Chapter 34 Kill three birds with one stone

"You're talking nonsense!"

"Open your eyes and take a look. This is the uncle you elected."

"He would rather spend ten dollars on a luxurious meal than exchange it for cornmeal to help his poor neighbors."

"Li Jiandong, as expected, money is the greatest test of human nature. You have finally revealed your true colors."

Jia Dongxu stood up suddenly and said, "Yi Zhonghai, since you are so capable, then donate! How about I donate the same amount as you do?"

He Daqing also slammed the table and glared at Yi Zhonghai:

"Count me in too!"

"Yi Zhonghai, don't you like to force people to donate money at every turn?"

"Why don't you donate it yourself? I will accompany you to the end. If you don't dare to donate, just shut up."

Yan Jiecheng also wanted to stand up, but was held tightly by Yan Bugui.

But he still shouted desperately: "Me too, I am with Senior Brother Dongxu, I will donate as much as Yi Zhonghai donates."

Shazhu has just started working and hasn’t even earned his first month’s salary yet, so he doesn’t have the ability to make it on his own.

However, judging from the way he clenched his fists in anxiety, he was genuinely feeling sorry for Li Jiandong.

Looking at his apprentices and brothers defending him with anger on their faces.

Li Jiandong felt a warm feeling in his heart and smiled with relief.

He stood up and said slowly, "Daqing, Dongxu, Jiecheng, don't worry."

He turned his head and glanced at Yi Zhonghai, then said to everyone:

"I just said that since you have chosen me as your boss, I will definitely not let you continue to suffer poverty."

"However, as the saying goes, it is better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish. Donations can only solve temporary poverty. If you want to solve poverty for a lifetime, you still have to rely on your own hands to work hard."

Li Jiandong paused for a moment, and seeing that no one objected, he continued,
"Today, I would like to take this opportunity to share my thoughts with you."

Everyone couldn't help but look forward to it.

“First, I want to open a small pub outside our alley.

Let the poor families in the yard send people to work there.

This way, everyone can have a fixed income every month, which can improve everyone's life more than donations."

“In addition, a portion of the tavern’s income can be used as funds for our hospital’s activities.

For example, the money for inviting door gods and posting couplets during festivals, as well as the money for purchasing peanuts and melon seeds, can all be paid from this activity fund.

This will save everyone a considerable amount of money.”

In today's environment, it is completely legal to open a pub, as long as the prices are not too outrageous.

Li Jiandong expressed his thoughts bit by bit.

The residents became more and more excited as they listened, and their eyes sparkled.

In particular, the eyes of those poor households were filled with hope, and some could not help but shed tears.

But Yi Zhonghai chose to pour cold water on him at this moment.

He sneered and asked, "Li Jiandong, you make it sound easy, but where does the capital for opening this tavern come from?"

"If we lose money due to poor management, who will compensate us?"

Everyone suddenly woke up. Although Yi Zhonghai was annoying, the question he raised was very practical.

Li Jiandong glanced at him and said slowly:
“If everyone is willing, each household can contribute the money according to their own ability, and we will share the burden whether we make a loss or a profit.

"If everyone is afraid of losing money, then I, as an old man, will provide the start-up capital."

"When I make back my investment, I will transfer the tavern to our compound and make it our property."

"If I lose money, it's all mine."

Investing in a small pub is nothing for Li Jiandong.

What's more, in this environment of material scarcity, there is no problem selling anything and there is no such thing as losing money.

It’s just because people have been promoting that it is glorious to be a worker or a farmer, so no one is willing to do business and feels inferior.

Li Jiandong comes from an era where money is everything and making money is not shameful.

Moreover, this tavern will bring extra income to the residents of the courtyard and is the collective property of the entire courtyard.'

Therefore, opening a pub will not affect his identity as a worker, but will also increase his achievements and exercise his leadership ability. Why not do it?

Li Jiandong now earns more than 100 yuan a day from his three apprentices. It is worth spending this little money to win people's hearts.

"Haha, I hope you can do what you say."

Yi Zhonghai had a sneer on his face, as if he was going to wait and see.

