0p0 Chapter 161 Everything Shut Down
Chapter 161 Everything Shut Down
Su Yuning stood on the bustling streets of Beijing, her gaze fixed firmly and passionately on the traffic and skyscrapers before her. Her petite frame seemed to contain boundless energy and determination; she was determined to carve out her own niche here, to make her career flourish and shine brightly.
But who could have predicted that fate would always play such cruel tricks? Just as Su Yuning was brimming with confidence, an urgent report from the distant northern desert struck like a bolt from the blue, shattering all her beautiful dreams and plans. This report was like a heavy hammer, crashing down on the once calm lake of her heart, stirring up a thousand waves.
It turned out that the highly respected and esteemed old lord, far away in the northern desert, had fallen ill without warning! Moreover, his illness was rapidly progressing and extremely dangerous, reaching a critical juncture of life and death. At this moment, the entire territory was plunged into panic and chaos. Ye Beichen, the young lord, and his wife—the young mistress Su Yuning—were urgently summoned back to shoulder the heavy responsibility of taking charge of all affairs, large and small, within the territory.
Holding the urgent report, Ye Beichen's face was as grim as the sky before a storm. He slowly raised his head, gazing at Su Yuning beside him, his eyes filled with guilt and helplessness. After a moment of silence, he finally spoke, "Yuning, I'm truly sorry... I know you've always hoped to realize your dream of opening your own business in the capital, but given the current situation, we have no choice. We can only temporarily put everything aside, immediately close the shop, and rush back to Mobei." After saying this, Ye Beichen sighed deeply, as if a thousand-pound burden weighed on his heart.
Upon hearing this, Su Yuning's face instantly darkened. Deep worry filled her beautiful eyes, and her lips parted slightly as she anxiously asked in a trembling voice, "Then... what should we do about the factory? There are more than a dozen workers there, and they all depend on this job to earn money to support their families! Are we really just going to watch them lose their jobs and have no choice but to pack up and go back to their hometowns? This would be a disaster for them!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Beichen's brows furrowed slightly. His deep gaze fixed on the distance, as if pondering a momentary lapse. After a brief silence, he slowly turned his head, his expression serious and earnest as he replied, "There's really no other way. I'm afraid not only the factory will have to shut down, but our Ni Chang Pavilion will also be affected. However, we have indeed made a considerable amount of money over the years. People should learn to be content with what they have. If we remain greedy and insatiable, always wanting more than a thousand taels of silver, we will inevitably become trapped in an endless quagmire of desire from which we cannot escape."
Despite lingering reluctance and doubts, after careful consideration, Su Yuning slowly nodded and solemnly replied, "Alright, in that case, I'll listen to you. But... I don't quite understand why the guards and Xuan Yuan Rong'er are also leaving the capital. Is there some hidden reason? However, I believe you must have a deeper meaning in making this arrangement." With that, she sighed softly and began packing her belongings, preparing to embark on her journey home.
Upon hearing the news that the factory was about to close, the workers were immediately in an uproar, expressing their strong opposition. Zhou Dong, the foreman, was particularly anxious, because he had a deep affection for this job; he didn't just like it, he genuinely loved it.
That night, under a dark and windy sky, Zhou Dong quietly arrived at Su Yuning's office. He gently knocked on the door, and after receiving permission, he went in. He saw Su Yuning sitting at her desk, her brows furrowed, seemingly worried about the future of the factory.
Zhou Dong took a deep breath and mustered his courage to speak: "Sister Yu Ning, I know you must have had compelling reasons to close the factory, but I really don't want to see everyone lose their jobs, and I'm even more reluctant to give up this career that we all love. Although I don't have enough funds to buy the entire factory right now, I'd like to discuss with you whether I can participate by becoming a shareholder. That way, I can become one of the shareholders and help you manage the factory. You can go to Mobei to handle your own affairs; leave this to me. At the end of the year, you can give me dividends according to our shareholding ratio."
After saying this, Zhou Dong looked at Su Yuning with anticipation, her eyes shining with determination.
Su Yuning raised her head and gazed quietly at the sincere young man before her. She could sense the sincerity in Zhou Dong's words and his dedication and passion for the job. After a moment of silence, Su Yuning slowly nodded, indicating her agreement with Zhou Dong's suggestion.
Then, she smiled and said, "Xiao Zhou, actually, I'm also very reluctant to close this factory. After all, this is where my dream started. Since you're willing to invest money and effort, I'll give you 30% of the shares, and the remaining 70% will still belong to me. What do you think?"
Hearing this, Zhou Dong was overjoyed. He nodded vigorously without hesitation, a bright smile spreading across his face, and quickly replied, "Okay! Thank you so much, Sister Yu Ning! Don't worry, I will do my best to manage the factory and will definitely not let you down!"
After resolving the thorny issue at the factory, Su Yuning breathed a long sigh of relief. Ye Beichen, who had been silently watching her, smiled warmly and said softly, "Now you can finally return to Mobei with peace of mind."
And so, the group embarked on their journey to the northern desert. The journey was long and full of wonder, especially for the maid Wen Chen, who was filled with endless curiosity and longing for the mysterious northern desert. Like a chattering little bird, she hovered around Su Yuning, constantly asking questions about the northern desert. However, Su Yuning herself knew very little about the true situation in the northern desert, but seeing the little girl's enthusiasm, she could only try to paint a magnificent picture based on her imagination—a wisp of smoke rising straight up from the vast, boundless desert, disappearing into the clear blue sky.
