The Reborn Sidekick Rejected The Male Lead-Chapter 345 - 335: Why Get Married

"I heard you’ve been taking more leave recently."

"Yes, the winter collection was launched recently, so I took three days off."

"Doesn’t the workshop have your elder brother and his wife looking after it? If you keep taking leave like this, your graduation assessment teacher might get upset. It could affect your future job allocation.

I know Professor Zhang from your school. I’ll take you to meet him tomorrow. Every year, the school has spots for graduates to stay on. It would be best if you could stay on at the school."

"Teaching university students, I... Can I really do that?"

"You’ll start off as a teaching assistant, helping the professor. After teaching for a few years and gaining experience, you can be promoted quickly, especially since universities are short of teachers."

Xia Lin thought about what it would be like to be a university teacher. Perhaps it would be quite prestigious and comfortable, but the salary was a major drawback: "If I become a teacher, what about my business?"

"You can leave the business to your elder brother and his wife. Linlin, you should listen to me. Running your own business is quite popular right now, but seeing you try to please Qi Anmin every day makes me uncomfortable."

"What do you mean ’try to please him’? It’s just a business relationship. I’ve taken him to dinner a few times—they have a state-owned factory, with hundreds of employees. If I can secure their uniform business, I could make ten thousand yuan from just one order, ten thousand yuan, Ah Shu.

When you’re doing business for someone, shouldn’t you be pleasant and agreeable? Should I be arrogant, walking around with my head held high and my face cold?

What’s wrong with running a private business? It’s not like we’re stealing or robbing anyone, so why do you feel ashamed? You want me to meet Professor Zhang, but isn’t that also just sweet-talking people over a meal and relying on connections? It’s all the same."

"How can that be the same?"

"How is it not the same? It’s all for one’s own benefit. Ah Shu, I’ve told you, after I graduate, I don’t plan to take up the job arranged by the school. I want to strike out on my own and start a business."

"Start a business? Can a woman really compete with men? You have just a little workshop now. Do you think you could actually start a big factory?"

Xia Lin found Gao Shu’s words astonishing. The man she had married twice across her lifetimes, the one she had to remarry in this rebirth, she was only now slowly realizing how rigid he was.

Deep down, he had an air of disdain for those he considered beneath him, and no matter how much he tried to suppress it, it would eventually come out.

She now doubted whether he had looked down on her family from the start.

Then why did he take an interest in her again?

In her previous life, after she had married him, she thought about it: during the ten years their two children had grown up, he had never once taken her back to Ten-miles Village.

She had been a willing homemaker, working thanklessly on this side, giving him two children in five years.

She was very virtuous, tending to the children, doing laundry, and cooking meals. He always had his meals handed to him and his clothes ready to wear.

Their monthly living expenses were just his salary, for a family of four, which amounted to a little over thirty yuan, later increasing to over forty yuan.

Living expenses for the month weren’t much, ten yuan was enough, but what about the kids? The elder one had to attend kindergarten, with tuition and living expenses, and if they were to get a little sick, the remaining money would just fly away.

She would constantly calculate the household expenses at home. Later, when the children got older, she wanted to start a small business right outside their door, but Gao Shu felt it was beneath him and didn’t allow it.

What had gotten into her? How could she have forgotten all the suffering she endured with him in her past life?

After she left, why did she only remember the good about him?

She should be like the young people of later generations, self-reliant, be a strong female lead. If marriage is like this, then what’s the point of getting married at all?

With the skills from her previous life, Xia Lin got into the business of making clothes, opened factories, bought houses and cars; she couldn’t possibly do poorly.

Regrets? She couldn’t really say she had any now.

Ah Shu was good to her, but he always wanted her to follow his ideas, which she was unwilling to do.

She despised his inflexible way of thinking.

She kept thinking, all of this was very normal, after all, Ah Shu was born and raised in this world and was unaware of future developments. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

Give it a few years, once private enterprises develop, he would understand her current choices. They had their differences now, but she could be tolerant, she could explain patiently.

Thinking of this, Xia Lin took a deep breath to calm her fluctuating heart and said, "Ah Shu, I will definitely be opening a factory in the future. Just look at my winter clothes this year, they’re bound to sell well. I could potentially earn tens of thousands, and in two or three years, I’ll have made my first pot of gold, then I’ll register a company, and rent a bigger place. By that time, I’ll have just graduated. These are all things I’ve planned for my career, and I hope you can understand and support me."

Gao Shu, perhaps realizing his words had been a bit harsh just before, hurriedly took Xia Lin’s hand with an apologetic tone, "Linlin, I know you love this industry, but I also wish for us to have more stability in the future. After all, running a business doesn’t have guarantees, I’m worried."

"Ah Shu, I understand your concerns. In business, where there’s profit, there’s risk, but this business of mine is a hundred percent profit guaranteed. Trust me," Xia Lin said, and after a thought, she added, "Come on, let me show you my passbook."

Gao Shu was slightly startled. He knew Xia Lin’s business was profitable, but he hadn’t shown much concern about how much money it actually made.

Based on the previous deals with Ah Da, it should be pretty good.

However, when he saw the amount in the passbook, he was stunned: "... eight thousand?"

Xia Lin said with a smile, "That’s just from the past month. The money before that... my elder brother borrowed it to buy a house."

Seeing that number, Gao Shu felt quite complicated. His wife was earning more than he did, and he should be happy about that.

"All of this was earned in one month?"

"Yeah, just caught the transition from autumn to winter. Autumn and winter clothes are the most profitable. Also, if I take down the deal to make uniforms for that steel mill now, I could at least earn that much this winter," Xia Lin said, gesturing two fingers to Gao Shu.

Gao Shu frowned and asked, "How much for a piece of the steel mill’s winter uniform?"

"They used to give it to one of the garment factories in our city for fifteen yuan per piece. I’m offering it for twelve now," she replied.

"That’s expensive, isn’t it?"

"Not really expensive. The material used for the uniforms is durable, and they use cotton inside. It’s just the cotton that’s a bit more expensive, but not much is needed for a single piece of clothing. The material cost for a garment is three yuan, the labor less than one yuan. I can make a seventy percent profit on each piece. Of course, this is just the price for a cotton jacket, they also need cotton pants."

"Didn’t you say it was previously given to a garment factory? There are only two garment factories in our city. If they have regular factories, why would they come to your small workshop?"

Xia Lin was taken aback for a moment, then patiently explained, "Ah Shu, you must encounter similar situations in the government offices, right? Do you think the leaders would meet with me if they weren’t inclined to? Previously, they charged fifteen, I charge twelve, and they tell people it’s fourteen. That difference... do you understand?"

"That’s a mistake."

Xia Lin laughed, "I’m a businesswoman, I don’t care about those things. As long as it makes money, it’s fine. And I’m not making any mistakes. Besides, Secretary Qi, the factory director, isn’t in charge of their factory’s procurement.

He will have the procurement department contact me, and the discounted price will be prepared by them to distribute bonuses to the factory staff.

Think about it, you’re getting the same quality clothing, made by someone else, three yuan cheaper. Would you be willing?"