However, he didn't believe it, but many people believed Li Jiandong.

He Daqing was the first to raise his hand and express his opinion:
"Old Li, I'll take part in this tavern too!"

"Although I, He Daqing, don't have much money, I can still come up with a hundred or eighty yuan."

As the second uncle, it is time for Liu Haizhong to show his awareness. How can he be content to lag behind others?

He raised his hand and said, "As the second uncle, I can also give fifty yuan. I have three sons at home, so I can bear the burden."

Yan Bugui was very conflicted and said, "Then I will donate 20 yuan too. No, 10 yuan will be enough. I have many children, and my salary is much lower than that of Lao Li and Lao Liu."

When everyone saw Yan Bugui being so stingy, they all laughed and made fun of him.

Yan Jiecheng felt a little embarrassed, so he also raised his hand and said, "I'll also give 40 yuan, and my dad and I will raise 50 yuan together."

"Hey, kid, how much do you earn a month? You still have to pay money back home."

Yan Bugui hurriedly tried to cover Yan Jiecheng's mouth, but it was too late, and he could only give up angrily.

Yan Jiecheng chuckled.

Li Jiandong said with a smile: "Old Yan, you look at your awareness as an old man, it's not as good as Jie Cheng's."

"Besides, why do you think our tavern can't make money? If it does make money, you'll have contributed less, so you'll get less."

Yan Bugui thought so too.

"Okay, let's make it a settlement where both of us pay 50 yuan each. If you pay the compensation, 40 yuan will be yours."

Yan Bugui was making a small calculation. No matter what happened, he wouldn't lose much.

Next, several more families invested money into the tavern.

Li Jiandong accepted all the offers and received a total of 280 yuan, which was definitely not enough to open a small pub.

But it also indirectly shows that the current compound still has some cohesion.

Just do it.

the next day.

Li Jiandong took a day off and went to the entrance of the alley with He Daqing to buy a store.

Then the two of them went their separate ways.

Li Jiandong was responsible for going to the street office to complete the procedures for opening a pub.

He Daqing went to contact the winery to supply wine.

In the afternoon, the two met while having dinner and reported their progress to each other.

The next few days were spent busy with the tavern's affairs.

Although it is a tavern, it does not only sell alcohol.

Making some side dishes for guests to go with their drinks can also be an extra income.

After a busy week, the tavern opened on this weekend.

He Daqing and Xu Huizhen's wedding was also held on the same day, a double happiness.

From inside the compound to in front of the tavern outside the alley, there are festive red ribbons everywhere.

The wedding banquet was held in the tavern.

There was not enough space in the house, so many were placed outside the pub.

"Today is the wedding day of our Master He Daqing and Ms. Xu Huizhen."

"At the same time, it is also the grand opening day of our No. 40 Courtyard Tavern!"

"Friends passing by, please come and get a free drink. Please come and support us more often in the future. Thank you."

Yan Bugui sang loudly at the door.

This should be the earliest free shopping, and of course it was Li Jiandong’s idea.

This kind of sales model has never been seen in this era. It attracted a lot of people to ask for free drinks.

Outside the tavern, the line stretched a long way.

At the end of the day, not much wine could be delivered.

But the long queue and the wedding banquet at the door attracted a large number of curious people.

The advertising effect is maximized.

"Daqing, Lao Li is really amazing. What do you think of his brain?"

Xu Hui is really a woman with great talent for business.

Although, I don’t understand Li Jiandong’s business strategy of giving away free wine.

But she knew very well how difficult it was to make the business so lively on the first day of opening.

He Daqing said proudly: "Of course, Lao Li is my brother."

"Look how proud you are of yourself. If someone doesn't know you, they would think you are so great."

Xu Huizhen burst out laughing.

Although He Daqing is a bit naive and not as capable as Li Jiandong, he knows how to love a woman, and that is enough for Xu Huizhen.

After the first day of opening, the tavern was up and running.

Men have to work.

The tavern was handed over to Qin Huairu and other women to run. Qin Huairu was the head shopkeeper, and Xu Huizhen was the second shopkeeper. In addition, people such as Sister Ma and Sun Quezi were assigned different jobs.

