"Manager Hu, my wife and I want to resign. We'd like to strike out on our own." After wrestling with the decision, Chen Xingyang finally stated his purpose.
Hu Jianguo treated his workers well. He and Duan Xiangyan had worked at this packaging factory for over eight years. Although they sometimes earned a little less when business was slow, he had never once been late with their wages.
Chen Xingyang felt terrible about springing this on him. By resigning so suddenly, he hadn't given Hu Jianguo any time to recruit new employees.
Duan Xiangyan also said, looking embarrassed, "Manager Hu, I'm so sorry we didn't tell you sooner. We just made a last-minute decision after our night shift today."
"You two should really think this through before making a final decision," Hu Jianguo said. "It's great for young people to want to strike out on their own, but you have a family to support and a mortgage. You need to consider all of that carefully."
Duan Xiangyan said, "Thank you for your concern, Manager Hu. We've thought it all through. We've been looking forward to a day like this, and now an opportunity has presented itself. We don't want to pass it up."
Hu Jianguo asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what do you and Chen Xingyang plan to do after you resign? Do you have a plan?"
"We... we're also planning to open a packaging factory. After all, we've been in this line of work for so many years, we know the ropes," Chen Xingyang said, deciding there was no reason to hide it.
"I see." Hu Jianguo glanced at Wu Jun, and it all clicked. He smiled and said, "It must be because your cousin here has opened a door for you. That's why you two decided to strike out on your own, right? That's wonderful, truly. I won't stand in your way. On your way out, stop by accounting and collect the half-month's wages we've been holding."
"Thank you, Manager Hu," Chen Xingyang and Duan Xiangyan said in unison.
A conscientious boss like Hu Jianguo deserved respect.
"Manager Hu, we won't disturb you any longer. We'll be heading back now." Chen Xingyang stood up to say goodbye, and Wu Jun and Duan Xiangyan also stood up, ready to leave.
"Chen Xingyang, wait a moment." Hu Jianguo got up from the sofa, walked behind his desk, took a business card from a drawer, and came back.
Hu Jianguo handed the business card to Chen Xingyang. "Xingyang," he said, "this is the number for an old friend's son. His business went under, and he has a set of second-hand bag-making machines he's looking to sell. The price is a steal. As you know, I'm short on space here, so I can't take on any more equipment. You and Xiangyan are just starting out, and every penny counts. I've been there. My advice is to grab this equipment first. Take it one step at a time."
"Thank you, thank you so much, Manager Hu. This will save us a lot of money." Chen Xingyang took the business card and carefully tucked it into the pocket of his work uniform.
Hu Jianguo patted Chen Xingyang on the shoulder and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Work hard. If things really don't work out, you can always come back. The door here will always be open for you and Xiangyan."
After another round of thanks, Chen Xingyang and Duan Xiangyan went to the HR department to handle their resignation paperwork, then stopped by accounting to collect their half-month's back pay.
Once everything was settled, the three of them left the Feitian Packaging Factory.
As they walked out the factory gates, Chen Xingyang and his wife turned to look back one last time at the place where they had worked and lived for more than eight years, their hearts filled with a mix of emotions.
"Brother, Sister-in-law, you two should head home and get some sleep," Wu Jun said, breaking the silence. "We can go check out the equipment tomorrow after you've had some rest."
Having worked the entire night shift, Chen Xingyang and Duan Xiangyan were indeed exhausted, so they agreed. The three of them arranged to meet at Wu Jun's small supermarket at 9:30 the next morning, and Wu Jun would accompany them.
"See you tomorrow, Wu Jun," Duan Xiangyan said as she got on the back of Chen Xingyang's electric scooter.
Wu Jun waved goodbye to them and walked towards the bus stop.
After sorting out the packaging, finalizing the plan to start the factory, and then going to resign, it was nearly noon by the time the whirlwind of activity was over.
At noon, quite a few customers came to the small supermarket to buy rice. One reason Wu Jun had arranged to see the equipment tomorrow was that he didn't want to neglect his business.
After giving Chen Xingyang 200,000 yuan and paying for his father's 80,000-yuan surgery, his savings were nearly wiped out. He urgently needed to make some of it back.
He swiped his card to get on the number 45 bus and headed back the way he came.
At 11:30 in the morning, Wu Jun returned to his small supermarket and opened for business.
"Wu Jun, you're finally open! I've already been by three or four times."
The moment Wu Jun opened the door, Auntie Liu from the 13th floor came into the store and placed 500 yuan on the counter. "Weigh out 100 jin of rice for me, split into two bags."
Wu Jun teased, "Auntie Liu, didn't you just buy 100 jin yesterday? You sure go through it fast."
"You kid. Are you unhappy I'm giving you business?" Auntie Liu said with a laugh as she helped herself to two of the bags Wu Jun had prepared. "This is for my two older sisters. Ever since they tried your rice at my place, it's the only kind they'll eat."
"Well then, my thanks to Auntie Liu for spreading the word," Wu Jun said, taking the bags from her. He went to the back to weigh the rice while Auntie Liu helped hold the bags open.
WHOOSH! The snow-white rice poured into the bag. It was as clean as if it had been washed, without a single impurity.
Looking at the rice in the bag, Auntie Liu commented, "This rice of yours is perfect in every way, except the packaging can't keep up. It looks a little cheap when you give it as a gift."
Wu Jun laughed. "It's coming, it's coming. We'll have proper packaging in another two days."
Auntie Liu stated frankly, "Having packaging is a good thing. It'll look much better for gifts."
Even customers like Auntie Liu were commenting on the packaging. It just went to show how important it was.
'Clothes make the man, and fine feathers make fine birds.' It was really true.
After weighing the rice for Auntie Liu, Wu Jun carried it out for her in two trips, then found some plastic twine in the shop to tie it securely onto the back of her electric scooter.
"Thank you, Wu Jun. You can head back inside."
"Ride carefully, Auntie Liu," Wu Jun called out. Seeing another customer enter the supermarket, he didn't chat any longer and turned to go back inside.
"Wu Jun, weigh out 40 jin of rice for me."
Another rice customer had entered the store. Wu Jun took the money and got back to the task of weighing rice.
He was busy from the moment he returned at 11:30 until two in the afternoon, when the flow of customers finally started to die down.
"Ugh, I can barely lift my arms," Wu Jun muttered, shaking his aching limbs and grimacing.
In just over twenty days, he had sold nearly 40 tons of rice. The returns were substantial, but it was also exhausting work.
He went to the washroom in the back to wash his hands, then found the number for a takeout place and ordered some food.
Ten minutes later, his food was delivered: a serving of fish-fragrant shredded pork over rice.
Wu Jun used to be quite fond of fish-fragrant shredded pork over rice. However, ever since he'd started eating the rice produced from the game, rice from outside restaurants just didn't taste right anymore.
Wu Jun picked at the rice in the takeout container with his chopsticks, eating a bite here and there without much appetite. Suddenly, a thought struck him, and his eyes lit up.
'That's it! Restaurants are a huge market!'
'Some restaurants sell nearly a thousand takeout rice bowls a day. That's a lot of rice.'
'Once the packaging is sorted out, maybe I can try to tap into the restaurant market.'
'But when all is said and done, it all comes back to getting the packaging ready.'