After several days of travel, they finally arrived in the northern desert. However, what they found was not the peaceful tranquility they had expected, but rather a scene of utter chaos. It turned out that the highly respected old lord was currently bedridden, and due to his illness, an atmosphere of fear and unease permeated the entire territory. Faced with this situation, Su Yuning remained calm. She took a deep breath, quickly composed herself, and then, together with Ye Beichen, began to methodically inspect every corner of the territory.
Meanwhile, Zhou Dong, who remained at the factory, was also working with great enthusiasm and energy. Since taking over the factory, he had fully utilized his intelligence and wisdom to boldly improve and innovate some of the original production processes. To everyone's surprise, these changes brought unexpected results; the factory's business not only remained unaffected but was even more prosperous than before! Overjoyed, Zhou Dong didn't forget Su Yuning, his great contributor. He sent her his first generous bonus without hesitation, along with a detailed report detailing the factory's thriving development.
Su Yuning was delighted to receive the letter. Meanwhile, in the northern desert, Su Yuning discovered a unique crop: jicama. It had a low yield but extremely high nutritional value. She began to think that if she could improve the cultivation methods and increase the yield, it might become a specialty industry of the northern desert. So she started researching this crop and consulted local farmers. Gradually, everyone hoped that this young lady could create a miracle.
Upon returning to the northern desert, the guard who had always protected her finally returned. He carried the most important mission—to ensure the young lord's safety and well-being. However, both he and his wife were reluctant to leave the Rainbow Pavilion. Therefore, after much agonizing, Xuan Yuan Rong'er resolutely decided to stay, which meant she would embark on a long and arduous love affair with her beloved guard brother.
Meanwhile, Su Yuning was engrossed in working in the fields. She focused intently on the jicama, scrutinizing every detail to understand their growth habits. Furthermore, she boldly innovated, experimenting with adjusting the soil fertility ratio and cleverly incorporating effective irrigation methods from other crops. As the saying goes, "Heaven rewards those who persevere," and after persistent effort, some of the jicama plants gradually showed renewed vitality, growing increasingly vigorously.
This exciting news spread like wildfire, quickly reaching far and wide. People flocked to the area, eager to witness the robust growth of these sweet potatoes. Their eyes were filled with anticipation and hope, as if they could already see a bountiful harvest to come.
However, fate is unpredictable. Just as everyone was immersed in joy, an unprecedented severe drought suddenly struck. The once flowing water source dried up instantly, and the thriving jicama suddenly faced a critical moment of life and death. Faced with this sudden change, Su Yuning was extremely anxious, restless like an ant on a hot pan. She ran around tirelessly, desperately searching for a new water source, but to no avail.
Ye Beichen stepped forward and used the resources of his family to dig a deep well. Finally, they found a water source deep underground. The jicama was able to continue growing. When the harvest season arrived, the jicama yield increased significantly. Su Yuning contacted caravans to transport the jicama to various places for sale, and the jicama quickly became famous.
Upon learning of this, Zhou Dong made a special trip to Mobei. He brought more investment proposals, expressing his willingness to support Su Yuning in expanding the scale of sweet potato cultivation and establishing a processing plant. Su Yuning gladly accepted, and Mobei gradually prospered under their efforts. She and Ye Beichen looked at this land, their hearts filled with satisfaction and pride.
In Xinghua Village, sunlight streams into the quiet courtyard. As usual, a woman sits peacefully by the well, washing her family's clothes. The aroma of food wafts from the kitchen, while children laugh and play in the yard—everything seems so warm and harmonious.
Just then, a figure quietly entered the courtyard. It was the woman's former daughter-in-law—Yang Yuyan. Her steps were hesitant, her expression timid, and she softly called out, "Mother-in-law!"
The woman, who had been focused on the clothes in her hands, hurriedly looked up when she heard the shouts. When she saw that the person in front of her was Yang Yuyan, she was stunned and wondered to herself: What's going on? Has the sun risen in the west today? Why has this former daughter-in-law suddenly appeared uninvited?
"What are you doing here, Yu Yan?" the woman asked, her face full of doubt.
Yang Yuyan lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes, and said in a slightly choked voice, "Mother-in-law, I was so ignorant before, often making you angry. I also let down the eldest son of the Su family who was so sincere to me. Now I deeply realize my mistakes. Please, can you give the eldest son of the Su family another chance and remarry me? I really want to go back to this home, take good care of Xiaobao, and watch him grow up." As she spoke, tears rolled down her cheeks like broken beads.
However, after hearing these words, the woman's face instantly darkened. She angrily pointed at Yang Yuyan and rebuked her, "I painstakingly advised you to get back together with the eldest son of the Su family, but how did you respond? Now you want to remarry? Let me tell you, no way! My son and his current wife are deeply in love, their relationship is unbreakable, and they are living a happy and fulfilling life. There's absolutely no way they'd remarry you!"
However, Yang Yuyan was still unwilling to give up and continued to plead: "But the eldest son of the Su family has always listened to you the most, please, please help me talk to him. As long as you are willing to step in, he will definitely listen to your advice. Please, Mother..." Her soft voice was full of expectation and longing.