Anyway, I can get a salary of more than ten yuan every month. Although it is not much, it is enough to solve the problem of food and clothing.

Time flies.

Soon the tavern had been open for a week.

Because of the previous advertising effect and the good management in the later stage.

After a week, not only did we make back all the money we spent on drinks on the opening day, but we also made a considerable profit.

Qin Huairu was very excited about this.

"Brother Jiandong, guess how much money our tavern made this week?"

Li Jiandong casually asked, "One hundred?"

Qin Huairu was speechless: "How can there be so much? We are not speculating, and we didn't add water to the wine. You guess again."

"Fifty, then?"

Li Jiandong didn’t know how much he had earned, it was just a blind guess.

Qin Huairu chuckled: "It's not even fifty, but it's almost there. We made a total of 46 yuan this week."

Li Jiandong made a rough calculation and found that at 46 yuan a week, he could earn about 200 yuan a month.

Of course, these are all gross profits. Excluding the rent of the tavern, wages, and some other expenses, I should be able to make 100 yuan a month.

This income is insignificant to Li Jiandong, but it is definitely a lot of money for the residents of the compound.

"Not bad, keep up the good work."

Li Jiandong was about to give her a kiss as a reward.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Qin Huairu shyly avoided it.

Li Jiandong had no choice but to walk over and open the door.

Outside the house were Sister Ma from the backyard and the widow Xiao Hutao from the middle yard.

The two men looked a little embarrassed, looking at Li Jiandong, as if they had something to say but didn't dare to say it.

"Sister Ma, Hu Tao, what do you want to talk to me about? Don't stand outside. Let's talk inside." Li Jiandong said with a smile.

Sister Ma and Hu Tao looked at each other and went into the house.

Sister Ma then spoke:
"Uncle, Hu Tao and I came here today because we really have something we want to ask you for help with.

You helped us open the tavern and gave us a job.

Walnut, I and others are very grateful to you."

"But you also know that of my three children, the youngest is only a little over one year old. The youngest son of the Walnut family is also less than two years old."

"After we start working, we won't have time to look after the children. We..."

Seeing that Sister Ma couldn't continue, Hu Tao said:

"Uncle, we are not ungrateful. You are doing this for our own good. We are not ambitious enough, and the man in our family passed away early, so there is no one to help us."

As she spoke, Hu Tao's eyes turned red and she choked up and couldn't continue.

She is only 23 years old this year, and her husband has been gone for more than two years. It is really unfair that she has to become a widow at such a young age and has to earn money to support the children alone.

"Is Mr. Li home?"

Li Jiandong hadn't solved the problem yet when someone else came to look for him outside.

Li Jiandong stuck his head out and looked outside. He recognized that it was a street official, whose name seemed to be Xiao Sun.

"Secretary Sun, I'm at home. Do you need me for something?"

Li Jiandong walked past Sister Ma and Hu Tao and asked Secretary Sun that official business had to be given priority.

Secretary Sun didn't waste time and got straight to business.

"Uncle Li, I'm here to inform you."

"The higher-ups have issued a new document requiring us to step up our efforts to eradicate illiteracy."

“Take a good look at this document, the specific contents are all here.

You can hold a meeting of the whole institute at a convenient time to implement it and strive to achieve some results. "

"If this is done well, it will definitely add points to the selection of outstanding hospitals in the future."

Secretary Sun finished speaking in one breath and took out a guidance document and handed it to Li Jiandong.

Li Jiandong took it in his hand, glanced at it, and said with a smile: "Don't worry, Secretary Sun, we will strictly implement it."

Secretary Sun grinned and said, "Uncle Li, you are busy. I will continue to the next courtyard."

Li Jiandong waved and watched Secretary Sun leave.

He looked at the literacy guidance document in his hand, and then glanced at Xiao Hutao and Sister Ma who looked a little nervous beside him.

Suddenly, an idea came to my mind.

"Sister Ma, Hu Tao, I know everything about your two families. You want to work and take care of the children at the same time, right?"

Sister Ma and Little Walnut nodded at the same time.

