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Chapter 42: Sharing the Money
Xia Xun had left, but Li Yi and his group continued their fruit business. After all, they had only sold 50,000 jin out of the 600,000 jin they had purchased, leaving a staggering 550,000 jin still to be sold.
However, unlike before, no one felt the same sense of anxiety. Their initial investment had already been recovered, meaning that the remaining fruit was nearly all profit.
Even if they sold it at just one dime per jin, they would still make 50,000 yuan in pure profit!
But the reality was even better. The market price for apples and pears had climbed far beyond that, and just the thought of the massive profits had everyone's mouths watering.
Over the next few days, their business spread like wildfire across Jiangcheng.
The turning point came when a meat processing factory announced generous year-end benefits for its employees. Each worker received:
One box of Fuji apples imported from Japan
One box of large premium pears
A 20-pound bag of rice
Because the fruits were exceptionally fresh and delicious—especially given their imported status—word spread quickly, creating a sensation among the local community.
Not long after, the managers of nearby accessory factories and textile mills started inquiring about the source of these high-quality fruits.
Sensing an opportunity, Wei Kang'an immediately connected them with Li Yi's business. Orders began flooding in, and within just a week, all 550,000 jin of fruit were completely sold out.
Even better, while the meat factory had purchased at 5 cents per jin, these new factory buyers were willing to pay 6 cents per jin—adding to their profits.
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July 8th – Li Yi's Home
With Xu Qingnan at work and his daughter at kindergarten, Li Yi was alone at home.
In the kitchen, the rich aroma of braised pork ribs filled the air as Li Yi carefully prepared several dishes.
Suddenly, a rapid knock sounded at the door.
"Ding-deng-deng!!"
Li Yi quickly went to open it and found Wei Sanpao, Xiao Wu, Da Chu, Wei Zi, and a few others standing outside, each carrying two large boxes.
"Why did you bring so much fruit?" Li Yi asked curiously.
"These are the leftovers," Wei Sanpao explained. "After the final delivery to the fertilizer factory, we still had more than 20 boxes of apples—around four to five hundred jin. It's too little to sell, so we figured we'd bring them to you."
Li Yi laughed. "Our family can't finish all of this! When you leave, each of you should take two boxes home."
"Okay!"
"Enough talk, come inside. We need to discuss something important."
After ushering them in, Li Yi locked the door and led them to the small dining table. Once everyone was seated, he disappeared into the bedroom and returned with a large handbag.
He placed it on the table and unzipped it.
The moment the bag was opened, the entire room fell silent.
Inside, bundles of banknotes were stacked neatly. Most were 100-yuan bills, but there were also plenty of 50s and 10s.
Despite their different denominations, one thing was clear—this was an astonishing amount of cash.
For a moment, no one spoke. Their eyes widened, their breathing quickened, and their hearts pounded.
Finally, Wei Sanpao stammered, "B-Brother Yi… This… This money…"
Li Yi smiled. "This is what we earned over the past half-month!"
"All of it?"
"Yes. Every single yuan came from selling fruit. It's all clean money—earned through our own hard work!"
"Wow!!"
"Brother Yi, you're incredible!"
"Who would dare to look down on us now?!"
As the initial shock wore off, the group's excitement grew. They had never seen so much money in one place before!
Then, as if by instinct, all eyes turned to Li Yi, waiting for his decision on how to divide the money.
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The Distribution
Li Yi glanced at his brothers and asked, "So, how should we split this?"
Before anyone else could speak, Wei Sanpao immediately said, "Brother Yi, you should take the biggest share. You were the one responsible for all of this. We just ran errands—we don't deserve much."
The others nodded in agreement.
"That's right! Brother Yi, you should get the lion's share!"
"Yes! You take the main portion, and the rest can be split among us!"
Li Yi looked at them, his heart warmed by their sincerity. Despite their rough exteriors, they were still young and had yet to be hardened by the realities of the outside world.
He nodded. "Alright, I'll take the larger portion. But I'll decide how to distribute the rest!"
"Of course, Brother Yi! We trust you!"
With a slight smile, Li Yi announced his plan:
Da Chu, Xiao Wu, Wei Zi, and Da Long – 20,000 yuan each
Wei Sanpao – 30,000 yuan (for his extra contributions)
Li Yi – keeps the remaining balance
The room went dead silent.
Then, chaos erupted.
"Brother Yi! That's way too much!"
"Yeah! This kind of money is more than my parents make in ten years!"
"Brother Yi, just give us a thousand or two each! This is too much!"
Li Yi chuckled. "Are you guys really that scared of money? Come on, where's your ambition?"
He continued, "Listen, we earned this money fair and square. We didn't steal or cheat anyone. Why shouldn't we take what we deserve?"
Despite his words, the younger ones still hesitated.
Finally, Li Yi grabbed two stacks of bills and placed them in Xiao Wu's hands.
"Take it!"
Xiao Wu instinctively caught the money but then panicked and put it back on the table.
Li Yi sighed helplessly. "Fine, let's eat first. Afterward, I'll personally take you all home and give the money to your parents. Let them handle it."
With that, he zipped up the bag, placed it back in his bedroom, and walked into the kitchen to serve the hot, steaming dishes he had prepared.
That night, laughter and celebration filled the room.
The fruit business had been a success. But more importantly, this was only the beginning.
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End of Chapter 42