"What idea?" Chen Xingyang asked, looking completely lost.
Wu Jun said, "Cousin, how about this? You and sister-in-law quit your jobs and go into business for yourselves. Start a packaging factory."
"This…" Chen Xingyang and Duan Xiangyan exchanged a look, stunned by Wu Jun's bold proposal.
"Cousin, we're family, so I'll be straight with you," Wu Jun said. "Those bags I asked you about just now, I plan on using the best ones—the eco-friendly kind that cost six yuan each. Right now, I'm using about 120 a day, and that number is definitely going to get bigger and bigger."
"Jun, is this a steady gig? How long would it last?" Chen Xingyang asked, getting straight to the point.
If it was long-term and stable, it would indeed be a good business in the long run.
But if it was just short-term odd jobs, it wouldn't be worth it for them to quit.
With a mortgage of over 6,000 yuan a month and their child's school expenses, a stable income was more important than anything else right now.
"It's super steady... Absolutely stable, absolutely reliable. We're cousins; would I screw you over?" Wu Jun said. "To be honest with you and sister-in-law, I paid for my dad's surgery by selling rice. This packaging business will definitely be much better than your current jobs, and a lot easier too."
After hearing Wu Jun, Duan Xiangyan nudged her husband's arm, her heart stirred. "Xingyang, let's do it! You're his cousin, you know what kind of person Jun is. He would never screw us over."
"Of course, there's no question about Jun's character. I'm thinking about other things," Chen Xingyang said with a troubled expression. "A small, workshop-style packaging factory isn't something you can just start up overnight. The location, the equipment, the raw materials—none of that is free. And our family's situation…"
"Chen Xingyang, just give me a straight answer. Are we doing this or not?!" Duan Xiangyan's eyes suddenly reddened as she choked back tears. "I'm so sick of this kind of work, mixing up day and night, working endlessly! All I do is sleep, eat, and work. I don't even have time to spend with our child. For a few hundred yuan in perfect attendance bonuses, we've never once been to Meng Meng's parent-teacher conferences. Whenever I think about it, I hide under the covers and cry in the middle of the night."
Chen Xingyang fell silent. 'Letting my woman suffer with me isn't something to be proud of. I'm not a good husband.'
'I haven't been there for my child, haven't been part of her growing up. I'm not a competent father.'
'My parents aren't young anymore, but they wake up at three or four in the morning to run a breakfast stall just to help my family out. I'm a failure as a son.'
"Xingyang, Jun has given us such a great opportunity. We can't let his kindness go to waste." Duan Xiangyan's tone softened as she took her husband's hand. "If it really comes to it, I can try borrowing from my family's relatives. Once the factory is up and running, we can pay them back in less than a year or so. It shouldn't be too hard to borrow the money."
Wu Jun, who had been quiet, had been doing some quick calculations in his head. He spoke up, "Cousin, sister-in-law, I have some spare cash on hand. I can front you 200,000 yuan to get the factory started."
"Jun, you… Where did you get that much money?" Chen Xingyang turned to Wu Jun in astonishment.
Just over two weeks ago, Wu Jun had been scraping together money from all over for an 80,000-yuan surgery fee, so worried he could barely sleep.
Not much time had passed, and now he was offering to front 200,000 yuan just like that. The change was just too drastic.
Duan Xiangyan said, "Jun, your dad's surgery is the priority. Your cousin and I can overcome the difficulties of starting the factory."
"Sister-in-law, don't be so polite with me. Are you treating me like an outsider? Your family's relatives can help you, but your husband's family can't?" Wu Jun said with a smile. "As for this 200,000, I've already set aside the money for my dad's surgery. Don't worry, just take it and use it. It's not too late to pay me back whenever you start making money. Or, once you're in production, you can pay me back in packaging bags."
"Oh, Jun, how can your cousin and I ever thank you?" After hearing Wu Jun's words, Chen Xingyang grabbed his arm, his expression emotional.
