C8 Decision

Yang Xiuyuan and Zhang Yuehua both thought their son had lost his mind. Even if he did make some money writing, he shouldn't be spending it like this!

Wu Daxiang glanced at the couple. "I support this, but it's your family matter. You need to discuss it thoroughly! Don't agree now and then back out later, making it difficult for everyone."

"Yes, yes, this needs to be discussed properly!" Zhou Jun quickly added. He also didn't agree with Yang Chenxuan's plan. It required too much money, and even if they worked hard, they couldn't earn enough to cover the land rent.

Yang Chenxuan knew that without his parents' approval, these people wouldn't dare rent to him. He immediately said, "Let's discuss this as a family. Does anyone else have any other opinions? Let's clear everything up today so we can move forward together."

"I think this sounds good!"

"Yeah, as long as we have a designated spot to find cars, there shouldn't be any issues."

With no objections from the group, Yang Chenxuan stood up, picked up his bowl, and said to Wu Daxiang, "Mr. Daxiang, I apologize for any offense today. I drink this bowl in your honor, you can drink at your own pace!"

With that, Yang Chenxuan downed the entire bowl of rice wine in one go. The wine wasn't strong, but not many could drink a whole bowl at once. His apology was well-delivered.

Everyone cheered in unison.

Wu Daxiang was completely won over by Yang Chenxuan. That one bowl of wine dissipated any lingering frustration he had.

Wu Daxiang felt quite at ease; the words sounded refined, the drink went down smoothly, and most importantly, Yang Chenxuan was going to be a famous writer. He didn't dare offend him lightly, and now, apologizing in front of so many people, he could brag about it later!

Wu Daxiang raised his glass and declared loudly, "I'll drink to that!"

He downed his drink in one go, prompting Yang Chenxuan to start clapping, "Way to go, Mr. Daxiang!"

As Yang Chenxuan clapped, everyone else awkwardly joined in. Applause wasn't common in the countryside; it was something you mostly saw on TV, and it made Wu Daxiang feel a sense of pride.

Yang Chenxuan poured himself another bowl and turned to Zhou Jun, saying, "Uncle Jun, I was out of line today. This one's for you!"

Zhou Jun was surprised that Yang Chenxuan would apologize to him and quickly stood up, "You were right today, no worries, no need to apologize!"

Yang Chenxuan looked grateful, "Uncle Jun, my dad's not good with words and has never properly thanked you. I was young and didn't know any better, but you've helped our family a lot, and we remember that. If you don't hold today's incident against me, I'll consider myself your nephew from now on."

Yang Chenxuan's words were heartfelt, each one sincere and genuine. In the past, whenever Yang Xiuyuan faced difficulties, Zhou Jun was the first person he thought to turn to, and Zhou Jun always helped wholeheartedly.

Before his passing, Yang Xiuyuan told his son, "Make sure to visit your Uncle Jun often; he's been a great help to our family!"

Zhou Jun glanced at Yang Xiuyuan and smiled warmly, saying to Yang Chenxuan, "No need for such formalities!"

"Right, right, I'm always the one saying the wrong thing. Uncle, this one's for you!" Yang Chenxuan downed his drink in one go.

At gatherings like these, Yang Chenxuan had a knack for setting the mood, and before long, the whole atmosphere was lively and engaging. Although it seemed like he was drinking a lot, he rarely filled his glass to the brim and didn't drink much more than the other guests.

The party went on late into the night, with many people ending up tipsy and having a great time. Wu Daxiang, in particular, was slumped over the table, having drunk the most. At one point, he almost pledged brotherhood with Yang Chenxuan.

Zhang Yuehua and Yang Chenxi took care of the cleanup. Meanwhile, Yang Chenxuan and his father made sure everyone got home safely.

Once the family settled down, Yang Chenxuan served a small bowl of pickled vegetables and brewed a pot of tea for his father to help with the hangover. He asked his mother to make a light soup for himself. Tea didn't help him much after drinking; it made him dizzier, whereas a mild soup was soothing.

As they sat outside together, Yang Chenxuan said, "Mom, Dad, we need to lease that land!"

"Do you know how much that land costs? At least a thousand dollars a year," Yang Xiuyuan said, clearly frustrated.

Zhang Yuehua also tried to reason with her son, "Xuan, if we lease the land, we have to pay agricultural taxes and rent. How can we make that much money from sand digging?"

Yang Chenxuan waved his hand dismissively. "Once we buy the equipment, how many other sand diggers in the village do you think can survive? Over time, most of them will have to quit, and we'll just keep growing."

"When we expand, we'll lease their land too. If they get jealous and refuse to lease to us, we'll be stuck without a place to store sand."

"Plus, if we lease all the land, the roads leading to each sand digging site will be ours to let them use for free. They know this."

"If we put up a big sign at the entrance saying 'Xiuyuan Sand Pit,' will they complain? They won't dare. Even if they do, it won't matter. Besides, except for a small fee for storing sand, all the land leading into the sand pit is paid for by us, and they use it for free. If they badmouth us, they'll be the ones criticized."

"And as for today's management fees, I insist on covering them. This ensures the management listens to us. It'll make it much easier to bring in clients."

Yang Xiuyuan and Zhang Yuehua hadn't considered any of this, and they were taken aback by their son's insight.

Yang Chenxi crossed her arms on the table, resting her chin on them, and looked up at her brother with wide, admiring eyes. She thought he was amazing, able to charm everyone around him.

Yang Xiuyuan pulled out a cigarette and instinctively offered one to his son, but Zhang Yuehua slapped it away, reminding him that their son was still just fifteen or sixteen. He lit one for himself instead. "Son, you make a good point, but we don't have that kind of money!"

"When do we usually pay the rent for the land?" Yang Chenxuan asked.

"At the end of the year with the harvest, or during the fall when we pay the agricultural taxes," Yang Xiuyuan replied.

Yang Chenxuan said, "It's only June now. We don't have to pay until September or December, so what's the worry? Even if we don't make money, I still have my writing fees, right? Should we pre-sell the river sand to buy the machines? By the end of the year, the sand we've pre-sold will be dug up, and the machines will be ours. If things don't work out, we can just sell the machines and use my writing fees to cover it. We can manage a thousand dollars, and at worst, we break even."

Hearing this, Yang Xiuyuan and Zhang Yuehua found his reasoning sound.

At worst, they’d work hard for a year and not make any money, but if they did succeed, it could be a big payoff!

"Xiuyuan, what do you think?" Zhang Yuehua asked. Although she often criticized her husband, she let him make the final decision on important matters, as he was the head of the family.

Yang Xiuyuan was nervous, his hand trembling slightly as he held his cigarette. This plan involved over a thousand dollars, which was a significant amount for him.

Seeing his father's hesitation, Yang Chenxuan spoke up, "Dad, with how things are at home, you and Mom can barely manage to keep my sister and me in school. But what about the house? How much longer can we live there? If we try this now, it might be a bit of hard work, but if it pays off, it could be a real opportunity for us!"

Yang Xiuyuan glanced at their crumbling mudbrick house. If they didn’t build a new one soon, a heavy rain could leave them without a place to live.

Taking a deep drag on his cigarette and a bite of sauerkraut, he chewed thoughtfully and said, "Alright, let's go with Xuan's idea. Yuehua, you go and lease some land tomorrow. I'll see if anyone's willing to pay in advance for sand. Xuan, since you have a plan, head to the county and check if there's any equipment for sale. If not, go to the city. Your mom will give you fifty dollars for travel expenses. Make sure to find out the prices first."