They also knew that this request was a bit excessive. Among so many workers in the yard, they had never heard of anyone bringing their children to work.

But that's their situation. There are no men or elderly people in the family, so they have to raise the children by themselves.

What should I do if I can’t ignore both work and children?
"I'll help you with this matter, you two can go back first."

Hearing that Li Jiandong agreed to help solve the problem, Sister Ma and Xiao Hutao felt relieved and they thanked him repeatedly.

After seeing them off, Qin Huairu also walked out of the house.

"Brother Jiandong, Sister Ma and Hu Tao are indeed pitiful. Let them take them back to the tavern. At most, we can take care of them together, right?"

As a woman, Qin Huairu can understand the difficulties faced by Sister Ma and Hu Tao.

Li Jiandong nodded: "Don't worry about this matter, I already have an idea in my mind."

"Oh, please make two more dishes later. I want to invite Daqing, Lao Liu, and Lao Yan to come over for dinner and talk about things."

Qin Huairu agreed.

Li Jiandong went to call for help.

After a while, He Daqing, Liu Haizhong and Yan Bugui were all invited to Li Jiandong's house.

Four people sat in a circle around the dining table, with peanuts, edamame and white wine in front of them.

While sipping his wine, Li Jiandong said:
"Daqing, Lao Liu, Lao Yan, I asked you to come here for two things, or you can say it's the same thing. Secretary Sun, who I just received, came to me and gave me this. You can take a look at it first."

Li Jiandong handed the literacy guidance document to He Daqing on his right.

He Daqing said without even touching it:

"Old Li, you are making fun of me. You know I can't read."

"Look at my brain, I forgot about this. Old Yan, why don't you read it yourself?" Li Jiandong laughed.

Yan Bugui was delighted when he took it and saw it.

"Hey, Nanluoguxiang Street Literacy Guidance Document, Daqing, this is specially prepared for you."

"It's useless even if you prepare it for me." He Daqing curled his lips in disdain.

"I'm already this old, but I can't even understand an A-bo-chi-de. I'm so blind that they probably can't understand me."

Liu Haizhong said proudly: "If you ask me, Daqing, you are a hopeless person.

I wish I could have such a good opportunity to receive education.

I won’t just graduate from high school.”

"Okay, Daqing Lao Liu, you two stop interrupting. Let Lao Yan finish reading this guidance document first." Li Jiandong knocked on the table with chopsticks.

Seeing that no one spoke, Yan Bugui continued to read the document.

Li Jiandong waited until he finished reading before saying:

"Daqing, Lao Liu, you have all heard that the street attaches great importance to literacy this time, and it will be an important reference for the selection of advanced courtyards at the end of the year."

"We are all the masters in the courtyard. Please tell us what you think about this."

"What else can I say? Of course we should resolutely complete the tasks assigned by the street leaders." Liu Haizhong said.

He Daqing waved his hand and said:
"This has nothing to do with me. I'm not a rich man, and I can't read. I get a headache when I see those things with hooks and squiggles."

Li Jiandong looked at Yan Bugui: "Old Yan, you are a teacher, what do you think?"

"Old Li, you are the boss, you have the final say in this matter. If you need me, just let me know."

"I, Old Yan, believe that you will not let me work in vain."

The implication is that if he wants to teach others to read, he has to pay.

Li Jiandong looked at Yan Bugui speechlessly.

"Then I'll tell you what I think!"

Li Jiandong was no longer polite.

"I plan to open up a small area in our tavern as a reading corner."

"Then, select some people from our courtyard who can read and do arithmetic, and have them go there for an hour every evening to teach the children and adults in our courtyard."

"This way, we can also attract some customers who want to learn but don't have the conditions to spend more money in our pub. What do you think of us?"

Liu Haizhong, the second uncle, was the first to answer: "I think it's OK."

Yan Bugui and He Daqing had no objection either.

Opening a study corner can not only solve the problems of Sister Ma and Xiao Hutao.

At the same time, it can respond to the street’s literacy mission and attract some drinkers with learning needs.

It can be said that it kills three birds with one stone.

(End of this chapter)