"Cut it out. Let go, let go. I don't know you," Wu Jun said with a look of mock disgust. "You're getting all formal with me now. I don't have a cousin like you."
Chen Xingyang chuckled foolishly. "Alright, alright, I won't be formal with you then. When the factory's up and running, we'll have a good drink together. I know how much you can drink, so you'll have to go easy on me then."
"Jun, I'm not going to say anything more. I'll use this as wine and toast to you." As she spoke, Duan Xiangyan picked up the wonton bowl from the table and took a big GULP.
Wu Jun didn't know whether to laugh or cry. His sister-in-law was as straightforward as ever.
Wu Jun took out his phone, opened a payment app, and briskly transferred the money to Chen Xingyang.
"DING DONG! Alipay transfer received: 200,000 yuan."
Hearing the transfer notification, Chen Xingyang felt a surge of excitement.
He had just gotten off the night shift, and now he was about to become a boss. It felt like a dream.
"I'm going to tell Meng Meng the good news." Duan Xiangyan took out her phone and sent a WeChat message to her daughter: Meng Meng, Mommy and Daddy will have time to spend with you from now on. We'll definitely be at the next parent-teacher conference.
Duan Xiangyan could imagine her daughter's joy upon seeing the message. At this moment, she herself was as happy as a child finally seeing the New Year arrive.
Seeing his cousin and sister-in-law with their spirits completely renewed, looking forward to the future, Wu Jun was happy for them too.
Chen Xingyang reined in his excitement and brought the conversation back to business. "Jun, starting a factory isn't something that can be done in a day or two. For your packaging bags, why don't we have a batch made at the factory where your sister-in-law and I work for now? You can make do with those for a while."
"Okay, I am in a hurry. I'm getting a little impatient," Wu Jun agreed with a nod.
He had waited over half a month for the trademark, and now that he finally had it, he was eager to make his move.
It was like finally buying a beloved car and not being able to resist taking it out for a spin.
"Let's go over together. Your sister-in-law and I can quit our jobs while we're at it," Chen Xingyang said. The three of them stood up and walked out of the breakfast shop.
After leaving the breakfast shop, the three of them retraced their steps and went directly to the packaging factory where Chen Xingyang and his wife worked.
After parking the electric scooter, Chen Xingyang led the way, and the three of them entered the manager's office.
"Chen? Didn't you get off work? Why are you back? And who is this?" In the office, a middle-aged man who looked to be around forty, wearing a pair of metal-framed glasses, asked in confusion upon seeing Chen Xingyang enter with a stranger.
"Manager, this is my cousin, Wu Jun. He has a job he'd like our factory to do." Chen Xingyang introduced Wu Jun, then turned to Wu Jun and said, "This is Manager Hu, Hu Jianguo."
Wu Jun greeted Hu Jianguo, "Hello, Manager Hu."
"Hello, hello, please, have a seat. Chen, Duan, you two sit as well." Hu Jianguo gestured for the three of them to sit on the large sofa against the office wall.
After the four of them were seated, Wu Jun got straight to the point. He explained the custom packaging bags he needed and his requirements for the material, finally saying, "Manager Hu, for the first batch, I'd like to order 10,000 yuan worth to see how they turn out."
Hu Jianguo replied readily, "Okay, okay. You're Chen's cousin, and he referred you. While the price is fixed, I can give you a little extra on the quantity. After you pay the deposit, I'll have a sample made for you at the printing department. If you're satisfied with the sample, we can start mass production. You can pick up the order in two days, or we can have someone deliver it to you."
"Thank you for your trouble, Manager Hu. It's a pleasure doing business with you." Wu Jun shook hands with Hu Jianguo, and the matter of the custom packaging was settled.
Seeing that Wu Jun and Hu Jianguo had finished their discussion, Chen Xingyang spoke up, "Manager, there's one more thing…"