in the County and was warm-hearted. Whenever fellow villagers approached him, he would always find ways to lend a hand.
The news quickly reached his close-knit relatives like his Uncle He, Third Uncle, and Fourth Aunt He.
Uncle He: "Did that kid really make good?"
Fourth Aunt He: "He really did! I checked myself. You know our third grandpa has high blood pressure and needs medicine. But his family is poor, and to save his life, he could only afford the cheapest kind. It was Hongtu, the good kid, who got third grandpa the best antihypertensive drugs for almost the same price he used to pay!"
"Does he have that capability?" Uncle He was skeptical.
"Not just that! There's also Second Uncle from West Street. His heart wasn't great, and he needed a surgery he couldn't afford. Little Tu arranged things so he paid only half the price, saving over five thousand yuan!" Third Uncle's eyes gleamed with greed.
"...So what? Even if he can do that, what does it have to do with us! I don't have high blood pressure, nor do I need surgery."
Uncle He was tempted, but he still resisted saying so.
No way around it, they had fallen out with that little rascal He Hongtu in the past and there had been bad blood.
Now, even if He Hongtu was successful, Uncle He didn't want to approach him unless absolutely necessary.
"Aw, who's talking about that? I mean something else!"
Fourth Aunt He saw her brother stubborn and cut to the chase, "Big brother, haven't you heard? A lot of folks in our village are trying to round up some money!"
Uncle He didn't catch on at first, his sister's topic shift was just too damn fast.
Uncle He asked, baffled, "They're raising money, what's that got to do with us? I'm broke, even if they come to borrow money, I won't lend it!"
As a true farmer, it wasn't easy for him to make any money.
Back in the days, to fight over the car accident compensation and savings of his brother and sister-in-law, Uncle He had completely tarnished his reputation.
People still curse He Laoda as dishonorable in villages far and wide, for swindling the only son left behind by his own brother, all for money!
Money was Uncle He's lifeblood.
Forget about other villagers, even his own siblings present, he wouldn't easily relent.
Uncle He watched his brother and sister warily.
Fourth Aunt He: ...
She rolled her eyes in secret. Fourth Aunt He had long known that her brother was obsessed with money, so seeing his greedy expression didn't upset her too much.
Because Fourth Aunt He was much like Uncle He. She was one of the people who had duped her nephew back in the day.
"No! No one is asking to borrow money from you!"
Fourth Aunt He, restraining her patience, continued speaking to her older brother, "Forget it, I'll just say it. I heard that Hongtu met some big boss who wants to invest in building a factory!"
"That boss is from Hong Kong, extremely wealthy!"
"They want to start a health products factory, the same kind of stuff that Hongtu is selling now!"
"I sneaked off to the County and saw it myself, the cost of a whole set of those things is only a few tens to a hundred dollars, but they can sell for three to four thousand. Hongtu can make almost a thousand in commission alone. He can sell several sets a month. That's several thousand right there!"
At this point, Fourth Aunt He couldn't help but envy him.
Making several thousand a month, they earned more than struggling back home farming for a whole year.
The key thing was, He Hongtu and his wife didn't have to exert themselves much, just keeping a bunch of old men and old ladies happy all day.
Those seniors are foolish, believing whatever He Hongtu tells them.
Those pricey items, if spent on legitimate groceries could buy loads, yet they cavalierly bought several boxes of those deceptive products.
As for He Hongtu, with just some smooth talk, he was able to amass a fortune of tens of thousands.
Thinking back to when He Hongtu left their hometown, he looked like a beggar in his tattered clothes.
And now, in just a few years, He Hongtu has really made a name for himself!
"...If that kid He Hongtu is making so much money, why even start a factory? If he invests his own money, what if he loses it?" Uncle He was increasingly tempted but still didn't give in verbally.
This time it was Third Uncle He, looking incredulously at his older brother, "Brother, working for someone else isn't the same as being your own boss! Working for others, you only get a 20% commission, but if you're the boss, all the money is yours!"
"Exactly! Hongtu is clever! He has all these calculations figured out!" Fourth Aunt He quickly agreed.
"What if it's a scam? Over the years, haven't there been enough swindlers in our villages? From collective investing to buying insurance, one careless move, and you could lose even your coffin fund." Uncle He was still cautious.
"A scam? Who is He Hongtu? He's our own nephew."
"Right! Look, even if things didn't go well back in the day, he's still from He Family Village, his parents are still buried in our mountains. If he dares to scam us, he can forget about returning to He Family Village for the rest of his life!"
Third Uncle and Fourth Aunt were passionately making their case.
Finally, Fourth Aunt He expressed urgently, "Moreover, about this factory investment, Hongtu originally didn't want to tell the folks back home. It was the second uncle of the fourth branch who went to the County for some business; by chance, he overheard Hongtu talking on the phone with that big boss, and after prying some information from Hongtu's wife, he found out."
"At that moment, second uncle suggested investing together, but Hongtu was rather reluctant. Understandably so, such a profitable business, why would anyone want to share their benefits with others?"
Uncle He was completely swayed.
Yes, those past scammers were always desperately persuading, presenting everything as wonderful and fearing that people wouldn't invest.
But listening to this situation with He Hongtu, not only was he not actively persuading, he was reluctant, fearing that the people from He Family Village would profit from his endeavour.
This must be genuine.
Invest! Definitely must invest!
Such a great opportunity must not be missed by outsiders. They were He Hongtu's legitimate direct relatives after all!
PS: Unauthorized fundraising and crowdfunding are also illegal, illegal, illegal. Never believe that pie will fall from the sky. If you know a great way to make money, first ask yourself: if it were you, having discovered a money tree, would you be willing to share it with others?